Connected Britain returns live! A Day 1 teaser

It has been a gruelling 18 months of pandemic uncertainty for all of us, a time that has seen many of our favourite events take to the airwaves as virtual conferences, including Connected Britain 2020.

 

But while online events have their advantages, there are many things they simply cannot replicate. The hushed anticipation of a busy conference theatre before a panel discussion. The smell of black coffee on a buzzing exhibition floor. Perhaps, most important of all, the chance to catch up with friends and build new relationship with peers and colleagues from all over the world.

 

Now, Connected Britain 2021 is returning to the real world, taking place at the Business Design Centre in London on 21–22 September.

 

The event’s extensive two-day agenda has been carefully curated to cover all of the leading hot topics and major challenges facing the UK’s telecoms industry, bringing together leading experts from across the country and beyond to discuss the next steps for UK connectivity. 

 

The event will include around 250 speakers, speaking across ten unique streams. Five of these are classic Connected Britain tracks – Gigabit Britain, Project Rollout, Connected Society, Channel Britain, and Smart Britain – covering the issues at the core of the UK’s telecoms market. 

 

Meanwhile, the remaining five tracks are new to the programme this year, reflecting the ways in which the UK’s connectivity landscape is evolving becoming increasingly interwoven with a variety of adjacent industries. These will be explored in our Connected Transport, Connected Health, Connected Manufacturing, Connected Utilities, and Rural Connect.

 

 

 

Let’s take a look at some of the key highlights from the Day 1 agenda at this year’s Connected Britain. 

 

 

 

The first day of Connected Britain’s agenda is packed with some of most influential players in the UK telecoms market, giving their latest company updates and sharing their thoughts on some of the key issues impacting the sector.

 

The morning will begin with brief fireside chats with Robert Finnegan, CEO of Three UK & Ireland; Howard Watson, Group CTO of BT; and Ahmed Essam, CEO of Vodafone UK, followed by a keynote presentation from Lutz Schüler, CEO of the newly merged Virgin Media O2. 

 

Our first keynote panel of the day will see Schüler, Essam, and Watson remain on stage joined by Senior Analyst Karen Egan from Enders Analysis to discuss the challenges and opportunities related to building a better Britain with next generation communications infrastructure. From the economic impact of 5G to the closing the digital divide, this panel is a must for anyone interested in the UK’s connectivity landscape.

 

Matt Warman MP’s ministerial address 

The UK’s Minister for Digital Infrastructure, Matt Warman, will give a public address, discussing the progress of Project Gigabit and the government’s ongoing priorities for creating a more connected UK.

 

 

 

 

Delivering gigabit-capable broadband throughout the UK is a major challenge for the British telecoms industry at large. This session will see a variety of altnets in open discussion with Openreach, exploring the UK’s investment and regulatory environment at a time when fibre rollout has never been more vital.

Speakers:

• Gita Sorensen (moderator), Founder and Director of GOS Consulting

• Sasho Veselinski, Chief Executive Officer of G.Network

• Gareth Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Gigaclear

• Dana Tobak, Chief Executive Officer of Hyperoptic

• Catherine Colloms, MD Corporate Affairs of Openreach

• Simon Holden, Group Chief Operating Officer of CityFibre

 

 

 

What role will the IoT, AI, and big data analysis play in developing the smart cities of the future? Is the telecoms industry working closely enough with local authorities to ensure that both parties reap the full rewards of a more innovative, connected urban environment? In this panel, the smart city concept will be broken down to its core components, exploring how we can best used connected technology to improve people’s lives. 

 

Speakers:

• Redouane Ali (Moderator), Consultant at Cartesian

• Simon Haston, CTIO: Regions and Devolved Government at BT Enterprise

• Peter Asman, Managing Director for Public Sector & Enterprise at Neos Networks

• Deirdre Ferguson, Senior Smart City Consultant at Belfast City Council

• Nathan Pierce, Programme Director, Sharing Cities & Head of Smart London Team at the Greater London Authority

 

 

 

Industry 4.0 is on its way and the UK’s telecoms and manufacturing industries must unite if they are to make the most of burgeoning technologies like AI, augmented reality, and the IoT. In this panel, the experts will explore the various ways connectivity is being used to deliver smart factories and the integral role that fibre and 5G have to play in the manufacturing sector.

Speakers:

• Peter Curnow-Ford (Moderator), Managing Partner at Viatec Associates

• Riccardo Weber, Project Manager – Manufacturing at West Midlands 5G

• Steve Foxley, Chief Executive Officer of the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre

• Lee Hargadon, Head of Enterprise & Public Sector, UK & Ireland at Nokia