Al Gore to speak at CTIA’s April event

Former Vice President and Noble Peace Prize Winner Al Gore will be the Day 3 keynote speaker at the International CTIA Wireless 2009 event, set to take place April 1-3 in Las Vegas.
Former VP Gore “has a long history of demonstrating leadership in the advancement of environmental and technology initiatives, and we are delighted he’s joining us to share his insights and perspectives regarding these important developments,” said Steve Largent, CTIA president and CEO. “The wireless industry is uniquely positioned to help facilitate a greener and more productive world by allowing customers to make more environmentally conscious decisions and utilize high-speed telecommunications in their personal and professional lives. I know how important both of those areas are to Vice President Gore, and his address will mark another occasion in which the CTIA keynote stage will serve as a platform for global thought leaders to present their visions for the future.”
CTIA has a history of drawing interesting speakers outside of the wireless industry for the final day of the show. Past Day 3 keynote speakers include Bishop Desmond Tutu and former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Gore is a member of the board of directors of Apple Inc. and a senior advisor to Google Inc.
IEC partnership
CTIA also said it has teamed up with the International Engineering Consortium to produce an educational conference program during the International CTIA Wireless 2009 trade show. The IEC plans to put on the Broadband World Forum (BBWF*Unwired) event March 31-April 2 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The forum will focus on the trend of fixed and wireless carrier networks toward a single common infrastructure. Preliminary conference tracks include broadband content, entertainment and applications; wireless broadband convergence; broadband networking technologies and architecture; and IPTV futures.