Content is King -- P-Diddy, Eastman Kodak and ESPN Keynote at WIRELESS.

NEW ORLEANS -- Strategies for delivering mobile content dominated the keynote stage on Day 1 of WIRELESS 2005, the world's largest wireless trade show.

Steve Largent, President and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association(TM) opened this morning's show and formally unveiled the industry's new advocacy campaign. Called Mywireless.org, the campaign seeks to enroll the more than 180 million wireless subscribers in an effort to impact critical public policy debates.

"This is the largest initiative ever undertaken by our organization and it is a critical mission," said Largent. "Wireless taxation and regulation poses a serious threat to consumers looking to access affordable wireless service. Today, 17% of the average monthly wireless bill consists of taxes and fees. We hope to provide wireless consumers with a vehicle to express their views on these important topics."

The keynote presentations began with a special appearance from the renowned entertainer, entrepreneur and musician, Sean "P.Diddy" Combs. During his speech, Mr. Combs indicated his strong interest in entering the wireless space and said he believes he has the ability to attract a potentially large subscriber base. Mr. Combs, making his first appearance at WIRELESS, gave ample reference to his role as a pop-culture trendsetter.

"It's all about cell phones...cell phones, cell phones, cell phones. I don't own spectrum, I don't have network infrastructure, I don't make customer service calls, but I do have subscribers...tens of millions of them," said Combs.

The morning continued with a multi-visual presentation from the Chairman and CEO of Eastman Kodak, Mr. Dan Carp. Mr. Carp showcased his company's EasyShare One camera and wireless printer dock to the audience gathered inside the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA.

"We see a future in which a lifetime of images will be immediately and easily accessible to picture takers -- generation after generation. And that includes easily making a hardcopy print of any image in your collection," said Carp. "The whole thrust of Kodak's consumer digital imaging business has been to make it as easy as possible for people to take, share and enjoy pictures."

The keynote address session concluded with a presentation from the President of ESPN and ABC Sports, Mr. George Bodenheimer. Calling wireless devices a trusted third screen for content, Mr. Bodenheimer stated that avid ESPN consumers are more likely to own wireless devices with "all the bells and whistles."

"Over the years, we developed a mantra that our over 4,000 employees worldwide live by -- to serve fans anytime, anywhere with the best sports content available. And with wireless...as everyone in this room knows...we can literally do just that," said Bodenheimer.

CTIA is the international association for the wireless telecommunications industry, representing carriers, manufacturers and wireless Internet providers.

www.ctia.org