Dear PTC Members,
The telecom world has been turned on its head by the
Internet. No sector has been untouched by packet technologies,
IP applications and IP-oriented business models. Alternative
access and services technologies have disrupted conventional
assumptions about the scope and timing of convergence,
consumer market demand and operational risk. Video
markets are bracing for the anticipated arrival of
IPTV, broadcast over 3G and the DSL response to cable.
Mobile is morphing from traditional cellular to a universe
of portable Internet, entertainment and location-based
advertising services.
It is from this starting point that we have selected
a hard-hitting theme for the 2006 annual conference: Shift
Happens, Transition to IP. As former FCC chairman
William Kennard highlighted in his keynote speech last
year, the industry shift underway is dramatic, far
ranging and fast.
As conference chairman of PTC’06, I am pleased
to assure you that next year’s program is being
designed to solicit and promote the best and most challenging
ideas influencing the industry-wide transition to IP.
We have just issued the Call for Participation.
It invites the PTC Membership—and the extended
PTC community of telecom, media and IP industry leaders
worldwide—to offer their cleverest insights into
the trends and market developments that will shape
investment, regulatory reform and business opportunities
during this new period.
PTC is the premier networking event for telecoms in
the Pacific Hemisphere. An open secret is that PTC
networking becomes more productive—and more fun—when
you put your expertise on the line and speak your mind.
By participating in the program, you can count yourself
among the notables who make PTC the consummate networking
platform and carrier and media service-provider marketplace.
Each year, participants leave our annual conference
astonished to discover such a substantive program and
realize they can make as many contacts in the halls
of the conference as in hospitality suites and customer
one-on-ones.
A number of prominent speakers have already committed
their time. On the Sunday afternoon prior to the opening
reception, for example, you can look forward to workshops
by leading analysts from both Telegeography and Pulver.com.
PTC’06 will also feature a VoIP CEO roundtable,
an expanded exhibit and product demonstration area,
and a greater number of sponsored sessions. More than
1000 participants from 50 countries are expected.
I encourage you to submit a concise but considered
proposal to speak on a panel or featured session. Special
consideration will be given to proposals that resonate
with the conference theme. Presentations should highlight
the challenges and shifting priorities of end-users,
service providers, vendors and regulators addressing
the transition to IP; case studies that examine the
practical implementation of IP technologies and convergence
services; and the impact of IP on social and market
trends. Give some thought to how your approach will
impress our blind reviewers. Visit www.ptc06.org for
details on how to submit a proposal. The deadline
is 1 July 2005.
The agenda for PTC’06 is sure to be strong,
and a reflection of the renewed dynamism capturing
the industry worldwide. Now is the time to plan your
participation!
Mahalo,
Ken Zita
Vice President, Board of Governors and
PTC’06 Conference Chair
Executive Director's Corner: "Are
We All Insane?"
Albert Einstein once defined insanity as: doing
the same thing over and over again and expecting
different results.
In the April issue of the Members’ Bulletin
we tried two new things. Things we’ve never done
before. They were both small things. One got a big
reaction and the other a small reaction. However, they
both changed the way we do things at PTC, and we got
different results from “Think[ing] Different,” as
Apple Computer suggests.
The big reaction was the reader response to the Featured
Member Report: The Aceh Telecom Relief Project.
This report was filed by Anne LeBoutillier of PTC
member company T Soja & Associates, Inc. The
description of the multi-donor effort to restore
and enhance telecommunications services to the tsunami-affected
area struck a chord with readers. I believe it resonated
because at the heart of PTC’s mission and vision
is our members’ desire to make a difference
in the world through the application of telecommunications
technologies and ICT.
The PTC Secretariat would like your help with uncovering
other member stories that demonstrate how telecom and
ICT are making a difference in the world. Send your
stories to Kim Hunter at kim@ptc.org.
The small reaction (so far) has come from our invitation
to organizational members to add an unlimited number
of company employees to our distribution list for member
information and benefits. So far we’ve only heard
from 8 companies. We’d like to hear from all
of you. Don’t hide PTC benefits from those on
your staff that can use them to grow your business,
or enhance the work of your organization. Send your
list of names and full contact information to Lorie
Sugiki, Conference and Membership Assistant at lorie@ptc.org.
So…don’t be insane…change the way
you use your membership in PTC. It will make a difference—and
you will make a difference.
Stephen G. Tom
Executive Director
Venue confirmed for 2005 PTC Mid-Year
Seminar
The 2005 PTC Mid-Year Seminar will be held in the
Sheraton Delfina Hotel in Santa Monica, California.
The two-day seminar will be held on 21-22 September
2005.
Aptly themed “Global Telecommunications in Times
of Crises and Turmoil”, the seminar topics will
focus on:
- Disaster mitigation planning
- Natural disaster recovery systems and programs
- Telecom system reliability and recovery planning
- Challenges and opportunities unique to developing
nations
- The demand for broadband capacity in government,
military, humanitarian relief environments
- Telecom applications for homeland security
- Regulatory impediments to providing disaster relief
The registration form is now available for download
from our website at www.my2005.org.
For more information concerning speaking opportunities
or sponsorship, please contact Sharon Nakama at Tel:
+1.808.941.3789 x110 or Email: snakama@ptc.org.
PTC’06 Call for Participation
Now Available
15-18 January 2006
Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa
Honolulu, Hawaii USA
PTC invites interested participants to propose presentations
or papers according to four broad themes:
- Services and business operations
- Technology
- Policy and regulation
- Civil Society
Additionally, the high-level sessions for which PTC
is renowned in areas such as carrier services, satellite,
submarine cable and Asia-Pacific country studies are
warmly encouraged.
We invite you to visit the PTC’06 website at www.ptc06.org for
the following additional information:
- Examples of additional topics for which PTC’06
invites panel presentations, workshops, tutorials,
special interest groups and sponsored sessions.
- How to submit a proposal.
Deadline for submission of proposals is 1
July 2005.
If you have further queries, please contact Claudine
Naruse at claudine@ptc.org or
Tel: +1.808.941.3789 ext. 124.
PTC’06 Registration Opens
Invest in Your Future…Build Your
Relationships…Learn from the Experts
Join the crowd of top executives, senior industry
experts, academics, government officials and press
in exploring the current and future impact of IP! See,
listen, meet and exchange views with those who are
leading the way towards the future of ICT and experience
firsthand the benefits of networking at PTC.
Visit www.ptc06.org to
download the Conference Registration form. If you have
further inquiries, please contact Lorie Sugiki at Tel:
+1.808.941.3789 ext. 129 or Email: lorie@ptc.org.
Call for PTC’06 Exhibitors
It’s that time of year again—PTC’06
Exhibition has returned for you to showcase your latest
products and services! This time around, we have introduced
more new benefits for you to take your PTC’06
exhibit experience to the limit and strengthen your
global presence:
- A 20% discount on PTC’06 literature bin
rates
- An online exhibitor press announcement to promote
new products and services on the PTC’06 Exhibition
website
- A 40-word description promoting the products and
services at your PTC’06 booth(s) will be distributed
to PTC’06 attendees via email
Exhibitor registration is now open. Members
enjoy a substantial discount on exhibit rates—an
$840 savings! For detailed information on
exhibiting, download the Exhibitor Prospectus at www.ptc06.org or
contact Dolores Fung at Tel: +1.808.941.3789 ext.
120 or Email: dolores@ptc.org.
Literature Bins at PTC’06
A literature display area will be available for those
wishing to have their organization’s literature
and/or publications prominently displayed and easily
accessible to all conference attendees. The price for
a literature bin is $150 per bin/publication through
Friday, 30 December 2005. Registered attendees who
wish to purchase literature bins receive 20% off if
registered by Friday, 28 October 2005. $200 will be
charged if applications are received from Monday, 2
January 2006. For more information, contact Justin
Riel at Justin@ptc.org or
Tel: +1.808.941.3789 ext. 130.
PTC Hawaii Foundation Event:
World Telecommunication Day
Tuesday, 17 May 2005, from 4:45 p.m. to 7:00
p.m.
The Manoa Innovation Center
2800 Woodlawn Drive, Presentation Room #173
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822
The PTC Hawaii Foundation, the authorized PTC Chapter
in Hawaii, has organized an evening seminar to help
recognize World Telecommunication Day (WTD), which
marks the 140th anniversary of the founding of the
International Telecommunication Union, the senior United
Nations affiliated body.
The event is titled “Working Internationally
in Hawaii—The Many Roles of Telecommunication,” and
features three presentations exploring various aspects
of how telecommunications and ICT are critical to the
well being of differing aspects of commerce and education
in Hawaii.
Mark Hukill, long time supporter of PTC, will address
understanding the increasingly complex roles and relationships
between ICTs and the travel industry, locally and internationally.
PTC in the past has organized several conferences addressing
the interdependence between travel and telecommunication.
Staff members of PEACESAT will provide a multi-faceted
look at distance learning in the Pacific Islands, especially
from the Hawaii-International perspective. PEACESAT
is a long-standing, non-profit experiment and demonstration
program begun at the University of Hawaii in the mid-1960s,
using NASA’s ATS-1. Several public service satellites
later, the program continues to expand.
Managing an international business from Hawaii will
be the topic for Virendra Nath, Co-founder of HDEP
International. HDEP International was founded in 1983
and provides a variety of offshore data and text input
utilizing some 400 employees based in Manila and New
Delhi.
The seminar will be held at the Manoa Innovation Center
on Tuesday, 17 May 2005 from 4:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The Center is a technology-oriented branch of the State
of Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic
Development and Tourism, which seeks to assist start-up
enterprises.
There is no charge to attend the event. Refreshments will be provided.
Update on PTC India Foundation
Activities
PTC India Foundation (PTCIF) is a chapter of Pacific
Telecommunications Council, Hawaii, USA and works under
the spirit of PTC. Formed in 1994, its office is located
in New Delhi, India.
Over the years, the annual conference of PTC India
Foundation has become a major event of the sector and
is well attended by various stakeholders. The 11th
Annual Conference, themed “Next Generation Networks:
Services and Content,” was held on 11-12 March
2005 in New Delhi. On both days of the conference,
eminent industry leaders and experts made presentations
on 21st century telecommunication networks with related
converged technologies.
During the conference, The Telecom Regulatory Authority
of India (TRAI), India’s telecommunications regulator,
won PTCIF’s Telecom Award for the Year 2004 for
its contribution in promoting the telecom industry
and taking technology benefits to the masses through
its groundbreaking recommendations. The award will
be presented in June 2005 to the Chairman of TRAI at
a seminar on “India’s Current Regulatory
Landscape.”
Dr. Sugata Mitra, Chief Scientist with the National
Institute of Information Technology (NIIT) and PTCIF
speaker, won the 2004 Dewang Mehta Award for Innovation
in Information Technology. The award, instituted by
the Department of IT, Government of India, honors individuals
from technology related sectors for work that will
potentially impact national development and garner
world attention.
In a 1999 experiment conducted by Dr. Mitra, a computer
connected to the Internet was embedded in a slum wall
and left for unsupervised use by children. The findings
of the experiment suggested that groups of children
could learn to use computers and the Internet on their
own, irrespective of who or where they were. Mr. Mitra
and his team subsequently verified this discovery through
intensive testing in a large-scale experiment across
India and Cambodia. In 2001, the International Finance
Corporation (an affiliate of the World Bank) formed
a joint venture with NIIT to scale the research project
to over 30 locations across India.
Dr. Mitra’s Minimally Invasive Education Technology
(popularly knows as the Hole-in-the-Wall experiment)
is a result of over 15 years of intensive testing and
research and is based on the premise of incidental
learning with minimum human guidance. Dr. Mitra made
a presentation on this subject during PTCIF’s
last annual conference.
N.K. Chhibber
Secretary General
PTC India Foundation
Membership Update
New Members since 8 April 2005
Telecom Industry Events
**Look out for exclusive
PTC Member Discounts!**
Wireless & Mobile WorldExpo, 18-19 May
2005, National Trade Centre at Exhibition Place,
Toronto, Canada
The 2005 Wireless & Mobile WorldExpo is a leading global event for the
wireless and mobile industry, attracting key decision-makers who want to learn
about and purchase the latest products and solutions. Together, the conference
and exhibition facilitates networking for over 2000 leading industry delegates
and is an exceptional platform for generating new business and exchanging ideas. Register
now using promotion code: PTCC to get complimentary 1-session conference passes
(which includes full access to the expo floor) and access to all keynote sessions.
This code also gives you 30% off all Day passes. For details, call +1.416.292.0038
ext. 821 or visit http://wirelessandmobile.wowgao.com.
4th World Asia Submarine Communications 2005
Summit, 30-31 May 2005, Intercontinental Pudong Shanghai,
People’s Republic of China
Now in its 4th year, Submarine Communications world Asia 2005 Summit is a C-level
strategic conference with an information-packed agenda incorporating keynote
and industry speeches, case studies with specific focus on the Asia-Pacific
region and interactive panel discussions. Delivering this year’s Industry
Address will be Xiaoji Xu, General Manager of Network Management Department
of CNC International. The region’s leading players, including Hutchison
Global Communications, VNSL, and PT Telkom, who are among our distinguished
panel of speakers, will join him. They will share and provide vital information
and insight into the practicalities of provision, development and management
of submarine network services. For more information, visit www.ibc-asia.com/subcom.htm or
contact Denise Ho at Tel: +65 6835 5105 or Email: denise.ho@ibcasia.com.sg.
Broadband World Forum Asia, 30 May - 2 June
2005, Yokohama, Japan
Officially sponsored by NTT, the World Forum will bring together executives
within carrier and supplier companies throughout Asia, Europe, and North America.
Attendees will have the unique opportunity to learn the business models, deployment
strategies, and rollout practices that have proven successful in making mass-market
broadband in Japan a reality. Please visit http://www.iec.org/events/2005/bbwf_asia2/ for
more information.
ChinaTel Forum @ SUPERCOMM, 6 June 2005, Chicago,
Illinois, USA
Information Gatekeepers Inc. (IGI), in cooperation with the Telecommunications
Industry Association (TIA), will present ChinaTel Forum @ SUPERCOMM to address
telecom market opportunities in China. Major Chinese telecom operators, equipment
manufacturers and executives from international telecom companies are expected
to address relevant topics. For more information, visit www.chinatel.us or
contact Dr. Hui Pan, Conference Chairman at IGI, at Tel: +1.617.782.5033 or
Email: hpan@igigroup.com.
e-Gov Forum & Expo, 9-10 June 2005, Ottawa,
Canada
The 2005 e-Gov Forum & Expo is one of the most anticipated events for IT
professionals from all levels of government in Canada, including federal and
MASH sectors. Technologies featured include Information Management, Privacy,
Security, G2C Electronic Service Delivery, Benchmarking and many others. Register
now using code: “PTCP” for free Expo passes and discounts on conference
passes. For details, visit http://e-gov.wowgao.com,
or call +1.416.292.0038 ext. 821 or email us at WorldExpos@wowgao.com.
ICF 2005: “Building the Broadband Economy”,
13-14 June 2005, New York City, USA
Are you ready to compete in the broadband economy? Find out 13-14 June 2005
in New York City. The “Building the Broadband Economy” conference
explores how cities and towns are building vibrant economies based on broadband
and information technology in order to better compete in a digital world. Hear
form experts, including: Alok Aggarwal, Chairman, Evaluserve (India); Gale
Brewer, New York City Council; Lu Ping, Director of the Information Office,
Tianjin, China; Dianah Neff, Chief Information Officer, Philadelphia; and Gabrielle
Michalek, leader of the online Million Book Project at Carnegie Mellon. Learn
what it takes to compete in the broadband economy and who will be the winners
and losers of the Digital Age. Registration includes the Intelligent Community
Awards of 2005. For more information, visit www.intelligentcommunity.org/html/building_broadband.html.
CommunicAsia 2005, 14-17 June 2005, Singapore
Expo
Asia’s most established and comprehensive Communications & IT event
is scheduled to be held from 14-17 June 2005 at Singapore Expo. For more information,
visit www.communicasia.com/Press_Releases.html.
Thai Telecom Forum 2005, 23-24 June 2005,
Thailand
The Thai Telecom Industry is in the midst of a significant paradigm shift.
Keep abreast of these exciting developments in Thai Telecom Forum 2005, which
will include the highlights of NTC plans related to the reform and liberalization
of the telecom industry as well as its licensing criteria and requirements. PTC
Members are entitled to a 10% discount on registration. For more, go to www.abf-asia.com/project/672PTC.pdf.
C3 Expo, 28-30 June 2005, Javits Convention
Center, New York City, USA
Through a special one-time invitation, friends and guests of
PTC will receive complimentary exhibit-only passes and 50% off
of the conference registration fee for the C3 Expo event. All guests
and friends of PTC should enter the code C3GP5 when prompted to
receive free admission to the exhibits and their discounted conference
registrations. For more information, call +1.201.543.5060 ext.
609. Conference details, including PTC attendee registration information
is available online at www.c3expo.com/ptc.
WCA 2005, 28 June - 1 July 2005, Washington
D.C., USA
The WCA Global Convention, one of the world’s premier events for wireless
broadband access, returns to Washington, D.C. this 28 June - 1 July 2005. It
convenes 2000 delegates from 40 nations, focusing on all areas of wireless
broadband, with a special focus on WiMAX. WCA 2005 features four days of summits
and workshops presented by 140 speakers, and a concurrent exhibition of 75
companies. Special highlights include the WiMAX Theater, hosted by Intel, and
a global regulatory summit. Visit www.wcai.com for
more information.
Black Hat Briefings & Training USA, 23-28
July 2005, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, USA
Black Hat profiles next-generation threats, delivers practical security techniques
and an understanding of legal and policy issues. The Briefings are designed
to foster peer-to-peer communications and networking opportunities with over
2000 security professionals from 30+ nations. Featuring 29 hands-on training
courses from 23-26 July, and 10 conference tracks at the Briefings on 27-28
July, with presentations by security experts and “underground” security
specialists—and no vendor sales pitches. PTC members can receive a
$100 discount off the Briefings fees applicable on the date of registration
by inserting the code: PTC2005US in the box marked “Coupon Code” on
the electronic registration form. The Super Early Bird rate of $1195 (discounted
to $1095) expires 15 May. The Early Bird rate of $1395 (discounted to $1295)
expires 1 July. Register at www.blackhat.com.
Industry Publications
Connect-World
The Connect-World series of magazines are a forum for the highest-level decision
makers in the telecommunications and information technology sectors to give
their opinion about the impact of technologies upon developing regions of
the world. Connect-World’s editions (Africa & The Middle East,
Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe & CIS, and Latin America) discuss how telecommunications
and ICT can help shape regional development. Connect-World’s writers
and readers are leader of industry, governments, international organizations,
banks and the like.
VoIP Monitor
VoIP Monitor is a definitive weekly publication devoted to business, regulatory
and market developments in the fast-paced world of voice-over Internet protocol.
Each Wednesday, via email and on the web, the Monitor will deliver insight,
data, analysis and critical developments to keep you on top of VoIP. A four-week
trial subscription is available to registered users at www.voip-monitor.com.
PTC Members' Bulletin
PTC’s online and email bulletin to members is
now distributed once a month. You should receive your
next copy on, or soon after, 10 June 2005. Please send
your questions or suggestions to Kim Hunter at kim@ptc.org.
If you or your company representatives wish to resume
informing other PTC members of new or improved products
and services, or of individual achievements via the
Members’ Bulletin, please express your wishes
to Lorie Sugiki by emailing lorie@ptc.org.
Please note that for news and headlines, we will only
publish items that include a link to the cited article.
If you do not wish to receive the email version of
the PTC Members’ Bulletin, please forward the
email to info@ptc.org with “Unsubscribe” in
the subject line.
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