The First International Conference on Next-Generation Wireless Systems (ICNEWS 2006) will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh during January 2-4, 2006. ICNEWS 2006 will be a premier international meeting dedicated to addressing challenging issues in design, implementation and management of wireless communications, networking, and mobile computing systems. This international event on wireless technology, which is first of its kind in Bangladesh , will bring leading researchers and practitioners in the broad area of wireless telecommunications systems across the world. In addition to technical papers, the conference will feature panel discussions from experts in academia and industry and tutorials in state-of-the-art areas. Also, there will be exhibits which will expose the delegates to the different wireless products and services available today.

Bangladesh is an attractive market for mobile services due to its large and highly concentrated population, very low penetration of telecommunications services, and high growth in mobile subscribers. With approximately 140 million inhabitants, it ranks as the eighth most populous country in the world and is among the most densely populated. To reflect this fact, we chose "wireless for mass" as the theme of ICNEWS 2006.

The country’s legacy landline base, which is currently in use, has not been upgraded into a well-developed telecommunications infrastructure. Demand for improved telecommunication system, therefore, has far outpaced the supply. The government’s response to this has been ‘deregulation’ - through allocation of telecommunication and wireless spectrum to private ventures. This prompted an unprecedented growth in the struggling wireless industry in the country. Although, the current wireless penetration is still very low (<1%), the growing demand for additional services is unmistakable. Both the consumers and the business community are craving for wider and better telephone access, improved quality of services, wireless enterprise connectivity, and secured wireless communications.

Over the past few years, Bangladesh has also been witnessing a surge in economic activities to support the growth in export related businesses. This has encouraged the small and medium businesses towards investing in technology, primarily, in improving communications. The country’s higher population density, clearly, favors wireless technology economically over landline technology. However, significant development in wireless infrastructure and application support would be necessary before many of these services can be offered to either individual consumers or to the business entities. This indicates a potential growth of a wireless infrastructure industry in Bangladesh, in the near future.

The overall growth in demand, however, is likely to create opportunities that are far beyond the immediate infrastructure need. The market, as stated earlier, is more than ready for a range of wireless services. Some of the specific services that are high in demand include
:

• Wireless backhaul, e.g. transporting the bandwidth of submarine fiber cable scheduled to be operational by year’s end from the port city Chittagong to the rest of the country,
• Location based technologies to support asset tracking, e.g. trucking companies,
• Wireless security applications, e.g., IP based wireless video and camera network for the law enforcement agencies, and
• Wi-Fi, wireless mesh networks, WiMAX and other fixed wireless applications to allow data communication, e.g. financial institutions.

A group of local entrepreneurs are eager to become a part of this experience and are already engaged in exploratory activities. All of this underscores the potential advantage of an early entry, which is almost all too obvious.

Given the context, the timing of this first ever conference in Bangladesh (technically co-sponsored by the IEEE Communications Society) is almost exact. The conference would bring together participants from the entire range of stakeholders - business entities, entrepreneurs, academia, government, and consumers. The conference would also feature an exhibit to showcase the latest products, to distribute relevant literature and to allow participants interact with each other to explore opportunities. Based upon the responses that we have received so far, we expect an attendance exceeding 500.

In many ways, it is also a very unique opportunity for companies seeking brand recognition in this fast growing market. Companies like Samsung, Nokia, and OnAir have been very forthcoming with sponsorship proposals. A wider range of companies, including some from Bangladesh, have also expressed interest. The response from academia has also been very encouraging. A good number of renowned academics in this area will make presentations, hold seminars, and join panel discussions on topics ranging from advanced communications to economic impact of wireless applications.

Planning is underway to organize special sessions wherein investors and venture capitalist groups from overseas would discuss investment opportunities, both within and outside Bangladesh. To interested parties, this would provide a rare opportunity of a face to face conversation with the local wireless operators, entrepreneurs and government officials.

• to provide a networking opportunity between the local wireless community and the world-class wireless researchers and entrepreneurs,
• to expose the market potential in Bangladesh to the international wireless service providers and wireless system manufacturing companies for possible investments and joint ventures,
and
• to identify innovative wireless communication system applications for the general mass in Bangladesh to improve their quality of life.

The host city Dhaka is a historic city which is known to be in existence since the 7 th century A.D. This vibrant metropolitan city today preserves the fabulous legacy of its past. We invite you to make your plans to attend ICNEWS 2006, exchange your ideas and rich experience with other distinguished participants across the world, and enjoy a large variety of tourist destinations in this region.

We look forward to welcoming you in Dhaka .

Muzibul H. Khan, Ph.D.
Vice President Engineering
Samsung Telecommunications America
Richardson , Texas, USA
Email: mkhan@sta.samsung.com

Value Proposition to Bangladeshi professionals, scholars, entrepreneurs, investors and companies in the wireless industry:

1. Be a part of a growing community of wireless professionals from Bangladesh, seeking to bring prosperity to their nation and country, by bringing into it what they know best - wireless technology.

2. Join the conference and enrich your wireless professionals’ network. Meet the experts and investors of the West, who might just be the person you had been looking for, for your next big project. This conference would focus on (1) knowing about the latest technology that could be useful in Bangladesh, (2) meeting the people, who could make this work (3) making sure that all of this make good business sense.

3. Watch for the details of our business session. It would investigate the application and opportunities in Bangladesh, for the latest of the wireless technologies. Attend the conference to find out specific business opportunities to enhance your current business operation and/or explore latest wireless technologies with promising potential in Bangladesh. It may be the very next idea that you have been waiting for, and we will be giving it out for free.

4. Learn about outsourcing opportunities in the wireless field and find out how you can prepare for it well in advance. Find out what you didn't know about the roles of governmental and non-governmental entities. Know what you need to know about the latest of the developments in the wireless applications development and the secrets of the U.S. corporate culture for success in establishing your outsourcing dream-project.

5. Find out about the upcoming online ICNEWS-forum and be a member - it could help your business - directly at the bottom line.

6. Be a sponsor of the conference by putting an advertisement of your company or for your project. Find investment opportunities or meet the people who are looking for investment opportunities.

7. Early response could make a difference for you - all services are on a first come first serve basis! See you there...

Value Proposition for foreign investors and overseas companies:

1. Get your name out - talk about your company and your products and services, to an audience that is a true representation of the local market.

2. Meet the local experts, investors, who might just be the person you had been looking for, for your next big project in Bangladesh.

3. Get acquainted with the local regulatory environment and market needs to plan right for your next business venture in Bangladesh.

4. Find out about the upcoming online ICNEWS-forum; become a member and stay connected with the conference participants and other major players in the market.

5. Be a sponsor of the conference by putting an advertisement of your company or for your project. Find investment opportunities or meet the people who are looking for investment opportunities.

6. Early response could make a difference for you - all services are on a first come first serve basis! See you there ...