Broadband Wireless World Forum Welcomes 3,400 Attendees; The Fourth Annual Show Yields a Record Number of Attendees, Exhibitors
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 2001--More than 3,400 leaders in the broadband and wireless industries descended on San Francisco's Moscone Center this week for the Broadband Wireless World Forum, the largest trade event in the world focused exclusively on broadband fixed wireless.
The fourth annual show, produced by Shorecliff Communications and sponsored by Alcatel, more than doubled the attendance of last year's conference, and featured more than 140 exhibitors, twice the number of the 2000 show. The show also featured speeches from CEOs and executives from top companies in the telecom segment.
Timothy Downs, event director and publisher of Broadband Wireless Business magazine, said the show was an overwhelming success. "It shows that, despite the recent turmoil in telecommunications, broadband fixed wireless continues to grow," he said. "More and more communications companies are here to learn firsthand from these leading manufacturers about fixed wireless, as a viable alternative to DSL and fiber access."
Executives from Teligent, Winstar, Advanced Radio Telecom and worldwide broadband communications company Callahan Associates International were cautiously optimistic that the broadband industry will right itself in the near future, but that companies offering high-speed access must overcome some major challenges to succeed, including a scarcity of local bandwidth and difficult financing terms.
Wharton B. Rivers, CEO of Advanced Radio Telecom (ART), in his keynote speech on Tuesday, said that this is the year companies must seize the opportunity to truly deliver the goods to customers, instead of promises.
Alex Mandl, chairman and CEO of Teligent, delivered his keynote speech on Monday, and said that fixed wireless could be the much-sought-after key to fulfilling customer demand. Mandl also said he expected the industry will likely correct its current downswing in the next 12 to 18 months.
And President and COO of U.S. Operations for Winstar Communications, Frank J. Jules, addressed attendees on Monday on the challenge of penetrating a U.S. market of 750,000 office buildings, of which only 10,000 are currently equipped with fiber communication lines. Because demand for service is still strong and local bandwidth is scarce, prospects for companies meeting that demand are good.
Richard Callahan, chairman of Callahan Associates International, led off the show with a challenge to the industry to respond to the opportunity in delivering new services, wirelessly, to the business demand worldwide.
The more than 3,400 guests attended a slate of both general and technical education sessions, visited a show floor featuring more than 140 exhibitors and took advantage of various executive track sessions and tutorials.
About Shorecliff Communications Inc.
Shorecliff Communications Inc. is the leading media company serving the broadband wireless and independent tower/owner management industries, providing trade shows, executive conferences and publications. Shorecliff Communications is also the first to offer focused educational events for companies offering wireless Internet solutions in the unlicensed spectrum. More information is available on the web at: www.scievents.com.
About Alcatel
Alcatel is currently the LMDS broadband wireless access market leader with over 6000 base station sectors shipped and more than 100 customers in commercial and trial deployments. Alcatel's success in LMDS can be attributed to reliable, high-performance products available now for mass commercial deployment; availability of end-to-end networking solutions including products for Core, Edge, Transmission, and Network & Service management; global turnkey deployment experience combined with strong local/in-country presence and deployment support; a full range of pre- and post-license support services, including business case analysis, network design & engineering, and customized financing assistance where applicable. For more information www.alcatel.com/wireless. |
