8th Asia Pacific Spectrum Management Conference

Masanori Kondo is Deputy Secretary General of Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT). He is elected for the post of Deputy Secretary General of APT and commenced his term since February 2015. Before joining to APT, he has been working at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan for more than 20 years in the field of telecom policy and regulation, bilateral/multilateral negotiation, postal service and postal banking services etc. During his service at the Ministry he was also a visiting scholar and gave lectures and conducted academic activities at several universities including Waseda University and Keio University in Japan and Harvard University in U.S.A. He holds B.A. in Economics from Keio University and MSc. in Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE) in U.K.

Mr. Mario Maniewicz was elected Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He took office on 1 January 2019.

Mario Maniewicz is an electronic engineer specialized in telecommunications. He has been with the ITU for over 30 years, where he has served in high-level management positions in the Radiocommunication and Development Sectors as well as in ITU Regional Offices.

As Director, Mr. Maniewicz is responsible for the management of the Radiocommunication Bureau, which organizes and co-ordinates the work of the Radiocommunication Sector whose aim is to ensure the rational, equitable, efficient, and economical use of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits.

Before joining the ITU, Mr. Maniewicz occupied a managerial position in Uruguay’s main telecommunications operator and was Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Engineering of Uruguay’s main University.

Mr. Maniewicz is married and has two children. He speaks Spanish, English, French and Portuguese.

More information available shortly.

Mr. Saneh Saiwong is currently responsible for overall supervision and
implementation of policy and strategy development activities for
spectrum and satellite management in Thailand. He carries out and
manages spectrum/satellite policy and planning, spectrum engineering,
and international and national spectrum/satellite coordination.
He has been regular participant in ITU conferences and meetings, notably
WRC and relevant ITU-R Study Groups/Working Parties. He is also active in
regional groups and forums such as APT and ASEAN on matters relating to
spectrum management and in bilateral coordination schemes, covering
both terrestrial and satellite issues.
Prior to joining NBTC, he worked with a private company engaging in
satellite communications and later joined government agencies for which
his roles and responsibilities encompassed a wide range of
standardization, monitoring, licensing and policy and strategy
development.
He received his Master Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering
from University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA in 1996 and Bachelor
Degree in Telecommunications Engineering from King Mongkut’s Institute
of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Thailand in 1993.

More information available shortly.

As Director General of Spectrum Management and Standardization of Post and ICT, Ministry of ICT of Indonesia, Dr. Ismail leads the directorate general to fulfill an effective, efficient, dynamic and optimal frequency spectrum management, as well as encouraging the use of innovative technology that meets technical requirements. Currently, He is focusing on how government could drive the ICT ecosystem thus Indonesia could harness the full potentials through digital transformation, digital economy, and industry 4.0.

Dr. Ismail has been with The Government of Republic of Indonesia for 27 years. Prior to his current role, he was one of the initiators of Palapa Ring, a pivotal project to connect all provinces and capital districts with high capacity national backbone. Recently, he initiated and built what then became one stop information system regarding Covid-19 Vaccination program used by Indonesian Ministry of Health.

Guillaume Mascot is in charge of Government Relations for Nokia in APJ (Asia-Pacific, Japan) & India. He oversees all aspects of current and future policy and regulation in the Asia-Pacific region. In this role, he is working with institutions and other relevant stakeholders to create a favorable political and regulatory environment to foster public and private investment in the digital and broadband industries with a focus on innovation for sustainable growth, competitiveness, and quality of life in a connected environment. Guillaume has been speaking at various international and regional/local regulatory events (CommunicAsia, Mobile Asia Expo, ITU, APT forum, etc). Previously, Guillaume led Alcatel-Lucent’s EU representation in Brussels, managed European Affairs and engaged with the European Institutions. He was board member of the EIF (European Internet Foundation) – an European think tank supporting European political leadership for the development of European multilateral public policies responsive to the political, economic and social challenges of the worldwide digital revolution – and was also an associate member of the European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT). Guillaume holds a Master Degree in Political science with a major on Public Administration and Public policy from the University of Lille.

Peng is an experienced telecom executive, with focus on public policy, regulatory and spectrum matters forboth mobile and satellite industries, advising governments and telecom industry globally.

Peng is Vice-President of Government Affairs and Policy at OneWeb, where he is responsible of the company’sinternational regulatory and policy issues with focus in Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Prior to this, Peng was responsible for the GSMA’s global campaign ensuring optimal licensing conditions for mobile operators. He was leading a team of policy experts across all developing markets to engage policy makers and regulators and advocated for industry’s best practices on telecom policy.

Peng has an engineering background and hold an MS in Telecommunication from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne, and also an Executive MBA from London Business School. Besides English, he speaks Mandarin and French fluently. 

Mr. Mario Maniewicz was elected Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He took office on 1 January 2019.

Mario Maniewicz is an electronic engineer specialized in telecommunications. He has been with the ITU for over 30 years, where he has served in high-level management positions in the Radiocommunication and Development Sectors as well as in ITU Regional Offices.

As Director, Mr. Maniewicz is responsible for the management of the Radiocommunication Bureau, which organizes and co-ordinates the work of the Radiocommunication Sector whose aim is to ensure the rational, equitable, efficient, and economical use of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits.

Before joining the ITU, Mr. Maniewicz occupied a managerial position in Uruguay’s main telecommunications operator and was Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Engineering of Uruguay’s main University.

Mr. Maniewicz is married and has two children. He speaks Spanish, English, French and Portuguese.

Dr. Kyu-Jin Wee is a Fellow of Korea Radio Promotion Association (RAPA) since 2017. He is a Chairman of APG (APT WRC Preparatory Group) since 2016. He was a Vice President of Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) since 2012. TTA is an accredited standard development organization for ICT in the Republic of Korea. Before he joined TTA, he worked in the Korean Government for more than 20 years for spectrum management and standardization.
He has been participating in various international and regional conferences including ITU and APT.

Bashir Patel is Inmarsat’s Regional Advisor for the South Asia, Middle East and Africa (SAMEA) region. He is widely recognized as a highly experienced executive in ICT, satellite systems and defence aerospace. He has over 35 years experience in the high tech industry, working mainly in the telecom sector including satellites and defence industries, both in management consulting as well as in regional regulatory policy, business and market development. He has been working with the Governments throughout the regions and launched satellite communications technologies as far back as mid 1980’s. He is a passionate technologist with experience gained from his time spent in advance aerospace projects in BAe Systems, Inmarsat, ICO Global Communications and prior to re-joining Inmarsat in 2013 as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), dealing with 54 Commonwealth Govern.

Joe manages the public policy agenda for the Greater China region. He leads engagements with governments and regulators as well as outreach to institutions and think-tanks. He advocates for members’ common interests, provides expert advice on policymaking and thought leadership to the evolution of policies and regulations. Joe is also active in capacity building and policy debates at regional and international forums. Previously, he led the GSMA spectrum policy programme in Asia Pacific. Before joining the GSMA, Joe worked for the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment — in a variety of roles ranging from radio engineering, spectrum licensing, compliance, to project management. He was heavily involved in the development of the New Zealand government’s online register of radio frequencies and its online spectrum licensing and compliance systems. Joe has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, specialised in radio engineering and digital signal processing. He is also a certified PRINCE2 practitioner with many experiences in project and programme management.

Elena Puigrefagut Coarasa, Senior Project Manager at the European Broadcasting Union, co-ordinates joint technical activities undertaken by EBU Members on frequency planning and spectrum management and regulation and, in particular, frequency planning studies for terrestrial broadcasting systems. She represents the EBU in a number of international committees as the CEPT, EC and ITU including ITU World Radiocommunication Conferences.

Prior to joining the EBU, Elena worked at Eutelsat, a global satellite operator, as a frequency planning engineer in the Operations Department. During this period, she was responsible for the planning of the satellites that supported the launch of digital TV across Europe in the mid-1990s.

Elena holds a Master’s degree in Image and Sound (ENST, Paris) and a M.Sc. in Telecommunications Engineering (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, ETSTB Barcelona).

More information available shortly.

Yi Shen specialises in policy and regulatory issues in the telecommunications, media and technology sector. His experience includes radio spectrum policy and management, digital broadcasting, economic regulation of telecommunications infrastructure, and competition issues in the communications and audio-visual markets.

Most recently, he was a director at Plum Consulting where he specialised in spectrum management issues, such as allocation, valuation and pricing of spectrum for mobile and other uses, cost benefit analyses and impact assessments of policies and regulations relating to mobile and other wireless technologies. Yi Shen has led numerous consultancy projects and advised governments, regulators and industry players around the world, including Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the UK.

His previous experience also includes roles within regulatory authorities in Singapore and the UK. Yi Shen has an MSc in Media and Communication Governance (Distinction) from the London School of Economics, and a BA in Economics and Philosophy from the National University of Singapore.

Roger Tong has been serving as AsiaSat’s Chief Executive Officer since 2018. He joined AsiaSat as General Manager, Engineering in 2008, and has held positions of increasing technical responsibilities before being promoted to Chief Technical Officer in 2016. During his tenure, AsiaSat has added five large geostationary satellites to its fleet and has built an extension to the Tai Po Earth Station, significantly expanding the company’s capabilities both in space and on the ground.

Roger graduated summa cum laude from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, with a Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and a Master’s degree in electrical engineering. He was a gold medalist graduate of an MBA programme at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, and holds a doctorate in business administration from the University of Newcastle in Australia. Roger was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2020.

Roger has been serving as a director of the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) since 2018, representing the interest of the satellite operator community and providing leadership in tackling various challenges faced by the video industry.

James Cameron has over 20 years Australian Government public policy experience, including senior executive roles in the telecommunications, radiocommunications, broadcasting and digital economy fields. James has held executive positions managing government policies and programs supporting Australia’s arts and sports sectors and, immediately prior to joining the ACMA, was Chief Executive Officer of the National Water Commission.

James has also represented government agencies in parliament, in the media, at conferences and internationally.

Mohaned Juwad is responsible in assiting Intelsat’s strategic long-term spectrum position in the marketplace. In his role, he works closely with the company’s vice president on corporate and spectrum strategy and the spectrum strategy team to analyze and identify emerging spectrum opportunities and risks for Intelsat. In addition, he is responsible for managing efforts from Europe, Middel East and Africa that protect, optimize and leverage the company’s spectrum assets in support of Intelsat’s broader long-term growth strategy.

Dr. Juwad has over 13 years’ experience within the satellite industry where he held various roles in the past. Prior to rejoining Intelsat in 2016, Dr. Juwad served as manager, regulatory licensing and market access, at Avanti Communications Group Plc where he was responsible for managing and acquiring licensing and authorization for Ka-band geostationary satellite services across Europe, Middle East and the Africa region, in addition to overseeing regulatory activities at the ITU, CEPT, and other regulatory bodies. Before that, he worked as a consultant where he worked in ESA funded projects to develop the DVB-S2 standard operating in Ka-band, and also developed Ka-band mortised terminals where he was instrumental in developing a commercial self-aligned antenna.

Dr. Juwad earned a Philosophy of Doctorate (PhD) from Isambard Kingdom Brunel University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering at Herefordshire University.

Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) is the world’s leading provider of satellite services, delivering high performance connectivity solutions for media, fixed and mobile broadband infrastructure, enterprise and government and military applications for more than 50 years. Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video and broadband services. From the globalization of content and the proliferation of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and mobile broadband access, with Intelsat, envision your future network, connect using our leading satellite technology and transform your opportunities. For more information, visit www.intelsat.com.

Yi Shen specialises in policy and regulatory issues in the telecommunications, media and technology sector. His experience includes radio spectrum policy and management, digital broadcasting, economic regulation of telecommunications infrastructure, and competition issues in the communications and audio-visual markets.

Most recently, he was a director at Plum Consulting where he specialised in spectrum management issues, such as allocation, valuation and pricing of spectrum for mobile and other uses, cost benefit analyses and impact assessments of policies and regulations relating to mobile and other wireless technologies. Yi Shen has led numerous consultancy projects and advised governments, regulators and industry players around the world, including Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the UK.

His previous experience also includes roles within regulatory authorities in Singapore and the UK. Yi Shen has an MSc in Media and Communication Governance (Distinction) from the London School of Economics, and a BA in Economics and Philosophy from the National University of Singapore.

Roger Tong has been serving as AsiaSat’s Chief Executive Officer since 2018. He joined AsiaSat as General Manager, Engineering in 2008, and has held positions of increasing technical responsibilities before being promoted to Chief Technical Officer in 2016. During his tenure, AsiaSat has added five large geostationary satellites to its fleet and has built an extension to the Tai Po Earth Station, significantly expanding the company’s capabilities both in space and on the ground.

Roger graduated summa cum laude from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, with a Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and a Master’s degree in electrical engineering. He was a gold medalist graduate of an MBA programme at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, and holds a doctorate in business administration from the University of Newcastle in Australia. Roger was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2020.

Roger has been serving as a director of the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) since 2018, representing the interest of the satellite operator community and providing leadership in tackling various challenges faced by the video industry.

Amit specialises in advising on complex wireless transactions and strategy projects, including supporting mobile operators with spectrum valuation and regulators with the development and implementation of spectrum policy.

Amit has over 25 years of experience advising fixed and mobile operators, regulators/government bodies, financial institutions and equipment manufacturers on commercial, technical and regulatory issues. He has supported several multi-billion dollar M&A and debt financing transactions and has led numerous high-profile studies in the area of radio spectrum policy. Amit brings a global perspective to his work, having undertaken projects for clients in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas.

Amit holds an M.Sc. in Radio Frequency and Communications Engineering from the University of Bradford, UK and an M.B.A. from the University of Warwick, UK.

Chenda Thong has more than 20 years of experience in public sector.  After working at the central level of government, in November 2020 he was appointed Chairman of the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia.

Prior to joining the TRC, Chairman Thong held various positions such as a Secretary of State for the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, an advisor to the Office of the Council of Ministers, a legal advisor to the Chairman of the Third Committee of the National Assembly and the Vice President of the Royal Academy for Judicial Professions, one of the first state institutions to offer a fair and transparent national judicial entrance examination.

As a renowned leader within the public entity, Chairman Thong creates a culture of solidarity and harmony with the core value of high integrity in the working place. His previous background powered his aspiration to lead the TRC to be one of the world class regulators, finding practical answers for some of the nation’s complex questions and to ensure good governance and transparency in management and operations.

Chairman Thong holds qualifications in Law from Norton University and English literature from the Institute of Foreign Languages in Cambodia.

Tom Wikström is a Special Adviser at the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency with 23 years of experience in spectrum management. Over the years, Tom has participated in several ITU-R and CEPT groups responsible for IMT, land mobile and broadcasting services. Currently he is the national coordinator for WRC-23 Agenda Items 1.2 and 1.3. He is interested in questions related to coordination and co-existence of radio communications services to cater for the evolving needs of society.

Abdulaziz AlJuaid is senior specialist in mobile services and innovative technologies, he started his career in R&D sector then shifted to government sector working in CITC which is spectrum regulator in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Abdulaziz has bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from KSU.

Yi Shen specialises in policy and regulatory issues in the telecommunications, media and technology sector. His experience includes radio spectrum policy and management, digital broadcasting, economic regulation of telecommunications infrastructure, and competition issues in the communications and audio-visual markets.

Most recently, he was a director at Plum Consulting where he specialised in spectrum management issues, such as allocation, valuation and pricing of spectrum for mobile and other uses, cost benefit analyses and impact assessments of policies and regulations relating to mobile and other wireless technologies. Yi Shen has led numerous consultancy projects and advised governments, regulators and industry players around the world, including Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the UK.

His previous experience also includes roles within regulatory authorities in Singapore and the UK. Yi Shen has an MSc in Media and Communication Governance (Distinction) from the London School of Economics, and a BA in Economics and Philosophy from the National University of Singapore.

Christopher Szymanski is Director of Product Marketing and Government Affairs for the Mobile Wireless Connectivity Division at Broadcom Inc., where he is responsible for leading Broadcom’s development, and regulatory affairs. As Broadcom’s representative, Mr. Szymanski serves as on the Wi-Fi Alliance Board of Directors and as alternate Director on the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance board. Before joining Broadcom, Mr. Szymanski worked for Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) at its headquarters in Shanghai. He also served as a congressional aide focused on policies related to economic competitiveness, telecommunications, foreign relations, national security, and trade.

Amit specialises in advising on complex wireless transactions and strategy projects, including supporting mobile operators with spectrum valuation and regulators with the development and implementation of spectrum policy.

Amit has over 25 years of experience advising fixed and mobile operators, regulators/government bodies, financial institutions and equipment manufacturers on commercial, technical and regulatory issues. He has supported several multi-billion dollar M&A and debt financing transactions and has led numerous high-profile studies in the area of radio spectrum policy. Amit brings a global perspective to his work, having undertaken projects for clients in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas.

Amit holds an M.Sc. in Radio Frequency and Communications Engineering from the University of Bradford, UK and an M.B.A. from the University of Warwick, UK.

Mr Long an experts in radio frequency management, especially in terrestrial system such as land mobile, aeronautical and maritime radio communication systems. His knowledge in radio frequency management widely spreads from spectrum monitoring; technical parameter measurement and analysis to frequency assignment; interference calculation, analysis and resolve; spectrum planning and policy making. Mr Long have been leading the Aeronautical, Maritime and Radiolocation team in ARFM in preparatory works for the Word Radiocomunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15) and WRC-19. He is leading a 5G task group in ARFM to study and advise to ARFM’s Leader on 5G spectrum aspect and to Minister of MIC on 5G strategy for Viet Nam.

Mr Long have been actively participating in WRC-12 and WRC-15, Conference Preparatory Meeting for WRC-12 (CPM12), CPM15 and CPM19, ITU-R Working Parties 5A-5B-5C, APT Preparatory Group for WRC-15 and WRC-19 and APT Wireless Group with number of contributions to these meeting. I also had been actively participating in international meetings as the role of chairman of AdHoc Group, Drafting Group in APT Conference Preparatory Group for WRC-15; APT Wireless Group.

Du Yeqing, joined in Huawei in 1999. 20 years’ experience of ICT industry include mobile solution  pre-research, product development, marketing, etc. Abundant experience of Telco business transformation consulting.  From 2017, he was appointed as VP of 5G product line, and charged for 5G strategy and business development.

Alexander Kuhn is a Senior Government Official at the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA).

He is Head of Spectrum. He lead the European countries (CEPT) at WRC 2015 and 2019.

Miss. Xiaoran ZHANG graduated from Beijing University of Post and Telecom and joined China Mobile in 2013. Now she is the Manager of 5G-A standards and technical research in wireless and Terminal Technology Institute, China Mobile Research Institute. Miss. Xiaoran ZHANG is the Prime delegate of 3GPP RAN4 and delegate of 3GPP RAN in China Mobile. Currently, she also takes the role of project manager of spectrum evolution in China Mobile, responsible for spectrum planning and evolution strategy research.

Scott W Minehane is an international regulatory and strategy lawyer/economist in the communications sector and has been involved in advising investors, operators, Governments and regulators in Australia, Asia, the Pacific and Africa for over 30 years. His expertise extends to policy, legislative drafting, regulation, spectrum management, national broadband network and new generation fixed and mobile technologies including 5G.
He is the principal of Windsor Place Consulting Pty Ltd an independent consultancy practice, through which he has advised a range of international organisations including inter alia the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the World Bank, the GSMA and ASEAN. He was the author of the June 2020 ITU GSR Discussion Paper on the telecommunications sector responses to COVID-19. He has advised Governments, telecommunications regulators, MNOs and other stakeholders in Australia, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. He is currently the World Bank spectrum adviser to the Indonesian Government and from 1 July 2020 to the Pakistan Government/regulator.

Prior to the establishment of Windsor Place Consulting in 2000, Scott was a Director and Principal Consultant at Cutler & Company (1993-2000) and worked in the Australian Government in the late 1980s/early 1990s on the introduction of telecommunications competition including the licensing of the second telecommunications operator and the third mobile operator.

Scott is an independent director of Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) listed companies selling wireless technology including waveforms and public mobile radio (PMR) solutions – Etherstack (ASX:ESK) being used for emergency services and first responders as well as online financial transactions – iSignthis (ASX:ISX).

Scott has a Bachelor of Economics (1986) and a Bachelor of Laws (1991) from the University of Queensland and holds a Master of Laws specialising in Communications and Asian Law from the University of Melbourne (1998). He currently resides in Melbourne, Australia.

More information available shortly.

Peter Zimri is a policy and regulatory specialist with more than 20 years of cross-functional telecommunication/ICT, broadcasting and postal industry experience. Zimri possesses a wide skill set, including corporate governance, public sector, international and local policy and regulation development as well as compliance and enforcement competencies.

He has a proven track record and vast experience in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, including employment periods with the policy maker the Department of Communications (now Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) as the Chief Director: Radio and Satellite Communications and ICASA’s predecessor, the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (SATRA), as Senior Manager: Frequency Management. Zimri also headed the Technical Regulation at Liquid Telecoms South Africa (former Neotel). In the formative years of his career, He served as a trainee in electronic engineering at Telkom South Africa.

As an ICT Policy and Regulatory principle consultant at Pygma Consulting, Peter has been involved, not only in South Africa, but also across various markets on the African continent. He was involved in the acquisition of electronic communications and network service licenses as well as advising licensees on various ICT regulatory and policy compliance matters and the relevant pieces of ICT legislation.

At the recent ITU WRC-19, RA-2019, and CPM23-1, he served as a Vice-Chairman on the Steering Committee, representing and Chaired the ATU/African Group negotiations to successful conclusions and deliberations. Zimri was appointed as the Chairperson of the ATU ITU WRC-2023 preparations and the preceding CPMs. Zimri is still actively involved in the WRC-2023 preparatory work and is participating in the National Preparatory Working Group (NPWG), SADC and ATU meetings and is overseeing the regulatory contributions in developing these position papers.

He championed the regulatory matters as part of several South African delegations, at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, 2018 (PP18), World Telecommunications Development Conference, 2017 (WTDC-17), Universal Postal Union (UPU) Congress, 2016 and Pan African Postal Union (PAPU) Plenipotentiary Conference, 2016, Southern African Development Community (SADC) ICT Ministerial and Senior Communication Official Sub-Committee and the Smart Africa Alliance (SAA) meetings.

During the period April 2016 to March 2019, Zimri served as an Executive Committee member of CRASA as well as appointed to as Chairperson of CRASA from April 2017 to March 2018 with the mandate to harmonise policies and regulatory frameworks across SADC.

Amongst various other standards and ICT (Telecoms & Broadcasting) industry bodies, Zimri served on the boards of the South African Council for Space Affairs (SACSA), Number Portability Company (NPC), and South African Communications Forum (SACF). He also served on the various standards development Technical Committees of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). Zimri is a member of the Institute for Directors South Africa.

Pete Zimri holds a Masters degree – Master of Management in the Field of ICT Policy & Regulation (MM/MA (ICT)PR) from University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). He also holds various electronic engineering qualifications and credits in specialised ICT related programmes.

Sherille Ismail, Associate General Counsel, leads the international regulatory affairs team at Intelsat. He has significant experience in satellite licensing and communications policy involving the digital transition. Previously, he held senior management positions at the FCC and the US House of Representatives.

While serving in the FCC’s International Bureau, he organized and led workshops for foreign regulators, on topics ranging from promoting competition, interconnection pricing, transparent regulatory policies, separation of the regulator from Ministries, spectrum allocation. Sherille joined the FCC in 1996, after serving as a member of the joint congressional conference committee staff that negotiated the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Sherille is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center. He was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and lived with his family for a short time in Zambia. He first came to America as a student delegate to the World Youth Forum which brought together students from 32 countries.

As Principal Analyst at Welchman Keen (WK), Kenny is responsible for developing WK’s in-house research capabilities. His areas of expertise include telecoms and technology policy, and market competition.

Prior to joining WK, Kenny was with Fitch Group as a Senior Analyst for its Telecoms, Media, and Technology research practice. There, he was responsible for thought leadership on key developments within the Asia and global TMT space. He also supported major clients – ranging from global telecoms vendors to government entities – with bespoke research solutions. Kenny has appeared in international media, including CNBC and Channel News Asia, alongside numerous print media on his views on telecoms and technology.

Kenny received an ASEAN scholarship to study at the National University of Singapore, from which he holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Economics).

Shinji Ide is the Director of the New Generation Mobile Communications Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). He is responsible for planning and implementing policies on new generation mobile communication systems, such as 5G, Beyond 5G/6G and Intelligent Transport System (ITS). Prior to this, he engaged in planning several ICT policies on regulation, technology and standardization.

As Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Asia-Pacific, Magnus Ewerbring is responsible for driving technology alignment as well as long term technology strategies for Ericsson in Asia-Pacific.

Mr Ewerbring has been with Ericsson for more than 30 years and has held several senior executive positions within Ericsson R&D, the Business Units, as well as in customer accounts.

Mr Ewerbring holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology (Gothenburg, Sweden) and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University (Ithaca, New York, USA).

Mr. Cristian Gomez leads the APAC regional engagement with governments on policy and regulatory matters as part of the Viasat team. He has over 20 years of experience in tech policy and spectrum regulation.

Prior to joining Viasat, Cristian held senior policy and regulatory roles within the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau, the mobile industry and the New Zealand ministry responsible for telecommunications. He has represented New Zealand at WRCs, ITU global forums and Asia Pacific regulatory forums.

Tare Brisibe, is Senior Legal & Regulatory Counsel, APAC, with SES. Tare has nearly two decades of experience in the satellite industry, having previously served as Regulatory Information Officer for Inmarsat (UK) and Director of Regulatory Affairs for SITAOnAir (Geneva). He also served as: Chair of the Legal Subcommittee, UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space; Deputy Director (Legal), National Space Research and Development Agency of Nigeria; and Vice Rapporteur, ITU Study Group 1. He holds multiple degrees, including a Ph.D in International law from Leiden University.

Philippe Poggianti is in charge of developing the adoption of 5G “next waves” at Qualcomm, including mmWave ecosystem and use cases.
In today’s digital transformation environment, it is crucial for TelCos and Enterprises to leverage 5G as a critical infrastructure enabling new use cases and business models.

Philippe is based at Qualcomm Paris.

Philippe was previously in charge of Value-Based Consulting and Solutions at Nokia, allowing TelCos to best prepare the evolution of their network and develop 5G use cases for both consumers and enterprises.

Philippe is a seasoned leader with more than 25 years of experience in the Telecom Industry, out of which 6 years based in Asia (Korea, Japan, China). In Shanghai, Philippe was leading Alcatel-Lucent’s TD-LTE Product Unit, driving the programs, roadmap and ecosystem for this 4G variant.

Philippe holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from ENSEEIHT, Toulouse, France, and a dual-degree Executive MBA with Distinction from INSEAD (France, Singapore) and from Tsinghua University (Beijing).

Revathi Mannepalli has more than two and half decades of professional experience in spectrum management including satellite spectrum and orbital resources at national and international level. My expertise also includes ITU Radio Regulations for national and international spectrum regulation-cum-management and coordination with ITU and other countries.

Richard has over 20 years consulting and business experience working in the radio spectrum management, public telecommunications, digital broadcasting and satellite industries. He has worked for regulators, network operators, financiers, governments and end-users on issues covering national and international policy; regulation and its impact; pricing, auctions and licensing; cost modelling and tariff setting; planning and consultation; network specification and procurement; and digital switch-over. His work has been international in nature having taken him to every continent except Antarctica. Richard is also an experienced trainer having been running courses on spectrum management and policy for over 15 years.

In addition to providing consultancy advice and training, Richard’s career has embraced roles in a military communications company, as a transmission manager for BBC World Service and business manager for the UK’s largest broadcast infrastructure provider ntl: (now Arqiva) giving him a broad perspective on telecommunications and broadcast technologies and industries, their commercialisation and their regulation.

Siti Hajar a Specialist Spectrum Policy, Group Regulatory Affairs, Axiata Group Berhad. Her main roles include providing support and regulatory advise on spectrum regulatory issues to Axiata Group and its subsidiaries. She was with Telekom Malaysia’s regulatory team, an incumbent fixed operator in Malaysia for 3 years before joining Axiata Group Berhad’s Group Regulatory Affairs. She has more than 10 years of experience being in telecommunication industry in Malaysia.

Stefan Zehle is the co-founder and CEO of Coleago. He has 29 years’ experience in telecoms consulting and as Director of a mobile operating company. He specialises in strategy and business planning, spectrum related issues such as spectrum policy, valuation and auctions, and telecoms regulatory topics. He gained his experience working in developed markets in Europe, Canada and the US and also in emerging markets in the Middle East, Africa, and the Far East.

As Director of Strategy, Marketing and Regulatory Affairs, Stefan launched the third mobile operator in Algeria. He developed the strategy, designed the organisation chart, recruited other Directors and 200 staff, built the Sales and Marketing department, oversaw the development of distribution and the offer, and managed the brand creation. He also successfully challenged the regulatory status quo, transforming the interconnect landscape in Algeria by introducing best practice interconnect agreements for the first time. He filed regulatory complaints, winning million dollar cost savings.

Stefan is also the co-author of “Guide to Business Planning”, published by “The Economist”, now in its second edition (“Outstanding Academic Title, 2009” awarded by Choice, the US academic reviewers) and is an experienced conference speaker, chairing the Ministerial Programme session at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Stefan holds an MBA (with distinction) awarded by the University of Westminster in 1991 and speaks French, English, and German.

Amal graduated with BSc (Eng) Hons specialised in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from Sri Lanka, MEng from the Technical University of Eindhoven, the Netherlands & PhD from Massey University in New Zealand.
He has published over 150 scholarly articles (peer-refereed technical journal and conference articles) in various journals including IEEE and IET digital libraries and transactions. He has held visiting positions at Tokyo University of Science (Japan) as a visiting associate professor and visiting professor. He was a Royal Dutch fellow of Netherlands and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS of Japan).
He has served on technical/programme committees, organizing committees and as track/session chairs for many international conferences. He was an advisor on many International conferences including CCBN conference in China, BES in India and BCA in Singapore.
Amal is a Senior Member of IEEE, Chartered Professional Engineer-CEng, Fellow of IET (UK) & Fellow of IPENZ (New Zealand).
Amal was active in many of the WBU-TC and ITU broadcast-related technical activities including as the Co-Chair of IRG-AVA of ITU-T SG9. He was Vice-Chairman of the WBU-TC from 2014-2018. He is an advisor to IET Vision and Imaging Professional Network having served as an executive of IET Vision and Imaging Professional Network.
He possesses more than 35 years of experience in all three sectors of broadcasting; viz. Academia, Research and Industry in senior broadcasting technology and ICT roles, including research and developments, regional capacity building in media and head of engineering of national TV-Sri Lanka, having started a career in computer engineering.
Dr Amal Punchihewa is currently a researcher at Massey University in two research centres. Some of his of research include disaster communication, earthquake detection and prediction, sensors, IoT, compression, AI, ML & DL, cybersecurity, inclusive media & learning, accessibility services for broadcasting and education. Amal brings his competency and expertise driving innovation of media and broadcast technologies, the capability to facilitate the formulation of technical guidelines and standards, providing expertise related to the convergence of media, and evolving technology needs in the best interest global citizens having a special focus on APAC and Pacific islands.

Dr.-Ing. Andreas Wilzeck received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering from the Gerhard Mercator University Duisburg, Germany, end of 2002. He received the Dr.-Ing. degree from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover in August 2009. Starting from September 2006 he got a position as MIMO & UWB lab leader at the Institute of Communications Technology (IKT), Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover, Germany. Since Summer 2008 he was leading together with Maria Dolores Pérez-Guirao the joint Software Defined Radio & Networks (SDRN) Group of the Departments of Communication Systems and Communication Networks. Since 2011 he is CEO and founder of the wiseSense GmbH, Hannover, Germany. Starting from April 2018 he is head of ‘Spectrum and Innovation’ at Sennheiser.
He is Vice-Chairman of ETSI TC DECT, ETSI TC DECT WG URLLC Chairman, and active participant in standardization work of other ETSI technical bodies including TC ERM and TC ERM TG17 WG3. Further, he is attending CEPT WGFM and PMSE related frequency regulation work.

The Counsellor of ITU-R Study Group 6 (broadcasting service). Before joining ITU in August 2018, he was the Director of frequency planning division and terrestrial radio services division of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technologies of P.R.C and the Vice-Chair of ITU-R Study Group 1 and the Chair of Working Party 1B on international spectrum management. He has been engaging in international radio frequency coordination activities from 2006, he used to be the key coordinator in China’s delegation in World Radiocommunication Conferences 2012 and 2015.

Mr. Bharat Bhatia is the President of ITU-APT Foundation of India and Vice Chairman of the World Wireless Research Forum (WWRF) for the Asia Pacific. Earlier he was also the President of TEMA – India’s Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association and Vice President of ATIS -Association of Telecom Industries of Singapore.  Mr. Bhatia also chairs the ITU working group on 5G industrial applications and public safety group in APT.

Mr. Bhatia was head of the international spectrum team of Motorola Solutions Inc.  where he worked for over 20 years. Prior to that, he was a senior policy regulator with the Indian Government in DOT, WPC and Ministry of industry for 22 years as a spectrum regulator and ICT policy specialist and was actively involved in opening of the Indian telecom to the private sector, including the licensing of first ever GSM metro cellular in India through a beauty contest in 1992 that was designed and managed by him. He was also a key architect of India’s first ever National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP) in 1981 and the first ever published NFAP in 2000.

Mr. Bhatia actively participates in various ITU and APT meetings and has attended all World Radio Conferences during the last 20 years. Mr. Bhatia has lived in India and Singapore and frequently travels all over the world to speak at various conferences and events. He was the key originator of ITU World Radio Conference Resolutions on PPDR, which were adopted at WRC-2003 and WRC-2015.

Mr. Bharat Bhatia holds a B. E. degree from University of Delhi in Electronics and Telecommunications and is a fellow member of IETE, the Institution of Electronics & Telecommunications Engineers. He did his Foundational Course from Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in 1976. Mr. Bhatia has completed a number of management courses from various institutes and universities including National University of Singapore and George Washington University.

Cristina is the Director of Spectrum information and analysis, Spectrum Group at Ofcom. Cristina currently leads the Spectrum Mobile Data Strategy programme with a particular focus on assessing the implications of growing demand. Prior to working on 5G, Cristina led the development of a new spectrum sharing framework, and launched Ofcom open data policy. In particular Cristina was responsible for the release of the UK Interactive spectrum map and the release of information on spectrum use in open format. Prior to joining Ofcom Cristina held various marketing and strategy roles at Telefonica O2, EE (then Orange), and Ericsson (then Red Bee Media). Cristina holds a Master Degree in Management Engineering from the Politecnico di Torino university in Italy.

Dr. Guangyi Liu, Leading Specialist and 6G Director of China Mobile Communication Corporation (CMCC), co-chair of the 6G Alliance of Network AI (6GANA)，Vice chair of THz industry alliance in China, co-chair of the wireless technology working group of IMT-2030 (6G) promotion group supported by Ministry of Information and Industry Technology of China. He is leading the 6G R&D of CMCC since 2018. During 2014~2020, he led the research, standardization and industrialization 5G in CMCC; During 2006~2016, he led the research, standardization and industrialization of 4G’s evolution.

Chair of the GSA’s Global Spectrum Team and Director of Samsung’s Spectrum & Industry Affairs.  Previously held a variety of roles including UK government 3G auction team, Nokia standards & regulatory affairs, 4G pioneer start up Flarion Technologies, Qualcomm business development and wireless energy harvesting start-up Drayson Technologies.

Dr. LEE, Hyeon Woo is a Professor at DanKook University in Korea, a TTA 5G Standard Committee chair, and a 5G forum executive committee vice chair. He served as a National R&D Program Director under Ministry of Knowledge Economy of Korea from 2009 until 2013. He was a head of Global Standard & Research Lab. of Samsung Electronics from 1984 until 2009. He received BSEE from Seoul National University in 1985, MBA from Sogang University in 1989, ME and Ph.D degree at KAIST in 1994 and 2003 respectively. He works on 5G/6G mobile communication, international standards, and R&D strategy planning. He is a member of KICS, IEEE and IEICE.

Hans-Martin Ihle is a member of NERA’s global Auctions Practice, which focuses on the design of allocation mechanisms, including auctions and trading, bidding strategy, and related competition, pricing, regulatory, and public policy issues. Mr. Ihle has nearly 10 years of experience in the design and implementation of auctions. He advises NERA clients on auctions and regulatory issues in energy, communications, and other sectors worldwide with a focus on the Asia-Pacific Region.

Prior to joining NERA, Mr. Ihle worked for an economic consultancy in London. During this time, he advised on the design and implementation of spectrum auctions in over a dozen countries. Mr. Ihle also implemented the software used in seven combinatorial spectrum auctions in Europe to determine winners and prices from thousands of competing bids.

Mr. Ihle advises both government bodies and companies on regulatory and policy issues in relation to spectrum management. For example, he advised UK regulator Ofcom on the development of methodologies for setting annual licence fees for liberalised 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum to reflect full market value. His advice included the development and implementation of methodologies to determine the full market value of comparable spectrum sold in the 4G auction in 2013 using the bids submitted in this auction. For bidders, he has convened workshops on bidding strategy and run mock auctions to help the bid team understand the likely dynamics of the real auction. Mr. Ihle has developed software to support the chosen bid strategy and to analyze the behavior of other bidders. He also provides onsite client support during auctions.

In the energy arena, Mr. Ihle has worked on the design of a procurement auction for balancing services. He has also conducted research on a novel mechanism to remunerate capacity in electricity markets.

Mr. Ihle holds a Masters in Economics from the University of Cambridge, where he specialized in industrial organization, game theory, and applied econometrics.

More information available shortly.

Renato Lombardi is Chairman of the ETSI Industry Study Group mWT (millimeter-Wave Transmission).

He is also Head of Huawei Italy Research Center, Vice President of Huawei’s Microwave Product Line. In these roles, he oversees the research and development of microwave / millimeter-wave technologies for wireless communications and the implementation of innovative mobile broadband backhauling solutions all over the world.

Renato Lombardi joined Huawei in 2008, founding the Huawei Research Center in Milan, Italy. In 2011, he was awarded the title of “Fellow of Huawei”.

Renato has more than 25 years of experience in the microwave industry. He previously led the Siemens Microwave Business and Product Management and then appointed Head of Research and Development. He was member of the integration team of for the Siemens and Nokia joint venture in 2006, and later became the Head of Product Management of the Microwave Business Line.

Renato Lombardi graduated from the Politecnico of Milano, the largest technical university in Italy with a Master’s Degree in Electronic Engineering.

More information available shortly.

Ms Atsuko Okuda was appointed as the Regional Director in April 2020. She leads ITU’s support to the ​region’s digital transformation and manages the Bangkok and Jakarta offices to cover 38 member countries in Asia and the Pacific. Prior to the new assignment, she was the Chief of the ICT and Development Section of the ICT and Disaster Risk Reduction Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in Bangkok, Thailand from 2015 to 2020. At ESCAP, she promoted the development of regional broadband connectivity and inclusive broadband through the implementation of the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (AP-IS) initiative.

Before joining ESCAP, Ms Okuda served the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in Beirut as the Chief of the Governance and Statebuilding Section and the Chief of the Strategic Planning and Monitoring Section which managed the ESCWA’s programme and projects. Prior to it, she contributed to the Umoja project, the UN Secretariat ERP initiative, in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Management, UNHQ for 2 years. From 2002 to 2010, she was responsible for promoting a wide range of ICT for development initiatives at ESCAP and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) as Senior IT Officer. She started her UN career in the area of ICT for Development at the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, the Bureau for Development Policy, and UNDP Country Office in Bhutan from 1997 to 2002.

Ms Okuda obtained a BA from Kyoto University (Japan), MA from Helsinki University (Finland), and has currently been enrolled as a research fellow at the United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) in the Netherlands. Her doctoral thesis is entitled “Towards e-compliance: Anti-corruption and e-governance initiatives in the case of Bhutan”, to be defended in 2021. Her academic articles on broadband, AI, and Digital Transformation were published by the Lee Kwan Yew School of Public Policy and the Druk Journal. Among other publications and research papers, she was the author of a chapter on e-resilience in the 2018 UNDESA E-government Survey and several blogs published by ITU.