After two days’ worth of informative members working sessions, the conference program of the WBA’s 2015 Wi-Fi Global Congress kicked off yesterday. Over 600 attendees journeyed to the Tower Hotel in London for two days of discussions, presentations, and networking opportunities.
The event kicked off with an introductory speech by WBA Chairman JR Wilson (AT&T), who proudly presented the WBA’s latest achievements, including the success of the continued development and promotion of the implementation of NGH.
Following JR’s speech, representatives from some of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, including London, Barcelona, Singapore, and San Jose came together to discuss the evolution and development of Smart Cities. These cities, and many more, are able to offer wireless broadband to their citizens and visitors, and Wi-Fi plays a key role in data connectivity. The concept of Smart Cities is a very hot topic in the industry at the moment, and yesterday’s discussions raised some very interesting talking points. Graham Bell (City of London), Vijay Sammeta (City of San Jose), Paco Rodriguez (Barcelona City Council), Khoong Hock Yun (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore) and Mark Harrop (BT) were the participants.
Prior to the lunch break, a number of esteemed speakers discussed the challenge of deploying Wi-Fi in high-density locations. This is an issue which will always be at the forefront of the industry’s main talking points, as there is a great demand for fast, consistent Wi-Fi in areas such as stadiums, and airports, and other high-density areas.
After a hearty lunch, the conference was broken up into two different sides – the Convergence Stream, and the Innovation Stream. Each Stream consisted of speakers and panels discussing a plethora of different topics. The Convergence Stream saw lively discussion on the marriage between the licensed and unlicensed spectrum, the future of 5G, Wi-Fi calling, and the emergence of the Smart City model in China. On the Innovation side of things, the future of public Wi-Fi, Next Generation Hotspot (NGH), stadium and arena Wi-Fi, and the importance of Wi-Fi to the hospitality sector were all discussed in great detail. In short, it was an immensely educational afternoon (and day!) for all involved.
At the end of the day’s scheduled sessions, the attendees boarded four double-decker buses and traveled to the Museum of London for a gala dinner. This event, which was made possible by Wyless, was an absolutely incredible way for everyone to network, relax, and enjoy some delicious food and drink.
Check back tomorrow for a round-up of the final day of the 2015 Wi-Fi Global Congress.
