During the plenary sessions at FIRJAN Headquarters in Centro, Rio de Janeiro, Attendees sat in two adjoining halls. The event was sponsored by BelAir Networks, Intel, Motorola, SimDesk Technologies, SkyPilot Networks and IdeaValley.

The Opening Session (left to right): Daniel Aghion, Executive Director, W2i; Fernando Peregrino, Secretary, Rio de Janeiro State; Augusto César Gadelhavieira, Secretary, Science & Technology Ministry, Brazil; Sérgio Cabral Cavalcanti, President, Idea Valley; and Ana Hoffman.

"We are now facing the challenge of broadband connectivity, Internet connectivity, but with no intermission - no shutting off and on. This is what is going on all around the world and has become a need for communities to become efficient, productive and integrated. But we have many barriers to overcome,” said Augusto César Gadelhavieira, Secretary, Science & Technology Ministry, Brazil.

"We need cooperation and coordination between the states of Brazil to push these initiatives forward,” said Fernando Peregrino, Secretary, Rio de Janeiro State.

"This aspect of IT brings Rio and Brazil a better quality of life,” said Eduardo Eugênio Gouveia Vieira, President, FIRJAN.

At the W2i Digital Cities Convention in San Francisco, the Piraí Digital Project in San Francisco (October 2005) the City of Piraí, Brazil, won the W2i Wireless Communities Best Practices Award for "Community Momentum Building." During the opening session of the W2i Digital Cities Convention in Rio (April 4-5, 2006), a team from Piraí collected the award. From left to right: Mana Helena Cautiero, Horta Jardim Coordenadora de Projet Piraí Digital; Franklin Dias Coelho, Coordenor de Projecto Piraí Digital; Daniel Aghion, Executive Director, W2i; Gustavo Ferreira, Secretario de Governo de Piraí.

The technology panel “What networks for what applications?” at the W2i Digital Cities Convention in Rio de Janeiro, April 4-5, 2006, from left to right: Allan Lopez, Sales Manager, SkyPilot Networks; Bernard Bluer, Business Development, Latin America, BelAir Networks; Joeval Martins, Division Director, Motorola Canopy; Eduardo Prado, Chair; Emilio Loures, Technology Program Director, Intel Latin America; Oscar Silva, Jr., Idea Valley.

Marcelo Bastos Gloría (left) of the Centro de Treinamento Berkeley explains a telemedicine application recently deployed in Macaé, Brazil’s oil capital. Bruno Zawadzki (shirt off) portrays a hurt oil-platform worker who is tended to on-site by Kira Medon portraying a local nurse connecting vital signs monitoring patches to his body. His vital signs are transmitted to the center where a live medical professional (panel at rear) directs the nurse. The application runs over the citywide broadband-wireless network in Macaé.

Naiara Goia, Project Manager, ITELAZPI, explains the public-private partnership that is bringing broadband connectivity to remote parts of the Basque Country in Spain. The Basque government is funding the infrastructure, and the regional telecom provider, Euskaltel, operates the network and manages relationship with end users.