CONTENTS:	February 2007
• PTC Executive Director Search Announcement • Save these dates for PTC’08! • PTC President David Lassner Reflects on PTC'07 • PTC Officers Elected • PTC’07 Online Evaluation Survey • PTC’07 by the Numbers • PTC Mid-Year Seminar in Tahiti, September 2007 • 2006 Research Prize Winner at PTC'07 • Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) Announced Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year at PTC’07	• Focus on Issues:  • Student Observers from Singapore at PTC’07 • A Review of PTC‘07 • Contribute to the Member's Bulletin • Members’ Hot Box • Welcome! New PTC Members • Industry Events • Industry Publications • Contacting Us

PTC Executive Director Search Announcement

At the 17 January 2007 meeting of the Board of Governors, it was decided to initiate a search for the Executive Director position.  Proposals for the position are due 28 February, 2007.  For details, please see the full announcement on the PTC website at www.ptc.org/resources/ed_position.html

		30th Annual Pacific Telecommunications Conference and Exhibition 13-16 January 2008 Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

PTC President David Lassner Reflects on PTC'07

The end of an annual PTC conference provides us an opportunity to reflect on our successes and opportunities.  By all accounts our conference was absolutely outstanding.  Under Conference Chair Ken Zita, we successfully delivered on the ambitious "Beyond Telecom" theme by focusing on a future very different than our past.  Among the timeliest of our content was some of the first public conversation by principals about the impact of the December 26, 2006 earthquake on telecommunications in the region.

And alongside the formal conference, PTC was once again the focal point to bring together everyone involved in the Asia-Pacific telecoms marketplace.  The fact that only a fraction of the people in Honolulu because of PTC actually attend PTC represents both a challenge and an opportunity.

The challenge arises as we consider the extent to which we should adapt our conference content to try to attract more of these "networkers" into attending sessions.  Yet the reality is that they are not avoiding sessions because they don't like the content; they are simply too busy doing their jobs.  We are continually told that the meetings held around PTC are among the most productive, if not THE most productive, of the year.  That's why thousands of people come to Honolulu around PTC every year.

Our opportunity is to find ways to create value for all of us out of this unique PTC synergy -- for the networkers, for conference attendees and for PTC.  There are a number of ideas developed by our volunteer leadership and staff.

New PTC'er Shrihari Pandit was instrumental in helping us deploy online meeting arrangement software.  While this was a late addition for PTC'07, making this service available earlier for PTC'08 would let PTC "lubricate" the ability of networkers to learn who will be available and set up meetings -- much as online social networking is being adopted in many other communities around the world.

If we can find ways to move more of the meetings from suites in hallways into areas frequented by conference attendees we will be able to create even more value for informal interaction throughout the diverse communities of interest that help make PTC unique.  The restructuring of Planet PTC, the exhibit floor and the Mid-Pacific Marketplace this year, at the suggestion of past Advisory Council Chair Jay Gillette, was our first move in this direction.  We have much we can do to improve.

The presence of high-level CEOs and others who come to PTC to meet with one another provides us with an opportunity to engage them in sessions that would otherwise be unavailable to our attendees.  Many of these individuals would not come to PTC simply to speak, but are willing to fit the speaking opportunities into their busy meeting schedules.

We have a great conference and a great community around it.  But most exciting is the immense potential we have to do even better together.

I am humbled at the opportunity to serve as your President and Board Chair.  Please don't hesitate to let us know how PTC can serve you better.

David Lassner
President and Board of Governors Chair

PTC Officers Elected

The Board of Governors elected its officers for 2007 at the 13 January meeting in Honolulu.  These officers also comprise the executive committee of the Board.

The Advisory Council elected its Chair and Vice-chairs at the 14 January meeting in Honolulu:

The complete list of members of the Board of Governors and Advisory Council is on the PTC website at http://www.ptc.org/aboutus/leadership.html

PTC’07 Online Evaluation Survey

Your comments about PTC’07 are very much appreciated.  We invite you to fill out the online conference evaluation via the button below. As always, your suggestions for improvement are welcome as we continue to strive to make this one of the best events of the year.

PTC’07 by the Numbers

PTC Mid-Year Seminar in Tahiti, September 2007

PTC is pleased to announce that 2007 will mark the return of the PTC Mid-Year event.  Principally sponsored by OPT French Polynesia, our event in Papeete, Tahiti will continue the long-standing PTC tradition of staging a seminar and networking event in a member country.  We are particularly heartened to be able to re-establish our PTC Mid-Year program in the heart of the Pacific this year and to be able to work with the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) again.  In many ways this event represents the duality of PTC:  we can bring an educational event to an underserved region while creating improved networking opportunities for our members.  Many thanks are due to Advisory Council member Maui Sanford for his leadership on this event.   More details coming soon including the September dates!

2006 Research Prize Winner at PTC'07

The 2006 PTC Research Essay prize was awarded to Morris Ivan Bodnar, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada. The award was presented at the PTC'07 conference by Advisory Council members Heather Hudson, chair of the 2006 research committee, and Tom Cooper.  Morris presented his paper entitled “Marketing Strategies to Successfully Sell Voice Over Internet Protocol to Mainstream Canadian Markets” during the Directions in VoIP (II) session at PTC’07.

Here is what Morris had to say about the experience of winning the award and presenting at the conference:

"I would like to thank the Pacific Telecommunications Council for their recognition and the opportunity to present at the 2007 conference. I found the conference to be an enlightening experience. The cast of speakers was as diverse as the nations they represented along with the technologies and issues covered. I’m one of those who believes much of the value in attending a conference is found through the networking opportunities between presentations and on the floor of the trade show. In this respect the PTC did not disappoint. I made several good contacts and gleaned much information on the issues affecting telecommunications throughout the Pacific Hemisphere and beyond. On a more personal note, I only wish I could have attended last year’s PTC conference during the research phase of my paper. Many hours of work could have been saved. I highly recommend the PTC conference as a very effective venue to learn how the latest advances and innovations in telecommunications are impacting industry today and in the years to come.  The location, first class facilities, and extra special attention to the needs of conference attendees only served to enhance my overall experience. " - Morris Bodnar

Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) Announced Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year at PTC’07

The Intelligent Community Forum announced its list of the Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year, each a model for economic development in the 21st Century, at PTC'07 in Honolulu. The Top Seven announcement is the second stage of ICF's annual Intelligent Community awards cycle. Gaining a place among the Top Seven is a major achievement as well as a step toward even greater recognition for communities working to create prosperity and social inclusion in what ICF terms "the broadband economy."

The Top Seven are:

• Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom.
• Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea.
• Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.
• Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario-Quebec, Canada.
• Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, United Kingdom.
• Tallinn, Estonia.
• Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

A complete report is available on the PTC’07 news website at http://www.ptc07news.org

Focus on Issues: 

Moving on “Beyond Telecom”
Mark Hukill, Member – PTC Advisory Council

The theme for PTC’07 ‘Beyond Telecom’ was not just a catchy phrase for promotional purposes.  True to PTC’s mission as an open forum for the exchange of information in the telecommunications and ICT domains in the Pacific hemisphere, the theme encapsulated a rich blend of concepts, strategies and opportunities. 

This year’s speakers and participants engaged in discussions that moved us beyond the usual chatter of what is the next set of systems and services provided by carriers and operators.  While carriers and operators continue to strategize over service offerings on their networks that provide ‘solutions’, customers and consumers are beginning to show that the use of IP networks allow them to engage in the activities they want using the means they prefer.  If what starts on IP, stays on IP, as one speaker said, the dynamics of networks change toward increasing personalization, whether individuals or enterprises.  Not a surprise then to hear many telcos stating that they need to become consumer-driven organizations.

What we are beginning to witness is the very challenging notion that 
the convergence of systems and services on IP may be spawning a divergence away from network provider’s services toward network activities enabled to capture what users want to do and how they want to do it.

more...

Student Observers from Singapore at PTC’07

Over the past few months leading to PTC’07 and at the conference itself, PTC hosted two visiting student observers from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore.  They were able to get a first hand look at the process of preparing for an international conference as well as get a behind-the-scenes view of the actual operation of the conference and PTC as an organization.

Here is what they had to say on their experience at PTC’07:

It was real eye-opener to see how a very small secretariat staff is able to stage such a large and complex event.  The teamwork of these dedicated people was impressive.  Some of the things we learnt from our observations were the critical need to pay attention to all the detail no matter how minor it seemed and to make sure items did not slip between the cracks of responsibilities from person to person.  The need to plan operational logistics on a day-to-day, hour-to-hour and in some cases minute-by-minute basis leading to each conference event, session and meeting was paramount.  All the staff had detailed operational plans and worked off the same page to ensure a smooth progression from set-up to tear-down.  Everyone was so friendly and pleasant even in the face of some inevitable challenges and program changes. This showed us how to be calm and professional even in a difficult situation.

With so much going on each hour of the day at the conference often from well before 6am to well past midnight, just keeping pace, setting priorities and keeping it all in perspective were invaluable lessons.  And to mix it all with the need to maintain protocol for very senior participants and organize the official meetings of the Council along side the extensive conference program itself, surrounding meetings and workshops, exhibits, receptions, meal events, press, A/V and other services gave us a unique view of the diversity of tasks and personalities that needed constant accommodation.  We also were able to see how the relationship between PTC and the hotel conference site worked and how the coordinated efforts of both ensured a good experience for all.  Best of all though, was the relaxed atmosphere, good humor and aloha of the PTC staff that made us feel welcome and a part of it all.  Hawaii is a very special place and PTC’07 was an amazing event.  Mahalo for the great experience!

-  Robyn Lee and Darren Ong

A Review of PTC'07

Trisha Tsui-Chuan Lin, Doctoral Candidate, Communication and Information Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa.

There is no other conference like PTC that brings a good mixture between leading industrial dialogues in business buzz and advanced technologies, as well as concerns in global ICT community in less developed countries.  PTC’07, “Beyond Telecom” explored cutting-edge technologies, such as NGN, 4G, and mobile TV, as well as business models and strategies. The conference also provided networking opportunities for enthusiastic participants from nearly 60 countries around the world.

At the PTC’07 conference, “consumer power” was regarded as one of the critical forces that is shaping the changing, convergent telecom landscape.

more…

Contribute to the Member's Bulletin

Your views matter.  We are looking for PTC members who would like to contribute to the Member’s Bulletin.  Do you have an opinion or view of interest on an issue important to the broader membership?  Your op/ed piece is welcome.   Please send your prepared text (max 1000 words) to mark@ptc.org for inclusion in the member’s bulletin.

PTC’07 Sponsor GCI Closes $29.5 Million Investment in Alaska DigiTel, LLC.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070104/sfth079.html?.v=64

Name: CTI Group
Joined PTC: December 08, 2006
Website: www.ctigroup.com
Company Overview: CTI Group is a global provider of online billing, self-care and applications software for the telecommunications market. (Both traditional and VoIP) Our products serve over 50% of Fortune 500 and Times 100 enterprises. With headquarters in the United States, CTI Group operations span the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. CTI Group’s solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly with our service provider and systems integrator customer systems.

Name: Global Caribbean Network
Joined PTC: December 13, 2006
Website: www.globalcaribbean.net

Name: iLink3, Inc.
Joined PTC: January 05, 2007
Website: www.ilink3.com
Company Overview: iLink3 is a cultural marketing company focused on providing Pakistani and South Asian communities with telecom products.  Strengths include: unique licensing agreements, latest technology, complete regulatory compliance, strategic partnerships, and strong distribution channels.  The current technology of iLink3 products and services offer convenience, simplicity, and savings.

Name: Jaina Systems Network, Inc.
Joined PTC: December 27, 2006
Website: www.jainasystems.com
Company Overview: Jaina Systems Network Inc. (hereinafter “Jaina”) is a communications service provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of the next generation. Jaina is a team of dedicated professionals constantly perusing to integrate technology into an individual’s life.
Jaina has been providing high quality telecom voice termination services for the past 4 years, and has experienced tremendous growth. Jaina has its POPs (Points Of Presence) in USA, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, and Denmark.

Name: ManSat LLC
Joined PTC: January 10, 2007
Website: www.mansat.com
Company Overview: ManSat represents a revolutionary partnership of aerospace, banking, financial services, strategic consulting, and international legal interests that have come together to offer unique business services to the world’s commercial space marketplace.

Building upon the Isle of Man’s preeminent position as a supplier of world-class banking and financial services, ManSat provides tailored business services to meet the needs of the international space industry, specifically focused on providing access to geostationary orbits and associated radio frequencies.   As such, ManSat is able to offer unique access to geostationary orbit.

Name: NoaNet
Joined PTC: January 15, 2007
Website: www.noanet.net
Company Overview: Northwest Open Access Network (NoaNet) is a not for profit wholesale telecommunications company formed by several Public Utility Districts (PUDs) in Washington to bring high-speed telecommunication services into underserved communities for utility uses and use by their constituents. NoaNet operates a fiber optic network throughout the state, connecting the local PUD communications networks to each other and to the major carrier connection points in Seattle, Spokane and Portland.

Name: Phonetime Inc.
Joined PTC: December 8, 2006
Website: www.phonetime.com
Company Overview: Established in 1994, Phonetime is a leading Canadian supplier of long distance telecommunication services publicly listed on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSX-V: PHD).  Licensed as a Class A, International Carrier by the CRTC, Phonetime operates one of the largest and most advanced private telecommunications networks in Canada with 36 points-of-presence across the country, effectively offering on-net service to approximately 85% of Canada’s population plus off-net to the rest of Canada. 

Name: Spacenet, Inc.
Joined PTC: December 8, 2006
Website: www.spacenet.com
Company Overview:  Spacenet Inc. is a leading provider of wireless and hybrid terrestrial broadband services for enterprise, government and home/small office customers in the United States and worldwide. Spacenet serves more than 100,000 network endpoints with its Connexstar™ commercial-grade WAN solutions for retail, energy, financial services, hospitality and government customers; and its StarBand® Internet access service, the pioneer in two-way direct-to-home broadband VSAT. Spacenet also provides specialized VSAT-based solutions for disaster recovery, business continuity, remote and mobile communications needs. Spacenet is based in McLean, Virginia, and operates its own end-to-end services infrastructure including network management, field services and earth station facilities.

Name: The Westin Building
Joined PTC: December 14, 2006
Website: www.westinbldg.com
Company Overview: The Westin Building is the premier telecommunications hub and carrier hotel for the Pacific Northwest.  The Westin Building offers your company a strategic business location by providing carrier neutral telecommunications facilities as well as prime downtown office space.

Name: Voex, Inc.
Joined PTC: December 22, 2006
Website: www.voex.com
Company Overview:  VOEX™ delivers the most sophisticated, comprehensive VoIP platform available. Our infrastructure selects the lowest cost - highest quality route for each call, while simultaneously delivering security (authentication), peering, transcoding, interoperability, VoIP protocol conversion, billing, and feature-rich functionality.

The VOEX™ platform delivers the complete VoIP solution - a converged voice and data network transporting calls anytime and to anywhere. The VOEX™ revolution is changing the way businesses and communities use their networks to interact via telephone with customers, employees, agents and peers by providing dynamic advanced services that promote better communications and save millions of dollars of capital expenditures.

Name: WebFonePartners.net
Joined PTC: January 11, 2007
Website:  www.WebFonePartners.net
Company Overview:  Webfonepartners (WFP) is a Global Telecommunications Carrier with a turnkey solution where you can offer Vonage® and Lingo® types of services to your distributors and agents or to the consumer end-user. We’ve spent the last three years developing the infrastructure to support this sales channel and believe we have the best overall package in the industry.

Webfonepartners.net, headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, is a facilities-based VoIP Reseller Enabler (VRE) that offers a full service, web-based, ASP designed to deliver "IP-in-a-Box" solutions for VoIP Resellers (VR) who want to become an independent IP telephone service provider to worldwide business and consumer markets.

Industry Events
Look for exclusive member discounts

MEMBERS ONLY: Log in here to view full descriptions of industry events and publications including exclusive member discount codes.

Voice Peering Forum Spring 2007
7-9 March 2007;  Miami Beach,  Florida, USA
PTC members receive complimentary conference passes by selecting "PTC Member" as their registration type in the online registration form.

C5 World Forum 2007
26-29 March 2007; Milan, Italy

Broadband World Forum Asia 2007
5–8 June 2007; Beijing, China

IEC Communications Forums Presented at NXTCOMM
18 June 2007; Chicago, Illinois, USA

Black Hat Briefings & Training USA 2007
29 July – 9 Aug 2007; Las Vagas, Nevada, USA
PTC members receive a $100 Briefings discount by inserting BH06USAASSOC into the box marked “Coupon Codes” on the web registration page, with the discounted price shown on the final invoice.

Click here for complete list of industry events

Industry Publications
Look for exclusive member discounts

MEMBERS ONLY: Log in here to view full descriptions of industry events and publications including exclusive member discount codes.

Connect-World
50% discount on the subscription fee for both printed and online magazines

Interfax China IT & Telecom Report
15% discount on all annual subscriptions, or complimentary four week trial subscription free of charge

Philippine IT-Enabled Services Industry Perspective (ITES)
10% discount on purchase price of publication
Why is the Philippines a cost-effective outsourcing location (pdf, 64kb)

Satnews - 2007 International Satellite Directory
25% discount

The TelecomDirectory.com
one (1) month of FREE SEO Services and three (3) FREE months listing on TheTelecomDirector

www.SubCableNews.com
Save €180 on a 14-month subscription

Business Monitor International Newsletter
25% telecommunications newsletter discount

Questex Media Group
20% special discount offer to PTC members

PTC’s online and email bulletin to members is distributed once a month. You should receive your next copy on, or soon after, 5 March 2007.

For more information on PTC, visit our website at www.ptc.org. Please send your questions or suggestions to Odessa Kawai at odessa@ptc.org.

If you or your company representatives wish to continue informing other PTC members of new or improved products, or of individual achievements via the Members’ Bulletin, please express your wishes to Odessa Kawai at odessa@ptc.org

Please note that for news and headlines, we will only publish items that include a link to the cited article. This service is for PTC members only.