NOT NECESSARILY NEWS

Visions of a Digital Future

Visions of the digital age will be on display next month at International Telecommunication Unions TELECOM WORLD 2006 event in Hong Kong. The organization earlier this fall put out the call for the industrys best future-gazers to submit two-minute DVD demos outlining their visions for the future in a digital age.

The four winning presentations will play on giant screens as part of the Digital Life Theatre at the ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006 exhibition Dec. 4-8. ITU TELECOM WORLD sought predictions about digital life at home, in the office, in the field of media and entertainment, and in society.

We want to challenge companies to really think about what the industry can do, says Fernando Lagraña, executive manager of ITU TELECOM events. Will we find ourselves in virtual workplaces in the future or will we soon live in homes where our gadgets communicate with each other? The objective of this competition is to give us inspiration and guidance in the digital age.

Want 2HELP?

Images of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma remain raw in the nations collective conscious, but wireless subscribers now can help when disasters strike across the country. Thanks to a partnership between the American Red Cross and The Wireless Foundation (the charitable arm of wireless association CTIA), consumers can text-message a monetary donation to the Red Cross.

The initiative is called Text 2HELP.When a storm hits, the American Red Cross will work with CTIA to trigger Text 2HELP so wireless customers can send a text message containing the word HELP to 2HELP (24357). A $5 tax-deductible donation then goes to the American Red Cross for disaster-relief efforts.

Donations will appear on customers monthly bills or be debited from prepaid account balances.

An organization with 125 years of experience must constantly seek ways to engage supporters in new ways, and The Wireless Foundation and the wireless industry are helping us do just that, says Jack McGuire, interim president and CEO for the American Red Cross.

OVERHEARD…

The last mile is whats going to prevent a lot of us from doing what we want to. … One thing that would help us is if we are going to ask incumbents for access, we need to provide that same unbundled access to them.

Arunas Chesonis, CEO of PAETEC Communications Inc., in his keynote address in October at the COMPTEL PLUS Convention + Expo, in which he urged competitive providers to step back and look at the big picture when lobbying Congress to preserve access to incumbent networks.

Alternate Channel

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