Day One – Tuesday 8th April 2008
Strategic Plenary Session: Examining the Evolution of the East African Communications Market
08.00 Registration and Coffee
9.00 Welcome Address by Informa Telecoms & Media and Speed Networking
9.15 Opening Remarks by Chairperson: Michele Scanlon, Principal Analyst, Green Giraffe, South Africa
9.20 Opening Address by GSM Africa: Examining the Role of GSM in an Increasingly Multi-Technology Market
- Vitalis Olunga, Chairman, GSM Africa Interest Group
9.40 Keynote Interview: Examining the Growth Strategies of International Telecommunications Groups in East Africa
- Which markets have the best growth opportunities in Africa?
- What are the optimum strategies for operators to maximise their growth in the region?
- How do international groups shape their strategy to optimise regional synergies?
- Bashar T. Arafeh, Chief Operating Officer - East Africa, Celtel International and Managing Director, Celtel Tanzania
10.10 Maintaining a Leading Position in Tanzania's Dynamic Telecommunications Market
- Examining Vodacom's positioning in Tanzania's market: commercial strategy, services, branding
- Pioneering new technologies to improve services: launching 3G and HSDPA
- Future strategies to continue Vodacom's growth in Tanzania
- Dietlof Mare, Managing Director, Vodacom Tanzania
10.40 Refreshments & Exhibition Visit
Adapting Business Models to East Africa's Changing Telecommunications Value Chain
11.40 Market Overview: Examining the Evolution of East Africa’s Telecommunications Market
- Evaluating growth in the region’s telecommunications markets: mobile subscriptions, penetration rates, key trends
- Examining the changes appearing in the communications market: the rise of alternative (to GSM) wireless technologies
- Forecasting future growth and the main changes in the market
- Thecla Mbongue, Research Analyst, Informa Telecoms & Media, UK
12.10 Regulating One of East Africa's Most Dynamic Markets: Tanzania
- Examining the Tanzanian communications market: communications use, number of operators, role of ISPs
- Launching unified licenses: how have they affected the market?
- Preparing for future evolutions in the market: how can the regulator anticipate changes?
- Prof. John Nkoma, Director General, Tanzanian Communication Regulatory Authority
12.40 Lunch & Exhibition Visit
14.15 Entering East Africa's Telecommunications Market as a New Mobile Player: Warid Telecom Uganda
- Evaluating the commercial opportunities in Uganda's telecoms market for Warid Telecom
- Bidding for a new licence: determining the right investment to maximise ROI
- Determining the right technology to develop new mobile services, the level of coverage to target, and the necessary investment
- Developing a brand, services and pricing to attract customers
- Zul Javaid, CEO, Warid Telecom Uganda
14.40 Panel Discussion: Analysing the Opportunities Created by the Evolution of the Telecoms Value Chain in East Africa
- Evaluating to what extent the roles of the various actors of the telecoms value chain have evolved, and how they will evolve in the future
- Why is the region's telecommunications market attractive to outside investors?
- Following the process of unified licensing, should regulators adapt their approach to regulation to new market conditions?
- Will mobile operators continue dominating the communications market? Will ISPs take a greater share of the market?
- Panellists:
- Peter Ulanga, Principal Telecommunications Engineer, TCRA, Tanzania
- Anthony Corbett, Head of International M&A, VimpelCom, Russia
- Jean-Pierre Bienaimé, Chairman, UMTS Forum
Improving Access to Communications in the Region
15.10 Using Affordable GSM technologies to boost East Africa's Communication offer
- Thomas Sonesson, Managing Director and Country Manager East African Region, Ericsson
15.35 Refreshments & Exhibition Visit
16.30 Examining the Role of the Operator in Developing Access to Communications in East Africa
- Assessing the level of access to communications in the region and what are the remaining needs
- Examining how operators develop strategies to improve access to communications in the region
- Choosing the right technologies to provide suitable services to varied users
- Examining the challenges to overcome in the delivery of communications services: regulation, international connectivity, infrastructure
- Noel Meier, CEO, MTN Uganda
16.55 How Will New Technologies Enable Operators to Radically Increase Coverage at an Affordable Cost?
- What are the solutions currently available to improve and extend GSM networks in East Africa?
- Examining the range of alternative technologies that are available to operators to improve coverage: CDMA, WiMAX
- What is the optimum technology or mix of technologies for operators to improve their coverage without compromising on quality of service?
- Alex Fares, Wireless Expert, Huawei Technologies
17.45 End of Day One and Networking Drinks Reception
Day Two – Wednesday 9th April 2008
Implementing Effective Strategies to Maximise Growth in the Market
STREAM A
Strategies for Improving Coverage and Networks (3G, WiMAX, QoS)
8.15 Registration and Coffee
Developing Advanced Networks to Answer New Needs
9.10 Opening Remarks by Chairperson
Lessons to be Learnt from the Successful Upgrading of 2G Networks to 3G and Beyond - Perspectives for East Africa
- Examining the optimum technology choices to be made to deploy 3G networks
- Creating a framework to facilitate the implementation and reach deadlines: what are the mistakes to avoid?
- Selecting the right partners to build the network infrastructure, and efficiently managing the partnership
- Determining the optimum time to launch 3G services: at what level of coverage should they be launched, and what types of services to start with?
- Jean-Pierre Bienaimé, Chairman, UMTS Forum
9.40 Using WiMAX 16e Technology to Deliver Reliable and Affordable Broadband Access in East Africa
- Understanding how the technology works and assessing the best markets for broadband access through WiMAX
- Examining the technical requirements for deploying WiMAX and the investment required
- Success stories and examples of Business Cases in fast growing economies
- Stéphane Lecomte, Alcatel-Lucent
10.10 Finding the Right Mix of Technologies to Provide Reliable Wireless Broadband Services
- Examining the choice of technologies available for wireless broadband, and where they fit in a service provider's strategy: CDMA, Wi-Fi, WiMAX etc.
- Selecting the right technology for the relevant market conditions: urban or rural areas, enterprise or residential etc.
- Evaluating the investment necessary to deploy them and planning ROI
- Planning for future market demand: at what point should ISPs consider moving into mobile?
- Rakesh Kukreja, Managing Director, Simbanet Tanzania
10.40 Refreshments & Exhibition Visit
11.30 Determining the Principles Behind Successful Outsourcing of Networks in East Africa
- Establishing the number of vendors to work with to maximise efficiency
- Deciding the degree of strategic control from the operator
- Effectively managing the relationship with the vendor – developing performance indicators and timelines
- Ahmed A. Dirie, Chief Technical Officer, Golis Telecommunications Company, Somalia
12.00 From Mobile Operator to Total Communications Provider: Network Evolution and Case Studies
- Developing a single aggregation network for mobile and fixed services
- Cost-effectively accommodating expected capacity growth
- Reducing the risks associated with rolling out new services
- Mobile operator case studies
12.30 Lunch & Exhibition Visit
14.00 Panel Discussion: Determining When and How to Deploy New Networks to Maximise Return on Investment
- Evaluating the maturity of a market to determine when to deploy networks that can support advanced services
- Should all GSM operators move to 3G and HSPA or is a mix of technologies more suited to some?
- What are the main challenges faced by operators when deploying new networks and how to overcome them?
- Panellists:
- Bill Hearmon, Chairman, African CDMA Forum
- Ahmed A. Dirie, Chief Technical Officer, Golis Telecommunications Company, Somalia (tbc)
- Rakesh Kukreja, Managing Director, Simbanet Tanzania (tbc)
- And other panellists tbc
14.30 Financing the Development of Telecommunications Networks in East Africa
- Evaluating the levels of funding required to upgrade telecommunications networks
- Examining the various sources of funding available to operators in East Africa
- Optimising the financial planning for the deployment
- Sipho Moyo, Resident Representative, Tanzania Field Office, African Development Bank
15.00 Refreshments & Exhibition Visit
Effectively Managing Infrastructure and Improving Quality of Service
15.30 Effective Solutions to Reduce the Cost of Infrastructure Deployment and Maintenance
- Examining the main cost centres for operators in the building and maintaining of network infrastructure
- Determining how and where costs can be saved: new technologies, new partnerships
- Finding cost-effective solutions to build non-telecom infrastructure (road, power) in order to deploy telecom networks
- Eng. Abdulle Hassan, Chief Technical Officer, Telcom Somalia
16.00 Examining the technologies available to improve coverage in the region
- Africa's communications needs
- Wireless technologies available
- Is internet access applicable to mobiles?
- Bill Hearmon, Chairman, African CDMA Forum
16.30 Closing Remarks
16.35 End of Day Two
Day Two - Wednesday 9th April 2008
Implementing Effective Strategies to Maximise Growth in the Market
STREAM B
Delivering Attractive Customer Offerings
8.15 Registration and Coffee
9.10 Opening Remarks by Chairperson: Thecla Mbongue, Research Analyst, Informa Telecoms & Media, UK
9.15 Establishing an Operator's Position for Long-Term Success in a Growing Market
- Providing innovative services to differentiate the offer form the competitors
- Making the most of regional synergies when being part of an international group
- Developing successful Corporate Social Responsibility strategies to build the operator's image in the country
- Preparing for the future: how to secure the operator's position in a context of increased competition?
- Dylan Lennox, Managing Executive - New Technologies, Vodacom Tanzania
9.45 Retaining Profitable ARPU Levels in an Increasingly Competitive Environment
- Examining the impact of increased competition on pricing: how can operators avoid price wars?
- What is the optimum ARPU level that can be reached in East Africa’s emerging markets?
- Examining the pricing strategies and new services that can be launched to maintain and/or increase ARPU
- Focusing on margin to remain profitable when ARPU is reduced
- Noel Herrity, Director General, Zantel, Tanzania
10.15 Using 3G Technologies for Cost Effective Voice and Data Service Delivery in Africa
- CDMA / WCDMA as a technology for cost effective voice and data services
- Cost effective deployment
- Learning from successes in the region
- James Munn, Vice President, South Africa Office, Qualcomm
10.45 Refreshments & Exhibition Visit
11.30 How Can Operators Ensure a Good Return on their Investment in Value Added Services
- Examining the level of investment necessary for operators to provide value-added services
- Evaluating the revenues that can be generated from VAS, and to what timescale
- What initiatives should operators take to maximise the potential revenues of VAS in their markets?
- Francis Egbuson, Head of Sales, Uganda Telecom
12.10 Offering Triple Play Services in East Africa: Sudan Case Study
- Examining Sudan Telecom's business model in offering GSM, fixed and internet services
- Which customers are the services targeted to and at what prices?
- What are the levels of investments necessary for the provision of triple play services in Sudan?
- What are the regulatory constraints in offering such services?
- Mohammed Bouhelal, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer , Canar Telecommunication, Sudan
12.40 Lunch & Exhibition Visit
14.00 Building Business Models to Profitably Serve the 'Bottom of the Pyramid'
- Colin Shepherd, Senior Operations Officer, Private Enterprise Partnership for Africa, International Finance Corporation
14.30 Data Strategies for the African Voice Operator
- Alexander Dadson, Managing Director, Blue Management Group
15.00 Closing Remarks
15.05 End of Stream B and Refreshments
For more information on this programme and conditions for speaking, please contact:
Julie Rey, Head of Region - Africa, Com World Series, Tel: +44 20 7017 5394, e-mail: Julie.rey@informa.com
Official publication:
