Android, spectrum talk dominate CTIA

Gloves come off as industry players trade jabs over products, networks.


This year's CTIA Wireless trade show brought the return of energy and buzz to the wireless industry--something lacking from last year's confab--as well as some new devices and more talk about higher-speed wireless technologies.

Here were some notable trends at the industry confab:

Android aplenty

This was really a show dominated by Google Inc.'s Android mobile operating system. AT&T Inc. kicked off the show with the Dell Inc. Aero, while Motorola Inc. showed off its first Nextel-compatible Android phone, complete with military specifications and the standard walkie-talkie feature. Android also found itself in the HTC Corp. Evo, the first 4G cellphone in the U.S., as well as Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.'s Galaxy S, the two highest profile devices at the show.

Gloves come off

The industry players were surprisingly willing to jab each other throughout the show. Before things started, AT&T Chief Technology Officer John Donovan downplayed Verizon Wireless's decision to upgrade early to 4G technology.

In demonstrating the power of the Evo, Sprint executives willingly took shots at the Motorola Droid, including calling its video playback capability "subpar."

Even Deutsche Telekom AG Chief Executive Rene Obermann got into the mix with his own snipe against T-Mobile USA's rivals."The network has capacity, so you can actually use those smartphones," he said during his keynote address on Wednesday."I was told that's important these days."

Clearwire Corp. Chief Executive William Morrow said the large telco's spectrum position was inadequate for 4G, while AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega said he wouldn't trade his spectrum for Clearwire's position.

Leap cuts price

Leap Wireless International Inc. cut the number of its plans, in order to offer more services for less money, and expanded to nationwide coverage. The move is designed to keep in lockstep with MetroPCS Communications Inc., which earlier this year made its own cuts and eliminated taxes and fees. Leap is still keeping its taxes and fees though. MetroPCS has seen a lot of success since its cut earlier this year, but J.P. Morgan analyst Mike McCormack sees Leap experiencing margin pressure.

LG lacking

The handset maker's booth was loud and flashy, complete with a disc jockey, but the company has no new products
Gloves come off as industry players trade jabs over products, networks.


aside from one eco-friendly phone. The most fascinating part of LG's booth was the full-scale replica of Iron Man's armor. LG Electronics Inc. is a prominent sponsor of the movie and its upcoming sequel.

Being green

Companies are increasingly paying attention to the environmental impact of their business. IDC came out with a report saying Nokia Corp. was the greenest of the handset manufacturers, while HTC lagged behind everyone else. Apple Inc., which makes a lot of noise about its environmentally friendly ways, came in third.

3D mobile TV

3D is barely in any home television sets, and industry players are already working to get the feature on mobile phones. Charlie Chen, Huawei Technologies Co.'s senior vice president of marketing and product management for North America, said he got a chance to play with a prototype unit that displayed 3D video--without the glasses. Chen declined to comment on the vendor.

Spectrum needed

One thing the carriers all echoed was the need for more spectrum. It was a constant theme throughout the keynote addresses, including those from De la Vega and Obermann.

Infrastructure talk

The unsexy issue of backhaul, or the line that connects cellular towers to a wireless carrier's central facility, took center stage at the show, particularly with 4G on the rise. Verizon Wireless made a series of announcements related to backhaul, including tapping Alcatel-Lucent as its 4G backhaul supplier.

People coming back

The show's attendance bounced back to around 40,000, or what it was like two years ago. Attendance was roughly 35,000 a year ago, although things seemed lighter. Likewise, it was tougher to get taxis around town, and the show floor was more packed than a year ago.




Source:  totaltele.com