Several telecoms executives of operators and vendors in the Middle East have expressed discontent to Comm., that recent telecoms awards ceremonies are biased and have been “bought” through sponsorship deals.

At a recent awards ceremony held in the region, more than half of the accolades on offer were won by the highpaying sponsors.

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In early November, CEOs and senior executives of regional telecoms operators assembled on the shores of the Dead Sea for the SAMENA Telecommunications Council’s Convergence to Jordan conference. What followed was two days of frank discussion about the impact of the global financial crisis on their respective businesses, the appetite for inorganic growth, and the challenges in maintaining market share in a competitive environment. Michelle Mills was there to capture their perspectives

“I think at this point with the economic crisis, it would be the best time for each giant and medium-sized operator to rethink about merging with others. To survive within the region, I imagine that in the coming few years the number of giant operators will decrease. I would really expect something to happen within the coming year or so with a big announcement,” stated Ahmed Bin Ali, Etisalat’s vice president of corporate communications, at the SAMENA Telecommunications Council’s Convergence to Jordan conference.

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Ordinarily, the telecoms industry is much less associated with the theme of sustainability than many other so-called “heavy” industries such as energy, chemicals or automotive. An obvious explanation for this is that the telecoms industry is much less carbon-intensive, and consequently could be seen as greener. However, appearances can be deceptive

It is a mistake to equate “sustainability” with “green” – sustainability is more encompassing than green, comprising not only environmental issues but also social, marketplace and quality of life issues. As any telecoms executive can testify, the industry has to cope with plenty of sustainability issues, such as digital divide or inclusion, security, privacy and responsible content. Various initiatives have been undertaken in this regard, such as the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), a partnership of information & communication technologies (ICT) companies that promotes technologies for a sustainable development.

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Africa Com 2008 was the event’s 11th annual outing in Cape Town, South Africa, celebrating industry developments across the continent. Having participated at 10 previous events as speaker, moderator or delegate, Michèle Scanlon, principal consultant of Green Giraffe Communications opened the conference with a brief synopsis of how quickly some developments have come to market, while in others cases, how slow things are to materialise

In 2000, prepaid roaming was a focal point of the  agenda of the annual African telecoms conference, then known as GSM Africa. Six years on in September 2006, Celtel (now Zain) launched its One Network in East Africa providing transparency of roaming charges as well as cross-border top-ups for prepaid customers. In August 2008, Zain extended its One Network to link all its properties in Africa and the Middle East, and competing products have emerged from other East African networks as well as a panregional service from MTN.

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With more than 140 million people, broadband penetration of less than 10 per cent, and Internet and data revenues expected to grow 35 per cent annually, Russia’s broadband scene presents a sizeable opportunity for would-be investors. As the Russian Investment Roadshow stopped off in Dubai last month, Michelle Mills considers the elements involved in investing in Russia’s telecoms sector.

Russia is the world’s ninth most populous country, with a mobile penetration rate in excess of 120 per cent; making it one of the most dynamic mobile markets in Europe. However, 3G and mobile broadband services were only introduced in the country earlier this year by market leader MTS and third mobile operator MegaFon, and uptake has been strong with seven million subscribers having already been added during the course of the year. Internet penetration of households remains relatively low at just 36 per cent, with broadband penetration accounting for less than 10 per cent of the Internet market.

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