ETIS is pleased to inform you that the next ETIS Community Gathering will be organised in England and hosted by BT in Ipswich, UK on 14/15 November 2006. The focus of this gathering will be new technologies and how telecommunications will be used in the future. The gathering will be held at BT's research, technology and IT centre in Adastral Park which is a 99-acre site that houses one of the highest concentrations of ICT technologists in Europe.

The gathering will kick off on the 14th of November, with a welcome from BT and a presentation on BT's 21st Century Network. BT will demonstrate how new communication technologies will be used in the future in various real-life settings such as in a bank, a home, a hospital and with public security. The day will conclude with a plenary session led by BT's futurologists. The ETIS members will get an insight into what the future could look like via the following guided presentations.

Home 2.0
Home networks are changing radically as we enter the digital networked age and consumers are expecting more and more and more. This presentation and demonstration presents a view of the wide range of exciting new services and applications being delivered over BT's broadband technology and highlights both its benefits and capabilities. From online gaming to more serious business applications like remote working the broadband showcase offers the visitor the opportunity to experience broadband first hand through a number of interactive demonstrations. 

BTpulse / RFID
Featuring Radio Frequency Identifiers (RFID) the BTpulse demonstration looks at the pharmaceutical and health care industries. The BTpulse environment is an insight into a future where National Health Service (NHS) personnel routinely use Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to instantaneously access records and input data relating to patients. 

Agile Bank – serving customers
To meet the expectations of increasingly sophisticated and demanding consumers, organisations recognise the need to introduce new technology. We’ve been involved in the development of technology that will lead to radical changes in customer service across a whole host of business environments. The Agile Bank has been built to illustrate how new wave applications and technology can enable businesses to get more out of their branch network and to ensure that their branches remain and integral part of the customer proposition. Based on research commissioned by BT and in co-operation with financial services provides, a number of scenarios have been created to illustrate how customers can interface with their bank, whether it is via the web, the phone or going into the branch. The selection of the scenarios and technologies demonstrated at the BT Agile Bank is based upon initial Research, in cooperation with a number of leading banks.

Intelligent Infrastructures
The use of technology within organisations that have responsibility for large infrastructures is now common place. However, to maximise the business benefits of these various technologies BT has developed this showcase to highlight some of the possible scenarios available in relations to Asset Management, Physical Security, Field Force Management and Health & Safety. Picture the scene: Paddington Station, 5:45pm. A suspicious bag lies abandoned on platform nine… but there’s no need for panic! Network cameras have already picked up the bag and raised the alarm. The area is automatically shut-off from the public, and the network uses wireless LAN to locate the nearest security guard. The gates open to allow authorised personnel access into the area and the bag is dealt with in the quickest, safest way possible.

The second day of the Gathering will be dedicated to working sessions for all of the individual working groups: Information Security, Electronic Billing, International Settlements, Enterprise Architecture and Customer Self-service. There will also be a special session dedicated to the discussing the 'Future of the Telco' based on the previous day's showcase.

This gathering is an ideal opportunity for all of the members, associates, partners and working groups to get to know one another, learn about each other's activities, plans and expectations and above all, share knowledge. In addition to the education programmes, there will be plenty of unique opportunities for networking with the reception, lunches, networking breaks and an executive dinner.

>> Please click here to register for the Gathering <<

This meeting is open to ETIS Members, Associate Members, Partners and Working Groups participants. However, if your company is considering ETIS membership and would like to attend this event as an observer, please contact Mr. Fred Werner at fw@etis.org

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