Denver, CO
Colorado Convention Center
November 13 -15, 2012
Attendance: est. less than 1,000
Exhibitors: 220
Media and analysts: est. less than a dozen
Calysto Overview
Now in its 20th year, the OSP EXPO is a wireless and wireline network infrastructure tradeshow produced by Practical Communications Incorporated (PCI), the publisher of OSP magazine. While final attendance figures weren’t released, attendees included ILECs, CLECs and IOCs and came from more than 40 countries.
This is a nuts-and-bolts technical show and the aim is to provide telecommunications network professionals with the how-to for everything from FTTCs and wireless backhaul to the evolution toward 100G. The educational seminars are approved for Continuing Education Credits (CECs) from both BICSI and the Electronics Technicians Association International (ETA-I), and COC points from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP).
The tracks themselves covered: Everything Fiber: FTTH/FTTx/FTTCS; Testing & Troubleshooting to Produce Operational Efficiencies; Energy/Sustainability and Emerging Technologies; Service Provider Best Practices and Learnings; Construction & Implementation Solutions from Data Center > End-User; and DAS Engineering/Construction of Indoor and Outdoor DAS.
The keynote speaker this year was Pieter Poll, senior vice president of CenturyLink’s National Network Planning, Engineering and Construction. Next year’s speaker has already been announced: Diane McCarthy, senior vice president of Verizon’s Network and Technology – Service Delivery & Assurance.
The exhibition area, which was fairly busy, included more than 220 telecom vendors and distributors, among them 3M Communication, Clearfield, and Tellabs. The exhibit floor also included a TV studio, live splicing demonstrations, and a happy hour.
Summary
The OSP EXPO is one of the last fall events focusing on the network infrastructure. While several companies made product announcements, this is more of an opportunity to showcase products to those who came because of the education sessions. If your market is wireless and wireline network infrastructure, consider speaking slots for someone from the engineering side of the house who can cite case studies and how-to scenarios.
Next
OSP EXPO 2013, October 8 – 10, 2013 at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.