“Yeeeeha!” was the opening line as Gordon Mansfield, Chair of the Small Cell Forum, welcomed attendees to the 6 th Annual Small Cells Americas Event in Dallas, Texas last week.  This year’s conference has grown drastically since last year, with more operators, partners, vendors and attendees then ever before. Cisco was a Diamond Sponsor, and was able to participate in some exciting keynote speaking slots and panel sessions. Three phrases were repeated in almost every single session, both days: Small Cells, Wi-Fi, and LTE. There were 3 takeaways from the conference that I would like to share include:      1) Market Opportunity for deploying Small Cells in Enterprises Teresa McEneny, Director of Global Sales, presented a keynote discussing the challenges in enterprises and how this is an opportunity for operators to leverage small cell technology Gordon Mansfield also announced the launch of the Small Cell Forum’s Release 2, a major technical and business case release to help operators unlock the commercial potential of small cell deployments in the enterprise.      2) Small Cells & Wi-Fi and how they can work together Mark Grayson, a Cisco Distinguished Engineer, discussed the opportunity of Small Cells and Wi-Fi for the future, showing the progression of  Wi-Fi and small cell convergence      3) LTE Small Cells and beyond Discussion around the future of LTE and how the industry sees LTE and Wi-Fi to be interchangeable was brought up multiple times during the event This event was a great wrap up of the new challenges, solutions and future findings of small cells. 2014 and beyond looks like a very busy year for Operators around the world! Teresa McEneny, Director of Global Small Cells Sales at Cisco, presenting Overcoming Small Cell Challenges in the Enterprise More Resources Small Cell Updates from Dallas Conference By: Monica Paolini ... View more

It is predicted that there will be over 7 billion new Wi-Fi enabled devices in the world in the next 3 years. Yes I said billion, with a ‘b.’ This number alone shows the extensive demand for Wi-Fi across the world. Last week I had a chance to attend the WBA Wi-Fi Global Congress in Beijing, China. With over 400 attendees, 2 full days of  keynotes, panel sessions and networking, it was very clear that the industry players are on path to support the global demand for Wi-Fi. This year, congress attendees were able to experience the world’s first Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) Experience. Cisco partnered with China Mobile, along with 15 global mobile operators to launch this experience. Attendees were able to seamlessly connect their mobile devices to the Wi-Fi network without any need for authentication. Once on this network, attendees were also able to receive valuable information about the conference, including indoor blue dot directions to different parts of the conference and the schedule of events for each day. This experience is only the beginning of what the future of Wi-Fi will be for the forthcoming years.               As the principal sponsor of the event, Cisco participation in multiple aspects of the conference. In addition to the NGH experience, live demonstrations of our Connected Mobile Experience solution were displayed using the Wi-Fi network, including real-time analytics.  We were able to demonstrate the different traffic patterns and dwell times of mobile devices at the event, which further demonstrated monetization opportunities for operators. Hanh Tu, Vice President of China at Cisco (shown below) presented an opening keynote defining the business case for Carrier Grade Wi-Fi. He discussed how consumers are asking for Wi-Fi in specific vertical markets including, retail, hospitality, travel and healthcare and operators around the world need to help meet this demand. Participation included Bob Friday, CTO of Cisco Enterprise Networking Group participated in a panel session to discuss the existing wireless ecosystem and what it means for the future of Wi-Fi. In addition, Stuart Taylor, Director of Cisco Consulting Group participated in a panel session discussing consumer behaviors and what monetization strategies operators can implement. Read Stuart Taylor's blog post The Next Generation of Wi-Fi Debuts in Beijing . With the success of this new experience of Wi-Fi in China, the most populated country in the world, the future of Wi-Fi is only going to get more and more exciting! Onward and Upward! ... View more

The last two weeks in London have been filled with innovation in the wireless world. Two large industry shows were held back to back in London this year, the Small Cell World Summit and the WBA Wi-Fi Global Congress. Key Takeaways from Small Cell World Summit The buzz in the room was around actual applications and proof of concepts for small cells, specifically in the enterprise and small medium business space, not just the technology itself With the recent close of acquisition, Cisco and Ubiquisys were able to unite publically for the first time, drawing a lot of attention to our expanded small cell portfolio Attendance was outstanding, over 740 attendees including 230 operators, you could feel the energy in the conference room, speaking sessions and evening events We won the prestigious Small Cell Forum Industry Award for the Cisco Management Heartbeat Server Small Cells and Wi-Fi are not mutually exclusive, bringing licensed and unlicensed technologies together to live in the same environment is our future Key Takeaways from WBA Wi-Fi Global Congress Two major topics that were being discussed: Seamless Capability and Monetization Strategies, seems like the industry is coming together to share the different ways different operators are creating business models around Wi-Fi With the announcement of Hotspot 2.0 being available on Apple’s launch of iOS 7 in the fall of 2013, conversation of public access of seamless connectivity became louder Partho Mishra, VP/ GM of Small Cell Technology Group, presented how SP Wi-Fi goes beyond offloading and is a Business Innovation, describing our Connected Mobile Experience Solution Many conversations were around bringing Licensed and Unlicensed technologies together to create a seamless experience for the end user After attending both shows, it was great to see the Small Cell industry and Wi-Fi industry really coming together. Each event had its own perspective on how the two technologies will work together, but there was a great amount of overlap. This underscores that the seamless connectivity between licensed and unlicensed technologies is becoming the new normal. Both major shows were held in London this year, back to back, that’s already a good start! More Resources Small Cells Events Facebook Photo Album SP360 Facebook Events Tab ... View more

In today’s world, Wi-Fi has become more of a necessity than ever. If we look at how quickly the mobile internet has infiltrated our day to day lifestyle, it is clear that strong, reliable access to the mobile network is almost mandatory. Unlicensed Wi-Fi technologies have become more ubiquitous than ever before and today, we are moving towards having licensed small cell technology as accessible. At Cisco, we have been drumming the beat on the importance of the future of mobility, and how important of a role small cells will play. Last week, we launched Big Thinkers in Small Cells, a thought leadership portal that brings global mobile industry leaders together to discuss key industry topics around Small Cells. This portal includes videos and blogs with visionaries such as: Paul Jacobs, CEO of Qualcomm: Self Organizing Networks, Value of the Network Jim Peters, CTO of SITA: Small Cell Experiences, Business Models and Monetization Opportunities  Gabriel Brown, Senior Analyst at Heavy Reading: The Value of the Network, Bringing Licensed and Unlicensed Technologies Together Teresa McEneny, Director of Mobile Internet, Cisco: Market Perspective, Small Cell Experiences Bob Friday, CTO of Wireless Networking Group, Cisco: Standards, Business Model and Monetization Opportunities, Small Cell Experiences Paul Mankiewich, CTO of MITG, Cisco: Value of the Network, Market Perspectives, Self Organizing Networks Stuart Taylor, Managing Director of IBSG, Cisco: Monetization and Business Models Mark Grayson, Distinguished Consulting Engineer, Cisco: Value of the Network, Bringing Licensed and Unlicensed Technologies Together, Self Organizing Networks Together they are shaping the small cell industry and have real insight of how small cells will change the way mobile devices access the mobile internet. As a part of the Big Thinkers in Small cells portal, there will be a 6 week blog series beginning from the beginning of April that features each Cisco expert’s perspective on key topics such as SON, Monetization and Business Models, Bringing Licensed and Unlicensed Technologies together, Small Cell Visionary Views and more. Check out the first blog of the series Introduction of Big Thinkers in Small Cells by Jared Headley, Senior Director of Small Cell Solutions at Cisco.  http://cisco.com/go/bigthinkersinsmallcells More Resources Big Thinkers in Small Cells Portal Blog 1: Introduction of Big Thinkers in Small Cells By: Jared Headley Blog 2: The Mobile Paradox By: Stuart Taylor Blog 3: My Global Small Cell Experiences Blog 4: Bridging Licensed and Unlicensed Small Cells Together Cisco Small Cell Solutions ... View more

Above: Watch a highlights video of Cisco at Mobile World Congress 2013 Many people told me that Mobile World Congress is a show that is nothing like any other show. So I went in with pretty high expectations, but MWC 2013 blew those expectations out of the water. With over 70,000 attendees, the show floor was packed with people running from booth to booth trying to see what new mobile innovations were being announced. With over 8 pavilions filled with thousands of companies, every square inch was consumed with chatter. Everyone warned me saying I should make sure to wear comfortable shoes, and I quickly realized why. The Cisco Booth was packed each day with customers and leaders from the mobile industry meeting with Cisco Subject Matter Experts and Executives to learn about new business and network innovations Cisco had to offer. Each day the booth was filled with people on their feet with adrenaline and excitement, and words such as mobile, devices, monetization, small cells, virtualization and future were always in the air.  I had the fortunate experience of presenting our SP Wi-Fi Monetization Tech Demo to our Service Provider customers.  In this demo we were able to have a personal discussion with customers, as we demonstrated the business/monetization value of our SP Wi-Fi Network architecture. We were able to show how Service Providers can both enhance the experience of the mobile shopper through customization on the device and create monetization opportunities through Location Based Analytics when the shopper is in a location with Cisco’s SP Wi-Fi Technology.  Being able to present to the business decision makers of our customers was such an experience. It was great to see how receptive our customers were to our new business models and solutions we were able to provide. Along with this demo, there were 3 other demo rooms filled with new innovations such as IoE Virtualization, Data-In-Motion, and Cisco’s Quantum Suite. Looking back, we got through 1000 meetings in three and a half days, not a surprise since I can only remember our booth being filled with people.  Overall MWC was an amazing experience and a very successful show for Cisco.  That week in Barcelona went by very fast, but I am already looking forward to planning for MWC 2014! Check out some pictures from the show below: More Resources Cisco Key Highlights: Looking Back on My Journey to Mobile World Congress 2013 By: Giovanni Fruscio The Road to Mobile World Congress By: Stuart Taylor Cisco at Mobile World Congress: How Service Providers Can Monetize Wi-Fi By: Stuart Taylor Observations from Mobile World Congress 2013 By: Stuart Taylor Cisco presents: Big Thinkers in Small Cells By: Darshita Maniar For all content (videos, blogs, photos, etc.) related to Cisco at MWC 2013, please visit our Cisco SP360 Events Tab Learn More: www.cisco.com/go/mobile ... View more

Whenever I see the newest, most cutting edge technology, I always ask myself, how could it get any better than this? Technological innovations are evolving before our eyes, either it be new dongles, new ways to have experiences, new software, or new hardware. The question that is always on everyone’s mind is, well, then what is going to come next? What is that next big thing? Yesterday, Cisco announced our 2013 Mobile Internet Innovations, including the launch of three small cell products along with Cisco’s Quantum Suite.  These new innovations have large implications on the future of the small cell and mobile industry. To support this new announcement and help answer the what’s next question, Cisco has brought together leaders from large, global technology companies, to voice their visions on where they see the future of mobility and small cell technology in our Big Thinkers in Small Cells Video Portal launching at Cisco’s MWC  2013 Booth. This video portal brings 9 mobile technology leaders together to discuss key industry hot topics in the small cell industry. Together they address some of the challenges, opportunities, and predictions around small cells. They discuss their perspectives topics including: Market Perspective, Visionary Views, Small Cell Experiences, Bringing Licensed and Unlicensed Technologies together, Standards, Self Organized Networks and The Value of the Network. Through the Big Thinkers in Small Cells Video Portal, you will be able to watch how each of our speakers bring their years of expertise in the mobile technology industry to life through discussions on what is happening today and how they are shaping the future.  Cisco has brought global leaders such as Paul Jacobs, the CEO of Qualcomm, Jim Peters, the CTO of SITA  and Gabriel Brown, a senior analyst at Heavy Reading  along with key Cisco experts (including Cisco’s Stuart Taylor , Managing Director in the SP practice of IBSG and SP Mobility Community blogger), together as the Big Thinkers in Small Cells. For those of you who will not be attending MWC, stay tuned, as we will be having a 6 part blog series on our Cisco SP360 Blog , in mid March where we will go behind the scenes with each of our Cisco Big Thinkers, and dive deeper into their thoughts and insights on each category and give you access to experience and watch each of these videos online. Come to Cisco’s MWC 2013 Booth (located at 3C54) to view these videos and learn more!  Until then, here is a sneak preview of Big Thinkers in Small Cells below: More Resources For all content (videos, blogs, photos, etc.) related to the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2013, please visit our Cisco SP360 Events Tab The Road to Mobile World Congress By: Stuart Taylor Cisco Goes Soft By: Kurt Rosenthal Learn More: www.cisco.com/go/mobile ... View more

This year, the Small Cell Forum had their 5 th annual  Small Cells Americas conference in Dallas, and it was packed with key operators vendors and partners. Cisco’s presence at the event included a keynote Monetize Your Network by Offering Location Based Services to Your Subscribers by Cisco’s Teresa McEneny, Director, Mobile Internet. Teresa McEneny’s keynote shifted the conversation at the event from how the explosion of mobile data usage is increasing the need for small cells to monetization opportunities for operators deploying small cells. She delved into how operators can take advantage of different monetization opportunities using Wi-Fi to create a more personalized and customized experience for the end user, but also allow operators to monetize. With Cisco’s recent Connected Mobile Experience Launch , McEneny showed two perspectives on how Wi-Fi technology can be leveraged in different industries and  provide new experiences. She took all the attendees through the new app experience at Fernbank Museum of Natural History , showing what it is like for an end user who is connected on AT&T’S Wi-Fi at the museum. Explore a museum as an end user, SP or Enterprise customer here . Cisco’s Mobility Services Engine can triangulate the location of the user's mobile device and provide a more enhanced experience with indoor mapping. Along with this, location based services can be pushed to provide an end user a more customized experience, for example, a 10% off coupon at the Museum Store. She also explained the benefits from a business operations perspective - how at Copenhagen Airport, using both Cisco and SITA’s technology, the airport staff can view analytics of the airport foot traffic and provide additional resources to areas of need within the airport, thus leading to increased operational efficiency. She concluded her conversation stating that if we are able to do this on the unlicensed small cell side, think of the possibilities with licensed small cells. Along with Teresa’s keynote, other hot topics included conversations around different operator’s plans to launch LTE and small cells and how partners and vendors plan to support these technologies. The packed conference and interesting keynotes left the attendees with the thought that big things are definitely happening with Small Cells.  Watch this short video on how AT&T and Cisco brought the past to life at Fernbank Museum ... View more

When I received my first cell phone, I used it for voice calls and playing the game Snake… the thought of having internet access at the palm of my hands was a wish I could only dream of.  Today, the idea of internet access everywhere IS the new normal. I actually find myself questioning people who do not have internet access on their mobile devices. This technology shift has turned into a lifestyle change for the world; an expectation of access to the internet at any time is always there.  Since the 2012 London Olympics have come to a close, a precedent has been set by this global event as to what the world expects in terms of technology. London had to step up their technological innovation around the city, inside and outside of the Olympic Park. A great example of this would be the free Wi-Fi set up at the London Underground tube stations around the city. According to an interesting T3 online article Wi-Fi Arrives at 40 London Underground Stations, Virgin Media, a service provider in London, set up access points in over 40 tube stations across London with Wi-Fi speeds that are faster than many people’s Wi-Fi at home.  This increase in demand for access to the internet feeds Cisco’s Visual Networking Index (VNI) which predicts mobile data traffic will increase 18 times by 2016. The need for access, any time any place is here to stay. With that said, as people today continue to stay connected anywhere, anytime and on any device in both fixed, nomadic, and truly mobile situations, SPs need an intelligent network that can provide that quality experience we all want "on the go" while taking into consideration the potential changes in the mobile market. Watch this short video where we get to take a look at truth in numbers - numbers on the mobility market, where it's been and where it's going. ... View more

Last week I went to my first Cisco Live! Event in San Diego, California and it was an amazing experience. The San Diego Convention Center was decked out in Cisco gear everywhere. With over 17,000 attendees at the event (an all time record) the show floor was packed with customers, vendors, partners and Cisco employees. I was representing the SP Mobility team at the SP Mobile Video Booth. In this demo I explained the various opportunities service providers can receive when working with content providers and using products from the ASR 5000 series. This demo also showed a Mobile Video monetization opportunity for service providers that provides a live example of how content providers and service providers can work together to create an optimized video experience for the end user that benefits both sides. With over 50 different demos, Cisco was able to display the wide array of technology we have created and more importantly getting immediate customer feedback. I also had a chance to meet John Chambers, which was very exciting! Overall the event went very well and was very received by customers and vendors. Next year, Cisco Live! will be held in Orlando, Florida and I look forward to reporting to you from there in the future! Watch this video highlighting the recent Cisco Live! In San Diego: Darshita Maniar SP Mobility Marketing Manager ... View more

Hi Everyone! I just got back from CTIA Wireless 2012 in what I would call the city of beads, New Orleans, LA. This was a double-first experience for me, my first large industry wide tradeshow and my first time in NOLA.  It’s been 10 months since I started at Cisco, and I was very excited to apply the knowledge I have accumulated and learned over the last few months towards presenting Monetization demos to customers and learning from mobile industry experts. This 3 day show highlighted all aspects of mobility and wireless technology in the industry. The show started off with a great line up of speakers including industry CxOs like the CEO of Pandora and President of MasterCard. The afternoon keynote was an exciting panel, moderated by Jim Crammer from CNN Mad Money, of the CEO’s of the following Mobile Operators in the US: Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint/Nextel, and T-Mobile. Here I learned about the top of mind interests and concerns of the four carriers which seemed to be a common theme throughout the show mainly pertaining to two topics: LTE/4G  - the move to faster speeds and faster networks The move to this faster network and additional services to make an end user’s lifestyle a more seamless experience Our SP Mobility team had some great customer and analyst meetings about our solutions, where we got a little more of a perspective on what our customers want from us. We also had great speakers participating in panels such as, Kelly Ahuja, Cisco’s Senior VP and GM of MITG, Stuart Taylor, Cisco’s Director of Internet Business Solutions and Diego Gastaldi, Director of Cisco Small Cell Solutions. The exhibition floor was quite exciting with some new and innovative booths along with some live coverage of the event by CNBC! The show ended with a powerful and inspirational keynote by Former President Bill Clinton who spoke of the importance of mobile technology in the world today from a philanthropy perspective. As I was at the show I was able to capture some of the highlights of the week including some clips of the city with live music, an interview with Kelly Ahuja, and Bill Clinton himself! Check it out below! Darshita Maniar SP Mobility Marketing Manager More Resources Observations from CTIA Wireless 2012 By: Stuart Taylor ... View more