The European 5G Conference 2024

Thomas Skordas received his Diploma in Electrical Engineering in 1984 and his PhD in Computer Science in 1988. From 1988 to 1995, he worked in France as a Research Fellow and project leader in EU-funded R&D projects in the areas of Information Technology and Robotics.

In 1995, Thomas joined the European Commission as a Research Programme Officer in the Directorate General Information Society & Media (DG INFSO). Since then, Thomas has worked in various units of DG INFSO (which became DG CONNECT in 2012) dealing with ICT research in the context of the EU Research and Innovation Framework Programmes. From 2006 to 2009, he was Deputy Head of Unit for ICT Security and Trust. In 2009, he was appointed Head of the Photonics Unit and in 2014, Head of the Flagships Unit. In March 2017, Thomas was appointed Director of the Directorate for “Digital Excellence and Science Infrastructure” in DG CONNECT and in May 2022, he was appointed Deputy Director-General of DG CONNECT.

Luca Bertuzzi is a tech journalist specialized in digital policy and European affairs. He is a Senior AI Correspondent at MLex. He previously worked at EURACTIV as Technology Editor, overseeing an international team of four reporters based in Brussels, Paris, and Berlin. For his reporting, Luca has been awarded the 2024 AI Policy Leader Award from the Center for AI and Digital Policy Europe. He has collaborated with la Repubblica, Tagesspiegel, and Tech.eu, among other publications. You can follow Luca’s work on X and LinkedIn.

Alessandro Gropelli is the Director General of Connect Europe, the voice of the leading providers of connectivity networks and services in Europe. Alessandro is a technology and political affairs leader, trained in Europe and overseas. At Connect Europe, he leads the Team and represents the Association. He is also a Board member of GeSI, the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative.

Alessandro previously served at ETNO, the former association representing leading telecom operators, in different positions. In the period 2018-2024 he was Deputy Director General: in this capacity, in 2023-2024, he curated the transformation project ETNO+, which resulted in the launch of Connect Europe. In 2023 he was named in the top 10 of Politico’s Power40 list as one of the most influential operatives in European affairs. In 2016-2018 he served as Director of Communications of ETNO and, back in 2013-2016, he was Head of Communications and Media.

Before joining the Association, between 2010 and 2013, Alessandro was European affairs advisor at Vodafone Group and vice-Chairman of the m-commerce Working Group of mobile operators’ association GSMA Europe. Prior to that, in 2009, he also worked in the Public Affairs team of Telecom Italia and as a public relations officer at the European Parliament.

Alessandro holds an Executive MBA from Copenhagen Business School (2021) and finalised executive education courses at the MIT (2018) and Berkeley Haas (2016). He graduated in public management from Bocconi University in Milan (2009) and concluded an education programme at the Hitotsubashi University of Tokyo (2008). He speaks English, Italian and French.

ALEKSANDER SOŁTYSIK is an attaché for the telecommunication sector in the Permanent Representation of Poland to the European Union and represents Ministry of Digital Affairs in the Council of the European Union. The main responsibilities are matters regarding radio spectrum, gigabit infrastructure, artificial intelligence and Digital Decade. Currently he is the Chair of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group – a high-level advisory group that assists the European Commission in the development of radio spectrum policy. He is also an outgoing co-rapporteur of the RSPG Working Group on Peer Review and Member State cooperation on authorizations and awards, which is responsible for annual reports on the implementation of the art. 35 of the European Electronic Communications Code. Aleksander was the Head of International Telecommunication Unit at the Ministry of Digital Affair, engaged in the International Telecommunication Union’s and CEPT matters, mainly focusing on the preparations for the World Radiocommunication Conferences. He was a Kosciuszko Foundation scholar at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and hold a PhD degree from the Jagiellonian University in Cracow.

More information available shortly.

Agustín Díaz-Pinés is a telecommunications expert at DG Competition, European Commission, dealing with mergers in the telecommunications, IT and media sectors.

He previously worked as an economist and policy analyst at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, Paris, 2009–2015) in the Digital Economy Division, including projects on international mobile roaming, convergence, and various country studies (Mexico, Colombia).

He started his career at the Spanish government (State Secretariat for Telecommunications and the Information Society), involved in national and European ICT policy. Mr. Díaz-Pinés holds a Masters in Telecommunications Engineering from the Madrid University of Technology and a PhD in Management/Economic Sciences from École Polytechnique/Paris-Saclay in Paris (France).

Maurice Patrick is a Managing Director within European Telecommunication Services Equity Research, coordinates Barclays’ Telecoms Equity Research globally and has 20 years experience in the Telecoms industry. Maurice joined Barclays in 2009. Prior to this, he was an Executive Director at JPMorgan and at Bear Stearns. Maurice has worked as an equity analyst since 2002. Prior to this, he worked in the Telecoms industry at BT and O2. Maurice has an MBA from the Cranfield School of Management, an MSc in Telecommunications from the University of London, and a BSc in Physics and French from the University of Bristol.

Chris leads the EU Public Policy team at Cisco, with a focus on all things cybersecurity and data protection. Chris heads the Brussels Office for Cisco’s Government Affairs team, responsible for engagements with the EU institutions.

He joined the Government Affairs team in Europe, Middle East, Africa in 2008. Chris has held multiple industry leadership roles. He is currently a Member of the Board of the European Internet Forum (EIF) and of DIGITALEUROPE.

Prior to Cisco, he was responsible for campaign strategies and digital economy policy work at DIGITALEUROPE. He has been in Brussels since 2003, initially as an Assistant to a Member of the European Parliament, working on internal market and legal affairs issues. He studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University.

Jakob Greiner joined Deutsche Telekom in 2015. He is leading the group’s overall engagement towards the European institutions, international organizations & trade associations. Prior to that, Jakob worked as legal counsel for Apple in Germany and as political advisor to a Member of the European Parliament. Jakob is a qualified German lawyer, he holds a law degree from Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich and a PhD in European institutional law from the University of Bayreuth.

Amit specialises in advising on complex wireless transactions and strategy projects, including supporting mobile operators with spectrum valuation and regulators with the development and implementation of spectrum policy.

Amit has over 25 years of experience advising fixed and mobile operators, regulators/government bodies, financial institutions and equipment manufacturers on commercial, technical and regulatory issues. He has supported several multi-billion dollar M&A and debt financing transactions and has led numerous high-profile studies in the area of radio spectrum policy. Amit brings a global perspective to his work, having undertaken projects for clients in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas.

Amit holds an M.Sc. in Radio Frequency and Communications Engineering from the University of Bradford, UK and an M.B.A. from the University of Warwick, UK.

Miguel González-Sancho is since March 2024 Head of the Unit, Future Connectivity Systems at the European Commission, responsible for EU policy and funding for advanced digital communication networks, including telco-cloud-edge convergence, 5G/ 6G research and deployment (in close coordination with the “Smart Network Systems” Joint Undertaking), and submarine cables resilience.

He was previously during 2,5 years Executive Director of the “European Cybersecurity Competence Centre” (an EU body managing cybersecurity research and deployment projects, in coordination with the European Commission and EU Member States). He has also been working for over 20 years at the European Commission on EU digital policy, legislation and funding, notably heading units for “Cybersecurity”, “eHealth” and “Administration and Finance” at Directorate-General “CONNECT”.

Laszlo Toth is the Head of Office of GSMA Europe, which is the European arm of the GSM Association – the global body that represents the worldwide mobile communications industry. In this capacity Laszlo is responsible for the day-to-day running of the GSMA’s Brussels office. He works closely with members to facilitate coordinated advocacy efforts at the EU level in order to create a policy environment that maximizes the mobile industry’s ability to invest in infrastructure and drive economic growth.

Laszlo started his professional career working at telecoms operators. Prior to joining GSMA in 2011, he spent nine years at the Hungarian public administration, including spells at the Ministry responsible for ICT and at the national telecoms regulator. Laszlo has an MSc. in economics and holds a degree in computer sciences.

Maarit Palovirta is the Deputy Director General of Connect Europe, the voice of the leading providers of connectivity networks and services in Europe. She leads the association’s policy and organisational strategy, overseeing its work on a variety of policy and regulatory topics as well as its international outreach. She is also a Board member of CTAM Europe.

Before joining the Association as a Director of Regulatory Affairs in 2019, Maarit was a Senior Manager of European Affairs at the Internet Society where she acquired strong experience in internet development as well as extensive links with global internet and tech stakeholders. Prior to that, she engaged with governments across EMEA as a public sector business development manager at Cisco Systems for six years. Maarit has also developed a strong service-oriented, hands-on profile acquired in leading public affairs consultancies in Brussels.

Maarit has an academic background from the College of Europe, London School of Economics, King’s College London and SciencesPo Paris and has completed executive education courses at IESE. She speaks Finnish, English and French.

Isabelle Mauro is Director General of the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) that represents the interests of 70 members in the satellite ecosystem. She reports directly to their Chief Executives.

Under Isabelle’s leadership, GSOA and its member CEOs lead the effort to showcase the benefits of satellite communications for a more inclusive and secure society – vital to bridging the world’s digital divide, achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and realizing the 5G ecosystem.

Isabelle has 25 years experience in the Telecoms and Technology sector, starting at the GSMA, where she was responsible for government and international Affairs. In 2015 she moved to New York to join the World Economic Forum as Head of Information, Communications and Technology Industries, managing the portfolio for 60+ Tech companies globally and leading initiatives on inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.

Isabelle is passionate about inclusion and sustainability. She is Chair of the High-Level Advisory Board of the DigitalGoesGreen Foundation. She also sits on the Advisory Board of Women in Tech and is a member of the UNESCO Advisory Group for the Declaration on Connectivity for Education.

Isabelle holds an MSc in European Politics and Policy from the London School of Economics. She is fluent in French, English, Italian and Spanish.

Kevin Robinson is a 15-year veteran of Wi-Fi Alliance and became CEO of the organization in October 2022. Kevin is focused on securing sufficient, harmonized global Wi-Fi spectrum, deepening engagement and cohesion across the Wi-Fi ecosystem, and evolving the organization to ensure it remains as nimble as the industry it serves.

Serving as Wi-Fi Alliance’s Vice President of Marketing for the last seven years, Robinson has led many of the organization’s most transformative initiatives and has been a leading ambassador for promoting WiFi and WiFi Alliance as a collaboration forum worldwide. Kevin oversaw branding, communications, market development, product management, program marketing, and public relations for the organization. He was also responsible for driving the development of Wi-Fi Alliance corporate strategy.

Before joining Wi-Fi Alliance in 2008, Kevin enjoyed working with early-stage technology startups on business strategy consulting and technology market research. Kevin is a veteran of the United States Army, where he served as a Captain in the Infantry. Kevin holds a BS in Computer Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA with a specialization in Entrepreneurship from The University of Texas at Austin. He lives with his family in Austin, Texas.

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. Luigi is also part of the Global Spectrum Team at the GSA (the Global mobile Suppliers Association).

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.

Robert Mourik is a BEREC Vice-Chair in 2024 and will assume the role of BEREC Chair for 2025 on 1 January. He joined the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) as Commissioner in 2019 and has almost thirty years’ experience in the telecoms sector, as an industry executive and as a Government official. Prior to joining ComReg, he worked for Cubic Telecom, a new entrant in the automotive IoT space, where he was responsible for all wholesale activities. Robert spent almost 10 years in Telefonica as the European Regulatory Strategy Director at their corporate HQ in Madrid and as Strategy Director in Ireland. He also worked for Vodafone Group, as its head of their Brussels Office and in the regulatory department in Newbury, UK. In 1991, Robert began his career in the Dutch Department for Transport and Telecommunication, and from 1994 until 1999, he served as Telecom Attache at the Netherlands’ Permanent Representation in Brussels. He was a Member and Chair of the Council Telecoms Working Group in 1998, when the first telecom regulatory package was adopted. Robert was born in the Netherlands and studied Economics and Public Policy at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and the University of Hull (UK).

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). He brings a deep understanding of both the industry and regulatory perspectives around the world through his role as Head of Policy for the GSMA and as Director of Spectrum Policy at Ofcom.

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.

Professor Konstantinos Masselos has been appointed as the President of the Hellenic Telecommunications & Post Commission (EETT) in February 2018.

He has been elected as President of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) for 2023 and also, Vice-President for 2022 and 2024. Moreover, he served as Vice-President of BEREC in 2019.

He is Professor in the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications of the University of Peloponnese and he served as Rector of the above University during the period 2012-2017. From 2005 to 2008, he was Lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Imperial College London. Also, during the period 2010-2016 he was an Honorary Lecturer in the same Department.

During the period 2001-2004, he worked in the electronic communications industry. Since 2005 he has been collaborating as an expert with various units of the European Commission. Also, he was a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) from 2015 to 2017.

Professor Konstantinos Masselos has been appointed as the President of the Hellenic Telecommunications & Post Commission (EETT) in February 2018.

He has been elected as President of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) for 2023 and also, Vice-President for 2022 and 2024. Moreover, he served as Vice-President of BEREC in 2019.

He is Professor in the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications of the University of Peloponnese and he served as Rector of the above University during the period 2012-2017. From 2005 to 2008, he was Lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Imperial College London. Also, during the period 2010-2016 he was an Honorary Lecturer in the same Department.

During the period 2001-2004, he worked in the electronic communications industry. Since 2005 he has been collaborating as an expert with various units of the European Commission. Also, he was a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) from 2015 to 2017.

Franco Accordino is the Head of the “Investment in High-Capacity Networks” unit within the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT). The unit is responsible for the deployment and take-up of very high-capacity broadband networks underpinning the Digital Single Market and promoting the European Commission’s vision and policy actions to turn Europe into a Gigabit Society by 2025.

Prior to this role, Franco was the Head of “Knowledge Management and Innovative Systems” unit providing support to DG CONNECT policies and operations and delivering advanced solutions for the European Commission’s internal take up in such fields as data analytics, web platforms (futurium) and artificial intelligence.

Before becoming Head of Unit, Franco led the Task Force “Digital Futures”, a participatory foresight project aiming to devise 2050’s visions and policy ideas underpinned by the digital transformation.

During his experience at the European Commission, Franco worked as a scientific and policy officer and Director’s Assistant in such fields as Future and Emerging Technologies, Future Internet, High-Performance Computing, Grid and Cloud technologies, Trust and Security.

Before joining the European Commission, he worked at the ETHZ/CSCS National Supercomputing Centre of Switzerland and at the National Research Council of Italy where he conducted research on formal methods, languages and tools for complex systems specification.

He has a long-standing experience in several information technology fields, including formal methods and software engineering, cloud and distributed systems, network centric operating systems, web platforms, AI, machine learning and data analytics.

Veronica is responsible for Cullen International’s regulatory training portfolio, developing and executing training and capacity building programmes for industry stakeholders, policymakers and regulators across the globe.

With over 20 years of professional experience, she has extensive knowledge of the implementation of the EU regulatory framework across Europe.

Before joining Cullen International, Veronica worked for Ericsson consulting practice in Stockholm.

Dragan Jovanovic is the Director Public Affairs & Communications for ATC Europe. He is responsible for ATC Europe’s regulatory strategy, governmental relations practice and communications practice.

Before joining ATC Europe, Dragan was Chief Economist for Vantage Towers AG, leading the company’s economics practice and policy and regulatory analysis. Prior to that, Dragan worked at Deutsche Telekom AG as Senior Manager Public & Regulatory Affairs and at the European Commission (DG COMP, Chief Economist Team) as an economist dealing with EU merger and antitrust cases.

Dragan holds a PhD from Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf in Economics.

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. Luigi is also part of the Global Spectrum Team at the GSA (the Global mobile Suppliers Association).

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.

Iva Tasheva is the co-founder and cybersecurity lead at CYEN, an award-winning consultancy established in Brussels in 2018. Cyen is recognised for providing pragmatic, business success-oriented cybersecurity risk and compliance solutions that are strongly tailored to its client’s needs. Cyen specialises in the financial, manufacturing, public and digital sectors.

In addition to her work for CYEN, Iva is an appointed Member of the EU Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA) Ad-Hoc Working Groups on Enterprise Security and on Cloud Security (Certification) and a Board Member of Women4Cyber Belgium.

Her expertise is recognised, being winner of the BeNeLux Outstanding Female Security Professional Award (OSPA) 2024, Belgium Cybersecurity Personality of the Year 2022, and listed ‘35 under 35’ by Santander/CODIB. She is a published author, including authoring the Bulgarian Guide for SME Cybersecurity, and a regular speaker. Iva holds an MBA from KULeuven and a Master in Cybersecurity degree from the New Bulgarian University. She is a certified ISO 27001 Lead Implementer, ISO 27799 Lead Manager, and DORA Senior Lead Manager.

Follow Iva Tasheva (or CYEN) on LinkedIn for updates on cybersecurity policy and implementation. Follow ‘CYEN – Cybersecurity’ on YouTube for monthly cybersecurity top experts’ interviews.

Mrs Svetlana Schuster is acting Head of Unit Cybersecurity technology and capacity building at DG CONNECT, European Commission. She joined the European Commission in October 2011 and worked in the area of implementation of the EU regulatory framework on electronic communications and later on developing EU cybersecurity policy and its implementation. Mrs Schuster is a fully qualified German lawyer, graduated from Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt/O., Germany and Vrije Universiteit Brussels (LL.M in International and European law).

Ms Katja Kmet Vrčko is a lawyer with more than 20 years of experience in electronic communications. Prior to her current role as Advisor to the Director for International Affairs, she was heading the Inspection and Security Department for 9 years. She is an active member of different European expert working groups in the cybersecurity field. Since 2019 she is a Co-Chair of the BEREC’s Cybersecurity and Resilience Working Group, which cooperates with the Commission, NIS 5G Cooperation Group, ENISA and ECASEC. For the second mandate, she was appointed as a BEREC representative to the ENISA’s Advisory Group.

Having graduated from her PhD in Theoretical Physics, Sapphire joined Aetha Consulting as a Business Analyst.

Their work has allowed her to continue practicing problem-solving and analytical thinking on a day-to-day basis, and she loves working with her intelligent and engaged client teams. Tackling challenging technical ideas with internal project teams across Aetha’s flat hierarchy, combined with being given responsibility for delivering results from a very early point in my career, means that her role at Aetha is a fulfilling way to deliver meaningful impacts for leading TMT players.

Johannes Theiss heads policy coordination within the Future Connectivity Systems Unit in the European Commission’s Directorate‑General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT). This involves coordinating the work on sustainable telecommunications networks. Johannes joined CNECT from the Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP), where he had worked on Commission priorities and strategic coordination, notably in the digital area. Before joining the Commission, Johannes held various positions in the private sector, notably at Vodafone, the German Broadband Association, consulting, and academia. He holds two master degrees in European studies (College of Europe, Bruges) and political science (University of Bamberg, Germany).

Yvonne Finger is an economist with extensive experience in the field of energy regulation and digitalization issues. Currently, as a head of unit in the digitalization department at the Bundesnetzagentur (German Federal Network Regulatory Authority), she leads initiatives aimed at advancing digitalization within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and explores sustainability aspects of telecommunications networks and digitalization.

Before assuming her current role in 2020, she worked for nearly 16 years in the energy regulation department of the Bundesnetzagentur, where she specialized in regulatory issues, including the design and implementation of tendering procedures for renewable energy projects. She further developed expertise in the field of energy efficiency during her time as a seconded national expert at the European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy from 2008 to 2012. In her earlier career, she worked in the research department of an international management consultancy.

Azeddine Gati received the Ph.D. degree from the University of Pierre and Marie Curie (Paris VI), Paris, France, in 2000. Since 2001, he has been with Orange Gardens, France, where he has been involved in research in the fields of applied electromagnetic for telecommunications systems. He is also an Engineer in telecommunication and signal processing. From 1997 to 2001, he was engaged in studying circuit optimization and electromagnetic (EM) computational methods. In 2001, he has been involved in research on radio planning. In 2007, he leads research projects on sustainable development, including EMF, body area networks, wireless network planning tools, and energy in information, communication technology, and service solutions (ICT). Since 2011, he has been leading a research program dedicated to energy efficiency of wireless and fixed telecom systems and is currently responsible of a department dedicated to wireless networks in Orange Labs. He is currently involved in celtic plus SooGreen Project and the French research project AN spatial modulation. He has coauthored more than 30 papers and 100 international conferences. Dr. Gati is a member of the Union Radio Scientifique International, France. He is a Senior Member of SEE. He has been involved in European Celtic plus OPERA-Net 1 & 2 projects and the Vice-Chair of the wireless group in GreenTouch (ww.greentouch.org). He is currently involved in Celtic OPERA-Net 1 & 2 and SooGreen projects and was elected as Vice-Chair of the technical committee leading the GreenTouch project.

Simon Hinterholzer is a renewable energy engineer and has been working as a researcher at Borderstep Institute since May 2017. He investigates both the positive and negative sustainability impacts of digitalization as part of research projects and commissioned studies.

One focus of his work is on the sustainability assessment of digital infrastructures, especially data centres. In this area, he has conducted various research projects at Borderstep for federal ministries and the federal state of Hessen and has also prepared various studies for digital associations and institutions like Bitkom or the German Energy Agency and the European Commission. Besides those, he as a long research/publication track in the field of data centers and sustainability. The figures on the energy use of data centers in Europe and Germany from these references are used by governments in Europe and Germany as a basis for their political measures, for example currently in the Energy Efficiency Directive and in the European Commission’s data center targets.

Janette is one of Analysys Mason’s senior spectrum experts, with 25 years’ experience in radio engineering, wireless technologies, spectrum policy and spectrum management. Janette joined Analysys Mason in 2001, having previously worked for the UK Radiocommunications Agency (now Ofcom).

Janette’s expertise lies in mobile, wireless and broadband technologies and markets and her consulting experience includes advising on market developments in the wireless sector, wireless technology evolution, wireless business modelling, spectrum valuation, spectrum strategy, competition and regulation issues in the wireless market. She has worked with a wide range of public- and private-sector clients including national regulators, government departments, network operators, wireless industry trade associations, equipment vendors and telecoms users.

Her recent focus has been on 5G mobile and she has authored several published reports, including a study for Qualcomm and Ericsson on costs and benefits of 5G deployment in Europe, a study on 5G millimetre-wave deployment in Europe, reports for US industry body CTIA comparing 5G readiness in several world markets and a study on the benefits of cellular V2X technology for the 5GAA. Janette holds a BEng in Electronic Engineering from the University of Edinburgh, and an MSc in Radio Communications from the University of Bradford.

ALEKSANDER SOŁTYSIK is an attaché for the telecommunication sector in the Permanent Representation of Poland to the European Union and represents Ministry of Digital Affairs in the Council of the European Union. The main responsibilities are matters regarding radio spectrum, gigabit infrastructure, artificial intelligence and Digital Decade. Currently he is the Chair of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group – a high-level advisory group that assists the European Commission in the development of radio spectrum policy. He is also an outgoing co-rapporteur of the RSPG Working Group on Peer Review and Member State cooperation on authorizations and awards, which is responsible for annual reports on the implementation of the art. 35 of the European Electronic Communications Code. Aleksander was the Head of International Telecommunication Unit at the Ministry of Digital Affair, engaged in the International Telecommunication Union’s and CEPT matters, mainly focusing on the preparations for the World Radiocommunication Conferences. He was a Kosciuszko Foundation scholar at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and hold a PhD degree from the Jagiellonian University in Cracow.

More information available shortly.

Jaisha Wray, a career member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Associate Administrator for International Affairs at the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In this role, she formulates telecommunications and information policies and promotes these policies in international fora.

Previously, she was the Director for International Cyber Policy in the Cybersecurity Directorate of the National Security Council where she was responsible for drafting and implementing the U.S. strategy on 5G technology as well as enhancing international cybersecurity cooperation with a wide range of partners and allies. In addition, she led the development of Space Policy Directive-5: the Nation’s first comprehensive cybersecurity policy for space systems. Prior to this role, she was the Acting Deputy Director of the State Department’s Office of Emerging Security Challenges where she contributed to the formulation of outer space and cyber stability policies and diplomatic strategies. At the State Department, she also served as a Political Officer at U.S. Embassy London and as a Foreign Affairs Officer in the Office of Missile Defense and Space Policy. She began her government career as a Presidential Management Fellow where she completed rotations in the Space and Cyber Policy Directorate of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and in the National Reconnaissance Office.

Ms. Wray holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Los Angeles as well as a M.A. in International Relations and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. She has completed the International Space University Space Studies Program and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Education course on cybersecurity.

Yasmine Frizlen is an Economist at NERA, a leading economic consultancy that has been involved in spectrum policy for over 35 years. Yasmine has supported regulators and private companies on all five continents, with projects involving the design and implementation of spectrum auctions, valuation and pricing of radio spectrum, legal disputes involving spectrum, and studies on the application of economics to spectrum management. She co-authored a chapter on spectrum pricing in NERA’s new book: Round-by-Round: Learnings form the First 35 Years of Spectrum Auctions.

Yasmine holds a MSc in Economics degree from the London School of Economics, United Kingdom.

William is an independent consultant providing advice across all telecommunications matters. 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 19 books, 100 papers, and 18 patents. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the IEEE and the IET, a Visiting Professor at Southampton University and a Board Member of the Marconi Society. 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.

Stefan Zehle is the MBA, Chairman, and CEO of Coleago Consulting. He has 28 years of experience in telecoms gained as a Director of a Mobile Operating company and as a specialist telecoms management consultant. He has worked in developed markets in Europe, Canada, the US, and also in emerging markets in the Middle East, Africa, and the Far East. As the 2nd person on the ground, he played a pivotal role in launching Nedjma, the 3rd Algerian mobile operator. Stefan has worked on over 70 mobile licence bids and spectrum valuation projects. Co-author of the Economist’s Guide to Business Planning.

Matthew Newman is the global chief correspondent for MLex and writes about data protection, privacy, telecoms, cyber security, and artificial intelligence. Matthew began his journalism career in 1991 in community newspapers. He worked as a reporter in Riga, Latvia, in 1993 and then moved to Chicago, where he covered local news. In 1995, he became a personal finance reporter for Dow Jones Newswires, and was then transferred to Brussels in 1999. He specialized in EU regulatory affairs, including trade and telecom issues. He began covering competition for Bloomberg News as an EU court reporter in 2004. In 2010, he was named spokesman for Viviane Reding, the EU’s justice commissioner. In January 2012, he helped launch the commission’s proposal for overall data protection rules. He began working at MLex in April 2012 and has covered mergers, antitrust, and state-aid cases. He spent a year studying French, history, and communications in Grenoble, France, in 1988 and 1989 and is a graduate of Boston University with degrees in history and journalism. He earned a diploma in competition law from King’s College in 2016.

More information available shortly.

Dr. Tassos Lyratzis is an Electrical & Computer Engineer and holds a PhD in the field of Telecommunications & Computer Networks (1994). During his PhD studies, he worked as a specialist in Telecommunications in various European research projects.

He is currently working in the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) since 2001, in the Spectrum Directorate. He has been the Head of the Spectrum Management Department (2003-2006) when EETT was involved in the Spectrum Management of the Olympic Games of Athens in 2004. Since 2011 he is Head (Director) of Spectrum Directorate of EETT.

He participates in international activities in CEPT (ECC, WGFM) as well as in European Union groups like the Radio Spectrum Committee (2003 – 2006), and the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (2011 – today). Since 2016 he has been co-chair of the RSPG sub-Groups working on 5G and 6G topics.

More information available shortly.

Rafael Gonzalez is a Telecommunications expert with over 20 years of international experience, having worked in more than 25 countries worldwide on behalf of American, European and Middle East Governments, Regulatory Agencies, Investors and Telecom Operators.

In 2019 he joined MedUX, the leading Internet Quality of Experience (QoE) Testing and Monitoring Company, where he currently manages the EMEA Region after leading Marketing, Product and Strategy initiatives.

Previously, Rafael was Partner at Axon Partners Group, a specialist management & strategy consulting company for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. He managed the Consulting division in the Americas and the Caribbean where he helped industry stakeholders define sound policy frameworks and provide intellectual leadership on pressing issues.

Furthermore, he has been frequently participating in events and conferences on a wide range of ICT strategy, connectivity, regulatory and public policy topics.

Rafael graduated as an MBE from the Steinbeis University (Germany) and obtained a M.Sc. degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Saragossa (Spain). He also holds a Postgraduate Degree in Telecommunication Economics.

Ben Wreschner is Chief Economist for Vodafone Group. Ben has been in the Digital sector for 20 years. He has worked extensively in the policy and public affairs environment representing Vodafone at key meetings with various institutions. Ben is also the Chairman of the European Policy Group for the GSMA (Mobile industry association). Ben holds a BSc (Econ) from the London School of Economics.

Mark (Principal) is part of Analysys Mason’s Regulation practice. He joined Analysys Mason in 2003 and has advised a variety of clients, including national regulators, fixed and mobile operators, media players, equipment vendors and investors on a wide range of projects around the world.

Mark’s work focuses mainly on radio spectrum and wider regulatory issues across the telecoms and media sectors. Among other topics, he has particular expertise in spectrum valuation and auction support, spectrum policy, and forecasting the future demand for spectrum.

His other areas of expertise include media regulation, with a focus on competition issues in pay-TV markets, content rights issues and TV advertising. Mark’s wider regulatory experience includes work on a range of competition issues, such as wholesale pricing, predatory pricing and margin-squeeze analysis, and core and access network cost modelling. Mark has also advised on the pricing of fixed and mobile telephony services and has managed several projects to support operators in the introduction of new tariff plans.

Mark trained as a mathematician and has an MA from the University of Cambridge, as well as a Diploma in Computer Science, also from Cambridge.

Jack is a Policy Principal with more than 15 years’ experience in public policy and regulation. Over the last 18 months Jack has led Ofcom’s review of the UK’s Shared Access framework to support local spectrum access opportunities. Other interests include adaptive spectrum access mechanisms and mobile coverage reporting.

Stefaan Vyverman is in charge of the Telecom Market & Media Department and the Assignments Department. He is also responsible for the internal department Logistics & Purchases.

Stefaan Vyverman holds master degrees in Business Economics and Communication Studies (UGent).

From 1993 to 1997, he worked at the Cabinet of the Flemish Prime Minister Luc Van Den Brande, where he advised on media & telecommunications policy and general economic affairs. He then built up an extensive telecoms expertise within Proximus’s Wholesale Department. Stefaan has been working as a telecom consultant since 2015. In that capacity, he has directed a wide range of projects in the telecom sector in the areas of strategy, procurement, wholesale & B2B, and market localization for both fixed and mobile technologies. Since 2019, Stefaan was also the head of 5G launch Benelux at Capgemini Invent.

Dr.-Ing. Andreas Wilzeck is Head of Spectrum Policy and Standards at Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG, Germany.

He is Vice-Chair of the ETSI TC DECT, was Chair of the ETSI Evaluation Group for IMT-2020 and is an active participant in the standardisation work of various ETSI technical committees. He also participates in WRC, ITU-R, CEPT and other PMSE-related spectrum regulatory work globally.

He received the Dr.-Ing. degree from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover in August 2009.

Dr. Andreas Mueller is the Head of Communication and Network Technology in the Corporate Research Department of Robert Bosch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany and at the same time the Bosch Chief Expert for Communication Technologies for the IoT. In addition to that, he is coordinating the Industrial 5G activities of Bosch across the different business units. He also serves as General Chair of the “5G Alliance for Connected Industries and Automation” (5G-ACIA), which is the globally leading organization for driving and shaping Industrial 5G.

Prior to joining Bosch, Andreas was a Research Staff Member at the Institute of Telecommunications of the University of Stuttgart, Germany, where he was contributing to the further development of the 3GPP Long Term Evolution towards LTE-Advanced. Besides, he was working as a Systems Engineer for Rohde & Schwarz, developing a novel software-defined radio based communication system for the German Armed Forces. Andreas holds a German Diploma degree as well as a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering (with distinction) and a M.Sc. degree in Information Technology, all from the University of Stuttgart, Germany.

Richard is a journalist and analyst at PolicyTracker. He has written for local news outlets and writes on the publishing platform Medium. Richard is bilingual and fluent in English and German. He also maintains the 5G Observatory website, which is funded by the European Commission. He also covers various spectrum policy issues for Policy Tracker’s newsletter.

Richard has an undergraduate degree in Media & Communications from Goldsmiths, University of London.

After a state exam in law at the University of Osnabrück, Mr Kühn has been working since 1998 in the area of legal internship (e.g. at Regional Court) of the Federal Network Agency Germany; changing to National and International Spectrum Regulation on different levels in 2005. Nowadays, he is the Deputy Head of Section for International Affairs and Utilization Concepts. His responsibilities cover strategic frequency utilization concepts and the transposition of those to the international level of CEPT, EU and ITU. Doing this and having been active in the preparation of three WRC’s, on national and on CEPT CPG level, Mr Kühn participated in a number of international Groups, also as Head of the German Delegation. He has also chaired several groups and subgroups in the ITU and CEPT. Since 2005, he has been responsible for the German preparation of the WRC’s and served as CEPT CPG Vice Chairman from 2010 to 2013. Mr Kühn was appointed Chairman of CPG in June 2013.

The Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) is pleased to announce the appointment of Erzsébet Fitori as its new Executive Director, effective 1 October. She will be the Chief Executive responsible for the day-to-day management of the JU and will act as its legal representative.

Her wealth of experience in the telecommunication industry positions her to work with the 6G-IA and the Commission in the Governing Board as pivotal in steering the SNS JU towards its missions of achieving industrial leadership in 5G deployment and 6G research and innovation in Europe.

Erzsébet holds an LL.M. degree in European Law from Leiden University (the Netherlands) and a Law degree from the University of Miskolc, Hungary. She has previously served as Head of EU Affairs & Relations at Vodafone Group and before that she led pan-European industry associations as the Director General of the FTTH Council Europe and Director of the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA). In her early career she was Head of Regulatory Affairs at Telenor and Assistant professor at the European and Private International Law Department of the University of Miskolc. She has a strong track record of creating and executing successful strategies, driving multistakeholder organisations, operational excellence and building highly effective teams.

Her mission will be to drive forward the SNS JU, a new entity officially established in November 2021. She will take over from Peter Stuckmann, DG CONNECT, who served as Interim Executive Director for the past two years and will complete setting up the Programme Office, currently employing 12 staff members. The SNS JU continues to grow and expects to reach its full staff capacity in early 2024.

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.

Natalia Vicente is the VP of Public Affairs at GSOA where she works closely with the Secretary General and the CEOs of ESOA Member companies to drive forward high-level advocacy for the satellite communications sector. Specifically, Natalia focuses on the Development Agenda working with international organisations to ensure nation states understand the value of leveraging available satellite communications services to bridge digital, education and health divides in their countries.

Natalia is also a Board Member of the European Internet Forum where she represents ESOA in front of Members of the European Parliament. Natalia has over a decade of experience in the digital sector, focusing on public policy, government relations and building international partnerships.

Before joining ESOA, Natalia worked for the European Telecommunications Network Operator’s (ETNO) working on public and regulatory affairs. Prior to that, she worked for Telefonica, Telecom Italia and TagTagCity, where she was one of the first employees involved in establishing a start-up venture providing mobile solutions to municipalities and local businesses in Belgium.

Natalia is a qualified lawyer with an LLM from the University Autonoma of Madrid and holds a Master of Business Administration specialised in Marketing. She is a Spanish national, lives in Brussels and speaks 4 languages.

More information available shortly.

Volker is an energetic, strategic and purpose-driven leader with 25+ years of broad and international experience in the telecommunications industry. He currently serves as Senior Technology Advisor and Chief Architect in Nokia Strategy and Technology unit. Previously, Volker has exercised a leadership role with Nokia Bell Labs in 6G research and ecosystem. Prior to this, he has served as Head of 5G Leadership and Chief Architect of Nokia Mobile Networks.

Yasmine Frizlen is an Economist at NERA, a leading economic consultancy that has been involved in spectrum policy for over 35 years. Yasmine has supported regulators and private companies on all five continents, with projects involving the design and implementation of spectrum auctions, valuation and pricing of radio spectrum, legal disputes involving spectrum, and studies on the application of economics to spectrum management. She co-authored a chapter on spectrum pricing in NERA’s new book: Round-by-Round: Learnings form the First 35 Years of Spectrum Auctions.

Yasmine holds a MSc in Economics degree from the London School of Economics, United Kingdom.

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).

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Erika Tejedor is Director of Government and Industry relations at Ericsson and focuses on ensuring harmonized future spectrum availability for 5G globally. She has been with Ericsson for over 10 years and during this time, she has focused on spectrum from different perspectives: research, product development, 3GPP RAN4 standardization, spectrum regulation. At the moment, Erika focuses on ITU-R activities and coordinates spectrum related work among the different regions.