Evans will be joining a panel discussion on identifying new revenue opportunities for fixed and mobile operators beyond voice at AfricaCom on Wednesday 18th November, alongside representatives of Telkom South Africa, Lumata, Malawi Telecommunications, Rekindle Learning and Airtel Africa.
He answers a few questions on the market ahead of the event.
What is your company’s position in Zambia’s
market?
Zamtel is a
private company, wholly owned by the Government of Zambia. Zamtel plays
in the mobile, fixed and internet market. We are the sole provider of
fixed line services in Zambia, and number 2 in the internet market. From
the mobile market point of view, we are the third player, with a market share
of almost 15%.What do you think will be this year’s most game-changing development in Africa’s telecoms?
We believe embracing rather than fighting OTT services will be a game changer. In addition, telecom operators adopting triple and quad play services will be in the fore-front of changing the African telecom space. Mobile Money will continue to make an impact, with more operators providing this service across the continent, and also having more than one player in a specific market.
What services will enable telecom operators to
generate revenue from data?
The challenge
facing Africa today is a low internet penetration rate – 27.5% as at December
2014 compared to a world average of 42.4%. As a first step, operators
need to improve this penetration, by making access to internet easy and
affordable. This in itself will result in improved revenues for
operators. In addition, by adopting OTT players, triple and quad play
services and the advent of “internet of everything” will help operators gain
more revenue.
What will be the impact of the digital transition
on the telecoms and media sector?
The digital
transition is more of a positive impact on the consumer, as this will enable
growth of the media sector in providing more high quality services and diverse
content. This however comes with a cost, to both the consumer and provider.
What are the regulatory requirements for improving affordable access to broadband?
Whilst price is a key factor in the provision of broadband services, service availability also plays a key role. For the regulator, it is not normally their brief to dictate prices of products and services. The operator will play a bigger role in providing affordable access by ensuring that the continued trend of reducing wholesale bandwidth costs are passed on to the consumer. Regulators also need to coordinate and control the “digging” of areas when it comes to laying cables. The current trend, especially in Zambia, is that anyone digs anywhere, resulting in cables appearing everywhere. Unlike first world countries, a duct is already in the ground, provided by the council or regulator, and is rented by operators to physically lay their cable.
How can telecom and digital brands create more
value for African consumers?
By working
closely together, for you to deliver any type of digital brands, you need the
telecom infrastructure to ride on. All that is needed is a business model
that is a win/win for both the digital and telecom businesses. For the
consumer, its results in better experience and a variety of content. How can operators support innovation within their organisations and in the wider ecosystem?
If the operator has the resources to support the IT and Technical departments to specifically look at development and innovative ideas, or investing in R&D as well as liaising with customer services, then they can develop solutions in-house. However, operators have to work with third party VAS and development players.
How can the communications needs of enterprises be
met in order to sustain economic growth in the region?
Each customer’s
requirements are unique and as such operators must be flexible when it comes to
meeting customer demands.
For more information of the New Revenue Streams session at AfricaCom, check the brochure here.
