The structure of the telecommunications industry has changed fundamentally over the past 10 years. Telecommunications Operators have significantly reduced their commitment to fundamental research, and have been developing strategies based on exploiting new ideas through spinouts and joint ventures. The established telecommunications equipment and system providers have been challenged by competition arriving from data networking and IT. Many small companies have attempted to provide new systems, services and applications, with sometimes spectacular success.

The pressure for the telecommunications industry to innovate has never been greater. Competition is fierce and growth in revenues is patchy: growth in mobiles and some areas of the Internet, and actual declines in fixed voice revenues. Telecom Operators – both fixed and mobile – face challenges on many fronts, from the deployment of individual applications to the complete re-engineering of their businesses and networks. The architecture, standards, interfaces, services and applications now being researched or developed will have a profound effect on the direction of the telecommunications industry in the future.

The ‘Innovation in Telecommunications’ seminar will bring together researchers and industry experts to review developments and case studies of innovation in telecommunications and discuss their implications for the future of the industry. The seminar is designed to be interactive, allowing delegates from different fields to share their extensive knowledge and expertise.

A more detailed agenda appears below.

The seminar will run from mid-afternoon on 17 October to lunch time on the 18^th and includes an opportunity to network with other participants over dinner on Day 1. Meeting facilities will be available after lunch on Day 2 for those interested in continuing the discussions.

‘Innovation in Telecommunications’ is one of a series of events being run by the Communications Research Network (CRN) and the Centre for Competitiveness and Innovation (CCI), both of which are funded through the Cambridge-MIT Institute to stimulate discussion and debate between industry and university partners.

Invited Speakers Include:

• William Webb, Head of Research & Development, Ofcom
• John Nevins, Head of Service Innovation, BT Group Chief Technology Office
• Phil O'Donovan, CEO, Cambridge Silicon Radio
• Barbara van Schewick, Senior Researcher Telecomms Network Group, Technical University Berlin
• Jim Utterback, MIT
• David Cleevely, Chairman, Communications Research Network
• Nick Oliver, Director & Professor of Management, Centre for Competitiveness and Innovation
• Matthew Cleevely, Ofcom & University of Oxford
• Chris Marsden, Senior Analyst, Rand Institute
• Russell Cyr, CEO, BitWave
• Mikael Sandberg, BoStream
• Tim Whitley, Director, Group Strategic Analysis BT
• Lorenzo Valeri, Senior Policy Analyst, RAND Institute

Participating Organisations Include:

• BT
• Microsoft Research
• DoCoMo
• COLT Telecom
• Convergys
• European Commission
• Premium Telecom
• DTI
• Cambridge Broadband
• Broadband Wales Unit
• National Assembly for Wales
• University College London
• France Telecom
• Cambridge University

Agenda

DAY ONE: Monday 17 October 2005
15:30 - 16:00	Arrival & Registration : The Moller Centre Tower Lounge
16:00 - 16:10	Welcome & Introduction Dr David Cleevely Professor Nick Oliver
16:10 - 17:20	Session 1: The Need to Innovate: Professor William Webb Chris Marsden Matthew Cleevely The pressure on the telecoms industry – where will the growth come from? Innovation as part of regulators’ duties The competitive challenge
17:20 - 17:40	Tea
17:40 - 19:00	Session 2: Business Models for Innovation John Nevins Lorenzo Valeri How do fixed operators approach innovation? How do mobile operators approach innovation? The approach to innovation at the service level
19:00 - 19:15	Conclusions Day 1
19:15	Coach to Queens' College
19:30 - 22:00	Drinks followed by Dinner in the Old Hall

DAY TWO: Tuesday 18 October 2005
08:30 - 09:00	Arrival & Coffee : The Moller Centre Tower Lounge
09:00 - 10:30	Session 3: Case Studies Phil O'Donovan Russell Cyr Mikael Sandberg
10:30 - 11:00	Coffee
11:00 - 12:00	Session 4: Corporate and System Architecture and Innovation Barbara van Schewick Tim Whitley Architecture and standards for innovation in Telecommunications BT's 21st Century Network Corporate rules and innovation
12:00 - 13:00	Session 5: Coping with Disruptive Technologies: where do we go next? Jim Utterback Where are the disruptions going to come from? Best practice in disruptive technologies Policy implications for the telecoms industry
13:00 - 13:15	Conclusions David Cleevely Nick Oliver
13:15	Lunch followed by one-on-one discussions

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The Venue

This event will be held in the lecture theatre at The Møller Centre in Cambridge.

The dinner will be held in the Old Hall in Queens' College.

Location

Please click here for a map and directions.

 

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Accommodation

To book your hotel accommodation, please see the visit Cambridge website: http://www.visitcambridge.org/visitors/wheretostay.php

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Payment

• The price for attending this event is £300 plus VAT (£352.50), including dinner, for industry participants and £150 plus VAT (£176.25) for academic participants.
• Payment can be made online by credit or debit card or by sending a cheque made payable to the Cambridge-MIT Institute Ltd to the address below.
• If you require a VAT invoice, please indicate where this should be sent to in the notes section of the registration form.

Cancellations must be made in writing (fax, email or post) and will be accepted up to 14 days in advance of the event. These will be refunded in full. Cancellations made after this date will not be eligible for refund and will incur the full cost. Alternatively, you may nominate a colleague to take your place. Any delegate who has registered but does not attend the event will be charged in full.

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