Philippine telecoms leader PLDT and its mobile subsidiary Smart Communications together with Digitel and Sun Cellular will again host the much-awaited Asian Carriers’ Conference (ACC) 2012, with Department of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. as keynote speaker, at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa in Cebu from September 4 to 7.
 
Winner of the Best Telecommunications Conference award at the first Asian Conference Summit & Awards held in Singapore earlier this year, the ACC provides a venue for industry leaders from wholesale fixed and mobile carriers, network and infrastructure providers, applications and service developers, among others, to discuss and share the latest technologies and breakthroughs in telecommunications.
 
PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan will open the conference and welcome the delegates to ACC 2012, now on its 8th year, which encompasses the theme “Transforming to the new telecom wholesale-retail ecosystem.”
 
Attended by over a thousand delegates from 45 countries, the 8th ACC is expected to top last year’s turnout.
 
“The ACC has always been well-attended and well-received since it was first held eight years ago,” said PLDT and Smart International and Carrier Business Head Alejandro O. Caeg.
 
“Over the years, the number of delegates have continually increased and they really  look forward to coming back here every year for the technological learnings, insights and business prospects as well as the excellent accommodations and networking opportunities  with Mactan Island’s scenic spots,” Caeg added.
 
The conference program includes the opening of the ACC 2012 Exhibit, the plenary session, various workshops, turn-over of ACC corporate social responsibility projects, and social activities such as a fun run, sailing, snorkeling, shopping and city tours.
 
Plenary speakers are i3Forum Chairman Philippe Millet, also the Senior Vice President of Orange Money Operations at France Telecom Orange, who will discuss “Bringing About an All-IP World – Carriers Unite,” and CEO and co-founder of Epsilon Telecommunications Andreas Hipp, on “Managed Global Presence – The Benefit of Outsourcing.” 
 
Telstra Global Senior Vice President Jim Clarke will discuss “Going Beyond Traditional Wholesale and Looking into New Data and Multimedia Content,” Verizon International Enterprises Solutions Vice President Carl Roberts will talk about “Combining Legacy Network Wholesale with Value Added IT Platform Solutions,” while CSG International Asia Pacific Managing Director Ian Watterson will explain “How to Swim with Sharks and Survive: New Business Models for an Evolving World.”
 
Among the ACC 2012’s event partners are AT&T Wholesale, Orange, PCCW Global, Goldex Telecom, Telenor Global Services AS, Deutsche Telekom ICSS, IDT Asia, Telecall Telecommunications Corp., Huawei, MIR Telecom, Golden Telecom, Sprint, Telecom Malaysia Berhad, Hutchison Global Communications, BICS, iBasis, Bangla Trac, and Verizon Global Wholesale.