CONTENTS:	November 2006
• PTC’07 “Beyond Telecom” • Industry Leaders at PTC ’07:  “Beyond Telecom” Jan 14-17, 2007, Honolulu • Official PTC’07 Aloha Shirt • ELECTION!  PTC Board of Governors and Advisory Council • PTC Focus on Issues: "Net Neutrality" • iHollywood Asia-Pacific at PTC’07 Register Now!	• PTC signs reciprocity agreement with the Hawaii TeleCommunications Association (HTCA). • Members’ Hot Box • Welcome! New PTC Members • Industry Events • Industry Publications • Contacting Us

PTC’07 “Beyond Telecom”

PTC’07 is the not-to-be-missed event of the year!  A thought provoking, high-quality conference awaits your participation.  Registration provides access to:

• People who matter making presentations that you must hear.
• A rich and full conference program in depth and quality.
• High-level contacts.
• Networking opportunities that will benefit you and your organization.
• Exhibits, meeting spaces and receptions to foster business connections.

REGISTER NOW!   Member discounts still apply if you register by 15 December.

Industry Leaders at PTC’07:  “Beyond Telecom” 14-17 Jan, 2007, Honolulu

Already confirmed are Chairmen, Presidents, CEOs, Key Government Officials, Executive Directors, Senior & Executive Vice Presidents, CIOs and CTOs from the following organizations who will be featured speakers and round table participants:

… and many more!

PTC’07 is where you must be to meet industry leaders from across the Asia Pacific region in a setting that is tailored for your networking opportunities and the open exchange of knowledge.

In addition to this extensive, timely and thought provoking conference program,  PTC is pleased to announce the following partnership programs to be held in conjunction with  PTC’07:

iHollywood Forum will produce an exciting new one-day Summit “iHollywood Asia Pacific at PTC’07” on Sunday, 14 January 2007, 0830-1545.  The Summit will focus on entertainment content, business strategies and opportunities for content deals between the US and Asia for mobile and telecoms industries.  (See full article below for details.) 

TeleGeography Research will present its highly popular workshop at PTC’07 on Sunday, 14 January 2007, 1330-1530.  Free for PTC registrants, TeleGeography’s senior research team will present its latest findings on global voice and data traffic growth, network supply and demand, and market pricing trends.  Specific areas of focus will include:

• Voice and Video Over IP
• Backbone Supply and Demand: Coming into Balance?
• Bandwidth & IP Service Pricing Trends: Increases Ahead?

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from people whose depth of expertise is unsurpassed.

Birds of a Feather:  Take advantage of a unique opportunity to discuss a topic of interest with others during PTC’07.  These discussions are open table forums among conference participants with similar interests. 

Birds of a Feather tables will be designated on:

Sunday  14 January 1200-1330
Monday 15 January 1230-1330 
Tuesday 16 January 1230-1330

Space is limited, so members get first opportunity to propose a topic.  Gather your flock around a “Birds of a Feather” table by contacting mark@ptc.org. 

Register now for PTC’07.  Remember, you only have until 15 December to get the discount rate.   Don’t delay.  Take advantage of the discounts your membership provides for all PTC related activities.

Valuable Sponsorship and Advertising opportunities that showcase your organization at the conference are still available.

The Corporate Partners program can vault your presence at PTC to the highest level.

Exhibit space in the Mid-Pacific Marketplace is going fast.  Reserve your exhibit and meeting space now for the best exposure and promotion of your organization.

Be sure to book your rooms as soon as possible directly at the Hilton Hawaiian Village® Beach Resort & Spa. Special rates apply for conference registrants.

Many thanks to the PTC’07 Sponsors:

Official PTC’07 Aloha Shirt

Purchase a PTC’07 Aloha Shirt by November 21, 2006

The PTC’07 Aloha Shirt provides you comfort in a relaxed fit, button front shirt. The collar-stand gives it a more sophisticated look. Additional details include double-stitched front and back yoke. You'll also find a matching chest pocket and bar tacked side vents. Made in Hawaii with Aloha. 

Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, XLarge, XXL Size Chart
Price: US $50.00

Care for Garment: Machine wash cold. Line dry. Cool iron if needed.

Indicate your order on the PTC’07 Registration form.

ELECTION:  PTC Board of Governors and Advisory Council

Thanks to all PTC members who voted in this year’s election for the Board of Governors and Advisory Council.  The deadline to submit completed ballots was 6 November. Ballots are now being verified and tallied by our external auditors.  Results will be announced 15 November or soon thereafter in a separate message to all members from the Succession Planning Committee (SPC).  Subsequently, results will be posted on the PTC website and again in the December Members' Bulletin.

PTC Focus on Issues:  “Net Neutrality”

“Network flexibility in pricing, service provisioning and quality of service options can make economic sense…However, deliberate blocking or degrading traffic does not".  - Rob Frieden, Professor of Telecommunications, Pennsylvania State University and PTC’07 panelist.

What in the world is going on?  Will the “net neutrality” debate bring broadband access to a cross-roads? by: Mark Hukill, Member – PTC Advisory Council

PTC’07 will be addressing one of the most timely and intensely debated issues from a broader Asia-Pacific perspective.  A panel session on Monday January 15 will specifically focus on “An Intelligent Look at Net Neutrality”. 

A hallmark of PTC over the years is the manner in which debates like this can be aired in an informal, respectful, high-level and multi-perspective format.

So what does the current “net neutrality” (internet common carriage) debate in the US imply for the Asia-Pacific region?  Are the particular circumstances in provision of Internet service unique in the US or will what happens in the US affect other countries?  In view of how this plays out and what type of access provisions emerge, how will broadband deployment be further affected and what will market access become for the multitude of service providers that want to take advantage of “neutral” broadband common carriage? Already in Australia , the Competition and Consumer Commission is concerned as well.  Some Australian ISPs already practice a form of service differentiation, in effect lowering priority or shaping traffic generated from peer-to-peer file sharing services.

In terms of broadband access itself, what strategies are being employed in the Asia-Pacific region that enhance consumer access to broadband connectivity?  Some countries are pursuing direct policies that build broadband infrastructure access to consumers at reasonable costs while other countries are relying on private enterprise to provide service.   Is broadband access a necessity?  Who or what is being left behind when broadband access is not provided?  Is this critical infrastructure? Should governments be taking the lead in providing this?

In the US, the broadband deployment arena has been convoluted by the recent amalgamation of telecom and cable enterprises that have not for the most part delivered broadband access as promised.  With federal policy focused mainly on ownership and market access regulation, the larger picture of what is supposed to be built and actually gets built under the obligations of these companies in exchange for the relaxation of ownership and service restrictions has been blurred.  The States have not been consistent in their approach to regulation that entails companies whose interests are multi-state, national and international.  Municipalities frustrated with both the federal and state approaches are beginning to take matters into their own hands.  Municipal governments are being given the go ahead by citizens through a bond issue to provide the means for building a broadband infrastructure.  In response, companies that are supposed to build the infrastructure but haven’t are pretending to claim this is unfair competition.

What cannot be ignored is that most in the US still can only get about 1Mbs access for $45/mo. In many other countries in Asia and Europe, 100Mbs is already available to consumers at this price level. With reports that the US is now only 16th in the world in terms of broadband access, will enterprise and innovation be stymied?  Will that in turn result in a competitive advantage for countries with direct links between government and business involvement? 

What lessons are there from the manner in which policy, government and business operate in Asia that helps them lead the way in broadband access?   Can the US learn from this or is the competitive arena already too skewed?  On the flip side, does the deployment of broadband by government/business linked efforts in Asia provide the infrastructure but at the cost of overly restricting content to protect those efforts?

So it seems to boil down to a situation where the US has massive content and minimal broadband infrastructure while other countries have made efforts to deploy large scale broadband infrastructure but in many cases with little content availability. 

Where will all this shake-out?  Many of the converged systems and services envisioned for IP are going to find that broadband access and the manner in which that access is provided will be key to success.

In this environment, can you really afford not to be at PTC’07?

The views expressed are soley those of the author and do not necessarily reflect PTC as an organization. Comments? Send to: mark@ptc.org

iHollywood Asia-Pacific at PTC’07 Register Now!

Organized by iHollywood Forum, in partnership with PTC

PTC and iHollywood Forum are pleased to announce the signing of an agreement that will bring a highly valued one-day Summit to PTC’07. 

The Summit will be held on Sunday January 14, 2007 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village® Beach Resort & Spa beginning at 0830 and concluding at 1545 just prior to the PTC’07 Opening Plenary Session.   Come meet key stakeholders and arm yourself with the inside knowledge critical to success in ever converging arenas of content and networks by attending the Summit just prior to PTC’07.

iHollywood Forum will bring an outstanding line-up of speakers focused around the exciting and fast growing areas of telecommunications and internet based entertainment systems and services markets.  The Summit will focus on entertainment content, business strategies and opportunities for content deals between the US and Asia for mobile and telecoms industries.  It will include discussions relating to the networking of content to and from Asia at all levels from production processes to distribution of complete products. There will also be discussion on IPTV and mobile TV. Sessions planned include:

The Asia/Hollywood Connection
Making Money from Premium Mobile Content
Building a Next-Gen Telecom Infrastructure
Asia-Pacific Venture Forum
Anatomy of the Asian Triple Play
IPTV Content in Asia

PTC members registered for the PTC’07 conference can take advantage of a 15% discount off the registration fee for the Summit.  Click here to register!

PTC signs reciprocity agreement with the Hawaii TeleCommunications Association (HTCA).

PTC and HTCA have agreed to cooperate in a number of areas that will benefit both organizations including expanding Hawaii-based organizational and professional participation in the activities of each.

The agreement was announced 24 October 2006 during the HTCA annual conference in Honolulu.  HTCA Chairman, Pat Bustamante, said at the conference “ this is an important agreement for our organization that forms a positive relationship and benefits for our members.”

HTCA President, Dolly Samson, pointed out that PTC and HTCA are natural partners bringing together the best in both Hawaii and Pacific wide interests in broader telecommunications and ICT domains.

The agreement will promote better interaction among members of both organizations. Benefits of the reciprocity agreement include favorable discounts to members of each organization to the other’s events along with a number of trade-outs on promotions.

Members’ Hot Box

Long-time PTC member IDATE has recently published its annual round-up entitled DigiWorld2006: The digital world’s challenges. 

Published with the support of the IDATE Foundation, this well-written, comprehensive and succinct volume provides insight into trends in the ICT arena by analyzing developments related to markets and players, access, business equipment and services as well as consumer services and content.  The book also provides a chronicle by month of a number of issues revolving around various technology deployments and regulation.  Finally the book rounds out with country profiles including China, Japan and the United States.

For more information contact info@idate.org or visit their website at www.idate.org.

Welcome! New PTC Members

Name: Asia Broadcast Satellite
Joined PTC: October 6, 2006
Company Overview:  Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) was established to meet the growing demands of broadcast and telecommunications operators in the Indian Ocean Region. In September 2006, ABS founders Mr. Thomas Choi and Mr. Gregg Daffner with major shareholder Citigroup Venture Capital International (CVCI), and the financial backing of Asia Debt Management (ADM) successfully acquired the Lockheed Martin Intersputnik (LMI) satellite operator from Lockheed Martin. Since the acquisition, the LMI company has been renamed Asia Broadcast Satellite Limited (ABS) and the LMI-1 satellite has been renamed ABS-1.  ABS is no longer affiliated with Lockheed Martin

Name: Arent Fox PLLC
Joined PTC: October 10, 2006
Website: www.arentfox.com

Name: Aon Space, Inc.
Joined PTC: October 13, 2006
Company Overview: Aon has built broad global resources to create innovative solutions in insurance and risk management, human capital consulting, and insurance underwriting to help clients. Our name is Gaelic for "oneness." We live by our name by bringing together top professionals who work across hundreds of disciplines in a seamless, integrated fashion designed to serve our clients in the most custom-tailored manner possible, virtually anywhere in the world. This focus and dedication has made us a world leader within our industry.
Website: www.aon.com

Name: Personeta, Inc.
Joined PTC: October 13, 2006
Company Overview: Personeta, is a leading provider of Service Delivery Platforms (SDP) and Field Proven IMS-ready applications that enable carriers to improve profitability with value-added voice, data and video services. Personeta solutions help service providers maximize their existing capital investments in Intelligent Network equipment and services, while facilitating a smooth migration to IP-based networks. Personeta's TappS NSC speeds carriers’ time-to-market and introduction of new service offerings. It also delivers the same services over any combination of network technologies - fixed, mobile, VoIP and broadband.
Website: personeta.com

Name: Broadband Network Holding Co., Ltd.
Joined PTC: October 16, 2006

Name: Gryphone Telecom Consultants
Joined PTC: October 24, 2006
Company Overview:  Gryphone Telecom Consultants represents major providers of voice, data, teleconferencing products.  With over 70 years of combined industry experience, our knowledgeable sales and service staff is positioned to assist the small to medium sized business, enterprise customer or household in finding the long-term solutions to an array of telecommunications products and services.
Website: www.gryphonetel.com

Name: Global Mobile Tech Philippines, Inc.
Joined PTC: October 25, 2006
Company Overview: Global Mobile Tech is a start-up technology development company whose patented technologies will change the way the cellular unit and computer are used globally. Headquartered in Singapore, the company has formed a development unit in the Philippines headed by experienced and successful start up executive Jeff Harrison and successful inventor and technologist Don Stern. Global will introduce a series of new-patented technologies that will be implemented by our Philippine engineering group for global utilization. It is anticipated that the technologies will set new international standards.
Website: www.glmtech.com

Name: Mr. Britt Bambic
Joined PTC: November 03, 2006
Individual Resume: www.BrittBambic.com

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.

TeleComm India 2006
12-14 November 2006; Mumbai, India

Capacity Europe 2006
13-14 November 2006; Amsterdam, The Netherlands
PTC members receive a 15% discount on conference registration

POF World East 2006
15-16 November 2006; Providence, Rhode Island, USA
PTC members receive a 15% discount on registration (discount code is ptc412, all lower cases)

Next-Gen USA 2006
29-30 November 2006; Denver, Colorado, USA

Satcon Expo
29-30 November 2006; New York, New York, USA

TeleManagement World Americas
04-07 December 2006; Dallas, Texas, USA

3G World Congress & Mobility Marketplace 2006
04-07 December 2006; Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong SAR, China
PTC's members receive an additional 15% discount. (discount code is AH460C-PTC when registering online)

ITU Telecom World 2006
04-08 December 2006; Hong Kong SAR, China

ChinaTel Summit & VC Forum 2007
13-14 January 2007; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
PTC members receive a 15% discount on registration (discount code is ptc412, all lower cases)

iHollywood Asia Pacific at PTC'07
14 January 2007, Honolulu, HI, USA
PTC members registered for the PTC’07 conference can take advantage of a 15% discount off the registration fee for the Summit.

Top Seven Intelligent Community Forum announce in PTC’07
14-17 January 2007; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

WCA 2007 Symposium, January 16-19 in San Jose, CA
PTC members qualify for the WCA member discounted early bird rate of $545 for the full conference—up to a $450 savings—by entering the code wca07 in the field marked "Promotional Code".  To attend just the exhibits for free enter the code wca01. 

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

Federal Buyers Guide, Inc. (FBG)
Receive free printed issues of Federal Buyers Guide, Department of Defense Buyers Guide, and Homeland Security Buyers Guide for members in the USA and Canada

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

Contacting Us

PTC’s online and email bulletin to members is distributed once a month. You should receive your next copy on, or soon after, 8 December 2006

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.