PROGRAMME
MONDAY 18 OCTOBER 2010
08:15 Registration and refreshments
09:00 Opening Remarks from the Chair
Welcome Address
Opening Keynote Address
Session one
Taking Stock: Communications Two Years after the Economic Crisis
- How has the communications sector changed since the onset of the crisis and to what extent are the changes a result of the crisis or evidence of more profound industry developments?
- Broadband investment was widely perceived by governments to be a key component of economic recovery and growth. How and to what extent has this perception been translated into policy and action? What lessons can be learnt so far from various types of government intervention? Does media have a particular role to play in this context?
- To what extent are future investment prospects constrained by the economic crisis and how far are these prospects being affected by government action? In the current economic climate how are market developments being influenced by demand-side forces – both within the industry and from the end-user - and what are the implications for investment planning?
Session two
The Evolving Internet Ecosystem
- How are value chain calculations being affected by the new competitive dynamics of convergence either through new entrants or through existing players discovering new market needs? What are the implications for industry structures, strategies and collaborative relationships?
- To what extent will phenomena such as changing user behaviour, new mediators, search processes, user-generated content and social networking media take over areas hitherto dominated by traditional organisations and what will be the implications? As the current new market disrupters evolve towards maturity, what could be next on the horizon?
- What constraints do other communications platforms place on the growing role of the internet? To what extent will telecommunications, broadcasting and print media legacy players need to reinvent themselves?
- With convergence leading to blurred industry structures and new and evolving competitive pressures, is a new regulatory approach required appropriate to the particular characteristics of the internet? On the net neutrality issue is regulation needed to clarify the rights and obligations of all internet players?
Session three
Evaluating Government Intervention in the Broadband Market: State aid, universal service and market forces
- Why have governments initiated broadband deployment plans? Do they stem from evidence of market failure or from a desire to speed up roll-out and geographical coverage so that the economy and society benefit as quickly as possible?
- What types of government interventions and instruments are being used to stimulate infrastructure development? What kinds of public financial investments are being made and how are the returns for society and the economy to be measured? What are the likely impacts on market and industry structures?
- What are the regulatory and competition policy implications? Is the principle of technology neutrality under threat? How are policy approaches to open infrastructure access evolving?
- How far do current public intervention strategies take account of demand-side requirements and what evidence is there that these strategies will result in more users and more diverse usage?
Session four
Breakout Groups - click topic title for details
1. Spectrum under pressure – how to optimize and expedite its use?
2. Digital content and rights – how to take advantage of the opportunity for new online markets?
3. Network quality, traffic management and informed consumer choice
End of day one
Gala Dinner
TUESDAY 19 OCTOBER 2010
08:30 Refreshments
Session five
Protecting Privacy in a Fast Evolving, More Complex Digital World
- What are the relative roles and responsibilities of users, business and government in protecting user privacy and data, how are these changing and what implications do they have for commercial and public policy?
- How can companies manage the tension between one the one hand protecting users and securing their trust and, on the other, retaining the freedom to develop new businesses and business models? Which methods of handling privacy can benefit both users and businesses?
- What kind of regulatory approach offers the best prospect of reconciling those objectives? Given the current national and international preoccupation with on-line privacy frameworks, what are the prospects for greater international harmonisation and improved cross-border compliance?
Session six
Breakout Groups - click topic title for details
4. Paths to inclusion in a broadband world?
5. What are the implications of everything being connected?
6. What place for the media industry in the digital landscape?
Session seven
Building the Mobility Content Market: New Opportunities, New Challenges
- Given that increasing consumer appetite for smartphones and tablets will bring soaring demand for mobile content applications and services, what form is this content likely to take? Who will the players be? What role will be played by subscription and free-to-air mobile TV?
- To what extent are technological factors limiting growth and how are these problems being addressed? Which policy and other issues does mobility raise for network distribution, new content formats and platforms, copyright protection, revenue models and delivery costs? Which new business and supply chain models hold most promise?
- What role should regulators play in relation to content and mobility? What new issues arise? Is there a requirement for more consumer protection?
15:30 End of conference and refreshments
© International Institute of Communications, 2010
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