Airtel Africa & East African Operators Ensure against Fraud and Revenue Loss in Telecoms Business

Risk of fraud & revenue loss in telecoms continues to be a major priority for big businesses in East Africa.  Whilst the region’s telecommunications industry has seen a quantum leap in the past decade – with markets like Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda being some of the most competitive & lucrative in the whole continent – there remains this shadowy side of telecoms in Africa. 

Operators often compete at a cut-throat level when it comes to pricing, OPEX, CAPEX, distribution models, etc.  But service providers like Airtel realise that there is money to be saved by committing to fraud and risk avoidance as well.

In Nairobi on the 6^th April, the Kenyatta International Conference Centre will provide a hub and platform for learning, debating and networking around this important issue of Fraud.  In particular, 2 exclusive Master Classes will take place.  The first to be run by Airtel Africa’s Group Revenue Assurance & Fraud Manager, Hawas Garba Matta.  The second by an international expert – Patrick Gitau of Globacom Nigeria.  The whole session will be opened and chaired by Ade Banjoko, Chair of the GSM Africa Fraud Forum.

Topics and discussions in these classes will include:

• effectively integrating risk, fraud & revenue assurance into your corporate strategy
• telecoms enterprise risk management
• optimizing end-to-end fraud & revenue assurance strategies
• implementing risk based fraud & revenue assurance framework with essential “from the top policy”
• bridging the GAPs by assessing & monitoring product life-cycle processes to identify the sources of fraud & revenue loss
• focus on optimised fraud detection through real-time capabilities
• how to tackle telecom fraud typologies in East Africa - bad debt management, process flows and inefficiencies, and capacity deficiencies problems in your network
• how to get value from RAMS and FMS
• vendor valuation criteria and considerations, and working closely with suppliers to minimise revenue leakages

“The market has responded very positively to this brand new feature to East Africa Com conference and exhibition,” says Emily Cottam, Senior Conference Producer, East Africa Com “Fraud is a topic that East African operators can’t afford to overlook if they are to remain profitable in this increasingly competitive market.  These master classes are a one-stop-shop for operators looking to understand and implement effective fraud prevention strategies.”

What’s more, these master classes form just one segment of the East Africa Com 2011 conference & exhibition, now in its 7^th year.

For more information about East Africa Com, and the Fraud & Revenue Assurance master classes visit www.comworldseries.com/eafrica or contact Emily Cottam on emily.cottam@informa.com or call on +44 (0)207 017 5610

Data services compensate for slowdown in mobile growth in Turkey

The total number of mobile subscriptions in Turkey declined by more than 2 million to 61.5 million in the 12 months to June 2010.  Caused by combination of economic downturn, decline in multi-sim ownership and the introduction of lower termination rates and number portability. 

All 3 Turkish operators have launched lower cost, flat-rate voice and data services which have triggered a 74% surge in usage.   As a result, 3G now accounts for more than 1 in 10 mobile subscriptions in Turkey.

This week, Turkish group Turkcell has reported a 0.8% year-on-year revenues increase in 2010, breaking the TRY9 billion (US$5.62 billion) mark for the first time. Revenues were mainly boosted by the uptake of their data services. However, the different regulatory decisions such as decreasing mobile termination rates in its domestic market had a negative impact on EBIDTA, which decreased by 1% to TRY2.95 billion, bringing the margin down 0.6pp to 32.7%. The group ended the year with 60.4 million subs, a yearly decrease of 3.7%, as a result of fewer customers in Turkey from the decline in multiple-SIM ownership and prepaid cards, and in Ukraine as a result of change in subscriber definition.

Turkish and Eurasian operators will present on their strategies for capitalising on this data potential at Eurasia Com conference in Istanbul next month www.comworldseries.com/eurasia

Director General of the Communications Commission in Kenya confirmed for East Africa Com

Whilst the multitudes gathered for Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, there was - it could be said - a very low representation from emerging markets, and in particular from Africa. 

However, anyone interested in doing business in the lucrative African markets can rest assured that all of the leading lights of the East African telecoms industry will be in attendance at East Africa Com, Nairobi, 5-6 April 2011.

Last week the Director General of the Communications Commission in Kenya, Mr Charles J. K. Njoroge, confirmed he will give a speech on Wednesday 6^th April.  This is the 7^th annual East Africa Com conference and exhibition, and yet again there is unparalleled regional industry support.

See you there! www.comworldseries.com/eafrica

About Mr. Charles J.K. Njoroge

Mr. Charles J.K. Njoroge is the Director - General and CEO of the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK).  He was appointed to the position in July 2008. He was recently recognized as an Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS) by the President of Kenya.

Until his appointment, Mr. Njoroge, an Economist, was the Director in charge of Competition, Tariffs and Market Analysis.  In that position, he was responsible for economic regulation, which entails policy formulation; competition and market analysis; price regulation which includes tariffs and interconnection issues; universal access and funding and statistics.

Mr. Njoroge joined CCK on 1999 at its inception.  He previously worked for the defunct Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation as a Senior Telecommunications Economist.  His experience in the sector spans over 25 years.

Mr. Njoroge has spearheaded a number of seminal studies at CCK.  These include the Universal Access study which gave birth to the CCK’s Universal Access strategy in 2005, and set the foundation for the country’s international (TEAMs) and national (FONN) fibre optic connectivity.  He coordinated the carrying out of the Telecommunications Network Cost Study that saw the reduction of retail and interconnect rates for mobile telecommunications charges in the country.  He also oversaw the carrying out of an Internet Market study, which among others identified factors hindering the development of the Internet subsector in Kenya.  In addition he was instrumental in the set up of KENIC, the ccTLD, the KENET project and other initiatives such as the digitization of secondary education among others.

Mr. Njoroge holds an MA in Development Economics from Dalhousie University, Canada, a BA in Economics from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Telecommunications Regulation from University of Westminster, UK.  He holds a number of certificates from some of the leading training institutions from the US in the area of ICT Regulation and Management.

Senegal’s Minister of Telecommunications to give an Opening Keynote at West & Central Africa Com, Dakar, 15th June

Moustapha Guirassy, Minister of Communication, Telecommunications and Information & Communications Technologies, and Spokesperson of the Government of Senegal, confirmed this week that he was to give an Opening Keynote Allocution at West & Central Africa Com in Dakar in June.
The event is the annual meeting place for all stakeholders in the telecommunications ecosystem in the region, which embraces most of French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa as well as some key markets such as Nigeria and Ghana. The programme includes keynote presentations from the region’s leading operators, with in particular keynote presentations from Tiemoko Coulibaly, CEO of Francophone Africa for Airtel, and Bernard Ghillebaert, head of West Africa and Asia at Orange Group.
Moustapha Guirassy will open the conference on the first day with an official welcome address and a presentation of Senegal’s telecommunications and ICT strategy. Mr Guirassy has been minister of Communication and Spokesperson for the Government of Senegal since 2009, and has been in charge of telecommunications and ICT since June 2010. In this role he has led the adoption of a new Code for Telecommunications, a major reform in Senegal’s telecommunications sector. It forms part of the process of harmonisation of telecommunications regulatory frameworks across West Africa and its objective is to encourage a more competitive and dynamic market. In particular, the reform gives a new autonomous status for Senegal’s regulatory authority ARTP, in line with international best practice for regulatory authorities. As Senegal’s market has become more and more competitive following the entry of new operator Expresso Telecom and branded service provider Kirene Mobile (on Sonatel Orange’s network), the ARPT’s role is set to play an important part in the development of one of the region’s key markets.
The conference programme for West & Central Africa Com is still being finalised. For more information visit our website

A looming broadband revolution in West & Central Africa: Are better days ahead??

In the same way that the past decade has however been pivotal for both economic and political growth in West & Central Africa, it has also seen rise to the growth of African Information Communications Technology (ICT). For many nations, the ability to connect to the global network of submarine broadband optical fibre infrastructure has been the principal trigger for this development, creating an increasingly enabling environment to the information superhighway that dominates the 21st century. Mobile telephony in particular has greatly benefitted, constituting a significant service delivery platform for the population. Yet this overall picture, characterised by increasing competition and decreasing costs of connectivity, with predictions of 100% growth of the mobile market in the next 5 years (Informa Telecoms & Media) , hides the inequalities that continue to pervade the region. In particular, countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe have continued to be subject to the highest connectivity costs in the world and distanced from the increasing geographical reach of broadband networks.

World Bank works to boost Africa’s connectivity
So the news in January 2011 that the World Bank has approved 3 projects to boost ICT infrastructure and access to services in these three countries surely may have the greatest revolutionary impact on the region. With the principles of commercialisation and liberisation at their heart, the initiatives, totalling a huge US$71.5 million dollars, look promising in reaching the ultimate goal of ubiquitous connection. Whilst these areas have habitually been down-trodden as small and unattractive markets to the traditional investor, the World Bank is stepping into pastures new. This in itself will at the least reduce the region’s damaging stigma, and at most, catalyse investment by others into the region.

Successful scaling-up of internet access?
Evidently, now is a crucial time for the region as these initiatives set to work. To what extent will the ‘connectivity challenge’ in these regions remain as the projects transpire? Will they be the first domino to fall, triggering widespread regional growth for ICT? Yusupha Crookes, World Bank Africa Regional Director, states that ‘better days are now ahead’. Only time will tell but I must say it looks promising. If successful, such scaling up of internet access will ultimate lead to advances in communication, in itself leading to vast improvement s in economic and social quality of life.


With such wide-spread impacts to potentially be made on the entire West & Central African, evolving networks and services must be thoroughly examined and monitored to capture the region’s growth potential. The market needs to be thoroughly consulted as to the best ways to build the infrastructure to improve the access to these communications, to look at issues of cost-efficiency, to look at value-added services which can be targeted to local consumers’ needs... To find the ONLY forum focused on the West & Central African region where such pivotal issues are addressed click here: http://wcafrica.comworldseries.com/.

East African Operator CxOs Plan to Meet in Nairobi to Discuss Strategies for Healthy Competition in the Region

The East African telecoms markets, and in particular the Kenyan & Ugandan markets, have seen stiff competition – especially around price.  With ARPU decreasing to just US$7.13, operators are left wondering how they can improve their bottom line, despite having to diminish their prime source of income from customers. 

In response to this, convergence, broadband and value added services are becoming an increasing part of operator strategies, with Informa Telecoms & Media reporting that mobile broadband subscriptions in East Africa grew by 105% in 2010 to reach 690,707.  A mix of technologies are being deployed to offer these broadband services as  mobile, satellite and fixed-line operators and ISPs compete with bundle prepaid options.

With this array of challenges and growth opportunities, East Africa Com is the perfect forum for operators needing to get together, discuss, and learn.  15 CxOs from East African operators have so far confirmed their participation at East Africa Com – the region’s leading executive-level telecoms conference & exhibition – which will take place in the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, on the 5^th and 6^th April www.comworldseries.com/eafrica

These Operator CxO speakers include; Richard Bell, Group CEO, Wananchi Group; Atul Chaturvedi, CEO, Yu Kenya; Bhaskar Chakraborty, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Airtel Africa; Mickael Ghossein, CEO, Orange Telkom Kenya; Michel Barré, VP East Africa & Islands Region, Orange France-Telecom Group; John Barorot, CTO, Safaricom; Peter Arina, CCO, Safaricom; Norman Moyo, CEO, Zantel Tanzania; Peter Reinartz, CEO, Zuku Kenya; Julius Kinyua, CEO, Flashcom, Kenya; Khalil Nassar, CTIO, Vivacell, Southern Sudan; James Byraruhanga, CTO, Roke Telkom, Uganda, amongst others.

They will offer expert observations and best practice advice on issues like: mergers and acquisitions in the region; Airtel Africa’s arrival; competing in the converging East African arena; connecting East Africa - strategies to leverage greater network capacity & drive access to communications; network evolution & the leap to LTE; VAS - delivering real value to customers; operator competitive strategies - ensure prime positioning to thrive in East African markets; strategies for a fair playing field & customer centricity; intelligent and cost-effective extension of networks for rural access to communications; rural telecoms - reaching out with services for new growth; and how to defeat telecoms fraud to discover lost revenue.

East Africa Com is the only annual event dedicated to the communications industry of East Africa where 850 operators (fixed, mobile, wireless), ISPs, regulators, investors and vendors from the region gather to debate the opportunities and challenges facing their markets. The conference will be co-located with an exhibition that showcases the latest innovations from over 30 telecoms companies in East Africa and across the globe. Find out more online: www.comworldseries.com/eafrica

Value-added services to be catalyst for growth in Africa’s telecoms market

As the African telecommunications market matures, operators are increasingly looking at value-added services in order to boost their growth. Consumer needs are unique to African markets, so telcos have to be innovative to develop the services that will meet their requirements and their budgets.

Informa Telecoms & Media estimated the mobile VAS market in Africa to be worth over US$5.5 billion in 2010. Over the next five years, the market is expected to grow at a strong compound annual growth rate of around 22% and to be generating revenues of over US$11.5 billion by 2014. Currently South Africa is by far the largest VAS market representing a third of the continent’s revenues with over US$1.5 billion in 2010, ahead of Nigeria and Egypt.

Among the most cited services expected to boost operators’ revenues are messaging (which currently account for just over 80% of VAS revenues in Africa), mobile money services and m-health opportunities. Mobile entertainment services(e.g. mobile music, games, images, TV and video) still represent a marginal section of operators’ revenues, but expectations are high, particularly as mobile internet access is increasing. The FIFA World Cup was a great moment for operators to push content services, as Cambridge Mokanyane, Head of 2010 FIFA World Cup for lead sponsor MTN said in his inspiring presentation at AfricaCom last November. The question now is how to keep the momentum to ensure that entertainment services continue growing.

In order to address this booming market, the Com World Series is launching a new event: VAS Africa, to be held in Sandton, South Africa on 6th and 7th July 2011. The conference programme will include operator keynotes, case studies, new product briefs and interactive discussions on the hottest topics in the market: market forecasts, mobile entertainment partnerships, messaging and social networking, mobile advertising and marketing, mobile money, and cost-effective VAS management.

The event will bring together heads of VAS and commercial directors from operators, content providers and aggregators, VAS solutions suppliers, regulators, consultants, financial institutions and more. The programme is currently being produced so don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team to be involved.

Should the economic recession still be affecting the Eurasian Telecommunications market?

The Economic Recession: Implanting a Global Mindset of Panic

Following the events of 2007, the phrase ‘economic downturn’ resonates strongly in the hearts of individuals all over the globe. With the macroeconomic environment having falling into significant decline and being shadowed in great uncertainty following the global economic recession, it is no wonder that its impacts echo considerably into daily life years into its aftermath. My view however is that the impacts of the recession have escalated far beyond the extent of its reality. It is the ‘global mindset of panic’ embodied almost universally which has triggered the escalation of the recession from an epidemic into a global pandemic. I believe that to recover, one must look forward. To grow, one must spend. And this thinking is of paramount importance to the business world. Positivity not only in thinking, but in spending, is crucial if we are to grow out of this ghost of recession which continues to haunt the public mind.

Is the recession still truly affecting the Eurasian Telecommunications market?

The telecommunications market has no less been threatened by the deepest post-war recession to date. With reduced consumer spending and volatility in the markets of operations, there has been a negative impact on financial and operational performance. In Eurasia, many of the leading operators of the region have stated that ‘global difficulties within the financial sector make it difficult to attract additional financing’ (MTS) whilst ‘inflationary pressures on daily necessities are hitting peoples wallets leading to cautiousness when it comes to consumption’ (Telenor).

But what have been the actualities of the market through this recessive period? Subscription growth for telecommunications has in fact steadily grown from prior to 2007. Penetration of mobile broadband is currently at 74% and is forecast to reach an impressive 97% by the end of 2012 (Informa Telecoms & Media). Thus evidence shows consumers are consuming and growth will continue. And with the increasing opportunities given by evolving telecommunication technology, epitomised by mobile tv and videos, gaming, multiple applications and healthcare, this is set to grow further. Additionally, with the release of new spectrum at 2.5Ghz in accordance with the digital dividend, mobile broadband services are set to become truly pervasive. The necessity for communication is constant, which alongside the multidimensionality of the telecoms markets, leaves a picture which is predominantly positive.

So what should Eurasian Telcos be concentrating on to maximise their ROI?

A seemingly relatively easy question becomes much more difficult in the aftermath of a destabilising economic recession. Is it right to increase expenditure now to prepare for forecasted growth or to limit expenditures considering the instability of a recovering market?

Personally, I feel that now is the time to get ready for the next stage of growth. In order for telco businesses to stay at the cutting edge of the market, now is the time to start investing in the technologies of the future and shed this mindset that has been so detrimental to the economy of the present day. So what way can telecos do that, you may ask? Let’s take LTE. Having now been tested, trialled and commercially announced by over 100 manufacturers, surely the migration to LTE from 3G is the future of the networks, addressing market needs for the foreseeable future. The idea of investing in new LTE architecture, rather than building upon existing infrastructure, although expensive now, seems like the right thing to do.

Other big earners for the market in my opinion must be value-added content, crucial in keeping the ever-demanding customer happy. Loyalty schemes, similarly, will surely benefit operators in retaining their highest-value customers. The opportunities for growth are endless in such a multi-dimensional arena, as long as thinking and spending remain positive.

Discussion and Debate: Determining the Direction of Development

I am sure my view is one that will not be unopposed. Even the world’s leading economists disagree on what are the optimal business models for moving out of a recession. This unsettling fact leaves the industry in a predicament on the best way forward. So what to do?

We need to talk through these issues in depth and detail, with advice from the regions’ key leaders. Platforms are needed to resolve queries of the future of the Eurasian telecoms market: how can we capitalise on new revenue streams and constant broadband developments? How can businesses be revolutionised to boost their development? Do the answers lie in LTE, IPTV and seamless fixed-mobile convergence? The answers are far from clear-cut but dedicated discussion and debate holds the key for finding the right path.

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Where can the right level of discussion and debate be found? Where is there dedication to a focus on the Eurasian teleco market specifically? Where can you proactively join in these discussions? To find out more about such a forum that initiates truly topical discussion, click here...

http://eurasia.comworldseries.com/conference/download_brochure

Do you have any comments?

Please contact Jane.Schofield@informa.com

Rural expansion, broadband and convergence are key to continue growth in North Africa's telecoms market, say speakers at North Africa Com

The annual North Africa Com conference and exhibition opened today in Cairo with a lively keynote session in which representatives of some of the region’s leading operators, ISPs and regulators highlighted the many growth opportunities in the market.
The conference opened with a market overview from Mai Barakat, Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, who said that “the opportunities in North Africa lie in rural expansion, converged services and the data market; Egypt remains the region’s largest market in terms of subscription counts followed by Algeria and Morocco”.
Her presentation was followed by Michel Monzani, Senior VP of Orange France Telecom Group, who described his company’s vision for the region, in particular its new investments in Tunisia and Morocco. The group’s strategy is “to build roots to remain strong in difficult times (reducing costs, maintaining investment, working with solid local partners) while working on new sources of growth such as service innovation”.
Representing one of the region’s most talked-about markets, Cherif Yaici, Chief Strategy Officer of Algerie Telecom Group, gave an overview of Algeria’s telecommunications market and of his group’s unique position within it as incumbent and only fixed-line operator. In terms of commercial development, Algerie Telecom is focusing of corporate customers, broadband access and call centres. On the technical side, the company is migrating its network to IP, developing the national backbone, deploying Fttx and launching new services such as IPTV, VoD, VoIP and more.
Fadel Deguam gave a regulator’s perspective with an update on the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Egypt. He said that the NTRA’s primary objectives are to ensure free competition, while maintaining “the right balance between accountability (to protect consumers and fulfil the interests of the state) and flexibility to attract investment and promote innovation”.
The morning’s discussions also included talks on building international connectivity and increasing capacity in the region, with contributions from representatives of Vivendi, Corning International Fibre, Acision and Egyptsat.
The afternoon’s conference is divided into two separate sessions: one on network evolution to LTE, and one on new revenue streams, with contributions from representatives of operators, ISPs, telecoms solutions vendors and consultants.
The second day will continue to look at strategies to continue growth in the region’s markets, with a keynote presentation from Hatem Dowidar, CEO of Vodafone Egypt, and contributions from operators Telecom Egypt, Mobinil, MDC Lebanon (managing firm for Vivacell Sudan), LinkedonLine and other companies specialising in the region’s market.
In addition to the conference, participants enjoyed many opportunities to network with their peers in the exhibition. Over 500 participants are expected over the two days of the event (with over 350 in attendance on the first morning), and 25 countries are represented in the audience, showing the high degree of interest in the region’s market.

Africa tops half billion subs in 3Q10

Mobile subscriptions passed the 500 million mark in Africa during 3Q10, according to the latest data from Informa Telecoms & Media. The continent’s mobile subscriptions grew by 18% year-on-year to over 506 million compared to 16% globally. With less than 50% SIM card penetration rate, Africa was still lagging behind all the other regions while the global penetration rate was 74% in 3Q10. Africa’s mobile subscriptions contributed to 10% of global subscriptions.

Growth is not restricted to the cellular voice market. There are signs that demand for data services is also increasing. The construction of a series of new submarine cables is bringing profound change by increasing the amount of international capacity available to the coasts of East and West Africa, and crucially bringing down costs. There is evidence too of the rise in usage of mobile value-added services. Informa estimates the size of the non-voice market to have been worth US$4.8 billion in 2009, with this figure set to rise in 2010 to in excess of US$5.5 billion. Data revenues now represent 9% of total service revenues.

An innovative response required from across the industry
Regulators are encouraging initiatives to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural Africa.  Mobile operators are transforming their business structures so as to focus more on what is core to operational delivery.  In response, vendors across the value chain are beginning to showcase solutions to meet the challenges of Africa’s telecoms landscape.

It is likely that service providers become more innovative by launching dynamic tariff plans, segmenting the market to deepen their value offering or by building brand through entering into partnership with content providers.  The use of data services is expected to continue to transform society, by connecting rural communities to ICT services, giving hundreds of millions of unbanked some financial muscle and providing a stronger technology infrastructure for the SME business segment.  All in the ICT value chain have their part to play in this ongoing transformation.

Business leaders join to set the way forward
It is these market changes that will form the backdrop to discussions and learning at Africa’s largest annual congress and exhibition – the 13th annual AfricaCom taking place in Cape Town on 10-11 November 2010.  4,000+ decision-makers from operators, solutions and technology providers serving across the continent will meet to collaborate in driving this new phase of growth.

The strategic congress will gather a select 2,000 business leaders from the attendee list for a 2 day programme of discussions and idea sharing around the broad outline of “Driving the Next Stage of Growth in African Telecoms“.  Sessions cover broad strategic answers to driving growth and predicting trends alongside more specific topics including: Efficiency and ROI Strategies; LTE; VAS; Marketing, Pricing and Loyalty; Mobile Money; Fibre Optics; Broadband Data Services; WiMAX; and Capacity & Wholesale. 
Africa’s telecom leaders reveal their strategies and ideas

Leading discussions at AfricaCom, are a panel of 100 of Africa’s most significant telecoms leaders including:
• Ahmad Farroukh, Vice President, MTN West and Central Africa
• Themba Khumalo, CEO, MTN Uganda
• Serame Taukobong, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN South Africa
• Marc Rennard, Executive Vice President for Africa, the Middle East & Asia, Orange Group
• Nkateko Nyoka, Chief Officer - Regulatory & Stakeholder Relations, Vodacom Group
• Wessel Van der Vyver, General Manger, Telecom Namibia International
• Mickael Ghossein, CEO, Orange Telkom Kenya
• Etienne Kouadio, Managing Director, Alink Telecom Cote D'Ivoire
• Jose dos Santos, CEO, Vodacom Mozambique
• Chiruyi Walingo, Chief Commercial Officer, Zain Tanzania
• Hussein Rifaii, Chairman & Managing Director, MDC
• Noel Herrity, CEO, Zantel Tanzania
• Serame Taukobong, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN South Africa
• Dr Angus Hay, Chief Technology Officer, Neotel South Africa
• Paul Edwards, Chairman, Starcomms Nigeria
• Nazar H Sahal, Information Technology Director, Expresso Telecom Group Ltd

International vendors rise to the challenge
Some of the world’s foremost solutions and technology providers have responded to market conditions and developed a portfolio and solutions and services that meet the challenges of Africa’s telecoms landscape.  The 250 stand market place exhibition at AfricaCom will showcase the cream of these companies to the 4,000 attendees.  This creates a unique opportunity for telcos from across Africa to see the full product offering in one place to help them make better technology decisions.

It is expected that this year’s AfricaCom will play a pivotal role in bringing the continent’s ICT value chain together to assist this ongoing market transformation.