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Mobile 2.0 describes the next wave of applications and services – the use of mobiles for more than voice. On the 26^th and 27^th of April 2010, LIRNEasia together with the PTA co-hosted a successful expert forum in Islamabad, Pakistan. A multitude of themes were discussed over the four sessions, when the experts presented their research and cases to an audience that consisted of those representing regulators, mobile operators, government agencies and the media from nine countries of the Asia Pacific region.

Day 1: Opening Session

Welcome Speech I: Prof. Rohan Samarajiva, PhD, Chair and CEO, LIRNEasia

Welcome Speech II: Rashid Khan, CEO, Mobilink

Address by Chief Guest: Sardar Muhammad Latif Khan Khosa, Advisor to Prime Minister on IT

Day 2: Expert Forum

Session 1: Beyond voice (Easing payments, making markets efficient)

Chair: Yaseen Anwar, Deputy Governor, Banking Supervision and Corporate Services, State Bank of Pakistan

Sriganesh Lokanathan, LIRNEasia – Leveraging Mobile 2.0 for Agricultural Market Access [Policy Brief]

Harsha de Silva, PhD, LIRNEasia – mPayments in Public Transport: The case of bus tickets in Sri Lanka [Policy Brief]

Muriuki Mureithi, Summit Strategies, Kenya – mPayments experience in Kenya

Aamir Ibrahim, Chief Strategy Officer, Telenor Pakistan – Mobile 2.0: The telenor experience with EasyPaisa

Session 2: Beyond voice (mGovernment, mCommerce, mSocial Networking)

Chair: Syed Nasrul Karim Ghaznavi, Member (Finance), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority

Shazna Zuhyle, LIRNEasia (on behalf of Ayesha Zainudeen) – Mobile Markets: What works in emerging Asia? [Policy Brief]

Puree Sirasoontorn, LIRNEasia – BuzzCity [Policy Brief]

Prof. Rohan Samarajiva, PhD, LIRNEasia (on behalf of Prof. Subhash Bhatnagar) – eGovernance using mobile platform [Policy Brief]

Parvez Iftikar, CEO, Universal Service Fund – Telecom for all

Session 3: Conditions for Mobile 2.0 (Market entry)

Chair: Khawar Siddique Khokhar, PhD, Member (Technical), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority

Helani Galpaya & Payal Malik, LIRNEasia – Unleashing the potential of mobile 2.0 technologies through efficient spectrum management [Policy Brief]

Prof. Rohan Samarajiva, PhD, LIRNEasia – Mobile number portability [Policy Brief]

Muhammad Talib Dogar, Director General (Services), PTA (Pakistan’s experience with Mobile Number Portability) – Mobile number portability: Pakistan’s Experience

Session 4: Conditions for Mobile 2.0 (Quality of Service Experience)

Chair: Baburajan K., Executive Editor, Voice and Data

Chanuka Wattegama, LIRNEasia – User-centric Broadband Quality Monitoring Approach

Wasim Tauqir, Director General (Strategy & Development), PTA (Pakistan’s experience with Mobile Quality of Service) – Pakistan’s experience with Mobile Quality of Service

Panel Discussion: What Next?

Adnan Shahid, Director (Marketing) , Mobilink Pakistan

Adil Rauf, CEO, Alcatel Lucent, Pakistan

Wangay Dorji, Head- Telecommunications, Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority

Grace Amberong, Information Technology Officer & Head of Government Portal and Website Development, CICT Philippines (Presentation)

Rohan Samarajiva, PhD, Chair & CEO LIRNEasia

Media Coverage:

Daily Times (Improvement of broadband penetration discussed)

The Hindu Business Line (Mobile 2.0 forum meet begins in Islamabad)

The Hindu Business Line (Pakistan plans big push for IT, rural telecom)

The Hindu Business Line (Connect to the Bottom of the Pyramid)

The Hindu Business Line (Pak ahead of India in use of Universal Service Funds)

The Hindu Business Line (Our telecom licensing is technology-neutral – Interview with Dr Mohommed Yaseen, Chairman, PTA)

Telecom News Bulletin (PTA and LIRNEasia jointly host International Telecom Expert Forum)

The Financial Express (Cell phone use yet to pick up in third world in absence of non-voice services)

The Sunday Times (Internet – unheard of, for many Lankans: Study)

Voice & Data (Pakistan to focus on flung areas for provision of broadband services)

Voice & Data (Telecom can strengthen our bonds in Pakistan)

Voice & Data (Pak Government is looking to expand in to non-voice)

State of Telecom Industry in Pakistan

Bangkok Post Tech (Mobile phones offer hope to ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’)

Bangkok Post Tech (Forum discusses ways to break cycle of poverty)

Bangkok Post Tech (India points the way)