11th AfricaCom congress attracts record registrations

Over 3500 participants are expected to attend the event over the course of the two days, including over 220 different operator companies representing the whole communications ecosystem of Africa: 33% integrated operators (incumbents operators providing fixed, mobile and in some cases wireless services), 33% GSM and CDMA mobile operators, 19% alternative service providers (VoIP providers, MVNOs, resellers etc.), 12% internet service providers, and 4% landline operators. Also in attendance are investors, regulators, satellite providers, network and infrastructure equipment providers, value-added service providers, consultants, analysts, and representatives of the press. No less than 72 countries are represented, including 75% of Africa's countries.

Leaders of Africa's main operator groups joined the opening keynote session of the conference. Chris Gabriel, CEO of Zain Africa, highlighted Zain's successful rebranding from Celtel as part of the group's global strategy. He reiterated Zain's interest in expanding its footprint in Africa, saying that we should expect two to three deals to be finalised in the next months. Tim Lowry, representing MTN group, presented the three main points to grow Africa's telecoms market: reducing the cost of devices (a point echoed by other presenters), improving international connectivity through submarine cable links (in which MTN is investing with interests in EASSY and EIG), and domestic infrastructure for conenctivity accross the African mainland. The mood of the session was very positive, with great expectations for the future of Africa's telecommunications market. The only question mark came from Mark Newman, chief research officer at Informa Telecoms and Media, who expressed concerns for greenfield WiMAX operators in the current financial climate.

The opening session was followed by four streams looking more depth at key aspects of the market: technology evolution, green telecoms, marketing strategies and value-added services. The afternoon keynote looked at internet connectivity with a keynote presentation from Orange's Marc Rennard, EVP for Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and representatives of Motorola, Intelsat and Qualcomm.

The second day of the event will bring again a high-level audience to see a keynote presentation with more of the continent's dynamic operators discussing the evolution of the market. Michael Foley, CEO-Africa for Essar, owner of Econet Wireless, will present the group's strategy as a challenger to the main groups on the continent. With a new operation being launched in 2009 in Kenya (one of the continent's top 10 markets), his vision for the future will no doubt be of interest to not only his competitor but also all other companies seeking to grow their position in the market. Also present will be Michael Joseph, CEO of Kenya's leader Safaricom, which is showing great growth despite increasing competition, Nkateko Nyoka, chief officer - regulatory and stakeholder relations at Vodacom Group, leading a session on regulation, and Dr Angus Hay, CTO of South Africa's Neotel, giving the point of view of a fixed line / converged operator. Also on the programme will be streams on networks and infrastructure, business models, regulation, and content services.

In between conference sessions, conference participants enjoyed networking in the exhibition, with over 160 telecom solutions companies showcasing a wide array of solutions to make Africa's telecommunications market more dynamic and profitable.