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January 2016 Table of Contents Exciting News! Significantly Reduced Registration Fees for 2016 ITS Biennial Conference Results of 2015 ITS Membership Survey 11th ITS Ph.D. Seminar – Taipei, Taiwan 1st Africa Regional ITS Conference – Accra, Ghana Cambridge, UK to Host the 27th European Regional ITS Conference An Invitation to Join the International Telecommunications Society
——————- To ensure uninterrupted delivery of the ITS membership journal, Telecommunications Policy, as well as e-mail announcements of upcoming Calls for Papers, publications, conference registration discounts and similar news of potential interest sent via the Don Romaniuk, ITS Secretariat at secretariat@itsworld.org —————— Editor: Don Romaniuk Graphic Design Artist:
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Exciting News! Significantly Reduced Registration Fees for 2016 ITS Biennial Conference The local organizers of the 2016 ITS Biennial Conference are delighted to announce that, with the recent addition of Taiwan's major telephone companies as sponsors of this event, it has become possible to significantly reduce the registration fees for all attendees. The previous fee for early bird registration was $500 USD per person. The new registration fee will now be $350 USD for regular participants. This registration fee includes all Conference sessions, free lunches, dinners, and local tours. The $350 USD registration fee also includes a two-year individual membership in ITS, the normal cost of which is $250 USD. Membership in ITS, in turn, comes with many other benefits including a subscription to the scientific journal, Telecommunications Policy (which is published 11 times a year), and reduced registration fees at all ITS Regional Conferences. In a word, Conference attendees will enjoy a very generous benefits package. The new registration fee schedule is as follows:
The theme of the 2016 ITS Biennial Conference, to be held at the Regent Taipei Hotel, June 26-29, 2016, is Interconnecting Everything: Harnessing Business, Policy and Smart Societies. The Conference will be hosted by four leading universities and institutes: Yuan Ze University, National Chengchi University, Shih Hsin University and the Taiwan Communications Society. Individuals interested in presenting a paper at the 2016 ITS Biennial Conference are reminded that the last day for submitting abstracts is February 1, 2016. Full details on the Call for Papers and guidelines for abstract submission are available on the main Conference web site at http://www.its2016taiwan.com. Outstanding papers will be considered for publication in an edited book or special issue of Telecommunications Policy. The Conference will be held at the Regent Taipei, located in the heart of the city’s most vital financial, shopping, entertainment and cultural districts. The Hotel is 45 minutes from Taoyuan International Airport, 15 minutes from Taipei Song Shan Airport, and just a five-minute walk from Chung Shan MRT station. The Hotel is also well served by buses and taxis which provide easy (and inexpensive) access to all of Taipei’s hot spots and tourist attractions including world-class museums and art galleries; bustling night markets; other must-see cultural and historical sites; a dizzying array of shopping destinations; and a range of dining establishments from the most traditional to the ultra-modern serving outstanding dishes to meet every taste and budget. The local organizer will provide pre- and post-conference tours to a number of special tourist attractions. Lunches and dinners will also be provided at attractive hotels. Please visit the Conference web site at www.its2016taiwan.com for further details about this Conference. ————————————————– 11th ITS Ph.D. Seminar – Taipei, Taiwan The 11th ITS Ph.D. Seminar will be held on June 29, 2016 immediately following the close of the 21st ITS Biennial Conference in Taipei. Access to the Biennial Conference will be free of charge for Ph.D. Seminar participants.
As with all prior ITS Ph.D. seminars, the objective of the 2016 event is to share the valuable expertise in the information, communications, and technology sectors represented by leading academics, industry experts and renowned researchers with a selected group of graduate students in a highly focused learning environment. In this spirit, the focus will be on the discussion of ideas presented by the student participants, rather than simply on the presentation of papers. Up to 10 students will be invited from the responses to this call. A number of distinguished international scholars from within the ITS community will participate as discussants. The Call for Papers for the Ph.D. Seminar invites submissions on the same topics of research and study as those listed in the Call for Papers for the 2016 ITS Biennial Conference being held in Taipei immediately prior to the Ph.D. Seminar. Other topics in the field of telecommunications are also welcome. Please note that in order to be most effective, the discussion will be based on full (draft) papers. Only in exceptional cases will extended abstracts (min. 8 pages) be accepted for submission. Papers presented at the Seminar will be considered for refereed submission in Telecommunications Policy. The Ph.D. Seminar is being organized locally with the assistance of ITS. Participation is free of charge. Successful participants will receive a certificate from the International Telecommunications Society. Ph.D. students whose paper has been selected for presentation will receive a subsidy of 500€ to cover accommodation and travel expenses. Further details about the Ph.D. Seminar, including full particulars on the Call for Papers, are available on the main Taiwan Conference web site at http://www.its2016taiwan.com Please send your full paper together with a CV to Erik Bohlin at erik.bohlin@chalmers.se and to Yu-Li Liu at yuliliu2009@gmail.com by April 10. ————————————————– Cambridge, UK to Host the 27th European Regional ITS Conference The 2016 European Regional ITS Conference will be held September 8-10 in Cambridge, UK. The Centre for Development Studies, Cambridge University, and the Institute for International Management Practice, Anglia Ruskin University, will co-host the Conference.
The theme of this Conference is The Evolution of the North-South Telecommunications Divide: The Role for Europe. The Conference Call for Papers (CFP) will be issued in the first week of February 2016. The CFP will be disseminated via the ITS-L Listserv distribution list and will also be posted on the ITS website at www.itsworld.org. Among the subjects expected to be addressed at this Conference are the following:
Co-Chairs of the local Organizing Committee for this Conference are Professor Emanuele Giovannetti (Anglia Ruskin University) and Dr. Shailaja Fennell (University of Cambridge). The ITS Organizing Committee is being led by ITS Board members Dr. Jason Whalley (Newcastle Business School) and Dr. Brigitte Preissl (ZBW). Further details on this Conference will be provided in the March 2016 issue of Interconnect. In the meantime, please add September 8-10, 2016 to your Conference calendar. ITS members wishing to attend this Conference are reminded that they will be eligible for reduced registration fees. ————————————————– ITS Conferences 2016 March 1st Africa Regional ITS Conference June 21st ITS Biennial Conference 11th ITS Ph.D. Seminar September 27th European Regional ITS Conference Other Conferences of Potential Interest 2016 March EuroCPR 2016 Florence School of Regulation – Communications and Media Annual Scientific Seminar on the Economics, Law and Policy of Communications and Media June International Institute of Forecasters (IIF) CPR LATAM July International Association for Media and Communication Research IAMCR 2016 Conference September CPRsouth 2016 2016 TPRC | 44th Research Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy |
Results of 2015 ITS Membership Survey During the late summer and early fall of 2015, the ITS Executive Committee conducted a survey of “core” ITS members (defined as those members in good-standing who have attended two or more ITS Conferences in the past three years). The focus of the survey was on the perceived value to respondents of the benefits that accompany ITS membership, the annual cost of which is $125. Just under 100 members took part in the survey. The table below summarizes the views of survey participants with respect to the principal benefits of ITS membership. *Note that percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding. Survey respondents were also asked to describe other (current) membership benefits they find to be of value and to list additional (future) benefits they would like to see included with their ITS membership. Among the most important other membership benefits identified by respondents were the following:
The two enhancements to existing ITS membership benefits most frequently requested by survey respondents were:
The ITS Executive Committee is currently studying the survey results in greater detail and assessing the potential for future enhancements to the benefits currently attending ITS membership. Any announcements about possible future changes in membership benefits will be disseminated via the ITS-L and will be covered in greater detail in one or more future issues of Interconnect. ————————————————– 1st Africa Regional ITS Conference – Accra, Ghana The first-ever Africa Regional ITS Conference will be held March 10-11, 2016 in Accra, Ghana. The 10th ITS Ph.D. Seminar will convene immediately afterwards on March 12, 2016. The principal organizer of this Conference is ITS Board member, Professor Anders Henten (Center for Communication, Media and Information technologies (CMI), Aalborg University, Denmark). The Conference will be hosted by Ghana Technology University College (GTUC) in cooperation with CMI. The theme of the 1st Africa Regional ITS Conference is ICT Infrastructures, Applications and Policies. Africa has witnessed an impressive development of mobile communications during the past decade. Some African countries have a mobile penetration of more than 100% – illustrating the widespread take-up, as well as the fact that many subscribers have dual or triple subscriptions. Even in countries with a high take-up rate, however, there are large segments of the population and regions where coverage and take-up is low. The Conference will focus on mobile developments in Africa including mobile Internet. Another trend attracting much attention is the development of mobile applications – especially mobile money. This development casts a light on many areas of social interaction where mobile communications could contribute to better service provision, e.g., learning, health, governance, etc. The Conference will pay special attention to such developments and their potential. The Conference will also focus on the use of private applications via social networks and of user-generated content in general. In the policy area, the focus will be on the broader information society and on digital governance policies, as well as more specific regulatory developments whether in telecommunications or broadcasting.
Accra, the host city for the Conference, is both the capital of and most populous city in Ghana. A melting pot of cultures, Accra stretches alongside the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean less than 400 miles from the equator. This cosmopolitan and visitor-friendly city features no less than 20 beaches, a charming mix of modern and colonial architecture (ranging from 17th century castles to modern high-rises), numerous shopping districts including traditional markets, a number of excellent – and very inexpensive – restaurants, and entertainment ranging from museums and art galleries to casinos, bars and nightclubs. Tourist activities On Saturday, March 12, a daylong bus tour will be organized to take interested guests to two UNESCO World Heritage sites located along the Atlantic coast less than 100 miles west of Accra. Cape Coast and Elmina Castles are two restored military, commercial and slave trade fortresses that were built many centuries ago on what was formerly known as Africa’s Gold Coast. The cities of Cape Coast and Elmina, in which these castles are respectively located, remain important fishing ports in Ghana. Individuals will have an opportunity while at the Conference to sign-up for this special historical tour. Other tours in Ghana Conference attendees who plan to spend more time in Ghana and who wish to go on one or more extended tours elsewhere in the country, are encouraged to visit the website of the Ghana Tourism Authority at http://www.ghana.travel/. Conference attendees are also reminded that, in most cases, the Conference hotel at which they will be staying would also be most happy to help organize a private tour. For more information about the 1st Africa Regional ITS Conference and 10th ITS Ph.D. Seminar, please visit the Conference web site at: http://www.africa-its.org/index.html All Conference-related inquiries should be directed to ITS Board member, Anders Henten, at henten@cmi.aau.dk ————————————————–
Dear ITS Colleagues: 2016 will be another important and very busy year for ITS. The 21st ITS Biennial Conference will take place June 26-29 in Taipei, Taiwan, followed immediately on June 29 by the 11th ITS Ph.D. Seminar, also in Taipei. Biennial conferences are our premier events, where a significant portion of the ITS membership is gathered. The 2016 event is particularly fortunate to have secured the generous support of three Taiwan universities, and many local sponsors. It will be a conference to be remembered. ITS is also organizing two regional conferences in 2016. The 1st Africa Regional ITS Conference will convene March 10-11 in Accra, Ghana, to be followed immediately afterwards by the 10th ITS Ph.D. Seminar. On September 8-10, the 27th European Regional ITS Conference will take place in Cambridge, United Kingdom. An ITS Ph.D. Seminar is also being planned. The year 2015 was a very productive and successful one for ITS. Our organization convened three regional conferences (Madrid, Los Angeles and New Delhi), upgraded our website, conducted an important membership survey and held ITS Board and Executive Committee meetings at which lengthy deliberations took place on how to deliver even greater value to our members. All of these subjects have either been or are being covered in greater detail in Interconnect, our membership newsletter, the current and all past issues of which can be found on the ITS web site at www.itsworld.org. As a non-profit Society, ITS depends critically on the volunteer time and efforts of its Board members, the generous financial backing of corporate members, and the energy, enthusiasm and freely-given support of local conference organizers – together with the many local sponsors whose assistance they enlist – to advance our organization’s scientific and public interest objectives. I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you for your continued commitment to and unwavering support of ITS. It has been a good year, and promises to be a good year to come. As always, I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at one or more of our upcoming Conferences and to engaging you in discussions on the issues and subjects of greatest interest and concern to the telecommunications and broader ICT industry. Sincerely,
Erik Bohlin ————————————————– An Invitation to Join the International Telecommunications Society Who We Are The International Telecommunications Society (ITS) is an association of professionals in the evolving communications sector, including telephony, computing, Internet, broadcasting, content (media) and related industries. Our goal is to provide a forum where people can meet to identify developing business and regulatory issues and share new findings, public policy ideas and research methodologies. We are an independent, non-aligned and not-for-profit organization with a worldwide network of over 400 members, from over 40 countries, from the academic, private sector and government communities. Our diverse membership base is a source of innovative ideas and solutions not likely to be developed in one discipline, one profession or one country. Our work focuses on the socioeconomic, technological, legal, regulatory, competitive, organizational, and ethical dimensions of public policy issues. We welcome new members who want to participate in this important work. Benefits of ITS Membership There are many benefits of ITS membership including the opportunity to present, as well as to obtain access to, economic research and strategic policy papers at conferences, workshops or seminars hosted by ITS and to meet and interact with public policy decision-makers, corporate executives, students, academics and industry professionals at numerous ITS-sponsored events throughout the year. Membership benefits also include an annual subscription to the ITS membership journal, Telecommunications Policy, which is published 11 times a year, as well as access to the ITS-L Listserv, which is used to notify members of upcoming ITS events and of publication of each new issue of Interconnect, the official newsletter of ITS. Please note that the registration fees for all ITS Biennial Conferences include a two-year individual membership in ITS (including a two-year subscription to Telecommunications Policy). In addition, all ITS members in good-standing are entitled to reduced registration fees at all ITS-organized Regional Conferences. Other individual membership benefits include online access to papers presented at ITS Conferences, discounts as announced for ITS publications, and occasional special discounts on ITS conference proceedings. Conferences ITS holds a number of outstanding conferences each year, and the past few years have been no exception. Our largest and most dynamic gatherings are our Biennial Conferences. The 20th and most recent ITS Biennial Conference was held in Rio de Janeiro (Nov. 30 – Dec. 3, 2014). The 2016 ITS Biennial Conference will be held in Taipei, Taiwan, June 26 – 29. See the Conference web site at http://www.its2016taiwan.com, as well as the most recent update on this Conference included in this issue of Interconnect. Other cities that have hosted ITS Biennial conferences include Bangkok, Tokyo, Montreal, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Seoul, Berlin, Sydney, Stockholm, Venice, Boston and Seville, among others. ITS also organizes one or more regional conferences each year in various parts of the world. In the past two years, regional conferences have been held in New Delhi, India; Los Angeles, USA; San Lorenzo de Escorial, Spain; and Brussels, Belgium. Select conference papers are frequently published in Telecommunications Policy. Since 2010, ITS has also hosted nine Ph.D. Seminars in conjunction with Biennial and major Regional Conferences. The objective of these Seminars is to allow leading academics, industry experts and researchers to share their knowledge and expertise with a select group of younger researchers in a highly focused learning environment. To date, over 70 Ph.D. students from two-dozen countries have participated in these Seminars. Students selected as having authored the most innovative and thoughtful papers at these Seminars are encouraged to submit them for publication on a refereed basis in Telecommunications Policy. On the immediate horizon, and as is described in more detail in this issue of Interconnect, ITS conferences are planned for Accra, Ghana (March 10-11, 2016), Taipei, Taiwan (June 26-29, 2016) and Cambridge, UK (September 8-10, 2016). Information on all upcoming ITS conferences is posted on the ITS web site at www.itsworld.org. In addition, periodic updates on future conferences, including announcements of Calls for Papers, are regularly sent to ITS members via the ITS-L Listserv distribution list. Further Information About ITS For further information about ITS please visit our website at www.itsworld.org. Please feel free to direct any questions to any member of the Board of Directors (see website for contact information) or to the ITS Secretariat at secretariat@itsworld.org. Please Join Us Today To join ITS, simply go to www.itsworld.org and click on “become a member”. The cost of an annual ITS membership is U.S. $125. Credit card payments (VISA and MasterCard) are accepted. Please consider becoming an ITS member today. |
