ConnectMobile hosted by CTIA

Attendees must be pre-registered and approved for this session. 

Businesses, enterprises, and organizations of all sizes are using new and innovative communications platforms to reach and engage with consumers. Industry and government partners are working to ensure messaging and communications remain an innovative and trusted ecosystem.

ConnectMobile invites key business leaders, product and technology experts, and government partners to discuss the future of messaging, innovation and trusted communication.

Join us on October 14 for keynotes and discussions from leaders across the messaging industry.

Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Level 6, Royal 6

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Networking Breakfast

9:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Morning Programming

Welcome Address
Jeff Simmons, VP, Technology Programs, CTIA

Convening the Industry to Drive RBM Success in the US  
RCS delivers a more engaging and secure way to message. Leaders from U.S. wireless providers and Google discuss how to drive RBM success while protecting the trust that makes it work. When innovation meets usability, consumers win.
Abe Kim, Sr. Technical Product Manager, T-Mobile
Erin Milandin, Partner Development Manager, Google
Kathy Schroeder, RBM Senior Business Lead, AT&T
MODERATOR: Mike Beirne, Director, Regulatory Affairs, CTIA

Morning Keynote: The Future of Communication Platforms 
Communication platforms now mean more than scale—they’re about trust and meaningful engagement. An industry leader shares what’s next and how platforms will shape the future of brand-to-consumer connection.
Silvio Kutic, Co-Founder & CEO, Infobip

Elevating Customer Experiences Through RCS and AI  
Discover how service providers are combining RCS and AI to create more interactive, personalized messaging. This session explores how innovation can enhance engagement while safeguarding trust and compliance—ensuring that both enterprises and consumers benefit.
James Lapic, Senior Director of Product Management, Twilio    
Chiara McPhee, Chief Product Officer, Postscript
Surbhi Rathore, VP, AI, Invoca
Lodema Steinbach, VP of Commercial Messaging Product & Carrier Partnerships, Sinch
Alex Yen, Head of Growth, Persona
MODERATOR: TJ Thinakaran, Founder & CEO, Casselroad

What the Consumer Wants 
Hear from the practitioners on the frontlines of direct messaging. From timing and tone to earning and keeping trust, these panelists will share firsthand insights on what today’s consumers expect—and how brands can deliver.
Dre Allen, VP, Digital Product Management, Rocket Mortgage
Jamie Doheny, VP, Technology, Braze
Vijesh Mehta, CEO, EZ Texting
Monica Woller, VP of User Experience, Drips
MODERATOR: Phil Rice, Assistant VP, Membership, CTIA

Business Messaging and the Short Code  
Short codes remain the most trusted channel in business messaging—delivering scale, security, and consumer confidence. In this session, the U.S. Short Code Registry team shares what’s next for the platform and why it continues to be the foundation of mobile engagement.  
Cliff Holsenback, Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder, GCH Technologies
Ariel Reid, VP of Customer Experience, GCH
MODERATOR: Jeff Simmons, VP, Technology Programs, CTIA

Remarks from Ajit Pai, President & CEO, CTIA

CTIA Research Insights: The State of Messaging & Consumer Voice Engagement
What do consumers expect from messaging today? CTIA’s research team shares new insights into patterns, preferences, and perceptions—helping industry leaders stay ahead of shifting expectations.
Sean McNicholas, Manager, Research, CTIA
Robert Roche, VP, Research, CTIA 

12:30 PM – 2:00PM: Lunch Sponsored by GCH Technologies

2:00PM – 5:00PM: Afternoon Programming

Afternoon Keynote: An Innovator’s Take Home Message  
In a world shaped by AI, trust is the new growth engine. This keynote delivers a data-backed roadmap for how to scale innovation, deepen engagement, and protect trust across modern communications channels.
Christie Kim, Chief Operating Officer, Persona

Branded Identity & Scalable Onboarding   
Before a single message is sent, trust must be established. This panel unpacks how onboarding, vetting, and branded identity are evolving to enable innovation at scale—without compromising the guardrails that protect the experience.
Diego Asenjo, Founder & CEO, Mesh
John Bruner, President & CEO, Aegis Mobile
Roddy Lindsay, CEO, TexterID
MODERATOR: Kathryn Dall’Asta, VP & Deputy General Counsel, CTIA

BCID: Restoring Trust in Voice Calls  
One year since commercial launch, Branded Calling ID (BCID) is helping businesses securely connect with consumers through trusted voice calls. In this session, hear how the voice channel is being rebuilt—one verified call at a time.
Doug Ranalli, Founder & CEO, Gated Networks
Melissa Blassingame, Regional VP, Partner Alliances, Twilio
MODERATOR: Michelle James, VP, Strategic Industry Programs, CTIA

Fireside Chat: Go-To-Market Motions Around RCS and AI 
As rich messaging and artificial intelligence reshape the customer journey, go-to-market strategies must evolve just as fast. In this fireside conversation, Sinch’s EVP for Americas, Julia Fraser, unpacks how RCS and AI are redefining engagement, what “innovation with reach” looks like in practice, and how trust and compliance remain the guardrails for growth.
Julia Fraser, EVP, Americas, Sinch

Fireside Chat: The New Era of Business to Consumer Mobile Messaging
Text messaging evolved rapidly over the last year with the growth of AI personalization & RCS enabling rich features. In parallel, growing privacy restrictions continue limiting identification, with message visibility becoming a growing concern. In this session, we will explore how driving engagement through personalized experiences is a necessary evolution with the new messaging inbox.
Karine Terzibachi, Chief Business Officer, Attentive

Closing Keynote: Building Trust in a Digital World
Every trusted digital interaction starts with identity. This keynote explores how verification enables innovation—from financial access to fraud prevention—and why building trust at the start of every exchange is now a business imperative.
Rodger Desai, Founder & CEO, Prove

5:00 – 6:30 PM: Networking Reception