COFETEL & Computech Announce Open Registration for the Latin American Spectrum Conference

MEXICO CITY and BETHESDA, MD--(Marketwire - Jul 14, 2011) - Mexican regulator COFETEL and Information Technology firm, Computech, Inc., in conjunction with Mexican research institute, CIDE, and spectrum management and policy publisher, PolicyTracker, announced "Open Registration" today for the Latin American Spectrum Conference, 7 - 8 September, in Mexico City. This inaugural event is expected to draw hundreds of spectrum professionals, including Latin America's leading regulators, telecom bureaus, business economists, academics, lawyers and industry consultants. Conference materials and registration available here (early bird discount available until 12 August).

The conference, which features training courses on topics ranging from spectrum policy and pricing to designing and conducting auctions, is the only event to focus exclusively on the key spectrum issues in the Latin American region. International mobile operator association, GSMA, also contributed to a content-rich conference agenda, which will be held in Spanish and English, with translation services available.

"COFETEL, Computech and the other partners have such specialized knowledge of spectrum policy and management, and by working together, we developed a program that not only pinpoints key emerging issues, but also provides a neutral platform for interaction between all stakeholders," noted Martin Sims, PolicyTracker's Managing Editor.

As emerging nations explore opportunities to expand broadband coverage to increase their competitiveness, and as regulators struggle to identify spectrum to meet increased demands, this conference will examine new approaches to spectrum management and shed light on opportunities to increase coverage and competition through international case studies.

"This is a premier spectrum management event featuring leading authorities from Latin America and around the world, offering attendees a unique opportunity to learn, share and build relationships with industry colleagues," noted Computech President, Lawrence Fitzpatrick. "We are excited to collaborate and share our knowledge and expertise with the conference's innovative partners."

Speakers include:

• Mony de Swaan, COFETEL President, Mexico
• Fabio Leite, ITU Radiocommunication Bureau
• Jarbas Valente, Counsellor, Anatel, Brazil
• Thomas Hazlett, George Mason University, USA
• Sebastián Cabello, Director, GSMA Latin America
• Thomas Ewers, European Communications Committee
• Kris Shields and Ruben Marchiani, Computech
• Jose Ayala, Ericsson Latin America

Session topics include:

• Finding the spectrum for next generation mobile services
• Encouraging competition/new entrants in the mobile market
• Spectrum alternatives for LTE deployments in Latin America
• Planning successful auctions
• The social/economic impact of spectrum policy

Event Organizer: PolicyTracker (http://www.policytracker.com), the online and printed journal of spectrum management, has hundreds of subscribers around the world and organize conferences and training courses featuring recognized experts from industry, regulatory bodies and academia.

Knowledge Partner: Information Technology firm Computech, Inc. (www.computechinc.com) has supported over 80 spectrum auctions, resulting in the issuing of 31,000 licenses. Computech has worked with telecommunication authorities around the world for the last 17 years, and currently holds spots on spectrum consultancy frameworks for the FCC, Mexico's COFETEL, Industry Canada, Sweden's PTS and Ofcom in the UK.

Event Supporters
COFETEL, Mexico's Federal Commission of Telecommunications, ensures that Mexicans have access to integral telecoms services under healthily competitive conditions. Other goals include infrastructure improvements, efficient services and the development of new technologies.

CIDE, one of Mexico's most important centers of teaching and research in the social sciences, has been particularly influential in the development of telecom policy. Established as a non-profit public institution in Mexico City in 1974, it is part of the network of highly specialized public centers for research/ higher education coordinated by the National Council of Science and Technology.

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem.