• 200 delegates from 33 countries worldwide attended Europe’s largest Annual Spectrum Summit, hosted by LS telcom in Lichtenau / Baden
• Spectrum Summit 2018 on 4th July 2018
Lichtenau/Baden, Germany – “Driving wireless innovation” was the theme of the 22nd Annual Spectrum Summit concluding yesterday at LS telcom’s headquarters in Lichtenau/Baden Württemberg, Germany.
The conference featured presentations and panel discussions on spectrum policy, 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), and attracted representatives and thought leaders from regulatory authorities, mobile and broadcast operators, spectrum consultancies, research institutes, and industry associations.
Rupert Pearce, Chairman of ESOA, the Association of satellite operators in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and CEO of Inmarsat, opened the event with his keynote – a thoughtful consideration of the role of spectrum as infrastructure: “In the emerging global digital society, connectivity is a mission-critical enabler as important to the planet as clean water. Spectrum is infrastructure – not merely ‘fuel’ for broadcast and broadband networks, but instead the catalyst for pervasive, interoperable, heterogeneous, ultra-reliable next generation networks which will break down the digital divide and support a more productive, innovative, healthy, safe and fair world.”
Representatives from industry, government and international regulatory bodies presented and discussed the challenges of network deployment and future spectrum access for 5G. “The challenge of 5G lies in ensuring that the right spectrum is available to operators and service providers who will make the most valuable and efficient use of it. A diverse mix of vendors, operators, verticals, regulators and infrastructure owners will need to work together to truly make the benefits of 5G a reality within the next five years,“ concluded Saul Friedner, Associate Director Spectrum Services, LS telcom.
The Internet of Things (IoT) took centre stage in the panel discussion moderated by Martin Sims, Managing Director, PolicyTracker (co-organizers of the event). Together, he and his panelists tried to tease out the likely development of IoT and examined whether the existing approach to spectrum, regulation and technology policy can ensure its future success.
The session “Digital Terrestrial Television of the future – more or less”, moderated by Richard Womersley, Director of Spectrum Services at LS telcom, explored the continuing role of DTT as part of the changing television landscape and examined whether and how DTT will need to adapt to face the challenges of the future.
It became clear from the day’s presentations and subsequent discussions that many challenges and difficult decisions are still to be made by operators and regulators and that certainty of the spectrum regulation is paramount to the future success of wireless industries, and to satisfy growing demand for widespread connectivity.
James Watson, Manager, Business Analysis, Business Intelligence and Transformation at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), commented: “This was my sixth time attending the annual Spectrum Summit. Every year, very well informed speakers give excellent insights into the latest technological and policy developments from many perspectives. This really is a ‘must attend’ event, if you want to be ahead of trends in spectrum management and the wireless industry, and to network and share experiences with industry colleagues from around the world.”
Roland Götz, COO and board member of LS telcom AG, said: “With a wide range of expert speakers presenting various aspects and different points of view on spectrum regulations and technological innovation, combined with profound discussions among international experts, the Spectrum Summit was once again a great opportunity to get first-hand information on the latest radio regulation and technology trends. Having completed 22 successful years and with an ever growing audience, the event is now a firm fixture on the industry’s calendar.”
The event is followed by several post-conference workshops on smart spectrum efficiency, spectrum-as-a-service, spectrum in the sky and big data. The Spectrum Summit and the post-summit workshops together with the two-day LS telcom USERgroup conference, a forum for LS telcom system and software users, make up a full week of events, which is organized by LS telcom. For the last two years, LS telcom has organized the Spectrum Summit Day together with PolicyTracker.
This year, LS telcom celebrates its 25th company anniversary. In 25 years, the company has developed from a two-man business into an international company employing over 250 highly motivated people.
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