For Immediate Release
Wireless Communities Best Practices Awards and hands-on practical training expand Convention’s signature offering of technology showcase, expert panels, case studies, brainstorm workshops for local-government professionals deploying broadband-wireless networks for cities, counties and regions
August 16, 2005 (Boston, Mass.) Building on the broadly attended, content-rich W2i Digital Cities Convention (East) in Philadelphia last May, the Wireless Internet Institute will host the W2i Digital Cities Convention (West) at the San Mateo Marriott / San Francisco Airport, October 1012, 2005, with an expanded agenda. The Convention is co-chaired by Chris A. Vein, Senior Advisor for Technology to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, and will include a special guest appearance by Mayor Newsom.
The W2i Digital Cities Convention (West) features:
Thought-Leadership Conference
• Local-government officials, field practitioners, industry experts, technology and service providers, and systems integrators will participate in an interactive three-day program to explore the range of opportunities and roadblocks surrounding the planning and deployment of broadband-wireless networks for cities, counties and regions. The agenda specially emphasizes applications, multi-service offerings over shared infrastructure, and emerging cooperation agreements between local governments and service operators. Visit the Convention Web site for a detailed agenda.
A Technology Showcase
• Vendors such as Intel, Motorola, EarthLink, HP, Airpath and BelAir Networks will exhibit.
Wireless Communities Best Practices Awards
• Developed in cooperation with an expert Program Committee, Best Practices Awards for Community Momentum Building, Digital Inclusion, Technology Innovation, E-government Application, and Local-Government Workforce Productivity pay tribute to local governments implementing broadband-wireless solutions. Winners will be announced at an evening ceremony.
Practical Training Session
• A daylong technical training session expands on the thought-leadership agenda of the W2i Digital Cities Convention with a set of actionable tools for local-government professionals, field practitioners and service operators. NetLogix, a leading data networking consultancy, will provide trainees with hands-on community and solution profiling exercises to jumpstart the planning and deployment of a broadband-wireless infrastructure. The session immediately follows the Convention, on Thursday, Oct. 13, at the San Mateo Marriott / San Francisco Airport.
For information on all programs, please visit the Convention Web site:
http://w2idigitalcitiesconvention.com.
Private-Sector Endorsements
In addition to cooperation agreements with the UN ICT Task Force, UNITAR, CIFAL Atlanta, and the National League of Cities, the W2i Digital Cities Convention (West) is endorsed by the WiMAX Forum and has secured the early sponsorship of global-technology leaders such as Intel, Motorola, EarthLink, HP, Airpath and BelAir Networks.
“Visionaries everywhere are moving beyond broadband. These Digital Communities not only enable people to have affordable access to information but are also advancing the quality of life,” said Paul Butcher, Marketing Manager for State and Local Government, Intel. “The W2i Digital Cities Convention explores the full range of wired and wireless broadband solutions that truly have a positive impact on the way we live work and play.”
“Motorola strongly supports the Wireless Internet Institute’s mission to provide a forum for exchanging vital information between vendors and end users of municipal wireless broadband networks,” said Rick Rotondo, Director of Marketing, Motorola. “As metro-area deployments transform the way communities communicate, Motorola is committed to offering cost-effective, reliable and robust solutions that meet the needs of all constituents in cities worldwide.”
“EarthLink is proactively pursuing local-government initiatives to provide broadband-wireless services,” said Don Berryman, EarthLink executive vice president for customer support. “We believe these public-private partnerships are a great opportunity for us to offer consumers more choices in high-speed Internet service and provide them with another affordable option to stay connected to the Internet.”
“We are seeing a global explosion in the demand for large-scale Wi-Fi implementations,” said Enrique Barkey, worldwide director, Civilian Agency Solutions, HP. “The Convention provides a terrific forum to examine the associated benefits that Wi-Fi provides. The public sector is quickly recognizing that Wi-Fi enables pervasive data access and collaboration that ultimately spurs innovation, efficiency and productivity. HP intends to be a key player in this high-growth market.”
“There’s a lot involved in the deployment of broadband-wireless networks by local governments,” said Todd Myers, President and CEO, Airpath Wireless. “Airpath is pleased to support W2i’s effort to share best practices at the Digital Cities Convention.”
“We're delighted with the Wireless Internet Institute’s effort to bring together the full range of stakeholders to discuss the sustainable deployment of broadband wireless networks for municipalities,” said Bernard Herscovich, President and CEO, BelAir Networks. “Creating networks of this scale requires the cooperation of private sector and government agencies.”
An Ongoing Program/About W2i
The W2i Digital Cities Convention program is developed in cooperation with an expert Program Committee and gathers together a primary audience of local-government elected and agency officials as well as stakeholders in the emerging broadband wireless ecosystem of regulators, technology vendors and service providers, system integrators, real-estate and rights-of-way owners, and funding organizations. The W2i Digital Cities Convention is held annually in each of three regions of the world. Following successful events in Philadelphia and Shanghai, earlier in 2005, planning is in final stages for Conventions in the San Francisco Bay Area, in October, and in Europe, in Bilbao, Spain, in November as part of W2i’s cooperation with its international-development institution partners. For more information on these programs or to partner with W2i, e-mail us at [email protected].
W2i is an independent think tank bringing together stakeholders around the world to accelerate the adoption of wireless Internet in support of universal connectivity for economic, social and educational development. The W2i Digital Cities Convention is the newest in a series of thought-leadership conferences undertaken in partnership with the United Nations ICT Task Force, the private sector, local authorities and regulators, and international development institutions. The Convention builds on W2i’s multi-year to foster the adoption of broadband wireless technologies under the leadership of local government organizations around the world, in support of universal connectivity, the Millennium Development Goals, and the Declaration of Principles of the World Summit for the Information Society.
