Several people have asked who had the idea for DevelopingTELECOMS and who is on the team that is delivering it to you all. Well it is all principally down to the efforts of two people, Alec Barton and Michael Schwartz.

Alec, looking relaxed...

I guess you could say that DevelopingTELECOMS is Alec's idea. He was already responsible for giving the world Middle East Communications and Asian Communications (and some others besides - can you name them?). After the rather sudden demise of Icom Publications in 2003 he decided to take some time out before rushing back into print or pixels.

As is the way with these things, time out ended up including working on a couple of ICT events in Africa. This experience left him feeling how badly served developing markets are by the existing ICT media.

Michael, of course, was the editor of Asian Communications for several years - indeed I think it is fair to say that it was under his editorial leadership that the magazine achieved its greatest authority and respect.

Michael, in suit and tie!

Michael's feeling that less developed regions and countries get a rough deal in terms of specialist media coverage had lead him to push Asian Communications towards these markets, so he was an obvious recruit for DevelopingTELECOMS.

Alec lives in London and Michael lives in Toronto from where he casts his eye over the global developing telecoms scene. I'm not sure how come Michael is in the suit and Alec is, frankly speaking, looking a bit casual. I thought it was editors who were the scruffy ones and publishers who looked smart - oh well...