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.

TelecomNEXT, the only place where the business and technology of communications and entertainment meet, replaces SUPERCOMM(R) as USTelecom's annual industry show and will be held March 19-23, 2006.

"The new world of communications holds tremendous potential for innovative companies looking to stay ahead of the competition. With keynote addresses from the most dynamic CEOs in the industry, hundreds of innovative, forward-looking companies displaying must-have, next-generation technologies, and record numbers of C-level industry executives from the top communications companies around the world attending, we have a terrific week ahead of us," said USTelecom CEO Walter B. McCormick Jr.

With telecom spending expected to increase 10% in 2006; AT&T planning to invest $5 billion this year alone in IPTV deployment; Verizon planning to invest $8.4 billion in advanced networks in 2006; and NTT, the world's largest telecom, planning to invest $47 billion in fiber networks by 2010, this is an important time for the communications industry. TelecomNEXT is the only place where the CEOs from AT&T, Verizon and NTT will all be talking about the latest technologies that will deliver next-generation products and services to consumers around the world.

On Monday, March 20, the TelecomNEXT opening keynote session featured an elite lineup of communications and entertainment leaders:

• Verizon Chairman & CEO Ivan Seidenberg
• Disney President & CEO Bob Iger
• Time Warner Cable President & CEO Glenn Britt
• NTT President & CEO Norio Wada

With more than 32 million subscribers predicted to watch TV provided by a telecom by 2009, the entertainment community will play a major role at TelecomNEXT. During the Monday keynote session, Variety Publisher Charlie Koones will host a one-on-one discussion with Law & Order Creator & Executive Producer, Dick Wolf.

Also on Monday, Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News hosted a luncheon featuring the top entertainment executives from AT&T and Verizon discussing the future for content distribution. Also this day, the TelecomNEXT advertising conference featured Eric Korsh, the COO of Scout Productions, which produces the hit show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. In the evening, premium movie service provider Starz Entertainment Group hosted the TelecomNEXT opening party with hot band Locksley performing.

Tuesday, March 21, marks the opening of the dramatically expanded TelecomNEXT exhibit floor and a morning of keynote speeches from an elite group of visionary CEOs and industry leaders including:

• AT&T Chairman & CEO Ed Whitacre
• Cisco President & CEO John Chambers
• EMBARQ CEO Dan Hesse
• Cingular President & CEO Stan Sigman
• FCC Chairman Kevin Martin
• Microsoft President, Entertainment and Devices Robbie Bach

One of the must-see demonstrations on the exhibit floor is a newly added hall where AT&T will showcase its widely respected Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) capability. Specially equipped tractor-trailers are parked on the TelecomNEXT exhibit floor to demonstrate the company's ability to quickly restore services to its business and government customers if a disaster damages parts of the network.

Morning keynotes on Wednesday, March 22, feature:

• BellSouth Chairman & CEO Duane Ackerman
• Alcatel President & COO Mike Quigley
• Siemens President - Networks Division Harald Braun
• Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions President & CEO Susan Miller
• Lucent Chief Strategy Officer Janet Davidson
• Intel VP - Digital Enterprise Group and GM - Communications
• Infrastructure Group Doug Davis
• Alcatel North America Senior Vice President and CTO Kenny Frank

Wednesday afternoon keynotes include:

• Alltel President & CEO Scott T. Ford
• Juniper Networks Chairman & CEO Scott Kriens
• Lucent Technologies President John Meyer

Also on Wednesday afternoon, Donald Trump's 2005 "Apprentice" winner Dr. Randall Pinkett will lead a panel discussion on emerging and independent networks with Black Family Channel President & CEO - Production Robert Townsend; SiTV Chairman Jeff Valdez; The America Channel LLC Chairman & CEO Doron Gorshein; and The Tennis Channel Chairman & CEO Ken Solomon.

TelecomNEXT concludes on Thursday, March 23, with educational conference programming and an informative keynote breakfast with European Telecommunications Network Operators Association Director Michael Bartholomew; FCC Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein; FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps; FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate; and Ambassador David A. Gross, U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, U.S. Department of State.

TelecomNEXT continues at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas through Thursday, March 23, 2006. For more information on TelecomNEXT, go to www.telecom-next.com.