ITU Telecom World 2009 In Review 2009 Geneva 5-9 October * Dr Homoud Al-Kussayer, Vice-President Regulatory Affairs, STC, Saudi Arabia * Mr Matthew Kirk, Group External Affairs Director, Vodafone Group Services Ltd, United Kingdom * Mr Carlos Lopez Blanco, International Office Director, Telefonica SA, Spain * Mr Adolfo Hernandez, President EMEA, Alcatel-Lucent, France CEO.2 : ADAPTING TO CIRCUMSTANCES Disruptive changes come from economic, social and technological sources, and by definition are difficult to predict. Simultaneously, we have customers adopting fixed broadband and abandoning fixed line subscriptions. Some innovations disappear, while others become ubiquitous. Manufacturers are increasingly relying on revenues from operators for services rather than equip-ment. For operators, voice revenues are diminishing in importance as they rely more on value-added services. Key questions: –– How did companies respond to the global financial crisis, given that it was not foreseen? –– How do companies plan ahead given the very rapid pace of technological change? –– How do you respond when customers quickly flock to something or reject something else? –– How do you move your company into a new business, such as IPTV? Summary of moderator’s statement The impact of the economic downturn on the telecommunications sector was relatively minimal. More important is that there have been significant changes ‘of the wind’, sometimes to our benefit, sometimes to out detriment. Every or-ganization’s ability to adapt, react, respond and ultimately be successful in this rapidly changing environment has been questioned. 100 Forum Summary Report