Britt Technology Impact Series

Industry experts came together to discuss the mobile marketplace. This highly seasoned and expert panel delivered rich insight into both the future and the history of the mobile marketplace. The full room of MBA students listened to first hand accounts of mobile success stories, technologies currently in development and heard advice on to best prepare themselves for careers in the fast-moving mobile marketplace.

Mobile Future Panelist Details

Perry LaForge T’84
Founder, Executive
Director and Chairman
CDMA Development
Group

Perry LaForge is the Founder, Executive Director and Chairman of the CDMA Development Group (CDG). The CDG is a trade association comprised of over 110 of the world’s leading wireless operators and manufacturers. At the CDG, Perry is responsible for overseeing the expansion of CDMA technology throughout the world and for leading the evolution of the technology through the CDG’s subcommittees. Currently, there are over 500 individuals working on CDG sub teams.

Perry has led the development and worldwide commercialization of CDMA since the first proof of concept trials in 1988. He was instrumental in the introduction of CDMA as a second digital standard around the world and in it evolution to next generation digital technology. Perry is the Founder, Chairman and President of inOvate Communications Group. inOvate creates and capitalizes promising companies in the Internet and telecommunications industries. He is also the founder of inCode Telecom Group, a wireless systems integration company.

He has over 23 years of experience working with high-technology companies. Perry recently retired from the international management-consulting firm of Pittiglio Rabin Todd and McGrath (PRTM) where he was a Vice President and Partner. While at PRTM, Perry oversaw the company’s growth from twenty to over four hundred employees and led the firm’s expansion into various domestic and international markets. Perry has a Bachelor of Engineering degree (magna cum laude). He was awarded a Masters of Business Degree (MBA) from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College. On a number of occasions, he has been listed as one of the top 50 telecommunications industry executives by Wireless Week magazine.

Mike Mulica
Chief Executive Officer
FusionOne

With over 20 years of experience in the mobile and telecommunications industry, Mike Mulica has built a reputation of opening global markets for leading software solutions, expanding market share, and building customer value. In 2007, Mike was named a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum.

Previously, Mike served as President and Chief Executive Officer of BridgePort Networks, a leader in mobile-to-Voice over IP roaming technology. Prior to BridgePort Networks, Mulica was Senior Vice President of Customer Operations for Openwave Systems (previously Phone.com). Mike has also served as President of Global Sales and Marketing for Adaptive Broadband and Vice President of Worldwide Sales for Motorola’s Wireless Alliance Group.

Mike holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business from Marquette University, and a Graduate Certificate in International Business from the University of Copenhagen.

Barry West
Strategic Advisor
Clearwire

Barry West is a strategic advisor to Clearwire. He most recently served as President – International, where he led the company’s new Global Alliance Partnership Program, extending WiMAX collaboration initiatives with operators and industry associations around the world. Prior to joining Clearwire, Barry was president of the Xohm Business Unit for Sprint Nextel. He previously served as Sprint Nextel’s chief technology officer and president of 4G mobile broadband, as well as executive vice president and chief technology officer for Nextel Communications Inc.

Barry joined Nextel in 1996 and was the chief architect in creating the iDEN wireless technology platform with partner Motorola. Prior to joining Nextel, Mr. West led many successful engineering and marketing initiatives during more than 35 years for British Telecom including overseeing the rollout of a GSM digital cellular network that covered more than 90 percent of the United Kingdom population in only nine months. Mr. West also served as director of value-added services and corporate marketing at Cellnet, the pioneer of cellular communications in the United Kingdom.

Mark Lowenstein,
Moderator
Managing Director
Mobile Exosystem

Mark Lowenstein is a leading wireless industry executive, advisor, and commentator. Most recently, Lowenstein was a member of the senior leadership team at Verizon Wireless, where as Vice President of Strategy he led the company’s efforts in product and business planning, market segmentation, national pricing, and customer intelligence for both consumer and enterprise markets.

Prior to his role at Verizon Wireless, Lowenstein was Managing Director of consulting firm, Mobile Ecosystem, where he advised companies and C-level executives across the landscape of wireless communications on market, product, and industry strategy. Prior to founding Mobile Ecosystem, Lowenstein spent ten years at the Yankee Group, where he founded and led the company’s wireless practices on a global basis. He also managed Yankee Group’s overall research activities in Canada, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Lowenstein also spent a year as VP, Strategy at Informio, a wireless software and applications firm that raised $40 million from leading VCs.

During the course of his fifteen-year career as an industry consultant, Lowenstein has advised nearly all of the major players across the mobile value chain, as well as top advertising agencies, media/entertainment firms, and industry associations. Lowenstein has also had advisory roles with several leading venture capital and private equity firms. He has been on the advisory boards of Telephia, SeaPoint Ventures, Visage Mobile, East Peak Advisors, and Froghop. In 2006, Lowenstein was selected by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to be part of an executive team to determine wireless strategy for the City of Boston. Lowenstein also founded the Boston Wireless Braintrust, a group of twenty CEOs and wireless industry thought leaders who meet quarterly, on a proprietary basis, to discuss key industry issues, opportunities and challenges.

As one of the wireless industry’s thought leaders, Lowenstein is a sought-after speaker, delivering keynote addresses at major industry and private corporate events. He has also published extensively. His Lens on Wireless newsletter is read by more than 12,000 industry executives; he authored a monthly opinion column in Wireless Week for five years; and he has written columns for leading trade and business media.

Lowenstein has appeared as an expert witness on the wireless industry in several proceedings, and has been engaged in several prominent cases with the FCC. Lowenstein has also been an adjunct faculty member at Tufts University, where he taught a course on the “Business of Wireless Communications.”

View Mobile Future Panel Highlights

Individual interviews with each executive are available on our YouTube Channel.