TelecomNEXT focused on technology yesterday morning as the CEO of BellSouth shared the same stage with top executives from several major telecommunications manufacturers to stress the opportunities--and challenges--of creating networks that connect the world as never before.

Optibase Ltd., a leader in advanced digital video head end solutions, and BitBand, a leading provider of video delivery over IP solutions, is demonstrating innovative IPTV solutions including streaming and encoding technologies, TV on Demand applications and advanced Video On Demand (VOD) functionality at the CCBN 2006 Conference & Expo, Booth # 6B01 March 21-23 in Beijing.

Today, the highly anticipated TelecomNEXT exhibit floor, showcasing the latest technologies for the converged communications and entertainment marketplace, opened for business. The expanded exhibit floor features cutting-edge demos and provocative discussions and displays the latest technologies and solutions for next-generation networks - including IP video, WiMAX, IMS, VoIP, wireless and more.

CONNECTIONS announced today that Peter Barrett, Chief Technology Officer and General Manager of Engineering for the Microsoft TV division, will deliver the opening keynote, IPTV - The Future of Television, at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2, 2006, at CONNECTIONS: The Digital Home Conference and Showcase, which will take place at the Santa Clara Convention Center, May 2-4, 2006.

TelecomNEXT kicked off on Sunday in Las Vegas with standing-room-only sessions and tremendous anticipation for the only event that brings the converged communications and entertainment industries together. This one-of-a-kind event features an extraordinary lineup of keynote speakers including top CEOs and visionaries from communications, entertainment and technology companies and an expanded exhibit floor showing innovative, next-generation technologies including IP video, WiMAX, IMS, VoIP, wireless & more.

New research sponsored by The Kelsey Group indicates that consumer local media preferences are in transition, influenced by demographic factors, including age, income and education. Kelsey Group analysts will present these findings and other new consumer research data at the firm's upcoming conference, Drilling Down on Local: Targeting the On-Demand Marketplace, March 26-28, at The Fairmont San Jose in San Jose, California.

Develop successful service strategies, make valuable business contacts and share insight with industry leaders at the Nordic and Baltic’s definitive telecoms event.

Telecoms World Scandinavia, now in its second year, is taking place in Stockholm from 28th to 30th March. If you’ve not yet registered your place then you’re missing out on your best business opportunity for 2006:

• Gain expert insight from 30 board level speakers that you can transfer to your own business
• Pre-arrange valuable meetings at the event though the online CONTACT system
• Ensure that your customers stay loyal and profitable by exploring which service propositions are succeeding in this mature market
• Get the answers to your questions in truly interactive Q&A and panel discussions
• Meet new business leads and contacts in the fast and effective Speed Networking session
• Enhance your knowledge on IPTV services strategies or rolling out IP networks in a choice of two informative pre-conference workshops

Reflecting the telecommunications industry's push to build next-generation networks for a converged marketplace, IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMS) technologies will play a key role on the expanded TelecomNEXT exhibit floor. The floor will feature cutting-edge IMS exhibits and a not-to-be-missed IMS vendor "Shoot-Out" hosted by research firm IDC showcasing some of the leading equipment suppliers in the industry.

The Broadband Services Forum (BSF), an international industry resource that provides a forum to address the fundamental business and technology issues vital to the growth and health of the broadband industry, today announced that it will participate in TelecomNEXT. The BSF will host a Supersession that will investigate how entertainment and technology companies can work together on new opportunities for Internet protocol television (IPTV) in today's rapidly evolving communications marketplace.

24-26 April, 2006
Hotel Maritim Berlin, Germany

Recently dubbed by a high profile mobile operator as "the de facto D2C content delivery and billing event", World Telemedia has led the way since 1989 for businesses learning how to make money from premium content. The rapid and successful growth of this event has corresponded with the maturing of the premium content market making it the industry's twice-yearly 'must attend' trade show. World Telemedia remains underpinned by a core of entrepreneurial service providers that recognise and understand the value of partnering across a value chain to offer their customers choice in quality content, billing and delivery. While a dominant mobile theme transcends World Telemedia, its early adoption and inclusion of interactive TV, traditional IVR and Internet content means it is ideally placed for companies now looking at "Quadruple Play" and other convergence strategies.

Pulvermedia announced that Internet TV and Video will play a prominent role at the upcoming 10th Annual Spring 2006 VON Conference & Expo, scheduled for March 14-17 at the San Jose Convention Center.

Jeff Pulver, Founder and Chairman, pulvermedia, Jeremy Allaire, Chairman and CEO of Brightcove, and Jason Krikorian, CFO & VP, Business Development, Sling Media, will host a press conference discussing the evolving role of video on the Internet on Wednesday, March 15, at 11:45 a.m. PT, in the Press Room (Room B) of the San Jose Convention Center.

KEYMILE AG, a leading manufacturer of Next-Generation Access systems and Conklin-Intracom, supplier of future-proof content delivery platforms, are showing their visitors to this year's CeBIT how Triple Play will shape our future. Triple Play services will be presented in the joint showcase held by the two suppliers to telecommunications network operators.

Detecon, Inc., a leading global telecommunications and information technology consultant, announced that it has been invited to participate at one of the industry’s leading events as part of a panel discussion entitled IPTV – A Business and Technical Overview. The panel is part of the Optical Fiber Communication Conference & Exposition and the National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (OFC/NFOEC) to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, March 5-10, 2006.

March 26-28, 2006
The Fairmont San Jose, San Jose, California, USA

Senior executives representing every segment of the interactive local media business will convene March 26-28, 2006 at The Fairmont San Jose, San Jose, California, for The Kelsey Group's conference, "Drilling Down on Local: Targeting the On-Demand Marketplace".

ViewCast president and COO Dave Stoner will present an overview of the future of Internet TV during the TelecomNEXT Conference and Exposition at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on March 21, 2006.