The world of communications is always changing. Applications or services that sparkle today may be old hat tomorrow.

The racing change we have seen for years now is global. It reaches all areas of society, and it's certainly not limited to the workplace. On the contrary, communications is becoming increasingly important for our private lives. Customers want the latest in convenient, mobile applications.

Broadband lines are playing an increasingly important role in meeting such demand. Networks will converge as providers work to make broadband access more versatile and customizable. The key concept in this area is NGN. NGN, or Next Generation Networks, will soon supplant today's legacy networks. New network architectures are taking shape, piece by piece, new architectures that will support new applications and services. We're seeing the future of our industry.

The VDSL network that Deutsche Telekom is rolling out will be an important NGN component. Our Group is planning to invest up to three billion euros in it. Already, we're reaching several million households, and our triple-play services give our customers the entire range of communications from a single source — top-quality telephony, Internet and TV services from a single provider, with all services tailored for smooth interoperability. We know we have to offer products that our customers will enjoy using. That's why we always place the user at the center of our concepts and plans. We know that customers will choose our integrated communications services only when they can experience the benefits first hand.

All of us — carriers, hardware and software developers as well as manufacturers and providers of applications and other services — are called on to help drive and shape this trend. And we must remember that, along with basic functionalities, security, services-quality and versatility issues are vitally important. Our customers want services that are of the best possible quality, conform to the highest security standards and are versatile and convenient to use.

The challenges facing all of us in the telecommunications industry are enormous — and the opportunities are enormous as well. The Broadband World Forum Europe 2007 will bring us all together, for a few days, for some intensive discussion. This four-day conference will give us an opportunity to share our experience and to learn from each other about the most promising strategies. And the accompanying exhibition will be sure to offer some tantalizing views of the future of our exciting industry.

I heartily invite you to take advantage of this opportunity. Take the chance to rub elbows with the industry's heavyweights and visionaries, to share your own experience and to learn from others.

Berlin is without doubt one of the world's most fascinating cities — it's a metropolis with a future. I look forward to welcoming you to the Broadband World Forum Europe 2007 from October 8 to 11, 2007.