• David Morken – Co-founder, CEO – Bandwidth

For 25 years, Bandwidth has cemented its leadership in the voice and messaging industry through close collaboration with carriers and software platforms. In this keynote address, David Morken, Founder and CEO of Bandwidth, will discuss the ecosystem’s need for streamlined, industry-wide registration processes and trust-building efforts to protect the future of business messaging, and propose the core values that can pave the way for cooperative action across our messaging ecosystem:

• Upholding industry partnerships
• Software innovation that can help us scale trust in solution
• Serving the public good as our north star

• Gavin Patterson – Director of Data, MEF

Learn how Apple’s support for RCS messaging in iOS 18 and the long-awaited adoption of Google’s RCS messaging platform by major US mobile network operators could help mitigate fraud in the A2P SMS channel and trigger a richer future for MNO messaging in the face of rising competition from OTT platforms.

• Steve Legge – CEO and President, netnumber
• Mark Harvey – CEO, Sekura ID
• Gautam Hazari – CTO, Sekura ID

Anonymity and imperception are the most vital tools in the modern day fraudster’s arsenal — after all, the element of surprise and the cover of darkness do wonders for helping nefarious plans succeed. As sophisticated fraud mechanisms continue to threaten mobile evolution and enterprise communications, this industry (and the organizations within it) need tools that are evolving at the same rate as bad actors.

Combating fraud efficiently means first bringing fraudsters to light — and the best way to accomplish that is with the careful collection and distribution of accurate, up-to-date data. What if there could be a comprehensive registry of phone numbers known to be involved in fraud so that MNOs, MVNOs, financial institutions, CPaaS providers and enterprises could better protect themselves?

In this session, join Steve Legge, CEO and President of industry-leading Number Intelligence as a Service (NIaaS) provider netnumber, as he digs deep into what it takes to build this resource and how a range of users can use it to their advantage. In this Session on Security, listeners can expect to dive deep into the new reality of fraud and explore the tools that have emerged to help successfully combat bad actors with powerful, real-time data-based insights that remove the veil of secrecy from malicious activity at scale. Furthermore, listeners will explore how a robust registry can actively help fight fraud across a variety of use cases for enterprise brands, carriers, CPaaS providers, financial institutions and more.

• Glenn Richards – Member, Dickinson Wright
• Kevin Rupy – Partner, Wiley
• Steve Augustino – Partner, Nelson Mullins

Regulators continue to grapple with the evolving challenges of robocalls and robotexts. Your business, shareholders and customers demand compliance. This session will explore recent FCC and judicial decisions, what’s pending and how the upcoming election might change the landscape.

• Tina Donaldson, Vice President, Strategy – Netnumber
• Bill LaRuffa, Senior Director, Business Development – Somos

With Somos ensuring voice enablement and validating the right to use of Toll-Free numbers, and netnumber distributing routing intelligence and text provisioning, Toll Free subscribers have been able to text customers using Toll-Free numbers for several years.  These processes ensure the right subscriber has the right experience text enabling with their Toll-Free numbers.  Join Bill LaRuffa, Senior Director, Business Development for Somos and Tina Donaldson, VP of Strategy for netnumber, as they explain how these processes continue to support Toll-Free services.

Our objectives from this session:

• Discuss the Toll-Free Routing and Messaging Ecosystem 
• Clarify the roles and importance of the two companies
• Highlight the RTU process that Somos continues to run and it’s value to market

• Dario Betti – CEO, MEF
• Vijesh Mehta – Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, EZ Texting
• Brad Herrmann – CEO and Founder, Text-Em-All

There are 33 million small businesses in the USA, or 99.9% of the total. They employ nearly half of the American workforce and represent 43.5% of America’s GDP. Are SMBs ready to embrace business messaging, and is business messaging ready for them? In this section we ask:

What is the vision for SMB in the future of messaging?
Is the current business messaging set up going to support SMB needs ?
How do we educate the SMB to use SMS?

• Matt Ekram, Advisor – MEF
• Mary Clark, President and Chief Operating Officer – Numeracle 
• Simeon Coney, Vice President of Business Development – ENEA AB
• Craig Temkin, Director of Solution Consultant & Vendor Ops – Solutions By Text
• Ron Willet, Vice President – ClearSky Technologies 

In today’s mobile-first world, delivering a seamless and secure experience is both a challenge and an opportunity for businesses. This panel will explore the strategies and technologies for enhancing mobile user experience while safeguarding data and communications. Our panel will discuss key issues such as rising complexity of mobile ecosystems, the importance of secure messaging channels, and challenges posed by evolving regulatory environment. The panel will cover innovative solutions to prevent fraud, improve user authentication and ensure compliance with global standards.

• Anna Quint, Executive Director – Campaign Verify
• Stephanie Lashley, VP, Messaging Strategic Alliances & Infrastructure – Bandwidth
• Roddy Lindsay, Founder and CEO of Zabit; Founder of Campaign Verify
• Webb Bostic, CEO – Wondercave

US election approaches, political messaging, such as text messaging, is set to play a critical role in campaign strategies. This panel will discuss and explore the unique challenges and opportunities presented by this powerful communications tool. This discussion will cover key issues such as ensuring compliance, maintaining message deliverability amidst carrier scrutiny and overcoming voter skepticism around SMS authenticity. Panelists will also explore the importance of verification processes, the impact of  technological advancements on political messaging, and best practices for maximizing voter engagement through text. 

• Stefan Heller – Vice President, Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, The Campaign Registry
• David Schwind – Sr. Product Manager, Sinch

Join Stefan Heller from The Campaign Registry and David Scwind from Sinch for a review of some of the critical upcoming roadmap releases for the 10DLC eco-system.

• Chris Wright, VP, Product Management – Strategy – Syniverse

Join Chris Wright, VP of Product Management – Strategy at Syniverse, for an update on the latest trends and developments in US short codes. With short codes becoming an increasingly vital tool for businesses, this session will explore the growth patterns and evolving dynamics of their usage across various industries. Chris will dive into recent changes in carrier policies, including any new approvals processes, regulations, and compliance standards that are shaping the future of short code messaging. You’ll also gain insights into the industries where short code traffic is most prevalent—from retail and finance to healthcare and logistics—and how businesses are leveraging this powerful tool to engage customers in real-time.

• Joe Stinziano, President & Chief Executive Officer – First Orion

In this presentation, we will explore the advancements in the Branded Calling ecosystem and its implications for the telecommunications industry. First Orion’s CEO, Joe Stinziano, will provide an in-depth update on the scale and growth of Branded Calling, highlighting its increasing adoption across various industry verticals and its pivotal role in enhancing communication strategies.

• Dario Betti, CEO – MEF
• Miriam Liszewski, RCS Commercial Product Manager – Sinch
• Jack Philbin, CEO – Vibes
• Inderpal Mumick, CEO – Dotgo
• Ramy Riad, Head of Innovation & Messaging Strategy Webex CPaaS Solutions – Cisco
• Stephen J. Zitnik, Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer – Interop Technologies
• Silvija Renuša, Business Unit Head – Infobip

RCS (Rich Communication Services) is at a pivotal moment in its evolution, but what does this shift mean for subscribers, operators, and messaging providers? As RCS Business Messaging (RBM) continues to gain traction, we’ll explore how it’s being used today and what the future holds for this powerful communication tool. Join us as we dive into the extensive features RCS offers for business messaging, discover what’s available today, and get a glimpse into what’s coming next. Plus, we’ll discuss how Apple’s approach could influence the future of RCS and what this means for the industry.

• Doug Makishima, Advisor – MEF
• Mijo Soldin, Vice President Telecom Strategy – Infobip
• Fatih Nar, Distinguished Architect – Red Hat
• Colin Brown, VP Products – Vonage
• Alicia Miller, Product Management Lead for Network APIs – Verizon

Mobile operators are transforming their networks into open, Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) platforms via standardized API’s, enabling new applications and creating new monetization opportunities. Exposing network services externally to enterprises and app developers enables new services and also improves the user experience and security for existing applications.

• Dario Betti – CEO, MEF
• Stefan Kostic – CEO, IPification
• Eddie DeCurtis – Co-Founder & CEO, Shush
• Carlos DaSilva – VP Products, Unibeam
• Alex Bobotek – Lead, Messaging Anti-Abuse Architecture and Strategy, AT&T Labs 

In an era where digital identity and authentication are critical to securing transactions and personal data, this panel will discuss the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities facing enterprises today. With consumer trust in traditional SMS authentication eroding, what are the emerging alternatives? How are regional variations influencing enterprise strategies, and what unique assets do MNOs bring to the table? Join industry leaders as they explore the evolving landscape of digital identity and authentication. The panel will also discuss the critical priorities for a safe and secure digital economy, the role of AI in authentication, and the need to accelerate the adoption of more secure authentication methods.

• Jeff Pulver – Founder, Pulver.com
• Thomas Howe – CTO, Stolid

In this session, two extraordinarily engaging experts will take the stage in a fireside chat, exploring vCons [Virtualized Conversations]; The Technical, Vision and “practical use cases.” spoken from the perspective of looking back 10 years from now. Delegates will learn how vCons revolutionized the way consumers and businesses communicate, making real-time data processing, decision-making, and regulatory compliance more seamless than ever before.
They will share how vCons not only enhanced customer interactions and operational efficiency but also set new standards for innovation, shaping the future of the telecom industry.

• Matt Ekram, Advisor – MEF
• David Fernandez, Co-founder – deCH.at
• Roddy Lindsay, Founder & CEO – Zabit
• Ashok Anand, Founder & CEO – Twixor

As AI continues to revolutionize communication, the integration of CPaaS and AI is driving the new era of “Messaging Transformation.” This panel will explore how AI is reshaping **content management** and customer engagement. The conversation will also cover AI’s critical role in security, tackling challenges like spam control, content drifting, and phishing. With the era of  conversational AI, the discussion will transition from unstructured chatbots to sophisticated AI personas and avatars, focusing on how to balance automation and the human touch for personalized marketing and customer experiences. Join us to explore the future of communications, where AI and CPaaS intersect to redefine how businesses connect with their customers.