Telecom Asia: There are just three months to go until the start of the WORLD event - how are the preparations going‾
Fernando Lagrana: Very busily. We are all looking forward to the upcoming event - it's in an exciting new venue, and we have a whole lot of new ways to take part. Also with so many new technologies and areas/regions of growth, we feel this is a great time for the ICT industry as well. So, we are all working hard to ensure - and are convinced - that this event will be a great success - the best ever.
We now have confirmed participation from top names from across the industry. Show floor space is virtually sold out, and we are pleased to welcome a wide range of players representing the full reach of the ICT industry, including NEC, Microsoft, Motorola, China Telecoms and Toshiba.
On the Forum side, we've already finalized an exciting program of industry-critical debate and have an exciting selection of speakers ranging from company CEOs to senior technical, research and development spokespeople as well as a major presence of senior government and regulatory figures. We feel that the lineup of speakers fully and ably reflects the face of today's ICT industry.
As well as these we are finalizing plans for a whole host of other onsite events. We are looking forward to an action-packed week in Hong Kong.
What can we expect at ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006‾
The theme of the event will be 'Living the Digital World'. Under this, the event will explore all facets of this 'World,' including the increasingly important role digital technologies are playing in our day-to-day lives. It will also enable us to examine the technologies, companies and organizations that are driving the 'Digital World' forward.
The event will encompass a dynamic exhibition, as well as the renowned Telecom Village, which is a relaxed, sociable 'village' environment as well as an ideal networking hub.
It also includes a powerful Forum, plus the Youth Forum and the Telecommunication Development Symposium, which brings together ICT managers from developing and low income countries to share knowledge and help telecoms development.
The Forum itself will tackle a huge range of topics, covering growth areas such as new wireless services, triple play and digital content, to name just a few. And the Forum will feature many distinguished and well known figures from the ICT world, such as John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, Serge Tchuruk, chairman and CEO of Alcatel, and Kaoru Yano, president of NEC Corporation. And these are just some of the confirmed high-level keynote speakers.
As well as these will be the 'Digital Life Theater' - a futuristic venue created for commercial presentations reflecting the theme of the event, plus a wide range of networking and social events.