By
Ed Finegold
Just when you've finally recovered from your unfortunate sangria experiment during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, it's time to cowboy up for CTIA Wireless 2010 in the over-stimulation capitol of the world - Las Vegas. Fortunately, CTIA boasts a star-studded set of keynote sessions and a few events within the event that are worth checking out. Of course, as always, you can take our advice or simply fill your schedule with our recommends, copy someone else's notes, and spend a few days drinking meter-tall daiquiris at the craps tables...we'll give you a few tips for that plan too.
Monday, March 22 - Pre-Conference Events
If you're in on Monday, it's all about which crowd you prefer to schmooze. You can fork over $265 to play a round at the Bali Hai Golf Club in pursuit of the elusive CTIA Golf Championship you've always coveted. Or, if jocks and sales guys aren't your crowd, you can hit the WIP Mobile Jam Session (casual
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Tuesday March 23, the 9 to 11 am keynotes are worth catching. |
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Here's an important tip - If you have a CTIA VIP Smart Pass or Super Pass, don't forget to take advantage of the CTIA VIP Club where you can lounge, use private meeting spaces, and enjoy refreshments and WiFi for no extra charge. It opens at 8 am each day of the conference.
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attire only and no PowerPoint, folks...) and meet the mega-geeks who are developing the next coolest thing you ever saw on a mobile phone. The golf tourney runs from 8 am to 3 pm, and the Jam Session from 9 am to 6 pm, so it's really one or the other.
Tuesday, March 23 - Day One
The 9 to 11 am keynotes are worth catching, especially Randall Stephenson, Chairman, President and CEO for AT&T along with Ralph de la Vega, President and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. Don't forget to bring your giant banner that asks, "Why is my iPhone so slow?" Your buddies from the WIP Mobile Jam Session will love it.
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After the keynotes, the 11 am sessions are a letdown for OSS/BSS folks. The DiversityNXT event may be worth checking out as it claims VPs from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint will be there to discuss their supplier diversity strategies. Those VPs aren't named in the agenda though, so if they don't show, it's a good time to check out the massive exhibit hall and any cool toys you missed in Barcelona.
At 1 pm you might want to hit "M-Commerce: Demystifying the World of Mobile Commerce" at the exhibit innovations stage in the North Hall. It's one of the few sessions really relevant to OSS/BSS folks because it looks at the mobile phone as a payment channel.
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