The B-Day Conference “B-Day: Boosting Connectivity Investments” – which was held on December 3 at the Albert Borschette Congress Center in Brussels – informed all relevant stakeholders on the latest developments of EU broadband initiatives and their implementation. In particular, the conference discussed leading edge technologies, business models and finance, aiming to identify ideas and synergies between sectors. The event also updated participants on the preparation of the next Connecting Europe Facility programme.
The conference was opened by the keynote speech by Claire Bury, Deputy Director General DG CNECT. I-Com President, Stefano da Empoli intervened in the panel entitled “5G highways: is Europe in the fast line”. The panel – moderated by Erzsebet Fitori, Director General for FTTH Council Europe – brought together Manuel Braga (Deutsche Telekom), Emmanuel Gabla (Arcep), Steve Phillips (CEDR) and Ben Wreschner (Vodafone).
The discussion was focused on the state of the art and on the role of 5G corridors in bringing leading edge connectivity across the Union, with the aim to identify targets and synergies between different sectors. The common goal is to realize a more connected Union, through a more resilient, sustainable and cost-efficient infrastructure, enabling new concerted actions amongst the transport, energy and digital sectors.
