Lively debate characterised 1st day of operator talking-shop EurasiaCom

The annual EurasiaCom conference opened today in Istanbul with great debates on operator strategies in a data-led market. Over 200 people from across the region’s leading telecoms companies gathered to hear inspiring presentations and join discussions with colleagues from across the market.

Murat Erkan, CEO of SuperOnline, opened the conference on behalf of host operator Turkcell. He said: "EurasiaCom 2014 is the only event of its kind covering the dynamic markets of Russia, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the CIS and Turkey. The topics this year are highly attractive [including] the latest subjects which not only the region but also for the world works on, explores and tries to provide solutions for. EurasiaCom 2014 proves that each player in the region is a global player indeed."

The morning’s presentations and a panel discussion covered the topics of data-led networks and services.  Turk Telekom’s Fetullah Aykut Erdinc, Bakcell’s Marc Zirka, MTS’s Sergey Nichiporuk and Informa Telecoms & Media’s Alla Shabernikova shared their views on the challenges for operators to take advantage of the new data world: balancing between investment and profitability, LTE networks and services, threat and opportunities from OTT players, data pricing, and new revenue streams. The discussion around OTT players was particularly lively; it created a thought-provoking debate on how operators should react to the loss of revenue from OTT competition. In the afternoon, conference sessions covered  Wi-Fi, mobile number portability, digital marketing, cloud and M2M.

Eurasiacom is also a great opportunity for networking. The coffee breaks and lunch gave a chance to continue the debates in a more informal setting and to check the stands of the event’s sponsors and partners: Mahindra Comviva, Jinny Software, ND Satcom, TUYAD. The event also included a Speed Networking session where VIP guests from operators met some of the event’s key partners and a networking drinks reception will wrap-up the day.

“EurasiaCom is always a great event to discuss major trends in the market” says Julie Rey, Research Director at organisers Informa Telecoms & Media; “This year more than ever, operators are re-thinking their strategies; this creates very interesting debates in the conference and outside. We are proud to provide a platform for the region’s players to examine these key issues”.

The second day of EurasiaCom will continue addressing key strategic topics for the region: cost-efficiency and profitability, content services, mobile money and apps. Visit eurasia.comworldseries.com to find out more information.