Over 100 Leading Telecom Players Converge in Portugal to Attend Insights’09

LUXEMBOURG - MACH’s Annual Conference Dedicated to Mobile Innovation, Interoperability & Interconnectivity

More than 100 of the telecom industry’s leading mobile network operators, experts, regulatory bodies and hardware providers converged on Lisbon, Portugal this week for Insights’09, MACH’s conference dedicated to mobile communication innovation, interoperability and interconnectivity. MACH is the leading provider of solutions to simplify and accelerate the creation and operation of the mobility supply chain.

Insights’09 assembled the biggest collection of operators and industry representatives in Europe for an event focused on mobile roaming. The conference took place against the much-documented backdrop of challenging global economic conditions which have impacted corporate and personal travel. The mobile industry, however, continues to evolve and grow. The increasing proliferation of mobile applications, the increasing importance of mobile internet access and the growth in mobile business volumes have all driven significant change in the mobile communications market and present operators with new challenges and new opportunities.

“The number of operators and other industry players that attended our conference in Lisbon, despite the pressure on travel costs, validates our strategic agenda and the areas on which we are placing significant focus,” said Guy Dubois, President and CEO, MACH. “The atmosphere at the conference reflected the innovation, enthusiasm and unwavering focus on the customer that underpins this industry and, indeed, characterises our own ethos.”

The theme of the conference was providing and sharing the latest insights into the drivers of growth and the potential obstacles that operators face. End-user behaviours and changing ownership of the end-user was a key topic, as was the pace of innovation in mobile applications and technologies, and satisfying the emerging demand for seamless mobility through enhanced interconnectivity and interoperability. The impact of the mobile internet was a major talking point, as were roaming trends and the optimisation of roaming operations. The regulatory environment and the imminent EU roaming regulations were, predictably, the subject of much discussion.

Among the speakers were representatives of mobile operators, analyst houses, industry bodies and regulators. Keynote speakers included well-known industry figures like Carlos da Silva from Orange who spoke about the road towards IPX and Mark Newman, Chief Research Officer at Informa Telecoms & Media who spoke about economic trends in the market and end-user behaviour. Ian Pannell, Chief Architect GSM Association shared the GSMA’s mission, programmes and initiatives to support global market growth and Manuel da Costa Cabral, EU Commission Representative discussed the impact of recent regulatory changes.

“It was refreshing to hear, amid the gloom and pessimism that is so prevalent today, a real verve for innovation and determination to grow,” said John Dubois, Global Roaming Director, WiMAX Forum, who delivered an address on 4G mobile Internet technologies such as WiMAX. “We learned, we shared, we did business - and we had fun doing it!”

Editors’ Notes

MACH’s best-in-class managed services portfolio covers all stages of the roaming lifecycle: Building a roaming business: Strategic planning of roaming roll outs, reducing time-to-market and ensuring profitability, fast. Handling the billing lifecycle: Ranging from clearing, billing & settlement, these essential services help maximise efficiency and roaming potential. Protecting roaming revenues: Stopping roaming fraud faster with the industry’s most powerful fraud solution. Eliminating ‘bill shock’ to increase subscribers’ data roaming usage and ensure customer satisfaction. Expanding connectivity: MACH provides a ‘gateway’ to global accessibility and coverage, allowing operators to further their market reach and take advantage of the latest industry innovations. The forefront of global coverage accessibility. To find out more, visit: www.mach.com/solutions/

About MACH

MACH unlocks the potential of the mobile business eco-system by providing the core conductor which equips any industry player to enable and handle any tele-application or interaction, on any technology, anywhere in the world.

MACH’s suite of technology platforms simplifies and accelerates the creation and operation of the mobility supply chain. It is the conduit that connects the mobile market community and extends compatibility, quickly and at low cost, through a multi-faceted portfolio of solutions.

Through MACH, any industry player can harness market diversity and complexity to realise innovative business models and unlock consumer-centric services for the end user, regardless of location, device and technology.

Originally founded in 1987, MACH has merged with, and today incorporates the experience and expertise of, market-leaders such as Dan Net, Cibernet, End2End and PROGRATOR|gatetrade. MACH employs 1,000 people serving over 600 customers worldwide.

MACH is a proud member of the GSMA and CIBER industry organisations, the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), WiMAX Forum, Rural Cellular Association (RCA), CDMA Development Group (CDG) and CTIA. www.mach.com

www.mach.com/Insights09/agenda.php

Enquiries Sophia Bodiker Global Marketing Project Manager, MACH spa@mach.com +45-45902024

Source: MACH

Enquiries: Sophia Bodiker, Global Marketing Project Manager, MACH, spa at mach.com, +45-45902024