CCA’s Annual Convention will look a little different this year with a fully virtual program taking place on Wednesday, October 21. Attendees will be able join colleagues and industry peers for a one-day online event, filled with keynotes from Senator Roger Wicker, Congressman Frank Pallone, and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, and executives from Ericsson, Interop Technologies, Mavenir, T-Mobile, TNS, and Nokia. Exhibitors will feature their latest products and services, and attendees can interact and set up meetings with exhibitors and fellow attendees through the virtual platform. There is no charge to attend CCA’s Annual Convention; register here.
CCA’s educational program will feature topics most pertinent to competitive carriers including urban and rural 5G implementations, spectrum opportunities and demands, monetizing IoT, marketing strategies, smart cities, and VoLTE strategies for the future. During the session COVID-19: Lessons Learned and Moving Forward, panelists will examine how carriers met the challenges of maintaining and expanding services earlier this year, including network management, utilizing special temporary authority licenses, and responding to the FCC’s Keep America Connected Pledge.
“We have a terrific line-up of keynote speakers, and I am delighted that Senator Wicker, Congressman Pallone, and Commissioner Carr will address the CCA audience,” said Steven K. Berry, president and CEO of CCA. “While CCA’s Annual Convention will look a little different this year being 100% online, I have no doubt the educational content will provide valuable insight on policy issues, technology innovation, and business strategies most important to competitive carriers. CCA is the place for competitive carriers, and I look forward to an exciting and productive show.
“I am very pleased FierceWireless is returning to our Annual Convention with an important keynote panel that will address OpenRAN, an issue that is top of mind for competitive carriers,” added Berry. “The line-up of executives from DISH, Mavenir, and the Open RAN Policy Coalition will provide attendees with knowledge about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”
The Convention’s keynote program begins at 10:00 am ET and features a welcome address from Steven K. Berry, president and CEO of CCA followed by Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, who will address policy initiatives important to competitive carriers. T-Mobile’s Neville Ray follow and discuss
T-Mobile’s leadership, momentum, and progress accelerating 5G for all. Ericsson North America’s VP of Network Product Solutions, Paul Challoner, will round out the morning program at 11:00 am with a discussion on virtual RAN and beyond.
At 12:00 pm ET, FierceWireless hosts the keynote panel, Can OpenRAN Hit Its Stride?, featuring John Baker, SVP business development, Mavenir; Jeff Blum, EVP, external and legislative affairs, DISH; and Diane Rinaldo, executive director, Open RAN Policy Coalition. Rob Pegoraro, contributor to FierceWireless, will moderate, and the session is sponsored by Mavenir. Panelists will examine how software is being used to tie together components from different suppliers and how OpenRAN promises an end to vendor lock-in and elevated pricing. They also will discuss how OpenRAN can be a positive solution for security-minded policymakers.
The keynotes continue at 2:00 pm ET with a discussion between Interop Technologies’ President and CEO John Dwyer and VP of Product Management, Josh Wigginton, who will discuss the lifecycle of operator messaging and outline a path for operators to secure their role in 5G messaging.
At 2:15 pm Mike Keegan, CEO, TNS will sit down for a fireside chat with Steven K. Berry to discuss robocall prevention measures such as the TRACED Act and the STIR/SHAKEN Call Authentication framework. John Harrington, SVP, US majors accounts of Nokia, will close out the keynote program at 2:30 PT with remarks entitled, “Networks are what keep us going.”
Educational Sessions
The educational program will feature four tracks: technical, business development, marketing/customer service, and policy and will include speakers from Bluegrass Cellular,
Carolina West, Cellcom, C Spire, Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations, Ericsson, the FCC, Google, Mavenir, NetNumber, Nokia, Pioneer Cellular, REDCOM Laboratories, Samsung, Shentel, Statflo Inc., T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, World Wide Technology, Viaero, and more.
CCA is the leading association for competitive wireless providers and stakeholders across the United States. Members range from small, rural carriers serving fewer than 5,000 customers to regional and nationwide providers serving millions of customers, as well as vendors and suppliers that provide products and services throughout the wireless communications ecosystem. CCA’s 2021 Mobile Carriers Show will take place March 29-31 in Louisville, Kentucky and CCA’s 2021 Annual Convention will take place September 20-22 in Phoenix, Arizona. @CCAMobile #CCA2020