04/04/2018
The private wireless industry continues to expand and innovate in response to the increasing need for secure and reliable device and data wireless services. Keeping pace with industry change requires regular and continual professional development at all levels of an organization, particularly the technical and systems engineering staff upon whom sales and service providers, business enterprises, and manufacturers and vendors rely to implement and maintain the wireless technologies and standards. To meet the growing needs of its members, the Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA) has formed the Private Wireless Education Council (Education Council), which held its organizational meeting on March 29, 2018. The mission of the Private Wireless Education Council is to:
- Develop educational training programs that support the informational and technical knowledge requirements of private wireless-oriented organizations, including wireless sales and service organizations, communication service providers, manufacturer representatives, business enterprises, and both primary and ancillary equipment manufacturers and vendors.
- Maximize industry participation and opportunity to access the Education Council’s technical and informational curriculum through the development and dissemination of training materials and course content through periodicals, webinars and on-line training capabilities.
- Endeavor to work in collaboration with other organizations that provide industry-related educational and certification program capabilities to individuals and telecommunication organizations through joint promotional activities and financial-based business relationships.
- Engage in other activities necessary or desirable to further accomplish the fundamental objectives of the Council.
At its meeting, the Private Wireless Education Council Board of Trustees elected Mobile Communications America Vice President for South Carolina Kevin Carter as chair. Until its close in late 2017, Carter had been chair of the board of directors of the Technology Resource Network International (TRNI), an association of wireless sales and service provider members.
“TRNI was formed to promote business, education, training, and certification opportunities for its member organizations,” said Mr. Carter. “Within EWA’s Private Wireless Education Council, we will continue and strengthen that commitment to education.”
“Decision makers and their technical staff know they must be well trained and need to stay abreast of the latest technologies, regulations, and spectrum access strategies within our industry, so they can better serve their customers,” said EWA Senior Vice President of Operations Eric Hill.
EWA’s objective is two-fold: to nurture greater access to training programs in place today and to offer additional courses such as licensing and frequency coordination, system planning, spectrum acquisition, safety requirements, and RF interference mitigation to expand its members’ knowledge base. As part of implementing this objective, EWA’s Wireless Leadership Summit will expand its content offerings. The 2018 Summit will be held October 10-11, in San Antonio, Texas.
“EWA is taking on these educational responsibilities as reliable informational platforms remain a critical need within the private land mobile industry, and because our members require this service,” said EWA President Mark Crosby.
The officers of the Private Wireless Education Council are:
- Chair: Kevin Carter, Mobile Communications America, Charleston, South Carolina
- Vice Chair: Katie Ward, P & R Communications Service, Inc., Dayton, Ohio
- Secretary: Eric Hill, Enterprise Wireless Alliance, Herndon, Virginia
The additional members of the Board of Trustees of PWEC are:
- Pat Cuntz, EMCO Communications, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Joe Gately, Gately Communication Company, Hampton, Virginia
- Rob Leonard, Comtronics Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts
- Perry Vincent, Louisiana Radio Communications Inc., Lake Charles, Louisiana