It's only a week before more than 40,000 wireless industry executives descend on Las Vegas to place a bet on mobile's growth at the CTIA show. Here's an indepth interview with Jeff Simmons, director of technology programs for the CTIA -- The Wireless Association.

The mobile lifestyle is the underlying theme of this March 31-April 3 show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Another history-making moment: the show has attracted more retailers than carriers. Mobile Marketer's Lauren Mooney interviewed Mr. Simmons.

What's the theme of this year's show?
The overall theme is mobile lifestyle. CTIA is the one show that represents the connected world. You've got the convergence of mobile, broadband, cable and telecom, and you have the entertainment industry -- music, movies, games, TV. Its all happening here.

How many people do you expect?
We expect more than 40,000 attendees.

How many exhibitors do you expect?
We have over 1,200 exhibitors.

Has attendance increased from last year and by how much?
As of now, attendance is on track with last year's show.

Any changes made to the show layout and session agenda since last year?
CTIA has really evolved over the years. In the past, CTIA was a place for carriers to buy antennas and see the latest developments in wireless infrastructure and technology.

Today, CTIA is a dynamic marketplace for mobile content, products and services. For the first time in the history of the show, we have more retailers than we do carriers.

The conference program, likewise, has evolved. It used to be categorized by business, technology and emerging opportunities.

This year the categories are mobile blueprint, mobile lifestyle and mobile customerization, recognizing the significant impact mobile is having on day-to-day life for consumers and enterprises.

Have you noticed more exhibitors in the mobile advertising, media, commerce and marketing space this year?
The space is definitely gaining momentum. However many of the companies engaged in this arena are not selling hard goods - they are selling services and it is sometimes difficult to exhibit services.

Experts in these fields are definitely at the show. They are just taking advantage of more appropriate touch points to interact with attendees. Many are participating in special seminars such as Marketing - The Mobile Channel and Mobile Entertainment Live, while others are using venues such as Fashion in Motion and the eTech awards to engage attendees.

What do you expect to be the hottest topic of discussion at this event?
For Marketing -- The Mobile Channel, I think access to the mobile Internet via mobile handsets has to be one of the biggest topics this year.

Once a majority of subscribers can access the Internet via mobile, I believe we will see exponential growth in the amount of advertising that occurs on mobile phones.

For the show overall, WiMax is a big issue and people are really anticipating what Dan Hesse, the CEO of Sprint Nextel, will say on the keynote stage.

We expect some very big news to come out of the show related to infrastructure and 4G.

What are some of the issues the wireless industry faces today?
How do we monetize all the free services in the marketplace? How do we increase data revenues?

How do we enable mobile communities?
All of these roads lead to mobile advertising. Data usage - SMS - is increasing steadily in the U.S., from 1 billion SMS [text messages] daily last year to close to 1.3 billion already this year. But it's not stimulating consumerism. Mobile communities and location-based services should change this as they permeate the marketplace this year.

Where does mobile marketing factor into today's marketing plans?
For those that understand the medium, it is a vital component of the plan. It is the glue that makes other media more effective as many are seeing tremendous success using mobile to improve engagement with consumers.

Those that do not understand the medium see potential and are waiting for additional proof or metrics that substantiate the investment.

Overall it is interesting to note that general mobile use has become a substantial part of life and is more mainstream. Everyday we all encounter people using their wireless device for many things other than voice communication. Marketers recognize this and are working to determine how to leverage that direct interaction.

Is mobile marketing there yet?
By there, I am assuming you mean mainstream and essentially used by the majority? No, mobile marketing is not there yet, but is certainly gaining momentum and 2008 appears to be a seminal year in that process.

What challenges does mobile advertising face today?
Mobile marketing is all about delivering relevant and valuable content to people that want to receive it.

Our biggest challenge lies in educating the consumer -- they need to know that mobile marketing is not about blasting messages and ads to a cell phone without permission. The wireless industry does not want a repeat of the Internet and email. Most people do not know this.

Discovery of content on mobile devices is something that everyone in the industry knows needs to be improved. But the challenge is, who's responsibility is it, ultimately?

We are addressing this issue at the conference on a couple of different levels. Our keynoter, Cary Tilds, is an expert in mobile search, which is a key factor in improving discovery. Mobile content providers will also address this issue in some of the panels.

Are wireless carriers keeping up with consumer and marketer trends and needs?
The carriers are working hard to keep up. Their task is more daunting given that carriers must balance consumer and marketer demand with protection of the carrier network.

Carriers have invested tremendous sums of money to create networks that provide desired services, in excellent quality, and at faster speed. Carriers definitely hear what consumers want and are working to provide the services that meet those needs.

What is CTIA's mission for this year?
CTIA as a marketplace/trade show represents true convergence -- this term can be over-used, but it truly is what is happening.

CTIA brings traditional telecom companies, wireless carriers and cable operators together with TV and film studios, music labels and game developers. No other wireless show does that.

As an organization, CTIA is a powerful and influential industry association. We produce the two largest wireless events in the U.S. We certify all mobile devices. We oversee common short codes and monitor all CSC campaigns in the U.S. It's our mission to bring clarity to the marketplace and to help bring to market some of the incredible innovations that are in development.

What's your wish list for the mobile industry?
We want a truly connected world! Imagine the possibilities of what will be created when everything is connected to everything else.

We want to see really exciting uses of wireless technologies -- like scan codes -- become common practice here in the U.S. We want consumers -- and this includes enterprises -- to realize the amazing potential of the mobile device and to adopt the new services and applications that are available.