PIKE (Polish Chamber for Electronic Communication) gathers about 130 companies - broadband electronic communications operators and the manufacturers and distributors of the equipment and service used by these operators. Therefore it is the largest and oldest organisation in this sector. Its members reach 4,5 million subscribers all over Poland, thus representing 75% of the Polish cable television market. The task of PIKE is to ensure proper legal conditions for the development of the sector and market.

It also represents the sector vis-a-vis its most important business partners, e.g. broadcasters and collective copyright management organisations, and vis-a-vis sector partners in Poland and abroad. PIKE is a member of the National Economic Chamber. It represents the Polish telecommunications market on an international level, including via its membership of Cable Europe.

PIKE realises its statutory tasks by means of projects approved by the Board. They include most of all: Przyjazne Prawo Autorskie (Friendly Copyright), Programing, Telewizje Lokalne (Local Television Stations) and Telekomunikacja (Telecommunication).

The Przyjazne Prawo Autorskie Consortium was founded on PIKE's initiative. Apart form PIKE itself, this consortium gathers the largest satellite platforms, Cyfra + Cyfrowy Polsat and Telekomunikacja Polska. The Consortium is appealing for a single comprehensive amendment to the law which would tidy up the copyright management market (www.przyjazneprawoautorskie.pl)

The programme market is changing all the time: broadcasters and their representatives in Poland change, and some programmes end their operations whilst others commence them or enter the market. To make it easier for operators to move around on this market, PIKE has launched the Programing project. Furthermore, the Polish Foundation for Development of Electronic Communication (PIKSEL) - founded by PIKE - has been in business since February 2007. Its purpose is to facilitate contacts in the sector, help reduce the sector's operating costs, and support the development of electronic communications.

Twice a year PIKE and PIKSEL hold conferences - national and international - that have earned a permanent and positive place on the calendar of meetings in this sector. Both conferences fulfil the role of market integrator, and are business events whose purpose is to correlate related interests and to create an important forum for an exchange of experiences and opinions on the shaping of a market and community strategy.

President of the Management Board of PIKE is Jerzy Straszewski, the President and co-owner of SATEL S.A., a company manufacturing network equipment used by cable operators. Vice-presidents are: Janusz Arciszewski (ASTER), Simon Boyd (UPC Polska), Mirosław Kozik (Bielsat.com Sp. z o.o.) and Tomasz Wegrzynski (VECTRA S.A.).

Polska Izba Komunikacji Elektronicznej
ul. Przemysłowa 30, 00-450 Warszawa
tel. (+48 22) 696 65 31; fax (+48 22) 621 02 95
http://www.pike.org.pl