Heading into 2020 and Beyond

2020, a new year, a new decade, tremendous new opportunities…and risks.

TIA is at the forefront of leading advances in new areas like smart buildings and critical 5G enablement programs like edge data centers.  At the same time, our global telecommunications infrastructure and ICT supply chain are at a growing risk to cyberattacks that threaten our security and impede our economic growth.

At this critical moment in our industry, TIA’s mission is more important than ever, and I am excited to be here at this significant time.

Over the last few months, I’ve enjoyed getting to know TIA members and staff and having in depth conversations about our industry and where we are going. TIA is a vibrant organization and I’m impressed by the depth of talent and innovative programs we have advanced. Our membership is engaged and committed to improving our industry. The past is important, we can and should learn from it and build on it, at the same time we need to move forward with clear purpose and direction.

I believe that TIA is unique. TIA’s government affairs, standards, technology and business performance programs will work together to provide comprehensive leadership for the telecommunications industry. These four communities provide us with a ‘force multiplier.’ Through clear focus on strategic issues combined with strong teamwork, they will differentiate our value to our members and the ICT industry as a whole.  As we usher in a new era of 5G connectivity and compute-rich networks, I believe now is the time to integrate these services to advance new technologies like smart buildings and edge data centers and to tackle the biggest challenges facing the ICT community.

We are enabling 5G rollouts through creating needed standards, such as our Edge Data Center program which will help push compute power out in the network. We are helping to reach the potential of 5G through activities such as our Smart Buildings program which will improve the efficiency and performance of all systems in a building.

And we will help protect these investments and enable further economic growth by improving the security of the ICT supply chain.  This has emerged as one of the most important issues facing our industry. A safe, trusted and reliable network is, and will continue to be, critical for our future. As governments both in the U.S. and around the globe race to address risks through regulation, we, as an industry, must lead the way. And that’s just what we are poised to do.

We’ve got some exciting developments on the horizon, and you’ll be hearing much more from me and others as we head into 2020. I look forward to working with our team, our members and our stakeholders to usher in the promise of 5G technology, advance new technology like smart buildings and edge data centers, and ensure security, reliability and quality for our network infrastructure across the board.


Author Information

David Stehlin is CEO of the Telecommunications Industry Association, the leading association representing the manufacturers and suppliers of high-tech communications networks.

 

David Stehlin

Telecommunications Industry Association