2024 Conference Program

World-class speakers converged at GNE 2024 for three days of conference sessions accelerating the evolution of secure Network-as-a-Service offerings, platforms, and ecosystems.
GNE’s business-oriented 2024 Conference Agenda focused on these key areas:

Enterprises & NaaS

  • The Future of Enterprise Networking​​
  • The Challenging Cybersecurity Landscape​
  • SD-WAN, SASE, and the Evolution to NaaS​
  • The NaaS Business Wish List​
  • Prominent NaaS Use Cases
  • The NaaS Provider as Your Marketplace​
  • Developing an Enterprise NaaS Strategy​

NaaS Offerings

  • The NaaS Customer Experience—Essential Features​
  • Report Card on the NaaS Market ​
  • NaaS Services and Bundling Trends​
  • NaaS for Unified Multi-Cloud and Private Cloud​
  • Securing NaaS with SASE​
  • Evolution of NaaS SLAs​
  • Commercial Challenges of NaaS ​
  • Opportunities and Outlook for AI​

NaaS Ecosystems & Automation

  • 360-degree View of the Global NaaS Ecosystem​ and Players​​
  • Building Supply Chains for NaaS​
  • Zero Trust Securing the NaaS Ecosystem​
  • Standardization in the DNA of NaaS​
  • LSO as the East-West Interoperability Framework​
  • Horizontally Integrating Cloud-based Technology Solutions​
  • Qualifying NaaS Ecosystem Partners​
  • LSO Automation Summit >

At the LSO Automation Summit:

  • LSO Buyer and Seller Journeys​
  • Amplifying LSO Value with Product Payloads​
  • Business Cases for Automating with LSO APIs​
  • Matchmaking for LSO Partners​
  • LSO APIs for Enterprises​
  • LSO On-ramps for Non-Automated SPs​
  • Understanding MEF, TMF, and CAMARA​
  • Solving Global Address Validation Challenges​
  • Smart Contracts and Blockchain for Accurate Ordering and Billing​
  • Testing and Certifying LSO APIs

GNE 2024 Day 1: LSO Automation Summit
28 October

Also see DAY 2 | DAY 3

09:00 Registration Opens
  • Register
  • Badge pick-up
10:30 Coffee & Refreshments
12:00–13:00 Networking Lunch
13:00–13:10 LSO Automation Summit Welcome Address

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As we kick off the second LSO Automation Summit, we’ll take a moment to celebrate the past year's milestones before we delve into what’s next. With six dynamic panel discussions led by top analysts and an enterprise-focused panel from our MEF Enterprise Leadership Council, we’re ready to explore the future of automation.

13:10–13:45 Panel Discussion: LSO Automation and NaaS Federation

Moderator: Roy Chua, AvidThink, Founder & Principal

Panel:

Leading service providers in the LSO ecosystem discuss the introduction of the NaaS federation concept into the MEF ecosystem, based on LSO business automation. They will touch on the roles of NaaS federation members, NaaS suppliers, NaaS buyers, and NaaS federation enablers.

13:45–13:55 Demonstration: Matchmaking for LSO Partners

Daniel Bar-Lev, MEF, Chief Product Officer

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Watch an onscreen demonstration of a platform on which members of the MEF ecosystem can immediately identify partners with whom they are interoperable via LSO APIs.

13:55–14:20 Panel Discussion: Business Cases for Automating with LSO APIs and LSO Products and Services

Moderator: Roy Chua, AvidThink, Founder & Principal

Panel:

Service provider product groups typically need to justify the implementation of automation within their organizations. This discussion will address where standardized product payloads can increase the return on investment in LSO APIs for service providers while streamlining business through the NaaS supply chain using Internet Access and SD-WAN as examples.

We will also touch on the importance of understanding market segmentation of LSO business automation beyond international wholesale, including consumer markets, domestic enterprise, and domestic USA.

14:20–14:50 Panel Discussion: LSO for Enterprises: Business APIs and New Notification Services

Moderator: Sunil Khandekar, MEF, Chief Enterprise Development Officer

Panel:

Enterprises and service providers discuss the opportunities to increase business automation afforded by LSO APIs. As an example, they highlight the new Circuit Impairment and Maintenance (CIM) service.

Also, visit the Enterprise Leadership Council Innovation Station any time to watch the LSO CIM Service API in action in a live demonstration; Innovation Stations stay open throughout the conference!

14:50–15:10 Networking Break
15:10–15:35 Panel Discussion: The LSO Seller and Buyer Journeys

Moderator: Rosemary Cochran, Vertical Systems Group, Principal & Co-Founder

Panel:

Hear a discussion with leading service and technology providers on their experiences with implementing LSO APIs on the sell side, and the path forward to maximizing their return on investment opposite LSO Buyers, in emerging on-demand supply chains.

In addition, they will cover the key aspects of onboarding large numbers of LSO Sellers as they increase the breadth of their LSO API implementations and update their releases. It will also highlight the value of the MEF Onboarding & Interop Test (OIT) service and LSO API certification.

15:35–15:55 Panel Discussion: LSO On-Ramps for Non-Automated Service Providers

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Moderator: Rosemary Cochran, Vertical Systems Group, Principal & Co-Founder

Panel:

Increasing numbers of last-mile connectivity providers want to engage in the LSO ecosystem, but lacking resources to implement LSO APIs themselves. In response, LSO Solution Providers are offering portals for them to participate in the marketplace with LSO Buyers.

LSO Solution Providers will elaborate on options for smaller connectivity suppliers in NaaS and telecom supply chains.

15:55–16:15 Networking Break
16:15–16:45 Panel Discussion: Product Models and AI: Wavelength, Multi-Cloud, and More

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Moderator: Charlie Reed, ATLANTIC-ACM, Partner

Panel:

In this final session of the LSO Automation Summit, we look at the implications of standardizing product models as LSO Payloads to support the rapidly growing need for bandwidth-on-demand and multi-cloud in AI use cases.

16:45–16:50 LSO Automation Summit Closing Remarks
17:30–18:30 MEF Media Briefing
Join us as we set the stage for the two days ahead with exclusive news and highlights from MEF leadership and select GNE sponsors. Open to all attendees, the MEF Media Briefing offers an excellent opportunity to gain insights into the upcoming sessions, activities, and news.
18:30–20:30 Opening Party Texas BBQ with DJ
Dust off those boots and grab your hat—DJ Kelly is gonna light up our opening party with all your favorite country hits!

GNE 2024 Day 2: Tuesday 29 October, 2024

Also see DAY 1 | DAY 3

07:30–08:30 Breakfast
08:00 Registration Opens
09:10–09:20 MEF CEO Address
09:20–09:40 Diamond Keynote: NaaS & APIs—Facilitating the Movement of Data Globally
09:40–10:00 MEF CTO Keynote: Building & Scaling the Global NaaS Ecosystem

Pascal Menezes, MEF, Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer

NaaS is the combination of on-demand connectivity, application assurance, cybersecurity, and multi-cloud-based services across a standards-based automated ecosystem. NaaS solutions increasingly will be made of piece parts of many providers, which could include retail service providers, wholesale service providers, hyperscalers, technology solution providers, data center providers, and others.

MEF's CTO will discuss the roles of ecosystem players and how they are working toward a common goal of building and scaling NaaS across automated networks.

10:00–10:20 Diamond Keynote: The Next Chapter in Network Connectivity

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Dave Ward, Lumen, Chief Technology Officer

The future of enterprise networking is already here, but the industry is only partway through its own digitization journey. While AI and data-driven innovation are pushing the limits of existing networks, many enterprises and service providers still rely on legacy architectures that are holding them back. The traditional models of MPLS VPNs and meet-me rooms are no longer sufficient to meet the growing demands of AI workloads and real-time data analytics.

The industry is at a tipping point where digitization isn’t just about the cloud—it’s about the network. As enterprises and service providers work to modernize, they are realizing that Private Connectivity Fabrics (PCF), fiber, and wave connectivity are not just options—they are critical components for scaling in the AI era.

10:20–10:25 Guest Perspective: Google Global Enterprise Networks—Priorities for Acquiring NaaS Services
10:25–10:55 Panel Discussion: The Future of Enterprise Networking

Moderator: Sunil Khandekar, MEF, Chief Enterprise Development Officer

Panel:

The future of enterprise networking is being defined by rapid advancements in cloud computing, AI, cybersecurity, and NaaS. Executive enterprise panelists will share their perspectives on digital transformation drivers, cloud-first strategies, AI-enhanced networking, cyber threats, and SD-WAN, Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), and NaaS adoption, etc.

10:55–11:00 NaaS in Action—Hot Mongoose: NaaS Accelerator Live Preview

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Catch a preview of NaaS Accelerator Hot Mongoose in action!

Also, visit the Hot Mongoose Innovation Station any time to watch Hot Mongoose in action in a NaaS Accelerator Live demonstration; Innovation Stations stay open throughout the conference!

11:00–11:20 Networking Break
11:20–11:40 Executive Fireside Chat: NaaS Innovations—Making Businesses More Agile

Moderator: Erin Dunne, Vertical Systems Group, Director of Research

Panel:

"The definition of NaaS varies within the industry and by customer, with each having different expectations from NaaS. Executive panelists share how they view Naas, the challenges NaaS addresses, where there is still opportunity, and what excites them about the future of NaaS.

Explore how deepening the relationships between service providers and vendors can help to simplify the customer experience by increasing flexibility, shorting deployment cycles, and enabling service bundling to drive innovation."

11:40–12:10 Panel Discussion: Optimizing AI Workloads with NaaS in Multi-Cloud Environments

Moderator: Roy Chua, AvidThink, Founder & Principal

Panel:

Integration of NaaS with multi-cloud environments is essential for optimizing AI workloads in the era of AI-driven digital transformation. Executive panelists will delve into the critical role that network infrastructure plays in enhancing the performance, reducing the latency, and improving cost efficiency of AI operations across multiple cloud platforms.

Among other things, panelists will explore how NaaS can dynamically allocate network resources to ensure high performance of AI workloads, discuss how NaaS solutions can reduce latency for real-time data processing and other AI operations, and examine how the pay-as-you-go model of NaaS can lead to cost savings.

12:10–12:40 Panel Discussion: The Challenging Cybersecurity Landscape

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Moderator: Stan Hubbard, MEF, Principal Analyst

Panel:

As highlighted in MEF's new State of the Industry Report on Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), the risk of major cyberattacks against organizations, especially in critical infrastructure sectors, has never been greater. Join cybersecurity experts to discuss the evolving threat environment, the positive and negative impacts of AI on cybersecurity, and the key steps we need to take to contain the "blast radius" of attacks, minimize threats to critical infrastructure, and provide relief to those on the front lines of cyber defense.

12:40–12:55 Executive Presentation: NaaS—Interoperability and AI Innovation for a Unified Ecosystem
12:55–13:00 NaaS in Action—Silent Comet: NaaS Accelerator Live Preview

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Catch a preview of NaaS Accelerator Silent Comet in action!

Also, visit the Silent Comet Innovation Station any time to watch Silent Comet in action in a NaaS Accelerator Live demonstration; Innovation Stations stay open throughout the conference!

13:00–14:15 Networking Lunch
14:15 Welcome Back
14:15–14:45 Executive Perspectives: SD-WAN, SASE, and the Evolution to NaaS

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Moderator: Mauricio Sanchez, Dell'Oro Group, Senior Director, Enterprise Networking & Security Market Research

Panel:

For many enterprises, the digital transformation journey prioritizing cybersecurity will transition from SD-WAN or Secure Service Edge (SSE) to SASE (combining SD-WAN, Zero Trust, and SSE), and ultimately to secure NaaS solutions with integrated SASE. This session will explore leading SASE technologies and managed services that unify SD-WAN, Zero Trust, and SSE functions, providing comprehensive solutions that transform enterprise networking and cybersecurity architectures.

Speakers will share their perspectives on MEF's new standards-based SASE certification comprised of individual certifications for SD-WAN, Zero Trust, and SSE.

15:00–15:30 Panel Discussion: The NaaS Customer Experience—Exploring Essential Features

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Moderator: Greg Bryan, TeleGeography, Senior Manager, Enterprise Research

Panel:

Enterprises increasingly are seeking NaaS solutions with a cloud-like consumption model that can be provisioned in near real time, scale or adapt quickly, and are available under flexible commercial models on a pay-as-you-go basis. Speakers on this panel will explore the essential features that customers should expect from NaaS. This includes always-on platform access, a management console, standardized API access for all business and operational functionality, usage tracking, real-time serviceability, short or zero-commitment contracts, online ordering, and much more. Also see MEF's new white paper, NaaS Customer Experience: Articulating the Essential Features of a NaaS Offering.

15:30–16:00 Panel Discussion: Developing an Enterprise NaaS Strategy

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Moderator: Siân Morgan, Dell’Oro Group, Research Director

Panel:

Experts will discuss transitioning from traditional networking to NaaS, integrating SASE for robust security, and leveraging automation for network management.

Discover best practices for creating a scalable, cost-effective network infrastructure that ensures seamless, secure connections to multiple cloud environments, optimizing performance, and safeguarding data.

Gain insights into leveraging cutting-edge NaaS solutions to meet the evolving enterprise demands.

16:00–19:00 Networking & Innovation Station Demonstrations
  • View demonstrations at innovation stations located throughout the main foyer at any time during the conference!
  • Meet with customers at meeting tables and conduct business in private meeting rooms and suites.
16:30–17:30 MEF 3.0 LSO API Test & Certification Program Briefing

Neil Danilowicz, MEF, Director of Test and Certification

In Q4 2024, MEF will launch a new MEF 3.0 LSO API Test & Certification Program targeted at a broad ecosystem of service providers of all sizes. This briefing will present program highlights, benefits, pre-requisites, and pricing. The session will also include a Q&A.

17:30–19:00 Happy Hour Refreshments
Join friends and colleagues for the happiest hour of the day! Sponsored by CMC Networks.
19:00–22:00 NaaS Excellence Awards Gala Dinner
Join us at the NaaS Excellence Awards Gala Dinner for an evening not to be missed as we present the MEF NaaS Excellence Awards with Emcee Anthony Russo at the helm and entertainment by DJ Kelly.

The 2024 NaaS Excellence Awards continue to set themselves apart, honoring advanced services, ecosystem automation, and influential professionals!

GNE 2024 Day 3: Wednesday 30 October, 2024

Also see DAY 1 | DAY 2

07:30–08:30 Breakfast
08:00 Registration Opens
09:05–09:35 Panel Discussion: NaaS Market & Automated Ecosystem
09:35–09:50 Executive Presentation: Moving Forward Together: The Path to Standardized API Adoption

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Paul Gampe, Console Connect, Chief Technology Officer

Standardized APIs are essential for unlocking new revenue and value for customers, while making on-demand services more accessible for the broader developer community. This session explores some of the new approaches and strategies that MEF members can take to accelerate their adoption of LSO Sonata APIs and the long-term benefits these will bring to the industry.

09:50–10:05 Executive Presentation: Delivering on NaaS Self-service & Full Lifecycle Automation Objectives

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Michael Kearns, Amartus, Chief Strategy Officer

Enterprise network services involve complex stitching together of services, infrastructure, and technologies of multiple providers and vendors. Today, much of the work involved is manual or at best partly automated. This is a major challenge for NaaS providers when it comes to offering self-service and full service lifecycle automation, both key objectives of NaaS. In this session, we will present how providers can apply MEF LSO open standards and B2B2X network service supply chain automation to meet these objectives.

10:05–10:40 Panel Discussion: Prominent NaaS Use Cases & Service Bundling Trends

Moderator:  Jitesh Bhayani, IDC, Research Vice President

Panel:

Service providers are working to empower customers with innovative NaaS solutions that address a wide range of needs, including connectivity, cloud access, application performance, visibility, control, and cybersecurity in hybrid cloud, multi-cloud, and work-from-anywhere environments. In this panel, industry leaders will explore prominent NaaS use cases and discuss the latest trends in service bundling, including on-demand Carrier Ethernet, Internet access, SD-WAN, SASE, multi-cloud connectivity, and more.

Join us to discover the unique challenges and opportunities of extending NaaS to satellites, and learn how to automate complex service environments that span both space and earth.

10:40–10:55 Executive Presentation: What Taylor Swift Can Teach Us About Network-as-a-Service

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Dave Shacochis, Lumen, Vice President, Managed & Professional Services

Network-as-a-Service has been the connective tissue that has enabled the seamless transition between these computing eras, and what future models are still to come. Join Lumen for an “Eras Tour” of networking models where NaaS is the common soundtrack for an industry coming of age.

10:55–11:15 Networking Break
11:15–11:45 Panel Discussion: Building Automated Supply Chains for NaaS

Moderator: Rob Schult, TeleGeography, Research Director

Panel:

Networks supporting NaaS solutions will be fully API-driven, from the enterprise, across providers, and to the cloud. Automation must happen throughout the supply chain where all parties adopt a standardized set of processes and APIs at business process and operational levels.

We will discuss how ecosystem players are collaborating to reduce friction in the buying and selling of NaaS and other advanced services across automated networks.

We will hear about the benefits achieved by service providers who are using LSO business and operational APIs with customers and partners.

12:00–12:30 Executive Debate: Maximizing Business Growth Through NaaS Federation & Marketplaces

Panel:

Executives from leading global service providers will share their perspectives on the emerging opportunities and challenges presented by NaaS federations and marketplaces. To fully harness the potential of NaaS, stakeholders must collaborate to build an automated ecosystem based on common service, automation, and cybersecurity frameworks, utilizing standardized and certified services and APIs whenever possible. As the industry evolves, sub-ecosystems will emerge and integrate into an overarching federated NaaS system—or potentially multiple federated systems. Think of these federations as the infrastructure that supports the creation of on-demand supply chains for network services.

In parallel with the rise of NaaS federations, NaaS marketplaces will also develop. These marketplaces will provide an environment where customers can choose and customize their NaaS offerings. Pioneering providers are already taking steps to build these NaaS marketplaces, enabling service providers to join, promote their services, and deliver real-time, multi-provider NaaS solutions to enterprise customers.

12:30–14:15 Networking Lunch
14:15–14:45 Panel Discussion: AI to GenAI Evolution, Edge Use Cases & Telco Opportunities

Moderator: Roy Chua, AvidThink, Founder & Principal

This panel explores the transformative journey from AI to GenAI, delving into edge use cases across industries and opportunities in the telecom sector.

The Global Head of Edge AI Segment from NVIDIA will provide insight on the company’s AI strategy, the evolution of AI, and AI/GenAI implementations. He will dive into key drivers of deploying AI at the edge and explore a variety of AI edge use cases, including examples where AI enables real-time decision-making.

Our expert from Amdocs will share a perspective on how GenAI is impacting the telecom industry and highlight collaborative work in this space between the two companies.

14:45–15:00 Executive Presentation: NaaS AI Use Cases: AI Ops and AI Empowered Provisioning

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Amartus, NTT, and Tata Communications have collaborated to research LLM-RAG capabilities that could empower the NaaS story. They have defined and tested their initial use cases and will present the results of that successful research and discuss their next steps.

15:00–15:30 Panel Discussion: Qualifying NaaS Ecosystem Partners

Moderator: Erin Dunne, Vertical Systems Group, Director of Research

Experts engaged in the NaaS ecosystem will explore the test and certification programs and other resources available to qualify service, technology, and cybersecurity partners in the evolving NaaS ecosystem. These programs and resources cover Carrier Ethernet, SD-WAN, SSE, Zero Trust, and SASE services and technologies as well as LSO APIs used between buy and sell partners in the automated ecosystem.

15:30–15:55 Analyst Perspectives: Key Takeaways from GNE
15:55–16:00 GNE Wrap Up & MEF Q4 Member Meeting Preview
16:00–19:00 Networking & Innovation Station Demonstrations
  • View demonstrations at innovation stations located throughout the main foyer at any time during the conference!
  • Meet with customers at meeting tables and conduct business in private meeting rooms and suites.
16:30–17:30 MEF 3.0 SASE Certification Program Briefing

Neil Danilowicz, MEF, Director of Test and Certification

MEF has announced the general availability of an innovative new MEF 3.0 SASE Certification Program for Service Providers. Learn about the program highlights, benefits, pricing, and process for service providers to achieve MEF 3.0 SASE Certification. The session will also include a Q&A.

18:00–20:00 Closing Reception with Live Music
Celebrate the finale of GNE with cocktails, light hors d’oeuvres, and acoustic guitarist, Carbonlily. Sponsored by Sage Management.

Don't miss the next GNE!

10–12 November 2025 | Dallas, Texas, USA

Join us at GNE to ensure the digital economy is a success for businesses. We will define clear use cases, orchestration standards with APIs, and partnerships to ease the integration of these technologies.

Franck Morales

MEF Board of Directors, Secretary | Orange Wholesale International, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Business Development

GNE is a chance for us to showcase and educate the industry and the enterprise about the fact that we are collaborating. We can say, here are the standards, here’s the service definitions, and here’s a federation of private networks that we’ve brought together to deliver global connectivity to the enterprise.
Paul Gampe

Console Connect, Chief Technology Officer