A quiet resilience

Orlando, Fla.--There's something striking about the mood here at Wireless 2002 in Orlando. Trust me, this isn't the usual Wireless event. It contrasts sharply with the last two annual events and opens a new chapter for the wireless industry. The good news is the event is less hype and more substance. The bad news, if it is really bad, is it no longer can be characterized as a young industry's trade show.

At the booths, discussions center on real-world value propositions. What will this product do for me today? If it is not designed for today but for some future date, what exactly does it improve upon, and does the cost justify its existence?

In the halls, attendees aren't walking around slack-jawed in awe of the three-ring circus atmosphere. Hawkers, magicians and dance groups aren't cranking out louder, more flamboyant excesses in the attempt to draw crowds to paw over cool wireless ideas that one day might be but likely won't see the light of a commercial day. (I do tip my hat to Siemen's water raft idea.) Instead, attendees seem intent on their missions. They walk intently to their next meetings. Their faces say they have business to do.

I've even seen head honchos like John Stanton and Charles Levine on the show floor. They weren't strolling through with their entourages, either. They too had business to do.

In the keynote sessions, Tom Wheeler and friends aren't rabidly patting each other on the back like some "aren't we great" fan club. They are talking about the growing pains of a mature industry. They are peeling away layers, drilling down in search of the "where do we go from here.”

Yes, after attending some 18 of these annual events, I believe this one is certainly different. I guess the industry is growing up. The financial markets and the economic health have probably precipitated the maturation. Rest assured, though, this remains an entrepreneurial-spirited industry--smaller companies feeding great ideas to larger companies or becoming larger companies themselves--but now those companies, carrier and vendor, have acknowledged that traditional business values count. In the end, this will serve the industry well indeed.