Speaker Biographies
Speakers
Speakers
Neelie Kroes
Vice President and EU Commissioner for Digital Agenda, European Commission
Neelie Kroes is currently Vice President of the European Commission and European Digital Agenda Commissioner. She was born 1941 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where she also attended school and helped to build her family’s transport business. She studied economics at Erasmus University, before working there for six years as an Assistant Professor. Her political career started on the Rotterdam Municipal Council, and in 1971 she was elected as a Member of the Dutch Parliament for the liberal VVD party. From 1982-1989 she served as Minister for Transport, Public Works and Telecommunication in the Netherlands. After politics she was appointed President of Nyenrode University from 1991-2000, and served on various company boards, including Lucent Technologies, Volvo, P&O Nedlloyd. Prior to serving as European Commissioner for Competition from 2004-2009, her charity work included advising the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and World Cancer Research Fund, and she has an ongoing interest in mental health issues.
Ed Vaizey
MP, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, UK Government **
Ed Vaizey MP was elected as the Member of Parliament for Wantage and Didcot in May 2005.
Born in 1968, Mr Vaizey attended Merton College, Oxford. After university he spent two years working as a political researcher, before training and practis ing as a barrister. From 1996-2004 he was director of a public relations company. In 2004 he became a political speech writer.
Mr Vaizey was Shadow Culture and Creative Industries Minister 2006-2010.
He married Alex in September 2005. They live in Sparsholt and London with their son Joseph and daughter Martha.
François Rancy
Director, Radiocommunication Bureau, International Telecommunication Union
Mr. Rancy was elected by the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in 2010 to the post of Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR) of the International Telecommunication Union.
As Director, Mr. Rancy is responsible for the management of the Radiocommunication Bureau which organises and co-ordinates the work of the Radiocommunication Sector whose aim is to ensure the rational, equitable, efficient and economical use of the radio-frequency spectrum and the geostationary satellite orbit.
Previous to taking up his duties at the ITU in January, 2011, he was Director General of the French Agence nationale des fréquences. Since 1995, Mr. Rancy has served as the head or deputy head for national delegations at many ITU conferences and meetings.
Mr. Rancy graduated from Ecole Polytechnique in 1977 and from Ecole nationale supérieure des télécommunications in 1979.
Julius Knapp
Chief, Office of Engineering & Technology, FCC
Julius Knapp is Chief of the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET). Mr. Knapp has been with the FCC for nearly 36 years. Mr. Knapp became Chief of OET in 2006, having previously served as the Deputy Chief since 2002. Prior to that he was the Chief of the Policy & Rules Division where he was responsible for FCC frequency allocation proceedings and for proceedings amending the FCC rules for radio frequency devices. Mr. Knapp was Chief of the FCC Laboratory from 1994 – 1997 where he was responsible for the FCC’s equipment authorization program and technical analyses. Mr. Knapp received a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the City College of New York in 1974. He is a member of the IEEE EMC Society and is a Fellow of the Radio Club of America. He was the 2001 recipient of the Eugene C. Bowler award for exceptional professionalism and dedication to public service and received the FCC’s Silver and Gold medal awards for distinguished service at the Commission.
Gerry Oberst
Partner, Hogan Lovells
Gerry Oberst has been practicing in the communications area for 30 years, in both Washington, D.C. and Brussels, concentrating on international telecommunications, satellite regulatory matters and radio spectrum regulation. He represents clients in major telecommunications proceedings before the International Telecommunication Union, European Commission and Member State regulatory bodies.
Based on his work in the communications satellite sector, Gerry was invited to speak at recent ITU workshops sponsored by the Radiocommunication Bureau on efficient use of orbit and frequency resources. Gerry recently has been selected as a member of the International Institute of Space Law.
Gerry writes the monthly regulatory column for Via Satellite magazine (since 1991) and has written several monographs for Oxford University Press, most recently on "The Digital Agenda: New EU Policy towards Information and Communications Technology" (March 2011). In May 2010, his article on the "Impact of the amended EU regulatory framework on spectrum and mobile issues" was published by the International Bar Association newsletter. For the last year he has acted as lead editor on the Hogan Lovells "International Spectrum Review" blog.
Gerry is currently finalizing a report for the European Commission on Member States authorisations of 2 GHz Mobile Satellite Service networks. He was the lead author and editor of a report for the European Commission in 2006 on revising the electronic communications regulatory framework and has served as legal advisor on projects for the Commission involving the digital dividend, spectrum trading, the Galileo radionavigation system and numerous other topics.
Catalin Marinescu
President, National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM), Romania
Catalin Marinescu is the President of the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications of Romania – ANCOM – since April 2009.
He is a telecommunications engineer, a graduate of the Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications of the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, and holds a diploma in Advanced Telecommunications Technologies from the same university. Furthermore, Catalin Marinescu holds a Master diploma in Management and Change in the Public Sector, from the University of Manchester, a CODECS Professional Certificate in Management, and a certificate in central and local administration from the Indiana University in Indianapolis.
Catalin Marinescu has been working in the communications sector since 1990, both for private companies such as Romtelecom and for public institutions such as the Inspectorate General for Communication and Information Technology, which he was the President of between 2005 and 2007.
His professional interests cover the areas of leadership skills, international relations and European integration, as well as human resources policies. He practiced sword-fencing for 14 years.
Adrian Grilli
Technical Advisor, European Utility Telecoms Council
Adrian Grilli is Managing Director of the Joint Radio Company Ltd (JRC) based in London. JRC is a joint venture between National Grid plc and the Energy Networks Association Ltd, representing UK gas and electricity generation, transmission and distribution industries’ radio communications interests. JRC’s prime responsible is managing radio spectrum used by these industries to support critical network operations.
As the importance of utility communications networks has grown, JRC has become increasingly active internationally, participating in a number of European and international groups investigating communications and spectrum options for smart grids.
Mr Grilli is a past chairman of the UK Federation of Communications Services, on the Board of the European Utilities Telecommunications Council and a regular contributor to the US Utility Telecom Council. He is a Chartered Engineer and Member of the Institutions of Mechanical Engineers and Engineering & Technology.
Aarti Holla-Maini
Secretary General, ESOA
Aarti Holla-Maini, has substantial experience in the aerospace industry, in particular in satellite business strategy and legal aspects of technological development. Previously she represented Galileo Industries, the joint venture company of EADS Astrium, Alenia Spazio, Alcatel Space and Galileo Systemas y Servicios in Brussels, where she worked closely with European Institutions on the development of the public private partnership scheme and management aspects of the Galileo programme.
Ms. Holla-Maini started her career in the aerospace industry at DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (now EADS) in Munich, Germany. Responsibilities included posts in the Project & Trade Finance Department and in the Space Strategy Division. She went on to become project manager for a new digital audio broadcast venture that was being evaluated by EADS at the time before making the move to Brussels in 2000 to Galileo Industries.
Ms. Holla-Maini holds an MBA from HEC in France, a diploma in German law from the University of Passau, Germany and a law degree from King's College at the University of London. She has regularly given workshops on negotiation skills for young managers. She qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court in London in 1995, working with the law firm of Pannone Pritchard Englefield. She lives in Brussels and speaks five languages.
Johanne Lemay
Co-President, Lemay Yates Associates
Ms. Lemay is Co-President of LEMAY-YATES ASSOCIATES INC. She has more than 25 years of experience in the communications industry including the first 10 years at Nortel (Northern Telecom) and Bell-Northern Research.
LYA is a leader among management consulting firms in Canada owing to the breadth of its knowledge ranging from traditional telecommunications to cable TV and fixed and mobile wireless. LYA brings unparalleled understanding and analysis of the Canadian communications market at large.
LYA’s wireless practice has been expanding for a number of years and we have been assessing and forecasting the market for mobile media in Canada as well as on a worldwide basis. LYA’s expertise in auctions has been retained by key industry stakeholders in every auction held in Canada since 1999, both for preparation prior to the auction as well as ongoing management and decision making during the auction.
Ms. Lemay is a recognized expert in telecommunications and broadcasting, with particular emphasis on the development of business plans, due diligence, market research, development and assessment of pricing plans and estimation of capital investment requirements to offer new services. Ms. Lemay has also been actively involved in regulatory proceedings and in consultations for the development of public policy in communications, including the new rules for the AWS spectrum auctions as well as the framework for mandated roaming and tower sharing.
Ms. Lemay has co-authored many independent market research reports published by LEMAY-YATES ASSOCIATES INC.
Prior to founding LEMAY-YATES ASSOCIATES INC., Ms. Lemay was in charge of International Marketing for all Nortel transmission equipment product lines. At Nortel, Ms. Lemay also created a fiber multiplex product line which was extensively deployed by operators in the US and Canada.
Ms. Lemay is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and seminars in Canada, in the United States and abroad as well as on BNN and other media. She holds an Engineering Physics degree from Laval University and an MBA, Executive Option, from Concordia University.
J. Scott Marcus
Director, WiK Consult
J. Scott Marcus is a Director, Department Manager and Senior Consultant for WIK-Consult GmbH (the consulting arm of the WIK, a research institute in economics and regulatory policy for network industries, located in Bad Honnef, Germany). Previously, he served as Senior Advisor for Internet Technology for the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a position equivalent in rank to the Chief Economist or Chief Technologist. Prior to that, he was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Genuity, Inc. (GTE Internetworking), one of the world's largest Internet backbone service providers at that time. Mr. Marcus holds a B.A. in Political Science (Public Administration) from the City College of New York, and an M.S. from the School of Engineering, Columbia University. In 2004, Mr. Marcus was attached to the European Commission (DG INFSO) while a Transatlantic Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Benoist Deschamps
Chairman, FM50 Project Team (Future use of the 1452-1492 MHz band), ECC
Dr. Benoist Deschamps is working for the Agence Nationale des Fréquences, the French spectrum management organisation, within the international affairs and spectrum planning division.
He is leading the French delegation in the Working Group for Frequency Management of CEPT.
He has been chairing FM50 from the creation of this project team. His other interests are mainly related to cognitive radio, for which he also chairs the corresponding activity within WGFM, and satellite issues.
Finn Petersen
Deputy Director General, Danish Business Authority
Finn Petersen has been deputy director general in the Danish Business Authority since January 2012. He was deputy director general in the National IT and Telecom Agency from 2002 to 2011 and before that he was deputy director general in the Danish Telecom Agency from 1997 to 2002. Finn Petersen is furthermore chairman of the Danish Interconnection Forum and the Danish Spectrum Forum
Gerard Lapierre
Radio Spectrum Project Officer, European Defence Agency
Military engineer and PhD from ENST Bretagne on signal processing and telecommunications, he started his activity in the French Defence Procurement Agency in 1998 to cover underwater acoustic communications. He joined in 2005 the French spectrum management authority (ANFr) to work on various subjects related to radio spectrum engineering and policy. In particular, he was deeply involved in the technical work carried out in relation to the WAPECS approach and Digital Dividend with the development of the Block Edge Masks (BEM). He joined the European Defence Agency in 2010 to act as a radio spectrum project officer.
Amit Nagpal
Partner, Aetha Consulting
Amit Nagpal advises fixed and mobile operators, regulators/government bodies, financial institutions and equipment manufacturers on a wide range of commercial, technical and regulatory issues. In particular, Amit Nagpal assists organisations with commercial & technical due diligence, radio spectrum policy development and spectrum valuation and auction support. Prior to founding his own consulting company, Amit was a Senior Partner at Analysys Mason, a specialist telecoms strategy consultancy, where he advised on several multi-billion dollar M&A and debt financing transactions as well as leading numerous high-profile regulatory studies. In the area of spectrum management, Amit's experience has included:
* leading high-profile studies for the European Commission (harmonised approach to the digital dividend, introduction of spectrum trading)
* supporting spectrum users (e.g. O2, KPN, UPC), industry bodies (e.g. GSM Association, UMTS Forum, TETRA Association) and regulations (e.g. Ofcom in the UK, NITA in Denmark, MinEZ in the Netherlands) on major policy issues such as (i) the future demand for spectrum e.g. for wireless broadband services (ii) liberalisation of mobile spectrum/GSM licence renewal and (iii) the award of the digital dividend (800MHz) and 2.6GHz bands.
Amit is able to bring a global perspective to his work having undertaken projects for clients in Europe, North America, Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Cengiz Evci
Director, European Spectrum Policy, Alcatel-Lucent
Cengiz is currently a Director of Spectrum Policy matters in the CTO office of the Alcatel-Lucent, Carrier Group/Wireless Technologies in Paris area, France. He received his Ph.D in speech coding for mobile communications from University of Technology, Loughborough, UK.
He joined Alcatel-Lucent’s R&I department in April 1988 and managed leading technical European projects that led to current 3G/UMTS technologies. Since 1998, he was first the Chief Frequency Officer at Paris PHQ and then at CTO office of the Wireless Technologies located in Vélizy and Villarceaux, France.
He is very active within UMTS Forum as the Chair of Manufacturers Group as well as member of General Assembly, Steering Group and Spectrum Aspects Group. Moreover, he is the Alcatel-Lucent’s lead representative in several international groups such as ITU–R (for ALU-France) Working Party 5D dedicated to terrestrial IMT, European based ECC/PT1 Group related to IMT and digital dividend issues. In addition, he is team leader for ALU concerning spectrum matters in NGMN as well as WRC-15 issue leader in TRPG of Digital Europe.
He has been an Alcatel-Lucent Technical Academy member since 2001 and also a Senior Member of IEEE since 1989 and is very active in IEEE organizations and he also acted as Executive Committee members of various IEEE events for panel organisations. Finally, he is presently author/co-author of over 100 publications in IEEE and other internationally well-known magazines.
Chris Woolford
Director of International Spectrum Policy, Ofcom
Chris Woolford is Ofcom’s Director of International Spectrum Policy where his responsibilities cover the UK’s international spectrum interests, especially in relation to the ITU, CEPT and EU. He is a member of Ofcom’s Spectrum Executive Team.
Chris is active in various European spectrum committees and currently represents the UK on the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) and is a past member of the Radio Spectrum Committee (RSC). He is directing Ofcom’s preparations for next year’s World Radio Conference and Ofcom inputs to the development of the European Radio Spectrum Policy Programme. Over the past 7 years Chris has been closely involved in work to introduce greater flexibility and market mechanisms to spectrum management and he was part of the team that oversaw the introduction of spectrum trading in the UK in 2004.
Before joining Ofcom, Chris worked in various UK Government Departments, including 6 years at Oftel, where he worked on different aspects of telecommunications regulation. Chris has a degree in mathematics and statistics from Manchester University.
Jussi Kähtävä
Director, Technology Policy, Nokia
Jussi Kähtävä joined Nokia in 1994 and has worked on radio technology standardization related tasks in Finland, the USA, over a decade in Japan, and now again in Europe. He has participated in global telecommunications standardization activities - particularly 3GPP - since 1999, and recently in ITU-R meetings on IMT systems. Currently he is responsible for Nokia’s global technology policy on future radio systems, with particular focus on the regulatory aspects of new technologies such as cognitive radio.
He holds a Master of Science degree from Tampere University of Technology, Finland.
Simon Wilson
Head of Spectrum Policy, Telefónica, S.A.
Simon is Telefónica’s Head of Spectrum Policy and works in the Global CTO team. His responsibilities include the development of Group spectrum policy, representation of Telefónica in external fora and the development of Telefónica’s spectrum assets. He has worked in the GSMA on spectrum issues for more than 10 years, including the last 5 years as Chair of the GSMA Europe FREQ Operator Expert Group, and is the alternate Telefónica Board Member for 4G Americas.
Sudhir Gupta
Principal Advisor Spectrum Management, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
Shri Sudhir Gupta is Principal Advisor (Mobile Services) in Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Mr. Sudhir Gupta is in the telecom sector since 1982. Presently, as a Principal Advisor (MS), he is dealing with the issues relating to license conditions of mobile operators, spectrum Management for 2G, 3G and future technologies like LTE and Broadband Wireless Access, spectrum refarming and liberalization, etc.
He has also worked as an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) expert to Sri Lanka and Nepal on issues viz. QoS and Licensing framework respectively.
Before joining TRAI, he has held various positions in Department of Telecommunication in the field of Cable Construction, Installation & Maintenance of Exchanges, Planning & Networking etc.
Richard Marsden
Vice President, Nera Economic Consulting
Richard Marsden is a Vice President at NERA Economic Consulting, where he specialises in auctions and economic issues concerning radio spectrum. He has more than 12 years of experience in microeconomics, political economy, and business consulting. He has managed projects on regulation, competition, public policy, and business strategy for a diverse client base, including regulators and private companies in more than 25 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Richard has undertaken auction projects across a wide range of sectors, including airport slots, broadcasting, mobile telephony, power generation and renewables, retail sites, and wireless broadband. His project experience includes the design and implementation of combinatorial auctions (both multiple-round and sealed bid) for radio spectrum in Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Nigeria, and the UK, and SMR auctions in Hong Kong and Norway. He has provided strategy advice to bidders in spectrum auctions worldwide, including Canada (AWS, 2008 and PCS, 2001), Finland (2.6GHz, 2009), and 3G/cellular mobile awards in Egypt, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the UK.
Prior to joining NERA, Mr. Marsden was a Director and Managing Consultant at DotEcon, where he focused on auctions, public policy, and strategy projects. While there, he regularly managed projects involving teams of programmers, econometricians, academics, and technology consultants. Notably, he managed the project team advising Ofcom on UK spectrum auctions between 2005 and 2010. He also completed major studies for the European Commission on allocation of the digital dividend, and on spectrum trading and liberalisation.
Pearse O'Donohue
Head of Unit, Radio Spectrum Policy, European Commission
Pearse O'Donohue is responsible for the development and implementation of policies for efficient spectrum use and a coordinated approach to frequency management in the EU. This also involves the development of spectrum harmonisation measures in the electronic communications field and in other internal market sectors such as transport and research. He is Chairman of the EU Radio Spectrum Committee.
Prior to taking over his current post in June 2008, Pearse O'Donohue was the Assistant to the Director-General of DG INFSO (Information Society and Media). Before that, he was Deputy Head of the Unit responsible for monitoring and enforcing implementation of the EU regulatory framework in electronic communications, where he dealt amongst other things with spectrum authorisation and broadband access issues.
Pearse O'Donohue began his career in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, from which he was posted to the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in Brussels. In 1991 he was appointed Assistant Director of the Brussels office of the Irish Business & Employers' Confederation and in 1995 he joined the European Commission.
Cécil Ameil
Senior Manager European Affairs, SES
Cécil Ameil joined SES in 1998 to represent the Luxembourg-base satellite operator on public affairs and regulatory matters with the European Union (EU), the CEPT, the Council of Europe and the ITU, under the responsibility of the SES General Counsel.
Cécil Ameil has been the chairperson of the working group on regulation & market access in ESOA (European Satellite Operators Association) for several years. In this capacity, he’s closely following the development of communications and spectrum rules at the EU level, and he’s defending the satellite industry in the context of bilateral trade negotiations between the EU and outside countries. Cécil has also been active in the Satellite Action Plan Regulatory Working Group (SAP REG), participating to the increased visibility and understanding of the satellite industry from European institutions.
In the early 2000s, Cécil Ameil has coordinated SES’ regulatory efforts at national level to facilitate the deployment of interactive satellite systems in Europe, paving the way for two-way broadband communications.
Before joining SES, Cécil Ameil was a consultant on public affairs in the telecommunications, e-commerce, audiovisual and copyright areas. Prior to this, he worked with the European Parliament and the Commission on raising public awareness about the effect of the telecoms liberalisation and the advent of the Internet.
Cécil Ameil looks back at 18 years of experience in dealing with European affairs, now specialised in radio spectrum policies as well as telecommunications and broadcasting regulations. His dedicated expertise covers the impact of the new EU telecoms legislation and the challenges of future spectrum policies for communications systems in the context of increased liberalisation in radio frequency management.
William Webb
Chief Technology Officer, Neul
William is one of the founding directors of Neul, a company developing machine-to-machine technologies and networks, which was formed at the start of 2011.
Prior to this William was a Director at Ofcom where he managed a team providing technical advice and performing research across all areas of Ofcom’s regulatory remit. He also led some of the major reviews conducted by Ofcom including the Spectrum Framework Review, the development of Spectrum Usage Rights and most recently cognitive or white space policy. Previously, William worked for a range of communications consultancies in the UK in the fields of hardware design, computer simulation, propagation modelling, spectrum management and strategy development. William also spent three years providing strategic management across Motorola’s entire communications portfolio, based in Chicago.
William has published 12 books, 80 papers, and 18 patents. He is a Visiting Professor at Surrey University and DeMontfort University, a member of Ofcom’s Spectrum Advisory Board (OSAB) and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the IEEE and the IET where he is a Vice President. His biography is included in multiple “Who’s Who” publications around the world. William has a first class honours degree in electronics, a PhD and an MBA.
Lasse Wieweg
Director, Government & Industry Relations, Ericsson
Lasse Wieweg, Director, Government and industry relations, at Ericsson, has worked with telecommunications topics his whole professional career, starting in 1973 with Ericsson. In 1986, following some over-seas assignments, he took up a position at the Frequency Management department within the Swedish Telecommunications Authority. In 1994, he took up a new position within the Swedish Defence Material Administration, looking after Frequency Management for the Swedish Defence Forces. Since 1997, Lasse is back in Ericsson, particularly addressing international policies in the Radio Regulatory and Spectrum domains within the Ericsson Group Function in Stockholm, Sweden.
Andreas Geiss
Deputy Head of Unit, Radio Spectrum Policy, DG INFSO, European Commission
Andreas Geiss is currently Deputy Head of Unit for Radio Spectrum Policy in DG INFSO of the European Commission. His responsibilities include the implementation of the inventory in accordance with the Radio Spectrum Policy Programme.
Andreas has been working for the European Commission since 2002. He started his professional career in 1991 at the German Regulatory Authority in the area of telecommunications. From 1994 until 2002 he worked for the European Radiocommunications Office (ERO), where he was project leader for many projects dealing with terrestrial and satellite mobile communications. He has been involved in the European preparations for World Radiocommunications Conferences since 1995. Andreas is a telecommunications engineer by profession and enjoys all sorts of sports in his spare time.
Lars Backlund
Chairman, Broadcast Europe Networks
Lars Backlund graduated in the mid seventies from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm with a masters degree in telecommunications and microwave engineering. He has also diplomas from executive programmes at the Swedish Institute of Management and from various courses at INSEAD.
Mr Backlund has held several positions at AEG Telefunken (telecommunications) and the Swedish Space Corporation (satellite and remote sensing systems).
Mr Backlund has also represented the Swedish Government on the communications satellite board of the European Space Agency and has also been a consultant to the World Bank on various communications system study missions to South East Asia and Africa.
Mr Backlund moved Teracom in the mid 90ies. Teracom is the operator of the Swedish terrestrial broadcasting networks in Sweden. He has held positions in charge of international business development, strategic planning and regulatory affairs including responsibilities for liaison with Swedish Government Departments and Swedish National Regulatory Authorities. Mr Backlund is also responsible for Teracom’s relations with the European Institutions and is a board member in various international organisations such as DVB and DigiTAG.
Mr Backlund is currently also Chairman of Broadcast Networks Europe (BNE) which is a trade organisation for operators of terrestrial broadcasting networks in Europe.
Peter Pitsch
Associate General Counsel and Executive Director of Communications Policy, Intel Corporation
Peter Pitsch is the Executive Director of Communications Policy and Associate General Counsel for Intel Corporation. He is responsible for the coordination of Intel policy surrounding communications and electronic commerce. Prior to joining Intel, Pitsch was the president of Pitsch Communications from 1989 to 1998 which represented telecommunication’s clients before the FCC and Congress, provided business and regulatory planning, and published and lectured on U.S. regulatory policy.
Pitsch was the Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the FCC from 1987 to 1989 where he advised the Chairman on all issues before the FCC including access reforms, price caps, major tariffs, and broadcasting. Before his move to Chief of Staff. Pitsch was Chief of Office of Plans and Policy. His responsibilities included managing the FCC policy office that provided recommendations on major issues such as access reforms, major tariffs, broadcast regulation, auction and spectrum allocations.
From 1980 to 1981, Pitsch was a staff member of the Reagan Administration Transition Team which developed recommendations for reforming the Federal Trade Commission with special focus on antitrust issues. He was a senior attorney at Montgomery Ward, Inc. from 1979 to 1981. He provided legal counsel and legislative lobbying of FTC, consumer protection, energy and international trade matters. Prior to that, he worked for three year as an attorney-advisor to Commissioner Calvin Collier at the Federal Trade Commission.
Mr. Pitsch received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago in 1973 and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1976. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the Virginia State Bar, and the Federal Communications Bar Association.
Janette Stewart
Senior Manager, Analysys Mason
Janette Stewart is a Senior Manager with Analysys Mason. She graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronic Engineering and a Master of Science degree in radio engineering, and throughout her career has focussed on wireless technologies and spectrum regulation. She worked for the UK regulator for 8 years, then joined Analysys Mason in 2001. During her 10 years with Analysys Mason she has advised national regulators, mobile and fixed operators and broadcasters on a range of spectrum management topics including digital switchover, release of digital dividend spectrum, spectrum demand modelling, GSM re-farming, and award of mobile spectrum in various bands including 800 MHz, 2.1 GHz and 2.6 GHz.
Antonio Nicita
Associate Professor of Economic Policy, University of Siena, Italy
Antonio Nicita (PhD) is Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Siena, Italy. He is on the Board of Directors of the Italian Society of Law and Economics, the European Association of Law and Economics, and the International Society for New Istitutional Economics (ISNIE). In 2006–7 he was an economic adviser to the Italian Minister of Communications and member of the Governamental Unit for the Improvement of Regulation. He has been OECD consultant and Economist at the Italian Antitrust Authority. His research interests cover industrial organization, law and economics, competition economics and regulation, as well as communications and media.
Thomas Weber
Frequency Management, ECA and Satellites, ECO
Thomas Weber joined the European Communications Office in 2010 as expert for spectrum management and is the chairman of the WG FM Maintenance Group on Short Range Devices (SRD/MG). He is also responsible for the frequency management project teams in the WGFM dealing with spectrum monitoring, satellite services, direct-air-to-ground communications and the European Common Allocations Table.
Before that, he worked for the Federal Network Agency in Germany in 2001-2010 and was the chairman of several ETSI standardisation groups dealing with ITS, PMR, DMR, GSM-R and UWB as well as the chairman for the DIN/DKE German National standardisation committee on radio devices. He also worked several years for several satellite operators and in the industry in satellite communications. He holds a degree in Communications Engineering acquired at the University of Applied Sciences in Dieburg, Germany.
Bashir Gwandu
Executive Commissioner, Nigerian Communications Commission
Dr Bashir Gwandu is the Executive Commissioner (Technical Services) of the Nigerian Communications Commission. After receiving his BSc in Physics from Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto and an MSc in Applied Physics from the University of Jos, in addition to a brief Engineering service at the Tactical Air-command, Makurdi and lecturing at Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, he proceeded to the United Kingdom where he attended MSc Courses in Power Electronics and Drives and MSc courses in Communications Engineering; he further obtained an MPhil degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, all from the University of Birmingham.
He returned briefly to Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto to lecture before going back to the UK to study for a PhD in Electronic/Electrical Engineering at Aston University and subsequently undertook an MBA in Finance at the Birmingham Business School.
Dr. Gwandu has designed many devices that are used in the telecom industry some of which have been patented in Europe and United States. He is a Chartered Electrical Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) UK. He is also a full member of the International Electrical Engineering Institutes, i.e. the IEEE USA, and IEICE Japan. Dr. Gwandu has published over 40 Electronic and Electrical Engineering Research papers in world-class Electrical Engineering journals and conference proceedings. He is an acknowledged expert in his field, which made him selected as one of the reviewers who vet research papers for publication in two of the most prestigious IEEE (USA) Journals dealing with Optical Communications. In addition to lecturing in Engineering, Dr Gwandu also worked as Finance Analyst/Forensic Accountant at ABR Associates and Hays Finance, and has also worked in advisory capacity for a number of engineering companies in the UK. He was a General Manager for a telecom company in the West-Midlands, UK until July 2005.
Since 2002, Dr Bashir Gwandu has been involved in research work on Regulation of Utilities. He was also one of the engineers invited as part of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) team to outline policy issues for the UK Energy White-paper. He was also a regular contributor to IEE/Ofcom consultation on spectrum management issues. In particular, Dr Bashir Gwandu’s MBA research work was on Utility market design for Nigeria, with focus on Restructuring, Regulatory and Tariff Setting Challenges. Dr Gwandu has also attended many courses on Telecoms/Utility Regulation in many countries around the World.
His major Engineering research focus and publications are in the areas of UHF/VHF transceivers, Optical communications, DWDM filters, add-and-drop filters, Radio-on-fibre filters, Fibre lasers, Microwave and RF systems, Dispersion management in long-haul optical fibre links, Erbium-doped Fibre Amplifiers (EDFAs), Optical fibre sensors, Underwater transducers, Digital modem design, Methods for requirements capture and analysis, etc.
Dr. Gwandu served as the Acting CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission from June to July 2010 and is currently the Executive Commissioner for Engineering and Technical Standards at the Commission; supervising Spectrum Planning and Management, Quality of Service Monitoring and Network Optimization, Equipment Type-approval, Numbering Plan, Allocation and Management. He was the Executive Commissioner in Charge of Licensing and Consumer Affairs of the NCC until June 2007. At Licensing, Dr Gwandu supervised the Interconnect rate determination of Sept 2006 that led to improved competition thereby leading to significant reduction in telecom Tariff in Nigeria, the re-classification of Sales and Installation Licenses to Class-Category which has encouraged SMEs Entry into the Market, the Issuance of all the 17 Unified- and hundreds of other Licenses in Nigeria that led to increased competition, the Liberalization of International Gateway for GSM operators that allows for carrying of 3rd Party Traffic thereby reducing tariff for International Calls, the elongation of Access Validity period beyond 90days for all networks on execution of every Revenue Generating Event which has cut down consumer loses and inconveniences, the introduction of Anti- Mobile Phone Theft Scheme in Nigeria to curtail phone theft, the introduction of Tariff Comparison Platform for Consumers so as to aid choice, the abolishing charges to Customer Care Lines, the Limiting of waiting times for answer on Customer Care Lines, the Management of the Nigerian Internet Exchange project for the ICT Industry, the Improvement of Credit Control system of the NCC to ensure prompt payment of statutory fees by operators, the first ever in-depth NCC investigation into the State of the Quality of Service (QoS) of the Nigerian Telecom Networks. He also led the development of the first ever detailed QoS Regulations, and many other regulatory frameworks of the NCC.
Dr Gwandu was part of the Launch Committee of the recently Launched Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComsat-1), he represents Nigeria, and sometimes ATU, at the ITU Conferences (such as WRC, WTSA, WSIS and WTDC and their preparatory meetings), he is a regular speaker at many International Telecom and Telecon Investment Conferences, and has represented Nigeria in many Forums on Telecoms Regulations, and was until recently on the Board of the NigComSat Ltd, and the Board of Digital Bridge Institute. Dr Gwandu having skills in diverse areas of Engineering, Accounting, Finance, the Art of Regulation and Administration; the key competences required of a utility regulator, is currently on the Board of NCC.
Magnus Franklin
Journalist, MLEX
Magnus, Chief Correspondent, MLex ITM, was previously an analyst and reporter on Mobile Communications Europe and Telecom Markets. He provides comprehensive coverage of regulatory and legal developments in the telecoms, media and IT sectors both in Brussels and across Europe. Magnus studied journalism and economics in London, and works in English, Spanish, Swedish and Norwegian.
Miguel Pellon
Vice President of Research, Chief Technology Office, Motorola Solutions
Mike Pellon is Vice President of Research for Motorola Solutions’ Chief Technology Office. In that role, he is responsible for advanced research and development in the areas of Analytics and Wireless technologies. He also oversees the development and management of MSI’s patent portfolio and the company’s participation in technology standards.
Before assuming his current position with Motorola Solutions in January 2011, Pellon had been in the Chief Technology Office of Motorola Inc. where during 9 years he had responsibility for establishing leading positions for Motorola technology in industry alliances and standards organizations for wireless communications, converged services for mobile and fixed networks, consumer electronics and industrial applications. Pellon was also responsible for leading research teams within the Applied Research Center in areas of security research, experiences research and video solutions. Prior to his work in the Motorola technology organization, Pellon spent five years in Motorola’s Messaging Business as a general manager responsible for various businesses in the U.S. and Latin America. He also served as vice president and general manager of Motorola’s Wireless Messaging Division
Pellon’s career has included leadership roles in both corporate functions and business units. He lived in the UK for 5 years and served as vice president and director of Government Relations for Motorola’s headquarters in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Within the Motorola communication businesses, he served as product manager, led a strategic marketing team for the land mobile systems business and held sales management positions for enterprise accounts.
Pellon received a BA degree from Bowdoin College and a Masters in Business Administration from Georgia State University. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and is the Chairman of TIA’s Technical Committee.
Alessandro Casagni
Head of EU Wireless Regulatory Policy, Huawei
Head of EU Wireless Regulatory Policy, managing the wireless regulation issues within Huawei Wireless Strategies & Business Development Department.
Alessandro holds a master degree in electronic engineering from Rome University.
During the period 2007 to 2009, Alessandro worked in Huawei WiMAX and LTE Product Line departments with special focus on the European regulation matters.
Prior to joining Huawei, Alessandro held several marketing and technical positions in Mediaset broadcasting company (2006 – 2007), Siemens mobile communications (2002 – 2006) and Accenture ICT consulting company (2000 – 2002).
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Peter Goulding
Public Safety Specialist, Motorola Solutions
Former Chief Superintendent Peter Goulding was a senior officer for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) with vast experience of working within London’s police service across strategic, uniform and detective operations.
His role involved heading up the unit responsible for the maintenance and delivery of the MPS’ critical Command and Control systems. Within this area of responsibility were radio communications, emergency and non-emergency call handling and despatch; all of which form an essential part of operational policing and support the MPS in meeting the demands of the public it serves.
In particular, Peter worked closely with suppliers in developing and improving Tetra [Airwave] radio communications across London and planning and managing additional communication requirements at large-scale events, such as G20, Notting Hill Carnival and New Years Eve celebrations. Peter was also heavily involved in preparations for the 2012 London Olympics and publicly defended the Airwave Network in the aftermath of the 2011 summer riots.
In 2007 he managed the delivery and implementation of the MPS’ biggest ever change programme. The £290m programme involved centralising the Command and Control functions from localised control rooms across London. Peter’s aim was to ensure that it made a sustainable difference for the operational staff that police London and in particular the patrolling officer, ensuring the police service became more responsive to the growing needs of the public. His experienced team delivered the project, revolutionising the way that the MPS delivers its response policing.
He was previously in charge of running all policing services in one of London’s largest districts and with this experience he moved on to Headquarters, taking responsibility for delivery of modernisation initiatives, which introduced new, more effective and citizen-focussed ways of delivering policing services to communities throughout Greater London.
Peter is currently part of the Motorola Solution’s Strategy Team in EMEA as a Public Safety Specialist, and in his own words is ‘passionate about TETRA and all its benefits’.
Andy Hudson
Head of Spectrum Policy, Vodafone Group
Andy is responsible for managing spectrum policy and auctions across the Vodafone Group. He has recently been very busy in India, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Albania. Over almost 10 years he has held various marketing, strategy and public policy roles within Vodafone, leading the development of mobile broadband software and Built-in connectivity. Before joining Vodafone he was part of the senior management team which spun an internet payments and encryption company out of NatWest.
He was a Management Consultant for NatWest and was previously at Sharp Laboratories of Europe and Sony Corporation, based in Japan. He has a doctorate in Engineering Science from Oxford University and an MBA.
Wassim Chourbaji
Chairman of the spectrum working group, DIGITALEUROPE
Wassim Chourbaji serves as Senior Director of Government Affairs Europe, Middle East and North Africa for Qualcomm, Inc. In this capacity, he leads Qualcomm’s spectrum, regulatory and technology policy agenda in the region.
Wassim is currently Chairman of the Spectrum Group at Digital Europe (EU ICT association) and Vice-Chairman of the Communications and Policy Council at Intellect (UK ICT association). Prior to joining Qualcomm, Wassim was the Head of France Telecom Group Spectrum Office. Wassim is a graduate engineer from Supelec (France) and holds a Master of Science in Wireless Communications from the University of Paris.
Didier Chauveau
Deputy Director of Spectrum Planning and International Affairs, ANFR
Didier Chauveau is Deputy Director of Spectrum Planning and International Affairs at Agence National des Fréquences (ANFr -France) and head of European Affairs. He contributed to the drafting of RSPG opinions and reports and is currently involved in RSPG ad hoc group on “Future Demand for Spectrum for Wireless Broadband”. He leads the French delegation at Radio Spectrum Committee, at the CEPT ECC. He chairs the ECC PT1, leading group in Europe for frequency harmonization for mobile systems, and the ECC CPG PTD, acting for the preparation of the CEPT position on Agenda items 1.1 and 1.2 of the WRC15. He is member of the ECO Council. Before joining ANFR, at mid 2007, he worked for ARCEP, the French regulator for Post and Electronic communications. Between 1999 and 2006, he has been member of the ETSI Board and, during 2 years, acting as vice chairman of ETSI Board.
Jean-Pierre Bienaimé
SVP Strategy & Communications Wholesale, Orange & Chairman, UMTS Forum
Jean-Pierre Bienaimé is currently SVP Strategy & Communications Wholesale at Orange, where he is notably in charge of strategic marketing & planning for fixed and mobile wholesale services, such as MVNOs, FTTH, roaming and new growth and innovation areas. He has also been Chairman of mobile industry association The UMTS Forum since January 2003, with a mission to promote a common vision of the development of 3G/UMTS and of its Long Term Evolution 4G LTE, and to ensure its worldwide commercial success. The UMTS Forum notably contributes to international organisations (ITU, EC, ETSI, 3GPP, CEPT), conducts studies and reports on key focus areas of mobile broadband communications such as markets & trends, services & applications, spectrum & regulation, impact of technologies & implementation issues, and holds a continued dialogue with decision-makers and regulators of key growth markets worldwide.
Joining France Telecom (FT) in 1979, Bienaimé’s responsibilities included financial management and planning at national and regional level, Advisor to the General Director of Moroccan Telecommunications in Rabat, Director of Marketing and Product Development for international business networks & services at FT, Director of Business Development and Subsidiaries at France Cables & Radio, Chief Executive Officer of Nexus International, VP International Development at France Telecom Mobile, and VP Group Technical Support at Orange until December 2002.
Jean-Pierre graduated from the ESSEC Business School – Paris (MBA), from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, and from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Postes & Télécommunications – Paris. He also holds an executive degree from INSEAD – Fontainebleau, and attended a senior executive programme at Kelley School of Business, Indiana University at Bloomington, USA.
Inge Hansen
Head of Spectrum, Everything Everywhere
Inge is Head of Spectrum based in Everything Everywhere’s regulatory team. Inge is an economist by training and prior to joining Everything Everywhere in April 2011, she worked for economic consultancy DotEcon as well as PwC. She has over 10 years experience advising operators and national regulatory authorities about spectrum auctions, regulation and policy issues related to spectrum and economic regulation in general
Thomas Konschak
Senior Manager Spectrum Policy, Public & Regulatory Affairs, Deutsche Telekom
Thomas Konschak, born in Berlin in 1966, is Senior Manager for Spectrum Policy in the Department „Public and Regulatory Affairs“ of Deutsche Telekom AG.
He studied Electrical Engineering at the Technical University of Dresden and graduated with a degree as Diplom-Ingenieur.
He began his career in 1992 at Detecon GmbH moving afterwards to T-Mobile Deutschland. He worked in several positions in the network planning department.
Beside technology he also dealt with joint venture management and corporate governance issues within T-Mobile International.
In 2011 he joined the Spectrum Policy team and represents Deutsche Telekom in several CEPT and ITU-R groups.
Eric Fournier
RSPG representative and Director of Spectrum Planning and International Affairs, ANFR
Graduated from Ecole Supérieure d’Electricité (SUPELEC) in 1991, Eric Fournier is currently Director for Spectrum Planning and International Affairs in the Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR), the French public agency in charge of spectrum management. In his position, he is directly responsible for preparing the revisions of the French national table of allocation and for the coordination of French positions in international meetings on spectrum within ITU, CEPT and EU. He was Chairman of the CEPT Conference Preparatory Group for the World Radiocommunications Conference 2012 (CPG-12) and, as French representative in RSPG, has chaired several RSPG working groups dealing with EU interests in international meetings and cross-border issues.
Marc Eschenburg
Manager, Aetha Consulting
Marc Eschenburg is a Manager at Aetha Consulting, a specialist telecommunications strategy consultancy which advises players in the industry on major strategic and regulatory decisions.
For the last years, Marc has been particularly active in the area of spectrum management, advising operators and regulators on issues such as spectrum valuation, spectrum strategy, auction support and spectrum pricing. His main area of expertise lies in the development of valuation models which cover all relevant areas of spectrum value. He has been involved in a number of recent spectrum award processes across Europe as he has supported spectrum managers and bidders in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Malta and Switzerland.
Prior to setting up Aetha, Marc was employed at Analysys Mason, another specialist telecommunications consultancy. He graduated from the University of Maastricht, with an MSc in Infonomics, a study assessing the economics of the information society.
Daniel Pataki
Director, ETNO
Daniel Pataki, former President of Hungary’s National Communications Authority, the European Regulators Group (ERG) and the EU’s Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) became ETNO’s new Director in February, 2012.
Mr Pataki was President of Hungary’s National Communications Authority from 2004 until 2010. During his term, he was in charge of regulation of the electronic communications and postal sector as well as spectrum allocation.
In 2008 he was Chairman of the ERG and of the International Regulators Group (IRG). In this capacity, he played a key role in advising EU institutions during the review of the EU Regulatory framework. From November 2008 until November 2009, he was Chairman of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group, an advisory body to the European Commission on spectrum policy, composed of the 27 EU national spectrum regulatory bodies.
Prior to working in the regulatory authority, Daniel was Hungary’s Deputy State Secretary in charge of Communications at the Ministry of IT and Telecommunications, from 2002 to 2003. Before that, he held several positions in the private sector.
A Hungarian national, Daniel Pataki graduated from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences and holds a postgraduate degree from Programme Copernic organized by leading French institutions such as Science Po, Ecole des Mines, Ecole des Ponts, Paris. He also finished an undergraduate management programme (CEMS) at HEC.
He was awarded the Officer Cross of the Order of the Republic of Hungary in 2009 for his work in EU electronic communications regulation and the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary in 2005 for his work promoting the development of the ICT sector.
Hans Borgonjen
Senior Coordinator international standardisation , TETRA + Critical Communications Association (TCCA)
Hans Borgonjen
Senior Coordinator international standardisation
Vts Police Netherlands
The Vts Police Netherlands delivers the Dutch Public Safety services on applications, data + mobile communication, e.g. the C2000-Tetra radio network.
Main roles:
- Vice-chairman TCCA (Tetra & Critical Communications Association) + chairman Requirements Group CCBG (Critical Communications Broadband Group).
- Dutch representative LEWP-RCEG (Law Enforcement Working Party Radiocommunication Expertgroup) + chairman of the ‘Forerunner Group’, which is focussing on future communication for Public Safety in the European member states.
- Chairman PSRG (Public Safety Radiocommunication Group), an informal platform with 17 participating countries.
Tom Hazlett
Professor of Law & Economics, George Mason University
Thomas W. Hazlett is Professor of Law & Economics and serves as Director of the Information Economy Project at George Mason University School of Law. He is also a Columnist for the New Technology Policy Forum hosted by the Financial Times. Prof. Hazlett previously held faculty appointments at the University of California at Davis, Columbia University, and the Wharton School, and in 1991-92 served as Chief Economist of the Federal Communications Commission.
Prof. Hazlett has published widely in academic and popular journals on the economics of the Information Sector. He has provided expert testimony to federal and state courts, regulatory agencies, committees of Congress, foreign governments, and international organizations. His book, Public Policy Toward Cable Television, was co-authored with Matthew L. Spitzer (MIT Press, 1997).
Logistics
When
Mon 18 June, 2012 13.15 to
Wed 20 June, 2012 17.30
CET
Where
The Management Centre Europe
Rue de l'Aqueduc 118
Brussels
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