NXTcomm 2008: Everything under the sun

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: TIA's GRANT SIEFFERT

On NXTcomm: We are really excited about the show in its second year, in terms of the innovation that is coming to the forefront and the companies that are delivering it, especially in the IP services realm. It's truly driven by broadband deployment — NXTcomm is becoming the broadband show. The keynote lineup is next to none. After [the WiMAX announcement from Clearwire, Google and others], I am really excited to see what Dan Hesse has to say. There will be a lot of exciting announcements and visions. I think the [NXTcomm] exhibitors are excited about the industry, from a health standpoint. The overall economy has had a downturn, but the industry is fighting through that.

On the impact of the economy: We reported pretty strong numbers in our annual market review, and we got a little pushback on it. What we are seeing is that technology and the ability to communicate are becoming such a part of our culture, our family life and our home life. In the business environment you can't live without it. …

On the wireline to wireless transition: One thing we are really excited about is the 700 MHz auctions taking place. The things we have been talking about will become reality, like the licenses for rural America. We are hoping Congress will take action on public safety and interoperability and get the D block back on course.

On competition from WiMAX: I think WiMAX is both a threat and another option for traditional telecom players. … While TIA is technology-agnostic, we have a lot of vendors in the WiMAX space. There will be competition. From an association perspective, competition is good. That's when the equipment vendor community is the healthiest. The game is on; companies are innovating back into their technology labs to bring the best to their customers: the operators. Well, the game is on, and that is a game-changer.

On what Washington can do to aid the telecom industry: One thing Congress can do today is make the research tax credit permanent. … [Making it permanent] would allow our companies be able to plan ahead more than a year out. One thing that TIA has been successful at most recently was in the passage of the Compete Act. It was signed into law with language that sets aside money for [National Science Foundation] and [National Institute of Science and Technology] — they are the ones that [distribute] pre-competitive research dollars. … They can funnel resources into interoperability, broadband access, public safety, security and nanotechnology. What we need to do now is get the Compete Act funded. …

On free trade agreements: It's an election year, and it's silly season. No one wants to pass free trade agreements that this industry cares about, like with Colombia or South Korea. Well, if we aren't trading with them, someone else is. We think the pending FTAs need to be signed by Congress and passed into law.

On what he's looking forward to at NXTcomm: We've seen more new companies come into the show for the first time. That's exciting. There is new blood; there are new opportunities — companies think they can get a return on investment through this show. Hopefully, they will grow up to be the Ciscos and the Tellabs of the future. We will have more voices at the show, with all these different speakers. I'm excited to see what [Survivor and Apprentice creator] Mark Burnett has to say about how he views technology in making his TV shows.

Next page: KEYNOTES AT NXTCOMM