Cloud takes Africa by storm...

Increasingly industry commentators are talking about Africa as the perfect market for cloud.... Whereas lack of capacity and unreliable connectivity had previously been seen as detrimental to the launching of cloud services, it now seems that the tide has turned and these characteristics actually make the African markets an ideal Cloud launch pad.

Safaricom launched the ‘’largest native Cloud’’ in the past week, and they intend to lead not only the Kenyan market, but the rest of the continent as well. They’re putting their money where their mouth is and have joined the Cloud Africa conference & exhibition’s Advisory Board. This event is the first of its kind – bringing together the telecom operators and enterprise CIOs, offering the full story around Cloud in Africa.  No other event organisers can offer 19 years of successful learning and networking in Africa – as the Com Series can.  What is more Safaricom’s George Makori, Senior Manager for Cloud and Managed Services is joined on the Advisory Board by other experts and Gurus from Microsoft, HP, Ericsson, Ovum & CxO Advisors, and TM  Analysts.  No other conference and exhibition will bring advice and case studies at this critical point, where Cloud has the potential to take off in Africa./

 www.cloudafricasummit.com

The Biggest Show on Earth ... well Africa, anyway

Next week sees our 17th Annual Africa Com take place in South Africa.  We are welcoming thousands of speakers, exhibitors, press, delegates and visitors from all over Africa and the world and it is hugely exciting to see representatives of the entire digital ecosystem flocking to beautiful Cape Town in their hordes.

The weather outlook, so far, is predicted to be sunny & bright and I'm sure this will be echoed in the speakers' visions of how they see the development of the African Digital economy.

Our colleagues in the Informa Telecoms & Media analyst division have long been heralding the impending explosion in African internet connectivity.  Describing Africa’s internet age as largely a "nomadic experience" they talk of the 2nd decade of the 2nd millenium as the age where the internet reaches the people.  By 2015,  20% of internet traffic in Africa will be carried by cellular networks, as compared to a global equivalent of just 3%. 

One of the key drivers of this growth will be highly valued and relevant content - there are plenty of international offerings - adpated for local consumers or otherwise - on the scence but the domestic African content provider market is still nascent.  But as we'll no doubt hear next week this will change rapidly.

If you have any questions you'd like to put to any of the panel sessions at AfricaCom do email them to us and we'll endeavour to get them put before the experts...