2025 IEEE Connecting the
Unconnected North America Regional Summit
CHALLENGE GLOBALLY … SOLVE LOCALLY!
The North America Regional Summit will take place on:
Friday 26 September 2025 at Washington D.C., USA
2025 marks the IEEE Connecting the Unconnected (CTU) Program’s third year of conducting in-person instances of our events! Please plan to join us at the North American Summit on 26 September 2025 in Washington DC, USA as we continue highlighting and showcasing the many exciting developments in 5G and Beyond technologies that are occurring in both industry and academia and strive to solve the global issue of unconnected or under-connected communities through our work in closing the digital divide.
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North America Summit Program Information
Unlocking Connectivity: Join us in D.C.
The 2025 IEEE Connecting the Unconnected Regional Summit in Washington D.C. is a pivotal one-day event dedicated to advancing global digital inclusion. Moving beyond fragmented solutions, this summit brings together leading experts from technology, government, and non-profit sectors to collectively address the multifaceted challenges of the digital divide. Attendees can expect a concentrated agenda featuring insightful keynotes and dynamic panel discussions focusing on innovative technological applications, sustainable business models, and effective community empowerment strategies. The event will also include updates about previous CTU Challenge Winners highlighting their solutions, offering practical, impactful approaches to bridge connectivity gaps in underserved regions. This summit is designed to foster critical dialogue, inspire collaborative action, and accelerate progress towards a digitally equitable future for all, emphasizing how policy and innovation from the nation’s capital can drive universal access.
Keynotes
Vint Cerf
Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist Google, USA
Henning Schulzrinne
Columbia University, USA
Monisha Ghosh
University of Notre Dame, USA
Invited Speakers
2025 IEEE VP-Elect, Member and Geographic Activities
2023 IEEE President & CEO / Director, Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute, USA
Executive Director Centre for Social Awareness, Advocacy and Ethics (CSAAE), USA
University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia
Expert Strategies International, USA
Princeton University,
Past President of IEEE Standards Association
Director, Smart Communities, US Ignite
IEEE Life Fellow and Past President of the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology
Director, Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute
Director of Global Business Strategy & Intelligence (GBSI) at IEEE Standards Association
Call for Posters
Camera-ready submission for Posters
Poster papers must be no longer than two (2) printed pages, written in English, and be formatted in the standard IEEE two-column format with a main body font size of 10 points. The mandatory IEEE templates in Microsoft Word and LaTeX format can be found on the IEEE templates webpage and the author and submission guideline webpage of the main conference. The poster (work-in-progress papers) will appear in the conference proceedings and they will be submitted to IEEE Xplore®. Authors will include their names, affiliations, and other identifying information in the final manuscripts.
Poster Presentation Details
- Poster boards will be available in the main lobby. At least one author should attend posters during the poster sessions (the time will be announced later).
- Poster boards have a height of 100 cm and are 70 cm wide.
- Posters will be attached to the boards through tools that will be available on-site.
- In addition, the authors may request to schedule to present their short 5-minute talk with PPT during the technical poster sessions.
North America Summit Event Information
Igniting Global Connections from D.C.
We are thrilled to host our event at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, a venue that perfectly blends academic excellence with an unparalleled location. Situated at the heart of Washington D.C., this address places you steps away from iconic national landmarks, government institutions, and vibrant city life. Beyond its esteemed name, the venue itself offers state-of-the-art facilities, modern amenities, and an inspiring atmosphere conducive to learning, networking, and innovation. Prepare to engage in a dynamic environment that reflects the intellectual rigor and historical significance of its surroundings, ensuring a truly memorable experience for all attendees. More details about the venue
Registration Details
Registration fees (Author) [inclusion of extended abstracts in IEEE Xplore]
- IEEE Member $100
- Non-IEEE Member $150
- IEEE Student Member $50
- Non-IEEE Student Member $75
On-Site Registration fees (Non-author)
- IEEE Member $50
- Non-IEEE Member $100
- IEEE Student Member $25
- Non-IEEE Student Member $50
Hotel Information
There are several hotels are in the Penn Quarter/Capitol Hill area, which is very convenient to the 555 Pennsylvania Avenue location. It’s always a good idea to check the specific hotel website for more information.
Hotels within close walking distance (typically under 15 minutes):
- Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC/US Capitol (1225 First Street Ne)
- Waldorf Astoria Washington, D.C. (1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW)
- Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington, D.C. (700 F Street NW)
- Riggs Washington, D.C. (900 F Street NW)
- AC Hotel Washington, D.C. Convention Center (601 K Street NW)
- JW Marriott Washington, D.C. (1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW)
- Hyatt Regency Washington On Capitol Hill (400 New Jersey Ave Northwest)
- Yotel Washington DC (415 New Jersey Avenue Nw)
- Kimpton George Hotel By Ihg (15 E Street Nw)
- Phoenix Park Hotel (520 North Capitol Street Nw)
For other accommodations that may better suit your needs, please search some of the options in the surrounding hotels:
Organizing Committee
Event Co-Chairs
Ashutosh Dutta
JHU/APL, USA
Sudhir Dixit
Basic Internet at the Basic Internet Foundation in Norway, USA
Event Organizing Committee
Rajanikantarao Vellaturi
Snowflake, USA
Don Herres
IEEE Baltimore Robot Challenge Director & Student Activities Chair, USA
Sunita Bhatia
JHU/APL, USA
Web Co-Chairs
Dan Ahimbisibwe
New York University, USA
Eric Savage
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, USA
IEEE Staff
Craig Polk
IEEE Future Networks
Event Sponsorship
Event Sponsorship
Join us – Download our Sponsorship brochure and help connect the world!
CTUS-NA 2025 Program
| 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM | Registration | Breakfast | |
| 8:30 AM to 8:40 AM | Ashutosh Dutta & Sudhir Dixit | Welcome and Opening Remarks | |
| 8:40 AM to 8:50 AM | Drew Lowery | IEEE MGA Remarks | |
| 8:50 AM to 9:00 AM | Special message – Vint Cerf | ||
| 9:00 AM to 9:25 AM | Keynote 1 – Kory Murphy | Building Power Through Mentorship and Innovation | |
| 9:25 AM to 9:50 AM | Keynote 2 – Mike Brough | Beyond MNO Coverage Maps: Using Real-World Consumer Data to Map Mobile Connectivity Gaps in North America | |
| 9:50 AM to 10:10 AM | Speaker 1 – Bala Prasanna | Solving Locally, Leading Globally: IEEE Region 1’s Digital Inclusion Journey | |
| 10:10 AM to 10:30 AM | Speaker 2 – Saifur Rahman | Connecting the Unconnected: Solving the Last-Mile Challenge | |
| 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM | AM break | Poster session | |
| 11:00 AM to 11:20 AM | Speaker 3 – Bonnielin K. Swenor | Measuring What matters: Why accessibility data is essential to closing the digital divide for people with disabilities | |
| 11:20 AM to 11:40 AM | Speaker 4 – Rob Fish | Connecting to IEEE Standards and the IEEE Standards Association | |
| 11:40 AM to 12:00 PM | Speaker 5 – Mohamed-Slim Alouini | Tapping into the full potential of the Stratosphere | |
| 12:00 PM to 12:20 PM | Speaker 6 – Barry Tilton | Can US Public Policy Address the Challenges of the Digital Divide? | |
| 12:20 PM to 1:20 PM | Lunch | Poster session | |
| 1:20 PM to 1:45 PM | Keynote 3 – Henning Schulzrinne | The Lessons of BEAD: Internet For All – But at What Cost to Consumers and Tax Payers? | |
| 1:45 PM to 2:10 PM | Keynote 4 – Monisha Ghosh | Shared spectrum policies for bridging the digital divide | |
| 2:10 PM to 2:30 PM | Speaker 7 – Bhaskara Rallabandi & Brad Kloza | IEEE 5G/6G Innovation Testbed & CTU Use Case | |
| 2:30 PM to 2:50 PM | Speaker 8 – Veena Rawat | The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity | |
| 2:50 PM to 3:20 PM | PM break | Poster session | |
| 3:20 PM to 3:40 PM | Speaker 9 – Luis Kun | Empowering Forced Migrants: Bridging the Health-Information Gap | |
| 3:40 PM to 4:00 PM | Speaker 10 – Lee Davenport | Scaling a Community-Led Broadband Model in Cleveland | |
| 4:00 PM to 4:20 PM | Speaker 11 – Godswill Agbagwa | Connecting the Unconnected in Rural Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities | |
| 4:20 PM to 4:40 PM | Speaker 12 – Purva Rajkotia | CR-Bolo: A Hybrid connectivity model for enabling meaningful connectivity and strengthen rural entrepreneurship | |
| 4:40 PM to 5:00 PM | Speaker 13 – Joaquin Wray | Sianëtsio sikowa’i: Amazon Always Connected [prior CTU Challenge WInner] | |
| 5:00 PM to 5:20 PM | Speaker 14 – Mario A. Aleman | Empowering Indigenous Communities in Rural Guatemala with Digital Inclusion through a Solar-powered Community Infrastructure [prior CTU Challenge WInner] | |
| 5:20 PM to 5:40 PM | Ashutosh Dutta & Sudhir Dixit | Closing Remarks | |
| 5:40 PM to 7:10 PM | Networking Reception |