The Programme

Programme Wednesday 22 April 2009, London, UK

Registration and coffee

Opening remarks from the Chair

Highlighting the European Commission’s position on regulated access to NGA

• Considering the framework of regulatory remedies for channelling investment
• Calling for market reviews and case by case decisions: the role of National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) in coordinating the roll out of NGA
• Promoting both a competitive environment and investment: effects on incumbents and access-seekers

Deploying NGA networks: Europe’s next challenge

• NGA networks: economic growth and social welfare
• Encouraging players to invest in new ultra-fast broadband
• Persuading telecom operators to risk investing in new high speed broadband access networks
• Encouraging infrastructure-based competition through geographical segmentation and the opening of ducts
• Regulatory intervention: to be targeted to cases where infrastructure-based competition is not feasible and is based on fair risk sharing

Rainer Nitsche
Managing Director
ESMT Competition Analysis

Lars Wiethaus
Manager
ESMT Competition Analysis

Access regulation and investment in Next Generation Networks – a ranking of regulatory regimes

• Model integrating uncertainty, investment incentives and competition
• Comparing new regulatory approaches risk-premium and risk-sharing to established ones
• Highlighting important issues to be explored

Panellists:
Nick White
Executive Vice President,
International Telecommunications Users Group
INTUG

G.C. Boogert
Programme Manager NGN
OPTA

Nancy Johnson
Head of Strategic Projects and M&A, Competition & Regulatory Law, Antitrust & Regulatory Law Centre of Excellence
BT Group Legal

Ilsa Godlovitch
Regulatory Affairs Director, European Competitive Telecommunications Association
ECTA

Panel discussion: Identifying the need for
and possible scope of an ex ante regulation
on NGA

• Establishing if ex post application of competition law would be sufficient for an NGA environment
• Debating how regulatory intervention determines the risk for NGA investment
• Comparing national scenarios in Europe

Morning refreshments

NGA: the death of competition or the birth of a new era?

• Will business users get the international access networks they need in a recession?
• How can regulators balance investment, innovation, competition and seamless access?
• Can wireless broadband reduce the bill for providing universal NGA?

Getting the regulatory framework right for NGA investments

• The importance of NGA investments for the sector and the overall economy
• Problems with the regulatory policy regarding investments
• Consequences of a new legal framework

Pricing of NGN access: a balancing act between fostering competition and encouraging investment

• Open infrastructure access as key driver of competition
• Outlining the importance of pricing in NGN access
• Describing the significance of certainty and predictability for a long(er) period for both access seekers and investors
• Policy rules for pricing principles applicable to passive fibre access published by OPTA

Lunch

Delegates will be able to attend three 30-minute roundtable discussion groups. Each session will be chaired by an industry expert who will facilitate an exchange of opinions, essential experiences and learning related to a current aspect of NGA.

Afternoon refreshments

Outlining the roll-out of fibre in Switzerland

• Assessing industry dynamics within the national market
• Reviewing the regulatory framework
• Clarifying regulatory challenges and how to tackle them

Case study: NGA in Telekom Slovenije

• Building an advanced P2P Ethernet FTTH network: regulatory hurdles faced and how to overcome them
• Providing 80000 households with full triple play services
• Providing broadband services over FTTN and WiMax networks
• Assessing regulatory guidelines needed in the future

BT’s approach to using NGA to support business users

• How business users demands differ
• The importance of pan European and global services
• Wholesale service provision in an NGA environment
• Win/win/win scenario for network providers, service providers and business

Closing remarks from the Chair and close of masterclass