In this new ongoing series, the WBA will be featuring interviews with the distinguished members of our Board of Directors. These interviews will contain answers to questions about a variety of topics, including the WBA’s many initiatives, the state of the ecosystem, and much more.

For this installment, we had the pleasure of speaking to Yusuke Hirayama, Senior Vice-President, Business Development at NTT DOCOMO USA, INC. Yusuke took the time to answer some questions about the Wireless Global Congress in Liverpool, World Wi-Fi Day, and much more.

What is the importance of Wi-Fi in addressing the ‘digital divide’ in terms of making a positive social and economic impact throughout the ecosystem, and how can World Wi-Fi Day play a key role in this?

Wi-Fi is a very basic broadband service throughout the world, and in developing countries, it’s a service that can certainly play a key role in helping to address the digital divide. It’s a relatively cheap service to deploy, and it can be deployed quickly – so, while it not be as complete as cellular service, it can be easier for people to get access to it.

In that sense, World Wi-Fi Day is an initiative that we hope will bring awareness to the importance of Wi-Fi. We also want people to know that the WBA can be an integral part of bringing Wi-Fi to developing countries and elsewhere around the world.

What is the significance of the WBA’s Wireless Global Congress taking place as part of the 2016 International Festival for Business in Liverpool, and why is it an important event for WBA members to attend?

This is the first time that the WBA has collaborated with the IFB, and the first time that we’ll be holding our annual Congress in the city of Liverpool. By having this event as part of IFB, which brings together hundreds of industries from all corners of the world, we’ll have stronger synergy with these other industries that can potentially lead to future collaborations and relationships. Overall, it‘s an important event for the WBA, and for the ecosystem, because it introduces new technologies and allows for attendees to share ideas.

As we look ahead towards 2020, what role do you feel that the WBA can play in the continued evolution of the ecosystem, and what key organizational activities stand out in particular?

Speaking for myself and for NTT DOCOMO, the Next Generation Wi-Fi program is very important. We want to know and understand what other providers are thinking about in terms of new technologies, and coordinating with other providers helps us to adopt and launch these new technologies as effectively as possible.

The Unlicensed Meets Licensed program is also very important for us a cellular service provider. We understand that Wi-Fi is important in how it complements our cellular service, and learning how to integrate the two is important. We look forward to collaborating with other WBA members on this program.

You can find more information on NTT DOCOMO USA, INC by visiting the company’s website.