Dedicated to catalyzing positive change in business, industry, and academia, the IEC’s Broadband World Forum Europe 2005 allowed Europe’s industry professionals to network, learn, and teach one another through plenary panels, industry overview sessions, industry focus sessions, keynote sessions, hot seat sessions, and more.
Key speakers from major service providers included Paul Berriman (PCCW Limited), Andrew Burke (BT Entertainment), Ibrahim Gedeon (TELUS Communications), Julio Linares Lpez (Telefnica), Tadanobu Okada (NTT), Stefano Pileri (Telecom Italia Group), Philippe Ribonnet (Belgacom), Mauro Righetti (Italtel), Eric Small (BellSouth), and Jean-Philippe Vanot (France Telecom).
As attendee Steve Casterman of Telecable Austria noted after one session, “I liked very much what [the speakers] said, and it is very interesting in terms of what our company is looking for … we are looking to increase our customer base and change our networks and services, so we’re picking up a lot of ideas here at the conference.”
In addition, with an exhibition floor showcasing the latest products and services, attendees experienced cutting-edge technology firsthand and conversed with industry experts. Attendees received access to countless hot technologies and four demo pavilions, including the VoIP Public Phone Booth (AVM), the EuroCableNET Demo Pavilion (CableLabs), the IPTV Demo Pavilion (mPhase Technologies, Inc.), and the Home Entertainment and Carrier-Grade IP Networks Demo Pavilion (Siemens).
Exhibitor Gary Holland of Riverstone Networks commented, “We’ve been pleasantly surprised with the attendance at BBWF and the level of seniority present at the event.”
The next in the Broadband series, Broadband World Forum Asia 2006, hosted by PCCW in Hong Kong, China, takes place this 15–18 May 2006 at the Hong Kong Convention Center.
In addition, the first-ever Broadband World Forum Americas, to be held annually, premieres in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, hosted by TELUS at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre this September 11–14, 2006.
France Telecom sponsors next year’s Broadband World Forum Europe 2006 at the CNIT La Defense in Paris, France, next 9–12 October 2006.