What does it mean to migrate computing and data storage to the network? The answer to this will be explored by one of the panels The 2011 Canadian Telecom Summit, which opens 3 weeks from today in Toronto.

Cloud computing will look at a variety of issues with speakers from diverse perspectives.

What are the network considerations? Is there an impact on consumer adoption of cloud computing services with usage tiers? How do you prepare your IT organization?

The panel features

• Cogeco Data Services President Tony P. Ciciretto
• HP Canada CTO, Victor Garcia
• CGI Global Telecommunications Sector VP, Rene Sotola
• Microsoft Canada Director for Server & Cloud Platforms, Peter Doulas
• Oracle Communications Product Marketing, Director Brian Kracik

The panel will be moderated by Michael Sharun, EMC’s Canadian head. As more services and capabilities migrate to a cloud architecture, are you prepared for the issues and complexities? Are there opportunities you are missing?

The 2011 Canadian Telecom Summit is May 31 to June 2 in Toronto. Have you registered yet?

This week, I’ll take a little time to explore some of the panel discussions coming to The 2011 Canadian Telecom Summit.

One of the sessions on the morning of May 31 takes an in-depth look at Connecting Canadians: Delivering broadband to all. It is a panel that is especially relevant given the regulatory policy released last week on the Obligation to Serve and the CRTC’s universal minimum broadband speed targets.

The panel will look at rural and urban broadband development and the adoption of ICTs by Canadians. It features

• SaskTel President & CEO Ron Styles
• Barrett Xplore CEO John Maduri
• FTTH Council President Dan O’Connell
• Bell Canada VP Jonathan Daniels
• ITAC President & CEO Bernard Courtois

With this range of perspectives, guided by moderator Michael Tanglao, the panel will be able to explore the challenges and opportunities with increasing the availability and adoption of ICTs in Canada as we transform to a more digital economy.

Have you registered yet?

Yesterday saw the release of the 2011 edition of the Nokia Siemens Networks Connectivity Scorecard, an annual global research project led by Canada’s own Leonard Waverman, dean of the Haskayne School of Business at University of Calgary. The Scorecard now uses 40 different indicators, up from 28 last year, to rank 50 countries, not only on their deployment of ICT infrastructure, but also to measure “useful connectivity” – what the authors call the extent to which governments, businesses and consumers make use of connectivity technologies to enhance social and economic prosperity.

Canada climbed up a rung to 8th place, jostling in a cluster of four countries: UK (6th), Australia (7th) and Finland (9th) that are expected to swap positions in the coming years. The full report is available for download [pdf, 617 KB]

As Professor Waverman mentioned during the launch at Georgetown University yesterday, useful connectivity and the multi-variate analysis that makes up the Connectivity Scorecard looks beyond just infrastructure and attempts to examine how these facilities are put to use. It is important to examine the adoption of ICTs as well as the availability.

A couple of weeks ago, we saw the release of the World Economic Forum’s Global Information Technology Report. The NSN Connectivity Scorecard is another important guide for those developing national digital economy strategies. How will the government establish programs that take Canada to a leadership ranking in these two major indices?

We’ll be discussing these indices and so much more at the end of this month at The 2011 Canadian Telecom Summit. Have you registered yet?

It will all be over in 28 days.

Earlier this week, you likely received an email from us with an update on our programme. We have been working to ensure that The 2011 Canadian Telecom Summit is topical, assembling an agenda featuring 70 speakers who will cover the issues of greatest concern to stakeholders in Canada’s communications sector.

We think we have succeeded.

Yesterday, there was coverage of the Privacy Commissioner’s statements on information leaks. Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart will be at The 2011 Canadian Telecom Summit, speaking on a panel on June 1 that will be looking at Privacy and Security: Guarding Information in a Transparent World.

The CRTC has released a number of important decisions already this week and it has more expected before the end of the month. In June and July, there will be hearings to examine the increased level of vertical integration (convergence) of carriers and broadcasters, as well as the review of high speed wholesale access, including the impact of usage based billing on alternate ISPs. In between, The 2011 Canadian Telecom Summit will host its annual Regulatory Blockbuster, featuring 6 of the leading regulatory chiefs from all sectors, including the consumer groups. That panel comes immediately after what we are calling a “fireside chat” with CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein.

Attracting the senior-most professionals from around the globe, that The 2011 Canadian Telecom Summit is the forum for the broad cross-section of stakeholders to meet, exchange views, share ideas, challenge assumptions and plan for the future.

Panel discussions at The Canadian Telecom Summit explore cloud computing, the future of wireless, universal broadband and unified communications. We have a session looking at tablets, TVs and smartphones: the explosion of the multi-screen universe. Another session looking at competitive versus collaborative dynamics in the consumer marketplace. 17 keynote addresses, from leaders of all of the major carriers and the companies that power their networks and services.

No other industry event brings together all of the leaders; no other industry event covers so many issues; no other industry event provides such an opportunity to explore so many issues associated with creating our digital future.

You can download a complete conference brochure here. I look forward to seeing you there.

Yesterday, the CRTC issued an important policy decision, Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2011-291 Obligation to serve and other matters (press release).

The decision is the culmination of a 16 month process that included oral hearings last fall (see blog posts on the hearings here, here, and here).

As I wrote last fall in a post called It ain’t about plumbing:

Improving broadband adoption doesn’t need government intervention in the plumbing end of the business. Service providers are investing plenty of money to make sure the pipes are in place.

What we need is help in getting more people to drink from the broadband faucet.

The CRTC agreed on that point:

Virtually all Canadians, regardless of whether they live in urban centres or in rural and remote areas, benefit from having access to Internet services using a variety of technologies, including wireless and satellite technologies. The rollout of broadband Internet access has been successful through a combination of market forces, targeted funding, and public-private partnerships at all levels of government.

The Commission considers that the deployment of broadband Internet access services, including deployment in rural and remote areas, should continue to rely on market forces and targeted government funding, an approach which encourages private and public partnerships. Accordingly, the Commission concludes that it would not be appropriate at this time to establish a funding mechanism to subsidize the deployment of broadband Internet access services.

However, the CRTC has established targets for broadband speeds of 5 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream to be available to all Canadians through various technologies by the end of 2015. I noticed some ridiculing of the CRTC’s objective by people who seem to have missed a key element of the target: that these speeds will be available to all Canadians. Every Canadian, no matter where they live, no matter how remote, by 2015. That is a target that is both meaningful and achievable.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre issued a press release saying it “deplored the lack of vision” at the CRTC for refusing to create a fund for rural broadband access and for allowing rural phone rates to rise to $30 per month. I find it interesting that PIAC seems to equate rural with poverty, seemingly finding it preferable to have a tax on all urban subscribers to subsidize rural services. In PIAC’s model, urban subscribers, regardless of ability to pay, subsidize rural users, regardless of their need for a subsidy. Is that really in the overall public interest?

In a competitive environment, cross-subsidies tend to create opportunities for artificial regulatory arbitrage. If subsidies are needed for affordability, should that be administered by the CRTC or by social services?

PIAC will be participating at The 2011 Canadian Telecom Summit, on our annual regulatory blockbuster taking place 4 weeks from today. We’ll be exploring this decision and much, much more.