IPTV represents the next great revenue growth opportunity for telecommunications providers, but it needs to be done well. Facing strong competition from entrenched players, including cable and satellite providers, means that rapid adoption will require that the service be provided correctly the first time. To do this, IPTV providers will have to make sure that installations are done to spec, customer-premises equipment is efficiently managed to provide a high-quality viewing experience, customer support is provided across self- and assisted-service channels, and all support personnel have access to the right information and best practice resolution flows to quickly and inexpensively solve problems.

This panel will discuss the tools necessary to increase IPTV adoption and reduce churn, two key goals that are needed to provide a healthy return on the massive capital expenditures investments made to bring IPTV to market.

James Morehead Vice President, Product Management and Marketing SupportSoft

Mr. Morehead joined SupportSoft in October 2003. Mr. Morehead leads a team responsible for crafting and evangelizing SupportSoft's strategy and product direction for SupportSoft's target markets (including broadband, video, and mobile service providers as well as large enterprises). Before joining SupportSoft, he spent nearly four years leading Portal Software's Solutions Marketing team for key markets such as broadband, wireless, wireline, digital media, and online content. He also spent eight years with Nortel Networks, primarily in Nortel's Wireless Networks business unit, with roles in strategic marketing, sales, and network engineering as well as in Nortel's Information Technology team, which focused on finance systems.

Giampaolo Bandini Program Manager, Multimedia Interactive Television Fastweb

Mr. Bandini is responsible for the Planning and Analysis group of Fastweb's Labs department. He is in charge of managing the group of project managers for all the initiatives involving IPTV and multimedia projects for residential, PA, and large-account customers. He is also responsible of the Business Organization group. In 2003, he held the position of team leader for the development of the Rai Click VoD portal. In 2000, he joined the VAS Engineering Department, where he coordinated the team responsible for the development of some of the most important Web initiatives.

Theo Langton BB & NGN Solutions/BD Cisco

Mr. Langton leads Cisco's Service Provider Broadband and Next Generation Networks Solutions Development practice in Europe, covering core, aggregation, and access networks; residential quad-play services; IPTV and video; home networking; and network management and OSS. Prior to Cisco, he was engineering director at CTC Communications and was also responsible for network services in EMEA at Digital Equipment Corporation. He has 20 years of professional experience in IT, networking, and telecommunications.

Hemang Mehta Product Management Director Microsoft TV

Mr. Mehta is focused on software solutions designed to enable telecommunications and cable companies to deliver audio and video services to consumers using their IP networks. In this role, Mr. Mehta drives the overall strategy and vision for Microsoft TV's IPTV products and is responsible for the group defining product positioning, packaging, pricing, research, and product rollout plans. He works closely with customers and partners to ensure that the Microsoft TV solution provides superior value and enables a profitable business.

Carlos Van Hove Expert Process Manager Belgacom

Mr. Van Hove leads Belgacom's support automation program in fixed-line services as an expert process manager in the program office and process department. He joined Belgacom Skynet in 1999-at the time the group's Internet service provider-as project manager consecutively for customer care, sales, market development, and program management divisions. He led cross-divisional projects in CRM, CTI, business development, quality management, call handling and ticketing, knowledge management, data warehousing, and support automation.