WCA's next meeting will be

Date: Tuesday, January 21st, 2003
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM.
Location: Hewlett-Packard in Cupertino
19091 Pruneridge Ave., Cupertino, CA
Building 48S, Oak Room Auditorium

This month we are holding our meeting at HP, Cupertino. We may from time to
time change locations, so please check this site for the latest updates.

Snacks - both healthy and non healthy - are provided

January WCA Meeting Agenda:

Integrating WiFi into Carrier Networks. Dr Mike Ritter, CTO of Mobility Network Systems

With the popularity of WiFi, the carriers want to get in on wireless LANs as well, but how will they implement 802.11b WLANs given their existing customers, protocols, business systems, security/privacy, authentication, and billing? Dr. Ritter, CTO of Mobility Network Systems, will discuss the problems and pitfalls carrier face in integrating WiFi into their networks, and will also discuss implementing WiFi roaming in other WLAN systems by WISPs and other operators.

Prior to joining Mobility Networks, Dr. Ritter was Chief Technology Officer for Metricom after earlier positions as Director of Systems Engineering and Director of Software Engineering. In these roles, he was responsible for architecting and developing Metricom's wireless network and infrastructure for the nation-wide Ricochet Wireless Internet Service. Prior to Metricom, Dr. Ritter was Manager of Open Systems Development at Apple Computer, where he was responsible for MacTCP, and shipped the most popular network software of the time as a manager at Sun Microsystems. He has held various positions at Lockheed, Stanford, Lawrence Livermore, and Los Alamos, and holds a Bachelor's degree in physics from Stanford and an M.S., M.A., and Ph.D. in physics from Yale.

Delivering the Wireless Web. Mr. David Williams, VP Business Development of NextWeb

Fixed Wireless is the true alternative to telco and cable based networks for the delivery of Broadband Internet access, and is one of the few means of reaching a broad market without leasing circuits from other carriers. This presentation will cover some of the issues related to building out Broadband Fixed Wireless networks, as well as some of the technical and business challenges a service provider faces along the way.

David Williams is Vice President Marketing & Business Development for NextWeb, Inc., California's leading Wireless Internet Service Provider. David has over 14 years experience in marketing, operations, engineering and business development in telecommunications and Internet services. Prior to joining NextWeb, David was VP Marketing responsible for data and Internet services for a $250M facilities-based telecommunications company. David was also co-founder and COO of Whole Earth Networks, one of the early leaders in the Internet service provider market, which David led from start-up to cash-flow positive operations when acquired in 1998. David holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Business.

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WCA is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the mutual benefit of Northern California companies and organizations involved in wireless communication technologies.

- For additional WCA info see: www.wca.org
- Program ends at 6:00 PM with networking until 6:30 PM.
- Participants are cautioned not to discuss proprietary information.
- Questions: Contact Al Juodikis at (408) 984-7269, email: wca@wca.org
- A $10.00 donation will be collected at the door to defray costs.

 

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Mark your calendar for these upcoming WCA meetings

February 26: What's Hot (and What's Not) in Wireless VC Panel

The February 2003 WCA meeting will feature, as it has in past years, a panel of wired-in investors discussing "What's Hot (and What's Not) in Wireless" on Wednesday February 26 (5:00 to 7:00 PM) at the Wireless Systems Design Conference and Expo 2003 held at the San Jose Convention Center. This newsworthy meeting will address trends in the wireless industry and identify the market segments that have the interest of the panelists (and those that do not). Start-ups and Fortune 500 companies would do well to take heed of the informed attitudes and expert opinions expressed by these influential speakers, chosen for their reputation as bell weathers in the wireless industry -- and attendees have been going home with some stock tips to boot

This year Dale Pfau, Managing Director for Wireless Components and Infrastructure/Wireless Internet for CIBC World Markets, has agreed to participate along with a half-dozen other prominent investors.

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