The Best Strategies Compete as Things Change Fast “The times they are a-changing.”
Monday, March 7, 2005, 9:00am - 10:30amCellular is taking customers, cable is coming, and VOIP is inevitable. Independent telcos need to fight back, with new technologies in voice, video, and high-speed data key tools. Why some telcos are choosing low capital expenditure, typically ADSL2+, others are jumping to fiber. Data speeds are going up, while customers are demanding new voice features, best delivered by VOIP. Carriers, analysts, and vendors focus on making the crucial decisions.
Dave Burstein, Editor, DSL PrimeDave Burstein editor of DSL Prime the industry newsletter for DSL.
Author of the book "DSL a Wiley Tech Brief" published by John Wiley and Sons and Chair of Fast Net Futures now in it's third year. Burstein consults on DSL strategies, technology, and telecom policy.
Michel Guite, President & CEO, Vermont TelDr. Michel Guite is President and CEO of Vermontel (also known as VTel), a small, innovative telco with 100% DSL availability for the last two years, installing repeaters as necessary. Vermontel serves fourteen exchanges, 21,000 telephone lines, and over 8,000 internet customers, making it the largest independent telephone company in the state of Vermont.
Marc Itzkowitz, Director, Product Marketing, SupportSoftAs the director of product marketing for SupportSoft's broadband solutions, Marc Itzkowitz defines SupportSoft's product and partnership strategy for these growing industries. With six of the top seven North American broadband service providers (BSPs) standardizing on SupportSoft's automated support solutions, Itzkowitz is helping to remove the 'geek factor' from technology and make high-speed access, home networking and digital cable as ubiquitous to everyday consumers as the telephone.
Itzkowitz received his Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University.
William Lawver, Technology Development Manager, SureWest CommunicationsWilliam Lawver joined SureWest Communications in 2001 as a result of the purchase of QuikNet, Inc where he was CEO and President. QuikNet was started in 1994 and was the first regional Sacramento Internet Service Provider. During his tenure at SureWest Lawver has overseen the development of SureWest’s collocation data center, assisted in the launch of CDMA/LMDS wireless data services and the deployment of unlicensed fixed wireless data offerings. Currently, Lawver is managing SureWest’s unified messaging and VoIP efforts. Prior to his joining SureWest Lawver has held positions in software marketing and development at Oracle, Minx Software and Cable Data. Lawver holds a BA degree in economics from the University of California.
Martin Taylor, VP of Technology Strategy, MetaSwitchMartin Taylor has spent over 20 years in the telecom and network equipment industries, with diverse experience in product marketing, engineering, technology planning and business development. As CTO at CopperCom, Martin was an early pioneer in Voice Over Broadband, and his technical leadership, vision and evangelization were key factors in CopperCom’s outstanding success in this emerging market. Martin also led the ATM Forum effort to develop a standard for Voice Over Broadband interoperability that has been widely adopted in the industry, and shaped the technology roadmap for CopperCom’s Class 4/5 softswitch following its acquisition of DTI Networks.
Prior to CopperCom, Martin was VP Network Architecture at Madge Networks, and was responsible for the company’s highly successful entry into the Token Ring switching market. At Madge, he also created a highly futuristic architecture for softswitch-based voice in the enterprise, leveraging ATM to the desktop. Before joining Madge, Martin spent several years at GEC-Plessey Telecommunications (now Marconi) where, among other achievements, he designed the passive optical components for British Telecom’s Telephony over Passive Optical Networks (TPON) field trial.
Martin is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, England with a degree in Engineering. He enjoys skiing, golf, fine wine and web design.
MetaSwitchMetaSwitch is the industry's leading broadband Class 5 softswitch.
