London, 11 October 2012 – “The Digital Agenda can energise our economy, generate jobs, and save public money. But none of it can happen without fast broadband and quality digital services,” said Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission in a recent blog entry, ahead of her Keynote at next week’s Broadband World Forum. And she hit the nail on the head.

Ms Kroes will open the Broadband World Forum conference and exhibition next week by giving a presentation on connecting Europe to build the e-EU. Kroes is a key driver in the Digital Agenda and recently has publicly spoken about how innovation in broadband can help public administration for the 21st Century, how mobile Apps can help cut CO² emissions, and how investment is crucial for the future.

Today’s technology is so tightly woven into the fabric of society that broadband has the ability to impact the quality of life through increased access to services. Broadband is no longer considered a luxury, but instead is a ‘fourth utility’ for most people, with the potential to transform daily lives – the need to meet this demand is driving service transformation and broadband innovation throughout the industry, and is a central theme at the event.

The subject of fulfilling the connected consumer is echoed further with a raft of key speakers, including the likes of Gerry Pennel, CIO of the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, who will speak about the successful delivery of a connected Olympic Games. During his presentation, Pennel will explain how their event App and WiFi connectivity played a key role in meeting visitor and athlete expectations.

Eelco Blok, CEO of KPN, and Hunter Walk, Director of Product Management at Google, will also explore the theme of broadband transforming lives discussing the new services possible with ubiquitous broadband and the way broadband enabled media platforms like YouTube are transformative for the human condition.

This year’s event includes new features that are specifically focussed on transforming lives through broadband, including the App Workshop with Appsterdam, which emphasises the growing role, relevance and importance of the App in the developer world. This busy show also features targeted workshops led by industry associations and stakeholder groups, including the Internet Society hosted IPv6 Workshop, HGi’s digital home session, and the ONF tutorials on SDN and Open Flow.

In addition to the exciting programme highlights, 2012’s interactive exhibition includes demo trucks, where for the first time, live demos will be provided by Cisco, Huawei, Cienna and Infinera, to show the full power of broadband and its potential in today’s world. Start-up showcases are also arranged to take place throughout the three-day event which are targeted at those looking to invest in innovative new start-up businesses who are leading the way in broadband technologies and services for tomorrow.

The Broadband World Forum will take place at the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam on 16-18 October 2012. To plan your visit or to view the full event programme and register for Broadband World Forum, please visit www.broadbandworldforum.com or call +44 (0) 20 7017 5506. Alternatively, keep up to date with the event on Twitter @BBWorldForum or using #BBWF.