NAB Adds Telecom to April Trade Show

WASHINGTON: The National Association of Broadcasters is looking for a bigger telecom presence at its annual trade show in Las Vegas. The NAB Show partnered with industry consulting firm BIA/Kelsey to bring in telecom exhibitors for the 2011 NAB Show, April 9-14.

“As telco video revenue increases, service providers are ramping up their networks and are looking for greater interaction with the broadcast community and other content providers,” said a joint announcement from the two organizations. “Increased HDTV and 3D programming will further fuel the need for high-capacity networks. This initiative will bring the content community together with the companies building, planning, and investing billions of dollars in next-generation broadband networks.”

The intention is to highlight the latest developments in network-access technologies such as passive-optical networks, point-to-point fiber-to-the-home, Ethernet-over-copper and video over VDSL2.

“It is critical to have a place where telecom and broadcasting companies can get introduced and meet informally to become educated on the latest technologies,” said Rick Ducey, chief strategy officer for BIA/Kelsey.

David Gross, senior telecom analyst at BIA/Kelsey said the NAB Show’s approach is unique in that it will be focused only on telecom access networks rather than on business networks, wireless or telecom in general.

“Our strategy is to really target this part of the telecom market, understand its needs and align the NAB Show with where this part of the industry is headed,” he said. “With this focus, the NAB Show’s efforts to provide greater programming depth to broadcasters and telecom technologists will find its mark.”