Com World Series: Global Telecoms & Media Industry Blog

Vodacom Business' Richard Vester Chats with Cloud Africa Event Organisers in the Lead up to Africa's Most Exciting Cloud Event

2012-02-13T11:20:00.003Z

The Com World Series - organisers of Cloud Africa - caught up with speaker Richard Vester to understand a bit more about his experience, and what his thoughts are in the lead up to Cloud Africa (23-24 May, Sandton Sun Hotel, Jo'burg).Richard has been in the ICT industry since 1997, and has been intimately involved in the service provider and communications industry across the board (sales,

Lion's Den - What it Takes to be an Entrepreneur in East Africa

2012-02-09T10:45:00.004Z

So what does it take to succeed with your own start-up in East Africa?This is a question that will be answered in the Lion's Den: Entrepreneurs' Shoot Out - taking place at East Africa Com in Nairobi on the 17-18 April.The exciting new session will be led by ihub Kenya's Erik Hersman, a veteran in the world of innovative start-ups and entrepreneurs. And the participants themselves will have a

Salesforce.com Cloud Services in Africa: Interview with Josh Parolin, Salesforce Manager, Invisible Children

2012-02-08T13:22:00.006Z

The Com World Series caught up with Cloud Africa speaker, Josh Parolin from the charity Invisible Children - to hear about what his experience with Cloud services are as an SME end user in Africa, and in particular Salesforce.com's contribution to the charity's efficiency & success.CWS: How would you describe existing ‘’cloud services’’ in Africa? JP: Existing cloud services in Africa continue

Expresso Telecom joins the programme of West & Central Africa Com

2012-02-08T12:42:00.002Z

Asif Aziz,Group Marketing Director at Expresso Telecom Group, has confirmed his participation as speaker at West & Central Africa Com, taking place in Dakar, Senegal in June.Expresso Telecom operates across five key markets in West Africa: Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea, Ghana and Nigeria.Asif Aziz started his career in banking before joining the fast growing telecoms market in the UK, where he held

Jinny Software's Richard Choi will advocate innovation for the digital future at EurasiaCom next month

2012-02-07T15:18:00.003Z

Richard Choi, Chief Commercial Officer at Jinny Software, has confirmed he will join the group of speakers at EurasiaCom, in Istanbul next month. EurasiaCom is the leading confernece and exhbition for the digital industry in Turkey, Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe, and Jinny Software is one of the event's main sponsors. Richard will participate in a panel discussion on handset and device evolution

AFRICACOM 2012: DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND - HAS BEEN EXTENDED BY AN ADDITIONAL DAY

2012-02-03T10:56:00.004Z

AfricaCom was so good in 2011 that you asked for more! For 2012, AfricaCom has bowed to popular demand and has been extended by an additional day. The exhibition will now open a day early on 13th November to allow even more networking and technology sourcing time for the anticipated 7,000 visitors. NEW FOR 2012 · 7000 decision makers · 170+ Visionary speakers · New sessions on content, customer

Emerging market smartphone sales to overtake developed markets’ by 2016

2012-02-02T16:49:00.003Z

According to a new report by Informa Telecoms & Media, smartphone sales in emerging markets are set to overtake those in developed markets by 2016. In 2010, the volume of sales in emerging markets was half that of the developed ones, which were reaching just under 200 million. Emerging markets are predicted to overtake the developed ones during 2015, to reach over 450 million handsets in 2016

African social networking site Yookos joins West & Central Africa Com

2012-02-01T15:02:00.002Z

A new representative of the social media world has confirmed his participation to West & Central Africa Com, taking place in June: Tomisin Fashina is the CEO of Yookos, a social networking site created for Africans within the continent and the diaspora. Yookos boasts a subscriber base of over 5 million users within a few months of its introduction. The site offers the traditional features of most

Kamal Okba confirms his participation as keynote speaker at North Africa Com

2012-01-31T17:06:00.002Z

Kamal Okba, Chief Executive Officer at Mauritel, the incumbent operator in Mauritania, confirmed today he will join the North Africa Com conference taking place in Tunisia on 15th and 16th May. He will join the Leadership Summit in the opening keynote session at the event, where he will share his perspective on how telcos adapt to changing market conditions, particularly in the digital age. He

Gateway Communications Confirm Continued Support of AfricaCom Awards

2012-01-31T10:03:00.002Z

For the fifth year in a row Gateway Communications are supporting the AfricaCom Awards - Africa's only dedicated telecoms, media and ICT awards ceremony and gala dinner. 2011's gala dinner saw another luxurious celebration of great industry achievements, as well as great food, great music, and great company.The ceremony included the announcement of winners in the following categories:Best

Mobile Marketing Summits to Launch at Com World Series

2012-01-30T12:31:00.000Z

In brief, we are delighted to say that here at Com World Series HQ we have hooked up with the Mobile Marketing Association to run a series of Mobile Marketing Summits in Africa and the Middle East. These summits will run alongside our events in Nairobi, Johannesbury, Lagos and Dubai. This new partnership is a great addition to our events and provides a valuable extra dimension for our

EMC joins Cloud Africa panel of sponsors

2012-01-27T11:12:00.002Z

EMC - a global power in the business data arena - has confirmed its support of the Cloud Africa event, being run by the Com World Series in Johannesburg on the 23-24 May.EMC provides the systems, software, and services for leveraging business data. Africa is a prime market for organisations looking to optimise their information infrastructure; it's a market where companies face growing demands on

BCX joins list of Cloud Africa sponsors

2012-01-26T09:42:00.004Z

The organisers of Cloud Africa are delighted to announce that Business Connexion (BCX) have confirmed their support of the inaugural Cloud Africa conference and exhibition, taking place in Johannesburg on the 23-24 May.Business Connexion have extensive expertise in the Cloud arena and they will bring this experience to day 1 of the conference.And who better to represent them at Cloud Africa than

Safaricom sponsor Cloud Africa event

2012-01-23T14:27:00.002Z

Safaricom, after launching arguably the first and largest African managed cloud service last year, have confirmed their place as a leading sponsor for Cloud Africa - the exciting launch event from the organisers of AfricaCom, taking place in Johannesburg on the 23-24 May 2012.This innovative operator, the dominant force in the Kenyan market, will support the Cloud Africa event, as it provides a

Airtel Congo starts selling Congo designed tablet - Hear more at West & Central Africa Com

2012-01-17T11:45:00.002Z

Airtel Congo has started offering its customers the first African-produced tablet, leading the way in the region in terms of device strategy. Airtel is Congo's mobile market leader, and launched the first 3G network in the Central Africa country in October 2011. The company has now launched a XAF150,000 (US$284) data package including a Way-C tablet, a Huawei modem and 25MB worth of data. The

Nader Gohar of CNC to discuss the role of the media at North Africa Com

2012-01-16T17:23:00.003Z

Nader Gohar, Chairman of CNC Cairo News Company, and Chairman of the Arab Union of Electronic Media Journalists will be a keynote speaker at North Africa Com, to discuss the expanding role of the media in North Africa’s new digital society.Nader Gohar is a pioneer in TV news production in the Middle East and an award-winning producer. His extensive career in journalism gives him an incomparable

MTN close to 100 million subscriptions in Africa

2012-01-11T11:13:00.004Z

A recent document by Informa Telecoms & Media of the top operating groups by subscriptions shows that MTN is well ahead of its competitors in Africa. the South Africa-based group is getting close to the 100 million subscriber mark, with 92,466,137 subscriptions. Its main competitors are further behind, with Vodafone/Vodacom at 52.5 million, Bharti Airtel at 44.6 million, France Telecom/Orange at

Tunisiana's new CEO Ken Campbell to be a keynote speaker at North Africa Com

2012-01-06T12:10:00.003Z

Ken Campbell took his new role as CEO of Tunisia's leading mobile operator Tunisiana in December 2011. He is no stranger to the company, as he was Commercial Director in 2003 before taking positions at Vodafone Romania, Bite group and Wind Mobile. His expertise in customer experience management was praised by Tunisiana's owners Qtel, and he said he was excited about the opportunities there, given

Samsung Electronics confirmed as one of the leading sponsors at AfricaCom 2012

2012-01-05T10:02:00.003Z

Samsung Electronics has confirmed it will be a sponsor at AfricaCom 2012. Africa's leading teleocms, media and ICT event will take place in Cape Town, South Africa on 14th and 15th November.Samsung Electronics is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2010 consolidated sales of US$135.8 billion. Employing approximately 190,500

Regulatory panel at North Africa Com to include Tunisiana and Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI)

2012-01-04T15:59:00.003Z

The conference programme of the 2012 North Africa Com event is currently being confirmed. It will be fully announced early next month, but here's a preview of what it will include.The overall theme of the event will be 'Transformation and Innovation for a New Dawn in Digital Communications', including the role of regulation in supporting the market's development. Two speakers have already

Predicting a 2012 Full of Opportunities in Emerging Markets Telecoms, Media & ICT

2012-01-04T11:59:00.003Z

2011 was a busy year for telecoms, media and ICT in emerging markets, where the full strength of the global economic storm did not completely blast away growth - especially in mobile markets. For 2012 the telecoms, media and ICT world will continue to change quickly. Whilst economic outlooks remain bleak for many global markets, emerging markets are likely continue to successfully tread water.

2011-12-23T11:36:00.002Z

WISHING YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & A PROSPEROUS 2012!It has been a great year to work on emerging markets for telecoms, media and ICT - and if we've worked with you this year, then thank you for all your support in 2011! We wish you confort and joy this festive season, and hopefully a well earned break!It's been a long and fruitful year for us with our annual must-attends AfricaCom and Telco

Michel Monzani, SVP at Orange, will speak at North Africa Com

2011-12-21T16:38:00.002Z

Michel Monzani, Senior Vice President at Orange's Middle East & North Africa Operations, has confirmed his participation to the North Africa Com conference and exhibition to take place in Tunis in May. He will share his perspective on how operators are adapting their strategies to a new market environment.Michel Monzani started his career at France Télécom in 1981 and has held various positions

Andile Ngcaba of Convergence Partners named South Africa's Newsmaker of the Year

2011-12-21T10:25:00.002Z

TechCentral published today its top 5 'Newsmakers of the Year' in South Africa, dedicated to 'individuals who had the biggest impact on SA’s technology sector in the past 12 months'.Top of the list is Andile Ngcaba, Chairman of investment company Convergence Partners, which includes interests in Dimension Data, FibreCo and launched a US$250m satellite with Intelsat. He is described as 'a former

Mobile services & social media expert joins the programme of West & Central Africa Com

2011-12-20T14:12:00.002Z

The 2012 West & Central Africa Com conference, taking place in Dakar, Senegal on 13-14 June, will include a strong focus on content and apps for the region. In particular, social media will feature strongly as a major trend for the region.Sharing his expertise on the subject, Serigne Barro will be a keynote panellist at the event. Serigne is General Manager of People Input and a pioneer of web

Eurasia Com 2012 Agenda is now Confirmed – Download your copy & register for your FREE or discounted pass today!

2011-12-19T12:36:00.021Z

Informa Telecoms & Media are proud to announce the final programme for the 8th Annual Eurasia Com in Turkey. With brand new stakeholders within the digital landscape including content brands, OTT service providers, media professionals and more, brand new agenda topics and new networking opportunities, this is an event you cannot afford to miss!Be the first to see the Eurasia Com conference agenda

Cloud Africa organisers the Com World Series announce the CIO of Sameer Africa Ltd is to present at Cloud Africa

2011-12-16T13:01:00.004Z

Cloud Africa organisers - the Com World Series - are pleased to announce that the CIO of Sameer Africa Ltd is to present at Cloud Africa, taking place in Johannesburg on the 23-24 May 2012. This large Kenyan-based manufacturer has complex ICT systems that are benefiting from cloud services, and the CIO Shishir Saraf will share their business model for cloud with the audience at Cloud Africa 2012

Verone Mankou, "Africa's Steve Jobs", to discuss the first African tablet at West & Central Africa Com

2011-12-14T14:22:00.003Z

Vérone Mankou has been one of the most talked-about entrepreneurs in West & Central Africa since he announced the launch of Way-C, the first tablet computer conceived and designed in Africa for emerging markets consumers. Aged only 25, Vérone is CEO of VMK, a Congolese app developing company, who took on the likes of Apple, Samsung and RIM by developing the first African tablet. He is confident

Safaricom CEO at Cloud Africa event 23 - 24 May

2011-12-12T11:51:00.002Z

The Cloud Africa event is taking off - taking place in Johannesburg on the 23-24 May - the CEO of Safaricom, Mr Bob Collymore, has confirmed that Safaricom will be supporting the event in a big way.Safaricom are not only on the advisory board for the event (alongside Microsoft, Ericsson, HP, ITM and Ovum Business) but now the CEO, Bob Collymore, plans to present about the Kenyan giant's cloud

Google to speak at West & Central Africa Com 2012

2011-12-09T12:43:00.002Z

Google was the first company to confirm their participation as speakers at the 2012 West & Central Africa Com. The event will take place on 13-14 June in Dakar, Senegal, and will look at the new business models, partnerships, services and technologies in the region's market. As in previous years, the conference will include contributions from the region's leading operators. In addition in 2012,

More speakers added to the EurasiaCom 2012 programme: Google, Nokia, Telekom Serbia

2011-12-09T10:48:00.003Z

The programme for the EurasiaCom 2012 event is nearly finalised, and it promises to be even bigger and better than in previous years!The Eurasia region (from Eastern Europe to the Caspian and Central Asia), has become a leading force for emerging markets. Some of the most dynamic companies and most innovative services are to be seen in the region, seizing the new opportunities in today's

Gameloft confirmed to speak at North Africa Com 2012, representing a content provider's perspective

2011-12-06T14:21:00.003Z

Sébastien Givry of mobile games publisher Gameloft has confirmed his participation as speaker at North Africa Com, the annual telecoms, media & ICT event taking place in Tunis on 13-14 May 2012.Sébastien's presentation will look at global trends in mobile content and multimedia consumption, the specificities of the mobile content market in North Africa, and the mobile gaming market.Gameloft is

North Africa Com 2012 programme being confirmed - Get involved!

2011-12-06T10:13:00.001Z

The North Africa region is experiencing exceptional socio-economic change. As the world is going through a digital revolution, now is a great time to look at the new opportunities and challenges affecting all players in the telecoms, media and ICT sector in the region. The 8th North Africa Com conference and exhibition will take place in Tunis on 15-16 May 2012. The event will bring together

OTT PROVIDERS DEFINE THE FUTURE OF THE COMMUNICATIONS LANDSCAPE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

2011-12-05T11:53:00.000Z

Last week’s Middle East Telco World Summit in Dubai was a buzzy affair with over 1,400 executives drawn from the entire Middle Eastern telecoms ecosystem in attendance. Reflecting the changing landscape of the telecoms industry, the keynote panel discussion questioned “How are OTT Providers Disrupting the Operator Business Model?”. CEOs and Vice Presidents from operators and OTT providers

African Cloud Providers Face an Uphill Battle

2011-12-01T10:54:00.002Z

Another month, another cloud launch in Africa – at the end of October we saw Safaricom's George Makori announce the largest native African cloud launched in Kenya, and in November a similar press releases emerged from Vodacom claiming the first cloud launch in South Africa – so is this the Golden Age for the popular ICT service in Africa? Clearly Safaricom and Vodacom South Africa think so – I’d

Anthony Smith-Chaigneau of Alticast gives feedback on Africa's TV market following successful launch of AfricaCast

2011-11-22T16:29:00.002Z

The TV market in Africa offers tremendous opportunities, as was evident at the new AfricaCast conference and exhibition launched in Cape Town earlier this month. The event gathered leading companies from the broadcasting world such as Multichoice and SABC, as well as alternative players such as Southtel and YouTube. The event was co-located with AfricaCom, allowing participants to mix with the

News round-up

2011-11-21T15:31:00.000Z

We'd not normally put in a post that simply re-posts other's efforts, but in the aftermath of AfricaCom we thought we'd make an exception. The event has drawn nearly univeral praise - 96.5% of respondents to our evaluation survey have indicated they'd recommend the event to a colleague! - and we thought some kind of precis of the event reviews would be in order. So for your edification, a

Some thoughts from last week's AfricaCom

2011-11-17T08:55:00.003Z

Last week's AfricaCom attracted a huge audience of 6000 participants from across the continent and the world (with in particular a strong presence from India and China).It may be hard to pick the most talked-about topics at the event, as there were so many varied strands of discussion.In no particular order, here are some topics that stood out for me:- There is still a massive growth potential in

Cloud takes Africa by storm...

2011-11-03T08:47:00.000Z

Increasingly industry commentators are talking about Africa as the perfect market for cloud.... Whereas lack of capacity and unreliable connectivity had previously been seen as detrimental to the launching of cloud services, it now seems that the tide has turned and these characteristics actually make the African markets an ideal Cloud launch pad. Safaricom launched the ‘’largest native Cloud’’

The Biggest Show on Earth ... well Africa, anyway

2011-11-02T13:17:00.000Z

Next week sees our 17th Annual Africa Com take place in South Africa. We are welcoming thousands of speakers, exhibitors, press, delegates and visitors from all over Africa and the world and it is hugely exciting to see representatives of the entire digital ecosystem flocking to beautiful Cape Town in their hordes. The weather outlook, so far, is predicted to be sunny & bright and I'm sure this

Adapting to a changing ecosystem is key for operators' future success

2011-10-27T09:25:00.002+01:00

The telecoms value chain used to be relatively simple: vendors would sell infrastructure equipment and software solutions to operators, who would build networks and offer services to end-users. Nowadays, the picture is more complex: the new ecosystem includes many more stakeholders from the whole telecoms, media and ICT world, and the traditional client-supplier relation is being replaced by more

AfricaCom 2011 programme embraces the new Digital Africa

2011-07-30T18:14:00.002+01:00

We’re just over three months away from the 14th AfricaCom event, and the programme is now ready. How it has evolved from a GSM-focused conference to a large congress and exhibition involving the whole telecoms, media and ICT market! African consumers and businesses have fully embraced the new services and opportunities brought by mobile and ICT technologies; they have shown initiative and

Mobile Money and Content the Major Talking Points at VAS Africa Yesterday

2011-07-07T12:06:00.001+01:00

The first VAS Africa event closed yesterday in Johannesburg after two days of rich debate, best practice sharing and networking between over 250 VAS specialists: mobile operators, solutions vendors, content owners and aggregators, applications developers, consultants and more. All participants agreed that such an event was long needed in Africa: as the market is developing, it is crucial that

Orange shows support for Africa's most prestigious telecoms awards

2011-06-24T14:21:00.000+01:00

The AfricaCom Awards, Africa’s premier telecoms award gala, is now being sponsored by pan-African giant Orange. This unique event is the only gala of its kind, and it recognises companies’ progress and achievements in the continent’s telecoms industry over the past year. Orange has been there all 3 years so far, and last year ran away with a storming 12 shortlisted entries and 2 wins. They have

Operators must adapt to new market conditions, say participants at West & Central Africa Com in Senegal last week

2011-06-20T10:35:00.001+01:00

The telecommunications and ICT sector is changing, and operators must adapt to new market conditions in order to meet the needs of the customers and to ensure future profitability. That is the overall message coming out of 2 days of debate and networking at West and Central Africa Com, held on 16th and 16th June in Dakar, Senegal. Senior representatives of the major regional operators (Orange,

Telecom Leaders to Meet and Set Strategies for Evolving Networks and Services in Dakar Tomorrow

2011-06-14T09:11:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow, over 600 telecom leaders from across West & Central Africa will gather in Dakar at West & Central Africa Com conference. Their agenda for the 2 days is to establish strategies, set best practice benchmarks and find innovative ways of evolving networks and services to capture growth potential in the fiercely competitive West & Central African market. The West & Central African telecoms

Mobile data sparks a revolution

2011-05-24T09:12:00.001+01:00

In the Middle East and Africa, mobile value-added services are having a powerful transformational effect on the businesses of mobile operators and the lives of their customers. With voice-service revenues in the region forecast to record relatively little increase over the next few years, data services offer the best growth prospects. It is clear that data services – especially access to the

Where will profitability come from next for African operators?

2011-04-13T16:11:00.002+01:00

Following years of network deployments, fast growth, improvements in international satellite and cable links, Africa’s telecommunications markets are facing new challenges: how to make the most of the improved access to continue growing revenues in a market where subscription growth is slowing down?On the one hand, operators are looking at reducing their costs in order to maximise profitability

Mobile subscriptions in West & Central Africa predicted to increase 68% over next 5 years to reach 310m+

2011-04-07T10:33:00.000+01:00

The West and Central Africa region has consistently been the fastest-growing in Africa in the past few years. Mobile subscriptions in West & Central Africa are predicted to increase another 68% over the next 5 years to reach in excess of 310m. Over this period, the strongest subscriber growth is expected in the telecom markets of DRC, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire and Togo. Competition for these new

Regional Telecom Leaders Prepare to Set Strategies for Capitalising on New Networks and Services at East Africa Com Conference in Nairobi Tomorrow

2011-04-04T08:53:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow, over 650 telecom leaders from across East Africa will gather in Nairobi at East Africa Com conference (www.comworldseries.com/eafrica). Their agenda for the 2 days is to establish strategies, set best practice benchmarks and find innovative ways of capitalising on the new networks and services in the fiercely competitive East African market. Subscription growth remains high in East

Where will VAS innovation come from in Africa's market?

2011-03-25T11:16:00.005Z

Until recently most of the efforts on the part of telecoms operators and their partners in Africa have been focused on building and improving networks, first to deliver services to the growing customer base, and then to enable them to access new services including internet access.Now that most of the population is connected and that submarine cables and new satellites are improving international

Kenyan Operators Unlikely to Meet Deadline to Launch Mobile Number Portability

2011-03-17T17:28:00.000Z

Operator price wars in East Africa have blighted operators’ efforts to ensure quality of service, meet customers’ expectations and retain their loyalty. As consumers buy up multiple SIM cards to take advantage of the best deals, subscription rates have been artificially increased 19% year-on-year whilst ARPU has declined to a mere 12% to reach just US$7.13 at the end of 2010. All of this is

West Africa region sees Africa's major operators compete for growth opportunities

2011-03-14T15:29:00.003Z

As for most of African telecommunications market, the West Africa region seems to be entering a new phase of its growth. Until recently it was characterised by low ARPU, low penetration, and countries with a high number of operators for a relatively small population. However, since the arrival of new international connections (new submarine cables and satellite links) and some dynamic initiatives

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

2011-03-03T09:00:00.001Z

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

Data services compensate for slowdown in mobile growth in Turkey

2011-02-24T17:18:00.003Z

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

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

2011-02-21T11:32:00.001Z

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,

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

2011-02-10T12:05:00.002Z

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

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

2011-02-03T11:03:00.005Z