Convergence Conversation

September's Convergence Conversation topic:

Location is Dead, Long Live Location - all hail the rise of location based services

Everybody knows that the top three success factors for retail, and by extension, any consumer sales proposition, used to be 'location, location and location.'  Then the Internet came along and we were all shopping from home and suddenly location seemed to matter less and less. But thanks to mobility and broadband everywhere, a whole new chapter in the location story is being written.

In this convergence conversation we explore the coming tidal wave of Location Based Services – from retail, to advertising, to service delivery

Join us here at Intellect after work - to listen, learn, contribute and network.  The Convergence Conversation format is always deliberately informal, with a chance for everyone to put forward their views in an open discussion and network over a glass More...

We're delighted to be signing up some excellent 'stimulus speakers' for the upcoming Telco 2.0 events in Los Angeles (27-28 October) and London (9-10 November). Here's a sample:

· Steve McGaw, SVP Corporate Strategy, AT&T
· Georges Penalver, SEVP, Strategy & Development, Orange Group
· Olivier Baujard, Group CTO, Deutsche Telekom
· Albert Hitchcock, Group CIO, Vodafone
· Sean Williams, Managing Director Retail Strategy, BT
· Stephanie Comfort, Chief Strategy Officer, Qwest Communications
· Frank Boulben, CMO, LightSquared
· Von Wright, VP Consumer Marketing, AT&T Mobility
· Joan Fitzgerald, VP TV, Comscore
· Jennifer Byrne, Director, Business Devt, Verizon Wireless
· Stacey Schulman, SVP Ad Sales Research, Turner Entertainment
· Thomas Fellger, CEO, Iconmobile
· Anthony Rose, CTO, Project More...

In the lead-up to the Convergence Conversation, 26 August, on the changing world of advertising, here are some interesting links to look at.

1. Nielsen's top 5 advertising trends for 2010

2. The semantic web, augmented reality, neural networks, and other drivers of advertising

3. But what does the future hold for advertising agencies?

4. Is the point of advertising is transactions? Do all roads lead to eCommerce? 

5. Or, if the point of advertising is to generate buzz, here are some nice ones:

Is this man the future of advertising?

Millions decide fate of BT couple

6. And of course, advertising meets mobile

In the news.... More...

A few months back, the prospect of policy focus falling on net neutrality in the UK provoked some apprehension.  The issue had failed to provoke the intensity of debate seen in other markets such as the U.S. and there was a sense from some that this was an “American disease we didn’t want to catch”.

Fast forward a couple of months with the publication of both the Ofcom discussion paper and the European Commission questionnaire and one could be forgiven for asking, what was all the fuss about?

Initial and public industry reaction to the Ofcom paper was largely “this looks about right” and with no sign of any immediate action likely to take place by way of mechanisms such as the imposition of a minimum quality of service requirement by Ofcom, perhaps there was nothing to be worried about after all. More...

Or....Why I live in t'middle of nowhere. I know it has confused some of you city types for nigh on 15 years why anyone would live where I do, but you are about to get the chance to understand. And, on top of the unmissable 2010 broadband conference, you have a chance to enjoy our rural, Northern hospitality at its best.

The tickets for the Penrith and Borders broadband conference are up for grabs in the next few days. But, why come up here just to listen or attend a conference? Come and enjoy our fantastic scenery (see pic - pls forgive grime and wipers as we rescued MOD folk from the Fells), partake of our lifestyle, share the warmth that reflects the hospitality in the Lake District, bring your Mrs/Mr, kids etc, and learn what it is that I and others have fought so hard to connect all these years. More...

The Convergence Conversation scheduled for 29 July 2010 raises the question “How much bandwidth do we need?” To answer this question, we need to consider not just bandwidth, but also other attributes of connectivity, how much we value improvements in each of them and what those improvements would cost. The following picture provides a way of viewing three attributes together – mobility, capacity and bandwidth. The divide between mobile and fixed in terms of capacity also draws on information regarding mobile cost functions. 

Bandwidth, and particularly download speed to the home, appears dominant in policy discussion and decisions. More...

July's Convergence Conversation -

Date:                     Thursday 29 July 2010
Time:                     17:30-19:30 - 
                         Registration from 17:00, 
                               Wine and Cheese served before and during the meeting
Venue: More...

A truly mind expanding conversation yesterday at Intellect, around the Internet of things and augmented reality. From underwear, to societal change, and from obscurity to ubiquity, the discussion spanned all this and more. Here are some notes & reflections from the meeting:

What is the Internet of Things? Simply put, it’s the ability to put physical objects onto the internet, and give them an IP address. Why? Well, some objects generate data – meters, sensors and gadgets (pacemakers, thermometers automobiles), and this data can be read, interpreted and aggregated to help manage the same devices or the universe of devices better. More...

This is an open invitation to our readers to join strategy leaders from around the world for Telco 2.0's first 'Best Practice Live!' virtual (online) event being broadcast to 3 timezones on 28-30 June 2010. We've collected some of the best Telco 2.0 strategies, case studies and use cases from around the globe. You can register for FREE here.

As well as the Telco 2.0 analysts, leading industry speakers include:

• Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson
• Olivier Baujard, Group CTO, Deutsche Telekom
• Dr Hans Wijayasuriya, CEO, Dialog Group
• Sally Davis, CEO, BT Wholesale
• Prof. More...

The next Convergence Conversation - speakers confirmed

Date:                     Thursday 24 June 2010
Time:                    18:00 - 20:00
                               Registration from 17:30
                               Wine and Cheese
Venue:           & More...