Day 1 | Tuesday, May 1st

10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Regulator Workshop

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Evening Welcome Reception

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM

Registration and Refreshments

8:30 AM – 8:40 AM

Welcome and Introduction

Mr. Kalpak Gude, President, Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA)

8:40 AM – 10:30 AM

Morning Sessions and Keynote Addresses

The Rt Hon. the Lord Willetts, House of Lords, United Kingdom Parliament

Mr. Philip Marnick Group Director, Spectrum, Ofcom

Mr. Julius Knapp, Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology (OET), Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Mr. Ranveer Chandra, Principal Researcher, Microsoft

10:30 AM – 10:50 AM

Networking Break

10:50 AM – 11:10 AM

Challenges with the Current Spectrum Approach

This session will look at the current dominant approach of exclusive licensing for spectrum and explore why the model was successful in the past but what challenges exist today that raise questions on its efficiency and success for the future. The session will discuss why dynamic spectrum access can drive a more efficient use of spectrum that lowers the cost of access, increases the opportunities for new entrants, and stimulates innovation. It will conclude with dynamic sharing models that are being currently deployed and the market, coverage, and service opportunities that will be addressed.

Speaker:

Dr. Preston Marshall, Principle Wireless Architecture, Google

11:10 AM – 11:30 AM

Update on TVWS Technology

TVWS technology has been focused on lowering the cost of broadband access for those that are the hardest to reach in our society. This technology has been deployed in both developed and emerging markets, where rural access problems are the same. TVWS technology is continuing to develop and next generation devices will provide greater bandwidth and speed, and provide improved ease of deployment. These advances will help drive TVWS deployment and keep the technology at the forefront of the effort to narrow the digital divide. This session will cover the progress and development of TVWS technology and the advances that are coming.

Speaker:

Mr. Haiyun Tang, Chief Executive Officer, Adpatrum

11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Reasons for Change: A Look at Shared Spectrum Use Cases

Access to shared spectrum can reduce the cost of broadband delivery and enable a greater variety of use cases to succeed. These use cases can help to solve some of the most intractable problems regarding connecting the unconnected. This session includes discussions with regulators and industry regarding the most challenging problems for bringing Internet access to those that have not been connected at a time when education, commerce, government, and societal involvement is becoming ever more digital. The session will discuss how shared spectrum access use cases are helping to narrow the digital divide and how more can be done to narrow the digital divide.

Speakers:

Dr. Héctor Huici, Secretary, Information Technology and Communications, Ministry of Communications Argentina

Mr. Bob Bailey, Executive Director, SOVA Innovation Center for TVWS Broadband Development

Mr. Mark Wheeler, Director/Founder, Whitespace UK

Mr. James Carlson, Chief Executive Officer, Carlson Wireless

Mr. Job Ndege, Chief Technology Offcier, Mawingu Networks (invited)

Mr. H Nwana, Managing Partner, Cenerva Limited (invited)

Moderator:

Ms. Bunmi Durowoju, Senior Business Development Manager AI+Intelligent Cloud, Emerging Markets, Airband Initiative, Microsoft

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Lunch Break

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Tiered Approaches for Spectrum Sharing

Interest in spectrum sharing has grown substantially in recent years. Europe has explored the use of Licensed Shared Access (LSA) while the U.S. has embraced the three-tier sharing model of Citizens Band Radio Service (CBRS). This session explores the two-tier sharing of LSA and the three-tier sharing of CBRS to see the opportunities, benefits, and risks of each, as well as how such sharing models can reshape the spectrum access landscape to deliver more connectivity solutions to an ever more demanding customer set. The session will discuss sharing in a variety of frequency bands in the low-, mid-, and high-band spectrum ranges.

Speakers:

Mr. Oliver Chapman, Senior Policy Manager, GSMA

Ms. Lisa Roper, Head of Spectrum Sales , Ministry of Defence

Mr. Brian Regan, Communications & Technology Attorney, Starry Inc.

Mr. Jaime Fink, Chief Product Officer, Mimosa

Moderator:

Mr. Dave Wright, Director, Regulatory Affairs & Network Standards, Ruckus Networks

3:30 PM – 3:45 PM

Networking Break

3:45 PM – 4:15 PM

Technology Innovation Through Better Spectrum Data and Management

As wireless access has become the dominant on-ramp to the Internet, spectrum access has become more challenged. The demand for spectrum, particularly in densely populated areas, has made spectrum scarcity appear to be fundamental truth. Modern spectrum management techniques, however, enable regulators to change this paradigm but taking a closer looks at spectrum utilization, both in time and space, to create an entirely new way to see spectrum availability. This spectrum abundance then has the opportunity to drive innovation in directions previously hardly imagined. This session will explore the incremental as well as radical innovations that will come from a future where spectrum access is an expectation and the applications are limitless.

Speaker:

Mr. Tongai Maramba, Head of Distribution Programs, Facebook (invited)

4:15 PM – 5:45 PM

Increasing the utilization of 6 GHz for broadband services through spectrum sharing

Demand for Wi-Fi and license exempt spectrum continue to grow as Wi-Fi is firmly planted at the access technology of choice for the vast majority of users. Regulators in Europe and the U.S. are looking at the opportunity for allowing license exempt operations in the 5925 – 7125 MHz band on a shared basis with existing incumbent users. This session will explore why 1.2GHz more spectrum is needed for Wi-Fi and what applications will it be used for? The session will also discuss Gigabit Wi-Fi and the need for wide-carrier bandwidths to satisfy new demand requirements. Finally the session will discuss how spectrum sharing can protect incumbents while allowing more efficient use of spectrum

Speakers:

Mr. Chuck Lukaszewski, VP, Wireless Strategy & Standards, HPE

Mr. Graham Macdonald, Director EMEA Communications Policy, Intel

Mr. Sami Susiaho, Head of Technology, Sky UK

Mr. Nitin Madan, Product Line Manager, Broadcom

Mr. Guillaume Lebrun, Spectrum and Technology Policy, Qualcomm (invited)

Moderator:

Mr. Michael Calabrese, Director, Wireless Future Project, New America Foundation

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Conference Dinner and Award Ceremony

Day 3 | Thursday, May 3rd

8:30 AM – 10:15 AM

Morning Sessions and Keynote Addresses

Mr. Mario Mankiewicz, Deputy Director, Radiocommunication Bureau, ITU

Mr. Jonas Wessel, Director Spectrum Department; Chairperson, Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS); Radio Spectrum Policy Group

Mr. Simon McCalla, Chief Technology Officer, Nominet

10:15 AM – 10:30 AM

Networking Break

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM

Dynamic Spectrum Access Databases – Getting Beyond the Myths

Databases have been an integral part of making our telecommunications networks work since the very beginning, at least from the time we moved from switch board operators to electronic routing. SS7 networks, number portability, the entire Internet routing function relies on databases. The coordination of spectrum use has also relied on databases to successfully manage spectrum sharing and utilization. This session will seek to demystify the use of databases to manage spectrum and enable dynamic sharing of our critical spectrum resources. The session will highlight dynamic spectrum database technology that already exists to successfully manage spectrum sharing and how new applications will in short order change the perception of this technology.

Speaker:

Mr. Michael Calabrese, Director, Wireless Future Project, New America Foundation

10:45 AM – 11:00 AM

5G is More than Mobile Carriers

It is often asserted that 5G is about industry verticals and the Internet of Things (IoT). Typically, this leads regulators and vendors to conclude that traditional mobile carriers will work with enterprise customers to provide customized or “sliced” 5G connectivity in factories, hospitals, smart cities or for national infrastructure like railways and utilities. This is a flawed assumption. Many of those verticals and groups want better wireless networks – but don’t want the typical carriers’ “service” model. They want more design input, control, and even ownership. The same is true for in-building networks, government-run shared infrastructure and other domains. This session looks at the challenges and opportunities for 5G and how success will require participation and investment from more than merely mobile carriers.

Speaker:

Mr. Dean Bubley, Founder, Disruptive Analysis

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Is Technology the Best Manager of Spectrum?

As demand for spectrum grows, the traditional model of spectrum management, based primarily around exclusive access to spectrum or static sharing arrangements, risks being both limited and wasteful. Technology has created new opportunities to drive more efficient use of spectrum through understanding where and how spectrum is used, location identification, and, in some case, even sensing to understand the active spectrum utilization in any given area. Databases with such information enable dynamic allocation of spectrum. These databases also empower regulators with back-end control to solve interference problems where they arise. This panel will discuss the state of database technology for spectrum management and will discuss with regulators the challenges that governments face in utilizing these exciting new systems and spectrum management tools.

Speakers:

Mr. Chris Woolford, Director of International Spectrum Policy, Ofcom

Mr. Ntsibane Ntlatlapa, Telecommunications and Media Technologies Research Manager, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

Mr. Alex Buchan, Head of Wireless Technologie, DTG

Mr. Andreas Geiss, Head of Unit, Radio Spectrum Policy, European Commission

Mr. Sebastien Grimoud, Business Development Manager, ATDI

Mr. Richard Womersley, Director, Spectrum Services, LS Telecom

Moderator:

Dr. William Webb, CEO, Weightless SIG

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM

Lunch Break

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM

Smart Financing Fireside Chat

Access to capital remains one of the greatest barriers to commercially sustainable investments in new technologies, especially in emerging markets. This challenge would certainly be true for companies looking to deploy cutting edge dynamic spectrum access technologies. This group of distinguished panelists representing regional and global economic development institutions will discuss various investment vehicles available for small and established companies ranging from grants to loans to equity to crowd-sourced investment.

Speaker:

Mr. Chijioke Gbolahan Egejuru, Investment Professional, International Finance Corporation (IFC) (invited)

Mr. Rob Henley, Partner, Prescient

Mr. Alex Hadden, Director, Structured Finance & Insurance, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)

Moderator:

Mr. Frank McCosker, Director, Good Networks

2:30 PM – 4:00 PM

Challenges to Universal and Affordable Connectivity

Access to capital remains one of the main barriers to commercially sustainable investments in new spectrum‐related technologies.  This lack of access to capital, particularly in economically challenged or more rural areas, has contributed to continuing the digital divide.  This is as true in developed markets as it is in emerging markets of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Smart approaches are required to push new ecosystems that lower costs and speed of deployment. This panel will explore the important area of how new spectrum approaches are being used to lower the cost of access, particularly for those that have thus far been unconnected. The panel will also include regulators sharing the both the challenges they face to solve the digital divide as well as solutions they are looking at.

Speakers:

Mr. Leonardo Euler de Morais, Commissioner, National Telecommunication Agency (ANATEL), Brazil

Dr. Martha Liliana Suárez Peñaloza, Director, Agencia Nacional del Espectro (ANE)

Mr. Richard Chisala, co-Founder & Chairman, UltiNetS

Mr. Michael Armitage, Executive Chairman, Broadway Partners

Moderator:

Mr. Chris Weasler, Director of Global Connectivity, Facebook

4:00 PM – 4:15 PM

Networking Break

4:15 PM – 4:35 PM

Unlicensed Economic Growth

Wi-Fi, LTE-U, MulteFire, and other technologies are raising the importance and value of license exempt spectrum to the communications infrastructure. This session will look at the value of license exempt spectrum to the economy. An examination of why a balanced approach between license exempt/lightly-licensed and licensed models will allow greater aggregate growth in the economy than simple licensed approaches alone.

Speaker:

Mr. Richard Thanki, PhD student, University of Southampton

4:35 PM – 5:00 PM

The Potential of Dynamic Access in the Millimeter Wave Bands

Regulators in Europe and the U.S. have identified 60 GHz as ideal high-band spectrum for license exempt services. This session brings together the leading technology companies to discuss the importance of license exempt spectrum in the 60 GHz band and the innovations and new solutions that this makes possible.

Speakers:

Mr. Scott Blue, Senior Advisor, Spectrum Policy, Microsoft

Alan Norman, Public Policy Director, Facebook

Moderator:

Mr. Kalpak Gude, President, Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA)

5:00 PM – 5:15 PM

Closing Remarks

Mr. Kalpak Gude, President, Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA)