PTC2000: A new vision for the 21st century

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THE Pacific Telecommunica tions Council (PTC) is an international non-profit, non

governmental membership

organisation, with members from the four comers of the Earth, that was founded in Honolulu in 1980 to bring together all those who have an interest in telecommu nications in the vast Pacific Hemisphere. It serves the digital information age through a major annual conference, regional semi nars, a respected quarterly magazine and a variety of other activities.

The annual Pacific Telecommunica tions Conference is held each year In Janu ary and has grown to become one of the most important regular events held in Hawaii. Its impact extends far beyond the more than 1,600 participants who attend, as it serves to focus the attention of the

major providers, operators, manufacturers,

policy-makers, regulators, technologists, lawyers, scientists, academics and others who share an interest in the development and beneficial use of telecommunications in the region. Worldwide membership with more than 600 members has grown steadi ly for the past 20 years.

The Board of Trustees, the supreme body of the organisation, is elected by the members based on an allocation of seats by type of member and by region to assure representation of a broad cross-section of the membership. The Executive Board is chosen by the Board of Trustees, which also appoints Chairs and Vice-chairs o head several standing and ad hoc committees.

Reflecting the breadth of the organisation, Presidents and Chairs have come from Mexico, the USA, Canada, Japan, Aus tralia, Korea, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Chris Vonwiller of Australia is presently chairman of the Board of Trustees and Jane Hurd of the United States is PTC’s President. Other officers and committee chairs represent a cross-sec tion of the Pacific Hemisphere.

In these times, when even Chief Execu tive Officers must deal with responses

from impersonal automated telephone

answering systems, the Council prides itself on being a “people-centred” organi sation. The personal contacts formed through the Council in the amicable and informal environment of the annual confer ence and seminars are a primary benefit of

membership.

In many ways, the PTC is unique in the world of telecommunications, broadcast ing, informatics, and digital media. It serves as a focal point and a meeting place to iron out otherwise intractable problems and to transact business. In short, PTC is the place to be in the world’s most dynam ic growth region in telecommunications.

PIC2OOO - A New Vision for the

21st Century

PTC’s 22nd annual Pacific Telecommu nications Conference, PTC2OOO, will open in Honolulu on Sunday, January 30, 2000, at the Hilton Hawaiian village in the heart of Waikiki. The four-day event is one of the largest conferences that takes place every year in Hawaii.

Internet emphasis

The advent of the Internet has funda mentally changed the nature of this confer ence. At PTC’99, about 80 per cent of the sessions included some reference to the Internet or technology associated with the Internet, whereas only six years ago, the Internet did not even appear in the subject index of the Proceedings.

One of the hallmarks of PTC’s annual conference is the availability of the confer

ence Proceedings to all participants during

the conference. At PTC’99, for the first time, there were no printed Proceedings.

Instead, presentations were available dur ing the conference on PlanetPTC (www.ptc.org) for attendees and members and were sent out in CD-ROM format to all registered participants after the confer ence. Plenary sessions and super sessions were Webcast, thereby opening a window to the world from Waikiki. Similar arrange ments are foreseen for PTC2OOO.

Submarine cablet Submarine cable systems provide Hawaii’s lifelines to the world. Partly

because of Hawaii’s location as a land ing and transit place for several existing and planned trans-Pacific cables, PTC’s annual conference attracts more sessions on submarine cables and systems than most telecommunications conferences.

A round table on submarine and fibre optic systems will be featured at PTC2OOO as well as a concurrent ses sion.

Hot topics

The conference will include al topics of current interest in telecommunications and the other convergence industries, special attention will be given the topic of Regulatory issues and the Internet.

Workshops and panels will also focus on a number of country, regional o global issues and means for financing needed developments. More than 1700 regis tered participants are expected at PTC2OOO. A much greater number of visitors will view the exhibits, which are open to the public. Such a large event now attracts numerous peripheral activi ties sponsored by related organisation, as well as PTC executive and committee that will be held on January 30. Social activities are always well-attended.

PTC2OOO will feature a Super Bowl Party and a lively opening reception on the lagoon lawn, the Web broadcast from PTC’s Planet PTC web site of Plenary and other major sessions will open a global window on the conference. Con ference information and on-line registra tion are available at

http://www.ptc.org/confindex.hlml.

New members who join before the conference receive a substantial reduc tion in the conference registration fee.

Other important benefits available to members include the PTCWeb Mem bers’ Bulletin, which brings up-to-the minute news on developments in the convergence industries every two weeks, the PTR (Pacific Telecommunications Review) quarterly journal of the Coun cil, and an online Membership Directo ry- ■