The Financial Times and ETNO are delighted to invite you to attend their 2012 Summit "20 years ago, 20 years ahead: Telecoms - A Smart Europe in a Smart World" which will take place at BOZAR in Brussels on Tuesday 2 October 2012.
Coinciding with the 20th Anniversary of ETNO, the Summit will look at the revolution that transformed the ICT sector in Europe and its players over the past 20 years and the evolution trends for the sector in the next 20 years.
Over the past 20 years, the rapid and successful growth of the Internet and of Internet-enabled services and applications has fundamentally transformed the economic landscape. For telecoms operators to continue meeting the huge investment challenge linked to exponential traffic growth, new business models are needed based on commercial cooperation with all players of the value chain. The 2012 ETNO-FT Summit will aim at fostering the dialogue towards a new and sustainable Internet ecosystem, for the benefit of all.
The Summit will gather leading telecoms operators, equipment manufacturers and content providers to discuss the future for the sector and the policies needed to accelerate its growth. The following topics will be under discussion:
- Is the current Internet eco-system viable?
- Are current policies towards ICT sufficiently flexible to reflect rapid technological changes?
- Are they sufficient to deliver on Europe's growth agenda?
- In order to fully exploit the benefits of the digital economy, what incentives should be made available to all investors in NGA to make high-speed networks a priority?
- What are the major opportunity areas where telecoms can act as a key enabler of societal transformation and what are the latest innovations in these areas?
- Which policies and measures are necessary to encourage the public and private sector to embrace ICT solutions?
- How can investment in high-speed networks to deploy such innovative, smart solutions be stimulated?
We are delighted to announce that the Vice President for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, will be making a keynote address at the Summit. The CEO speaker line up promises provocative and insightful discussions and those confirmed to date include: César Alierta, Executive Chairman, Telefònica, Franco Bernabè, Executive Chairman and CEO, Telecom Italia, Eelco Blok, Chairman and CEO, KPN, Hakam Kanafani, Group CEO, Türk Telekom, René Obermann, Chairman, Deutsche Telekom and Stéphane Richard, Chairman and CEO, Orange.
The Summit will open at 12:00 with registration and a buffet lunch. Then, after a full afternoon of keynotes and panel discussions, the Summit will be followed by a Reception on the occasion of the ETNO 20th Anniversary (details to come).
Last year's Summit was attended by 300 senior executives from Europe's leading ICT companies and regulators. This year's Summit promises a similar attendance and early registration is recommended as places are limited.