 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
June 2014 Table of Contents Brussels Conference Features Strong Scientific and Academic Programme Abstract Submission Deadline for Rio Biennial is June 25th An Invitation to Join the International Telecommunications Society 6th ITS Ph.D. Seminar Set to Go in Brussels ITS Issues Call for Papers for 1st Africa Regional ITS Conference
——————- 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:
|
Brussels Conference Features Strong Scientific and Academic Programme The 25th European Regional ITS Conference, the theme of which is Disruptive Innovation in the ICT Industries: Challenges for European Policy and Business, will be held in Brussels, Belgium, June 22-25, 2014. All Conference sessions will be held at the KVAB (Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België – Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium). The Conference is being hosted by iMinds, an independent research institute, founded by the Flemish government, the mission of which is to stimulate ICT innovation. iMinds involves the collaboration of 850+ researchers at five Flemish universities, to conduct strategic and applied research in areas such as ICT, Media and Health. The programme for the Brussels Conference will cover a broad range of topics including telecommunications economics and regulation; broadband and next generation networks; new services and business models; media, content and telecoms; emerging policy issues; and ICT and economic development. Specific subjects will span everything from net neutrality, operator strategies, market analysis and industry business models to EU regulation, the internet of things, spectrum policy, infrastructure and innovation to name but a few. In all, the Conference will see over 100 papers presented in 8 parallel sessions (comprising 32 separate sessions) over the course of three days. There will also be four panel sessions (involving an additional 21 invited guest speakers) plus opening and closing plenary sessions. The formal programme for the Conference will begin on Monday morning, June 23, with opening remarks from Dr. Erik Bohlin (ITS) and Dr. Pieter Ballon (iMinds). The first plenary session will follow immediately afterwards and will feature Tonnie de Koster, DG Connect, European Commission; John Porter, CEO and Managing Director, Telenet; and Richard Hawkins, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, the University of Calgary and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Innovation Studies (THECiS).The Conference will conclude at noon on June 25 with closing remarks from Dr. Sven Lindmark (iMinds), Dr. Brigitte Preissl (ITS) and Dr. Jason Whalley (ITS). A copy of the complete programme for the Brussels Conference can be found at the following link: www.itseurope.org/pdf/programme/Programme8.5.2014.pdf The Conference will also feature a Welcome Reception on Sunday evening, June 22 at the University Foundation (Egmontstraat 11, 1000 Brussels). Lunch will be provided to all participants on each day from June 23 to June 25. The main Conference Dinner, meanwhile, will be held on June 24 (also at the University Foundation). Online registration for the Conference is available at www.itseurope.org/. Persons interested in attending this Conference are reminded that registration discounts are available to ITS members in good standing. Given that an annual membership in ITS, at a cost of only US $125, also includes a 12-month subscription to the journal, Telecommunications Policy, eleven issues of which are published every year, please consider joining ITS or renewing your expired ITS membership prior to registering for this Conference. To apply for or renew your ITS membership, please visit www.itsworld.org.
————————————————– 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 nearly 400 members, from over 45 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. All ITS members in good standing also receive a registration fee discount at all ITS-organized Regional Conferences. This benefit alone can offset the greater part of an ITS membership. Other individual membership benefits include 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 19th and most recent ITS Biennial Conference was held in Bangkok (November 2012). The 2014 ITS Biennial Conference will be held in Rio de Janeiro, November 30 – December 3, 2014. See the Conference web site at www.itsrio2014.com, as well as the most recent update on this Conference included in this issue of Interconnect. Other cities which have hosted ITS Biennial conferences include 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 Florence, Italy; Perth, Australia; Vienna, Austria; and New Delhi, India. Select conference papers are frequently published in Telecommunications Policy. Since 2010, ITS has also hosted five 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. 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 Brussels, Belgium (June 22-25, 2014), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Nov. 30 – Dec. 3, 2014) and Accra, Ghana (May 26-28, 2015). 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 (VISA and MasterCard) and debit card payments are accepted. Please consider becoming an ITS member today. ————————————————– ITS Conferences 2014 June 25th European Regional ITS Conference 6th ITS Ph.D. Seminar November-December 20th ITS Biennial Conference 2015 African Regional ITS Conference
Other Conferences of Potential Interest 2014 June International Institute of Forecasters (IIF) Gender Summit 4 – Europe 2014 July Institute for Information Law (IViR) International Association for Media and Communication Research August 2014 International Conference on Computer Science and Technology (ICCST 2014) 2014 Ph.D. Summer School on Political Economy of ICT 4S/ESOCITE Annual Meeting September CPRsouth2014 2014 TPRC | 42nd Research Conference on |
Abstract Submission Deadline for Persons interested in presenting papers at the 2014 ITS Biennial Conference in Rio de Janeiro are reminded that the deadline for submitting abstracts is June 25th. The theme of the 20th ITS Biennial is The Net and the Internet: Emerging Markets and Policies. The Conference will take place November 30 – December 3, 2014 and is being hosted by TIM Brasil. The academic partner for this Conference is the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). The Conference Call for Papers envisions five main programme tracks: 1) Infrastructure layer (the “net”) Inherent in the five programme tracks is a layered approach to the study and analysis of emerging markets’ policies in cyberspace. Among the core issues to be addressed are (1) the tradeoffs between encouraging large-scale (and profitable) investment in new infrastructure while facilitating vigorous competition for the benefit of consumers; (2) optimal approaches not only to “net neutrality”, but to emerging analogues including “search neutrality” and “cloud neutrality”; (3) the sustainability of for-profit content creation, broadcasting and copyright protection in light of evolving new media platforms and new internet business models; (4) future national and international internet governance initiatives; and (5) re-envisioning the role of broadband communications as simultaneously enabling, enhancing and transforming economic, social and political activity and interaction at all levels of society. It is anticipated that a number of similar and equally challenging policy issues directly affecting social welfare, economic growth and development and, increasingly, the very foundations of modern society will also be addressed in the Conference program. Complete details on the Rio Call for Papers are available at the Conference web site at www.itsrio2014.com/ Authors of selected papers from the Conference will be invited to submit to special issues of Telecommunications Policy as well as other international peer-reviewed academic journals. To submit an abstract, please visit the Rio Conference web site at: www.itsrio2014.com/callforpapers.html If you experience any difficulties submitting your abstract online, please send a copy of your abstract or paper directly to institutotim@timbrasil.com.br Please direct all inquiries related to the Call for Papers to: its2014rio@easychair.org General Conference inquiries should be directed to Glória Rubião of the local Organizing Committee at grubiao@timbrasil.com.br
————————————————– 6th ITS Ph.D. Seminar Set to Go in Brussels ITS will convene its 6th Ph.D. Seminar on June 25 in Brussels, immediately following the closing ceremony for the 2014 European Regional ITS Conference. It will be held at the main offices of iMinds-SMIT at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Pleinlaan 9, First Floor, Rooms: Weber and Mead). As with all prior ITS Ph.D. Seminars, the objective of the 2014 event is to allow leading academics, industry experts and researchers to share their knowledge and expertise in the ICT field with a select group of graduate students in a highly focused learning environment. In this spirit, the discussion will centre and build upon ideas presented by the student participants, rather than focus on the mere presentation of papers. This year, eight graduate students from Belgium, the USA, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg and Tunisia have been invited to participate based on responses received to the Call for Papers (CFP), which was issued in January 2014. An equal number of distinguished international scholars from within the ITS community (from the UK, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Sweden and Denmark) will participate as discussants. Subjects to be covered in the Seminar range from broadband, the digital divide, and telecommunications regulation to mobile communications and new media. The Ph.D. Seminar is being organized by ITS and Chalmers University of Technology and will be hosted by iMinds. Access to the Ph.D. Seminar will be free of charge to all participants in the 2014 European Regional ITS Conference. Student participants in the Ph.D. Seminar will also be able to attend the main Brussels Conference on a complimentary basis. A selection of papers presented at the Seminar will be encouraged for refereed submission in Telecommunications Policy. Further details about the Ph.D. Seminar, including the complete Seminar programme, are available on the Brussels Conference web site at www.itseurope.org/.
————————————————– ITS Issues Call for Papers for 1st Africa Regional ITS Conference ITS is pleased to announce that the Call for Papers has just been issued for the first-ever Africa Regional ITS Conference. The Conference will be held in Accra, Ghana, May 26-28, 2015. The venue for the Conference will be the Alisa Hotel in Accra (see, www.alisahotels.com/). The principal organizer of this Conference is ITS Board member, Professor Anders Henten (Center for Communication, Media and Information technologies (CMI), Aalborg University). The Conference will be hosted by Ghana Technology University College (GTUC) in cooperation with CMI. 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 which has already attracted much attention is the development of mobile applications – especially mobile money. This development casts a light on many different social areas 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. The Conference also welcomes papers on convergence between IT, telecommunications, and the media in African countries. This means that papers from the telecommunications field as well as from Information Systems and media researchers will be equally welcome. Please note the following important deadlines:
Interested participants should also note that there will be awards for the best paper and the best student paper. For full details on the Call for Papers, please visit the Conference web site at www.africa-its.org/ Initial plans also include holding an ITS Ph.D. Seminar on May 29, 2015 immediately following the Conference along the lines of the many successful Ph.D. Seminars that have been organized in conjunction with earlier ITS Regional and Biennial Conferences in Copenhagen, Budapest, Vienna, Bangkok, Florence and elsewhere. Further updates on the Africa Regional Conference and Ph.D. Seminar will be provided on the Conference web site, as well as on the ITS web site at www.itsworld.org and via the ITS-L Listserv as they become available.
————————————————–
Dear ITS Colleagues: ITS is literally abuzz with activity as we enter the height of the summer and fall conference season. As can be seen from the current (June 2014) issue of Interconnect, final preparations are now in place for the 25th European Regional ITS Conference and 6th ITS Ph.D. Seminar to be held in Brussels starting June 22. In addition, the deadline for abstract submissions for the 20th ITS Biennial Conference to be held in Rio de Janeiro is June 25. Accordingly, persons interested in presenting papers at the Rio Biennial but who have not yet submitted abstracts for consideration by the Conference Scientific Committee will need to act quickly. I am also delighted to share with you the news (as reported elsewhere in the current issue of Interconnect) that ITS has just issued the Call for Papers for the first-ever Africa Regional ITS Conference. It will be held in Accra, Ghana, May 26-28, 2015. My summer plans include participating at both the European Regional ITS Conference in Brussels and at the 6th ITS Ph.D. Seminar that will follow immediately thereafter. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Brussels (and later in the year in Rio de Janeiro) 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 |
