Getting 'Smart' with 4G: Software, Hardware and More

-          The market is saturated with cell phones, to the point where it takes a device as ground-breaking as the iPhone to impact the carrier’s bottom line.

 

The market remains dynamic, and as an unhindered Internet is integrated into the wireless world, the promise of broadband makes new markets possible.

 

Application Stores were the big announcement at CTIA, but the reality is that the store is just an aggregation point, and that 4G promises more applications and more devices. The story then is not about the App Store, but the applications themselves and the chances to integrate them with wireless devices.

 

Ultimately, the carrier is looking for expanding revenues with new services. That might mean an application is integrated into something other than a phone, such as navigation systems and cameras.

 

This is one area of investigation at the 4GWE conference, to be held in Los Angeles from Sept. 1 to 3, the week before Labor Day. Industry leaders from Clearwire (News - Alert), Connected Nation and Verizon will joined by speakers from Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco and RIM.

 

On the hardware side of the equation, building solutions with devices today requires more innovation and even the hardware is benefitting from software-defined antennas and other strategies to maximize abilities and minimize size.

 

Add to that the discussion about WiMAX, which has fallen out of favor with legacy carriers, but is finding markets with companies worldwide that are willing to support a green field approach.

 

Speakers for day one come from Acme Packet (News - Alert), ACP, Alcatel Lucent, Apex Voice, Ashtonbrooke.com, Broadband Market Visions, Bubble Motion, Cable Labs, Cisco, Clearwire, Crossfire Consulting, Fonolo (News - Alert), Gartner Dataquest, Genband, Jaduka, Market Strategy & Analytics Partners, Nokia, octoScope, Research in Motion, Sandbridge Technologies, Skycross, Starent Networks (News - Alert), Telcordia, The Sannine Group, LLC and Verizon.

 

The changes coming to your communication future will be discussed at the 4GWE conference, collocated with ITEXPO West 2009. Come join us.