TC3: Telecom Council Carrier Connections

Telecom innovation takes the stage at TC3 to talk strategies, programs, and solutions that carriers need from innovators and entrepreneurs. This is a 2-day conference with 300 senior professionals from across the global telecom ecosystem – from fixed and wireless to content, software, and infrastructure – where the speakers are responsible for telecom innovation. The Telecom Council of Silicon Valley is “where telecom meets innovation.”

This 2-day Summit highlights the relationship between the companies building communication networks, with the people and ideas that are creating it - participants will review new innovations, award outstanding new startups, and hear directly from the carriers, how their innovation programs work.

STARTUP PITCHES
Once a year, we open the doors for non-members and guests to join our 25+ global carriers, and hundreds of investors at our quarterly Investor Forum meeting. This quarterly Investor Forum meeting will feature 20+ startups who will present investment opportunities to all telecom investors - from angels and venture capitalists who make financial investments to strategic corporate investors and carriers who may invest time, money, and/or resources in a company or its products and services.

ENTREPRENEUR DISCUSSION
Industry appreciation for entrepreneurs continues to grow - even the Tier 1 carriers have come to understand they must look outwards to maximize innovation. We welcome you to this entrepreneur focused discussion on how to work with the carriers, and build relationships with the rest of the ecosystem.

SPIFFY AWARDS 2012
The SPIFFY Awards is an annual ceremony that recognizes the best telecom startups from the year prior. In 2011, our Service Provider Forum, SPiF, and the wider Telecom Council, reviewed well over 100 young telecom companies. By simply being invited to SPiF, startups are already filtered as a young company that have the ideas, relevance, and traction that most appeal to communication service providers from around the globe. At the SPIFFYs, we honor the best of the best. Award categories include innovation, creativity, emergent entrepreneurship and competitive excellence.


CARRIERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Day 2 of TC3 is the seminal opportunity for carriers around the world to bring attention to their focused areas of development – to market their innovation activities throughout the ecosystem, to attract the entrepreneurs and developers they need, and to promote innovation inside and outside their labs. For nimble companies, this is an ideal venue to learn the carrier’s roadmaps, innovation needs, gap analysis, and where you can fit your company into their plans in order to facilitate faster dealmaking. And for those entrepreneurs trying to avoid the carriers, this meeting will help understand where they are going, as well as where they are not.

Past years have proven a very senior audience from across the ecosystem (from fixed and wireless to content, apps, and infrastructure) where the speakers are responsible for the innovation strategies and activities of their respective carriers. The operator representatives who manage innovation - from developer programs and labs facilities to venture investing, will be available to answer our questions:

• What innovations are operators looking for?
• How does a young company work with a large operator?
• What kind of partnerships do carriers prefer?
• Who are the right people inside the carriers to properly receive, handle, and implement new ideas?
• What developer and partner programs are available?

The Telecom Council is well aware of the challenges in working with carriers or any large company. It's not easy...but our goal is to make it easier. We recommend that every path to market be considered and explored, with no religious fervor. As we answer the questions above, this summit will help you refine your path to market, make the connections that can accelerate your business, facilitate that interaction, and grow your long term network.