This session, moderated by Andrew Lipman, Partner and Head of Telecom Group, Bingham McCutchen, USA, focused on:

• The rapid technological change and its impact on: the transformation of industrial sectors into data-, and computer-based segments of the economy, and society in general; the unparalleled interaction between different disciplines, territories, and dimensions of life; and last, but not the least, the overall connectivity;
• The challenges for policy formulation and regulation in effectively achieving real and timeless policy objectives while at the same time promoting and supporting innovation and beneficial change in the Internet Age.

The speakers during this session include:

• Jørgen Abild Andersen, Chairman of OECD’s Committee for Digital Economy Policy (CDEP), Denmark
• Wladimir Bocquet, Head of Policy Planning for Government and Regulatory Affairs, GSMA Association
• Mark Fell, Managing Director, Carre & Straus, United-Kingdom
• Frederic Geraud de Lescazes, Head of Government & Community Relations, Cisco, France
• Imad Hoballah, Chairman & CEO, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), Lebanon
• Michael Kende, Chief Economist, ISOC – Internet Society, Switzerland
• Hanne Melin, Policy Strategy Counsel, eBay Inc. Public Policy Lab EMEA, Belgium;
• Claudia Selli, EU Affairs Director, AT&T, Belgium.

Each one of them, according to their domain of work and field of expertise, discussed different aspects related to: the growth of the use of smartphones, and big data; the explosion of traffic; the structural transformation of the economy due to telecommunications, and of course, regulation. In regards to regulation, the panelists expressed their views related to the following issues: «Do we have policymaking mechanisms that allow for both flexibility and accountability? Are we innovating the “business of regulation”? How can responsible experimentation in regulation look? How can regulation and policy create conditions for investment?».