• Anthony Whelan, Head of Cabinet of Vice-President Neelie Kroes, Commissioner for Digital Agenda
• Chris Fonteijn, Chairman BEREC 2011 and Chairman of the Regulatory Authority of the Netherlands (ΟPTA)
• Sean Williams, Group Director Strategy, Policy and Portfolio, BT Group
• Mario Mella, Chief Technology Officer and Member of the Executive Committee, Fastweb
• Bo Andersson, Chief Economist, Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS)
• Peter Culham, Chief Economist, Ofcom
• Dr Karl-Heinz Neumann, General Manager & Director, WIK Consult 
• Brian Williamson, Director, Plum Consulting

Overview

The Commission has set ambitious targets for high speed broadband in Europe – but progress to date has been slow. At the ECTA event on 29 June we will explore what commercial and policy initiatives are needed to trigger fibre investment and take-up, including the regulatory environment, retail and wholesale pricing strategies for legacy copper and fibre networks, optimal business models for fibre roll-out, and the conditions in which “copper switch-off” could occur. Anthony Whelan, Head of VP Kroes’ Cabinet, will moderate a keynote debate in which conflicting economic reports and strategies from incumbent telecoms firms and their rivals will be assessed. Chris Fonteijn, Chair of the regulators’ group BEREC, and senior representatives from banks, regulators, industry, and customer groups are also expected to participate, giving a comprehensive overview of developments and best practice across Europe and beyond. This debate on triggering fibre investment comes at a critical time as the Commission prepares to issue guidance on wholesale pricing and other key regulatory issues which will influence the business case for high-speed broadband in Europe.