Save the date: the BELTUG VIP evening – March 22nd, 5 PM, Auditorium KBC, with keynote speaker Erika Mann, Director EU Affairs Facebook.
Lobbying
1. Make sure you see a new decrease in your fixed-to-mobile tariffs!
2. Mobile roaming – our priority
3. Position for the new Government and ICT Minister Johan Vandelanotte
4. INTUG meets Vodafone, Orange, Cabinet Kroes, Microsoft and more
5. BIPT Consultation on emergency numbers
6. BELTUG helps out on End of Term conditions for international contracts
Networking
1. Consultation: Skype in Business
2. Radio MNM visits BELTUG’s Eva De Schryver on national homeworking day
3. A warm welcome to our newest members
4. Members help to represent us: Daniel Lebeau, GSK; Tom Van Wint, Sita/Suez; and Leonard Pera, AUTELSI Spain
Information and vision
1. A brand new BELTUG market survey
2. Case study: Experiences with Cloud services at Portima - lessons learned
3. SIG security on mobile devices
4. Cases and replays
5. Presentations available
Agenda
Lobbying
BELTUG defends your interests and addresses issues with government representatives and service providers.
1. Make sure you see a new decrease in your fixed-to-mobile tariffs!
BIPT has further reduced mobile termination rates (MTRs), which means fixed-to-mobile tariffs should go down. This table compares the past and future evolution of the MTRs for each of the three existing mobile operators on the market:
| €cent/min (without inflation) |
Previous |
1/8/2010 |
1/1/2011 |
1/1/2012 |
1/1/2013 |
| Belgacom Mobile / Proximus |
7.20 |
4.52 |
3.83 |
2.46 |
1.08 |
| Mobistar |
9.02 |
4.94 |
4.17 |
2.62 |
1.08 |
| KPN Group Belgium / BASE |
11.43 |
5.68 |
4.76 |
2.92 |
1.08 |
Don’t wait: contact your fixed operator now to ask how the changes will affect your costs, and what benefits you will see directly.
2. Mobile roaming – our priority
BELTUG/ INTUG remain very active on the critical issue of roaming, as many companies tell us that roaming tariffs are blocking the roll-out of the mobility that they would like to experience. Currently, a new EU mobile roaming regulation proposal is being discussed. While many of the proposed amendments go in the right direction, the price caps are still much too high. Danielle Jacobs presented the business perspective at an ECTA Conference, in the presence of high-level representatives from the regulators, European Commission, GSM operators, etc.
But European-level measures are not enough, as many of our members are also active outside Europe. INTUG will therefore present its position at a meeting of the World Trade Organisation. We are also involved in roaming issues at the OECD-level.
3. Position for the new Government and ICT Minister Johan Vandelanotte
A draft bill on electronic communications is being prepared. BELTUG is surprised about the latest changes, which limit the independence of the BIPT. Tuesday Februari 7, we will present the BELTUG memorandum for the new Government at the Offices of the new Minister of Economy Johan Vande Lanotte.
4. INTUG meets Vodafone, Orange, Cabinet Kroes, Microsoft and more
An international INTUG delegation gathered in Brussels for a 2-day meeting. There were lots of cross-border issues to discuss with the European Commission and international suppliers. Representatives from Coca-Cola, Johnson Controls, Akzo Nobel and more, along with our sister organisations from the UK, France, Mexico, etc., discussed international business issues with Vodafone, Orange, Microsoft, the Cabinet of Commissioner Kroes and the people working on the European roaming regulation.
On 8 May, we will organise a follow-up meeting. Companies Barry Callebaut and Coca-Cola will present their topics for Vodafone and Orange, followed by a discussion with these companies in Brussels. On May 29 and 30 INTUG meets in London.
5. BIPT Consultation on emergency numbers
The BIPT organised a consultation on the future of the emergency numbers, in order to prepare regulatory initiatives. As the nomadic use of VoIP, homeworking, etc. grow, this topic is increasingly important for company networks. In the event of an emergency, the company is responsible for communicating the emergency correctly. According to a European directive also suppliers of VoIP-services will need to give location information to the emergency services. In its position BELTUG explains the issues for businesses.
6. BELTUG helps out on End of Term conditions for international contracts
Recently, some of our members indicated they have had problems with the EOT (end of term) conditions as applied by Belgacom within international contracts. BELTUG’s interventions, along with other customer initiatives, have helped to contribute to successful change.
Networking
1. Consultation: Skype in Business
We asked BELTUG members whether they use Skype for business purposes, or if they discourage or even prohibit its use. Most of the (large) companies that answered us indicate that they prohibit the use of Skype, mainly for security and reliability reasons. However, a number of companies do allow the use of Skype. The main driver for this is the cost savings.
“Take it or leave it” is a good summary of the survey results. Either a company is prepared to put up with the downsides of Skype and make attractive savings, or it prefers to abstain all together. Check out the short report to find out more about policies, approaches and the impact of Microsoft owning Skype.
2. Radio MNM visits BELTUG’s Eva De Schryver on National Homeworking Day
BELTUG homeworker Eva De Schryver was rewarded with a live concert at her home, as well as a ‘breakfast surprise’, by Radio MNM on National Homeworking Day. The complete 'Grote PeterVandeVeireochtendshow" with Peter vandeVeire and Eva Daeleman, was broadcast directly from her home office, on 8 December, from 6-9 AM. VTM joined us in promoting homeworking by filming this MNM event at Eva’s 'radio studio at home'. You can listen to the radio audio file (Dutch) and see the pictures.
3. A warm welcome to our newest members
We would like to welcome all our new members who joined last month: Ondit, Seris Security, Objectief15, WeePee, Clinique Notre-Dame de Grâce, Federal agency for the safety of the food chain, IBBT, ps_testware, Sappi, Xerox, Nixxis, MCS-Mixe Communications Solutions, creativeOne.
4. Members help to represent us: Daniel Lebeau, GSK; Tom Van Wint, Sita/Suez; and Leonard Pera, AUTELSI Spain
BELTUG is regularly asked to communicate the positions of businesses at many different events and on many different platforms. We are therefore very happy when our members want to help us out. Recently, Daniel Lebeau from GlaxoSmithKline spoke at ECTA; Tom Van Wint from Sita/Suez spoke at the Carrier Ethernet World Congress; and Leonard Pera from our Spanish sister group AUTELSI represented us at the opening of the BEREC, the group of 27 regulators, offices in Riga.
Information and vision
We want BELTUG members to be the best informed ICT decision makers and professionals.
1. A brand new BELTUG market survey
Many companies contact BELTUG looking for specific market figures. Often we do not have the information they are looking for, and we wish to change this. As we realise that there is not very much numerical data available on the Belgian ICT market, BELTUG is setting up an ambitious research project to develop a brand new market survey in 2012 on market trend adoption (UC, BYOD, …) and market shares. At a brainstorming session, the scope was discussed with interested companies. Over the coming weeks, BELTUG will define the frame of the study, and consult with some market research companies to get indications on price and approach. Our intention is to achieve a cost-sharing model. Please inform us if you are interested.
2. Case study: Experiences with Cloud services at Portima - lessons learned
Portima has implemented cloud services for more than 2,000 insurance brokers. The requirements were: guaranteed security, data integrity, confidentiality, availability, performance, document management, integration with other applications, etc. Claude Rapoport, CEO of Portima, presented a beautiful illustration of how most concerns can be handled/solved, especially with private cloud. He also showed the importance of determining how to remain in control, investigating how processes work and remaining part of the design process, exploring tools to analyse specific problems on demand and examining in-depth the DRP site.
3. SIG Security on mobile devices
The Security Special Interest Group (SIG Security) met on 8 December to discuss security for mobile devices and apps. The presentation of USG PEOPLE’s business needs and answers was our guideline for an open discussion on smartphones and tablets security issues and challenges.
Nobody seems completely happy with the current situation, but as with all new technologies, we must progress step by step with policy updates, testing of management tools and following-up on threats.
Participants agree that the security context is clearly changing: from controlling access to the company’s network, we are moving to the level of data. Specifically, data protection, access management and network device management have become key.
The participants also discussed the ENISA App Store document ; but while they consider it a valid theoretical study, they do not believe it has real business applicability.
The Security SIG is open to all BELTUG members. The next meeting on security of social networks is on March 6.
4. Cases and replays
Replays with audio and slides of the presentation:
Written Case study:
UZ Leuven’sIT ecosystem: reaching towards the digital hospital, Reinoud Reynders, IT Manager Infrastructure & Operations, UZ Leuven
5. New presentations available
There are lots of presentations available for our members on our website. Recent additions cover topics ranging from experiences with cloud, security, mobile device management to BYOD.
Agenda
February 2012
09 BELTUG X-change on the benefits of virtualisation and cloud architecture to enterprise networks – 9:30 – all members
14 SIG International - Kick off - 9:30 - ICT decision makers only
14 SIG Procurement - Kick off - 13:30 - ICT decision makers only
BELTUG in (social) media
