March 19-23, 2006
Mandalay Bay Resort and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Today, further illustrating the integration of communications and entertainment, TelecomNEXT announced that leading entertainment providers the Walt Disney Company, Starz Entertainment Group and the Game Show Network will explore new business opportunities and showcase their networks for the communications industry at TelecomNEXT, the only place where the business and technology of communications and entertainment intersect. TelecomNEXT replaces SUPERCOMM® as USTelecom’s annual venue.

Disney CEO Bob Iger will join an elite group of CEOs from across the communications, technology and entertainment landscape to share his thoughts on how content providers can use new technologies to distribute programming to consumers at TelecomNEXT in Las Vegas, March 19-23. In addition, Disney and the Game Show Network will display their products in booths on the exhibit floor, while the Starz Entertainment Showplace at TelecomNEXT will feature Vongo, the company’s new Internet-based subscription video service, and Starz On Demand.

"New and innovative technologies are quickly allowing communications consumers to view the content they want, when they want, on the device they prefer, in the format that serves them best," USTelecom CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr. said. "As visionary leaders in the world of entertainment, Disney, Starz and the Game Show Network recognize the tremendous opportunities the evolving marketplace offers to connect content providers to consumers, and we look forward to seeing them at TelecomNEXT."

The TelecomNEXT exhibit floor and conference program will focus on emerging opportunities amid the continuing evolution of the communications and entertainment marketplaces and will bring together the dynamic, talented and innovative players of the digital age.

Recently, Disney signed an agreement with Verizon to carry 12 Disney and ESPN networks over Verizon’s FiOS TV system. FiOS TV has already worked out a deal with Starz for programming and Motorola for optical equipment. Motorola will also be on the TelecomNEXT exhibit floor.

Recognizing the opportunities for distributing video content over the Internet, Starz has just announced plans for Vongo, a new subscription service which will offer more than 1,000 movie titles over the Internet on a pay-per-view basis.

The Game Show Network (GSN) is the only U.S. television network dedicated to game-related programming and interactive game playing. GSN features interactive programming, which allows viewers a chance to win prizes by playing along with televised games via GSN.com.

In addition to cutting-edge exhibits and conference programming, TelecomNEXT speakers include: Duane Ackerman, Chairman & CEO, BellSouth; Glenn Britt, Chairman & CEO, Time Warner Cable; John Chambers, President & CEO, Cisco; Scott Ford, President & CEO, Alltel; Jonathan Glickman, President, Spyglass Entertainment Group; Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint Nextel’s Local Telecommunications Division; Bob Iger, President & CEO, The Walt Disney Company; Moshe Lichtman, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft TV Division; FCC Chairman Kevin Martin; Glen Post, Chairman & CEO, CenturyTel; Mike Quigley, President and COO, Alcatel; Michael Sabia, President & CEO, Bell Canada; Ivan Seidenberg, Chairman & CEO, Verizon; Stan Sigman, President & CEO, Cingular; Norio Wada, President & CEO, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone; and Ed Whitacre, Chairman & CEO, AT&T.

TelecomNEXT will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 19-23, 2006. For more information on TelecomNEXT, go to www.telecom-next.com.