WHITAKER ASSOCIATES
London
21 January 2003European Directory Marketplace Conference 2003 to Focus on Competitive Advantage
Deregulation and burgeoning competition in the European directory market highlight the European Directory Marketplace Conference 2003 (EDM03) being held February 10-12, 2003 in London. Noted speakers include Ms. Anne Lerat of the European Association of Directory Publishers (EADP), Mr. Gunther Baierl of the Association for the European Interworking of Directory Inquiry Services (EIDQ), Mr. Gareth Morgan of British Telecom (BT) and Dr. Eddie Cheng of YELL. These and other speakers will focus on the challenges facing directory services in deregulating markets and innovative strategies for overcoming those challenges. The conference is being presented by Whitaker Associates, a leading consulting organization in worldwide directory services markets.
Stu Whitaker, president of Whitaker Associates, says "Information is crucial to consumers and to corporations in this new information age. The creation of information services has been limited in the past by regulatory restrictions, but those restrictions are now being removed. As a result new and creative services are being developed that are richer, more powerful and more responsive to consumer needs than ever before."
A recent analysis performed for the European Commission indicates that the industry has become riddled with fragmented directory information, ongoing disputes among competitors and limited regulatory compliance. This turbulence has occurred over the last 4 years during a time intended to expand directory services, open up markets and provide more comprehensive data to customers.
On December 10, 2002, close to a dozen providers entered the competitive market in the UK using the 118xxx dial string created by the UK's Office of Telecommunications (OfTel). The 118xxx service is replacing the former 192 directory inquiry service. David Edmonds, Oftel director-general, has said, "For the first time consumers will have a choice of directory inquiries services at a range of prices."
The world is watching how deregulation of the UK's directory markets will affect the telecommunications industry, corporate customers and consumers. Re-regulation is occurring across industries and across geographic boundaries due to the conviction that the best policy lies in market-driven competition. However, regulatory realities such as restrictive data access, inequitable pricing and unfair dialing codes are making it hard to compete. EDM03 will discuss how companies can differentiate themselves and win market share.
Representatives from regulatory bodies, industry associations, and industry players will be in attendance at EDM03 including: Analysys, BT, Bo Tveden Systems A/S (BTS), Conduit, EADP, EIDQ, eircom, Eniro, European Commission, France Telecom, Fujitsu Invia (Silver Sponsor), INFONXX and THE NUMBER (Silver Sponsor), Information Services eXtended, Inc. (ISx, Gold Sponsor and Exhibitor), Kapitol, Listing Services Solutions, Inc. (LSSi), Mobile Commerce Ltd (Exhibitor), MasterFiles, Inc. (MFI), Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority, Pages Jaunes, Phonetic Systems, R.R. Donnelley, SEAT PG, SpeechWorks, ScanSoft (Silver Sponsor), SEAT PG, SpeechWorks, Stibo Directory Solutions, Tele Danmark (TDC), Telelogue, UK Oftel, US Federal Communication Commission (FCC), varetis AG (Silver Sponsor and Exhibitor), VoltDelta (Silver Sponsor and Exhibitor), Xpherix Corporation and YELL.
Discounts are available for early registration for this conference. For further information concerning EDM03 or to register, please visit www.whitaker.com or contact:
Steffi Wallis
Production Assistant
Whitaker Associates
7700 Leesburg Pike, Suite 109
Falls Church, VA 22043-2615
UNITED STATES
assoc@whitaker.com
Voice +1 (703) 506-1220, Fax +1 (703) 506-1221
[ Home | Directories | Free trial subscription | Order Forms | Services ]
[ About Us | Info@Whitaker.com | Press Releases | Conferences ]
Copyright © 2005 Whitaker Associates. All rights reserved.
www.whitaker.com - Email webmaster at info@whitaker.com