A director of a major global telecommunications company will offer AMTA Members an insight next week into the challenges the telecommunications industry faces with a pre-digital legislative framework in a converged world.

Rene Summer, the Global Director for Government and Industry Relations with Ericsson, will outline on Thursday, March 25, at an AMTA Member Forum in Sydney how the world of convergence does not fit easily with the existing regulatory and environment.

Mr Summer will outline the range of regulatory issues posed by the convergence of telecommunications and media, and provide an overview of the global landscape based on a recently completed study of conditions in 13 countries, including Australia.

He meets with regulators, broadcasters, media companies and governments around the world and has some great insights and recommendations to share.

Media convergence is transforming media and ICT sectors by blurring historical market boundaries, changing the composition and range of market offerings and robustness of previously successful business strategies.

These new business realities call for transformation of the existing regulatory and legislative environment. Convergence does not fit easily into established sector specific or vertical regulatory frameworks. The nature of convergence is horizontal and cuts across these vertical regulatory frameworks, which are not constructed for or capable of dealing effectively with convergence.

The risk of unintended and dysfunctional market outcomes, sub-optimal resource utilization and decreasing end user value is growing when vertical sector specific frameworks are not updated for realties of convergence.

AMTA Chief Executive Officer, Chris Althaus, said the Forum provided an great opportunity for Members to consider the relevance and impact of largely pre-digital legacy legislation that had not moved with market and technological changes.

“We have seen the Rudd Government move this week to renew its focus on cutting red tape, which we are generally supportive of. Our Members Forum goes that step further; it is not looking at the amount of legislation but its very nature to ensure that it reflects current market and technological conditions,” he said.

“It has big ramifications for our industry and our ability to work within a relevant and appropriate legislative framework to help ensure that our industry reaches its full potential to drive productivity gains across all sectors of the digital economy.”

When: Thursday 25 March 2010, 9.00 – 11.00am

Where: Telstra

Level 12, 231 Elizabeth St

Sydney

 Download registration form here.