The SIP Forum Announces FCC Chief Technologist Dr. Douglas C. Sicker Keynote Speaker for Inaugural SIPNOC Event

Dr. Sicker to address the worldwide service provider community on SIP technology and other technical advancements in IP communications

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The SIP Forum announced today Federal Communications Commission Chief Technologist Dr. Douglas C. Sicker as the keynote speaker for the first annual SIP Network Operators Conference (SIPNOC), being held at the Hyatt Dulles Hotel in Herndon, VA, April 25 -27, 2011.

“In recognizing the importance of interconnected VoIP service as a growing part of the U.S. voice service market, I look forward to gaining a richer perspective on the future of SIP-enabled communications among service providers.”

Aimed at an international audience focused on the operational and technical aspects of service provider networks, SIPNOC will focus on issues critical to the reliable and successful deployment and operation of SIP-based services in carrier networks. The agenda will feature special presentations, panel discussions and workshops covering key topics by network operators related to SIP-based services and infrastructure, including testing, application development, SIP trunking, FoIP, call routing and peering, troubleshooting and monitoring, emergency services and more. The event website is located at www.sipnoc.org.

“I'm delighted to participate in this inaugural meeting of SIPNOC,” said Dr. Sicker. “In recognizing the importance of interconnected VoIP service as a growing part of the U.S. voice service market, I look forward to gaining a richer perspective on the future of SIP-enabled communications among service providers.”

As Chief Technologist for the FCC, Dr. Sicker is responsible for advising the agency on communications technology issues, a position that resides in the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis. Dr. Sicker is also an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder with a joint appointment in the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program. He previously served on the Omnibus Broadband Initiative working on research and development issues. His other leadership roles include director of global architecture at Level 3 Communications, Inc, and chief of the network technology division at FCC.

Dr. Sicker has chaired and served on the program committees of numerous technical conferences, including IEEE, DySPAN, ISART and TPRC. He has also had research funded through the NSF, DARPA, the Internet Society and the Federal Aviation Administration.

“Dr. Sicker is a leading mind in both domestic and international communications, and we are thrilled to have him on board as the first keynote speaker of SIPNOC,” said Eric Burger, SIP Forum Chairman Emeritus and Chairman of the SIPNOC Program Committee.

Attendees at SIPNOC will include telecommunications providers, major backbone operators, interconnect and wholesale solution providers, ISPs, cable operators, wireless network operators as well as large enterprises deploying major SIP initiatives.

The SIP Forum has gained an international reputation for developing important, educational events surrounding SIP. The organization’s SIPit series of interoperability testing events regularly provides a test bed for SIP-based applications and equipment that has been heralded as critical for the development of new products and services in the industry. The SIP Forum also has a number of committees and task groups made up of well-known industry experts examining a myriad of SIP-related topics, including the use of SIP in smart grid installations, FoIP, video, and user-agent configuration.

For More Information, Submit Speaking Proposals, and to Register

For more information about SIPNOC, please visit www.sipnoc.org or send an email to [e-mail].

Proposed papers and presentations are currently being accepted by the SIPNOC Program Committee. To view the official call for papers, which includes instructions on submitting material and specific SIPNOC policies, please visit www.sipnoc.org or download the document here: http://www.sipforum.org/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,469/Itemid,261/

A special early-bird registration rate of $595 – $200 off the regular rate of $795 -- is now in effect until February 11, 2011! To register for SIPNOC, please visit http://www.regonline.com/sipnoc_2011.

For information about corporate sponsorship opportunities at SIPNOC, please contact Marc Robins, SIP Forum President and Managing Director, at 718-548-7245 or marc.robins “at” sipforum.org.

About the SIP Forum

The SIP Forum is an IP communications industry association that engages in numerous activities that promote and advance SIP-based technology, such as the development of industry recommendations, the SIPit interoperability and testing events, special interoperability workshops, educational seminars, and general promotion of SIP in the industry. One of the Forum's notable technical activities is the development of the SIPconnect Technical Recommendation -- a standards-based recommendation that provides detailed guidelines for direct IP peering and interoperability between IP PBXs and VoIP service provider networks. The SIPconnect Compliant Certification Program is an associated program through which eligible companies can gain SIPconnect validation and the right to license the use of the SIP Forum's 'SIPconnect Compliant' certification mark -- the official brand of the leading standard for SIP Trunking products and services. Other important Forum initiatives include work in Fax-over-IP interoperability, User Agent Configuration, and the opportunities for SIP in Smart Grid deployments. For more information, please visit: http://www.sipforum.org.