What you missed at the 2017 Mobile World Congress Americas: 5 takeaways

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Photo of Nikki Palmer at Mobile World Congress

Credit: GSMA

The world’s largest gathering of the mobile industry made its American debut this week at Mobile World Congress Americas. Industry leaders descended on San Francisco’s Moscone Center to discuss everything from the Internet of Things and 5G to smart cities and the prospects for women in tech. Verizon was there in full force, with our leaders and executives participating in discussions, fireside chats and keynote speeches throughout the week.

We spoke to a few of them about their experiences at Mobile World Congress Americas and what is special about this moment in time when it comes to technology

Here are their responses:
 

 

The future of 5G

“If you take a walk on the floor and watch the keynotes today, you can see there are so many things that can be transformational about 5G technology. It’s hard to peel 4G and 5G apart. The good news is, the investments we make today lead to what we can provide with 5G.”

— Nicki Palmer, Senior Vice President and Chief Network Officer, Verizon Wireless
 


The societal impact

“Here’s the exciting thing about MWCA and this time in the industry: We’re now at this point where we’re moving beyond admiring the tech to contemplating how we can use it to transform. And it’s transformation at every level — at an industrial level and economic level — but also a social and human level.”

— Ronan Dunne, Executive Vice President and Group President of Verizon Wireless
 


Equitable wireless access

“Across the board, everyone here understands the future and potential of what 5G will do. It really is a true game changer. And I hear the voices in the room understanding that we can’t leave behind underserved or underrepresented populations. Shame on us if we create and roll out 5G and don’t care for those populations. So that’s what’s important to me. And it’s inspiring to see it’s almost a universal thought.”

— Rose Kirk, Verizon Foundation President
 


The economic impact of IoT

“Over the past year, industry innovators have not only piloted, but in many cases, deployed IoT technology to drive value to the bottom line. In 2017, advancements in technology and standards, coupled with changing consumer behaviors and cost reductions, have made IoT enterprise-grade, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg in driving economic value across the board.”

— Mark Bartolomeo, Vice President of IoT Connected Solutions, Verizon
 


The future of autonomous vehicles

“I’m excited about where we’re going, but we’ve got a long road ahead. It is amazing, all of the internal capabilities that we have. As a company we’ve got internal leadership that’s bringing the teams together in a way that I never thought a company this big could do.”

— Kelly Frey, Vice President of Product Marketing, Verizon Telematics

For related media inquiries, please contact story.inquiry@one.verizon.com

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