By Stacey Orlick, Director of Community and Conference Content, IWCE

IWCE 2017 is already shaping up to be a great event. With a less than five months until opening day, the exhibit floor is already filling up with leading vendors such as JVCKENWOOD USA, Motorola Solutions and AT&T.

IWCE is proud to announce that Dr. Preston Marshall, Technical Program Manager, Spectrum Access Technology, Google will present the Opening Keynote Address on Wednesday, March 29 at 8:30 am.

In Thursday’s General Session, “Everything is Changing – The Next Generation of Connectivity,” join a group of leading minds as they forecast what the future holds for communications technology including applications, devices, networks, technology and connectivity.  Examine the land-mobile-radio evolution, changing players in the marketplace, LTE and 5G and all of the amazing technology—drones, IoT, wearables, connected cars, augmented reality, situational awareness, predictive analytics—that will not work effectively without robust, reliable and secure connectivity. 

The College of Technology workshops provide indepth discussions on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday on in-building coverage, next-generation 911, radio interference, cybersecurity and the future of wireless in cities.  Get overviews on major narrowband technologies such as TETRA, P25, NXDN and DMR, as well as information about broadband, including information on LMR and LTE interoperability and 4G/5G Fundamentals. Power Sessions are 45-minute punches of information addressing topics like analog-to-digital transition, APIs, funding, selecting the right technology, P25 CAP and several case studies.

FirstNet will be covered extensively, with four workshops to provide background on its history, how it will work with NG911, updates on early deployments and trials, as well as what will be offered once FirstNet is operational.  Short courses on Wednesday and Thursday will explore issues such as the opt-out alternative for states, getting the performance you need, an update on the State of the States, and tech panels on cybersecurity, apps and voice. This week of information will be capped by a Town Hall Meeting with FirstNet leadership on Thursday afternoon.

The Transformative Technologies Track will encompass sessions on wearable technology, drones, IoT  and predictive analytics. In addition, the Cybersecurity Track will include discussions on hacking, secure data and human elements.

Other scheduled tracks are the:

• 911 and Public Safety Track, covering issues such as “Implementing Text to 911” and “Drones, Robots and Public Safety;”
• Push-to-Talk Track, covering LMR, push-to-talk-over-cellular (PoC) technology and the potential for mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) services;
• Spectrum & Signal Optimization Track, covering spectrum access, prioritization, in-building coverage and deployable networks
• Smart Cities and Critical Infrastructure Track, which will include session exploring “Network Management and Cybersecurity for IoT : The First Step for Smarter Cities,” “SCADA and Smart Grid” and Positive Train Control
• Plus sessions on Planning, Cybersecurity, Network Resiliency and Parallel Networks.

The Electronics Technicians Association (ETA) once again will host multi-day training classes on DAS, radio frequency, microwaves, R56, fiber and line and antenna sweeping. These classes include the ability to take a certification exam.  Get more information at www.eta-i.org.

We’ve extended the early-bird rates through Nov. 28, so register today to get the lowest prices available!  Go to www.iwceexpo.com/register for more information.