
Just Two Weeks Before the TFI Technology Conference in Austin (Jan 24-25)


The top conference in the country for sharing the latest trends, developments, and opportunities impacting communications and asset valuation in coming up soon! The 14th Annual TFI Communications Technology Conference is Jan. 24-25, 2019 in downtown Austin. Register now!
And be sure to book your sleeping rooms while they are still available.
Preliminary Schedule:
Wednesday, Jan 23, 2019
Pre-Conference Reception – Rooftop if weather permits
Thursday, Jan 24, 2019 – Conference Day One
Introductions and Welcome
• Lawrence Vanston, President, TFI
TFI Industry Forecast Overview
• Lawrence Vanston, President, TFI
5G WIRELESS
5G: The Big Picture
• Iain Gillott, President and Founder, IGR (IGillottResearch, Inc.)
5G Equipment: What on Earth does this Stuff Look Like?
• Robert Daniels, Vice President, PHAZR
Conference Lunch –Gatehouse
Coloring in the 5G Triangle: Super High Bandwidth, Massive IoT, and Ultra High Reliability – Panel Discussion
• Robert Heath, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
• Salam Akoum, Principal Member of Technical Staff, AT&T Labs
• Robert Daniels, Vice President, PHAZR
• Iain Gillott, President and Founder, IGR (Moderator)
Wireless Futures Research – Connected Aerial Vehicles and Machine Learning for Communications
• Robert Heath, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the University of Texas at Austin
The 5G Ecosystem: Data Centers, Edge Processors, Fiber –Panel Discussion
• Iain Gillott, President and Founder, IGR (Moderator)
The 4G to 5G Transistion
• Iain Gillott, President and Founder, IGR
Wireless vs Wireline
• Lawrence Vanston, President, TFI
• Iain Gillott, President and Founder, IGR
Why Does It Matter? And How? A Tax/Valuation Perspective I
• Ruben Miranda, Director, Tax Services, Duff & Phelps
• Gary Wiggins, Executive Director, Property Tax, AT&T
• Stephen Yergeau, Director, Property Taxes, T-Mobile
Conference Reception – Rooftop if weather permits
Friday, Jan 25, 2018 – Conference Day Two
BROADBAND & VIDEO
Communications Technology Update
• August (Augie) Grant, Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of South Carolina; Co-Editor, Communications Technology Update and Fundamentals
Fiber Deep: Broadband Industry Risks and Economics
• Te be Announced
Policy Fireside Chat
• Mignon Clyburn, Former Commissioner, FCC
Why Does It Matter? And How? A Tax/Valuation Perspective II
• Jeffrey Binkley, CEO, Assessment Valuation Advisors (Moderator)
• Carl Hoemke, Partner, Valentiam Group
• John Reed, Sr. Director – Property Tax, Charter Communications
Box Lunch Discussion
Getting Out of the Alligator Pit – And Moving On
• Carrie Vanston, The Growth Energizer
We hope you’ll join your colleagues in exciting downtown Austin for what promises to be another interesting and important event!
Great news! Former FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn will be our policy keynote at the 14th Annual TFI Technology Conference, Jan 24-25, 2019. With the changes in Congress, January is a great time to talk about what’s in the air in Washington, especially as it involves communications infrastructure.
Mignon will address topics such as:
Having served as an FCC commissioner from August 2009 to June 2018, Mignon will provide us perspective on what to expect in these interesting times.
We are also finalizing the wireless and broadband parts of the program. Look for more announcements next week!
We hope you’ll join your colleagues in exciting downtown Austin for what promises to be another interesting and important event!
Don’t miss out!
Take advantage of our Early-Bird Rate of $895 for General Admission.
We are also pleased to offer a new Assessor/Academic/Government
Early Bird rate of $80 for a limited block of seats!
We are excited to announce that Dr. Robert Heath, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, is on-board for our 14th Annual TFI Technology Conference, Jan 24-25, 2019! He will lead the panel “Coloring in the 5G Triangle: Super High Bandwidth, Massive IoT, and Ultra High Reliability” with featured technology specialists in 5G delivery.
We are also lining up speakers on Fiber Deep, the broadband/video industry, public policy, and the tax/valuation implications of technology change. We plan to make more announcements soon!
The moderator of the 5G Triangle panel will be Iain Gillott of iGR, wireless expert extraordinaire, who will also introduce our 2019 main theme: 5G and its Business and Valuation Implications, where we take a deeper look into 5G technology and its impacts on broadband, cable, video, and other asset-intensive industries.
Professor Heath spoke to us in 2016 about millimeter wave technology and cars communicating. This year he will give a special presentation on his current research interests: “Connected Aerial Vehicles and Machine Learning for Communications”.
We hope you’ll join your colleagues in exciting downtown Austin for what promises to be another interesting and important event!
Iain Gillott, wireless expert extraordinaire, returns to TFI for the fourth time. This time Iain will lead us through a deeper look into 5G technology and its impacts on broadband, cable, video, and other asset-intensive industries.For 2019, we are re-introducing tax and valuation-specific segments to the conference to reinforce the relevance of technology change to asset valuation. We hope you’ll join your colleagues in what promises to be another interesting and important event!
Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in our
13th Annual TFI Communications Technology Conference, on January 25-26, 2018, in Austin, Texas. It was a fun and fabulous few days!
Special thanks to our keynotes Jeffrey Andrews and Mohammed Ali, special guest Iain Gillott, and all the other fabulous speakers. We also greatly appreciate the support of our conference sponsors AUS, Costquest, and Deloitte.
Please visit our 2018 TFI Conference page to view presenter bios, presentation slides and videos! And be sure to see the 2018 Conference photos on Facebook.
Thanks again for your interest in TFI and our conference.
Only one week until the 13th Annual TFI Communications Conference begins in Austin, Texas! Register now and join top technology thought-leaders and industry, consultants, and government professionals to connect and get updates on the most vital areas including:
It’s not to late to register! For more information, we invite you to visit the TFI Conference Site, email us at info@tfi.com, or call us at (512) 258-8898.
Looking forward,
The TFI Team

Professor Andrews’ topic this year will be “5G and the Promise and Perils of Ultra-Densification.” He will also discuss New Radio (the first 5G physical layer standard) and update us on what’s new in the cellular and WiFi community looking forward.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming Professor Andrews back!
In case you haven’t heard, Austin is a hotbed for Virtual and Augmented Reality. We are excited to announce that one of its leaders, Austin AR Lab, is collaborating with us on our TFI Communications Technology Conference, Austin, Jan 25-26, 2018. Yes it’s for “Real!” Live Demos and a Keynote. We are in for a treat, so be prepared for fun and enlightenment.
● Keynote: Mohammed Ali, Chief Architect, Austin VR Lab
“Augmented Reality: Status, Applications, and Prospects”
● Live VR Demos using Top-of-the-Line Vive Headsets
● Live AR Demos using Custom Smart Phone Headsets
● Special Bonus: Everyone takes Home an Austin VR Lab
Custom Smart Phone Headset!
VR and AR are sure to have immense impacts on the communications industry even if we don’t yet know the exact path. It’s our job to understand these technologies and where they are headed. Nice work, if you can get it!
We hope you will join us in Austin as industry leaders share the latest trends and developments impacting communications technology.
Great News! Registration is now open for the 13th Annual TFI Communications Technology Conference, Jan. 25-26, 2018. Join us in exciting downtown Austin as industry leaders and professionals gather once again to share the latest trends and developments impacting communications and asset valuation.
Industry Experts Covering Communication
Technology’s Most Vital Interest Areas
Leave this event understanding—and being
able to explain—how technology is changing
the communications industry in 2018 and beyond.
Don’t miss out! Take advantage of our Early-Bird Rate for General Admission and Assessors/Government/Academia!
Start 2018 with the latest knowledge and insights on the
key forces impacting your organization!
January 2017 Conference Highlights: We are working on a great speaker lineup for 2018! To give you an idea of the quality of our keynotes, speakers, and panelists, check out Videos, Slides, Keynote & Speaker Bios & Photos from the January 2017 TFI Conference.