Ringing in the New Year

One year ago, I wrote "a full plate of challenges facing us in 2007," from industry-wide questions and regulatory concerns to the future of the industry trade show. As we look ahead, 2008 promises to be a time of even more challenges and industry twists and turns, with the industry driving economic growth domestically and internationally. And the communications industry looks poised to handle anything that comes its way in 2008.

TIA and its member companies had great successes with our legislative efforts in 2007, including wins on direct funding and tax credits for advanced telecommunications and broadband research, support for an open trade policy with Peru that may presage smart trade agreements with countries with even bigger telecom markets, a broadband data-mapping plan that gives the United States a tool for measuring penetration levels, and more. On these and other issues, the vendor community showed leadership and TIA and government worked together to respond. TIA has just opened a branch office in Washington, D.C., to house its Government Affairs Department and to provide even more responsive advocacy efforts.

Our business development and standards work also surpassed expectations: TIA's Telecommunications Market Review and Forecast sold its highest total in years, affirming its place as a market intelligence leader. Our co-owned annual trade show, NXTcomm, debuted in June in Chicago and proved to be the premier exhibition in the industry. An active year in standards publications was highlighted by the creation of communications engineering committees, TR-49, Healthcare ICT, and TR-48, Vehicular Telematics, in two fields you'll hear a great deal about this year – the healthcare and automotive industries.

In the coming year, with the industry showing double-digit growth, look for more challenges – and more successes. Convergence and innovative content will continue to drive revenue growth. Smart phones in particular will keep handset sales robust. Personal and business wireless will continue to thrive. Smaller routing and switching gear due to improved technology, along with increased spectrum availability, will give consumers, municipalities, small- and medium-sized businesses, and other individuals a bigger stake in how they access wireless. And perhaps the biggest event of the year – besides NXTcomm, of course – will be the upcoming 700 MHz-band spectrum auction, in which "beachfront" spectrum with unsurpassed propagation characteristics will be auctioned, potentially changing the landscape of the wireless market for consumers, vendors and carriers alike. These changes may even lead to a market where the U.S. wireless data market can match or surpass other developed countries on price, speed, bandwidth capacity and other key metrics.

As always, our industry is filled with surprises. But if the developments of 2007 are any indication, 2008 should be another very good year.

Thank you,
Grant Seiffert
President
TIA