US industry group the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) shifted to an online-only format for its upcoming Mobile Carriers Show following a surge in Covid-19 (coronavirus) cases in the US.

The event is scheduled to be held on 30 March and 31 March: CCA president and CEO Steven Berry stated the decision to move the event online was taken to protect the “health and safety of our attendees”, adding “at this time the best way to ensure a safe and successful event is doing so virtually”.

CCA has approximately 100 small and regional operator members.

Berry added registration will be free, with panel discussions set to tackle topics including fixed wireless access; open RAN; network security; supply chains; spectrum; next generation technologies; and closing the digital divide in rural areas.

Tracking by US magazine The Atlantic found record-high figures relating to new Covid-19 infections (310,080) and deaths (4,033) in the US on 7 January.

Covid-19 already disrupted several other major events planned for early 2021: the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) switched to an all-digital format, while GSMA pushed its flagship MWC Barcelona show from February to June.