EXPOsing Market Realities

By 2008, cameraphone sales will creep dangerously close to the magical 1-billion-unit mark. This year alone, anywhere from 25 billion to 68 billion cameraphone images will be taken. This compares to roughly 70 billion digital camera images. Do you know how the industry is going to capitalize on all of those images?

Shifting gears a bit, revenue from the sub-11 GHz fixed wireless market will increase from a paltry $4.3 million in 2003 to $1.6 billion in 2008. Did you know that WiMAX is expected to represent 50 percent of that revenue?

Want to find out the comparative power consumptions and media transfer times between Bluetooth, 802.11b and UWB? Perhaps you want to find out what UWB's sweet spot truly is?

You can uncover the answers to these and many more questions – and pick up more insights into emerging technologies to add to your own knowledge base or to thrill and amaze your colleagues at the water cooler.

June 16, Wireless Week is hosting its second Wireless EXPO Webcast conference and exhibition. As conference chair, I can assure you we have an exciting and informative day-long event shaping up. Not only will you learn the answers to the above questions, but you also will pick up even more valuable information from our 10 panels targeted at critical and emerging areas of wireless technology.

Kicking off the event, Senior Editor Sue Marek will sit down for a one-on-one chat with probably one of the most sought-after chief technology officers in the wireless industry: Kris Rinne heads up network developments for Cingular Wireless. This summer, the largest carrier in the United States is hard at work deploying network technologies that will provide Cingular customers with cutting-edge wireless data services and applications. Rinne will talk about what challenges she and her colleagues have faced as well as share revelations in their high-speed downlink packet data access (HSDPA) launch preparations. She'll also talk about whether the European experience with UMTS has provided helpful direction in those launch efforts.

Following this intimate conversation, the conference breaks into two separate tracks that tackle new technologies in their current stages of readiness. For technologies that are commercially or near commercially available – such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, near-field communications, HSDPA and mobile TV – C-level executive speakers in our Developing Strategies Track will lay out the latest information and findings to help you develop your own strategies for taking the technology to your customers.

For technologies that are still working their way through standards, business model development, carrier consideration or a combination of all three – UWB, WiMAX, Imaging Solutions and IMS – the speakers in our Evolving Tactics Track will uncover current status and near-term considerations for introducing the technology to market.

Just looking at the prestigious lineup of presenters, I guarantee you will pick up terrific information during this day-long event. (Check out the roster of speakers on pages 34-35 of this issue or go to www.wirelessexpo.net.) Some of the most brilliant minds representing leading companies in the industry are represented at this event. We will hear from carriers as well as vendors about their vision, plans and expectations for moving forward.

Besides the insights presented by more than 30 high-level executives, there are two companies I would like to recognize for their unwavering support of this important event. The sponsorship support provided by Tessco and Texas Instruments allows you to attend any and all conference sessions, walk the trade show floor and interact with speakers and vendors for free. That's right. No charges. No hidden fees. Powerful information. Terrific networking capabilities. All from the comfort of your office. It doesn't get much better than that.

Simply go to www.wirelessexpo.net and register today. We'll send you a reminder right before the event begins.

I hope to "see" you there.