One of the secrets of the wireless industry is just how well VoIP works over today’s 3G connections. As we move towards flatrate data plans for HSDPA and EV-DO, it is becoming increasingly practical to offer early mobile VoIP services without the complexity of adding WiFi to the handset. Various startups are already pushing this approach, exploiting 3G smartphones with dedicated software clients. The mobile carriers are also starting to take a keen interest – especially the CDMA providers, as EV-DO Revision A has VoIP “designed-in” to the specifications. The situation is rather different for the UMTS/HSDPA operators, however – they will have to wait several years for eHSPA or LTE networks, IMS and maybe 3GPP’s “multimedia telephony” standard to be ready before they can launch their own standardised mobile VoIP services. In the meantime they will face a raft of independent VoIPo3G providers attempting to cherry-pick their subscribers’ voice traffic. Should they ignore them, block them, prohibit them, or partner with them?

Dean Bubley is the Founder of Disruptive Analysis. An analyst with 15 years’ experience, he primarily specialises in mobile, wireless and telecoms fields. His present focus is on wireless technology, including mobile device architecture & software, fixed-mobile convergence, IMS, wVoIP, shifts in service provider value chains, enterprise mobility, in-building technologies, wireless broadband, and the integration of cellular and WLAN technologies.

He was formerly an equity analyst with the investment bank Robert W. Baird and previously spent eight years at UK research firm Datamonitor, where he co-founded the company's Technology business unit and held the titles of Chief Analyst and Director of Consulting. Mr Bubley holds a BA in Physics from Keble College, Oxford University. He authors the Disruptive Wireless blog.

John Hannan has been working in the wireless communications sector for the past ten years. Currently, he holds the position of Director, Business Development at Qualcomm Inc. San Diego, Ca. where he is responsible for assessing business opportunities for emerging wireless technologies. In the past, he has also been active in the area of technology assessment and economic modeling of 3G wireless systems. Hannan joined the company in 1998 as a Senior Network Planner. Prior to joining QUALCOMM, he worked as a Senior RF Engineer for Sprint PCS deploying its CDMA wireless network in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Hannan holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Bucknell University and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from The University of Arizona.

Vish brings over 20 years of product management, business development, and product development experience from the Telecom and Internet/e-commerce industries. Before joining FirstHand Technologies, Vish helped found e-academy - a successful Internet-based Applications Service Provider focused on e-commerce-enabled software distribution and license management for the global higher education market. Prior to that, Vish was Assistant Vice President of Product Line Management at Newbridge Networks (now Alcatel) with responsibility for a portfolio of industry leading Network and Service Management products. Prior to Newbridge, he held Director-level product development positions at Mitel Corporation, with responsibility for developing PBX systems and voice applications. As Vice President Product Line Management at FirstHand Technologies, Vish is responsible for strengthening the product offerings and technology advancements of FirstHand Technologies as well as explore new development areas that match growing market opportunities and customer needs. Vish holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Western Ontario and attended the Executive Development Program at Queens University.

An innovator in every sense, Truphone CEO James Tagg’s track record is one of successfully bringing new mobile and other technologies to market. Most recently, as MD of Fastmobile Europe, he launched both Mobile Instant Messaging and Push-to-Talk with carriers in Germany, Italy and the UK, while earlier in his career he developed the touchscreen technology found today in most of the world’s public access touchscreens. Prior to Fastmobile, James worked as Director for Technology Innovation at Zefer, a strategy-led Internet services company. Before this, he invented a touchscreen technology, founded Moonstone Technology in 1989 to develop it, and sold the company to MicroTouch Systems Ltd - now 3M - in 1994. James holds multiple patents both in mobile and touchscreen technologies.

Founder and Chief Architect Boaz Zilberman is responsible for product strategy at fring. An industry veteran with over 20 years experience in high-tech businesses, Zilberman’s expertise include launching high-tech start-up business through to market maturity, strategic and tactical creativity, business development and marketing of telecom technologies and strategic partner negotiations.

Prior roles have included VP of Products at Telrad Connegy, the designer and manufacturer of PBX and VoIP solutions for enterprise customers worldwide; Director of Marketing at Radvision, a global market leader of video telephony solutions and converged communications tools for wireless carriers, vendors and international enterprises; founder and CEO of ExpertCall, a system providing complete, automated customer support for any website; and a series of computer-telephony marketing positions with EasyRun Ltd, providing software systems to the telecom market and Intel Semiconductors.

Boaz holds an MSc in Computer Science from the City University of New York.