Wireless industry giants GSMA and CTIA are partnering on a new mobile industry trade show in the United States that will launch next year, the groups announced Wednesday.
The show, dubbed the “GSMA Mobile World Congress Americas, in partnership with CTIA,” will be held September 12-14, 2017 in San Francisco. The pair said they will be equal partners in the event, but said GSMA will take the lead on the event’s production and management.
CTIA, which usually holds its annual Super Mobility show in September, said the new show will replace Super Mobility. However, the new event “will continue to serve CTIA Super Mobility attendees, exhibitors and sponsors and will also attract new audiences from across the growing communications ecosystem,” CTIA said.
CTIA said it will continue to host other educational and policy events.
“By combining the show resources of the two preeminent wireless organizations – CTIA and the GSMA – we will have the first truly global wireless event in the United States and the Americas,” CTIA president and CEO Meredith Attwell Baker said in a statement. “Each fall, this unique collaboration will bring the world’s attention to mobile innovation and opportunities from 5G to the Internet of Things and beyond. Our joint event will provide the ideal platform to highlight the U.S. mobile industry and the impact it has for billions of people around the world.”
CTIA and GSMA said the new Mobile World Congress Americas show will feature a conference program with C-level speakers and industry experts; an exhibition showing the latest mobile technologies, products and services; a regulatory and public policy program; partner events; and free seminars, among other activities.The pair said the show will emphasize core mobile technologies, consumer and industrial applications in the Internet of Things and the intersection of mobile with entertainment, content and media.
The inaugural event in September 2017 is expected to attract 30,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors, the groups said.