Global communications industry players are racing to develop a next-generation network consisting of transport, access, and services to meet market demand. This panel will cover high-level overviews of standardization activities for both the transport layer and service layer. It also will deal with issues ranging from network infrastructure to services and will include operation and management. Distinguished speakers from the leading standards bodies will present their views on the activities and targets for the standardization of the next-generation network.

Hisashi Tada
Vice Chair
TeleManagement Forum

Mr. Tada is a senior manager in the External Relations division at NEC Corporation. In addition, he is chair of the Network Management Committee at TTC. He has more than 30 years' experience in the industry, including activity at all levels of the architecture.

Chae-Sub Lee
Chair, Next-Generation Networks Focus Group, ITU-T
Korea Telecom

Mr. Lee joined Korea Telecom's R&D Group in 1971. He is currently president of HiSPOT, a KT venture company based in Switzerland that provides broadband converged access. Mr. Lee has participated in ITU-T based international standards meetings, mainly SG13, since 1987. Since 1999, he has been chairman of WP1/13. He joined ITU-T SG13's management as a vice chairman in 2000 and is also chairman of the network architecture and interworking areas. Mr. Lee also led the Joint Rapporteur Group on NGN from 2003 to 2004.

Alain Le Roux
Chair, TISPAN
ETSI
Senior Consultant
France Telecom

Mr. Le Roux has more than 25 years' experience in R&D in the areas of packet data communications and multiservice telecommunication networks. Currently, he is a senior consultant with France Telecom on network evolution strategy toward new-generation networks and manager of France Telecom's interests, requirements, and participation in international new-generation services and network standardization activities.

Roger Ward
President
BT Exact
President, Board of Directors
Multiservice Forum

Mr. Ward has been heavily involved in the Multiservice Forum (MSF) since its foundation in 1998. In June 1999, he was elected to the MSF Board of Directors, and in September 2000 he was elected president of the Board. Mr. Ward also heads up the future switched network strategy-making at BT Exact and has had a long, distinguished career in the industry, holding a variety of key positions. Through his work with the MSF, Mr. Ward has done much to help achieve the Forum's current focus on multivendor interoperability and the very successful GMI 2002 and GMI 2004 global interoperability programs.