Wireless History Foundation announces inaugural Wireless Hall of Fame dinner

AUSTIN, USA: The Wireless History Foundation (WHF) will hold its inaugural Wireless Hall of Fame dinner in San Francisco on Oct. 5, 2010. At this first-ever event, industry leaders will honor newly named members of the Wireless Hall of Fame and recognize previous honorees from the early years of wireless. The dinner will take place at the Palace Hotel , the evening before the CTIA Enterprise and Applications 2010 tradeshow Oct. 6-8.

“Induction in the Wireless Hall of Fame is one of the wireless industry’s highest honors,” said Denny Strigl, retired president and chief operating officer of Verizon Communications and former president and CEO of Verizon Wireless. Strigl, a Wireless Hall of Fame member, is Chairman of the October 5 event. “I am proud to be associated with individuals whose contributions and achievements launched the wireless industry and to honor them at the inaugural Wireless Hall of Fame dinner.”

WHF was formed to preserve and promote the history of wireless telecommunications and assumed administration of the Wireless Hall of Fame program, originally created in 2000 by RCR Wireless News, to recognize outstanding achievements across all disciplines in the wireless industry. Twenty-four individuals have been inducted into the Wireless Hall of Fame to date.

"The wireless industry has been an outstanding source of innovation and success because of the energy and effort of amazing men and women,” said John Stanton, founder of Trilogy Partners and Western Wireless Corp., and a Wireless Hall of Fame member. “This is a time for the leaders of the wireless industry to remember their history and celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit and innovative drive that have redefined communications throughout the world as a community. Everybody working in this industry today is part of that energy.”

Stanton and Strigl will be joined at the October 5 dinner by a number of other current Wireless Hall of Fame members, including:

* Jai Bhagat – EVP of Bernardo International, vice chairman of Axesstel, co-founder and former president and CEO of SkyTel Communications, Inc., former chairman of American Mobile Satellite Corp., pioneer in nationwide paging technology.

* Marty Cooper – executive chairman and co-founder of ArrayComm Inc., former Motorola VP of R&D who built and managed paging and cellular businesses during a 29-year Motorola career, co-founder of Cellular Business Systems, Inc.

* Brian Fontes – CEO of the National Emergency Number Association, former executive of AT&T Wireless and CTIA, former FCC Chief of Staff, led US delegation at 1995 World Radio Conference in Geneva, served three years as chairman of Communication Regulatory Agency for Bosnia Herzegovina.

* Mal Gurian – founder and CEO of Mal Gurian Associates, former president of Oki Telecom, the first cellular phone manufacturer to receive FCC type certification, co-founder and chairman of Authentix Network, president emeritus of Radio Club of America.

* Arlene Harris – serial entrepreneur with success in paging, mobile telephone and cellular businesses, co-founder of GreatCall, Inc. and Cellular Business Systems, Inc.

* Irwin Jacobs – co-founder and former chairman of Qualcomm, co-founder of Linkabit Corp., former professor of electrical engineering at MIT and UCSD, noted philanthropist supporting education and the arts.

* Morgan O’Brien – co-founder and former chairman of Nextel Communications, early advocate within FCC for land mobile communications services, long-time champion of improving public safety communications.

* John Palmer – founder of Mobile Communications Corporation of America a national paging carrier and early cellular licensee, co-founder of Skytel Communications, Inc., director of SmartSynch, U.S. Ambassador to Portugal from 2001 to 2004.

* John Stupka – founder and president of Strategic and Tactical Support Inc. (STS), chief of staff to president and CEO of AT&T Mobility, former president and CEO of Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems, former president and CEO of Skytel Communications.

* Tom Wheeler – managing director of Core Capital Partners, former CEO of CTIA, former president of the National Cable Television Association, co-founder of SmartBrief online targeted news service.

The event has wide support among corporations and organizations including Aloha Partners, Andrew Seybold, Inc., BilltoMobile, Interop Technologies, Syniverse, TARGUSinfo, and Verizon Communications.