New Approaches to Digital Distribution

A time of rapid change is coming to the industries of digital information, content and broadcasting. Advances in the nature of television – from PAL to HDTV and beyond, with new methods of creation and production, are changing the substance of public broadcasting. With the oncoming end of analogue, advances in digital distribution – broadband internet, high speed mobile and wireless access, low cost storage – are changing the way that content will be delivered and presented.

Andrew Bud is Executive Chairman of the Board of mBlox Inc, the world’s largest mobile transaction network. He co-founded the company in London in 1999 and as CEO until 2003 built it to become a leading provider of mobile messaging delivery and billing services for businesses. mBlox processes each year nearly 2.5 billion transactions worth $500m, connecting a range of enabling services between hundreds of mobile operators and thousands of mobile content & service businesses worldwide. Since June 2008 Andrew has been the Global Chairman of the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), the global trade association of the mobile content and services industry, on whose Board he has served since 2001. He is also the current Chair of the Advisory Council of the UCL Computer Science Department. From 2005 until 2008 Andrew served as a member of the Board of PhonePayPlus (previously ICSTIS), the Ofcom agency charged with regulating Premium Rate Services. Andrew was the founding technical head of Omnitel (now Vodafone Italia) in 1994. At Olivetti, he also founded and ran Europe's first Wireless LAN business, and played a leading role in the development of Europe’s successful DECT standard. Between 1996 and 1999 he was a Director of Connect Communications Group and was Group Marketing Director for Azlan plc, the £200m European distributor of internet technology.