Broadband at a Crossroads conference to be webcast

The Commerce Commission conference Broadband at a Crossroads being held at the Langham Hotel in Auckland on 26 and 27 February will be webcast. The webcast can be accessed on http://www.r2.co.nz/20090226

Commerce Commission Chair Paula Rebstock said, “Webcasting the conference will enable those who are not able to attend the opportunity to hear from the conference speakers. It is the Commission's view that the impact of next generation telecommunications technology on New Zealanders will be significant, and that we need to understand the implications of the changes we see coming.”

Hon Steven Joyce, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, will be delivering a Ministerial Address. The keynote international speakers include:
• Kip Meek, Chairman of the UK Broadband Stakeholder Group, an industry-government forum for tackling strategic issues across the converging broadband value chain;
• Scott Marcus, Senior Consultant at Wissenschaftliches Institut füer Kommunikationsdienste (WIK) Germany, international expert on IP interconnection;
• Jos Huigen, Director Regulatory and European Affairs, Koninklijke KPN N.V., the Dutch fixed and mobile network operator (via video conference);
• Benoit Felton, Yankee Group (Europe), discussing open access network models; and
• Robert James, Nokia Siemens, discussing whether the utility model is the optimal future approach.

Under the Telecommunications Act, the Commission has responsibility for monitoring and reporting on developments in telecommunications markets, as well as conducting studies into telecommunications matters.

A copy of the programme is available on the Commission’s website www.comcom.govt.nz  under Media Centre/Events/NGN Conference
Background
Section 9A (1) (b) of the Telecommunications Act (2001) empowers the Commerce Commission to proactively conduct inquiries, reviews and studies into any matter relating to the telecommunications industry or the long-term benefits of end-users of the telecommunications services within New Zealand. This new power enables the Commission to take a strategic view of any matter that relates to the telecommunications industry.

The Conference is part of the Commission’s Next Generation Networks (NGN) Study.
The NGN Study has five parts:

• industry questionnaire and consultation – to ascertain the current state of NGN deployment in New Zealand and understand any issues the industry may have;
• discussion paper on drivers and implications;
• Broadband at a Crossroads conference, Langham Hotel, Auckland, 26 and 27 February 2009;
• draft report, due late April 2009; and
• final report, intended for release mid-2009.

Next Generation Networks (NGN) is the term used to describe the replacement of legacy telecommunications networks such as Telecom’s PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) with new packet based all Internet Protocol (IP) networks.

The NGN study focuses on understanding the key technological developments that will emerge during the next five years and their impact on the commercial and competitive environment for telecommunications services.

Commission media releases can be viewed at www.comcom.govt.nz