The annual Consumer Electronics Show, taking place in January, is where many companies choose to unveil major new products and services. Last year, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gave the keynote speech and used it to show off Project Natal and the HP Slate. In 2011, the keynote will be more mobile-focused, as Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg will address the CES crowd. The press release says that Seidenberg will "highlight [the] company's vision for its LTE 4G wireless technology." Considering that we expect Verizon to have some of its LTE network rolled out by that point, I'm sure Seidenberg will tout the carrier's new 4G network, sales of its DROID phones, and maybe a few other things. Perhaps we'll finally see the mythical Verizon iPhone? Check out the full press release below.
Besides the LTE announcement, no one knows for sure what Mr. Seidenberg will discuss during his CES keynote. There are plenty of people that think he'll be showing off a Verizon-compatible iPhone, but I'm not completely sold on that idea. A CDMA iPhone is definitely one of the most anticipated devices in recent memory, and I'm not sure Steve Jobs would want someone else unveiling one of his babies without him being there. January is only four months away, so we have quite a while to speculate. What do you think Seidenberg will talk about during his keynote?
VERIZON'S IVAN SEIDENBERG TO DELIVER OPENING KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT THE 2011 INTERNATIONAL CES
Seidenberg's CES Keynote to Highlight Company's Vision for its LTE 4G Wireless Technology
Arlington, Va., Aug. 4, 2010 – The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® announced today that Verizon Chief Executive Officer Ivan Seidenberg will deliver the opening keynote address at the 2011 International CES®. Owned and produced by CEA, the 2011 International CES, the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow, will be held January 6-9, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Ivan is a terrific leader who has positioned Verizon as a top global provider of communications, information and entertainment across a wide variety of platforms," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. "Verizon embraces innovation and its vast broadband networks touch all facets of the technology ecosystem. We are pleased to welcome Ivan to the CES stage for his debut keynote and look forward to hearing the vision for Verizon's next generation of products and services."
Ivan Seidenberg, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Verizon, has led Verizon since its inception in 2000 following the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE. He has transformed the company into a premier global network company by building a nationwide wireless network, deploying high-speed fiber broadband direct to homes, and expanding its global Internet backbone network around the world. Verizon's leadership in network innovation has earned the company numerous awards, including Fortune's 2010 "World's Most Admired Companies" list at No.1 in the telecommunications sector.
Seidenberg will deliver his CES keynote address at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 6, 2011 in the Hilton Center, following a State of the CE Industry keynote address delivered by Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. Microsoft's Steve Ballmer will give a preshow keynote address at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 5, in the Las Vegas Hilton Center.
Additional 2011 CES keynote addresses will be announced in the coming months.
The 2011 International CES will feature 2,500 global technology companies unveiling the latest consumer technology products and services across 15 major product categories including the latest in audio, automotive electronics, connected home technologies, digital imaging, electronic gaming, entertainment/content and more. For more information on the 2011 International CES, visit CESweb.org.
