The First
International Conference on Next-Generation Wireless
Systems (ICNEWS 2006)
will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh during January
2-4, 2006. ICNEWS 2006 will be a premier international
meeting dedicated to addressing challenging issues
in design, implementation and management of wireless
communications, networking, and mobile computing
systems. This international event on wireless
technology, which is first of its kind in Bangladesh
, will bring leading researchers and practitioners
in the broad area of wireless telecommunications
systems across the world. In addition to technical
papers, the conference will feature panel discussions
from experts in academia and industry and tutorials
in state-of-the-art areas. Also, there will be
exhibits which will expose the delegates to the
different wireless products and services available
today.
Bangladesh is an attractive market for mobile services due to its
large and highly concentrated population, very low penetration of telecommunications services,
and high growth in mobile subscribers. With approximately 140 million inhabitants, it ranks as
the eighth most populous country in the world and is among the most densely populated.
To reflect this fact, we chose "wireless for mass" as the theme of ICNEWS 2006.
The country’s legacy landline base, which is
currently in use, has not been upgraded into a
well-developed telecommunications infrastructure.
Demand for improved telecommunication system,
therefore, has far outpaced the supply. The
government’s response to this has been ‘deregulation’
- through allocation of telecommunication and
wireless spectrum to private ventures. This
prompted an unprecedented growth in the
struggling wireless industry in the country.
Although, the current wireless penetration is
still very low (<1%), the growing demand for
additional services is unmistakable. Both the
consumers and the business community are craving
for wider and better telephone access, improved
quality of services, wireless enterprise
connectivity, and secured wireless
communications.
Over the past few years, Bangladesh has also
been witnessing a surge in economic activities to
support the growth in export related businesses.
This has encouraged the small and medium
businesses towards investing in technology,
primarily, in improving communications. The
country’s higher population density, clearly,
favors wireless technology economically over
landline technology. However, significant
development in wireless infrastructure and
application support would be necessary before
many of these services can be offered to either
individual consumers or to the business entities.
This indicates a potential growth of a wireless
infrastructure industry in Bangladesh, in the
near future.
The overall growth in demand, however, is likely to create opportunities that are far
beyond the immediate infrastructure need. The market, as stated earlier, is more than ready
for a range of wireless services. Some of the specific services that are high in demand include :
- Wireless backhaul, e.g. transporting the
bandwidth of submarine fiber cable scheduled
to be operational by year’s end from the
port city Chittagong to the rest of the
country,
- Location based technologies to support asset tracking, e.g. trucking companies,
- Wireless security applications, e.g., IP based wireless video and camera network for the law enforcement agencies, and
- Wi-Fi, wireless mesh networks, WiMAX and other fixed wireless applications to allow data communication, e.g. financial institutions.
A group of local entrepreneurs are eager to become a part of this experience and are already
engaged in exploratory activities. All of this underscores the potential advantage of an early entry,
which is almost all too obvious.
Given the context, the timing of this first ever conference in Bangladesh (technically
co-sponsored by the IEEE Communications Society) is almost exact. The conference would bring
together participants from the entire range of stakeholders - business entities, entrepreneurs,
academia, government, and consumers. The conference would also feature an exhibit to showcase the
latest products, to distribute relevant literature and to allow participants interact with each
other to explore opportunities. Based upon the responses that we have received so far,
we expect an attendance exceeding 500.
In many ways, it is also a very unique opportunity for companies seeking brand recognition in
this fast growing market. Companies like Samsung, Nokia, and OnAir have been very forthcoming with
sponsorship proposals. A wider range of companies, including some from Bangladesh, have also
expressed interest. The response from academia has also been very encouraging. A good number of
renowned academics in this area will
make presentations, hold seminars, and join panel discussions on topics ranging from advanced
communications to economic impact of wireless applications.
Planning is underway to organize special sessions wherein investors and venture capitalist
groups from overseas would discuss investment opportunities, both within and outside Bangladesh.
To interested parties, this would provide a rare opportunity of a face to face conversation with
the local wireless operators, entrepreneurs and government officials.
In summary, the major objectives of this
conference are
- to provide a networking opportunity between the local wireless community
and
the world-class wireless researchers and entrepreneurs,
- to expose the market potential in Bangladesh to the international
wireless
service providers and wireless system manufacturing companies for possible investments and joint ventures,
and
- to identify innovative wireless communication system applications for
the
general mass in Bangladesh to improve their quality of life.
The host city Dhaka is a historic city which
is known to be in existence since the 7 th century
A.D. This vibrant metropolitan city today preserves
the fabulous legacy of its past. We invite you
to make your plans to attend ICNEWS 2006, exchange
your ideas and rich experience with other distinguished
participants across the world, and enjoy a large
variety of tourist destinations in this region.
We look forward to welcoming you in Dhaka .
Muzibul H. Khan, Ph.D.
Vice President Engineering
Samsung Telecommunications America
Richardson , Texas, USA
Email: mkhan@sta.samsung.com
Value Proposition to Bangladeshi
professionals, scholars, entrepreneurs, investors
and companies in the wireless industry:
1. Be a part of a growing community of wireless professionals from Bangladesh, seeking to bring prosperity to their nation and country, by bringing into it what they know best - wireless technology.
2. Join the conference and
enrich your wireless professionals’ network.
Meet the experts and investors of the West, who
might just be the person you had been looking for,
for your next big project. This conference would
focus on (1) knowing about the latest technology
that could be useful in Bangladesh, (2) meeting
the people, who could make this work (3) making
sure that all of this make good business sense.
3. Watch for the details of our business session. It would investigate the application and opportunities in Bangladesh, for the latest of the wireless technologies. Attend the conference to find out specific business opportunities to enhance your current business operation and/or explore latest wireless technologies with promising potential in Bangladesh. It may be the very next idea that you have been waiting for, and we will be giving it out for free.
4. Learn about outsourcing opportunities in the wireless field and find out how you can prepare for it well in advance. Find out what you didn't know about the roles of governmental and non-governmental entities. Know what you need to know about the latest of the developments in the wireless applications development and the secrets of the U.S. corporate culture for success in establishing your outsourcing dream-project.
5. Find out about the upcoming online ICNEWS-forum and be a member - it could help your business - directly at the bottom line.
6. Be a sponsor of the conference by putting an advertisement of your company or for your project. Find investment opportunities or meet the people who are looking for investment opportunities.
7. Early response could make a difference for you - all services are on a first come first serve basis! See you there...
Value Proposition for foreign investors and overseas companies:
1. Get your name out - talk about your company and your products and services, to an audience that is a true representation of the local market.
2. Meet the local experts, investors, who might just be the person you had been looking for, for your next big project in Bangladesh.
3. Get acquainted with the local regulatory environment and market needs to plan right for your next business venture in Bangladesh.
4. Find out about the upcoming online ICNEWS-forum; become a member and stay connected with the conference participants and other major players in the market.
5. Be a sponsor of the conference by putting an advertisement of your company or for your project. Find investment opportunities or meet the people who are looking for investment opportunities.
6. Early response could make a difference for you - all services are on a first come first serve basis! See you there ...
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