The inaugural Africa Com Awards were staged in Cape Town last month, identifying nine winners from the continent’s telecoms sector that had shown industry-changing prowess in the past year. Comm. group editor Tawanda Chihota was one of the judges for ceremony, and exclusively details what the winners had achieved in the past year in order to walk away with their prestigious awards

Category: Best new entrant
Winner: Warid Telecom Uganda

Warid Telecom Uganda launched nationwide GSM services in  February and received strong consumer response, crossing the one million customer mark within its first nine months of commercial operation.

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A confluence of factors in India’s telecoms sector during 2008 has ignited a frenzy of activity that is changing the landscape irrevocably. With the licensing of 2G spectrum, preparation for the award of 3G spectrum and the floodgates having been opened with respect to foreign direct investment, 2009 and beyond is set to propel India rushing up the table of cellular penetration levels across emerging markets

Confirmation last month that Japan’s foreign investment-shy operator, NTT DoCoMo had acquired a 26 per cent stake in Indian operator Tata Teleservices (TTSL) for US$2.7 billion is arguably one of the most significant investments in India’s frantic telecoms sector. This is so, not because of the financial size of the investment or the percentage stake acquired by Japan’s top operator, but because of the calibre of the investor.

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As key strategists of four dynamic Gulf operators keynoted in Dubai for the Telecoms World conference, it became clear that the past two years have been instrumental in defining their respective organisations. Reflecting on significant highlights over these defining years, Michelle Mills reports the strategic directions of Qtel, Etisalat, STC and Du as communicated by senior representatives from each organisation

Before Qtel does any acquisition, we always ask ‘why don’t acquisitions work?’ Plenty of things have been bought by plenty of people that have not worked out,” stated Qtel’s chief strategy officer, Jeremy Sell. “With that in mind, then how has Qtel come to expand and bought 10 companies in two years?”

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If there had been any doubt whether the pace of business was slowing down on the back of the global economic meltdown, comments made by Chris Gabriel, CEO of Zain Africa at Africa Com brought the issue clearly into perspective. “We are shopping. We have US$4.5 billion in cash from our rights issue, and we are looking to spend it,” Gabriel declared, stating that over the next 12 months Zain was looking to close three or four acquisitions. “Our strategy is based on building scale, leveraging very high growth markets and the creation of a global brand,” he added.

Africa’s pre-eminent telecoms players assembled in Cape Town for the 11th annual Africa Com event last month, concerned whether the global financial crisis is likely to affect the business in Africa. What became apparent after two days of networking and conversations was that m-banking, falling ARPUs and broadband expansion are that factors that operators on the continent are really concerning themselves with, while the tightening of liquidity is likely to spur further consolidation

However, even operators with the firepower of Zain are finding market conditions hardening, with the Kuwaitlisted operator having seen billions of dollars wiped off its market capitalisation over the last six months as financial markets lose appetite for stocks.

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With the tender for 3G spectrum appearing on Jordan’s horizon, Mickael Ghossein, CEO of Orange Jordan is eager for his company to secure the first slice of the 3G pie in 2009. Gaining the first licence would give the telco at least a 10-month head start on its competitors. Ghossein shares his beliefs on why MVNOs will not work in the kingdom’s already crowded telecoms market place, and how non-voice services have driven growth for the integrated operator in 2008

The tender to allot a long overdue 3G licence in Jordan opens mid- December with bids for the available 3G spectrum closing on January 27. The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) has set the reserve price of JD25 million (US$35.3 million) for a paired block of 5MHz spectrum, while a concurrent tender will also take place for additional 2G spectrum. Mickael Ghossein is quietly confident of Orange Jordan’s bidding position.

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