Denver - April 10, 2019 – Competitive Carriers Association’s (CCA) 2019 Mobile Carriers Show (MCS) kicked off today with Charlie Ergen, co-founder and chairman of the board at DISH and Steven K. Berry, president and CEO, CCA in a fireside chat discussing DISH’s spectrum plan for next year and beyond. MCS takes place at the Gaylord Rockies Resort, April 8-10, in Denver.
“It was a pleasure to talk with Charlie Ergen today to hear DISH’s plans for building out a network by the 2020 deadline, and how it plans to tackle anticipated challenges. DISH is an incredibly innovative company, and there’s no question it has a lot on its plate for the upcoming year,” said Steven K. Berry, president and CEO of CCA.
Ergen told carriers that DISH is open to working with partners saying, “Call me. Email me. You’ll get a response. We have a purpose as a company and we’re working to make the US more competitive.”
Ergen said DISH is committed to building a 5G virtual network that will be the first stand-alone network for this country. “We may fail, but you don’t know till you swing the bat. We can be a path for carriers to get to 5G and will be virtualized in the cloud,” he said.
During the keynote panel, Realizing the 5G Promise, executives addressed how 5G will usher in new capabilities that will create significant benefits for rural America and bring substantial change to the global economy. Panelists included Paul Challoner, VP, network product solutions, Ericsson; Bob Everson, global director, mobility and 5G, Cisco; Brian Pickering, VP of 5G product sales North America, Nokia; Craig Sparks, Chief Innovation Officer, C Spire; Eric Woody, chief technical and operations officer, Union Wireless. Chetan Sharma, founder and CEO, Chetan Sharma Consulting, moderated and also discussed connected intelligence and the tremendous growth of data consumption worldwide.
Leading female executives took to the keynote stage for Women in Wireless: Policy, Technology, and Industry Culture, and discussed their involvement in technology policy and the challenges and opportunities facing competitive carriers. Panelists included Kathleen Ham, SVP, government affairs, T-Mobile; Michele Farquhar, partner, Hogan Lovells; Amy McCune, VP and COO, Ericsson North America; Maureen Moore, Chief Customer Experience Officer, GCI and Lauren Wallace, Senior Director, Home + Entertainment, T-Mobile. Kelly Hill, editor, RCR Wireless, moderated.
The FierceWireless Executive Breakfast addressed obstacles and solutions as we move toward convergence of network functionality and what competitive carriers are doing to prepare for a converged network endgame. They discussed the opportunities for carriers serving rural America including access, building out fiber networks, rollout of 5G, and the importance of local customer care support. Panelists included: Josh Lonn, VP wireless products, GCI; Steve Sharkey, VP government affairs, technology and engineering policy, T-Mobile; GS Sickand, VP, chief technology officer, regional carriers, Ericsson; and Willy Pirtle, SVP, sales & marketing, Shentel. Linda Hardesty, editor-in-chief, FierceTelecom, moderated.
About CCA
CCA is the nation’s leading association for competitive wireless providers and stakeholders across the United States. The licensed service area of CCA’s nearly 100 carrier members covers the entirety of the nation. CCA’s 2019 Annual Convention will be held September 16-18 in Providence, RI. Visit http://www.ccamobile.org/.
Connect with CCA: @CCAMobile, #MCS2019.
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