The key lessons from the conference can be structured as follows (those note are based on the minutes/comments taken by E. Jouanne from Occam Conseil).
Network infrastructure
The industry in experiencing cycles of maturation with similar patterns: “Invest → chase volume → price down → competition eliminated → consolidation”, today the number of “Baby Bells” is down to 2.5.
The price of bandwidth is continues to fall, even if we are now for the first time seeing price stabilisation in some areas.
The “must-haves” in the environment are Service Level Agreements and secure/reliable networks.
Key stats:
- +65% - IP traffic last year
- +100% - forecast for this year’s IP traffic, based on +25% this quarter
Traffic structure
“95% of the traffic is data. Video. Flat rate ”
P2P impact on biz models
- Video bandwidth
- Services entertainment
“5% is voice. VoIP accelerates changes (main driver in Business: to replace PBX)”
- Value-added managed services
Tech to monetise and measure “what customers use”, customer centric measurement.
Access
Evolution in the mid term: Dynamic Frequency Allocation
Convergent networks: Intelligent Management Systems
VoIP
“Voice revenue will disappear for sure. The only question is when will it be 18 months or 5 years?”
In the future three main areas of concern for the customers:
- “Quality of service: pricing will be key”
- Quality for pay: right lane, left lane
- Internet Service Providers will have to be forced by local regulations to disclose any IP delay management (used to slow down VoIP applications)
- “Security issue”
Mobile operators
“Today turnover for mobile is 80% voice, 14% SMS, 6 % data “→ “Ultimately it will be like fixed access turnover”
“There will more Instant Messaging usage (IM is the killer app for teenagers. IM will be bundled with VOIP), therefore more data traffic.”
TV/Quadruple play
Huge potential, could be called not quadruple play, but infinite play
Pricing. Flat rate vs. pay: you need to measure whether you charge or not, because there are costs associated to those events
Video on Demand most disruptive for the content industry and small TV stations
Digital Rights Management, secure network, quality
So what? Three cool innovative companies to watch
- Checkpoint (VoIP security)
- Baracoda (telecom churn management via Bluetooth-based services)
- Zenops (mobile gaming)
Receive the Funding Newswire each Tuesday, our Policy Bulletin each Thursday, and news about bridging Europe’s east-west innovation gap twice a month in The Widening. 
A unique international forum for public research organisations and companies to connect their external engagement with strategic interests around their R&D system.