Telecommunications network capabilities and IT solutions are expected to expand significantly in the coming years. New service creation features and innovative service configurations will consequently be enabled, but how they will reach economical and social sustainability are just two of the many unresolved issues tied to this evolutionary process.

On the other hand, promising service perspectives are based on the idea that ICT still has wide opportunities to enlarge its role in most of the social and economical challenges. Health, transport, energy, manufacturing, and logistics sectors have a strong need for radical transformations, which can be achieved through the extensive use of telecommunications and IT. This assigns ICT an essential role that needs to be consolidated.

Key success factors for a full exploitation of ICT potentials include the following:

• The adoption of a cooperative approach in defining and implementing innovative solutions for the forthcoming social and economical transformations
• The ability to define and consolidate new business models and remunerate the innovation efforts by fulfilling cost and sustainability constraints at the same time
• The capability of exposing and exploiting the network features toward third parties

The executive panel will consider these issues and related impacts on the development of next-generation networks.

Claudio Contini Marketing Director, ICT Services Telecom Italia

Mr. Contini has been with Telecom Italia for more than 10 years, serving in several management positions, such as assistant to the Head of Business Customer Division and Marketing and Sales Director for voice services. He holds a Laurea in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Economics and Engineering at Stanford University.

Stefano Pileri Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director, Technology Telecom Italia

Mr. Pileri was appointed managing director in February 2007. In March 1998 he became responsible for Telecom Italia's wireline network, and in June 2005 he was also nominated CTO of Telecom Italia Group, reporting directly to the president, with the responsibility to drive and coordinate the fixed-mobile integration and the overall technological network development. Since 1982, he has been in SIP (an Italian telecom operator), where he assumed growing responsibilities, during the years, in the network management systems department.

Guido Garrone Director, Customer Relations and Technologies FastWeb

Mr. Garrone is responsible for technological areas and operating processes relating to the network, information technology, procurements, services, and relations with external and internal clients. He joined the company during the start-up in 1999 as head of network implementation and management. In 2003 he was appointed chief technology officer to look after technological development, control, and management of the overall network infrastructure. In 2005 he was made head of the IT division, with the creation of the information and communication technologies division, where he is responsible for optimizing management of the company's technological investments.