VoLTE, VoWi-FI, 4G, CDMA, licensed vs. unlicensed spectrum and more on tap for 11th RINA Wireless Users Group Conference Aug. 10-12 in Salt Lake City
There’s more to the domestic telecommunications industry than the big four. Rural and independent operators have carved out a distinct market niche built on a strong foundation of providing reliable coverage and personalized customer service.
Scalability is a major industry buzzword and, clearly, it’s easier to realize economic benefits when operating at a large scale. But there is power in numbers and, for smaller operators, the upcoming Rural Independent Network Alliance (RINA) Wireless User Group Conference is a perfect opportunity to get familiar with the unique cooperative’s switching and core hosting value proposition.
The 11th annual conference and exhibition is set for Aug. 10-12 at the DoubleTree resort and venue in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information and registration information, click here.
RINA Wireless was born out of a partnership when UBET Wireless (now STRATA Networks) and South Central Communications combined switching functions to provide an enhanced customer experience while reducing capital and operating expenses.
Since then, the cooperative has grown to include 9 independent carriers in 5 States: STRATA Networks, South Central Communications, Syringa Wireless, Silver Star PCS, CTC, NNTC Wireless, Breakaway Wireless, Snake River PCS and Custer Telephone.
Dennie Mecham, Operations Manager for RINA Wireless, said the organization enables “wireless market share on an affordable scale.”
“There is a big opportunity to save wireless operators a lot of money. Through our partnership, wireless providers can operate on a more affordable level, even in smaller markets. Our customers are looking for support in switching/core hosting knowledge and expertise, as well as ways to lower hosting costs. Not only are they seeking help with their operations, but they are also looking for someone to take numerous tasks off of them so they can focus on other areas of their business.”
In addition to the operators that will be on hand, the Wireless Users Group Conference also includes vendor partners from Ericsson, Interop Technologies, Phoenix Telecom Solutions and more. Compatriot organization the Competitive Carriers Association will also be presenting at the event.
Technical presentations will include discussion of hot topics like Voice over LTE and Voice over Wi-Fi–both emerging technologies with the potential to disrupt long-held voice-driven billing models—as well as LTE and CDMA networks and the opportunities and challenges associated with licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Additional conference tracks focus on marketing, sales and customer service.
Mecham said that pooling of resources, like shared data roaming agreements, is central to RINA’s mission of lowering the significant barriers to entry surrounding the telecommunications industry.
“The opportunity that RINA provides is it allows you to leverage economies of scale to get into a business that typically requires a significant capital outlay.”
For more information about RINA Wireless and its members, visit RINAwireless.com.
