Among the new panels being introduced this year at The 2013 Canadian Telecom Summit, we have a session called “The Customers Speak Out”:

What are some of the issues that bother small and medium businesses?

How are consumers being protected?

Is enough being done to safeguard against abuses?

What should service providers be doing to improve their customer relationships?

What will be the kinds of enforcement measures expected from the CRTC?

You need to be at The 2013 Canadian Telecom Summit, just 3 weeks away. Have you registered yet?

Continuing Professional Development: We have been advised that some of the time spent attending sessions at The 2013 Canadian Telecom Summit may be claimed as “Substantive Hours” towards LSUC’s CPD requirements.

Register today! Download the complete conference brochure here.

As you may have read last week, Industry Minister Christian Paradis was supposed to be delivering the closing address on June 5 at The 2013 Canadian Telecom Summit.

Over the course of the 3 day event, taking place June 3-5 at the Toronto Congress Centre, we will explore many areas that should provide guidance for moving forward, whether or not the government sets out a formal strategy.

For example, a panel on Wednesday June 5 will be looking at “Building an Innovation Economy”, exploring the issue from all angles.

Other panels are examining the next generation of wireless, looking at consumer issues (and available recourse for consumer complaints), the evolution of service provider business models and much, much more.

Once again, Canadians find ourselves drifting aimlessly with uncertainty guiding the evolution of Canada’s digital economy. It is a sector filled with activity. Wireless new entrants are in transition; investors are faced with changing rules and a lack of clarity about the transfers of spectrum. Consumers continue to increase their demand for flexible connectivity for voice, data, image and entertainment. Machine to machine communications means more devices talking to each other with significant impact on networks and security.

You need to be at The 2013 Canadian Telecom Summit, just 4 weeks away. Have you registered yet?

Continuing Professional Development: Some of the time spent attending substantive sessions at The 2013 Canadian Telecom Summit can be claimed as “Substantive Hours” towards LSUC’s CPD requirements.

Register today! Download the complete conference brochure here.

After a harsher than usual winter it is finally spring time in Toronto. The buds are showing the first signs of leaves returning to the trees in my neighbourhood. Toronto hockey fans have grown accustomed to trees being the only place to find a maple leaf at this time of year. But tonight, the Toronto Maple Leafs will play their first post-season game in nine years and Bloomberg says that this is a sign that the purchase of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment is beginning to pay dividends for its owners, Rogers and BCE.

Each home game generates at least C$2 million in income alone for teams such as the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens, said Bruno Delorme, a professor of sports marketing at Montreal’s McGill and Concordia universities. NHL players aren’t paid salaries during the playoffs, meaning that all ticket revenue flows to the teams’ bottom line, said Delorme. Salaries on average account for 60 percent to 70 percent of a team’s operating costs, he said.

“For the owners, the playoffs translate into pure profits,” Delorme said in a telephone interview.

Of course, this doesn’t include the potential for additional revenues and strategic benefits from the delivery of the content across multiple screens. As an example, Rogers Buzz has a new post encouraging Canadians to “Stream the playoffs with Rogers Anyplace TV & CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada“.

A couple of sessions at The 2013 Canadian Telecom Summit will look at converged business models and the revolution of TV content anywhere and anyhow.

Will converged business models pay dividends? For shareholders and for the fans?

For those of us who were listening to the CRTC’s Mandatory Distribution hearing last week, we heard from a fascinating range of applicants as they defended their cases before the Commission. Some were representing well funded companies, with panels led by experienced regulatory professionals; others included personalities that made for entertaining exchanges with the Commissioners; other applicants were clearly not prepared. In an editorial today, the Globe and Mail refers to mandatory carriage as “misdirected tool of cultural engineering”. The proceeding continues this week.

As I listened to a number of the applicants, my impression was that many were stuck in a different era, when linear TV reigned supreme. I was struck by the apparent disconnect about the role of alternate forms of access for video content. More than one applicant spoke of curating user generated content on TV – effectively seeking to bring YouTube to basic cable. Is that really meeting an exceptional need?

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, at The 2013 Canadian Telecom Summit, we are looking at how TV content is being consumed across more platforms and networks. We have pulled together a panel that can look at the issues from every angle, including content creators, technology, distribution, market demand. The Revolution of TV: Content Anywhere & Anyhow will be on our main stage on Tuesday afternoon, June 4, 2013. On Monday afternoon, June 3, there is another relevant panel (also on our main stage), looking at Business Models in a Converged World.

The Canadian Telecom Summit opens in 5 weeks. This is where stakeholders in the communications and technology sectors get together to discuss issues in both a structured atmosphere of frank discussion and high-octane idea exchange, as well as schmooze in a more relaxed social setting of genial conversation. You should be there too.

To help with networking, at the conclusion of the first day, we hold our not-to-be-missed Cocktail Reception, sponsored this year by Ericsson. This is a chance to unwind, enjoy some delicious food & drink, catch up with colleagues and make new professional acquaintances.

Come meet with leaders from services and equipment suppliers, applications developers, policy makers, regulators and major customers.

Book your seat early. The Canadian Telecom Summit is the only event you need to attend.

Register now: www.telecomsummit.com. Prices increase May 1.

A little over two years ago, I wrote about the Canadian telecommunications sector losing ground on diversity in the executive ranks.

As an industry, we have seen considerable progress since then, evidenced by the agenda for The 2013 Canadian Telecom Summit, taking place June 3-5 in Toronto.

This year’s event will feature 3 women in keynote speaking roles, including past recipient of the “Woman of the Year” title from Canadian Women in Communications, Karen Sheriff (President & CEO of Bell Aliant). She is joined by Qualcomm’s Peggy Johnson and IBM’s Sandy Carter.

In addition to over a dozen powerful Canadian and International keynote speakers, the Summit will feature the following panel discussions:

• CIO/CTO Roundtable;
• Revolution of TV;
• Regulatory Blockbuster;
• Wireless: the Next Generation;
• Customers Speak Out;
• Customer Focused Business Transformation;
• Devices, Screen and Apps;
• Network Transformation;
• Business Models in Converged World;
• Building an Innovation Economy.

The 2013 Canadian Telecom Summit reviews where we have been as an industry, provides an understanding of the dynamics that propel it and forecasts future trends and expected developments. Now in its 12th year, attendance is a must for telecom and IT industry professionals, corporate users, carriers and manufacturers financial analysts, consultants and investors.

Don’t miss this truly unique opportunity to hear keynote addresses from the top industry shapers, to pose tough questions of them and the senior panelists, and to interact with them and your fellow attendees at the extended breaks and cocktail reception.

There is a special offer for CWC members as described here.

For more information, visit The Canadian Telecom Summit website. Have you registered yet?