Peania, 8 December 2006 - The first annual forum on “Wimax & The Road to Broadband Access”, organized by Athens Information Technology at it’s Peania campus, was completed with great success.

The forum presented a global view of the latest development of WiMAX, a cutting edge technology in the area of wireless telecommunications, and which is able to cause inversions and restructures to the world market of mobile telephony. Specifically, the thematic units were about the presentation of the technological solutions for WiMax and of the broadband services that it can offer, scripts and most optimal practices for network installation, policy and legislation issues, and enterprising models, while a broader discussion took place on the views given by the social partners. An extensive report was presented on the largest WiMax network in operation that has been developed by ITC in Saudi Arabia as well as on the results of the compatibility control of the WiMax devices that took place in the framework of the recent Plugfest in the USA in September 2006.

Speakers at the forum included Dr. G. Argyropoulos, President of FITCE Europe; Dr. G. Yovanof, Professor and Head of the Broadband Wireless and Sensor Networks group of AIT; Dr. P. Dallas, Wireless Systems Manager, Intracom telecom; Mr. T. Griparis, Technology Specialist, Bechtel EAMS; G. Livieratos, Account Manager Carrier Networks, UNINORTEL; Dr. G. Agapiou, Head of Wireless and Satellite Labs, OTE; Dr. H. Stellakis, Telecommunications Project Section Manager, Information Society; Dr. N. Vlassopoulos, Head of Spectrum Division, EETT; Professor V. Vassalos, Member of Board of Directors, National Observatory; Dr. P. Tzerefos, Strategy Development Manager, Vodafone; Mr. L. Lentzaris, General Manager, Hellas on Line; Mr. S. Malachias, Infrastructure Planning & Development, Hellas on Line; Dr. X. Papachristos, Project Manager, HellasSatNet, HellasSat; Dr. G. Tenidis, ITC Program and Dr. E. Dinan, Chief Network Planning, Bechtel Telecommunications.

The forum was followed by over 100 participants, high-level executives from the private and public sector, corporate consultants and media representatives and ended late in the afternoon with a round-table discussion attended by INTRACOM Telecom, Vodafone, EETT, Craig Wireless Group, UNINORTEL and Hellas on Line. The round-table discussion included a tele-conference with Stanford University and to which Professor Paulraj Arogyaswamu, Technical Director of Beceem Communications, one of the three companies in the world producing completed WiMax systems, contributed.

Grand sponsor of the event was INTRACOM Telecom. Other sponsors were Bechtel, Converge, Hellas on Line, PRC. Grand Communication Sponsor was was NetFAX, netweek and other communication sponsors were Naftemboriki, PC Magazine, Flash.gr, New Economy Observer (ne.o), DAILY Resellers Network and Communication Solutions.