21 April 2009

• Welcoming remarks by H.E. Mr. Mário LINO, Minister for Public Works, Transport and Communications, Portugal
  
  
      Available languages:  Portuguese


• Welcoming remarks by Dr. Hamadoun I. TOURE,  ITU Secretary-General
  
        Available languages:  French  |  English 
  
  

Session 1: Is this crisis any different?
Moderator: Stephen Cole

This session examines the global financial and economic crisis, as well as predictions for the future economic outlook. It presents different regional perspectives on the crisis, including from the developing world. It also considers differences and similarities with previous financial downturns, including the 1997 Asian currency crisis and the bursting of the dot.com bubble in 2001/2002. Have we all been here before? And, if past is prelude, are there any lessons from the dot.com crash that can help telecom/ICT companies confront this crisis?
 

• Mr. Jonathan COPPEL, Counsellor, office of the OECD Chief Economist
• Mrs Khédija GHARIANI, Secretary-General of the Arab Information and Communication Technologies Organization (AICTO)
• Mr. Herbert HEITMANN, Chief Communications Officer, SAP AG, Chair, ICC's Commission on E-Business, IT and Telecoms
• Dr. Robert KAHN, Co-inventor of the Internet, Chairman, CEO and President, Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI)
• Mr. Ernest NDUKWE, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria
• Mr. Don TAPSCOTT, Chairman, nGenera Insight
   

Session 2: How can investment & financing in telecommunications/ICTs help to overcome the crisis?
Moderator: Vasco Trigo

This session examines the impact of the financial crisis on investment and financing in the telecommunication and ICT industry. Will the financial crisis derail investment in advanced NGN networks, broadband access and other ICTs that have the potential to bridge the digital divide? Are investment plans being postponed and scaled back? Are new sources of finance (including South-South investment) emerging? Should governments become more involved in financing the sector, or start offering incentives to help operators upgrade their networks? And should investment in broadband networks form an integral component of any government economic rescue plan or stimulus package?
 

• Mr. Isidoro AMBE, Chief Executive, Telmex Corporate and Global Services
• Mr. Michael COPPS, Commissioner, Acting Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), United States
• Mr. Alan A. FISCHLER, Head of the Department for Telecommunication Infrastructure, Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), Brazil
• Mr. Michel JARRAUD, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
• Mr. Bruno LIPPENS, Senior Investment Manager, Sector & Theme Funds, Pictet Asset Management
• Mr. Carlos LÓPEZ BLANCO, Director, International Office, Telefónica, S.A.
• Mr. Tom PHILLIPS, Chief Government and Regulatory Affairs Officer, GSM Association
• Mr. Simon WILLIS, Vice President of the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG)
   

Session 3: Telco strategies
Moderator: Stephen Cole

Telecommunication operators are already navigating convergence and industry transformation, while regulation, competition, technological change and bundled offers have resulted in sustained double-digit price declines over recent years. This session examines how changing consumer demand is driving new business strategies. How are astute operators responding? Should price regulation be eased, or do cash-strapped consumers require even more protection than ever? Faced with difficulties in obtaining financing and uncertain consumer demand, how can telcos best navigate an uncertain future?
 

• Lic. Gabriela HERNÁNDEZ CARDOSO, Subsecretaria de Telecomunicaciones, Secretaría de Comunicaciones Y Transportes, Mexico
• Mr. Zeinal BAVA, CEO Portugal Telecom
• Ambassador David A. GROSS, Attorney at Law, Wiley Rein
• Mr. Matthias KURTH, Chairman of the European Regulators Group for electronic communications networks and services, and President, Federal Network Agency (BNetzA), Germany
• Mr. João Avelino Augusto MANUEL, CEO, Angola Telecom
• Dr. Toru OTSU, President and CEO, DOCOMO Communications Laboratories Europe GmbH
• Mrs Stéphane PALLEZ, Deputy CFO, Orange France Telecom
   

Session 4: The experience of industry
Moderator: Vasco Trigo

This session considers the impact of the financial crisis on promising wireless technologies and other ICTs with the potential to bridge the digital divide. Does the financial crisis threaten to derail investment in advanced NGN? Will it delay the roll-out of WiMAX and LTE? How can mobile operators adapt their business models? Should incentives be introduced to help operators upgrade their networks? And will high-value satellite projects with complex financing arrangements be affected? This Session listens to leading industry players in considering the outlook for different technologies.
 

• Mr. Yves BLANC, Director Strategic Planning and institutional Relations, Eutelsat
• Mr. Emmanuel DARMOIS, Vice President of Corporate Standards, Alcatel-Lucent
• Mr. John E. DAVIES, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, General Manager, World Ahead, Intel Corporation
• Mr. Anoop GUPTA, Corporate Vice President (Technology Strategy and Policy), Microsoft
• Prof. Ilkka LAKANIEMI, Head of Global Political Dialogue and Initiatives, Nokia Siemens Networks
• Mr. Ulf PEHRSSON, Vice President, Government and Industry Relations, Ericsson
• Dr. Plamen VATCHKOV, Chairman, State Agency for Information Technology and Communications, Bulgaria