KELOWNA – CommTech Trade Show and Seminars host Janice Lee could be spotted touring the hotel property over the past couple of days, examining every spot at the Coast Capri Hotel for the expansion of next year’s conference.
A success on just about every measure (every vendor and delegate we talked to was very pleased with the show), CommTech will likely be expanding next year. This year, vendor table space sold out months in advance and the waiting list from this year means the trade show floor will be larger in 2008.
There were 42 exhibitors this year, 20 informative seminars – a few of which we’ve profiled on Cartt.ca – and a 25% increase in attending companies. Final delegate counts are not in yet but there were well over 200 people in attendance each of the show’s two days.
And it’s a conference that sets aside the usual competitive concerns in favour of education as attendees included many from Telus, a large contingent of small cable operators, many contractors and a number from Shaw Cablesystems. Nobody is giving away any corporate secrets as this is a show for managers on down, and especially those who are hands-on with their companies’ networks.
We saw a few new products yesterday, which we profiled. Here are some of the items on display from some of the other companies.
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Montreal’s Trispec may have had the newest product reveal at the show: The Seeker GPS Leakage Management System from Trilithic. The new device, which costs the same as a conventional leakage detector and which will hit the market in July, can provide each vehicle in a company’s fleet with GPS-based wireless connectivity. Records can be securely uploaded when the vehicle passes through a WiFi hotspot and a Bluetooth antenna lets the user connect directly to the GPS receiver and upload directly to a client server. It offers pinpoint reliability and real-time data transfers. www.trispec.com
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Among the number of products on the ATX table was its MaxNet II line of RF and optical signal management devices. They offer 200% savings in rack space as compared to conventional gear and reduce lash up complexity by using MCX connectors and miniature co-ax cable. www.atxincorporated.com
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Tyco‘s RecordSplice says it makes fibre connectivity seem like copper. The integrated cleaving and installation unit offers a cleaving angle of eight degrees and automatically catches those pesky and dangerous cut ends of fibre. Fully mechanical with no power or batteries, the company says its maintenance free and needs no field adjustments. www.recordsplice.com
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The 4200 Cable Management System from Norscan, Winnipeg, continuously monitors outside plant in order to provide early warning of any problems with cable or splice enclosure. Inside the 4200 is the multi-tone module which handles long distance cable toning for locating buried cable. www.norscan.com
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Test and measurement manufacturer EXFO, Montreal, showed off a number of products, including the Ethernet Test Module – FTB-8510B Packet Blazer. The unit has an IPTV software option which leverages the current frame-analysis engine, delivering measurement capabilities and providing users with over 35 different IPTV metrics and statistics in a powerful portable IPTV test platform. Usability features include user-configurable alarm thresholds for MDI and other selected metrics, enabling customizable test sequences as well as an auto-stream detection capability that automatically discovers valid IPTV streams within the Ethernet layer. www.exfo.com
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Times Fiber, Renfrew, Ont., was featuring its 75 ohm mini series coaxial cable 10X bundle. www.timesfiber.com
