Hundreds turn out for NTCA's IOC Wireless Symposium.

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein and some of the wireless industry's biggest names, including Motorola, Alcatel and Intel, turned out to support rural wireless carriers at NTCA's fourth annual 2005 IOC Wireless Symposium in Phoenix, January 5-7.

Specifically designed to arm small independent telecom companies with the information they need to create their wireless game plans and develop tactics to compete against their wireless competitors, the symposium featured a preconference workshop, technology showcase, as well as technology-specific sessions that allowed attendees to choose between a mobile, fixed or next-generation track.

Commissioner Adelstein kicked off the symposium with a keynote speech that addressed rural carriers' spectrum concerns and outlined the FCC's 2005 wireless agenda. Following his presentation, a reality panel made up of Ed Schaffer, CEO of Extend America; Bill Cusack, director of business development for Motorola's canopy division; and Al Margulies, chief operating officer of the Software Define Radio Forum, painted a realistic picture of the IOC wireless marketplace.

Not surprisingly, the most heavily attended session was on WiMAX in the fixed track. Attendees learned about the potential WiMAX has in rural communities, as well as the potential relationship between 700 MHz spectrum and WiMAX. A panel, made up of major WiMAX vendors, provided a realistic assessment of what the technology can and cannot do.

The panelists all agreed that earlier claims of WiMAX's capability to provide 70 Mbps in a 30-mile radius were somewhat exaggerated. This kind of performance is only achievable in a line-of-sight condition without any obstruction, and on certain frequency bands. In a real network deployment, lower throughput and smaller range is more realistic. Panelists concluded that it is too early to tell which spectrum bands and what applications, whether fixed or mobile, are most optimal for WiMAX.

In the next generation track, Dan Dahle, manager of Intel's Mobile Internet Initiative, stressed that achieving seamless roaming among different networks [e.g. 3G cellular, WiMAX, etc.] is critical as mobile standards and systems proliferate. He outlined a new global standards project called International Roaming Access Protocols Project (IRAP) that was spearheaded by Intel, and aims to bring all wireless players together to set standards for seamless global roaming.

The mobile track featured a session on mobile virtual network operator, a regulatory update on the FCC's secondary spectrum market rules and a case study panel on mobile and wireless operations. The case study panel, presented by Les Greer of Advantage Cellular Systems, Bill Hayden of West Link Communications and Jim Wilder of NTCA member company Piedmont Rural Telephone Cooperative (Laurens, S.C.), was particularly well received. The panelists were very candid in discussing the business and operational challenges facing rural wireless operators, and the pros and cons of partnering with national carriers.

Throughout the three-day symposium, NTCA members networked and learned about issues affecting small wireless carriers today. Attendees raved about the pre-conference workshop on microwave radio systems, sponsored by Alcatel, as well as the quality of session presentations.

The next TechNet Conference and Showcase, the 2005 ISP Summit: Advantages, Choices and Opportunities, will be held in Charlotte, N.C., May 4-6. For more information, visit www.ispsummit.com.

By LiChing Sung, NTCA Wireless Industry Analyst