The Future of Wireless Communication: Recent DevelopmentsShapiro Auditorium, Columbia University.
Sponsored by the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information.
The wireless excitement continues. The first round of the PCS auctions has been completed; the FCC has granted its first licenses for new global satellite telephone systems; and new technologies have appeared for digital cellular and wireless services around the world. This conference looks at the next generation of business, technology, and public policy issues and investigates the future of wireless in terms of these continuing developments. Some of the questions that will be addressed are:
- What is the market potential for future digital wireless services and to what extent will they replace or complement today's technology?
- What consumer services will be offered over PCS and what PCS network interconnection standards are needed?
- How do all the mobile satellite systems differ and which, if any, will survive in the marketplace?
- Have the PCS auctions worked and what future public policies should govern the frequency spectrum in general?
- What is the future role of government intervention in the PCS auction process to create opportunities for businesses owned by women and minorities, and are these opportunities realistic?
Potential of Digital Wireless Access Systems
Moderator:
Alex Wolfson, CITI
Presenter:
Bruce L. Egan, CITI
Discussants:
- Robert Frieden, Penn State University
- Andrew J. Schwartzman, Media Access Project
- Weston Vivian, University of Michigan
- Terrence McGarty, Telmarc Group
- Brendan Gannon, American Wireless Communications
Market Based Frequency Spectrum Policies
Moderator:
John Friedman, CITI
Presenters:
- Robert Pepper, Office of Plans and Policy, FCC
- Tom Hazlett, University of California, Davis
- Eli M. Noam, Columbia University
- Peter Cramton, University of Maryland
- William Vickrey, Columbia University
Keynote Address: "Wireless Telephony and the Information Infrastructure"
George Gilder, Author, Life After Television and Microcosm
Digital Satellite Systems
Moderator:
Bruce Egan, CITI
Presenter:
Robert Frieden, Penn State University
Discussants:
- Michael S. Alpert, Alpert Associates
- Scott Harris, International Bureau, FCC
- Peter Cowhey, International Bureau, FCC
- A. Michael Noll, USC Annenberg School and CITI
- Jessica Josephson, Eutelsat
PCS Market Structure and the Future of "Designated Entity"
Moderator:
Kevin Holmes, CITI/CTR
Panelists:
- Anthony Williams, Office of Communications Business Opportunities, FCC
- Thomas Hart, McManimon & Scotland
- William Jimerson, Alliance Telcom, Inc.
- Charles Robbins, Economic Decisions, Inc.
- David Tillotson, Esq.
Do Auctions Make Sense? Business and Public Policy Imperatives
Moderator:
A. Michael Noll, Annenberg School and CITI
Panelists:
- Alfred Boschulte, TOMCOM, L.P.
- Jay Markley, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, FCC
- Michael Altschul, CTIA
Organized by
Bruce L. Egan, CITI
Lisa Domonkos, CITI
Kevin Holmes, CITI/CTR
