I have written a few times about my time working at Bell Labs nearly 30 years ago.

When I was at Bell Labs, I worked on the AT&T Communications services side of the company; a good friend of mine developed photonics on the hardware side. I had a classmate from school who did pure mathematical research. He really didn’t know a thing about the telecom industry, but he did the kind of work that led to better ways to solve computational problems, leading to faster computer processes. In the old days, Bell Labs did research and it did development. These were two different needs, with different metrics for measuring returns.

I wrote about the need to examine ways to expand basic research: “So much industrial R&D is focused on development rather than research.”

The Bell Labs complex was one of the last projects by Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen, who had designed the St. Louis Gateway Arch and the main terminal at Washington Dulles airport, among his major works.

In one of my first blog posts, I wrote about Bell Labs’ Holmdel, NJ office building being put up for sale. That was where I worked when my son was born. The water tower was designed to look like a transistor, one of the inventions to come out of their labs. The building itself was one of the world’s first to be clad in glass. When it was built in the early 1960’s, it is as if the architect anticipated the communications industry transitioning from copper to glass.

And now, the Finnish telecom company Nokia is acquiring Alcatel-Lucent, the current parent of Bell Labs. Bell Labs vacated Saarinen’s building in 2006; the Finnish connection will be restored as Bell Labs finds a home inside Nokia.

Nokia North America chief Ricky Corker will be the June 1 closing speaker at the end of the first day of The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit, and Nokia will be hosting this year’s cocktail reception. Be sure to register before May 1 to save $250.

The March 2015 issue of NTEN Change, the journal of the Non-profit Technology Network, includes a story about a Canadian documentary: Cyber-Seniors. The interview with filmmakers Saffron Cassaday and Brenda Rusnak is worth a few minutes of time to read.

In fact, the entire March issue is devoted to the theme of “Digital Inclusion and Technical Divides: What’s Next?”

How do we deal with stimulating the demand side of digital adoption? To date, most government initiatives have stimulated supply, without looking at the how we increase digital literacy and targeted programs to improve access to devices.

“Cyber-Seniors” is a humorous and heartwarming documentary that adds to the important conversation about the generation gap.

Digital inclusion is always a topic of discussion at The Canadian Telecom Summit. The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit is less than 8 weeks away: June 1-3, 2015 in Toronto. Register before May 1 to save. Complete conference brochure can be viewed or downloaded here.

The most influential leaders of the Canadian & International ICT industry will gather in Toronto from June 1 – 3 at The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit. Alone, any of our keynote speakers would be well worth listening to. The Canadian Telecom Summit brings over a dozen keynote address – and more than 50 panelists – over 3 unmatched days of presentations, discussions, sharing ideas, forming relationships and even deal-making.

Now in its 14th year, The Canadian Telecom Summit has grown to become Canada’s most important annual telecommunications & IT event, attracting hundreds of attendees from around the world. No other event presents a complete picture of current and expected trends & developments. No other event matches The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit for the depth and breadth of topics covered and issues debated.

This year, in addition to the ever popular Regulatory Blockbuster, we are featuring sessions devoted to:

• Cyber Security;
• Big Data & Analytics;
• Competition in Telecom;
• Customer Experience Management;
• Advanced Mobile Services;
• The Internet of Things;
• Turbo-charging network performance; and
• The video revolution.

Come see why The Canadian Telecom Summit has become the only must-attend conference. With more opportunities than ever to learn, network and do business, if you are involved with or impacted by Canadian telecommunications, broadcasting or information technology, you need to be at The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit.

Join your colleagues for 3 days of spirited discussion and networking. Register today for The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit.

Visit http://www.telecomsummit.com to register today. View the complete conference brochure.

You should be getting an email from The Canadian Telecom Summit later this week. If you don’t get an email, check your spam folder or sign-up for the mailing list.

How do carriers defend their networks? How does the industry secure corporate and customer information? How do we maintain operational continuity when faced with unexpected network events or intrusions?

We are sometimes troubled trying to distinguish between the heroes and villains in the saga of information security being played out in the news. Do we know whether to block a surge in traffic as an attack, or expand capacity to accommodate the increased consumer interest?

On the afternoon of June 1, The Canadian Telecom Summit will be hosting a panel titled “Cyber Security: perils, protection and the role of ICT” to explore the issues and technologies surrounding network and information security. We have assembled a distinguished panel with a broad range of perspectives.

This panel brings together global leaders to explore Cyber Defense from a broad range of perspectives:

• Carl Herberger (moderator), Vice President of Security Solutions at Radware, is responsible for developing, managing, and he serves as the primary corporate spokesperson in the Americas for security-related topics. As a frequent guest of Fox Business News, CNN and Bloomberg Broadcast News, along with numerous NYT, WSJ and Washington Post citations, Mr. Herberger is considered a leading expert on the problems and solutions surrounding Cyber Attacks.
• Kevvie Fowler is a partner in KPMG Canada’s forensic practice and is an information security and data analytics specialist. Kevvie also teaches database forensics to law enforcement agencies across North America and sits on the SANS GIAC Advisory Board where he guides the direction of emerging security and forensics research.
• Vivek Khindria, Head of Information Security, accumulated about 20 years’ experience in the Canadian Financial sector before joining Bell. He is directly involved with both public sector and private sector security strategy and implementation.
• Paul Obsitnik is Vice President of Service Provider Marketing for Juniper Networks, responsible for the marketing of Juniper’s portfolio of high performance routing, switching, security and data center fabric products to Service Providers globally.
• Daniel Thanos leads internal security consulting, architecture, and R&D teams in the areas of advanced cybersecurity and strategy at TELUS.

What are the range of implications of cyber warfare? What is being done to address the most notable recent cyber-attacks? How do we prepare systems and networks to handle extreme load conditions? How should carriers, vendors and the government address the information security landscape? In an “Internet of Everything”, how do we design and build networks and systems for security and privacy?

Have you registered yet for The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit?

How will net neutrality regulations impact the competitive telecommunications marketplace? Will net neutrality encourage innovation or entrench the position of current applications?

On the morning of June 1, The Canadian Telecom Summit will be hosting a panel titled “Competition in Telecom: Net Neutrality and Innovation” to explore these issues with some of North America’s top minds. With the support of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, we have assembled a distinguished panel with a broad range of perspectives.

Our panel brings together leaders from Canada and the United States:

• Dvai Ghose (moderator), Managing Director & Head of Research at Canaccord Genuity, has consistently been ranked as an all-star Canadian Telecom and Cable Services Analyst by Brendan Wood International. He has also been ranked the number one equity analyst for stock picking and EPS estimate accuracy in the Telecommunication sector in North America by Starmine and Forbes Magazine.
• Ariel Katz is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, where he holds the Innovation Chair in Electronic Commerce. His general area of research involves economic analysis of competition law and intellectual property law, with allied interests in electronic commerce, pharmaceutical regulation, the regulation of international trade, and particularly the intersection of these fields.
• John Lawford is Executive Director and General Counsel of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), a national non-profit organization that provides legal and research services on behalf of consumer interests, and, in particular, vulnerable consumer interests, concerning the provision of important public services.
• Len Waverman has been a professor of economics at the University of Toronto and the London Business School and Dean of the Haskayne School of Business as well as professor of strategy at the University of Calgary. He is currently Dean of the DeGroote School of Business.
• Christopher Yoo, Director, Center for Technology, Innovation & Competition at University of Pennsylvania Law School, has emerged as one of the leading authorities on law and technology. His research focuses on how the principles of network engineering and the economics of imperfect competition can provide insights into the regulation of electronic communications.

This session should be interesting and provoke considerable discussion.

Have you registered yet for The 2015 Canadian Telecom Summit?