WIRELESS Rx

There's nothing like a big, celebratory convention to help you forget the economic troubles of an industry. Immerse yourself in the hype and hoopla of a show floor, get lost in the crowds and confusion, listen to a lot of passionate people talk about their approaches to revolution, and everything just might seem pretty all right for a while.

The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association's Wireless 2003 event is coming up next month, so maybe such escapism will be possible there. After all, there seems to be a universal perception that wireless is one of the healthier sectors of an industry that's still under the weather overall.

Or maybe the CTIA show is a good time for the industry to take a hard look at what ails it and write a prescription for treating it. Maybe the wireless sector should seize the opportunity of having its heavy hitters in the same place at the same time to assess what's really necessary to ensure that wireless innovation, advancement and investment aren't threatened any further.

That's a lot to expect of a trade show, I realize. These events are typically triumphant, and maybe it's folly to expect a transformation into a sober, pragmatic affair devoted to forestalling failure rather than celebrating success. But there needs to be a balance. Some kind of collective, prescriptive action is required to ensure that the wireless industry is on a road to recovery rather than the downslope of a long decline.

The tough part is deciding exactly what actions are necessary. In a recent interview, Tom Wheeler told me that one of his top priorities in his last year as CEO of CTIA (he plans to step down at end of 2003) is to steer the industry clear of government intervention that he said is stifling to competition and innovation. “We have to redefine the relationship with government and help government rediscover the successful formula that brought us to this point, which is one of competition in lieu of regulation,” Wheeler said. Let's make that, then, one of the main elements of this industrywide recovery rally.

This issue of Telephony features a preview of the CTIA Wireless 2003 event that's also an analysis of some of the critical subjects, technological developments and hurdles facing the wireless sector. The issues examined herein should also be addressed and solved as part of this wireless revitalization plan: how to spur wireless capex, how to get Wi-Fi firmly entrenched in the carrier mainstream, how to make wireless applications more lucrative, how to optimize and secure networks, and overall how to protect and foster ongoing technology innovation.

To be clear, I'm by no means advocating an absence of enthusiasm at the CTIA convention. On the contrary, it's the optimism of technological innovators that gives the wireless industry so much promise. If that, along with solutions for addressing the industry's woes, comprises the content of this year's event, then maybe we can all sit back, relax and enjoy the show.