Sprint Nextel President Keith Cowan to Keynote WCAI Symposium

WCAI recently confirmed Keith Cowan, President, Strategic Planning & Corporate Initiatives, Sprint Nextel Corporation, as a keynote speaker on November 6 at WCAI's Silicon Valley Symposium. Keith is a key player in the negotiations leading to the new Clearwire deal, in which Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks agreed to invest $3.2 billion in company combining Clearwire and Sprint Nextel's XOHM. I'm really looking forward to this opportunity to hear about Keith's views on New Clearwire and Sprint Nextel's future.

Impressions from WiMAX World

I was at WiMAX World in Chicago last week, where I spent almost as much time talking as listening. At the 4G Executive Summit, a developing theme was whether LTE would predominate or the LTE and WiMAX standards would eventually merge. This theme ultimately took a backseat to the even bigger news at WiMAX World surrounding the launch of Sprint Nextel's Xohm WiMAX network in Baltimore. No matter where the 4G ecosystem goes in the years to come, WiMAX is here now, and according to most reports, is working very well. I'm going to have a chance to see the network on Wednesday at the official launch party, and I hope to have a report here soon. That is not to say we won't see significant LTE deployments too. I stand by what I said at the 4G Executive Summit: "each one can play an important role." The WiMAX party is just starting a little earlier.

WCAI is Going Green

I attended an event sponsored by the Wireless Innovation Alliance yesterday. Google cofounder Larry Page made an impassioned plea for the FCC to take action in the digital television white spaces proceeding. Representative Inslee spoke as well and expressed his view that wireless broadband will be important to reducing our carbon footprint. That's exactly what WCAI has been thinking.

Today our Engineering Committee created a new Green Technology Subcommittee to share information on green technology best practices for the wireless broadband industry. This is the most exciting thing WCAI has done since I've been here. Through the Green Technology Subcommittee, our members will be able to work together to achieve a sustainable future. As Engineering Committee Chairman Harry Perlow said, "Our children will inherit our environment, and our efforts to promote green technology will help ensure that they have a cleaner, safer future."

I'm very pleased that so many members of the Engineering Committee were ready to take part in this new effort. Sam Windsor from Prism Microwave quickly volunteered to chair the Committee, and was followed by new subcommittee members Jake MacLeod (Principle Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and Fellow, Bechtel), Kellie Willey-Robinson (Prism Microwave), Chip Spann (Wireless Business Analyst, Connected Nation), Lawrence Behr (President and CEO, LBA Group), and Harry Perlow (Distinguished Member Technical Staff, Sprint Nextel). I look forward to great success with this distinguished group leading the way.