Dear colleague,
Major issues and transformations are facing the telecommunications sector in the days ahead as change, driven by technological advances and the hunger for data any time and any place, will demand speedy and workable solutions. For businesses active in or entering this sector there are significant opportunities. However, risks and challenges abound arising from the many unknowns which continue to plague a sector where the vagaries of policy and regulatory initiatives as well as changing market conditions and technology continue to play decisive roles.
For regulators and policy makers, the excitement of technological and economic progress is tempered by the need to craft policy and related regulatory frameworks that will allow a number of competing objectives to be achieved – supporting economic growth and advancement, ensuring fair rules of play among diverse competitors, determining the role and extent of foreign capital and foreign participation, keeping an eye to consumers and ensuring choice, access and fair pricing, and overseeing the many other legal and policy concerns raised in this sensitive and dynamic sector.
Staying up to date with regulatory, policy and business developments in the fast-paced telecom world is a must. New foreign investment rules have been announced, spectrum auction processes are underway, the new wireless code of conduct is being challenged, wholesale regulatory reform is under discussion, smaller players are seeking the leverage to survive, new players may be entering the field, and more changes are in the offing. These developments and more will be covered by the expert faculty.
Whether you are an integrated carrier, a wireless or wire-line carrier, an industry manufacturer or supplier, a representative of a regulatory or government body, a sector professional or consultant, this program will provide essential updates and sector analysis to support your commercial, professional and business initiatives. You will also have ample opportunities for off-line conversations with key industry and government representatives.
We look forward to seeing you in Ottawa on Oct. 28 and 29 for this timely, information-packed event.
Sincere regards,
Barbara Miller
Partner, Past Chair of the National Communications Law Practice Group
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP , Conference Co-chair
Stephen Zolf
Partner, Heenan Blaikie LLP, Conference Co-chair
The industry is undergoing significant transformation. Hear the latest on:
- The five year new entry target – where do things stand?
- New policy framework for spectrum transfer
- Balancing fairness, competition and growth objectives
- Foreign participation in the market – impact and implications
- Wireless Code of Conduct Rules and court challenges
- Wholesale review of the regulatory framework
- Meeting the challenges of rural and remote coverage
- The next generation of wireless and wireline technologies
- Capitalization and recapitalization challenges – the state of play
- What is next for fixed and mobile networks: substitution, complementarity, convergence?
- Wireless services and mobile e-Commerce – emerging business models
- Data oversight and access