Do you know there is a Wireless History Foundation, whose charter it is, "to preserve and promote the history of the wireless industry?" Bill Carlson, Rob Conway, Sam Ginn, and Dr. Jan Uddenfeldt certainly do since they are the 2014 inductees into the Wireless Hall of Fame.

"The selection committee easily recognized that these inductees have all made unique, personal and important contributions in selecting them for the Wireless Hall of Fame," said WHF Board member Rob Mechaley, CEO of Mobilesphere Holdings LLC, and chairman of the 2014 selection committee. "They exemplify the breadth and depth of wireless contributions to the economy, technology, safety and society."

Bill Carlson (left), owner and operator of Tower Systems, since 1975, has been "a wireless infrastructure trailblazer providing tower construction, service and maintenance in the United States and around the globe." He established the National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) in 1995 to formally organize what was then a relatively new field of specialty.

Rob Conway (right) is credited with extending the scope and scale of the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA). GSMA was formed in 1995 to represent the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Mr. Conway took over at the helm as CEO in 1999 (>100 million subscribers at the time) and served until 2011. Sadly, Mr. Conway passed away in January of this year, so his induction will be done posthumously.

Sam Ginn (left) cut his commercial communications teeth at Pacific Telesis Group (PacTel, one of Bell Systems' 'Baby Bells') as CEO. His first exposure to the science was in the Army Signal Corps. After many mergers and strategic deals that culminated in the forming of Vodafone AirTouch, Mr. Ginn helped build the ubiquitous wireless communication service business capability we enjoy today. His appointment in 2012 as chairman of FirstNet will help with, "deploying a nationwide broadband wireless network dedicated to public safety."

Dr. Jan Uddenfeldt (right), during his long career with Ericsson, was instrumental in inventing the technology of and defining industry standards for Groupe Speciale Mobile (GSM), mobile broadband 3rd Generation (3G, HSPA), and Long Term Evolution (LTE) communications systems.

Posted  , 2014