Wireless Federation

According to sources, Some of the biggest achievers selected for Communication Awards 2007:  

Allen Timpany, CEO, Vanco
 VNO pioneer. Now every value-added reseller wants to be the “next Vanco”.
 
Arun Sarin, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Group
 His deals with Google and eBay “started the Mobile Internet”. That’ll be the one regularly used by 6% of mobile owners, then.

Ben Verwaayen, CEO, BT
 Split local access and services in UK as an example for all the other EU countries. Then took over the broadband revolution. But has he reached the crest of the New Wave?

Bill Gates, Founder and Chairman, Microsoft Corp
 He may be adrift in online adland, but his company’s Communications Server has brought the LAN to life.
 
Carl Henrik Svanberg, CEO, Ericsson
 Has kept the strategy clear and built a leadership position in wireless into a total communications offer whilst others have dug themselves deeper into their problems.

Cesar Alierta, President, Telefonica
 Last of the great global Telco heroes? No blockbuster deals last year though.
 
Chua Sock Koong, CEO, SingTel
 SingTel veteran Chua is in the regional hotseat; tasked with making sense of the company’s expansionist strategy across Southeast Asia to Australia.

Dayanidhi Maran, Telecom Minister, India
 Revolutionised the Indian telecom scenario with liberalised policies, promoting Foreign Direct Investments and providing clear strategies for mobile and broadband expansion.

Dr. Saad Al Barrak, Deputy chairman and managing director, MTC
 MTC Group’s champion has transformed the Kuwaiti operator into a regional investment player. Can he take his 3×3x3 strategy global?

Ed Whitacre, Chairman and CEO, AT&T
 Retiring after driving telecom consolidation, with the integration of SBC, Cingular and AT&T. Now going after Telecom Italia and the iPhone.

Helmut Leopold, Head of Platform and Technology Management, Telekom Austria AG
 Put Engerwitzdorf on Europe’s IPTV map. Leads development of IPTV and IP-driven multimedia services at Telekom Austria, as well as president of the Broadband Services Forum (BSF). .

Ildar Zhuravlev, Partner, Ernst & Young
 He is one of the most influential persons in the Russian telecom sector. He provides consulting services to 18 of top 20 major Russian telcos. At least he isn’t being called a revolutionary.

Ivar Plahte, CEO, OnRelay
 ”Defining the next era of [mobile] PBX.” Cisco, Nortel, IBM, Verizon, and others are following his lead, some say.

John Chambers, CEO, Cisco Systems
 He’s putting Cisco on Second Life. That’s how determined he is to win this award again.
 
John Legere, CEO, Global Crossing
 Two years ago a $24 billion accounting ‘fresh start’ helped bring GX back to life. Now it is a model for how to use IT to speed up your telecoms services delivery.

John Pluthero, Executive Chairman , Cable & Wireless
 He’s “blown the whistle on the telecoms industry” for its lack of  customer care, apparently.And he knows how to reinvigorate a demoralised company.

Josep A. Aliagas, CEO, Arena Mobile
 This content aggregator is currently working in 60 countries and with 110 mobile operators as well as worldwide Media Groups including Shanghai Media Group in the mobile TV area in China. China is potentially the biggest revenue generator in the industry and Arena Mobile is the leading company in China.

Larry Page, Co-founder, Google
 Telcos are running a bit less scared now Google is concentrating on TV and radio advertisers. 
 
N Srinath, CEO, VSNL
 ”The CEO of the last year”, according to one nomination. He has “single-handedly” changed VSNL from an incumbent niche operator to a multinational telecom player, according to another. He must have a little help, though.

Niklas Zennstrom, Co-founder, Joost TV
 Since he sold Skype to eBay, the IP telephony service has reached 150 million users, reducing the price paid from $68 million to $23 million - per subscriber.

Patricia Russo, CEO, Alcatel-Lucent
 Running a combination “too big, too exotic and too powerful to be ignored.”
 
Phuthuma Nhleko, President & CEO, MTN Group
 Phuthuma has revolutionalised telecoms in Africa and the Middle East by providing telecoms to 21 countries in MEA.

Sol Trujillo, CEO, Telstra
 ”Creating a Telstra that is more adaptable to market needs.” Really? The “only real ass-kicker and visionary in the industry”. That’s more like it!

Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple
 He seems to understand consumers better than most. The iPhone has raised expections high this time.
 
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman - Bharti Group, Bharti Airtel
 A “Telecoms Tsar”- in India? No, he’s “a revolutionary”. He can’t be both.
 
Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner, EU
 She has upset mobile operators, NextGen network builders and even outsourcing associations, so she must be doing something right.
 

Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim has surpassed Bill Gates as the world’s richest man. Following big gains in his investment portfolio, Slim’s total worth now stands at about $62.9 billion, says Sentido Comun. By contrast, Microsoft founder and chairman Gates is currently worth about $59.2 billion.
Sentido Comun originally said that Slim was worth $67.8 billion, but on Wednesday published a corrected figure after being contacted by a spokesman for the Mexican billionaire.

The title of world’s richest man is hardly set in stone, as day-to-day stock swings can have a big impact on the rankings. In 2004, a Swedish magazine pegged Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad as the planet’s wealthiest individual.

Slim is the majority investor in America Movil, Latin America’s largest mobile telecom operator. Its share price has climbed 26% in the last three months. Another company in Slim’s portfolio, Telmex, has seen its stock jump 11% over the same period.

Slim also owns numerous other concerns — from banks to construction companies — throughout Mexico and South America. Gates hasn’t been as fortunate from an investment perspective in recent months. Microsoft’s shares are currently trading at roughly the same price at which they began the year — about $30. Gates is the company’s largest individual investor, though his holdings are down to about 8% of Microsoft’s common stock.

Slim’s ascendancy to the top of the world’s financial pyramid bumps Berkshire Hathaway whiz Warren Buffet to third place.

 Slim was born in Mexico in 1940 to parents of Lebanese origin. His father reportedly worked as a shopkeeper.

In 1990, Slim led the buyout of Mexican telecom giant Telmex from the Mexican government. He was formerly on the board of directors at Altria and SBC Communications.

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