Ever looked over Etisalat’s financial results and wanted to know the operating results for a specific market the telco operates in outside of the UAE and found that they were not available? It is understood that this may become a thing of the past as the Abu Dhabi Financial Market on which Etisalat is listed is set to require the telco to report its operational results on a market-by-market basis.
VoIP resellers raided and jailed in Saudi
July 4th, 2008 — Issue 2 July/August 2008
A businessman claims resellers of prepaid international VoIP calling cards are being raided in Saudi Arabia, with some even thrown in jail.
Preferring not to be named, he is one of several providers offering calling cards that target the lower-income labourers working in the kingdom.
“We face raids from the incumbent and the legislative authorities. Raids to the call shops and the stores that sell the cards. The incumbents are controlling the legislative authorities. We see this as very negative and non-competitive,” he stated.
Hot Spots – July/August
July 1st, 2008 — Issue 2 July/August 2008
Fraud Prevention and Revenue Assurance Middle East and North Africa
July 1-2, 2008 | Dusit Thani Hotel, Dubai, UAE
This event aims to bring together telecoms operators and industry experts to discuss the critical issues that are faced by revenue assurance and fraud personnel today. It has been calculated that operators in the Middle East and north Africa lose approximately 20 per cent of their revenue to leakage through billing errors, fraud and poor systems integration.
In such a fast emerging market and one that still has so much potential, it is imperative that operators improve their revenue assurance strategies to ensure they maximise their profitability and opportunities in this rapidly expanding market.
www.revenueassurance.info/MENA2008/
Broadband World Forum Asia 2008
July 15-18, 2008 | Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Hong Kong
The Broadband World Forum Asia is designed to help service providers meet the challenges of offering revenue-driving broadband enabled services while evolving their networks, operations and business models in a new world of competition.
Session programming will examine what works, what has been profitable and what the most promising alternatives are moving forward in broadband while providing a unique venue to evaluate strategy and make informed decisions.
Conference programming will examine the latest developments in many topical areas including: content development and delivery, gaming, IPTV, HDTV delivery platforms, mobile TV, mobility applications, wireless broadband, broadband network security, peer-to-peer technologies, WiMAX versus HSPA/LTE versus Wi-Fi, cell site aggregation for 2G and 3G mobile, monetising services and applications, mobile web 2.0, subscriber self-management and risk and impact of the digital divide on society.
South East AsiaCom
July 23-24, 2008 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
This event aims to be the number one meeting place for the communications value chain in the region. It gathers thought leaders and purchasing decision-makers from across the region and wider international community. The event will focus on harnessing the opportunity of regional scale by developing partnerships and deploying strong value propositions in each South East Asian country.
IQPC’s WiMAX 2008 Conference
July 29-30, 2008 | Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa
There is a very clear need for broadband Internet connectivity that can be delivered quickly and easily via wireless. A strong momentum exists in Africa to implement WiMAX given the lack of wired infrastructure. Africa has the opportunity to leapfrog DSL, cable and GSM and go straight to mobile WiMAX /4G networks.
Gain a critical insight on latest global and regional developments to strategise on WiMAX technology. Hear from top industry experts, including leading regional operators and vendors, examine the business case for the importance of WiMAX now and participate in leading discussions on calculating the costs of WiMAX deployments to discern whether it is profitable.
Mobile VAS Summit 2008
August 26-28, 2008 | Courtyard by Marriott, Bangkok, Thailand
Discover killer marketing strategies and innovative products to stimulate value added services (VAS) revenues and boost customer stickiness. The Mobile VAS Summit is Asia Pacific’s premier VAS conference addressing winning enterprise VAS strategies that will strengthen your relationship with corporate customers.
Unveil tactics to expand your revenue streams beyond the usual subscriber-pays model through effective mobile advertising and
location based services. Explore approaches to increase downloads of games and content through innovative portal solutions and understand how modifying the way you offer mobile Internet will increase subscriber activity and revenues.
Taxation and mobile services in Africa
July 1st, 2008 — Issue 2 July/August 2008
In 2007, more than 430 million sub-Saharan Africans (60 per cent of the population) were covered by mobile networks. With around 162 million connections, this implies a penetration rate of 37 per cent.
Taxation and mobile services in Africa
July 1st, 2008 — Issue 2 July/August 2008
Taxation structures and levels vary considerably across sub-Saharan Africa. Below are some benchmarks of countries that levy taxes on network equipment, handsets and airtime
