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EUTC News February 2007

kristy.weinshel — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:02:15 -0500

	UTC EUROPE NEWS
2 February 2007 -- ISSUE NUMBER 7

Highlights

UTC Europe opens an office in Brussels, Belgium

European UTelco Workshop: 22-23 March 2007, SAS Radisson Hotel, Brussels, Belgium

UTC Europe launches a Telecoms Benchmarking Programme

Multimode or Single-Mode Fiber?

EU Developments to Watch

i2010 – First Annual Report on the European Information Society

Submarine Cable Market Status - Lightwave Europe Article

European Utility Telecom - Lightwave Europe Article

Other Conference of Interest

Upcoming Meetings

2007 European UTelco Workshop

22-23 March 2007
Hotel Radisson SAS Brussels

UTC TELECOM 2007
6 - 9 May 2007
Austin, TX

About UTC Europe

About Us

Contact
Us

February News:

*NOTE: Many of the links are available to members only. To access the links you must first log in.

UTC Europe opens an office in Brussels, Belgium
UTC Europe opens a new office in Brussels, Belgium to support all European initiatives.
The UTC Europe office provides local resources to better support members in the region. The office will coordinate educational sessions throughout the year. Peter Moray remains Director of European services and will lead the Brussels team. For more information, please contact Peter Moray.

European UTelco Workshop: 22-23 March 2007, SAS Radisson Hotel, Brussels, Belgium
This UTC Europe Workshop is for all European utility executives interested in the opportunities available to utilities in the competitive telecommunications market. The workshop will examine and debate the issues which are critical to establishing a successful UTelco. This includes the UTelco's ability to continue to deliver "best in class" services to the core utility and to develop an external business using the utility assets and complimentary access technologies and solutions in order to enable reach to new customers across the telecom value chain. Sessions include: Access Technologies and the FTTx Opportunities, Maximising the Use of Existing Telecom Infrastructure, Extending the UTelco Networks Beyond the Utility Operational Infrastructure, European UTelco Case Studies, Utility - UTelco Business Relationships and a Roundtable Discussion of current European UTelcos. For more information, contact Peter Moray.

UTC Europe launches a Telecoms Benchmarking Programme
UTC Europe is launching a Telecoms Benchmarking Programme addressing the lack of knowledge in respect to other utilities companies, the benchmarking program helps today's Telecom Directors and Managers easily assess the effectiveness of their delivery model. UTC Europe feels this is particularly important now as Utility Companies in different countries are being encouraged to adopt similar core business operating models and have increasing pressure to improve many aspects of service quality. To address this issue, UTC Europe has decided to contract Mason Communications to implement a telecoms benchmarking programme across its Charter Member companies.

This programme will:

review the options available to utility organisations in the delivery of telecoms services
identify a benchmark to measure the proficiency of service delivery from a technical, commercial and market capability perspective, and draw recommendations from industry best practice
provide a report that will give a clear understanding of how and where the service delivery models are employed, and the rationale behind the choice of model.

The final report will help Telecom and IT Directors and Managers understand the factors influencing telecom service delivery within the European arena. The programme will be updated continuously. For more information, contact Peter Moray.

Multimode or Single-Mode Fiber?
As applications push the envelope in regards to enterprise networks, designers often consider the difference between single-mode fiber and multimode fiber. This short article prepared by OFS discusses the differences of the two and stresses the advantages, particularly the cost savings with using multimode fiber. While many designers opt for single-mode fiber as speeds increase, multimode fiber should be considered a viable choice is some situations. To read the complete article, click here.

EU Developments to Watch
The Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development (FP7) has had several recent calls of importance to members.

Energy (found here: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.CooperationCallsPage&id_activity=5) has two – Energy Call Part 1 giving background and general information and Energy Call Part 2 which is more specific (When downloading these documents, the best choice is the work programme). While these are both large documents, of import are two particular sections - Activity Energy Part 7 on Smart Energy Networks and Activity Energy Part 8 on Energy Savings. Both of these sections deal with the future of energy companies and both will have large impacts on telecommunication networks.

Information and Communication Technologies (found here: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.CooperationCallsPage&id_activity=3) also has two sections that UTC Europe members need to be familiar with moving forward. Both of these sections can be found in downloading the work programme associated with ICT Call 1. Specifically, on page 32 the Objective ICT-2007.3.7:Network Embedded and Control Systems and starting on page 44, the entire Challenge 6: ICT for Mobility, Environmental Sustainability and Energy Efficiency.

i2010 – First Annual Report on the European Information Society
Europe, recognizing the need for continued growth and jobs, has put together a three pronged approach, “the single information space; innovation and investment in research; inclusion” to address these issues proactively. This strategy includes a strong focus on energy efficiency throughout Europe and the policy measures to get this done. To read the complete report, click here.

Submarine Cable Market Status - Lightwave Europe Article
Lightwave Europe's article on the submarine cable market suggests strong growth in 2007, to 60,000 km conservatively, mainly driven by competition. Additionally, the growth of high-speed internet and mobile telephony will drive the market further. And with competitors charging high costs to access fiber lines already in place, many companies are opting to build their own lines instead, further fueling the market. Two other factors spurring growth are offshore oil, gas wells and windfarms, all sources of energy that are expected to grow in the coming years. While fiber optic companies are expected to benefit, so too are companies that supply systems to interconnect offshore operations to shore.

European Utility Telecom - Lightwave Europe Article
Summarizing the UTelco Workshop meeting included in the European Utility Telecom Conference 2006 (EUTC 2006), the article focuses on the trend for utilities to use excess fibre capacity and rights-of-way for non-utility revenue building a carrier’s carrier. While some utilities that were in the UTelco business in the 1990s have spun off their telecom business to focus on the core business and the ever increasing number of regulations, others are just getting started, particularly in Eastern Europe. With utility companies hanging on to equipment longer than actual telecom companies, there is often pressure for them to upgrade more frequently as well as the challenge to connect old and new communication systems together. With the EU SmartGrid effort, this pressure is increasing as the effort pushes utilities to better communicate with customers on the demand-side management requires upgraded systems. No matter what utilities decide to do, the future should bring much more interconnected utilities to the industry, including business opportunities outside the core line of business of providing electricity, gas and water.

Other Conference of Interest
EURELECTRIC Conference on "The Future of the Electricity Distribution Business" 29 March 2007, Hotel Le Plaza, Blvd Adophe Max 118-126, 1000 Brussels.

UTC Europe News Information:

ABOUT UTC EUROPE
UTC Europe represents the telecommunications and information technology interests of Europe's electric, gas and water utilities and other critical infrastructure organisations.

You are receiving this email because you are either an UTC Europe member or have requested information regarding UTC Europe.

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CONTACT UTC Europe
Click here for comments or news tips.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact our Member Services Department:

UTC Europe
1901 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20006
Fax: 1.202.872.1331

PRIVACY
Click here to view our Legal Disclaimer.

EUTC News May 2007

kristy.weinshel — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:57:43 -0500

	EUTC NEWS
31 May 2007 -- ISSUE NUMBER 8

Highlights

EUTC 2007

UTC Europe Becomes European Utilities Telecom Council

EUTC Meets with Mr. Jaques Barrot, Vice President and Commissioner for Transport & Mr. Christopher Jones, Head of Cabinet for Energy Commission

European Commission Sees Need for Consistency in Telecom Rules

Mobile Phone Reliance Slows Utility Workers

EuroElectric Releases April Newsletter

European Parliament Draft Report on Building a European Policy on Broadband

BT Openreach Services Delivered Over Fiber to The Premises (FTTP) Report

Commission Approach to Trans-European Transport, Energy and Telecommunications Networks

EUTC Position Paper: European Energy Policy and Utility Telecoms

EU forms NESCO for Energy Issues

EU Proposes Cellular Roaming Regulations

Broadband Rates Increase In EU

Upcoming Meetings

EUTC 2007

4-7 November 2007
Swissotel Berlin

About European Utilities Telecom Council

About Us

May News:

*NOTE: Many of the links are available to members only. To access the links you must be logged in.

EUTC 2007
Join us in Berlin from 4 – 7 November 2007 for EUTC 2007 at the Swissotel. For those of you that joined us in Rome for EUTC 2006 or for those of you that missed it, mark your calendars now for EUTC 2007. Sessions will focus on internal and competitive telecom for European utilities and the regulatory issues in energy and telecoms that utilities need to be aware of moving forward. Additionally, there will be sessions dealing with the EU’s SmartGrid initiative, the imposition of Next Generation Telecom networks and what it means for utilities. Come and see how EUTC is involved and how you can get involved in many of these activities. For more information, email meetings@utc.org.

UTC Europe Becomes European Utilities Telecom Council
To reflect UTC's name change, UTC Europe has changed its name to the European Utilities Telecom Council (EUTC) effective immediately. EUTC will continue to serve the interests of telecom and IT professionals of European utility companies and believes the name change will further strengthen their market position with UTC US. For more information on membership, click here.

EUTC Meets with Mr. Jaques Barrot, Vice President and Commissioner for Transport & Mr. Christopher Jones, Head of Cabinet for Energy Commission
Members of the Board of EUTC met with Mr. Jaques Barrot and Mr. Christopher Jones during a recent visit to Brussels to emphasize the importance of ICT services in enabling the realization of the New Energy Policy for Europe. The Chairman of EUTC, Mr. Miguel Angel Sanchez Fornie also took the opportunity to explain EUTC's aims and objectives and the growth in the membership of the organization.

European Commission Sees Need for Consistency in Telecom Rules
TR Daily reported that as Europe develops as a single market, consistent regulation is necessary, particularly in the telecom industry. There are several areas that need to be examined in light of this including spectrum issues and numbering tactics for VoIP services and other commercial broadband issues which now vary by country. In addition, the European Commission plans to address privacy and security rules as they revise overall telecom regulations in the one market theme.

Mobile Phone Reliance Slows Utility Workers
An article released by the Associated Press in March 2007 illustrated the importance of private radio systems. The article describes how emergency responders that responded to a tornado in Alabama overwhelmed the cell system after the storm trying to coordinate restoration efforts. However, as soon as they switched to the $18 million radio system, built with a US Homeland Security grant, the emergency responders had no difficulty at all communicating with one another to coordinate efforts.

EuroElectric Releases April Newsletter
EUTC News readers may be interested in another newsletter, Watt’s New, EuroElectric’s newsletter. It can be access from their home page at http://public.eurelectric.org/Content/Default.asp?PageID=438 by clicking on the April 2007 edition in the upper right hand corner.

European Parliament Draft Report on Building a European Policy on Broadband
The draft report deals with the regulation of Broadband in Europe in a way that does not stifle creatively or competition in this market driven industry. The goal is to make Europe the "...leading knowledge economy in the world." The report gives statistics on penetration of broadband in different EU countries compared with population density and GDP.

BT Openreach Services Delivered Over Fiber to The Premises (FTTP) Report
BT Openreach solicited feedback from communications providers on potential requirement and demand for FTTP based on their market analysis. Whilst this feedback focuses on the UK market and comments were required April 30, 2007, we encourage you to read their consultation document to get an idea of the FTTP projects in the industry today.

Commission Approach to Trans-European Transport, Energy and Telecommunications Networks
On 21 March 2007, the European Commission released results from a Steering Group entitled "Synergies Between Trans-European Networks." The belief is that if obstacles for all industries are identified and common regulations addressed, growth will be multiplied. The goal is to ensure that Trans-European infrastructure is sustainable and compatible while at the same time minimizes any further impact on the environment. The report analyzed three types of synergies: procedural, physical and financial. The result is that many synergies between the industries exist and can be exploited in ways that improve the system while not harming competition.

EUTC Position Paper: European Energy Policy and Utility Telecoms
EUTC has crafted an overall position paper articulating the organizations objectives on European energy and utility telecom policies. The position paper highlights several key initiatives including Competitiveness, An Internal European Energy Market, Effective Regulation, Infrastructure Network Security Energy As a Public Service and "Strategic Energy" Planning. Additionally, it lays out two main objectives:

To meet some energy policy goals, Europe’s utilities will have to be closely involved in efforts toward clean, renewable and efficient energy use. Utilities’ internal ICT needs must be considered as part of overall efforts and any regulatory requirements;
The desired progress toward secure, efficient and cleaner energy use is most achievable across the broadest area possible, necessitating interconnection and integrated multi-State and multi-corporation networks. This will be possible only through large-scale use of ICT systems; therefore, their expansion and upgrading must be part of the overall energy policy.

Read the entire draft position paper here.

EU forms NESCO for Energy Issues
The Network of Energy Security Correspondents (NESCO), launched 10 May 2007, provides a forum for Europe to shape energy policy. Charged with the responsibility of "implementing EU policies on the ground" the organization brings together industry stakeholders including member companies and industry. More importantly, NESCO enables the EU to speak with "one voice" regarding energy issues and aid in implementation of the energy policy action plan recently adopted. Learn more about the EU's intelligent energy projects

EU Proposes Cellular Roaming Regulations
To address high roaming charges for approximately 147 million EU citizens, a regulation has been proposed to eliminate these charges and make roaming across national borders more affordable to business travelers and tourists. The main reason behind the overarching EU Regulation is due to the cross-border nature of these charges and no one member nation having the ability to regulate. This should benefit utility communications.

Broadband Rates Increase In EU
EU citizens in increasing numbers are gaining access to the Internet through broadband. In fact, in October 2005, Europe overtook the USA in terms of the number of broadband lines. The widespread use of broadband, which can be defined as high speed internet access that is always on, is helping the EU bridge the digital divide and maximize productivity gains. Additionally, broadband use helps advance society in general. Broadband continues to lag in rural areas. Specifically, "In 2005, broadband was available to only about 60% of businesses and households in the remote and rural areas of the EU15, compared to over 90% in the urban areas." Utilities that have competitive telco units should take note, since utilities are often in the position to serve the underserved rural community by nature of their core business.

EUTC News Information:

ABOUT EUROPEAN UTILITIES TELECOM COUNCIL
The European Utilities Telecom Council (EUTC) represents the telecommunications and information technology interests of Europe's electric, gas and water utilities and other critical infrastructure organisations.

You are receiving this email because you are either an EUTC member or have requested information regarding EUTC.

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to unsubscribe from EUTC News.

SUBSCRIBE
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to activate an email subscription to EUTC News.

CONTACT EUTC
Click here
for comments or news tips.
If you have any questions or need
further assistance, please contact our Member Services
Department:

European Utilities Telecom Council
1901 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Fifth
Floor, Washington, DC 20006
Fax:
1.202.872.1331

PRIVACY
Click here to view our Legal Disclaimer.

EUTC News August 2007

kristy.weinshel — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:43:35 -0500

	EUTC NEWS
30 August 2007 -- ISSUE NUMBER 9

Highlights

EUTC 2007

EUTC Benchmarking Study of Utility Operational Telecom Services

Energy for A Changing World – presentation by F. Barbaso, Deputy Director General, DG TREN

Integrated European Grid

Smartgrids Energy Technology Hearing Summary

European Strategic Energy Technology Plan

Cross-Border Electricity Exchanges

Unbundling Of Transmission and Distribution Systems

"Analysis of the Network Capacities and Possible Congestion of the Electricity Transmission Networks Within the Accession Countries" Report Review

European Parliament Approved Lower Roaming Charges within the EU

Mobile Satellite Services Selected EU-Wide

EU Continues to Fund ICT Research

Upcoming Meetings

EUTC 2007

4-7 November 2007
Swissotel Berlin

About European Utilities Telecom Council

About Us

Contact
Us

August News:

*NOTE: Many of the links are available to members only. To access the links you must first log in at www.eutc.org. To receive a password, fill out and submit the form that can be found under New Users at www.eutc.org.

EUTC 2007

The European Utility Telecom Conference is the largest gathering of telecommunications and technology executives from Europe's electric, gas and water utilities; and their technology partners who are focused on exploring the latest telecommunications and data networking business solutions and other business opportunities. Since 2003, the Conference has featured informative and provocative presentations on wireless networking, shared system solutions, European Commission regulatory drivers, security and reliability issues, and new telecom business opportunities for utilities. This year the conference is going to be our best yet! Scheduled to take place in Berlin from 4 – 7 November at the Swissotel, be sure to make your reservations to attend today. To register or find more information, visit eutc2007.eutc.org.

EUTC Benchmarking Study of Utility Operational Telecom Services

EUTC has just released the overview of the EUTC Benchmarking Study of Operational Telecom Services. The report, completed with the help of Mason Communications, is only available to EUTC charter members. Anyone interested in membership should contact peter.moray@utc.org.

Energy for A Changing World – Presentation by F. Barbaso, Deputy Director General, DG TREN

In a presentation at the Madrid Forum this past February, F. Barbaso, Deputy Director General, DG TTREN, gave an overview of the recent European Energy package. The main strategic objective of the European Energy package is to get a commitment from EU states of at least 20% GHG emission reduction by 2020, as compared to 1990 levels. To accomplish this, member states need to have an action plan that addresses renewable energy, energy efficiency, effective management of internal energy markets and effective external relations with EU neighbors. For more details, please see Barbaso's presentation here.

Integrated European Grid

On 30 April 2007, European regulators again published recommendations to build a cross-border electric grid for the EU. The European Regulators Group for Energy and Gas (ERGEG) stresses "...streamlined authorization processes for building new electricity lines as well as operation and security standards for a single EU grid;" as keys to making the integrated EU grid a reality. ERGEG also strongly supports the unbundling of transmission access to create a level playing field of access; an investment incentive which they believe will help the overall grid. To read more on this initiative, click here.

Smartgrids Energy Technology Hearing Summary

On 4 June 2007, the European Commission released a summary report on the Smartgrids Energy Hearing that took place on 22 March 2007. The summary outlines the fact that EU electric demand is expected to grow 1.5% a year until 2030. To meet this demand, the EU is pushing for a shift from national-based electric systems to an overall EU based electrical system which will be able to provide reliable power to the region and can make shifts based on demand. Additionally, the EU predicts that alternative, renewable energy sources will grow as a viable alternative to electricity generation. As for policy initiatives, security, sustainability and competitiveness are the driving goals to better ensure a consistent framework for upgrading the overall energy grid. Accomplishing these objectives will require a 390 billion euro investment in infrastructure, with 30% of this investment coming from public funds. To read more of the summary, click here.

European Strategic Energy Technology Plan

The European Commission released a presentation outlining the Energy Technology Plan (click here for the presentation). The key to this plan is presenting one voice for the EU Energy Policy initiatives and investments in alternative and renewable energy sources to support the future. The one essential element of the plan is the necessary investment in research and innovation. To achieve these goals, the commission stressed that it cannot be, "...business as usual." The EU is asking for comments from expert groups and individuals on what should be included in the Technology Plan. To participate, visit http://ec.europa.eu/energy/res/consultation/setplan_en.htm.

Cross-Border Electricity Exchanges

This report, published May 2007, analyzes Regulation No 1228/2003 which was put in place to establish equitable rules for cross-border electricity exchanges. Cross-border exchanges have increased only modestly since the rule was enacted, from 9.6% in 2003 to 10.3% in 2005, the most recent year for which the data is available. This shows that cross-border exchanges have yet to be fully utilized; mainly because regional harmonization of infrastructure and tariffs still have a way to go. Compatibility of security and reliability, connection, trading rules, transparency, reserve power and settlement issues are necessary for further integration. To read more, click here.

Unbundling Of Transmission and Distribution Systems

The EU continues to deal with is the issue of unbundling transmission and distribution systems of electricity and gas operators to provide fair access to more providers. This report, released in 2005, illustrates the legal and functional requirements on a state by state basis covering unbundling rules. To re-read this report, click here.

"Analysis of the Network Capacities and Possible Congestion of the Electricity Transmission Networks Within the Accession Countries" Report Review

In 2005, KEMA Consulting was engaged by the European Commission Directorate-General of Energy and Transport to pull together this report, "Analysis of the Network Capacities and Possible Congestion of the Electricity Transmission Networks Within the Accession Countries." While this report is not recent, it does deal with many issues that remain at the forefront of European Energy Policy. To re-read this report, click here.

European Parliament Approved Lower Roaming Charges Within the EU

In May 2007, the European Parliament approved a regulation which effectively lowered roaming charges for cellular phones used within the EU by up to 70%. This regulation, however, has no effect on tourists visiting the EU or EU residents using cellular phones outside of the EU, which remains expensive. This regulation is aimed at helping to reduce cellular charges for citizens and corporations that do business or have personal interests across the EU. The complete regulation can be found here.

Mobile Satellite Services Selected EU-Wide

On 22 August 2007, the European Commission adopted a proposal to select mobile satellite service systems at the European Union level. This opens up the potential for European-wide services and increased service to rural and other underserved areas, should it be adopted by the European Parliament. The proposal can be found here.

EU Continues to Fund ICT Research

Communications research continues in the Seventh Framework Programme slated for 2007-2013. Funding includes over 9 billion euros to develop cutting-edge technology. Monopolizing that funding is work on SmartGrids, more specifically stated as "defin[ing] and develop[ing] the network and service infrastructures of the future". For more information, read the overall information on the Seventh Framework Programme.

EUTC News Information:

You are receiving this email because you are either an EUTC member or have requested information regarding EUTC.

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CONTACT EUTC
Click here for comments or news tips.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact our Member Services Department:

European Utilities Telecom Council
287 avenue Louise, 2nd floor
BE-1050 Brussels, Belgium
tel + 32 2 645 26 77

PRIVACY
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Legal Disclaimer.

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Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:09:39 -0400

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