The 60th annual IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS) is unveiling its 2017 post-show report. The flagship conference and exhibition of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) wrapped up on June 9th after six days of Catching the 5G Wave in Honolulu at the Hawaii Convention Center. Recently named one of the top 250 trade shows for the second year running by Tradeshow News Network (TSNN), IMS2017 reports:

  • A stellar year for the technical program, with 1081 submitted and 554 presented technical papers–the second highest in the 60-year history of IMS.
  • International attendees representing 50 countries making up 44 percent of technical participants.
  • Technical attendance of 2500.
  • An exhibition featuring 450 companies.

IMS2017 featured keynote addresses, a summit and an executive forum on 5G–fifth-generation wireless technologies. Executives and experts from renowned global companies made up an A-list of 5G speakers:

  • "5G is not a simple, better 4G," – Dr. Wen Tong, CTO of Huawei Wireless Networks.
  • "The spirit of the 2017 IEEE IMS is very much dominated by the RF/microwave industry's near obsession with the coming 5G of wireless communications technology, with more than half of the exhibitors touting some recent development aimed at 5G." – Jack Browne, Microwaves & RF.
  • "5G is the fabric of a city, it's going to be much bigger than we think. Smart cities need 5G, so I'm really optimistic that this will happen in a big way." – Arogyaswami J. Paulraj, professor emeritus at Stanford University.
  • "There is a trust, a learning, a cultural shift that needs to happen [with 5G], but it's accelerating because the pain points are so big, and the pressure is so high to find solutions." – Flavio Bonomi, co-founder and CEO of Nebolo Technologies.

"IMS is the number-one trade show in the RF and microwave industry, where companies and thought leaders choose to debut their most coveted ideas and advancements," said Dr. Wayne Shiroma, IMS2017 general chair. "The collaboration among our industry's young and seasoned professionals alike is inspiring and it is this interaction that fuels future technologies such as 5G."

The exhibition floor offered dozens of new product announcements as well as served as the central gathering point for attendees, including a dedicated networking area with local entertainment, the first-ever IMS hackathon, 11 student design competitions, STEM activities, MicroApps application seminars, Industry-Hosted Reception and a Pau Hana with the Pros, featuring titans of the microwave community. In addition, IMS featured 44 first-time exhibitors and a record 34 percent of exhibitors from international destinations driven by strong participation from Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan.

"The momentum for 5G will continue to build in next year's conference, with the IMS2018 theme, 'Microwaves, Medicine and Mobility,'" said Dr. Sridhar Kanamaluru, IMS2018 general chair. "The symposium will highlight key contributions that RF, microwave and mmWave technologies and products have made to the fields of medicine and telecommunications, such as 5G, Internet of Things and Internet of Space. 5G technologies will play a major role in providing the connectivity required for remote medicine, whether it is diagnosis and/or monitoring of in-home patients."

IMS2018 will be held June 10–15, 2018 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Unique to 2018, the 2018 International Microwave Bio Conference (IMBioC) will be co-located with IMS2018. Exhibitor booth space selection for 2018 is currently underway, with 80 percent of exhibit space already sold.