Juniper Research also attended the CTIA Wireless show, they saw the top stories from their analyst's eye view they noticed these stories, the HTC EVO, LTE launches, app stores from carriers and healthcare as their top stories.
Sprint has been the only US carrier to
commit to deploying Mobile WiMAX,
and has announced the imminent launch of the EVO: manufactured by
HTC,
it comes complete with a 1GHz-Snapdragon processor, 4.3 inch
screen and
an 8 megapixel camera. The device also features a Sprint hotspot
application that enables it to connect up to eight additional
devices to
WiFi.
Despite Sprint's hope that other carriers
might offer WiMAX/LTE
interoperability, there appears to have been a hardening in the
attitude
of those committed to LTE, with both Verizon and AT&T
effectively ruling
out such an option. Meanwhile, Verizon has confirmed
Alcatel-Lucent as
the supplier for its LTE backhaul network, and Samsung has been
exhibiting both its forthcoming LTE-capable handset, the SCH-r900,
and
LTE network infrastructures.
Carriers are getting into the app
storefronts, Verizon Wireless confirming
that
it will be launching the V CAST Apps Store on March 29th,
although support will initially be limited to the BlackBerry
Storm
and
Storm 2.
Carriers claim that they need more spectrum
will
be required to facilitate the transition to mobile broadband and
the
attendant upsurge in data usage. In their keynotes,
AT&T
Wireless CEO Ralph de la Vega called for the FCC to expedite the
provision of the 500MHz of bandwidth it has promised, while
AT&T's
Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson also called for
telecommunications
to be subjected to a more "light touch" regulatory regime to
encourage
investment.
There was been a marked interest in
the
CTIA's wireless health programming and exhibitor pavilion, with
exhibitors demonstrating a wide portfolio of apps covering remote
monitoring and mobile healthcare solutions.