As Europe moves towards realising the goals outlined in the Digital Decade initiative, providing universal access to high-speed internet, particularly in remote and underserved areas, presents opportunities and challenges.
This session will explore how innovative technologies such as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband can complement existing infrastructure to enhance connectivity across the continent.
Through a detailed presentation and an engaging panel discussion, we will explore the potential of these emerging technologies to serve millions of customers across critical EU Member States—including the Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Poland—by 2030. The session will also examine the economic efficiencies that could be realised by integrating LEO satellite broadband services especially in areas where traditional fibre deployment may be more challenging.
This session will contribute to ongoing discussions around Europe’s connectivity strategy. It focuses on aligning consumer needs with technological advancements. By considering a broad range of perspectives, the session aims to support a well-rounded approach to policy formulation, emphasising the importance of diverse, resilient, and commercially viable solutions that are affordable for end users.
Stela Bokun, Partner, Analysys Mason Stela is a Partner in the consulting team at Analysys Mason, where she leads on strategy projects with many of the world’s leading hyperscalers, technology vendors and operators. Her work centres on advising clients on how to enter a new market, expand market share, and optimise their positioning and competitive differentiation. She is active in both the enterprise IT market and the (often overlooked) SMB IT market.
Her core strength lies in primary research, where she has developed a tool to process survey data in real time and is often sought after by companies around the world to conduct complex customer segmentation and statistical analysis on market opportunities and messaging, helping them to define their proposition and the market for their products and services.
Stela is motivated by making a positive impact for her clients to get them genuine value from a project. She cites a project for a global SaaS vendor that revamped its sales and marketing strategy to follow the segmentation advice, reporting immediate improved results.
Stela holds a Master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, USA, where her areas of focus were finance, trade policy and macroeconomics, and a BA in political science from the University of Charleston, USA. Stela also held roles in two USAID economic development programmes in Serbia, the Serbian Government, Raiffeisen Bank and Harvard University.
Partner, Analysys Mason
Alexander Ohlsson, Manager, Analysys Mason Alexander is a member of the consulting team in London, where he contributes to various strategic projects across the company. He has experience in commercial due diligence, business planning, regulation and transaction advisory projects across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Alex holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford.
Principal, Analysys Mason
Isabelle Mauro, Director General, GSOA Isabelle Mauro is Director General of the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) that represents the interests of 70 members in the satellite ecosystem. She reports directly to their Chief Executives.
Under Isabelle’s leadership, GSOA and its member CEOs lead the effort to showcase the benefits of satellite communications for a more inclusive and secure society – vital to bridging the world’s digital divide, achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and realizing the 5G ecosystem.
Isabelle has 25 years experience in the Telecoms and Technology sector, starting at the GSMA, where she was responsible for government and international Affairs. In 2015 she moved to New York to join the World Economic Forum as Head of Information, Communications and Technology Industries, managing the portfolio for 60+ Tech companies globally and leading initiatives on inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.
Isabelle is passionate about inclusion and sustainability. She is Chair of the High-Level Advisory Board of the DigitalGoesGreen Foundation. She also sits on the Advisory Board of Women in Tech and is a member of the UNESCO Advisory Group for the Declaration on Connectivity for Education.
Isabelle holds an MSc in European Politics and Policy from the London School of Economics. She is fluent in French, English, Italian and Spanish.
Director General, GSOA
Robert Mourik, 2025 Chair, BEREC Robert Mourik is a BEREC Vice-Chair in 2024 and will assume the role of BEREC Chair for 2025 on 1 January. He joined the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) as Commissioner in 2019 and has almost thirty years’ experience in the telecoms sector, as an industry executive and as a Government official. Prior to joining ComReg, he worked for Cubic Telecom, a new entrant in the automotive IoT space, where he was responsible for all wholesale activities. Robert spent almost 10 years in Telefonica as the European Regulatory Strategy Director at their corporate HQ in Madrid and as Strategy Director in Ireland. He also worked for Vodafone Group, as its head of their Brussels Office and in the regulatory department in Newbury, UK. In 1991, Robert began his career in the Dutch Department for Transport and Telecommunication, and from 1994 until 1999, he served as Telecom Attache at the Netherlands’ Permanent Representation in Brussels. He was a Member and Chair of the Council Telecoms Working Group in 1998, when the first telecom regulatory package was adopted. Robert was born in the Netherlands and studied Economics and Public Policy at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and the University of Hull (UK).
2025 Chair, BEREC
Aleksander Sołtysik, Counsellor, Telecom, Radio Spectrum, AI, Digital Affairs Section, Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU Aleksander Sołtysik is an attaché for the telecommunication sector in the Permanent Representation of Poland to the European Union and represents Ministry of Digital Affairs in the Council of the European Union. The main responsibilities are matters regarding radio spectrum, gigabit infrastructure, artificial intelligence and Digital Decade. Currently he is the Chair of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group – a high-level advisory group that assists the European Commission in the development of radio spectrum policy. He is also an outgoing co-rapporteur of the RSPG Working Group on Peer Review and Member State cooperation on authorizations and awards, which is responsible for annual reports on the implementation of the art. 35 of the European Electronic Communications Code. Aleksander was the Head of International Telecommunication Unit at the Ministry of Digital Affair, engaged in the International Telecommunication Union’s and CEPT matters, mainly focusing on the preparations for the World Radiocommunication Conferences. He was a Kosciuszko Foundation scholar at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and hold a PhD degree from the Jagiellonian University in Cracow.
Counsellor, Telecom, Radio Spectrum, AI, Digital Affairs Section, Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU
Gerasimos Sofianatos, Head of Unit, Radio Spectrum Policy, European Commission He has been a Commission official since 2011 and worked in different roles related to policy and implementation of the EU Regulatory Framework for Electronic Communications.
Gerasimos led the team monitoring and implementing EU law and the European Electronic Communications Code. Before joining the Commission, Gerasimos worked as a legal officer at the Cypriot National Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications (OCECPR). He is a Member of the Athens Bar Association, where he practiced competition law after completing his master’s in business law and a Ph.D. in competition law at the Paris 1- Sorbonne University.
He also holds a law degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a post-graduate degree in Economics for Competition law from the King’s College London.
Head of Unit, Radio Spectrum Policy, European Commission
Brian Williamson, Communication Chamber Brian has advised clients in relation to telecoms, technology and radio spectrum policy and strategy issues. He has developed new ways of approaching policy problems, including the anchor product regulation concept adopted in Europe. Brian was a founder of Plum Consulting and has previously worked at Indepen, NERA Economic Consulting and the New Zealand Treasury. Brian has an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and a BSc in Physics from the University of Auckland..
Communication Chambers
Lucy Cronin, Vice President, EU Public Policy, Amazon Lucy Cronin is vice-president, EU Public Policy, at Amazon. She is a senior public affairs professional with 30 years’ experience, and has worked in a wide range of highly regulated sectors impacted by international, EU, national, and local policy developments. During that time, Cronin has also served as director of a range of businesses, charities, and NGOs, and has delivered guest lectures on political communications at Dublin City University. Cronin has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Trinity College Dublin and a master’s degree in international relations from Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Vice President, EU Public Policy, Amazon
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Brian has advised clients in relation to telecoms, technology and radio spectrum policy and strategy issues. He has developed new ways of approaching policy problems, including the anchor product regulation concept adopted in Europe. Brian was a founder of Plum Consulting and has previously worked at Indepen, NERA Economic Consulting and the New Zealand Treasury. Brian has an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and a BSc in Physics from the University of Auckland..
Stela is a Partner in the consulting team at Analysys Mason, where she leads on strategy projects with many of the world’s leading hyperscalers, technology vendors and operators. Her work centres on advising clients on how to enter a new market, expand market share, and optimise their positioning and competitive differentiation. She is active in both the enterprise IT market and the (often overlooked) SMB IT market.
Her core strength lies in primary research, where she has developed a tool to process survey data in real time and is often sought after by companies around the world to conduct complex customer segmentation and statistical analysis on market opportunities and messaging, helping them to define their proposition and the market for their products and services.
Stela is motivated by making a positive impact for her clients to get them genuine value from a project. She cites a project for a global SaaS vendor that revamped its sales and marketing strategy to follow the segmentation advice, reporting immediate improved results.
Stela holds a Master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, USA, where her areas of focus were finance, trade policy and macroeconomics, and a BA in political science from the University of Charleston, USA. Stela also held roles in two USAID economic development programmes in Serbia, the Serbian Government, Raiffeisen Bank and Harvard University.
Alexander is a member of the consulting team in London, where he contributes to various strategic projects across the company. He has experience in commercial due diligence, business planning, regulation and transaction advisory projects across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Alex holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford.
Brian has advised clients in relation to telecoms, technology and radio spectrum policy and strategy issues. He has developed new ways of approaching policy problems, including the anchor product regulation concept adopted in Europe. Brian was a founder of Plum Consulting and has previously worked at Indepen, NERA Economic Consulting and the New Zealand Treasury. Brian has an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and a BSc in Physics from the University of Auckland..
Aleksander Sołtysik is an attaché for the telecommunication sector in the Permanent Representation of Poland to the European Union and represents Ministry of Digital Affairs in the Council of the European Union. The main responsibilities are matters regarding radio spectrum, gigabit infrastructure, artificial intelligence and Digital Decade. Currently he is the Chair of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group – a high-level advisory group that assists the European Commission in the development of radio spectrum policy. He is also an outgoing co-rapporteur of the RSPG Working Group on Peer Review and Member State cooperation on authorizations and awards, which is responsible for annual reports on the implementation of the art. 35 of the European Electronic Communications Code. Aleksander was the Head of International Telecommunication Unit at the Ministry of Digital Affair, engaged in the International Telecommunication Union’s and CEPT matters, mainly focusing on the preparations for the World Radiocommunication Conferences. He was a Kosciuszko Foundation scholar at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and hold a PhD degree from the Jagiellonian University in Cracow.
He has been a Commission official since 2011 and worked in different roles related to policy and implementation of the EU Regulatory Framework for Electronic Communications.
Gerasimos led the team monitoring and implementing EU law and the European Electronic Communications Code. Before joining the Commission, Gerasimos worked as a legal officer at the Cypriot National Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications (OCECPR). He is a Member of the Athens Bar Association, where he practiced competition law after completing his master’s in business law and a Ph.D. in competition law at the Paris 1- Sorbonne University.
He also holds a law degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a post-graduate degree in Economics for Competition law from the King’s College London.
Isabelle Mauro is Director General of the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) that represents the interests of 70 members in the satellite ecosystem. She reports directly to their Chief Executives.
Under Isabelle’s leadership, GSOA and its member CEOs lead the effort to showcase the benefits of satellite communications for a more inclusive and secure society – vital to bridging the world’s digital divide, achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and realizing the 5G ecosystem.
Isabelle has 25 years experience in the Telecoms and Technology sector, starting at the GSMA, where she was responsible for government and international Affairs. In 2015 she moved to New York to join the World Economic Forum as Head of Information, Communications and Technology Industries, managing the portfolio for 60+ Tech companies globally and leading initiatives on inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.
Isabelle is passionate about inclusion and sustainability. She is Chair of the High-Level Advisory Board of the DigitalGoesGreen Foundation. She also sits on the Advisory Board of Women in Tech and is a member of the UNESCO Advisory Group for the Declaration on Connectivity for Education.
Isabelle holds an MSc in European Politics and Policy from the London School of Economics. She is fluent in French, English, Italian and Spanish.
Lucy Cronin is vice-president, EU Public Policy, at Amazon. She is a senior public affairs professional with 30 years’ experience, and has worked in a wide range of highly regulated sectors impacted by international, EU, national, and local policy developments. During that time, Cronin has also served as director of a range of businesses, charities, and NGOs, and has delivered guest lectures on political communications at Dublin City University. Cronin has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Trinity College Dublin and a master’s degree in international relations from Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Robert Mourik is a BEREC Vice-Chair in 2024 and will assume the role of BEREC Chair for 2025 on 1 January. He joined the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) as Commissioner in 2019 and has almost thirty years’ experience in the telecoms sector, as an industry executive and as a Government official. Prior to joining ComReg, he worked for Cubic Telecom, a new entrant in the automotive IoT space, where he was responsible for all wholesale activities. Robert spent almost 10 years in Telefonica as the European Regulatory Strategy Director at their corporate HQ in Madrid and as Strategy Director in Ireland. He also worked for Vodafone Group, as its head of their Brussels Office and in the regulatory department in Newbury, UK. In 1991, Robert began his career in the Dutch Department for Transport and Telecommunication, and from 1994 until 1999, he served as Telecom Attache at the Netherlands’ Permanent Representation in Brussels. He was a Member and Chair of the Council Telecoms Working Group in 1998, when the first telecom regulatory package was adopted. Robert was born in the Netherlands and studied Economics and Public Policy at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and the University of Hull (UK).
Brian has advised clients in relation to telecoms, technology and radio spectrum policy and strategy issues. He has developed new ways of approaching policy problems, including the anchor product regulation concept adopted in Europe. Brian was a founder of Plum Consulting and has previously worked at Indepen, NERA Economic Consulting and the New Zealand Treasury. Brian has an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and a BSc in Physics from the University of Auckland..
Stela is a Partner in the consulting team at Analysys Mason, where she leads on strategy projects with many of the world’s leading hyperscalers, technology vendors and operators. Her work centres on advising clients on how to enter a new market, expand market share, and optimise their positioning and competitive differentiation. She is active in both the enterprise IT market and the (often overlooked) SMB IT market.
Her core strength lies in primary research, where she has developed a tool to process survey data in real time and is often sought after by companies around the world to conduct complex customer segmentation and statistical analysis on market opportunities and messaging, helping them to define their proposition and the market for their products and services.
Stela is motivated by making a positive impact for her clients to get them genuine value from a project. She cites a project for a global SaaS vendor that revamped its sales and marketing strategy to follow the segmentation advice, reporting immediate improved results.
Stela holds a Master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, USA, where her areas of focus were finance, trade policy and macroeconomics, and a BA in political science from the University of Charleston, USA. Stela also held roles in two USAID economic development programmes in Serbia, the Serbian Government, Raiffeisen Bank and Harvard University.
Alexander is a member of the consulting team in London, where he contributes to various strategic projects across the company. He has experience in commercial due diligence, business planning, regulation and transaction advisory projects across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Alex holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford.
Brian has advised clients in relation to telecoms, technology and radio spectrum policy and strategy issues. He has developed new ways of approaching policy problems, including the anchor product regulation concept adopted in Europe. Brian was a founder of Plum Consulting and has previously worked at Indepen, NERA Economic Consulting and the New Zealand Treasury. Brian has an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and a BSc in Physics from the University of Auckland..
Aleksander Sołtysik is an attaché for the telecommunication sector in the Permanent Representation of Poland to the European Union and represents Ministry of Digital Affairs in the Council of the European Union. The main responsibilities are matters regarding radio spectrum, gigabit infrastructure, artificial intelligence and Digital Decade. Currently he is the Chair of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group – a high-level advisory group that assists the European Commission in the development of radio spectrum policy. He is also an outgoing co-rapporteur of the RSPG Working Group on Peer Review and Member State cooperation on authorizations and awards, which is responsible for annual reports on the implementation of the art. 35 of the European Electronic Communications Code. Aleksander was the Head of International Telecommunication Unit at the Ministry of Digital Affair, engaged in the International Telecommunication Union’s and CEPT matters, mainly focusing on the preparations for the World Radiocommunication Conferences. He was a Kosciuszko Foundation scholar at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and hold a PhD degree from the Jagiellonian University in Cracow.
He has been a Commission official since 2011 and worked in different roles related to policy and implementation of the EU Regulatory Framework for Electronic Communications.
Gerasimos led the team monitoring and implementing EU law and the European Electronic Communications Code. Before joining the Commission, Gerasimos worked as a legal officer at the Cypriot National Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications (OCECPR). He is a Member of the Athens Bar Association, where he practiced competition law after completing his master’s in business law and a Ph.D. in competition law at the Paris 1- Sorbonne University.
He also holds a law degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a post-graduate degree in Economics for Competition law from the King’s College London.
Isabelle Mauro is Director General of the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) that represents the interests of 70 members in the satellite ecosystem. She reports directly to their Chief Executives.
Under Isabelle’s leadership, GSOA and its member CEOs lead the effort to showcase the benefits of satellite communications for a more inclusive and secure society – vital to bridging the world’s digital divide, achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and realizing the 5G ecosystem.
Isabelle has 25 years experience in the Telecoms and Technology sector, starting at the GSMA, where she was responsible for government and international Affairs. In 2015 she moved to New York to join the World Economic Forum as Head of Information, Communications and Technology Industries, managing the portfolio for 60+ Tech companies globally and leading initiatives on inclusive and sustainable digital transformation.
Isabelle is passionate about inclusion and sustainability. She is Chair of the High-Level Advisory Board of the DigitalGoesGreen Foundation. She also sits on the Advisory Board of Women in Tech and is a member of the UNESCO Advisory Group for the Declaration on Connectivity for Education.
Isabelle holds an MSc in European Politics and Policy from the London School of Economics. She is fluent in French, English, Italian and Spanish.
Lucy Cronin is vice-president, EU Public Policy, at Amazon. She is a senior public affairs professional with 30 years’ experience, and has worked in a wide range of highly regulated sectors impacted by international, EU, national, and local policy developments. During that time, Cronin has also served as director of a range of businesses, charities, and NGOs, and has delivered guest lectures on political communications at Dublin City University. Cronin has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Trinity College Dublin and a master’s degree in international relations from Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Robert Mourik is a BEREC Vice-Chair in 2024 and will assume the role of BEREC Chair for 2025 on 1 January. He joined the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) as Commissioner in 2019 and has almost thirty years’ experience in the telecoms sector, as an industry executive and as a Government official. Prior to joining ComReg, he worked for Cubic Telecom, a new entrant in the automotive IoT space, where he was responsible for all wholesale activities. Robert spent almost 10 years in Telefonica as the European Regulatory Strategy Director at their corporate HQ in Madrid and as Strategy Director in Ireland. He also worked for Vodafone Group, as its head of their Brussels Office and in the regulatory department in Newbury, UK. In 1991, Robert began his career in the Dutch Department for Transport and Telecommunication, and from 1994 until 1999, he served as Telecom Attache at the Netherlands’ Permanent Representation in Brussels. He was a Member and Chair of the Council Telecoms Working Group in 1998, when the first telecom regulatory package was adopted. Robert was born in the Netherlands and studied Economics and Public Policy at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and the University of Hull (UK).
50+ guests gathered in Budapest, Hungary in October 2024 for the kick off event to discuss the Future of Connectivity in Europe. Speakers included Tonko Obuljen, Chair 2024, BEREC; Sandra Maximiano, Chairwoman, ANACOM and Konstantinos Masselos, President, ETT.
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