It’s never been more important to understand how 5G networks will be supported and how the physical layer of the network needs to evolve in order to meet the latency demands of 5G and therefore operators’ customers. 5G will redefine network infrastructure and the assets within it, and operators must understand how to deploy efficiently and effectively. This session examines why a fully deployed, operational 5G network requires close integration between towers, small cell, fiber and data centers, and the role of towers play as the “umbrella” within a converged network. It would also provide detailed examples of convergence currently occurring in the sector, the benefit of each asset, and how carriers can implement their 5G strategies using a converged network.
Moderator
Jim Fryer, Inside Towers
Speakers
Bernard Borgei, Vertical Bridge
Sanjay Dhawan, Vice President - New Business Technology and Operations, SBA Communications
Mark Reudink, Crown Castle
The business of the carriers is evolving; carriers must find new services, new capabilities, new data opportunities that are created from their customer base. What does this mean for the infrastructure sector? Shared RAN, Shared Spectrum, Shared Wholesale Network – the business of infrastructure sharing is moving beyond towers and sites. Going forward, the balance sheets of mobile network operators offers opportunities to share more than just the antenna location. The trend in Europe and in South Korea, specifically, points towards a North American emergence of holistic shared infrastructure. What are the enabling technologies in this realm – software, virtualization? What opportunities does this pose to the Tower Companies? What implications is shared infrastructure for mobile carriers in a 5G environment? What about new entrants? Facebook and others are innovating with shared infrastructure business models.
Moderator
Monica Paolini, Senza Fili
Speakers
Alex Gellman, Vertical Bridge
Brett Lindsey, Everstream
The increasing demand for bandwidth opens up new investment, acquisition and merger opportunities for mid-tier tower owners seeking to expand their footprint into fiber networks, edge computing sites, in-building neutral hosts and small cells. This panel discusses the market opportunities, capital sources and investment scenarios at play in the wireless infrastructure community, and offers examples on how tower owners can finance, acquire or exit their existing asset business.
Moderator
David Bronston, Phillips Lytle
Speakers
Jerry Sullivan, SWI Funds
Bob Paige, Vertical Bridge
Sachit Ahuja, Tillman Global Holdings
Municipalities of all sizes are fielding more and more requests to accommodate demands by both public and private sector interests in the deployment of fiber-optic networks, small cell networks and a denser array of wireless antennas. The FCC estimates there is a need for millions of small cells to be sited to meet the demand for mobile capacity. As mobile operators (and others) move to “densify” mobile networks, more applications will be filed to deploy small cells Learn what your community can do to effectively manage the ROW, protect the health and safety of your residents, and bring new services to your community.
Moderator
Alan Tilles, GTCA
Speakers
Mike Hill, ExteNet
Jim Lockwood, Aero Solutions
Amandus Derr, Director, Government Affairs, Crown Castle, Crown Castle
Ed Roach, Associate General Counsel, SBA Communications
While 5G is still in its infancy, it will be changing a lot of how in-building network infrastructure will be developed in the future. There are important principles that building owners should know to make sure they are prepared to support 5G. This session will share best practices on developing a firm fiber backbone. In addition, learn from what mobile network operators are doing to roll out 5G.
Moderator
Richard Berliner, Connected Real Estate Magazine
Speakers
Art King, Corning
Lisa Lombino, American Tower
Ray LaChance, ZenFi Networks
Piyush Raj, SBA Communications
Using a case study of an “Edge over CBRS” network, this session looks at the opportunities to apply next generation infrastructure solutions – edge networking and CBRS – to provide unique services in industry sectors that require very low latency such as smart retail, private networks and mobile health care.
Moderator
Monica Paolini, Senza Fili
Speakers
Ganesh Sundaram, AlefEdge
Kurt Schaubach, Federated Wireless
Paul Reddick, Crown Castle
New spectrum has opened the doors for the private sector to leverage this new capacity. The wireless industry highlights the opportunity for many use cases; however, these must go beyond speed and latency discussions to appeal to industry IT organizations. This session will examine several industries and the ways this new spectrum can affect business workstreams, what devices can it connect, and how it must map to an organizations local area and wide area networking to be an effective solution.
Speaker
Todd Landry, JMA Wireless
Across the industry, capital and finance firms are signaling that the virus has the potential to create significant disruptions in the coming year. While the COVID-19 pandemic has driven the S&P 500 down significantly, shares in publicly held tower companies are still in line to be slightly ahead of April 2019 levels. This session explores the wireless infrastructure sector and addresses the near-term outlook from the capital markets on valuation trends, lessons from recent deals, and the driving characteristics that are shaping near term financial activity.
Moderator
John Celentano, Inside Tower
Speakers
Abhishek Rampuria, M/C Partners
Bo White, Macquarrie
Jennifer Fritzsche, Wells Fargo
Colby Synesal, Cowen
As bipartisan support grows at the Federal level for modifications to policy and legislation in response to the coronavirus pandemic, many States are implementing policy and investing in broadband infrastructure to ensure that citizens and businesses can manage a distributed and connected stay-at-home workforce. What are the leading States doing from a policy perspective to meet this new demand? How will these trends play out in other states and at the Federal level? What, if anything, has changed at the State level now that ubiquitous and affordable connectivity has emerged as an essential service?
Moderator
Scott Thompson, Davis Wright Tremaine
Speakers
Roxanne Gould, WIA
Nancy Werner, NATOA
Victoria Weidenthaler, SBA Communications
The Small and Diverse Business Summit is an exclusive opportunity to meet with small and diverse owned businesses and top-notch corporate procurement decision makers for business opportunities within the connectivity sector. Now more than ever the United States and world are relying on the wireless ecosystem to ensure connectivity and continue moving forward. Our goal through the Expo is to ensure we are the gateway to procurement opportunities for the small and diverse businesses who are the backbone of our economy.
Marc C. Ganzi is a Founder and CEO of Digital Bridge Holdings, a leading global investor and owner of mobile and internet infrastructure. Since its inception in 2013, Digital Bridge has raised over $6.5 billion of debt and equity capital to acquire and invest in the development of communications infrastructure businesses, including DataBank, Vantage Data Centers, ExteNet Systems, Vertical Bridge, Andean Tower Partners and Mexico Tower Partners. Mr. Ganzi is widely recognized as a leading visionary and entrepreneur driving communications infrastructure deployment across the Americas. Prior to Digital Bridge, Mr. Ganzi was the sole founder and CEO of Global Tower Partners (GTP), which grew from its inception in 2003 to become the largest privately-owned tower company in the US at the time of its sale to American Tower Corporation in 2013 for $4.8 billion. At GTP, Mr. Ganzi led the Company on its impressive growth trajectory by executing on a series of strategic acquisitions, innovative build-to-suit agreements with wireless carriers and ground-breaking financings in the credit markets. Prior to the formation of Global Tower Partners, Mr. Ganzi worked as a consulting partner for DB Capital Partners in New York City from 2000 to 2002 where he was tasked with overseeing the institution’s investments in the Latin American tower sector. Prior to his tenure at DB Capital, Mr. Ganzi was the President and co-founder of Apex Site Management, the largest third party manager of wireless and wireline communication sites in the United States. Apex merged with SpectraSite Communications in 2000 to create the largest telecommunications site portfolio in the United States at the time. Mr. Ganzi was also a co-founder of Eureka Broadband Corporation, a leading provider of high-speed data and telephony services to major office buildings in the United States. Mr. Ganzi also enjoyed a successful tenure for the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Foreign Commercial Service Department as an assistant Commercial Attaché in Madrid, Spain in 1990. In addition, Mr. Ganzi served as a Presidential Intern in the White House for the Bush administration in the Office of Special Activities and Initiatives for the Honorable Stephen M. Studdert in 1989. Mr. Ganzi holds a BS from the Wharton School of Business. He is a member of the Wireless Infrastructure Associations (WIA) and the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Mr. Ganzi currently sits on the boards of: DataBank, Vantage Data Centers, ExteNet Systems, Vertical Bridge and Andean Tower Partners.
The shortage of properly trained workers is the most significant challenge the wireless industry faces. In addition to towers, labor and a trained workforce is required for fiber network installation, small cell deployment, macro-site optimization and more. A systematic approach to attracting, recruiting and retaining a skilled, productive and safe telecom workforce is the subject of this roundtable session. Issues that are focused on include collaboration between employers, schools, workforce development organizations and all levels of government. Also learn more about private-sector initiatives to provide on-the-job training to create a pipeline for skilled labor and other successful measures to meet 5G labor demand.
Moderator
Barb Burba, TEC Instructor
Speakers
Tom Kane, NB&C
Jason Taylor, VP Safety, Quality and Sustainability KGPCO
Brian Leary, EVP PIKE Telecom
Adria Horn, VP Workforce Tilson
Moderator
Jonathan Adelstein, President and CEO, Wireless Infrastructure Association
Speakers
David Weisman, President, CEO, and Co-Founder, Insite Wireless Group
Jeff Stoops, President and Chief Executive Officer, SBA Communications
Alex Gellman, Chief Executive Officer, Vertical Bridge
Steven Vondran, Executive Vice President and President, U.S. Tower Division, American Tower
Jay Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer, Crown Castle
Edward Parkinson has over a decade of experience in politics and public safety communications. Currently, he serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). In an earlier role at FirstNet as the Executive Director for Government Affairs, Edward was responsible for developing a 50 state political strategy which incorporated all Congressional members, Governors, state legislatures, tribal governments, and local elected officials. This strategy involved the recruitment and management of a highly skilled team, and the execution of a yearlong national strategy that resulted in all 56 states and territories opting-into FirstNet. FirstNet is leading the world in public safety broadband and the Internet of Public Safety Things (IOPST), a holistic environment of interconnected devices all designed to improve public safety. Also the mitigation of cyber risks, the development of an application and device ecosystems, and numerous other market driven initiatives. As a result of the success of FirstNet, almost 20 other nations are developing their own public safety broadband systems. Prior to joining FirstNet, Edward was a Professional Staff Member with the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee where he specialized in policy and legislation related to emergency communications, national security, intelligence, and cybersecurity. He has worked in the private sector for McKenna, Long, and Aldridge, LLC, a national law firm, and a Kearsarge Global Advisors, an international political consultancy. Mr. Parkinson hold degrees from Georgetown University (M.A), and WITS University, South Africa (B.A., Hons).
Heidi currently serves as Vice President, Network Engineering, for Verizon’s Global Network and Technology organization. In this role, she is responsible for the national deployment of 5G technology, oversees overall Network performance, and leads a project management team responsible for launching large infrastructure projects as well as the support for new products and services. Heidi also leads the centralized Real Estate & Regulatory, In-Building/Venues, and Process Enablement teams. Prior to this role, Heidi led the Network Transformation Office, Network Capital Strategy team, and Corporate Sourcing. She has over 20 years of experience in the telecommunication industry in operational field roles, process and program management, as well as financial and technical strategy. She has led efforts to standardize and optimize processes, rationalize and create systems, automate non-value work, and developed workforce strategies in support of migration to the technology architecture of the future all while creating material cost efficiencies. In support of this work, Heidi serves as a positive role model for change and drives the culture needed to accept, adopt, and embrace the large scale evolution required. She also serves as the Network and IT liaison to the other business units and corporate shared service teams to affect enterprise wide shifts in the way Verizon works. Heidi was born and raised in New Jersey where she still resides with her husband, her teenage daughter, a faithful Hound dog and a crazy Australian Cattle dog. She graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Zoology with a specialization in animal behavior.
Thomas A. Bartlett joined American Tower in April 2009 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and assumed the role of Treasurer from February 2012 until December 2013, and again from June 2017 until June 2018. Prior to that, Mr. Bartlett served as Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller with Verizon Communications, Inc. from November 2005. In this role, he was responsible for corporate-wide accounting, tax planning and compliance, SEC financial reporting, budget reporting and analysis and capital expenditures planning functions. Mr. Bartlett previously held the roles of Senior Vice President and Treasurer, as well as Senior Vice President, Investor Relations. During his 25-year career with Verizon Communications and its predecessor companies and affiliates, he served in numerous operations and business development roles, including President and Chief Executive Officer of Bell Atlantic International Wireless from 1995 through 2000, where he was responsible for wireless activities in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. In addition, Mr. Bartlett served as CEO of Iusacell, a publicly traded, nationwide cellular company in Mexico; CEO of Verizon's Global Solutions Inc., a global connectivity business providing lit and dark fiber primarily to global enterprises; and an area President for Verizon’s U.S. wireless business, responsible for all operational aspects in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. Mr. Bartlett began his career at Deloitte, Haskins & Sells. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Equinix, Inc. Mr. Bartlett earned an M.B.A. from Rutgers University, a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Lehigh University and was also a Certified Public Accountant.
Niklas Heuveldop is the President and CEO of Ericsson North America, serving Ericsson’s customers in the United States and Canada with industry-leading technology and services. Heuveldop most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Group Function Technology & Emerging Business, a new position which combined the Corporate Strategy and Technology functions, Ericsson Research, Business Innovation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Emerging Business and focused on the Internet of Things, as well as Information Technology and Ericsson’s Digital Transformation. Prior to that role, Heuveldop was Chief Customer Officer and Head of Group Function Sales. He started at Ericsson in 1993 and has served in various international assignments across the Americas and Europe, including as Head of Global Customer Unit AT&T and Head of Market Unit Central America & Caribbean. From 2001 to 2005, Heuveldop led venture capital-backed technology start-ups, first as COO at WaterCove Networks, which was acquired by Alcatel in 2003, and then as CEO at ServiceFactory, a management buyout from Swedish operator Telia. Heuveldop holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering & Management from the Institute of Technology, Linköping University, Sweden.
Michael O'Rielly was nominated for a seat on the Federal Communications Commission by President Barack Obama and was sworn into office in November 2013. In January 2015, he was confirmed and sworn into office for a second term, which extends until June 30, 2019. Prior to joining the agency, Commissioner O'Rielly spent almost 20 years working in prominent Republican communication policy and leadership positions for the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Most recently, he served as a Policy Advisor in the Office of the Senate Republican Whip, led by U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). Commissioner O'Rielly received his B.A. from the University of Rochester.
Brendan Carr was nominated to serve as a Commissioner of the FCC by President Donald J. Trump, and he was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate in 2017. In 2019, Carr was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to serve a new, five-year term. He focuses on regulatory reforms that will help create jobs and grow the economy for the benefit of all Americans. He is leading the FCC's work to modernize the infrastructure rules governing the buildout of 5G and other next-gen networks. His reforms are predicted to cut billions of dollars in red tape and have already accelerated 5G builds—helping to bring more broadband to more Americans. By updating our country's infrastructure rules, he's helped extend U.S. leadership in 5G and ensured that rural America has a fair shot at next generation connectivity. Carr is also focused on expanding America's skilled workforce—the tower climbers and construction crews needed to build next-gen networks. His jobs initiative promotes community colleges, technical schools, and apprenticeships as a pipeline for good-paying 5G jobs. And he is recognizing America's talented and hardworking tower crews through a series of "5G Ready" Hard Hat presentations. Carr is also leading an FCC telehealth initiative, which is designed to drive down healthcare costs while improving outcomes for veterans, low-income, and rural Americans. Time outside of Washington has informed Commissioner Carr's regulatory approach. Nearly every month, he hits the road to hear directly from the construction crews and tower techs who are building our country's infrastructure. He's seen firsthand how connectivity is growing the economy—from small-town manufacturing plants to the farmers and ranchers that are using broadband for Smart Ag. Back at the FCC, Commissioner Carr has built on the ideas he's heard from the community members, public safety officials, and local leaders he's met at town halls and events in 33 states over the past two years. Commissioner Carr brings a dozen years of private and public sector experience in communications and tech policy to his role as Commissioner. Previously, he served as General Counsel of the FCC, representing the agency in court and serving as the chief legal advisor to the Commission. He first joined the FCC as a staffer in 2012 and worked on spectrum policy and competition matters for a number of FCC offices. Prior to joining the agency, Commissioner Carr worked as an attorney at Wiley Rein LLP in the firm's appellate, litigation, and telecom practices. He litigated cases involving the First Amendment and the Communications Act. A graduate of Georgetown University, Commissioner Carr clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for Judge Dennis W. Shedd. He graduated magna cum laude from law school at the Catholic University of America where he served as an editor of the Catholic University Law Review. Commissioner Carr grew up in Virginia and now lives in Washington, DC with his wife and three children.
Doug Smith is President and Chief Executive Officer for Ligado Networks and is responsible for directing the vision of the company and managing every aspect of its dayto- day operations. He leads efforts to utilize its state-of-the-art communications assets in operating a network solutions firm designed to extend coverage, increase capacity, and accelerate the delivery of next-generation technology for America’s wireless and critical infrastructure industries. With more than 25 years of domestic and international telecom and wireless industry experience, Doug has engineered, built, and launched nationwide networks for GTE, Nextel, Sprint Nextel, and Clearwire. From the outset of the commercial cellular industry, Doug has been involved with the development and technical support of several nationwide cellular networks spanning every generation of technology from the first analog networks through today’s state-ofthe- art systems. Joining Nextel when it was a start-up company, Doug helped build the business from the ground up. He was responsible for the design and operation of Nextel’s nationwide network consisting of more than 20,000 cells and serving more than 20 million subscribers. Following that network deployment, he served as Sprint’s Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Operations Officer and embarked on the deployment of the company’s 4G network. Doug received a Master of Science in Management of Technology from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Merrimack College.
Bala Ganesh leads the Advanced Technology Group at UPS, overseeing efforts to apply cutting edge technologies to create UPS’ Smart Logistics Network. Ganesh previously directed marketing strategy for UPS's retail and consumer goods segment. He joined UPS in 2012 as product manager supporting UPS My Choice and social media/mobile integration within the company's Customer Technology Management group. Prior to joining UPS, Ganesh was responsible for strategy development and mergers and acquisitions with the healthcare procurement company, MedAssets. From 2006 to 2010, he led consulting project teams for McKinsey & Co. Ganesh has also worked as a researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and an MBA. Early in his career, Bala was a pilot in the Indian Air Force.
Jonathan S. Adelstein is the President & CEO of the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA). WIA represents nearly 200 companies devoted to building wireless broadband facilities that connect every corner of America. Since he became President in 2012, over 100 new members have joined the association, the annual wireless infrastructure show has broken participation records, a new association was formed in Europe, and a new nationwide training initiative and WIA PAC were launched. WIA is the principal organization representing the companies that build, design, own and manage telecommunications facilities throughout the world. Its members include carriers, infrastructure providers and professional services firms, with a combined market cap of over $400 billion. Mr. Adelstein served as Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2002 to 2009, for which he was twice nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. At the FCC he achieved bipartisan progress on issues including broadband expansion, widening access to the Internet and media diversity. In 2009, following the FCC, Mr. Adelstein was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the Administrator of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service. There, he oversaw a $60 billion portfolio of rural electric, water, and telecommunications infrastructure loans. He spearheaded the strategic investment of nearly $7 billion under the Recovery Act into rural broadband and water infrastructure, as part of annual budgets of up to $15 billion. As a member of the Obama Administration, Mr. Adelstein was appointed as a member of the White House National Science and Technology Council, which coordinates science and technology policy across the Federal government, and the White House Business Council, leading Council meetings with business leaders across America. Previously, Mr. Adelstein held a number of legislative staff positions over 15 years in the U.S. Senate, culminating as a senior policy advisor to the Senate Majority Leader. Mr. Adelstein received an M.A. in History and a B.A., with Distinction, in Political Science from Stanford University. He attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and served as a Teaching Fellow in history at Harvard University and a Teaching Assistant at Stanford University. He is a graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover. He was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota. An avid musician, he has performed with artists from local garage bands to members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He currently lives with his wife and two children in the Washington, D.C. area.
The Small and Diverse Business Procurement Summit is a signature Connect (X) event and services an intimate component of the four-day expo, designed to facilitate productive discussions on the role of diversity in the wireless infrastructure industry and connect attendees with top-notch procurement opportunities. As a key component of the Small and Diverse Business Procurement Summit, we’re pleased to offer Diversity Roundtable discussion on advancing equity across the wireless and technology industries featuring Diversity leaders from our partners at the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Moderator
Ronald Johnson, Sr. Advisor & Chief Strategist Inclusion and Diversity, WIA
Speakers
Beatrice Louissaint, Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council
Jonathan Lovitz, Senior Vice President of the National LGBT, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce
LeRoy Cavazos-Reyna, at the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Advocates and the industry are pushing for the Federal Communications Commission and Congress to ensure that the government prioritizes broadband infrastructure funding programs in the next round of legislation tied to mitigating the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This roundtable offers more information from Capitol Hill especially in matters of policy and funding used to connect networks, update broadband availability data, streamline federal permitting processes and more.
Moderator
Josh Turner, Partner, Wiley Rein
Speakers
Will Adams, Legal Advisor, FCC
Staci Pies, VP Government Affairs, Crown Castle
Evan Viau, House Energy & Commerce Committee
Charlyn Stanberry, Rep. Yvette D. Clarke
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to shift to a “new normal”, which places new demands on the wireless network. Going forward, the needs of a remote workforce; the increased demand for telemedicine; distance learning rich with video and collaboration functionality; and business continuity all require new thinking for broadband infrastructure. OnGo, enabled by utilizing the CBRS band, is uniquely suited to address the needs of all stakeholders in the new networking infrastructure, including network operators and carriers; public facilities like schools and libraries; governments and enterprises. This session features CBRS Alliance leaders discussing OnGo and its impact on the next generation of wireless connectivity.
Moderator
Tim Downs, WIA
Speakers
Michael O’Reilly, Commissioner, FCC
Dave Wright, President, CBRS Alliance
John Gilbert, COO/EVP/CTO of Rudin Management Company (RMC)
The explosion of 5G deployments are forcing the wireless industry to re-evaluate outmoded tools and processes designed for legacy infrastructure deployments. Massive automation is the only way to scale 5G Infrastructure in the to meet the demand in speed and costs. Emerging technologies such as Cloud software, Mobility, UAVs, Artificial Intelligence and in field-test automation (Coax, Fiber, Spectrum, Drive tests) offer significant opportunities to streamline and automate indoor and outdoor deployment programs. This session examines methods for automation and other tools to drive costs out, profits up, and improve efficiencies in an integrated deployment scheme: iDAS, oDAS, Macros, CBRS, and Small cells.
Moderator
Tim Downs, WIA
Speakers
Subbu Meiyappan, CEO and Co-Founder, EC Site
Piyush Raj, Managing Director, SBA Communications
Kishore Raja, VP of Engineering Strategy, Boingo
There is a tremendous opportunity for tower owners to further leverage their distributed points of presence and transform their macro sites into next generation sites that include Edge Computing and application-centric infrastructure. This panel discusses the practical benefits for site owners to offer more services in the networking stack. In addition, panelists provide insight into the move to a holistic digital infrastructure operator; one that serves a wider scope of customers and use-cases; not solely communications but computing too.
Moderator
Tim Downs, WIA
Speakers
Rajiv Asati , CTO/Distinguished Engineer, Cisco
Anton Kapela, EdgeMicro
Anton Capela, CTO and Founder, EdgeMicro
Matt Trifiro, VaporIO
There is no doubt that there will be a significant cost to human life and economic distress due to the Covid-19 pandemic. What exactly will be the implications for the wireless infrastructure industry from the crisis? What are the hallmarks of the companies who are best weathering the storm, and what are the likely implications for regional and mid-tier owners and site services companies in the next 1 to 2 years? This session features a panel of stakeholders in wireless infrastructure offering insight into the new normal for 5G infrastructure services and infrastructure firms.
A fundamental shift is occurring in the Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) market. No longer solely a solution for rural and low-density markets, CBRS and 5G NR enable network operators and integrators to utilize FWA to address suburban and urban areas. This session focuses on self-installed indoor CPE solutions to reduce costs and eliminate much of the professional installation costs associated with residential and multi-tenant customer deployments. Network operators, integrators and neutral host networks will learn the new economics and market opportunities utilizing FWA.
Moderator
Tim Downs, WIA
Speakers
Ken Haase, VP, Global Telco Broadband Devices, CommScope
Drew Ludwick, Director of Network Services, Tilson
Improving connectivity in areas that are under-served by traditional carriers has emerged in 2020 as a critical consideration for a stay-at-home workforce. However, what is required for expedited network coverage will take innovation and collaboration. This session discusses how CBRS technology, spectrum sharing frameworks, and network sharing models are positioned right now to assist wireless operators to reduce their network cost structure and improve deployments to rural and under-served America.
Moderator
Tim Downs, WIA
Speakers
Tormod Larsen, CTO, ExteNet Systems
Mark Gibson, Business Development, Commscope
Elizabeth Bowles, President and Chairman, Aristotle.net
Jim Jacobellis, VP of Partners and Business Development, Geoverse
Massive MIMO deployment is more than just an extension of existing MIMO techniques used in 4G and LTE networks. Now with massive MIMO and 5G NR, service providers can transmit and receive using a much larger antenna array by manipulating the phase and amplitude of the signals to dynamically direct coverage to a specific service area. To enable a substantial increase in capacity, the technology introduces multi-user spatial multiplexing, transmitting every byte on a different antenna stream in the real-time domain and freeing up the time slot for the next user. But this also leads to new complications during validation and activation, as well as more complex network operations and troubleshooting.
Speakers
Mike Wolfe, Global VP Wireless Network Engineering, CommScope
Iain Gillott, Founder & President, iGR
Operators used to be multi-protocol with every network service having its own hardware silo. With the adoption of every service over IP, Operators could start to converge their networks onto a common platform. As services decoupled from the transport layer, they transformed into VNFs enabling fully software-defined networks. AT&T took the lead with CORD, and then 5G adopted a Cloud Native Architecture. CRAN and vRAN brought these techniques to the RAN. While software gets all the attention, all that NFV still needs hardware to execute. This session looks at the role of and benefit of COTS hardware as the foundation of modern standalone 5G networks.
Moderator
Tim Downs, WIA
Panelists:
Michael Clegg, VP and GM 5G Embedded IoT, SuperMicro
As 5G moves toward adoption, virtualization of the RAN emerges and CBRS powered private LTE networks proliferate, the opportunities for the fiber transport carrier move beyond the traditional applications of backhaul, transport and fronthaul. Suddenly, enterprises of all sizes see 5G, network slicing and Private LTE offering new opportunities in application development and service enablement. This session discusses the technology trends in the industry and how fiber transport carriers are perfectly positioned to add new value from services, computing and communications.
Moderator
Tim Downs, WIA
Panelists:
Christopher Parra, Vice President of z5G, Zayo
(Audio Only)
A survey by the Small Cell Forum shows that, by 2026, almost all small cells will be planned, optimized, and managed by heavily automated systems. The need for digital technology to streamline and execute siting projects efficiently and to unify the back office, front office, and field office systems for superior, real-time project control and time and cost savings. This session surveys digital tools to organize dispersed field and office teams, simplify project tasks, increase information sharing, and execute back-office functions efficiently. Together, digital solutions and best practices will not only enable faster, more efficient network buildouts, and yield improved profitability for services firms in the supply chain.
Moderator
Tim Downs, WIA
Panelists:
Duane Kingma,Co-Founder, FieldCLIX
Dan Kunz, Chief Operating Officer, Crosslink Wireless
Kent Smith, VP Operations, Wireless Services
Fueled by the rapid growth of mobile technologies, the need for higher levels of data and increased reliability, the telecom industry is investing heavily in distributed generation and battery storage. Carriers are increasingly looking to DER and new ES solutions to reduce the cost of electricity at tower sites and to maintain operations in areas with unreliable power. With an increasing emphasis on reliability, DER and ES technologies are logical solutions to communications infrastructure in order to reduce the cost of power; to ensure the continuous operation of telecom networks, regardless of location or external factors, and also to meet the demand needed to supply regular power in areas with extended outages or crisis situations. This session examines innovative products in DER and opportunities for infrastructure owners to provide new services in distribute energy services.
Although current backhaul networks may suffice for 4G today, the promised access speeds of 5G is likely going to overload existing backhaul networks quickly. Fiber is the preferred transport media capable of scaling to network demands from video and cloud-based communications. But deploying a fiber network requires careful planning utilizing next generation processes and tools to ensure more accurate, cost-effective projects and a speed-to market approach to meet the small cells, tower and FTTX needs of public and private 5G networks.
The inbuilding wireless segment is undergoing a significant change – in both technology choice and business model. This session surveys the current thinking of each solution as it relates to the in-building market, and the advantages and disadvantages of each solution for the commercial landlord; the tenant; and the neutral host provider.
Moderator
Tim Downs, WIA
Panelists:
Greg Najjar, Vice President, ADRF
Steven Morris, Vice President, Connectivity Wireless
Art King , Director of Enterprise Service, Corning
Chris Sharp has over 20 years of experience in the technology industry, with an extensive background in developing technology strategies in global markets. He has a deep knowledge of the data center sector and is well positioned to expand technical innovation at Digital Realty. Most recently, he was responsible for cloud innovation at Equinix, where he led the development of innovative cloud services solutions and developed new capabilities enabling next-generation, high-performance exchange and interconnection solutions, facilitating broad commercial adoption of cloud computing on a global basis. Previously, Mr. Sharp held leadership positions at top network and colocation providers, including Qwest Communications, MCI/Verizon Business and Reliance Globalcom.
Neville Ray is T-Mobile’s president of technology, responsible for the management and development of T-Mobile’s wireless network, the company’s information technology services, and technology operations. Previously serving as chief technology officer at T-Mobile, he takes pride in the fact that his team of more than 8,000 is “always on” for customers. Bad weather, natural disasters, and temporary usage spikes can hit at any time, but customers can always count on one thing—Neville and his team will work to save the day. Neville is also proud of the work his team did in positioning T-Mobile as a leader in 5G by launching the first nationwide 5G network in the U.S. in 2019. Before joining T-Mobile in 2000, he was the vice president of network at Pacific Bell Mobile Services, where he helped build out the network T-Mobile users rely on in California and Nevada. Neville has served on both the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (NRIC) and Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee (CSMAC) for the federal government and currently serves on the board of directors of Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance and the Board of Governors of 5G Americas. Both associations have a focus on the advancement and development of 5G technologies and services. He is an honors graduate of City, University of London, a member of the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. When his networks aren’t keeping him busy, Neville enjoys soccer, Lake Sammamish, cars (British, of course!), and spending time with his family.
Operators used to be multi-protocol with every network service having its own hardware silo. With the adoption of every service over IP, Operators could start to converge their networks onto a common platform. As services decoupled from the transport layer, they transformed into VNFs enabling fully software-defined networks. AT&T took the lead with CORD, and then 5G adopted a Cloud Native Architecture. CRAN and vRAN brought these techniques to the RAN. While software gets all the attention, all that NFV still needs hardware to execute. This session looks into the role of and benefit of COTS hardware as the foundation of modern standalone 5G networks.
Speakers
Michael Clegg, VP & GM 5G, Embedded/IOT, Supermicro
Jack Waters is president of Zayo Networks and chief operating officer (COO) at Zayo Group. In this role, he oversees the company’s global Network business, including the Fiber Solutions, Transport, Enterprise and strategic networks businesses in addition to network operations and security. Prior to this role, he served as Zayo’s president of Fiber Solutions and chief technology officer (CTO). Prior to joining Zayo, Jack was CTO at Level 3 Communications, where he was focused on global network technology, architecture, engineering, process and security. He joined Level 3 in 1997 and held numerous leadership roles spanning global operations and engineering. Jack’s career also includes management positions at MCI Communications and the Southeastern University Research and Academic Network. Jack serves on the board of directors for the Colorado Technology Association and the Computing Advisory Board at CU. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the West Virginia University and a Master’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Jack speaks frequently at industry events.