Is training a discretionary expense to be cut during these challenging times? What message are you sending to your staff and your customers with that approach.

An article on itBusiness.ca’s website speaks about winning companies investing in more training during slow economic periods, not less.

Here is how Harry Rosen approaches conferences and training:

Today, when the situation is difficult I’m going to intensify training for the staff…

I believe in spending money sending staff to trade shows, visiting vendors, talking to them. It’s very expensive, but it makes career people out of them, makes them fully informed about their customers.

The only conference you need to attend is The 2009 Canadian Telecom Summit, June 15-17. Meet with your suppliers, customers, colleagues, policy makers, regulators and potential future partners.

Register now: www.telecomsummit.com or download the complete conference brochure here.

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training, Canadian Telecom Summit

I was pointed to an interesting story in the New York Times about the problems with advertising supported internet applications.

At the root of the story is a little factoid: There may be 1.6 billion people in the world with Internet access, but fewer than half of them have incomes high enough to interest major advertisers.

Call it the International Paradox.

Web companies that rely on advertising are enjoying some of their most vibrant growth in developing countries. But those are also the same places where it can be the most expensive to operate, since Web companies often need more servers to make content available to parts of the world with limited bandwidth. And in those countries, online display advertising is least likely to translate into results.

It is therefore a challenge for applications companies of sweating the details of distribution. In designing technology solutions, it is relatively easy to handle the “standard” cases; problems arise when you need to deal with everything off the beaten path.

A superficial view believes the internet makes the world flat – that all content can be accessed as easily everywhere thanks to a globally connected network.

Right.

It takes effort to make that kind of magic work. Effort means costs. Costs need to be recovered somewhere.

How do you deal with the high cost of delivering services when the opportunity for payback is slim? ISPs may not be the only ones who need to manage their networks?

Telecommunications policy issues moved back into the mainstream news with last week’s tabling of Bill C-27, the Electronic Commerce Protection Act.

It is certain to be one of many issues under discussion at The 2009 Canadian Telecom Summit, June 15-17 in Toronto.

Net Neutrality is going to figure prominently with its own discussion on June 16.

Dave Caputo Sandvine

Mike Lee Rogers

Chris Libertelli Skype

The 2009 Canadian Telecom Summit takes place just 3 weeks before the CRTC’s hearings examining internet network management and the event will include a discussion featuring 3 prominent industry leaders who will articulate the arguments on all sides of the issue: Dave Caputo (Sandvine); Mike Lee (Rogers); and, Chris Libertelli (Skype). The session is certain to provide a preview of the debate that will unfold in front of the regulator in July.

Other sessions will be examining the services, technologies, consumer & business trends and regulatory & policy initiatives that continue to shape the industry. More than 50 experts will participate in panel discussions to explore areas such as New Media, Social Networking, Broadband Delivery, Unified Communications, Net Neutrality and Mobile Evolution.

If you are interested in telecommunications, you need to attend The 2009 Canadian Telecom Summit. Mark the dates on your calendar: June 15-17.

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

Book your seat early: Register now: www.telecomsummit.com

Download the complete conference brochure here.

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net neutrality, Canadian Telecom Summit

I am told that one of the great advantages of internet media over the print form is the ability to have a conversation with the readers.

This blog generally doesn’t get a lot of comments. Perhaps it is because of the nature of the readership I have attracted. I generally enjoy receiving comments – even those that take a strong opposing viewpoint.

But I have little patience for personal attacks. Most of the rejected comments have been cheap shots. Comments that attack me are one thing; I will not publish comments that attack the integrity of my colleagues.

A couple years ago, I wrote about “4 Degrees of Impersonal Communications“:

Paradoxically, we seem to take more care in communications when the conversation can most easily be private and candid. Conversely, we pay less attention to etiquette and courtesy when the audience is global and of diuturnal impact.

In the impersonal space of the cyber-world, are we seeing a deterioration of respectful social intercourse? Is it a necessary accommodation that we need to make in order to extend the accessibility of information to all?

I started to moderate comments a number of months ago in order to filter out the spam – people using blog comments to advertise their own websites. I then tried to eliminate some of the garbage through removal of anonymous posts.

I have now disabled comments entirely, because I have decided to hang up on the garbage. I use the same approach when I get an unsolicited phone call. If you want, you can still reach me by email or by phone or I am always up for a conversation over coffee or lunch.

I still prefer the civility and intellectual engagement of first degree interactions.

Andrew Willis writes in a story called “Dialing up wireless deals” that Rogers, Bell and TELUS may be likely acquirers of one or more of the new AWS competitors, as the entrants look for funding to build out their new networks.

Public Mobile seems likely to end up being acquired by one of the incumbents: Rogers Communications, BCE or Telus. He casts DAVE – short for Data & Audio-Visual Enterprises Wireless – and Yak owner Globalive as potential merger partners.

Of course, regular readers of this blog will recall that there is a poison pill in place for the new entrants:

While all licence transfers must be approved by the Minister, licences obtained through the set-aside may not be transferred to companies that do not meet the criteria of a new entrant for a period of 5 years from the date of issuance.

Public Mobile, acquired spectrum in the G-block, which was not part of the set-aside, so this clause does not apply to them.

Wireless competition will be a major theme at The 2009 Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto. The leaders of DAVE Wireless, Globalive and Public Mobile will all be appearing June 17 on a panel being moderated by Simon Avery of The Globe and Mail. Have you registered yet?