WISPAMERICA 2018 Recap: Preseem in Birmingham
What a week at WISPAMERICA 2018!
The Preseem team had a wonderful time at the sixth annual WISPAMERICA, the largest-ever meeting of fixed wireless industry professionals east of the Mississippi.
Meticulously planned by the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA), WISPAMERICA was an amazing conference attended by almost 800 participants. This included hundreds of WISPs, more than 85 exhibitors/sponsors and many consultants/experts serving the fixed wireless industry. From the quality and diversity of the sessions to the networking opportunities (and the food!), it was a great event. WISPAMERICA offers full value for members of the WISP industry to learn, network, and grow their businesses.
Based on our previous experiences at WISPA shows, we pre-booked meetings with prospective WISP customers and existing Preseem users. This allowed us to spend dedicated time outside busy exhibit hours to discuss network-specific concerns and special use cases.
Day 1
Day 1 started with a State of WISPA address from board chairperson Chuck Hogg. He said that research by The Carmel Group shows the fixed wireless industry is projected to double its revenue to $5.2 billion by 2021.
This was followed by “speed dating” sessions, which are always a fun way to start conversations at a trade show! Here’s a panoramic shot of the opening session at WISPAMERICA 2018.
When exhibit hours opened, we had high traffic at our booth to discuss QoE monitoring and optimization for fixed wireless networks. Also, we loved seeing existing Preseem users explain the benefits of our platform to fellow WISPs. There’s no better marketing than this!
Also on Day 1, our co-founder Dan Siemon took part in the advanced QoE panel. During the session, he talked about the nuances of QoE-based network monitoring and plan enforcement. JJ McGrath from Tekwav, a Preseem customer, also added QoE perspectives from an operator’s point of view. JJ talked about how QoE monitoring compares with ICMP. He also spoke on how plan enforcement based on QoE optimization can help reduce subscriber churn and lower support costs. The audience had some interesting questions on deployment, comparisons with DPI-based solutions, and real-world use cases for QoE solutions.
Days 2 and 3
On Days 2 and 3, we continued our networking and were happy to see the continuous flow of visitors to our booth. This can be attributed to our strong partnerships with other billing vendors in the WISP space, as well as positive relationships with existing WISP customers. We cannot thank them enough for their support.
Also, four of our billing partners, namely Sonar, VISP.net, Billmax and Azotel had our pop-up banners in their booth to share information with their customers about our API integrations. There was also a lot of interest in our affordable appliances for QoE monitoring and optimization. In fact, were actually able to reserve some orders on the spot!
Last but not least, we should mention one of the other fun aspects of attending a WISPA show: the food! From the opening night reception to Sonar’s customer appreciation party, there was something for everyone to enjoy! Topping it all was Birmingham itself, which also had some amazing food options, all within steps of the venue.
All in all, WISPAMERICA 2018 again helped showcase the strong community spirit of the fixed wireless industry. We’re thankful for all the feedback we received for our service and for the strong partnerships we initiated with other vendors. Birmingham was a great choice for the venue and we’re already looking forward to next year’s show 🙂
For more information on how Preseem can help your WISP improve subscriber QoE, book a demo with us today!
