Regional Operators Committee (ROC)

The Wireless Communications Association International (WCAI) today announced the addition of Cambium Networks, a global provider of innovative data, voice and video connectivity solutions, to its Board of Directors. Representing the company on the WCAI Board is Tony Cecchin, Vice President, Product and Business Operations.

There are some new additions to the 4GWE Conference & Expo, taking place Feb 1-3 in Miami Beach, Florida. Rob Riordan from Nsight Telservices and Cell.com will discuss Femtocell issues and the value for both carriers and home users. Rob joins a first-rate lineup of speakers from leading mobile companies, including AT&T, Bridgewave, Sprint, Verizon, Google, Vonage, Samsung, Towerstream, Comcast and more.

Driven by end-user usage, Wi-Fi is a game changer for the mobile industry. With its high quality of service, low cost and ubiquitous availability, a growing number of users consume more traffic over Wi-Fi than on any other access technology. With this trend and with the exponential data requirements, operators have already changed their position from lobbying device manufacturers against Wi-Fi to adopting Wi-Fi as a strategy for their future business.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that investor Carl Icahn has been buying up LightSquared debt, which could enable him to assume control of the company if it restructures or files for bankruptcy.

LightSquared's proposed LTE network cannot coexist peacefully with GPS, period, according to nine government agencies, reported Light Reading.

Philip Falcone’s LightSquared said U.S. government tests showing the wireless service interferes with the global-positioning system were rigged to produce “bogus results,” according to Bloomberg.

The U.S. GPS Industry Council (USGIC) has submitted a response to LightSquared’s Dec. 23 ex parte, which summarized the results of LightSquared-sponsored testing of high precision receivers performed at Alcatel Lucent. According to USGIC, “the conclusions of its own testing that LightSquared offers are not supported by the data provided.”

According to an article in PC World, LightSquared has petitioned the Inspector General of NASA to investigate whether Bradford Parkinson – the vice chairman of the National Space-Based Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Advisory Board, which advises the government on GPS – should be removed from discussions about potential interference between GPS and LightSquared because he is also a director of Trimble.

New standards for next-generation mobile technologies were approved Jan. 18 at the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Assembly in Geneva, according to TR Daily.

4GWE is right around the corner, and so is the WCAI’s 2.5GHz Operator Meeting. Interested WCAI members are encouraged to submit ideas/topics that should be added to the meeting agenda and to sign up. The meeting will be held at 9 am on Friday, Feb. 3 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. It’s free for WCAI members.

John Ogren, CEO and Founder of SpeedConnect and Tim Wagner, Vice President/GM for Enterprise Sales at Samsung Telecommunications have joined the 4GWE panel discussion on 4G backhaul. Each brings a unique perspective to the 4G wireless backhaul discussion.

As carriers look to transition voice services off the existing 2G and 3G networks, they will look to the 4G VoIP related technology – VoLTE (Voice over LTE). Major carriers including Verizon, Metro PCS, AT&T and others, will soon be providing more specifics related to pricing and deployment plans. The 4GWE panel discussion titled “When Does 4G Take Over Voice: VoLTE Rollout” will look at the roadmap to migration and how carriers will evolve voice services and SMS text messaging to a new platform.

Wireless ISPs often categorize themselves as “licensed” or “unlicensed” based on the type of spectrum they use to provide service. The spectrum crisis is beginning to break down this categorical wall – all ISPs are feeling the impact of the data explosion no matter what type of spectrum they use. Traditionally “unlicensed” ISPs are beginning to look at licensed spectrum to increase their capacity and coverage, and traditionally “licensed” ISPs are offloading traffic using unlicensed spectrum. Given the new data reality, the time may be ripe for previously unthinkable deals among “licensed” and “unlicensed” ISPs.