Official publication:
GSM>3G East & Central Africa e-Zine 21/03/07
Congo Operators Look To Wireless Broadband to Help Expand Revenues
Having barely contributed to the 3G consultation, the DRC's operators are all moving away from a strategy of taking high-speed data to the mass market and are instead concentrating on serving a niche corporate market by deploying wireless broadband.
Although there is little movement toward mobile data services, subscriber growth in the DRC remains strong. In 2006, the country's operators saw a 60% growth in subscriber figures, with 1.75 million net adds. Market leader Vodacom had 2.2 millions subs at year-end.
Informa Telecoms&Media, publisher of MEAWA, estimates that after launching GPRS in January 2006, Vodacom Congo has about 0.5% of its total subscription base actively using GPRS. Although 10-20% of the handsets used on its network are believed to be GPRS-enabled, take-up of GPRS services is relatively low, leading the operator to question whether mobile data services beyond SMS are of interest to the average Congolese or whether it needs to push appropriate services to them more efficiently.
At GSM>3G East & Central Africa 2007, taking place in Nairobi, Kenya on 16-17 May, delegates will be able to hear about these projects in depth, with presentations by senior-level executives including Joseph Ogutu, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Safaricom and Andrew Rugege, COO of MTN Rwanda. These speakers will be joined by a wide variety of CxO-level operators over the two days to consider important issues including regulatory developments in the region, rural connectivity, international investment, revenues, productivity and technological evolution.
On Day Two of the conference, participants will look into the future of the region with a Seminar dedicated to HSPA hosted by the GSM Association. As the GSMA’s Development Fund current project with MTN South Africa illustrates, HSPA’s function as a high-speed broadband technology offers great potential in Africa, allowing for such concepts as internet cafés and community payphones offering very poor communities voice telephony and cheap internet access at the same time.
In terms of technological evolution, one thing is clear - as mobile networks continue to develop and expand, East & Central African mobile operators have an unrivalled opportunity to position themselves as invaluable service enablers far above and beyond the capabilities of fixed-line operators. Not only do their own customers stand to benefit, but they also have the potential to contribute massively to the economic progress of society as a whole.
GSM>3G East & Central Africa is endorsed by the GSM Association, and takes place at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya, on 16-17 May.
To book your place, call +44 20 7017 5506 in the UK, or +91 124 410 2071 in India, or visit http://www.gsm-3gworldseries.com/ecafrica/ for further information.
For further information on the GSM Associations’s Development Fund Projects, visit
www.gsmworld.com/developmentfund/projects/index.shtml
Dates for your diary:
GSM>3G East Africa 2008 takes place at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya on 21-22 May 2008.
