The 2023 edition of The European 5G Conference took place on 13-14 March at the BluePoint, Brussels. In its 7th year, the conference has an established reputation as Brussels’ leading meeting place for discussion on 5G policy.
The rollout of 5G in Europe is gathering pace, with more than 100 5G networks now having launched across 34 markets. As we continue to edge forward towards the target of 5G deployment in all populated areas by 2030, and with ‘5G Advanced’ and the next chapter of 5G development on the horizon, this conference looked at how stakeholders can come together to tackle the challenges, embrace the opportunities, and ensure that 5G changes Europe for the better.
With a return to an in-person format, the event did, once again, provide the opportunity to hear from high-level policymakers and industry stakeholders on key themes such as investment, security, sustainability, emerging business models and connectivity. Looking back at the lessons learnt to date, and forward to the path towards 5G Advanced and 6G, the event provided a comprehensive insight into all the key policy aspects that are shaping the 5G ecosystem in Europe.
Where are we? Progress in 5G network rollout & expansion
Securing Europe’s 5G Networks and Architecture
Finding a fair and sustainable approach to finance 5G ecosystem
Harnessing 5G to help achieve Europe’s climate targets
Towards 5G Advanced and the evolution towards 6G
WRC-23 and 5G – what should be Europe’s aspirations and how can these be achieved?
Spectrum sharing and licencing in the 5G era - mid-band, mmWave and other key frequencies
Forum Europe events are where people and policy meet. We have been organising policy conferences in Brussels and around Europe since 1989. Our events provide unique insights from the people behind the policy and those seeking to influence it. Our expert team develop conference programmes with impact and provide first-class event logistics. Forum Europe is more than an event management and conference production specialist. With offices in Brussels and the UK, we operate across Europe and globally. Through our international arm, Forum Global, our events cover five continents, and engage policymakers and industry at national and regional levels around the world. Our mission is to drill down to the issues that matter, creating policy events that are ahead of the curve, facilitating frank and open debate on some of the most pressing issues facing Europe and the world today.
Analysys Mason is the world’s leading management consultancy focused on telecoms, media and technology (TMT). We give clarity and confidence in answering our clients’ biggest commercial questions: What strategy will best enhance value? What implementation plan will be most successful? What is the optimal positioning for five years’ time?
We bring together commercial and technical expertise across four interconnected consultancy practices strengthened by globally respected research.
Bio coming soon…
http://www.apritel.org/
Axon is a leading global investment and consultancy firm focused on identifying and optimising opportunities in technology and innovation.
Our consultancy team identifies opportunities, analyses and delivers strategies to support better commercial, policy and investment decisions and maximise returns for stakeholders.
Our investment team partners with outstanding entrepreneurs to drive growth and innovation in the technology space through three complementary fund strategies.
Investors and clients benefit from our unique combination of deep domain expertise, proprietary modelling capabilities and real-world insights into current market performance and future value.
https://www.axonpartnersgroup.com/
Collectively our members provide Europe’s citizens and businesses with some of the internet’s most popular products, platforms and services.
As the voice of the leading internet companies in Europe, DOT Europe prides itself on being a consensus based organisation which brings a diverse membership together to agree on their collective stance on EU tech policy.
Put simply, DOT Europe stands for an innovative, open and safe internet for Europe’s citizens and businesses.
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Industry Services and Solutions, Connectivity for Good, and Outreach.
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) operates the world’s first Globalized Network, delivering high-quality, cost-effective video and broadband services anywhere in the world. Intelsat’s Globalized Network combines the world’s largest satellite backbone with terrestrial infrastructure, managed services and an open, interoperable architecture to enable customers to drive revenue and reach through a new generation of network services. Thousands of organizations serving billions of people worldwide rely on Intelsat to provide ubiquitous broadband connectivity, multi-format video broadcasting, secure satellite communications and seamless mobility services. The end result is an entirely new world, one that allows us to envision the impossible, connect without boundaries and transform the ways in which we live.
The metaverse is the next evolution of social connection. Our company’s vision is to help bring the metaverse to life, so we are changing our name to reflect our commitment to this future.
Nokia is a global leader in creating the technologies at the heart of our connected world. Powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we serve communications service providers, governments, large enterprises and consumers, with the industry’s most complete, end-to-end portfolio of products, services and licensing. From the enabling infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of Things, to emerging applications in virtual reality and digital health, we are shaping the future of technology to transform the human experience.
The European Wireless Infrastructure Association is the European trade association of wholesale wireless infrastructure providers. Our members invest in and operate wireless infrastructure essential to the delivery of mobile voice, wireless broadband and other wireless networks. EWIA advocates policies that encourage the network infrastructure investment and deployment necessary to make advanced wireless broadband available everywhere for consumers, businesses, health care, public safety and the countless other sectors that rely on always-on wireless connections.
www.ewia.org
NERA Economic Consulting is a global firm of experts dedicated to applying economic, finance, and quantitative principles to complex business and legal challenges. For half a century, NERA’s economists have been creating strategies, studies, reports, expert testimony, and policy recommendations for government authorities and the world’s leading law firms and corporations. We bring academic rigor, objectivity, and real world industry experience to bear on issues arising from competition, regulation, public policy, strategy, finance, and litigation. NERA’s clients value our ability to apply and communicate state-of-the-art approaches clearly and convincingly, our commitment to deliver unbiased findings, and our reputation for quality and independence. Our clients rely on the integrity and skills of our unparalleled team of economists and other experts backed by the resources and reliability of one of the world’s largest economic consultancies. With its main office in New York City, NERA serves clients from more than 25 offices across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
www.nera.com
Bio coming soon…
Director, Future Networks, DG CONNECT, European Commission
Konstantinos Masselos has been appointed as the President of the Hellenic
Telecommunications and Post Commission by the Council of Ministers in
February 2018.
He received a first degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Patras,
Greece in 1994 and an MSc in VLSI Systems Engineering from University of
Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, United Kingdom in 1996.
In April 2000 he received a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from
University of Patras, Greece in cooperation with the Inter-university Micro
Electronics Centre (IMEC) in Belgium where he was a researcher from 1997 to
1999.
From 2001 to 2004 he was with Intracom Telecom S.A, Greece where he was
involved in research and development projects on the development of wireless
communication systems.
He was a lecturer in digital systems in the Department of Electrical and
Electronic Engineering of Imperial College London from 2005 to 2008.
In 2006 he joined University of Peloponnese where he is currently a Professor in
the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications and leader of the
Computer Systems research group.
At University of Peloponnese he served as Vice Rector (2010 – 2012), Head of
the Research Committee (2010 – 2013) and Rector (2012 – 2017). He has been
involved in several research and development projects and has consulting
experience with different industries, start-up companies and public
organizations. Since 2005 he is also regularly involved as an expert with
different European Commission units. He was member of the Scientific
Committee of European COoperation in Science and Technology (COST)
Organization from 2015 to 2017. His main research interests include compilers,
high level synthesis, FPGAs, high performance computing and computing
systems for space. He has authored more than 120 papers in international
journals and conferences.
Chairperson, BEREC
Bio coming soon…
Head of Unit, Electronic Communications Policy, European Commission
Peter is Head of Unit and Deputy Director, Future Networks in DG CONNECT, where he is managing the Commission’s policy on 5G communication systems and the related research and innovation programme.
Last December he has been appointed Interim Director of the newly established Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking, responsible to manage its office and implement its work programme until its autonomy.
Before his appointment to Head of Unit he has been coordinating the Digital Single Market Strategy, was Head of Sector “Spectrum Policy”, coordinating the 2012 Roaming Regulation, and the EU R&D programme leading to the 4G mobile communications standards.
Before joining the European Commission in 2004 he has occupied several engineering and management positions in industry, academia and start-ups. He holds engineering and doctoral degrees from RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
Head of Unit, Future Connectivity Systems, European Commission
Cristina is the Director of Spectrum information and analysis, Spectrum Group at Ofcom. Cristina currently leads the Spectrum Mobile Data Strategy programme with a particular focus on assessing the implications of growing demand. Prior to working on 5G, Cristina led the development of a new spectrum sharing framework, and launched Ofcom open data policy. In particular Cristina was responsible for the release of the UK Interactive spectrum map and the release of information on spectrum use in open format. Prior to joining Ofcom Cristina held various marketing and strategy roles at Telefonica O2, EE (then Orange), and Ericsson (then Red Bee Media). Cristina holds a Master Degree in Management Engineering from the Politecnico di Torino university in Italy.
Director of Spectrum Policy and Analysis
Ofcom
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 (www.anfr.fr).
In this capacity, he is responsible for preparing the revisions of the French national table of spectrum allocation and for coordinating French positions in international meetings and conferences on spectrum within ITU, CEPT and EU. He was deputy head of the French delegation for RRC-06, WRC-07, WRC-12, WRC-15 and WRC-19.
He is currently chairman of the RSPG, a high-level advisory group that assists the European Commission in the development of radio spectrum policy. He has been involved in all discussions on major evolutions of spectrum in Europe and was Chairman of the Electronic Communication Committee (CEPT/ECC) from 2013 to 2018 and of the European Conference Preparatory Group for the World Radiocommunications Conference 2012 (CPG-12).
Eric is a graduate telecom engineer from SUPELEC (France).
Chairman, RSPG
Branimir is responsible for developing and implementing EU-level policy initiatives with focus on wireless broadband and broadcasting. These relate to harmonised and flexible use of spectrum, in particular for mobile broadband, as well as a long-term strategy for the future use of UHF broadcasting spectrum, including the 700 MHz band. He has coordinated the work of the Radio Spectrum Committee.
Branimir has been working with the European Commission since 2008.
He started his professional career in 1995 at the Vodafone Chair for Mobile Communications Systems at the Dresden University, Germany. From 2000 until 2008 he worked with the companies Philips, Qimonda and Signalion in Germany in the area of wireless equipment design, manufacturing and marketing.
Branimir has a PhD degree in mobile communications from the Dresden University. He has made contributions to Wi-Fi standardization.
Head of Sector, Wireless Broadband, European Commission
Lara is currently the Project Director on Ofcom’s upcoming award of mmWave spectrum, scheduled for 2023. As a qualified lawyer, Lara has been advising on policy and regulatory aspects of spectrum, satellite and telecoms including Ofcom’s recent successful auction of 700 MHz and 3.6-3.8 GHz spectrum.
Principal Policy Advisor, Spectrum Awards, Ofcom
Bio coming soon…
Chairman, Conference Preparatory Group, CEPT
Dr. Heidi Himmanen is a Chief Advisor at the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom working in the 5G Momentum ecosystem project. 5G Momentum promotes new services and innovations based on 5G technology through trials to make Finland number one in 5G, brings together the needs and ideas of different actors, encourages cooperation, develops Finnish digital society and makes Finnish 5G-knowledge visible. Heidi has previously worked as a head of spectrum supervision and radio networks unit at the spectrum department at Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (now Traficom). She holds a Dr. Sc. degree in Communications Engineering from University of Turku and a M. Sc. degree in Communications Engineering from Helsinki University of Technology (now Aalto University).
Chief Adviser, Digital Connections
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom
Bio coming soon…
Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs, ETNO
Bio coming soon…
President, Dynamic Spectrum Alliance
Luigi Ardito is currently working as Director of government affairs for Europe, Middle East and North Africa at Qualcomm and drive Qualcomm spectrum and regulatory policy agenda in Europe and MENA dealing with various government entities and industry organizations. Prior to joining Qualcomm, Luigi worked for over a decade at Sony Corporation both in Japan and in the UK. Luigi gained also professional experience at France Telecom and at the Italian Public Broadcaster RAI.
Luigi has extensive experience in the Media and Telecom industry as well as the Semiconductor Industry gained through his assignments at Qualcomm, Sony, France Telecom and RAI. He holds an Electronic Engineering Degree gained at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy and a Master of Business Administration gained at the Henley Management College in the UK.
Senior Director Government Affairs EMEA, Qualcomm
Siada El Ramly is the Director General of DOT Europe. She has over 20 years experience in European public affairs and in particular experience in European Digital Policy having worked for the hardware and software industries in the past. Before joining DOT Europe, Siada was Secretary General of the European Software Association, Director of the AHIMA global services office, Director General of the European Federation of Independent Producers as well as Senior EU Affairs Manager at Digital Europe. She also set up her own consultancy company that provides public affairs, association management and strategic advice to interest groups.
Siada holds an MA in International Studies and Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) – University of London and a BA in Political Science – specializing in International Relations from the American University in Cairo.
Director General, DOT Europe
Bio coming soon…
Chair, Communications Working Group, EWIA
Bio coming soon…
Chief Product Security Officer, Ericsson
Janette Stewart is a Principal at Analysys Mason, specialising in wireless technology, radio spectrum management and valuation. She has nearly 25 years’ experience of working in radio engineering, spectrum policy and spectrum management through 2G to 5G. She is based in Scotland, UK. Janette began her career working for the UK spectrum regulator (now Ofcom) where she held various roles, latterly Senior Spectrum Engineer in the 3G Auction Team, responsible for determining UK spectrum plans for the 3G licence award and interacting with CEPT and ITU working groups. Since joining Analysys Mason in 2001, her 17 years of consulting experience includes advising on market opportunities within the wireless sector, technology strategy, business planning, spectrum strategy, valuation and auctions. She has worked with a wide range of public and private sector clients including national regulatory authorities and policy makers, fixed and mobile network operators, broadcasters, equipment vendors, wireless industry trade associations and spectrum users. Recent projects have included advising on 5G strategy, valuation of spectrum in 700MHz and 2.3GHz bands, 5G readiness in different world markets (in a published report for US industry association, CTIA) and a study on benefits of extending mobile coverage in the UK. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Edinburgh, UK and a Master of Science degree in radio frequency engineering from the University of Bradford, UK.
Partner, Analysys Mason
Bio coming soon…
Future Spectrum Director, GSMA
Bio coming soon…
Principal Consultant
Axon
Bio coming soon…
Partner, Arthur D. Little
Bio coming soon…
Chief Product Security Officer, Ericsson
Janette Stewart is a Principal at Analysys Mason, specialising in wireless technology, radio spectrum management and valuation. She has nearly 25 years’ experience of working in radio engineering, spectrum policy and spectrum management through 2G to 5G. She is based in Scotland, UK. Janette began her career working for the UK spectrum regulator (now Ofcom) where she held various roles, latterly Senior Spectrum Engineer in the 3G Auction Team, responsible for determining UK spectrum plans for the 3G licence award and interacting with CEPT and ITU working groups. Since joining Analysys Mason in 2001, her 17 years of consulting experience includes advising on market opportunities within the wireless sector, technology strategy, business planning, spectrum strategy, valuation and auctions. She has worked with a wide range of public and private sector clients including national regulatory authorities and policy makers, fixed and mobile network operators, broadcasters, equipment vendors, wireless industry trade associations and spectrum users. Recent projects have included advising on 5G strategy, valuation of spectrum in 700MHz and 2.3GHz bands, 5G readiness in different world markets (in a published report for US industry association, CTIA) and a study on benefits of extending mobile coverage in the UK. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Edinburgh, UK and a Master of Science degree in radio frequency engineering from the University of Bradford, UK.
Partner, Analysys Mason
Siada El Ramly is the Director General of DOT Europe. She has over 20 years experience in European public affairs and in particular experience in European Digital Policy having worked for the hardware and software industries in the past. Before joining DOT Europe, Siada was Secretary General of the European Software Association, Director of the AHIMA global services office, Director General of the European Federation of Independent Producers as well as Senior EU Affairs Manager at Digital Europe. She also set up her own consultancy company that provides public affairs, association management and strategic advice to interest groups.
Siada holds an MA in International Studies and Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) – University of London and a BA in Political Science – specializing in International Relations from the American University in Cairo.
Director General, DOT Europe
Philippe Lefebvre is responsible for the Commission’s 5G deployment strategy including policy development and economic aspects, in particular regarding the implementation of the “5G Action Plan for Europe” and EU connectivity targets.
Before his current position, he was responsible for the broadcasting sector as well as for the general secretariat of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group in the EU spectrum policy unit. He also worked in several other Commission’s departments between 1996 and 2003 including electronic commerce and financial technologies.
Prior to joining the European Commission, Philippe Lefebvre held middle management positions in the Belgian’s Generale Bank (1983-1986), as Vice President for MasterCard Europe (1987-1991), and as Director Debit Products with Visa International in the US (1992-1995).
Philippe Lefebvre was born in Luxembourg. He graduated in electrical & mechanical engineering (MS) from the Brussels University and in economics (MBA) from the same university.
Head of Sector, 5G Deployment Strategy, European Commission
Luigi Ardito is currently working as Director of government affairs for Europe, Middle East and North Africa at Qualcomm and drive Qualcomm spectrum and regulatory policy agenda in Europe and MENA dealing with various government entities and industry organizations. Prior to joining Qualcomm, Luigi worked for over a decade at Sony Corporation both in Japan and in the UK. Luigi gained also professional experience at France Telecom and at the Italian Public Broadcaster RAI.
Luigi has extensive experience in the Media and Telecom industry as well as the Semiconductor Industry gained through his assignments at Qualcomm, Sony, France Telecom and RAI. He holds an Electronic Engineering Degree gained at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy and a Master of Business Administration gained at the Henley Management College in the UK.
Senior Director Government Affairs EMEA, Qualcomm
Jonas Wessel is Director of the Spectrum Department at the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS). He is also Chair of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) for the 2018-2019 period. The RSPG is a high-level advisory group that assists the European Commission in the development of radio spectrum policy. Jonas holds a MSC from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Industrial Engineering and Management. Jonas started his professional career as a strategy consultant, working mainly with business development in the telecoms and IT-sector.
In 2003, he joined the PTS as advisor on radio spectrum policy issues. After several positions within the Agency, including responsibility for auctions, he was assigned Director of the Spectrum Department in 2014. Jonas has been one of the driving forces behind the transformation of spectrum management in Sweden and has also been working with these issues internationally, mainly through the RSPG where he has been a delegate since 2004. He was Vice Chairman of the RSPG for the 2016-2017 period.
Director, Resource Management Department, The Swedish National Post and Telecom Agency (PTS)
William is CTO at Access Partnership. He was one of the founding directors of Neul, a company developing machine-to-machine technologies and networks, which was formed at the start of 2011 and became CEO of the Weightless SIG, a body standardizing IoT technology. Prior to this William was a Director at Ofcom where he managed a team providing technical advice and performing research. He has worked for a range of communications consultancies and spent three years providing strategic management across Motorola’s entire communications portfolio, based in Chicago. He was IET President 2014-2015.
William has published 17 books, 100 papers, and 18 patents. He is a Visiting Professor at Southampton University, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the IEEE and the IET. He has been awarded multiple honorary doctorates by the UK’s leading universities and in 2018 was awarded the IET’s prestigious Mountbatten Medal for technology entrepreneurship.
CTO, Access Partnership
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 and Strategy Steering Group.
Chris is active in various European spectrum committees and currently represents the UK on the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG). He has closely engaged for the UK on a number of key European and international spectrum initiatives and led the UK delegations to WRC-15 and WRC-12.
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.
Director, International Spectrum Policy
Ofcom
Bruno leads the Wireless Technologies group within the Facebook Reality Labs (FRL) organization. This team gathers all the expertise in wireless (RF, Antenna, Design, Verification and Test, Certification, Standards, Spectrum Policy, Firmware and Systems) and owns the definition, development and validation of every wireless interface across the whole FRL product portfolio (Oculus VR, Portal, Ray-Ban Stories). Before joining Facebook Bruno spent most of his career in Europe, working for Motorola and pioneering on the 2G, 3G and 4G technologies and also on the IoT startup scene, creating groundbreaking device designs, ranging from NB-IoT connected garbage sensors to sub-GHz ultra low power animal trackers. Bruno earned a Masters Engineering in Telecommunications from the University of Cantabria, one of the leading RF and Networking colleges in Spain.
Director of Wireless - AR\VR HW
Meta
Peter is Head of Unit and Deputy Director, Future Networks in DG CONNECT, where he is managing the Commission’s policy on 5G communication systems and the related research and innovation programme.
Last December he has been appointed Interim Director of the newly established Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking, responsible to manage its office and implement its work programme until its autonomy.
Before his appointment to Head of Unit he has been coordinating the Digital Single Market Strategy, was Head of Sector “Spectrum Policy”, coordinating the 2012 Roaming Regulation, and the EU R&D programme leading to the 4G mobile communications standards.
Before joining the European Commission in 2004 he has occupied several engineering and management positions in industry, academia and start-ups. He holds engineering and doctoral degrees from RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
Head of Unit, Future Networks, DG CONNECT
European Commission
Peng is an experienced public policy executive, with focus on telecom policy and advocacy, advising governments and telecom industry globally.
Before joining OneWeb, Peng was responsible for the GSMA’s global campaign ensuring optimal licensing conditions for mobile operators. He was leading a team of policy experts across Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle-East to engage policy makers and regulators, and advocated for industry’s best practices on telecom policy. He also took part in many negotiations at ITU or regional level to gain access to additional spectrum for mobile broadband, and oversaw GSMA’s WRC-15 and WRC-19 campaign for APAC.
He recently obtained an Executive MBA at London Business School. He has an engineering background, and hold an MS in Telecommunication Systems from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne.
Besides English, he speaks French and Mandarin fluently.
Government Affairs and Policy
OneWeb
Maarit has an extensive expertise in telecoms, broadband and internet matters. She joined ETNO from the Internet Society, where she served as a Senior Manager Europe and where she has acquired strong experience of broadband policies as well as extensive links with internet and tech stakeholders.
Maarit also had direct experience of the telecoms business during her 6 years at Cisco and has developed a strong service-oriented, hands-on profile acquired in leading consultancies Interel and Schuman Associates.
She also has a strong European academic background from the College of Europe, LSE, King’s College and SciencesPo. Maarit is a Finnish national, she also speaks English and French.
Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs
ETNO
More information available shortly.
Senior Manager, Spectrum
GSMA
Bio available shortly.
Head of Market Certification and Standardisation Unit
European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA)
All times listed are in local Brussels time (CET).
Pearse O’Donohue is Director for the Future Networks Directorate of DG CONNECT at the European Commission, dealing with policy development and research supporting the Digital Single Market as regards 5G networks, IoT, cloud and data flows and conceptualising new and innovative approaches towards service platforms and Next Generation Internet. Before becoming Director, Pearse was Head of the Cloud and Software Unit in DG CONNECT, dealing with the strategic development and implementation of policy on cloud computing and software.
Until October 2014, Pearse was Deputy Head of Cabinet of Vice-President Neelie Kroes, previous European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda. He was responsible for advising the Vice-President on the development and implementation of policy on electronic communications, networks and services, as well as broadband, spectrum and other related policies such as Internet governance.
Before that, Pearse was Head of the Radio Spectrum Policy Unit in the European Commission, DG CONNECT.
Prior to joining the European Commission, Pearse held posts in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in Brussels, and as Assistant Director of the Brussels office of the Irish Business & Employers’ Confederation.
Professor Konstantinos Masselos has been appointed as the President of the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) in February 2018. He has been elected to serve as Vice-Chair of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) for 2019.
In 2006 he joined University of Peloponnese, where he is currently a Professor in Computing Systems Design in the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications. Konstantinos served as Rector of the above university the period 2012-2017. During the period 2005 to 2008, he was Lecturer in digital systems at the Imperial College London. Also from 2010 to 2016 he served as Honorary Lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, at the Imperial College London. From 2001 to 2004 he joined Intracom Telecom SA in Greece.
Konstantinos has been involved in several research and development projects and has consulting experience in industry and public organizations. Since 2005 he has been regularly involved as an expert in different European Commission units. Additionally, Konstantinos was member of the Scientific Committee of European COoperation in Science and Technology (COST) organization from 2015 to 2017. He has authored more than 120 papers in international journals and conferences.
One of the key aims of the European Commission’s ‘Path to the Digital Decade’ targets was to deploy 5G in all populated areas by 2030. Member states are working hard to deliver on this target and continuing both allocation of key 5G spectrum bands and rollout of networks. However, progress in some areas remains slow, with the situation not being helped by wider societal challenges such as rising energy costs and the cost-of-living crisis affecting sales of smartphones. June this year will see the release of the first annual ‘State of the Digital Decade’ report, which will provide an opportunity to look at the progress being made and the extent to which member states are on track. This session will take stock of the current situation around Europe and at the progress that has been made. It will look at the challenges and obstacles that remain, and at how policymakers and industry representatives need to come together to ensure that these are overcome.
• What is the latest progress with regards to the allocation of spectrum in the 5G pioneer bands across the EU and the rollout of networks in these bands?
• To what extent can it be said that member states are on track to hit the targets, and what findings and recommendations can be expected from the forthcoming ‘State of the Digital Decade’ report?
• To what extent should the Commission be looking to take action against member states deemed to be behind schedule when it comes to the targets that are being set?
• To what extent are issues of excessive red tape and bureaucracy still causing a challenge and what impact can the revision to the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive (BCRD) and the Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA) have on addressing this?
• What is the state of play with regards to the development of cross-border corridors and the technologies that are required in order to enable 5G based services to cross from one country to another?
• What should be considered as ‘5G’ within the context of the deployment targets, and how can it be ensured that the deployment that is being reported meets the key standards that should be expected?
• What work is being done to study 5G quality of service or quality of experience in networks that are being rolled out, and to what extent is there a need to continue to track these metrics into the future?
• To what extent is the impact of rising energy costs providing an obstacle for 5G deployments or leading to MNOs altering plans for network rollout (for example when considering the high energy costs relating to massive MIMO antennas required for 3.5GHz networks)?
• Where does Europe sit on the global level when it comes to 5G deployment, and how can EU and national policymakers work together to remove barriers to deployment and ensure that we maintain pace with other regions such as the US and Asia?
Ilsa Godlovitch is an expert in EU telecoms regulation and policy with more than 15 years’ experience in the sector.
Prior to working for WIK in 2012, Ilsa was a Director at the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA), where she developed and presented recommendations on public policy and telecoms regulation to the European institutions on behalf of more than 100 operators. A key research project she led during this time was the ECTA Regulatory Scorecard, which benchmarked institutional and regulatory frameworks and market outcomes for telecoms across 22 European countries.
Prior to ECTA, Ilsa was EU Affairs Director at Cable & Wireless and also supported C&W’s integrated incumbent fixed and mobile telecoms businesses internationally during a period of widespread market liberalisation.
From 1998-2002, Ilsa was senior policy advisor at the UK telecoms regulator Oftel. During that period she was responsible for Oftel’s first analysis of the broadband market, which led to the liberalisation of broadband Internet services through unbundling of the local loop. She was also responsible, together with the Ministry for trade and industry, for developing policy and negotiating on behalf of the UK Government on the 2001 EU Unbundling Regulation and 2003 EU Telecoms Framework.
Ilsa has an MA in classics from Oxford University and studied postgraduate economics at London University.
Carlota Reyners Fontana is Head of Unit of the Electronic Communications Policy unit in DG Connect at the European Commission. The unit is in charge of developing policy and regulatory initiatives in the field of Electronic Communications. The unit is actively involved in shaping the future electronic communications agenda. Previously Carlota has been leading the unit for Investments in High Capacity Networks (including developing the policy on Connecting Europe Facility and the WiFi4EU voucher scheme). Until December 2017, Carlota was Deputy Head of the Radio Spectrum Policy unit from where she led the proposals and the negotiations of the access regulation, spectrum and universal service of the European Electronic Communications Code. In 2012 – 2014, she was Member of cabinet of Vice-President Neelie Kroes, Commissioner responsible for Digital Agenda under the Barroso II Commission. She has previously worked in the Commission’s Competition Directorate General as well as a competition lawyer in a leading European telecommunications company and a Brussels based international law firm. She holds a law degree from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and a Master in European law from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Luigi Ardito is currently working as Director of government affairs for Europe, Middle East and North Africa at Qualcomm and drive Qualcomm spectrum and regulatory policy agenda in Europe and MENA dealing with various government entities and industry organizations. Prior to joining Qualcomm, Luigi worked for over a decade at Sony Corporation both in Japan and in the UK. Luigi gained also professional experience at France Telecom and at the Italian Public Broadcaster RAI.
Luigi has extensive experience in the Media and Telecom industry as well as the Semiconductor Industry gained through his assignments at Qualcomm, Sony, France Telecom and RAI. He holds an Electronic Engineering Degree gained at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy and a Master of Business Administration gained at the Henley Management College in the UK.
The Luxembourg-based 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. He‘s now responsible for SES regulatory affairs (advocacy and licensing) in Europe, Africa and Middle East.
Cécil looks back at more than 20 years of experience in dealing with regulatory affairs, specialised in ICT regulations for media and telecommunications. His dedicated expertise covers the supervision and impact of telecoms legislations and spectrum policies, in the context of increased liberalisation in radio frequency management and usage.
Cécil has been the chairperson of the working group on regulation in ESOA (EMEA Satellite Operators Association) for several years. In this capacity, he represents the satellite sector for the development of electronic communications regulation in Europe, Africa and Middle East, and he defends the interests of the space industry in multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations between the EU and the rest of the world.
As an active member of the Global VSAT Forum (GVF), Cécil Ameil is also contributing to the coordination of the satellite sector‘s efforts to defend access to and usage of essential radio spectrum at regional and ITU levels (including for WRCs).
A French national living in Belgium for years, Cécil is married and the father of 3 boys. He performs theatre and music as amateur.
Through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), Connecting Europe Facility Digital programme (CEF Digital) and other investment mechanisms, Europe is making an unprecedented level of public financing available in order to help drive forward the development of network infrastructures and boost 5G network rollout. Despite this, Europe still faces an investment gap in both private and public funding when compared to other regions. And with construction and energy costs related to the deployment of networks spiralling, telecom operators across Europe are stating that there is an urgent need for additional funding to deliver and maintain a long-term sustainable 5G ecosystem. They argue that part of this financial burden should be met by BigTech firms, who contribute a large proportion of the internet traffic that is seen. With a European Commission consultation around this issue scheduled for early 2023, this session will examine the arguments for and against this ‘fair contribution’ debate, and also focus on funding elements more broadly to explore the work that is being done to deliver the necessary public and private funding for 5G, and ultimately the best and fairest way forward to fund 5G and Europe’s digital future.
Clément Perarnaud is a Research fellow in the Global Governance, Regulation, Innovation, Digital Economy (GRID) unit at CEPS. He is also an associate researcher at the Centre on Digitalisation, Democracy and Innovation (CD2I-VUB) in Brussels and a member of the working group on internet governance of the Center Internet et Société (CIS-CNRS, Paris).
Expert in negotiation processes, EU governance and digital policy-making with over ten years of professional experience, Clément has provided research and advisory services to various research institutions and universities.
As a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University Pompeu Fabra, Clément successfully carried out a research project focusing on the determinants of EU Member States’ influence in negotiations of the Council of the EU. This research investigated the informal processes by which member states and EU institutions formulate and advance political preferences at the European level. The research outputs of this project have been published in leading academic journals such as the Internet Policy Review and the Journal of European Public Policy.
He has extensive experience in data collection and analysis across EU countries, including conducting interviews and survey. As part of his Ph.D. thesis, he conducted more than 140 semi-structured interviews with EU negotiators and Member States’ diplomats in Brussels.
Previously as a scientific coordinator of a French research institute in Tunisia between 2014 and 2016, Clément also gained extensive experience in designing and managing EU-funded research projects, having directly contributed to a successful ERC Advanced Grant application (TARICA) and H2020 project (EUNPACK).
Mother tongue French, he is fluent in English and Spanish.
Peter is Head of Unit and Deputy Director, Future Networks in DG CONNECT, where he is managing the Commission’s policy on 5G communication systems and the related research and innovation programme.
Last December he has been appointed Interim Director of the newly established Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking, responsible to manage its office and implement its work programme until its autonomy.
Before his appointment to Head of Unit he has been coordinating the Digital Single Market Strategy, was Head of Sector “Spectrum Policy”, coordinating the 2012 Roaming Regulation, and the EU R&D programme leading to the 4G mobile communications standards.
Before joining the European Commission in 2004 he has occupied several engineering and management positions in industry, academia and start-ups. He holds engineering and doctoral degrees from RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
Maarit has an extensive expertise in telecoms, broadband and internet matters. She joined ETNO from the Internet Society, where she served as a Senior Manager Europe and where she has acquired strong experience of broadband policies as well as extensive links with internet and tech stakeholders.
Maarit also had direct experience of the telecoms business during her 6 years at Cisco and has developed a strong service-oriented, hands-on profile acquired in leading consultancies Interel and Schuman Associates.
She also has a strong European academic background from the College of Europe, LSE, King’s College and SciencesPo. Maarit is a Finnish national, she also speaks English and French.
David is a Partner in Analysys Mason’s London office. Since joining the firm in 2004, he has advised clients on cutting-edge topics including public policy, economic regulation, corporate strategy, due diligence and corporate finance. He has worked in over 30 countries across the world – previously based in our offices in Singapore and Milan, he continues to serve clients worldwide.
David also leads our internet initiative. In this role, one of his key areas of interest is the convergence of, and interactions between, the online world, telecoms networks and media content. He leads engagements with internet companies and policy makers on fast-moving, complex topics at the interface of technology, media and telecoms.
David is a graduate from Télécom Paris (France), and obtained a Diploma in Management Studies from Imperial College London (UK).
Europe is continuing to lead the way when it comes to delivering a framework that secures 5G networks and architecture. Work continues on the implementation of the recommendations made by the EU Toolbox on 5G Cybersecurity, and alongside this, Member States, with the support of the European Commission and ENISA, earlier this year published a report providing an in-depth analysis of the security implications of Open RAN. In addition, the details of a new 5G cyber certification scheme are expected to be finalised by ENISA this year. This session will explore the collaborative efforts that are continuing across Europe to bolster cybersecurity and to counter the vastly expanded threat landscape resulting from the roll out of 5G. It will look at how specific 5G related security initiatives fit within the context of Europe’s broader cyber security framework, and at the work that is being done alongside international partners to secure the global supply chain.
Dr. Andreas Mitrakas is Head of Unit “Market, Certification & Standardisation” in the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). He co-chairs the Stakeholders Cybersecurity Certification Group (SCCG).
Prior to joining ENISA, Andreas served as General Counsel in Globalsign and as a Senior Counsel in Verizon and Ubizen.
Andreas is a qualified lawyer and holds a doctorate in Law from Erasmus University of Rotterdam, a M.Sc. in Strategic Quality Management, from University of Portsmouth a LL.M. in Computer science and Law from Queen’s University of Belfast and a first degree in Law from University of Athens.
Miguel González-Sancho is Head of the Unit “Cybersecurity Technology and Capacity Building” at the European Commission and interim Executive Director of the “European Cybersecurity Competence Centre”. He is mainly responsible for EU funding on cybersecurity research and deployment, EU policy on 5G and supply chain cybersecurity, cybersecurity certification, EU policy on cyber threat detection and response, and relations with the European Cybersecurity Agency-ENISA.
Mikko Karikytö is the Chief Product Security Officer (CPSO) & Head of Product Security for Ericsson with accountability for security requirements, standards, strategy and architecture, related to product development and management, and overall accountability of product security and product privacy.
He is senior advisor on Product and Solution Security to the CTO, and other executive Ericsson leaders. Mikko has previously worked as Head of Network Security and Head of PSIRT (Product Security Incident Response Team) responding, investigating and solving cyber security incidents and breaches with Ericsson customers globally.
Mikko has also engaged in industry collaboration through organizations like ETIS, FIRST and EU Commission work groups. He has also provided Subject Matter Expertise for committee hearings of the UK parliament and the German Bundestag in 5G Security.
At the recent COP27 Summit, Frans Timmermans announced that Europe is raising its 2030 target of reducing gas emissions from 55% to 57%. With a recent study claiming that at least 40 percent of the bloc’s carbon reduction solutions will rely on fixed-line and mobile connectivity, 5G is set to play a crucial role in hitting these targets. From smart cities and optimized buildings to streamlined transport networks, real-time monitoring and energy management systems to increased efficiency of inventory stocks and manufacturing – if harnessed in the right way then 5G offers the potential to enable organizations and communities everywhere to reduce our carbon footprint and move towards a more sustainable economy. At the same time however, rollout of 5G networks will also require millions of new cell antennas and billions of new devices, which initially has the potential to actually increase energy consumption and contribute to the climate change problem. This session will explore the impact of 5G on climate change from both angles. It will look at the work that is being done to mitigate the impact of 5G rollout on the environment; and crucially, explore the potential that 5G and the new use cases that it will enable can help play a role in helping Europe in meeting ambitious national and EU-wide 2030 goals for decarbonization.
Lara Connaughton leads the sustainability work at ComReg, the Irish Commission for Communications Regulation, as part of the International Unit. She is also a lead drafter of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) Working Group for environmental sustainability, and the Irish delegate for the OECD Working Party on Communication Infrastructure and Services Policy (WPCISP). Prior to joining ComReg, she was a research analyst at the EU institution, ECA, in Luxembourg and previously worked in investor relations at Blackstone in London. Lara is a Schwarzman Scholar with a masters in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University, Beijing.
Jean-Pierre Faisan is head of the communications working group of the European Wireless Infrastructure Association, where he represents TDF as senior policy advisor.
A graduate of Ecole Polytechnique Paris and of Telecom Paris, he has more than 34 years of experience in the field of satellite, broadcast and mobile networks in France and in the USA. He has held a variety of R&D, operational and managerial positions at Satellite Systems Engineering, INTELSAT, CCETT (now Orange labs), Sofratev and Gobé, and TDF.
He is since 8 years founder and managing director of Leader Wave, a consultancy specialized in telecommunications and spectrum policy.
Janette Stewart is a Partner at Analysys Mason, specialising in wireless technology, radio spectrum management and valuation. She has nearly 25 years’ experience of working in radio engineering, spectrum policy and spectrum management through 2G to 5G. She is based in Scotland, UK. Janette began her career working for the UK spectrum regulator (now Ofcom) where she held various roles, latterly Senior Spectrum Engineer in the 3G Auction Team, responsible for determining UK spectrum plans for the 3G licence award and interacting with CEPT and ITU working groups. Since joining Analysys Mason in 2001, her 17 years of consulting experience includes advising on market opportunities within the wireless sector, technology strategy, business planning, spectrum strategy, valuation and auctions. She has worked with a wide range of public and private sector clients including national regulatory authorities and policy makers, fixed and mobile network operators, broadcasters, equipment vendors, wireless industry trade associations and spectrum users. Recent projects have included advising on 5G strategy, valuation of spectrum in 700MHz and 2.3GHz bands, 5G readiness in different world markets (in a published report for US industry association, CTIA) and a study on benefits of extending mobile coverage in the UK. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Edinburgh, UK and a Master of Science degree in radio frequency engineering from the University of Bradford, UK.
5G Advanced is seen as the next major chapter of 5G development and is expected to deliver a whole new wave of new solutions and technology components. Amongst other things, it is expected to significantly improve the ways in which 5G can support AI and machine learning, which in turn has the potential to lead to more intelligent network management and improved performance of complicated, multi-antenna systems. This session will look at the differences that the emergence of 5G Advanced and AI-powered networks could make, the new features and enhancements that could emerge and the likely timeframe for this both in Europe and elsewhere.
Marc Eschenburg has worked in the telecoms industry since 2008 advising fixed and mobile operators as well as regulators and other government bodies on a wide range of commercial, technical and regulatory issues. He has been very active in the area of radio spectrum policy, advising more than 30 operators worldwide on their spectrum strategy and assisting them to value spectrum ahead of spectrum auctions. In addition, he has worked with regulators and industry bodies on key spectrum management issues, including work on incentive pricing, forecasting future spectrum demand and identifying measures of efficient spectrum use. Further to his work on spectrum, Marc advises clients ahead of major market transactions and has carried out various projects on next-generation broadband as well as in the TV and media space. Marc holds a Masters in Infonomics from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
Bart is Head of Sector in the EIC Pathfinder Unit in the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) since 2021. After Project Officer positions in the Security and Trust Unit and Photonics Unit in DG CONNECT, he was seconded to the Research Executive Agency (REA) in 2017 as Head of Sector in the Future and Emerging Technologies Unit. Before joining the European Commission in 2005 he has occupied several engineering and managerial positions in the mobile operator sector in network engineering and security. He holds engineering and doctoral degrees from Gent University, Belgium.
Dr. Heidi Himmanen is a Chief Adviser at the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom. Her tasks include promoting the uptake of 5G in different sectors of the society, such as transport, cities and industry. The work includes supporting trials, innovation and R&D, bridging the needs of verticals and the development work in spectrum management. Heidi has previously worked as Head of Spectrum Supervision and Head of Radio Networks Unit at Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (today Traficom). She holds a D. Sc. (Tech.) degree in Telecommunications Engineering from University of Turku, Finland, and a M. Sc. (Tech.) degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Helsinki University of Technology (today Aalto University), Finland.
From the identification of early visions and technical goals through to eventual commercial deployment, the development of any new generation in wireless technology is broadly thought to have a 10 year cycle process. The path towards 5G in Europe can be said to have begun in 2012 with the launch of Project METIS – a multi stakeholder initiative, formed with the objective of laying the foundation of 5G. Now, just over a decade on and with 5G an established commercial reality, this interactive session will offer the opportunity to look back on the different phases of the 5G ‘cycle’, to discuss the successes and the failures, and as we move forward, look at the lessons that can be learnt.
Marc Eschenburg has worked in the telecoms industry since 2008 advising fixed and mobile operators as well as regulators and other government bodies on a wide range of commercial, technical and regulatory issues. He has been very active in the area of radio spectrum policy, advising more than 30 operators worldwide on their spectrum strategy and assisting them to value spectrum ahead of spectrum auctions. In addition, he has worked with regulators and industry bodies on key spectrum management issues, including work on incentive pricing, forecasting future spectrum demand and identifying measures of efficient spectrum use. Further to his work on spectrum, Marc advises clients ahead of major market transactions and has carried out various projects on next-generation broadband as well as in the TV and media space. Marc holds a Masters in Infonomics from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
Dr. Soren Sorensen is an Associate Director in NERA’s Auction Group with more than 10 years’ consulting experience, whose work spans spectrum auctions in more than 25 countries, and includes auction design and auction implementation for regulators as well as advice on bidding strategies for mobile operators.
Telecom companies have invested heavily to roll out 5G services in countries across Europe, and there is now increasing pressure on them to explore new service offerings and business models in order to start seeing a return on these investments. At the same time, 5G is seeing the emergence of innovative new market entrants and shifting dynamics in the relationships between key industry players. Against this backdrop, this session will examine how traditional telco business models and the overall connectivity landscape is evolving in a 5G world. It will examine the changes that 5G is bringing to both the telecom ecosystem, and also to the way in which connectivity providers are interacting with both their customers and other technology providers. It will look at the opportunities that 5G offers for telecom and technology companies, and the best and fairest way forward in order to ensure the emergence of a long-term sustainable ecosystem that delivers economic value for them all.
Cristina is the Director of Spectrum information and analysis, Spectrum Group at Ofcom. Cristina currently leads the Spectrum Mobile Data Strategy programme with a particular focus on assessing the implications of growing demand. Prior to working on 5G, Cristina led the development of a new spectrum sharing framework, and launched Ofcom open data policy. In particular Cristina was responsible for the release of the UK Interactive spectrum map and the release of information on spectrum use in open format. Prior to joining Ofcom Cristina held various marketing and strategy roles at Telefonica O2, EE (then Orange), and Ericsson (then Red Bee Media). Cristina holds a Master Degree in Management Engineering from the Politecnico di Torino university in Italy.
More information available shortly.
WRC-23 will see decisions made on a number of bands that are seen as hugely important for the evolution of 5G and beyond. The final conference preparatory meeting (CPM23-2) is due to take place just a few weeks following this conference, with WRC-23 itself now less than a year away. Europe, as well as the rest of the world, are moving towards their final preparations – the final opinion from RSPG was agreed at the end of 2022 and is now with the European Commission as it looks to finalise its proposal for a Council decision which will feed CEPT European common proposals to be adopted in May or September 2023. This session will take stock on the key agenda items related to spectrum for 5G and look at the positions that are emerging. It will discuss what Europe should be aiming for in terms of its key aims and objectives, and discuss the best way forward in order to ensure a successful WRC that meets the growing connectivity needs of 5G and other related technologies.
Marc Eschenburg has worked in the telecoms industry since 2008 advising fixed and mobile operators as well as regulators and other government bodies on a wide range of commercial, technical and regulatory issues. He has been very active in the area of radio spectrum policy, advising more than 30 operators worldwide on their spectrum strategy and assisting them to value spectrum ahead of spectrum auctions. In addition, he has worked with regulators and industry bodies on key spectrum management issues, including work on incentive pricing, forecasting future spectrum demand and identifying measures of efficient spectrum use. Further to his work on spectrum, Marc advises clients ahead of major market transactions and has carried out various projects on next-generation broadband as well as in the TV and media space. Marc holds a Masters in Infonomics from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
Glyn Carter’s expertise spans a range of areas, including technology strategy, spectrum and other regulatory issues, standards, and the specification and procurement of voice and data terminals and services. Glyn’s knowledge of mobile telecoms technologies includes LTE, UMTS/HSPA, CDMA/EV-DO, GSM/GPRS and TETRA.
Glyn currently works in the Future Spectrum team at GSMA, preparing for the next ITU World Radio Communication Conference (WRC). In particular, Glyn is developing technical studies into compatibility and sharing between mobile and other services in spectrum bands. Before joining the GSMA in February 2012, Glyn spent over 10 years working for mobile operators in countries including Portugal, Romania and the UK.
As a consultant, Glyn has participated in numerous projects for regulators, operators and users of telecommunications, including replanning the radio spectrum in South Africa and other spectrum management projects for regulators in the UK, Japan, Sweden and Jordan. Glyn also undertook spectrum compatibility studies in CEPT and was editor of ECC Report 42 on spectrum efficiency. Before this, Glyn designed communication terminal products for Racal Electronics. Glyn has a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and a PhD in cryptography from London University.
Martha Suarez was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia. She received her degree as Electronics Engineer from the Universidad Industrial de Santander in 2004. During her undergraduate studies she participated in an exchange program with the Ecole Superieure Chimie Physique Electronique de Lyon, France in 2001. She received her master degree in high frequency communication systems from the University of Marne-la-Vallee, France in 2006 and her Ph.D. degree from the University Paris-Est in 2009. She joined the department of Telecommunications and Signal Processing at the École Supérieure d’Ingénieurs en Électronique et Électrotechnique de Paris ESIEE and the Esycom Research Center where she worked on wireless transmitter architectures. In 2011 she was awarded with a Marie Curie Fellowship and worked at the Instytut Technologii Elektronowej ITE in Poland for the Partnership for Cognitive Radio Par4CR European Project. Her research interests were in the areas of wireless system architectures and the design of high performance Radio Frequency RF transceivers. Since 2013 she joined the National Spectrum Agency in Colombia, ANE, where she worked as Senior Adviser to the General Director and supported international activities of the Agency. Afterwards, in December 2015, she became the General Director of ANE and continued promoting the efficient use of the Spectrum and the mobile broadband connectivity in Colombia. Since the 1st of May 2019, Martha Suarez is the President of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance DSA, a global organization advocating for laws and regulations that will lead to more efficient and effective spectrum utilization, which is essential to addressing key worldwide social and economic challenges.
As we have moved beyond the initial launch phase of 5G, mid-band frequencies have become the main focus of the mobile industry when it comes to identifying additional spectrum that they say is now required for 5G growth in urban areas. A recent GSMA report stated that an average of 2GHz of mid-band spectrum is required to meet the needs of 5G, identifying the 3.5 GHz, 4.8 GHz and 6 GHz frequencies as providing options to deliver this. At the same time however, spectrum in the mid-band ranges is seen as essential for key users such as satellite and military, and for the delivery and expansion of WiFi. This session will look at how much additional spectrum in the mid-band frequencies is actually needed for the growth and evolution of 5G, and at the extent to which the need for the identification of new spectrum can be offset by refarming or increasing efficiency in existing bands. Ultimately, it will discuss the long-term balance that we should be looking to deliver in mid-band frequencies between 5G and other users, and at how the needs of all key users can be met.
An engineer with broad experience in the telecoms and technology sectors, Andy has a particular interest in spectrum (auctions and valuation) and the impact of new technology (5G, AI, IoT and Big Data).
Andy spent 12 years at Vodafone, where he held various senior product development and corporate strategy roles. As Head of Spectrum, he was responsible for managing spectrum policy and auctions across the Vodafone Group. He led over twenty spectrum auctions around the world (including Turkey, Italy, Germany, India, Spain, Italy, Greece, Australia, Romania, NL and UK) from strategy/business case development to Plc. Board level sign-off and in-country implementation.
He was formerly a management consultant, has launched an internet payments and encryption company and worked as a research scientist at Sharp Laboratories of Europe and Sony Corporation, based in Japan. He has a doctorate in Engineering Science from Oxford University and an MBA. He is a frequent invited speaker at international conferences.
Dr. Heidi Himmanen is a Chief Adviser at the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom. Her tasks include promoting the uptake of 5G in different sectors of the society, such as transport, cities and industry. The work includes supporting trials, innovation and R&D, bridging the needs of verticals and the development work in spectrum management. Heidi has previously worked as Head of Spectrum Supervision and Head of Radio Networks Unit at Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (today Traficom). She holds a D. Sc. (Tech.) degree in Telecommunications Engineering from University of Turku, Finland, and a M. Sc. (Tech.) degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Helsinki University of Technology (today Aalto University), Finland.
Alexander Kuhn is a Senior Government Official at the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA).
He is Head of Spectrum. He lead the European countries (CEPT) at WRC 2015 and 2019.
Guillaume is a Public Policy Manager in Facebook’s Connectivity & Access group focusing on global spectrum policy issues. Guillaume is focusing on how different technologies like 5G, WiFi and satellites can help solve the world’s connectivity challenges. Guillaume has more than 10 years of experience in the spectrum management arena, working previously at Airbus and Qualcomm. Guillaume received a PhD from Victoria University (Melbourne, Australia) and an Engineering Degree from Telecom Paris (Paris, France).
The high capacity and ultrafast speeds of mmWave spectrum meant that it was initially seen as a critical part of the spectrum mix for 5G. Technical propagation challenges however have meant that the interest in these high frequency bands is not at the level that was initially expected – the 26GHz band was one of the EU’s initial ‘pioneer’ bands for 5G, but many member states have still not yet licenced spectrum in the band or made it available. This has raised the question of whether regulators should be considering alternative licencing approaches when allocating spectrum in the mmWave frequencies, and whether the option of lightly licensed or unlicensed models might be an approach that kick-starts interest and allows for a broader range of 5G business cases. One new approach that is being proposed is in the UK where Ofcom have recently held a consultation in which they propose a split approach to authorising mmWave spectrum, offering auctioned citywide mobile licences only in major cities and making local spectrum licences available on a first come, first served basis everywhere else. Against this backdrop, this session will explore whether there is a need for a more flexible approach to licencing spectrum in the mmWave frequencies, and at the potential impact this may have both for 5G rollout in the bands and also on other key users.
Dr. Soren Sorensen is an Associate Director in NERA’s Auction Group with more than 10 years’ consulting experience, whose work spans spectrum auctions in more than 25 countries, and includes auction design and auction implementation for regulators as well as advice on bidding strategies for mobile operators.
Branimir is responsible for developing and implementing EU-level policy initiatives with focus on wireless broadband and 5G. These relate to the harmonised and flexible use of spectrum, in particular for mobile broadband and vertical applications as well as a long-term strategy for the long-term use of UHF broadcasting spectrum.
Branimir has been working with the European Commission since 2008. He started his professional career in 1995 at the Vodafone Chair for Mobile Communications Systems at the Dresden University, Germany. From 2000 until 2008 he worked with the companies Philips, Qimonda and Signalion in Germany in the area of wireless equipment design, manufacturing and marketing.
Branimir has a PhD degree in mobile communications from the Dresden University. He has contributions to Wi-Fi standardisation.
Jonas Wessel is Director of the Spectrum Department at the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS). Jonas holds a MSC from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Industrial Engineering and Management. Jonas started his professional career as a strategy consultant, working mainly with business development in the telecoms and IT-sector.
In 2003, he joined the PTS as advisor on radio spectrum policy issues. After several positions within the Agency, including responsibility for auctions, he was assigned Director of the Spectrum Department in 2014. Jonas has been one of the driving forces behind the transformation of spectrum management in Sweden and has also been working with these issues internationally, mainly through the RSPG where he has been a delegate since 2004. He was Vice Chairman of the RSPG for the 2016-2017 period and Chair for the 2018-2019 period. The RSPG is a high-level advisory group that assists the European Commission in the development of radio spectrum policy.
Pearse O’Donohue is Director for the Future Networks Directorate of DG CONNECT at the European Commission, dealing with policy development and research supporting the Digital Single Market as regards 5G networks, IoT, cloud and data flows and conceptualising new and innovative approaches towards service platforms and Next Generation Internet. Before becoming Director, Pearse was Head of the Cloud and Software Unit in DG CONNECT, dealing with the strategic development and implementation of policy on cloud computing and software.
Until October 2014, Pearse was Deputy Head of Cabinet of Vice-President Neelie Kroes, previous European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda. He was responsible for advising the Vice-President on the development and implementation of policy on electronic communications, networks and services, as well as broadband, spectrum and other related policies such as Internet governance.
Before that, Pearse was Head of the Radio Spectrum Policy Unit in the European Commission, DG CONNECT.
Prior to joining the European Commission, Pearse held posts in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in Brussels, and as Assistant Director of the Brussels office of the Irish Business & Employers’ Confederation.
Professor Konstantinos Masselos has been appointed as the President of the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) in February 2018. He has been elected to serve as Vice-Chair of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) for 2019.
In 2006 he joined University of Peloponnese, where he is currently a Professor in Computing Systems Design in the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications. Konstantinos served as Rector of the above university the period 2012-2017. During the period 2005 to 2008, he was Lecturer in digital systems at the Imperial College London. Also from 2010 to 2016 he served as Honorary Lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, at the Imperial College London. From 2001 to 2004 he joined Intracom Telecom SA in Greece.
Konstantinos has been involved in several research and development projects and has consulting experience in industry and public organizations. Since 2005 he has been regularly involved as an expert in different European Commission units. Additionally, Konstantinos was member of the Scientific Committee of European COoperation in Science and Technology (COST) organization from 2015 to 2017. He has authored more than 120 papers in international journals and conferences.
One of the key aims of the European Commission’s ‘Path to the Digital Decade’ targets was to deploy 5G in all populated areas by 2030. Member states are working hard to deliver on this target and continuing both allocation of key 5G spectrum bands and rollout of networks. However, progress in some areas remains slow, with the situation not being helped by wider societal challenges such as rising energy costs and the cost-of-living crisis affecting sales of smartphones. June this year will see the release of the first annual ‘State of the Digital Decade’ report, which will provide an opportunity to look at the progress being made and the extent to which member states are on track. This session will take stock of the current situation around Europe and at the progress that has been made. It will look at the challenges and obstacles that remain, and at how policymakers and industry representatives need to come together to ensure that these are overcome.
• What is the latest progress with regards to the allocation of spectrum in the 5G pioneer bands across the EU and the rollout of networks in these bands?
• To what extent can it be said that member states are on track to hit the targets, and what findings and recommendations can be expected from the forthcoming ‘State of the Digital Decade’ report?
• To what extent should the Commission be looking to take action against member states deemed to be behind schedule when it comes to the targets that are being set?
• To what extent are issues of excessive red tape and bureaucracy still causing a challenge and what impact can the revision to the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive (BCRD) and the Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA) have on addressing this?
• What is the state of play with regards to the development of cross-border corridors and the technologies that are required in order to enable 5G based services to cross from one country to another?
• What should be considered as ‘5G’ within the context of the deployment targets, and how can it be ensured that the deployment that is being reported meets the key standards that should be expected?
• What work is being done to study 5G quality of service or quality of experience in networks that are being rolled out, and to what extent is there a need to continue to track these metrics into the future?
• To what extent is the impact of rising energy costs providing an obstacle for 5G deployments or leading to MNOs altering plans for network rollout (for example when considering the high energy costs relating to massive MIMO antennas required for 3.5GHz networks)?
• Where does Europe sit on the global level when it comes to 5G deployment, and how can EU and national policymakers work together to remove barriers to deployment and ensure that we maintain pace with other regions such as the US and Asia?
Ilsa Godlovitch is an expert in EU telecoms regulation and policy with more than 15 years’ experience in the sector.
Prior to working for WIK in 2012, Ilsa was a Director at the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA), where she developed and presented recommendations on public policy and telecoms regulation to the European institutions on behalf of more than 100 operators. A key research project she led during this time was the ECTA Regulatory Scorecard, which benchmarked institutional and regulatory frameworks and market outcomes for telecoms across 22 European countries.
Prior to ECTA, Ilsa was EU Affairs Director at Cable & Wireless and also supported C&W’s integrated incumbent fixed and mobile telecoms businesses internationally during a period of widespread market liberalisation.
From 1998-2002, Ilsa was senior policy advisor at the UK telecoms regulator Oftel. During that period she was responsible for Oftel’s first analysis of the broadband market, which led to the liberalisation of broadband Internet services through unbundling of the local loop. She was also responsible, together with the Ministry for trade and industry, for developing policy and negotiating on behalf of the UK Government on the 2001 EU Unbundling Regulation and 2003 EU Telecoms Framework.
Ilsa has an MA in classics from Oxford University and studied postgraduate economics at London University.
Carlota Reyners Fontana is Head of Unit of the Electronic Communications Policy unit in DG Connect at the European Commission. The unit is in charge of developing policy and regulatory initiatives in the field of Electronic Communications. The unit is actively involved in shaping the future electronic communications agenda. Previously Carlota has been leading the unit for Investments in High Capacity Networks (including developing the policy on Connecting Europe Facility and the WiFi4EU voucher scheme). Until December 2017, Carlota was Deputy Head of the Radio Spectrum Policy unit from where she led the proposals and the negotiations of the access regulation, spectrum and universal service of the European Electronic Communications Code. In 2012 – 2014, she was Member of cabinet of Vice-President Neelie Kroes, Commissioner responsible for Digital Agenda under the Barroso II Commission. She has previously worked in the Commission’s Competition Directorate General as well as a competition lawyer in a leading European telecommunications company and a Brussels based international law firm. She holds a law degree from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and a Master in European law from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Luigi Ardito is currently working as Director of government affairs for Europe, Middle East and North Africa at Qualcomm and drive Qualcomm spectrum and regulatory policy agenda in Europe and MENA dealing with various government entities and industry organizations. Prior to joining Qualcomm, Luigi worked for over a decade at Sony Corporation both in Japan and in the UK. Luigi gained also professional experience at France Telecom and at the Italian Public Broadcaster RAI.
Luigi has extensive experience in the Media and Telecom industry as well as the Semiconductor Industry gained through his assignments at Qualcomm, Sony, France Telecom and RAI. He holds an Electronic Engineering Degree gained at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy and a Master of Business Administration gained at the Henley Management College in the UK.
The Luxembourg-based 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. He‘s now responsible for SES regulatory affairs (advocacy and licensing) in Europe, Africa and Middle East.
Cécil looks back at more than 20 years of experience in dealing with regulatory affairs, specialised in ICT regulations for media and telecommunications. His dedicated expertise covers the supervision and impact of telecoms legislations and spectrum policies, in the context of increased liberalisation in radio frequency management and usage.
Cécil has been the chairperson of the working group on regulation in ESOA (EMEA Satellite Operators Association) for several years. In this capacity, he represents the satellite sector for the development of electronic communications regulation in Europe, Africa and Middle East, and he defends the interests of the space industry in multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations between the EU and the rest of the world.
As an active member of the Global VSAT Forum (GVF), Cécil Ameil is also contributing to the coordination of the satellite sector‘s efforts to defend access to and usage of essential radio spectrum at regional and ITU levels (including for WRCs).
A French national living in Belgium for years, Cécil is married and the father of 3 boys. He performs theatre and music as amateur.
Through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), Connecting Europe Facility Digital programme (CEF Digital) and other investment mechanisms, Europe is making an unprecedented level of public financing available in order to help drive forward the development of network infrastructures and boost 5G network rollout. Despite this, Europe still faces an investment gap in both private and public funding when compared to other regions. And with construction and energy costs related to the deployment of networks spiralling, telecom operators across Europe are stating that there is an urgent need for additional funding to deliver and maintain a long-term sustainable 5G ecosystem. They argue that part of this financial burden should be met by BigTech firms, who contribute a large proportion of the internet traffic that is seen. With a European Commission consultation around this issue scheduled for early 2023, this session will examine the arguments for and against this ‘fair contribution’ debate, and also focus on funding elements more broadly to explore the work that is being done to deliver the necessary public and private funding for 5G, and ultimately the best and fairest way forward to fund 5G and Europe’s digital future.
Clément Perarnaud is a Research fellow in the Global Governance, Regulation, Innovation, Digital Economy (GRID) unit at CEPS. He is also an associate researcher at the Centre on Digitalisation, Democracy and Innovation (CD2I-VUB) in Brussels and a member of the working group on internet governance of the Center Internet et Société (CIS-CNRS, Paris).
Expert in negotiation processes, EU governance and digital policy-making with over ten years of professional experience, Clément has provided research and advisory services to various research institutions and universities.
As a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University Pompeu Fabra, Clément successfully carried out a research project focusing on the determinants of EU Member States’ influence in negotiations of the Council of the EU. This research investigated the informal processes by which member states and EU institutions formulate and advance political preferences at the European level. The research outputs of this project have been published in leading academic journals such as the Internet Policy Review and the Journal of European Public Policy.
He has extensive experience in data collection and analysis across EU countries, including conducting interviews and survey. As part of his Ph.D. thesis, he conducted more than 140 semi-structured interviews with EU negotiators and Member States’ diplomats in Brussels.
Previously as a scientific coordinator of a French research institute in Tunisia between 2014 and 2016, Clément also gained extensive experience in designing and managing EU-funded research projects, having directly contributed to a successful ERC Advanced Grant application (TARICA) and H2020 project (EUNPACK).
Mother tongue French, he is fluent in English and Spanish.
Peter is Head of Unit and Deputy Director, Future Networks in DG CONNECT, where he is managing the Commission’s policy on 5G communication systems and the related research and innovation programme.
Last December he has been appointed Interim Director of the newly established Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking, responsible to manage its office and implement its work programme until its autonomy.
Before his appointment to Head of Unit he has been coordinating the Digital Single Market Strategy, was Head of Sector “Spectrum Policy”, coordinating the 2012 Roaming Regulation, and the EU R&D programme leading to the 4G mobile communications standards.
Before joining the European Commission in 2004 he has occupied several engineering and management positions in industry, academia and start-ups. He holds engineering and doctoral degrees from RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
Maarit has an extensive expertise in telecoms, broadband and internet matters. She joined ETNO from the Internet Society, where she served as a Senior Manager Europe and where she has acquired strong experience of broadband policies as well as extensive links with internet and tech stakeholders.
Maarit also had direct experience of the telecoms business during her 6 years at Cisco and has developed a strong service-oriented, hands-on profile acquired in leading consultancies Interel and Schuman Associates.
She also has a strong European academic background from the College of Europe, LSE, King’s College and SciencesPo. Maarit is a Finnish national, she also speaks English and French.
David is a Partner in Analysys Mason’s London office. Since joining the firm in 2004, he has advised clients on cutting-edge topics including public policy, economic regulation, corporate strategy, due diligence and corporate finance. He has worked in over 30 countries across the world – previously based in our offices in Singapore and Milan, he continues to serve clients worldwide.
David also leads our internet initiative. In this role, one of his key areas of interest is the convergence of, and interactions between, the online world, telecoms networks and media content. He leads engagements with internet companies and policy makers on fast-moving, complex topics at the interface of technology, media and telecoms.
David is a graduate from Télécom Paris (France), and obtained a Diploma in Management Studies from Imperial College London (UK).
Europe is continuing to lead the way when it comes to delivering a framework that secures 5G networks and architecture. Work continues on the implementation of the recommendations made by the EU Toolbox on 5G Cybersecurity, and alongside this, Member States, with the support of the European Commission and ENISA, earlier this year published a report providing an in-depth analysis of the security implications of Open RAN. In addition, the details of a new 5G cyber certification scheme are expected to be finalised by ENISA this year. This session will explore the collaborative efforts that are continuing across Europe to bolster cybersecurity and to counter the vastly expanded threat landscape resulting from the roll out of 5G. It will look at how specific 5G related security initiatives fit within the context of Europe’s broader cyber security framework, and at the work that is being done alongside international partners to secure the global supply chain.
Dr. Andreas Mitrakas is Head of Unit “Market, Certification & Standardisation” in the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). He co-chairs the Stakeholders Cybersecurity Certification Group (SCCG).
Prior to joining ENISA, Andreas served as General Counsel in Globalsign and as a Senior Counsel in Verizon and Ubizen.
Andreas is a qualified lawyer and holds a doctorate in Law from Erasmus University of Rotterdam, a M.Sc. in Strategic Quality Management, from University of Portsmouth a LL.M. in Computer science and Law from Queen’s University of Belfast and a first degree in Law from University of Athens.
Miguel González-Sancho is Head of the Unit “Cybersecurity Technology and Capacity Building” at the European Commission and interim Executive Director of the “European Cybersecurity Competence Centre”. He is mainly responsible for EU funding on cybersecurity research and deployment, EU policy on 5G and supply chain cybersecurity, cybersecurity certification, EU policy on cyber threat detection and response, and relations with the European Cybersecurity Agency-ENISA.
Mikko Karikytö is the Chief Product Security Officer (CPSO) & Head of Product Security for Ericsson with accountability for security requirements, standards, strategy and architecture, related to product development and management, and overall accountability of product security and product privacy.
He is senior advisor on Product and Solution Security to the CTO, and other executive Ericsson leaders. Mikko has previously worked as Head of Network Security and Head of PSIRT (Product Security Incident Response Team) responding, investigating and solving cyber security incidents and breaches with Ericsson customers globally.
Mikko has also engaged in industry collaboration through organizations like ETIS, FIRST and EU Commission work groups. He has also provided Subject Matter Expertise for committee hearings of the UK parliament and the German Bundestag in 5G Security.
At the recent COP27 Summit, Frans Timmermans announced that Europe is raising its 2030 target of reducing gas emissions from 55% to 57%. With a recent study claiming that at least 40 percent of the bloc’s carbon reduction solutions will rely on fixed-line and mobile connectivity, 5G is set to play a crucial role in hitting these targets. From smart cities and optimized buildings to streamlined transport networks, real-time monitoring and energy management systems to increased efficiency of inventory stocks and manufacturing – if harnessed in the right way then 5G offers the potential to enable organizations and communities everywhere to reduce our carbon footprint and move towards a more sustainable economy. At the same time however, rollout of 5G networks will also require millions of new cell antennas and billions of new devices, which initially has the potential to actually increase energy consumption and contribute to the climate change problem. This session will explore the impact of 5G on climate change from both angles. It will look at the work that is being done to mitigate the impact of 5G rollout on the environment; and crucially, explore the potential that 5G and the new use cases that it will enable can help play a role in helping Europe in meeting ambitious national and EU-wide 2030 goals for decarbonization.
Lara Connaughton leads the sustainability work at ComReg, the Irish Commission for Communications Regulation, as part of the International Unit. She is also a lead drafter of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) Working Group for environmental sustainability, and the Irish delegate for the OECD Working Party on Communication Infrastructure and Services Policy (WPCISP). Prior to joining ComReg, she was a research analyst at the EU institution, ECA, in Luxembourg and previously worked in investor relations at Blackstone in London. Lara is a Schwarzman Scholar with a masters in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University, Beijing.
Jean-Pierre Faisan is head of the communications working group of the European Wireless Infrastructure Association, where he represents TDF as senior policy advisor.
A graduate of Ecole Polytechnique Paris and of Telecom Paris, he has more than 34 years of experience in the field of satellite, broadcast and mobile networks in France and in the USA. He has held a variety of R&D, operational and managerial positions at Satellite Systems Engineering, INTELSAT, CCETT (now Orange labs), Sofratev and Gobé, and TDF.
He is since 8 years founder and managing director of Leader Wave, a consultancy specialized in telecommunications and spectrum policy.
Janette Stewart is a Partner at Analysys Mason, specialising in wireless technology, radio spectrum management and valuation. She has nearly 25 years’ experience of working in radio engineering, spectrum policy and spectrum management through 2G to 5G. She is based in Scotland, UK. Janette began her career working for the UK spectrum regulator (now Ofcom) where she held various roles, latterly Senior Spectrum Engineer in the 3G Auction Team, responsible for determining UK spectrum plans for the 3G licence award and interacting with CEPT and ITU working groups. Since joining Analysys Mason in 2001, her 17 years of consulting experience includes advising on market opportunities within the wireless sector, technology strategy, business planning, spectrum strategy, valuation and auctions. She has worked with a wide range of public and private sector clients including national regulatory authorities and policy makers, fixed and mobile network operators, broadcasters, equipment vendors, wireless industry trade associations and spectrum users. Recent projects have included advising on 5G strategy, valuation of spectrum in 700MHz and 2.3GHz bands, 5G readiness in different world markets (in a published report for US industry association, CTIA) and a study on benefits of extending mobile coverage in the UK. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Edinburgh, UK and a Master of Science degree in radio frequency engineering from the University of Bradford, UK.
5G Advanced is seen as the next major chapter of 5G development and is expected to deliver a whole new wave of new solutions and technology components. Amongst other things, it is expected to significantly improve the ways in which 5G can support AI and machine learning, which in turn has the potential to lead to more intelligent network management and improved performance of complicated, multi-antenna systems. This session will look at the differences that the emergence of 5G Advanced and AI-powered networks could make, the new features and enhancements that could emerge and the likely timeframe for this both in Europe and elsewhere.
Marc Eschenburg has worked in the telecoms industry since 2008 advising fixed and mobile operators as well as regulators and other government bodies on a wide range of commercial, technical and regulatory issues. He has been very active in the area of radio spectrum policy, advising more than 30 operators worldwide on their spectrum strategy and assisting them to value spectrum ahead of spectrum auctions. In addition, he has worked with regulators and industry bodies on key spectrum management issues, including work on incentive pricing, forecasting future spectrum demand and identifying measures of efficient spectrum use. Further to his work on spectrum, Marc advises clients ahead of major market transactions and has carried out various projects on next-generation broadband as well as in the TV and media space. Marc holds a Masters in Infonomics from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
Bart is Head of Sector in the EIC Pathfinder Unit in the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) since 2021. After Project Officer positions in the Security and Trust Unit and Photonics Unit in DG CONNECT, he was seconded to the Research Executive Agency (REA) in 2017 as Head of Sector in the Future and Emerging Technologies Unit. Before joining the European Commission in 2005 he has occupied several engineering and managerial positions in the mobile operator sector in network engineering and security. He holds engineering and doctoral degrees from Gent University, Belgium.
Dr. Heidi Himmanen is a Chief Adviser at the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom. Her tasks include promoting the uptake of 5G in different sectors of the society, such as transport, cities and industry. The work includes supporting trials, innovation and R&D, bridging the needs of verticals and the development work in spectrum management. Heidi has previously worked as Head of Spectrum Supervision and Head of Radio Networks Unit at Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (today Traficom). She holds a D. Sc. (Tech.) degree in Telecommunications Engineering from University of Turku, Finland, and a M. Sc. (Tech.) degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Helsinki University of Technology (today Aalto University), Finland.
From the identification of early visions and technical goals through to eventual commercial deployment, the development of any new generation in wireless technology is broadly thought to have a 10 year cycle process. The path towards 5G in Europe can be said to have begun in 2012 with the launch of Project METIS – a multi stakeholder initiative, formed with the objective of laying the foundation of 5G. Now, just over a decade on and with 5G an established commercial reality, this interactive session will offer the opportunity to look back on the different phases of the 5G ‘cycle’, to discuss the successes and the failures, and as we move forward, look at the lessons that can be learnt.
Marc Eschenburg has worked in the telecoms industry since 2008 advising fixed and mobile operators as well as regulators and other government bodies on a wide range of commercial, technical and regulatory issues. He has been very active in the area of radio spectrum policy, advising more than 30 operators worldwide on their spectrum strategy and assisting them to value spectrum ahead of spectrum auctions. In addition, he has worked with regulators and industry bodies on key spectrum management issues, including work on incentive pricing, forecasting future spectrum demand and identifying measures of efficient spectrum use. Further to his work on spectrum, Marc advises clients ahead of major market transactions and has carried out various projects on next-generation broadband as well as in the TV and media space. Marc holds a Masters in Infonomics from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
Dr. Soren Sorensen is an Associate Director in NERA’s Auction Group with more than 10 years’ consulting experience, whose work spans spectrum auctions in more than 25 countries, and includes auction design and auction implementation for regulators as well as advice on bidding strategies for mobile operators.
Telecom companies have invested heavily to roll out 5G services in countries across Europe, and there is now increasing pressure on them to explore new service offerings and business models in order to start seeing a return on these investments. At the same time, 5G is seeing the emergence of innovative new market entrants and shifting dynamics in the relationships between key industry players. Against this backdrop, this session will examine how traditional telco business models and the overall connectivity landscape is evolving in a 5G world. It will examine the changes that 5G is bringing to both the telecom ecosystem, and also to the way in which connectivity providers are interacting with both their customers and other technology providers. It will look at the opportunities that 5G offers for telecom and technology companies, and the best and fairest way forward in order to ensure the emergence of a long-term sustainable ecosystem that delivers economic value for them all.
Cristina is the Director of Spectrum information and analysis, Spectrum Group at Ofcom. Cristina currently leads the Spectrum Mobile Data Strategy programme with a particular focus on assessing the implications of growing demand. Prior to working on 5G, Cristina led the development of a new spectrum sharing framework, and launched Ofcom open data policy. In particular Cristina was responsible for the release of the UK Interactive spectrum map and the release of information on spectrum use in open format. Prior to joining Ofcom Cristina held various marketing and strategy roles at Telefonica O2, EE (then Orange), and Ericsson (then Red Bee Media). Cristina holds a Master Degree in Management Engineering from the Politecnico di Torino university in Italy.
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