Supercomm 2005: The final Supercomm

Supercomm 2005 is the 18th and final Supercomm, with the two industry organizations that sponsored the event for the past five years splitting up.

Each group is organizing its own new show, both of which will debut next year.

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), a group of vendors, is starting up GlobalComm, which will be held in Chicago June 5-8, 2006, roughly the same time that Supercomm did.

TIA's Supercomm partner, carrier group U.S. Telecom Association (USTA), is running off to Las Vegas to start TelecomNEXT, a carrier-focused show sheduled for March 19-25, 2006.

TIA claims it has already signed up enough exhibitors for GlobalComm to fill 140,000 square feet. Supercomm 2005 takes up 309,000 square feet. TIA says it expects 20,000 attendees vs. 30,000 at  SuperComm.

GlobalComm will expand its exhibits from rows and rows of boxes to include more interoperability demonstrations that show what services the technology can support, says Gene Sanders, TIA's vice president of sales and business development.

TIA and USTA had a contract to run Supercomm that expires this year, and they could not agree on a change of direction. TIA wants to create a more international show that includes vendors of gaming, video and imaging products, not just telecom gear, Sanders says.

"For example, Channel 5 is here and wants to walk around and see something that might be of interest to people watching TV and we don't have that," Sanders says.

GlobalComm will collocate with three other shows - an outside-equipment show, an RFID show and an electronic sensor show.

USTA says it will team up with the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions to create TelecomNEXT.