Joint ITU-CITEL Forum on Enabling an ICT business environment in the Americas Region

HORA

AGENDA

08:00 – 09:00

Registration

 

09:00 to 09:30

Amb. Albert Ramdin – Assistant Secretary General, Organization of American States 

Albert R. Ramdin was elected OAS Assistant Secretary General on June 7, 2005, and took office on July 19. The Surinamese diplomat has had a distinguished career in public service at the national and international level, serving before his election to the OAS as Ambassador at Large and Special Adviser to the Government of the Republic of Suriname on Western Hemispheric Affairs.  

In Suriname, Ramdin served as Senior Adviser to the Minister of Trade and Industry, where he was intensively involved in restructuring the ministry and implementing an industrial development program. In the mid-1990s, he worked for two years in the private sector before returning to public service when he was appointed Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Finance.

In 1997, Ramdin became his country’s Permanent Representative to the OAS, and two years later, he was also appointed to serve concurrently as Suriname’s non-resident Ambassador to Costa Rica. As Ambassador to the OAS, Ramdin chaired the Permanent Council (January-March 1998) and the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (1999), and coordinated the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassadors Caucus during Suriname’s chairmanship of the subregional group.

In 1999, he joined the CARICOM Secretariat as Assistant Secretary-General for Foreign and Community Relations, where he was responsible for coordinating CARICOM’s foreign policy and strengthening relations among its member states. He played a leading role in increasing cooperation with the Central American Integration System and the Andean Community. Ramdin coordinated CARICOM’s technical preparations for the Third Summit of the Americas and was instrumental in ensuring that key issues were included in its Declaration and Plan of Action.

In 2001, Ramdin was named Adviser to the OAS Secretary General, with special attention to the Caribbean. He continued his close engagement with the situation in Haiti, dealt with issues of priority for small states, monitored the hemispheric trade agenda and briefed the General Secretariat on Caribbean concerns.

Born in Suriname on February 27, 1958, Ramdin received his education in Paramaribo and in The Netherlands, at the University of Amsterdam and the Free University, where he studied geography of developing countries with a specialization in social and economic problems of smaller economies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Ramdin is married to Charmaine Baksh, a national of Trinidad and Tobago, and they have two children, Kareana Amy and Anu Xsitaaz.
 

Mr. Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid – Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, International Telecommunication Union

Mr Sami Al Basheer Al Morshid was elected Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau by the Plenipotentiary Conference on 14 November 2006 in Antalya, Turkey. He took office on 1 January 2007.  

Mr Al Basheer Al Morshid has more than twenty-three years experience in telecommunications in Saudi Arabia and abroad, including two years at the ITU Regional Office in Cairo.  

Throughout the major part of his career he was responsible in the Saudi Arabian Government for the development of economic and financial policy and regulatory aspects of telecommunications as well as international coordination and cooperation.

As head of the department responsible for telecommunication policy and investment matters at the national, regional and international levels, he has extensive experience in telecommunications management and development as well as in negotiating and formulating international agreements on commercial, operational, maintenance and investment issues.  

As Adviser to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and Information, Saudi Arabia he was responsible for international relations and regulatory issues. He was also a Board Member of the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC). 

As Director, Middle East & North Africa Affairs, at ICO Teledesic GL, Seattle, USA, he coordinated the introduction of the interests of ICO in Middle Eastern and North African countries. 

During his tenure as Chief of the Regional Office for the Arab States of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Cairo, Egypt, he was responsible for planning, organizing and directing the work of the Regional Office and contributed to the development of telecommunications in the countries of the region in both public and private sectors. 

In addition to his role at the national level Mr Al Basheer Al Morshid played a leading role within regional organizations, acting as Chairman and participating in many conferences in ITU and at other regional and international organizations in the telecommunications sector.

Mr. Pedro Pablo Quirós Cortés –  Chair of the Permanent Executive Committee of CITEL (COM/CITEL) 

Presidente del Grupo ICE Costa Rica. Presidente del COM/CITEL. Miembro del Gabinete Extendido del Gobierno de Oscar Arias. Graduado en Ingeniería Electríca  de Purdue University Indiana. También es graduado en matemáticas de Saint Michael College de Vermont. Ha ocupado cargos en multinacionales tales como General Electric.

09:30 – 10:00

Coffee break

10:00 – 12:00

Connecting the unconnected in the Americas has been a priority of CITEL and ITU members for many years.  Meeting the challenges of full connectivity in the Americas has spawned new forms of partnerships among government, industry, banks and users as well as innovative approaches to expanding ICT access in underserved markets. Achieving the Millennium Development goals by 2015, as embedded in the results of the World Summit on the Information Society, requires an environment that enables ICT investment, expansion of infrastructure and services, as well as financial returns for industry.  It further requires efficient technologies and their creative use, innovative business approaches, and trained human resources.  This roundtable will explore the development challenges in the region and how they are being met.  

Moderator: Ms. Walda Roseman – CEO, CompassRose International, Chairperson of the Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG) Working Group on Private Sector Issues.

Walda Roseman is Founder and CEO of CompassRose International, Inc., a respected ICT consulting firm that assists government agencies, businesses and international organizations with strategic regulatory, policy, commercial and technology challenges. CompassRose is known for its special expertise in international communications policy and regulation as well as and technology and change management and business issues, including those involving ICT development.  Before founding CompassRose, Ms. Roseman has served in a variety of executive positions, including as Director of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s Office of International Communications, Intelsat Senior Executive for External Relations and Senior Strategic Advisor, Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Senior Vice President of National Public Radio and Director of Public Affairs for the White House Office of Telecommunications Policy.  She is active in ITU activities, including serving as Vice Chairman of the Telecommunications Development Advisory Group and Chairman of its Working Group on Private Sector Issues.  She is also founding Chairman of the ITU Youth Forum Steering Committee, a member of the TELECOM Program Committee and is a founding member of the ITU Working Group on Gender Issues.  Ms. Roseman serves on a number of boards and committees, including the boards of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, the American Refugee Committee, and the U.S. ITU Association

Panelists: 

Ms. Olga Madruga-Forti – Vice President Regulatory and Legal, Iridium Satellite LLC  

Olga Madruga-Forti is Vice President, Regulatory and Legal, for Iridium Satellite where she oversees the company's global regulatory operations. In addition, Ms. Madruga-Forti is in charge of global distribution contracts and corporate structure. She has more than 20 years experience as a senior executive in the telecommunications and satellite industries. Prior to joining Iridium, she was Vice President, Legal and Regulatory for Loral CyberStar. She also served as Chair of the VSAT Satellite Working Group of the Organization of American States, CITEL. Before joining Loral, she served nine years at the FCC as Special Counsel for International Satellite Policy and Chief of the Domestic Services Branch of the Common Carrier Bureau. In her earlier career, Olga was an associate with the Washington firm of Scott, Mcleod, Pires & Price, and the Assistant County Attorney for The Dade County Attorney's Office in Miami, Fla. She earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, graduating with high honors as the Belgrano Scholar to the OAS. She also graduated summa cum laude from Emory University, majoring in English and French Literature

Dr. Veena Rawat – President, Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC)  

Dr. Veena Rawat is the President of the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC) since 2004.  An agency of Industry Canada, CRC is responsible for conducting applied research and development in communications including Wireless, Satellite Communications, Network Security, Interactive Multimedia Photonics and others related technologies. 

As part of Dr. Rawat’s 28 years of experience with Industry Canada in senior management position, she has led many Canadians delegations and negotiations at the international telecommunication organizations of United Nations (i.e.: International. 

Telecommunications Union), the Organization of American States and with the United States Government (i.e.: Federal Communications Commission and National Telecommunications and Information Administration).   

She is currently Chair of the ITU-R Study Group 4 responsible for Fixed Satellite Services. In 2003, she became the first woman to chair the World Radiocommunication (WRC) Conference of the United Nations' telecommunication organization for which she was awarded a gold medal by the Secretary General of the ITU.

Mr. Alexis Arancibia – Market Intelligence & Technical Manager, GSM Latin America Association 

Alexis Arancibia has 14 years of experience in the telecommunication industry, performing duties both in technical positions and in marketing and research. 

In 1995, he started his professional career working with Ericsson, where he participated in the implementation of carrier networks for various operators in South America. 

Later, he was in charge of product management in BellSouth Chile, where he was able to witness firsthand the rollout of mobile services in the country. 

Since 2005, he has been working as a professional with GSMA for Latin America, where he is in charge of the market and research intelligence unit, specifically with reference to follow-up of the evolution of the mobile industry, mobile service regulation and standardization, and market performance. He is also acting as coordinator of the regional initiatives being developed by mobile operators of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Mr. James G Melonas – Vice President of International Development, Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) 

Jim Melonas is the Vice President of International Development for Mobile satellite ventures LP, in Reston, VA.  Jim is responsible for managing strategic partnership, investment and related initiatives targeting international organizations.  Jim brings to MSV a wealth of experience in corporate development both in the US and abroad, as well as significant operational leadership experience at the executive level for large and small organizations.  After a 30-year career at Bell Atlantic/Verizon, where he was VP, International Development and Co-Lead on larger merger integration efforts including the Bell Atlantic mergers with NYNEX and GTE, Jim has worked the past seven year founding, building and managing several start-up organizations, including Gateway Communications Services, Inc, where he most recently served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Development Officer.  He has also been the Managing Director and senior advisor for the World Trade Center Institute, this region's largest international business network.  Jim holds a BS in Marketing and Economics from the R H Smith Scool of Business, University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland and an MBA from the Sellinger School at Loyola College Maryland. He and his wife Jackie live in Columbia, Md.

Mr. Roberto Blois  – Director Regulatory Affairs, Brasil Telecom

Mr. Roberto Blois is an Electronic/Telecom Engineer graduated from the University of Brasília in 1974. 

During the period 1973-1994, Mr. Blois served at the Ministry of Communications in Brazil as Director of Broadcasting of the National Telecommunication Department, Director of the National Telecommunication Department and Director of the Department of Private Telecommunications Services. 

Mr. Blois was the representative of Brazil in the Administrative Council of the ITU from 1990 to 1993. He was also the representative of Brazil in the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission CITEL (Organization of American States) from 1991 to 1993. After having held the position of Executive Secretary of CITEL from 1994-1999, Mr Blois assumed the position of Deputy Secretary-General of ITU in February 1999 following his election at the 1998 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference held in Minneapolis. He was re-elected for a second term as Deputy Secretary-General on 1 October 2002 at the Marrakesh Plenipotentiary Conference. 

Since april 2007 Mr. Blois joined Brasil Telecom as Director of Institutional Relations. From January 2008 he assumed the post of Director for Regulations Matters.  

Brasil Telecom is a brasilian telecom company operating fixed local telephony, long distance national and international, mobile telephony, data transmission, data center and internet.

Mr. Andres Maz – Executive Director GPGA-LATAM, CISCO  

Andres is executive director of Global Policy & Government Affairs for Latin America. As a ten-year veteran of the telecommunications industry, he has a very broad range of experience, including international business, corporate and business development, M&A, and ICT policy strategy. 

Previously Andres worked for Verizon Business, focusing on a variety of corporate strategy and business development initiatives. Prior to the Verizon-MCI merger, he was responsible for MCI's corporate and regulatory subsidiaries in emerging markets. Over the course of his career, he has worked in Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. 

Andres holds a B.A. in economics, an M.A. in telecommunications and an MBA from Columbia and London Business School.

Mr. Néstor Roa – Infrastructure Specialist, Departament of Infraestructure, Interamerican Development Bank (BID)

Néstor Roa is a Infrastructure specialist in the Infrastructure and Environment  Department  of the Inter-American Development Bank. For several years Mr. Roa, a Colombian citizen, has been leading Bank financed project preparation and execution for the transport, energy and telecommunications sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mr. Roa’s experience includes the realization of project management, engineering, financial, institutional  and economic analysis and activities for the whole project cycle. Mr. Roa is a former regulator at the Colombian telecommunication Regulatory Commission. He holds an MSc. in Management of Technology from the Sloan School of Business of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a MSc in Civil and Transportation Engineering from Virginia Tech; and a Bs. in Civil Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana of Colombia.

12:00 – 13:30

Lunch break

13:30 – 15:30

Around the world, and particularly in emerging market countries, ICT plays a critical role in shaping the global economy of the 21st century. ITU’s goal is to enable the growth and sustained development of telecommunications and information networks to help in the creation of sustained economic opportunity. To help achieve this vision, businesses need an attractive environment for ICT investment. And, in some cases, new public-private partnerships are required to extend coverage in underserved markets. What steps can be taken to stimulate new investment in ICT infrastructure and services in the Americas region, especially in underserved areas?   

13:30 – 15:30

Moderator: Mr. Eloy Vidal– Regional Coordinator for Latin America, World Bank  

Mr. Vidal has worked with several Latin American governments to finance projects to restructure their telecommunications sector by: (1) privatization of the state-owned telecommunications enterprises; (2) introduction of competition and issuing new licenses; (3) preparation of new telecommunications laws and regulations; (4) supporting regulatory institutions; (5) financing radio frequency spectrum management and

control systems; and (5) developing Universal Access Programs to extend services to the rural areas. He also supports governments to extend the use of Information and Communication Technologies to improve delivery of Government services (E-Government) and develop the IT industry. 

Country experience includes: Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, OECS, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and Argentina in Latin America and the Caribbean. Other countries experience include: China, Slovaquia, Russia, Kyrgystan, Jordan, Pakistan and Kenya. 

He joined the World Bank in 1986. 

He has a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.

Panelist:

Mr. José Alfredo Rizek – Executive Director, Dominican Institute of Telecommunication (INDOTEL) 

Obtained his Juris Doctor “Cum Laude” from “Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM)” in 1994, in Santo Domingo. Also holds a Masters Degree in Economic Regulation of Utilities from the “Warrington College of Business Administration”, University of Florida. 

Mr. Rizek has participated as a panelist and speaker in several seminars and workshops around the World in the areas of telecommunications, regulation of public entities, anti trust, judicial reform and governance. In the Dominican Republic, he serves both as a mediator and as an arbitrator of the Arbitration Council of the Chamber of Commerce of Santo Domingo, Inc., and as professor of the subjects Telecommunications Law and Contract Law in “Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM)” and “Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE)” in Santo Domingo. He has been visiting lecturer in the International Arbitration class of the University of Miami´s School Of Law.

He has also authored numerous articles and publications in the areas of telecommunications infrastructure, market competition, contract dispute, alternative dispute resolution.

Mr. Rizek has been involved in the telecommunications sector since 1994, holding leadership positions both in the private and public sector. Since October 1, 2004, he serves as Executive Director of INDOTEL, the Dominican Republic´s telecommunications regulator, and is also “of counsel” to Shutts & Bowen, LLP, one of the largest Florida-based law firm.

Mr. Robert Bednarek – CEO, SES New Skies 

Robert Bednarek joined SES in 2002 from satellite operator PanAmSat, where he last held the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. 

Prior to joining PanAmSat, Rob was the co-founder and partner of a Washington DC based technology-consulting firm, Rubin, Bednarek and Associates, specializing in communication systems engineering and technical regulatory matters pending before the Federal Communications Commission. He previously served as deputy chief scientist for the US Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). 

Mr. Bednarek is currently a board member of the non-profit Space Foundation.

Mr. Frederick S. Tipson – Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Washington Office 

Mr. Miguel de la Rosa – Director of Regulation, Telefónica Internacional  

El Sr. Miguel de la Rosa es Ingeniero Electrónico con Maestría en Ingeniería Eléctrica y Telecomunicaciones y estudios de Posgrado en Ciencias Políticas en Asuntos LatinoAmericanos.  Con mas de 30 años de experiencia profesional en telecomunicaciones ha repartido su actividad entre el sector público y el privado principalmente en el ámbito de Las Amèricas. 

Mantuvo actividades diplomáticas en el Pacto Andino como Jefe de Misión de Organismo Internacional del Sistema de Integración, fue promotor y co-redactor de la transformación de instrumentos que conforman el ordenamiento jurídico de las telecomunicaciones en Venezuela y en la Comunidad Andina, fue consultor para negocios en LatinoAmérica para empresas internacionales y entrepreneurs,  Vicepresidente de Asuntos Regulatorios de Telcel BellSouth, Vicepresidente de Asuntos Corporativos de Movistar Venezuela y hoy en día se desempeña como Director de Regulación Sectorial para LatinoAmérica en Telefónica Internacional, con sede en Madrid, España.

Mr. Maximiliano Martinhão – General Manager of Certification and Spectrum Engineering, National Telecommunications Agency of Brazil (Anatel) 

Maximiliano Salvadori Martinhão, Telecommunication Engineer, Graduated at National Telecommunication Institute, Master in Communication Management at Strathclyde University - United Kingdom. General Manager for Spectrum and Certification at ANATEL – National Telecommunication Agency.

Mr. Celedonio von Wuthenau – Regional Director for Latin America, CDMA Development Group, Inc. 

Celedonio von Wuthenau is Regional Director for Latin America of the CDMA Development Group (CDG), an international consortium of companies who have joined together to lead the adoption and evolution of CDMA wireless systems around the world. The CDG is comprised of the world's leading CDMA service providers and manufacturers. By working together, the members will help ensure interoperability among systems, while expediting the availability of CDMA technology to consumers. 

Mr. von Wuthenau, born in Buenos Aires (Argentina), married and with three children, is Bachelor in Public Administration and Political Sciences of the University of Cuyo (Mendoza, Argentina) and Ph.D in Political Sciences of the University of Mainz (Germany). 

He was Public Affairs Director of Lucent Technologies for South America excluding Brazil and previously he was the International and Institutional Manager of the National Commission of Communications (CNC), Argentina’s telecom regulator authority.

Mr. Peter Pitsch – Executive Director, Communications, Associate General Counsel, INTEL 

Ms. Jacquelynn Ruff – Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Verizon

Jacquelynn (Jackie) Ruff is Vice President – International Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs for Verizon Communications.  In addition to being a leading communications provider in the U.S., Verizon provides voice, data, and Internet services on its state-of-the-art fiber-optic network to customers in more than 150 countries.  Ms. Ruff leads the group that is responsible for public policy development, advocacy, and guidance around international issues, including international trade.   

Ms. Ruff joined Verizon in 2004 from the International Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where she was Chief of Staff for the Bureau.  Before her tenure at the FCC, Ms. Ruff practiced law with the communications and the Latin America groups of an international law firm.  She also served on the staff of a United States Senate Committee. 

15:30 – 16:00

Coffee break

16:00 – 17:30

Innovation and Partnership Opportunities in the Americas Roundtable: 

The future success of telecommunication development programs will depend on close cooperation between a range of public and private players, including government, regulators, operators, financial institutions, equipment manufacturers and services providers. This can be achieved through the establishment of strategic partnerships fostering the creation of an innovative environment that allows the different partners to find new opportunities to increase the use and application of the ICT´s all over the world. This session will examine some existing as well as potential new areas of collaboration in the Americas region and globally. 

Moderator: H. E. Mr. Jerrol Thompson – Minister, Ministry of Telecommunications, Science, Technology and Industry, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Panelists: 

Mr. Juan Zavattiero – Head ITU Americas Regional Office and Mr. Christopher Clark, Coordinator, Partnership Development of ITU 

Mr. Juan Zavattiero is Uruguayan, graduated in Engineering by the University of Uruguay and he is specialized in telecommunications. Since 1992, he is the Head of the ITU Regional Office for the Americas Region based in Brasilia, Brazil and he is responsible for the coordination of all projects and activities implemented by the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) in the Americas Region. Mr. Zavattiero also represents the ITU General Secretariat and the other two ITU Sectors, Radiocommunications Bureau (BR) and Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) in the region.

Mr.  Hugo Marías – Manager Corporate Social Responsibility, NEC Argentina 

Electronics and electrical engineer 

Formerly: 

• Communications Director of the Province of Mendoza, Argentina.

• Auditor of the Mendoza phone company, Compañía Argentina de Teléfonos de Mendoza.

• Director of Institutional Relations of Impsat for Latin America.

• Vice-Chair of Institutional Relations of ATT for the Southern Cone.

• Vice-Chair of Telecommunications of Millicom International Cellular for Latin America.

• Vice-Chair of Institutional Relations of Millicom Argentina S.A.  

Today: 

• Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility for NEC ARGENTINA S.A.

• Member of the Board of Directors of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU/Telecom).

• Member of the Executive Commission and Chair of the Communications Policy Commission of the Informatics and Communications Chamber of the Republic of Argentina (CICOMRA).

Ms. Regenie F. Ch. Fraser – Secretary General, CANTO

Regenie Fräser has been Secretary General of CANTO (Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations) since August 2004. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Telecommunications from Michigan State University and has worked with Suriname incumbent TELRSUR holding several positions. Since at CANTO, membership has increased approximately 300%. 

ABOUT THE COMPANY:            

The Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Organizations (Canto) was founded in 1985 as a nonprofit association of telephone operating companies in the Caribbean. It now has 100 members in 38 countries. 

Canto's objective is to establish a forum through which operators can exchange information and expertise, influence policymaking and encourage dialogue with other like-minded organizations such as the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU).

Mr. Joaquín Restrepo – Adviser International Affairs, Ministry of Communications of Colombia  

Mr. Javier Camargo – Regional Director Latin America Government & Industry Relations, LM Ericsson 

Javier Camargo has 33 years of experience in telecommunications. He graduated from the ESIME of the National Polytechnic University in 1972 with a degree in communications and electronics engineering, specializing in computer science. His career in telecommunications started in 1974, when he was awarded a scholarship by the Mexican and Japanese governments to specialize in telecommunications for 9 months in Tokyo, Japan, in various Japanese organizations and corporations. Thereafter he worked for 15 years in Teléfonos de México, where he held different posts, the last of which as Manager of Special Projects in the Expansion and Procurement Department, where he was noteworthy for his assignment to DIPSA Mobile Radio, which today is better known as TELCEL, where he developed the first 20 cell phone networks of this company in Mexico. 

For five years, from 1989 to 1994, he worked for Motorola of Mexico, where he was in charge of opening the Cell Phone Division in Mexico and selling its systems, entering into contracts for regions 1, 3, 5 and 9 (Tijuana, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Sureste), and ensuring their installation and technical support. 

Since 1994 he has been working for the company Ericsson Telecom S.A. of C.V. and is currently Regional Director of Relations between Industry and Government for Latin America, reporting directly to Stockholm. 

He has participated in various national and international forums, such as the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), the CCT of NAFTA, World Radiocommunication Conferences, and Working Party 8F, where topics involving third-generation and later mobile systems are discussed.  At present, he is chairing the Working Group of Developing Countries in this forum. 

As for regulatory activities, since 1991 he has coordinated the work for the development and publication of NOM-081-SCT1-1994 applied to cell phone systems, chaired the Telecommunication Consultative Committee (1999-2000) where standard-setting and regulatory work was coordinated between U.S., Canadian and Mexican industries in the framework of NAFTA’s work, and participated as industry representative in the CCNN-T, as well as in some of their working groups. Since 1998, he has been Chair of the National Technical Committee for Telecommunication Standardization of NYCE. 

In the National Telecommunication Association, where 95% of the wireless industry is represented, he coordinates the Technical Commission. 

For 15 years, he was professor at the Advanced School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (Escuela Superior de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica—ESIME) of the National Polytechnic University.

Mr. Bilel Jamoussi – Director of Technology, NORTEL 

Dr. Bilel Jamoussi is responsible for Nortel’s Strategic Standards organization within the office of the CTO.  In this capacity, Bilel provides strategic technology direction and leadership for Nortel’s involvement in more than 85 standards development organizations, forums and consortia.   

An experienced standards professional, Bilel is an elected member of the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Board of Governors, IEEE-SA Corporate Advisory Group (CAG) and the Technical Liaison from IEEE-SA to ITU-T.  He serves on the steering committee of several international technical conferences including the MPLS and Ethernet World Congress in Paris. Bilel is also an invited speaker at several industry events. 

Bilel contributes to the innovation and advancement of technology in the ICT field. He has been granted five US patents and has more than 20 patent applications. Bilel has actively contributed to the work of numerous IETF working groups, both as author and editor of Internet drafts, RFCs, and technical papers.

Bilel leads Nortel’s participation in the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) consortium and initiative in emerging and developing countries.

Bilel has been with Nortel for 13 years, during which time he has held several leadership roles including software development for routing/switching platforms and data network engineering of major international customer networks.   

Bilel received his BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Ms. Erica Whinston – Manager Government Affairs, Qualcomm 

Manager of Government Affairs for Qualcomm Incorporated, Erica M. Whinston leads health care, education and entrepreneurship projects for the company’s Wireless Reach™ initiative in Africa, Asia and the Americas.  Wireless Reach supports programs and solutions that bring the benefits of connectivity to developing communities worldwide.  By working with partners in both the private and public sector, Wireless Reach creates new ways for people to communicate, learn, access healthcare and reach global markets.   

Prior to joining Qualcomm, Ms. Whinston worked in international accounting and finance in the San Francisco Bay Area.  She received a bachelor of arts in Economics with an emphasis in Latin American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley and a master of pacific international affairs with a focus in International Economics from the University of California, San Diego’s Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. 

Mr. Rafael Maradiaga, Secretary General  of COMTELCA

Executive Secretary of the Regional Telecommunication Commission (Comisión Regional de Telecomunicaciones—COMTELCA), as of March 2007 

Technical Assistant to Management and Telecommunication, Energy, and Information Technology Sector Specialist on the President’s Commission for State Modernization (Comisión Presidencial de Modernización del Estado—CPME) in Honduras, from 2006 to 2007. 

Technical Specialist in the Area of Telecommunications with the National Telecommunication Commission (Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones—CONATEL) from 1998 to 2007. 

Assistant to the Deputy Technical Manager of the Central American Air Navigation Services Corporation (Corporación Centroamericana de Servicios de Navegación Aérea—COCESNA).

Head of the Technical Assistance Department of the Development Division nationwide with HONDUTEL.

Professor at the Autonomous University of Honduras (Universidad Autónoma de Honduras—UNAH), module on project management (operations research) for the master’s degree program in business administration, from 2004 to the present. 

Professor at the Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic University of Honduras (Universidad Católica de Honduras—UNICAH, “Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz”), module on mathematics applied to economics for the master’s degree program in economics, from January 2004 to the present. 

Professor at the Central American Technological University (Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana—UNITEC), module on legal informatics for the master’s degree program in corporate law, from May to June 2002.

17:30 – 18:30

The Private Sector is playing a very important role in telecommunication development projects and activities around the world. To facilitate the engagement of industry in this work, ITU-D is establishing a special Working Group on Private Sector issues in each region. On the occasion of this Forum, the Americas region will launch its own Working Group on Private Sector Issues and appoint the relevant coordinators to immediately start work. 

Moderator:  Mr. Alberto Zetina – Vice-Chair Regulatory Affairs and Relations with Latin America, Ericsson

18:30 – 19:00

Closing Remarks

19:00 – 22:00

Reception in Museum of the Americas