We are already well into the planning phase for Mobile World Congress 2012, which will be upon us sooner than we think – and here’s some advice: book your flights soon! And please do come by to visit Cisco in Hall 8, Stand A111 to learn how you can M.O.VE your mobile networks to meet the challenges of and profit from the still-rapid growth in mobile data consumption. We will demonstrate several innovative Mobile Internet solutions that can help you launch new services and business models while optimizing your mobile network to lower costs. We promise to make these demonstrations immersive and engaging, and even hands-on if you’re willing to try! Read More »
Last month, a colleague stopped me and said, “Kit, it’s only November. Isn’t it too early to be discussing Mobile World Congress?” My answer, as you might have guessed, was an emphatic “no!”
This will be my 11th Mobile World Congress (MWC) and, for those of us actively engaged in the mobile space, it is the event of the year. It brings over 60,000 members of the mobility community—vendors, service providers, analysts and the media—all under the same roof for four full days to innovate, collaborate and shape the future of the industry.
The energy last week in Barcelona was electric. 61,000 people entered the halls of the Fira for Mobile World Congress 2011, and it was perfect timing for Cisco to unveil its Service Provider Wi-Fi solution. The critical need for offloading cellular data traffic to Wi-Fi is only growing, with Cisco’s Virtual Networking Index predicting global mobile data traffic will increase 26-fold between 2010 and 2015. In fact, Cisco provided free Wi-Fi coverage for approximately 10% of the Fira center, offloading over 1 TB of data to Wi-Fi in four days—and that was only 10% of the venue.
Convergence is everything. There were crowds of people using their smart devices – emailing, blogging, tweeting and texting between meetings. To provide seamless, everywhere connectivity Cisco announced the new Aironet 1550 Series Outdoor Access Point both with 802.11n and CleanAir technology. Interest at the show for this new product was strong. Mobile operators from around the globe stopped by the show floor to understand the solution offerings from Cisco.
Cisco CleanAir technology showcased how service providers could gain visibility into the RF spectrum to manage interference and prevent unexpected downtime. And most importantly, offers new levels of security, performance protection and policy enforcement.
It’s that time of year again, and though this will be my 5th Mobile World Congress, I’m very excited to be returning to Barcelona. I think this show will be the biggest in the GSMA’s history, and I know, from Cisco’s perspective, this will not only be our biggest, but also our best MWC.
For those of you who will also be attending MWC, I want to take a few moments to let you know what you’ll find at the Cisco booth. And for those of you not attending, I want to give you some information and links to help you feel like you’re right there with us.
First, we have a full line-up of impressive speakers, including our Chairman and CEO, John Chambers.
Doug Webster, Senior Director of Marketing, WW Service Provider Marketing and Murali Nemani, Senior Director of Marketing for Service Provider Video Solutions wrap-up CES by sharing their thoughts on the reaction from attendees, customers and partners. There is even a hint as to what Cisco will be doing at Mobile World Congress. Watch here:
