Live the Digital Experience of Andicom 2008

CINTEL Organizes the Main Telecommunications Congress in Spanish Language

— The event will be held in Cartagena de Indias from October 29th to 31st, 2008.

— The Commercial Exhibit of Andicom will recreate a digital city: U-City, interactive showroom of services, applications and solutions for the construction and strengthens of digital cities and lifestyles.

— Within the framework of Andicom will be developed the NexTV Summit 2008 that will gather executives, regulators and TV professionals, multimedia services over IP networks, digital TV, online TV and mobile TV of Latin America.

— Fifth version of the Mobile Applications Marathon Comcel- Nokia.

Telecommunications Research Center-CINTEL

Phone: + 57 1 635 3538

Amilde Frias, Project Professional – Journalist.

ext. 143. Mobile + 57 3002160717

E-mail: afrias@cintel.org.co

or

Olga Garces. Project Professional – Journalist

ext. 166. Mobile + 57 315 6023539

E-mail: ogarces@cintel.org.co

or

Susana Velasquez, Project Professional – Journalist

Mobile + 57 317 7700207

E-mail: svelasquez@cintel.org.co

or

Eduardo Rodriguez, Communications Consultant

Mobile + 57 300 2132592

E-mail: edurod@cintel.org.co

As every year, Andicom Telecommunications Congress undertaken by the Research Center for Telecommunications (CINTEL) in October at Cartagena de Indias, becomes the main regional sector event of information and communication technology (ICT), with nearly 3 thousand participants and more than 100 linked national and international companies.

On this occasion, Andicom 2008 will conduct between October 29th and 31st, its traditional academic and business forums that have ensured the presence of about 70 speakers from different continents, will develop the second version of the Business Rounds of the ICT industry and, as novelty of its Commercial Exhibit will recreate a digital city: U-City, an interactive showroom of services, applications and solutions for the construction and strengthening of digital cities and lifestyles, organized with the support of the Ministry of Communications.

The Academic Forum will focus on the theme: Technology: Creating and Welfare and Building the Future, taking into account that today ICT constitute themselves as a support for the development of society and a tool for global transformation. High Level Speakers will address the subject through presentations that show experiences, strategies and public-private partnerships in countries and regions, including Colombia.

To meet the thematic goal of Andicom 2008, the Academic Calendar has been structured based on subjects related to e-Health, e- education, mobile banking, entertainment, media, new generation TV, e-commerce, privacy of information, Policy, regulation and environment.

In the Academic Forum is also planned the ITU submission of a report on ICT, climate change and global warming; and also will be conducted the seminar Mobile as 7th Mass Media, by Tomi Ahonen, a leading strategic 3G consultant globally, which will expose how the cellular phone and wireless devices may be stronger than the TV or the Internet, viewed as a channel of advertising and media; regulators in the region along with the operators will discuss the aspects that allow transition from a regulation for services to a regulation for markets on a convergence environment in Latin America. Finally, the well-known Colombian journalist, Patricia Janiot working for CNN in Atlanta, will dictate a conference responding to the question: Where to, is going the media convergence?

Other academic events

NexTV Summit 2008. Will gather executives, regulators and professional TV and multimedia services over IP networks, digital TV, online TV and mobile TV across Latin America, and will hold its first regional debate on Friday, October 31st in the Main Academic Forum Andicom 2008 with two panels.

In the first panel called IPTV and Mobile TV: towards the new interactive TV, technology providers will discuss new developments and challenges that IP technology brings. In addition, broadcasters and cellular phone operators will analyze what is the model of mobile TV to be imposed in the Andean region and Latin America and how they affect the actual business of each of them. In the second panel, Regulating New Generation TV, telecom operators and authorities in the region will discuss the entrances and regulatory barriers to the development of TV’s future in Colombia and Latin America.

On the other hand, the European Commission for Information Society and Media will promote in Andicom 2008, the access to Cooperation resources allocated by the European Community under the Seventh Framework Program (FP7).

The Framework Programs (FP) has been the main financial instruments through which the EU supports research and development activities, covering all scientific disciplines. The PM are nominated by the European Commission and adopted by the Council and European Parliament following a co-decision procedure. The FP7, which has been proposed to last 7 years, is designed to give continuity to the achievements of the previous framework program, towards the creation of the European research area and bring it beyond, to develop the economy and society knowledge in Europe.

The Framework Program (FP) has been the main financial instrument through which the EU supports the research and development activities, covering all scientific disciplines. The PM are nominated by the European Commission and adopted by the Council and European Parliament following a co-decision procedure. The FP7, which has been proposed to last 7 years, is designed to give continuity to the achievements of the previous framework program, towards the creation of the European research area and bring it beyond, to Europe to develop the economy and society knowledge.

As every year, Andicom 2008 will conduct the Business Forum, a commercial parallel area to the Main Academic Forum, in which the exhibiting companies present their products and services for the sector, through lectures given by commercial national and international experts. The Business Forum promotes the strengthening of the various companies in front of their current and potential customers, and the industry at large.

Once more Business Rounds

Aware of the importance of this instrument as a dynamic element for ICT business, Andicom began in 2007 the Business Rounds specializing in the sector, which received a share of over 30 applicants and bidders, with nearly 100 business meetings.

The 2008 version will include the participation of companies and institutions, sectors demanding telecommunications products and services such as: government, education, banking, trade and health, among others, as well as entrepreneurs of the telecommunications sector, with whom are expected to be develop more than 200 business meetings.

The Business Rounds of Andicom seek to position themselves as the most effective platform for businesses in telecommunications on Latin America.

U-City, a modern concept of city

U-City is the main novelty of Andicom 2008, a pavilion where attendees to this event can see in perspective the advantages of a digital city and will have the opportunity to interact with services, applications and solutions available for creating: welfare citizens, productivity for business and competitiveness for countries.

In U-City plays a vital role the Colombian State, through electronic services already provided by the government agencies on issues of education, health, trade and government in general. Precisely, the Ministry of Communications, through its social programs and particularly the Connectivity Agenda Program, will show visitors the progress that will be taken with the strategy of Government Online.

Fifth mobile applications Marathon Comcel-Nokia

Between August and October 2008 will take place the fifth version of the marathon mobile and wireless application programming, convened by Comcel and Nokia, supported by CINTEL.

This activity, which seeks to stimulate the country’s best students who develop mobile applications on Java J2ME platforms, has as its objectives: to motivate the interest of students in the last semesters of systems, electronics, telecommunications and/or related engineering for mobile technologies and application development on platforms provided by the network of Comcel, and encouraging innovation and developing new technology-based companies in the country.

To participate, universities can register for free the interested students, in teams of 3 members, to represent their university. The winners of the regional playoffs will go to the grand finale to be held in Andicom 2008 and will participate to win the following prizes, which may be aimed at studies or creating enterprise:

Much more on the Commercial Exhibit

Andicom has been strengthened as the best showcase to introduce products and services to develop the industry of information and communication technologies (ICT), already 59 national and multinational companies have confirmed their participation in the Commercial Exhibit.

Nokia Siemens Networks is the Sponsor Premium

As Official Sponsors have been linked Axede, British Telecom, Castacom, Cifin, CIT, Comverse, Comware, DESCA, ECI Telecom, Hewlett Packard, Huawei, Isa InterNexo, IT Manager, Juniper Networks, LG, Manpower, Optenet, Orange, Promigas Telecommunications, Sony Colombia, Sony Ericsson, TATA, TCC, Une EPM Telecommunications, STT and Central University.

As exhibitors are linked: Alcatel, Alpopular, Amadeus, CMN Consulting, Columbus Networks, CRT, Cyberexito, Daga, Digiware, DMC Wireless, Energy and Telecommunications, Ericsson, Freecom, Gamma Engineers, Insitel, Itelca, Intelsat, Latin American, Lexmark, Metaswicht , Nokia, PSO International, Procibernetica – Cibercom, Quattro Mobile Network Assist, Richardson Electronics, Rhode & Schwartz, Sisolec, Tactical Int., Telmex, Ubifrance, Universidad del Rosario, Xiriux, Zona Franca.

About CINTEL

The Colombian Telecommunications Research Center, CINTEL, has set as its fundamental mission to promote and foster the development of Telecommunications and Information Technologies. CINTEL members include telecommunications operators, universities and government agencies. The board is chaired by the Colombian Minister for Communications.

Among its goals it is to study and assimilate the emerging technological tendencies with the purpose of divulging and analyzing their implementation; to offer open spaces to all sector actors in order to discuss and analyze economical, market, social, political and technological aspects that can affect or influence the industry development; promote the development of projects of the sector’s interest; provide specialized technical assistance and divulge the state and tendencies of telecommunications in the country and the world. For further information, check our web site www.cintel.org.co

(c) 2008 BUSINESS WIRE. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.