August is fast approaching, the month of European high summer where you are best advised, so conventional wisdom has it, not to get sick, look for a new job or expect to close a deal – unless your neighbour on the next beach towel along happens to be a doctor or potential business partner. School is out and so are the sunshades, ice cubes and ice creams. And at ITU Telecom, preparations for ITU Telecom World 2013 are heating up too.
Under four months to go until the doors open on our 42nd event, held this year in Bangkok, Thailand, and we’ve been busy. The programme is online, with full details of forum sessions, workshops, showfloor events and moderators. Speakers and panellists are confirmed – with more coming on board by the day. And registration is officially open, with a six-week special early booking discount on access passes purchased before 15 September to entice you to sign up now.
World 13 focuses on the dramatic change underway in the world – a change that is irreversible, unpredictable, multi-faceted and ongoing. The telecom sector in particular is experiencing a massive onslaught of change; in many areas, not just one.. Numerous technological genies have been released and are vying with each other to make the greatest impact.
Some players in the telecom sector understand that they have to adapt to the new world. Others don’t. Some players are actively embracing change, others are resisting it. All are trying to come to terms with the new reality of a digital world. The Forum programme addresses these issues head on. Five major areas of change are identified and explored in detail through a series of interactive panel sessions. Each session is run by an experienced moderator and brings together an exciting mix of experts from different disciplines and perspectives. Topics range from the new realities and potential models in voice and messaging to the sociological and personal implications of Big Data; from how OTTs are shaking the foundations of industry regulation to the new Internet Protocol version 6 as the basis of the Internet of Everything.
Speakers embracing all aspects of change include Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, addressing the profound way in which the sheer volume of digital data created each day is reshaping our world and our very way of thinking; or renowned futurist & CEO of Futures Agency, Gerd Leonhard. Intel are co-hosting a series of sessions on the tremendous promise of e-education; McKinsey will explore how the growth of the Internet in Africa is enabling the region to leapfrog development milestones; and Nigeria will host an Investment Forum showcasing major ICT initiatives The likes of Microsoft, IBM, NTT, Google and Ericsson will join regulators and ministers from all corners of the globe in debating the changes, networking and sharing innovative thinking, projects and partnerships.
It’s a thrilling mix of specialists, enthusiasts, visionaries and thought-leaders – coming together with the people who make the policies in government, who shape the rules and regulations by which ICT companies must operate, and who plot the course, strategies and new market spaces of an industry in flux. It is a conversation that promises to be every bit as hot as the summer in Europe this year.
Join the conversation – join us in Bangkok this November.
