As Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city hosted the 5th West & Central AfricaCom, (it used to be held in Dakar, Senegal as GSM3G West Africa) with record breaking attendance, the vexed issue of quality of service, (QoS) and competition dominated discussions by operators, regulators and government officials at the International Conference Centre.
Organised by the London- based group, Informa Telecoms & Media, West & Central AfricaCom, is the region’s annual event for communications professionals. According to the organisers, Abuja was chosen for its strategic influence as capital city of Africa’s leading telecommunications market. “There was a great sense of occasion as over 1000 telecommunications professionals from 29 countries gathered at the congress to hear expert speakers from the region’s operators and regulators, as well as leading telecommunications solutions vendors showcasing their latest innovations,” said Julie Rey, Head of Region- Africa & Asia-Pacific, (Com World Series).
John Ogar Odey, Minister of Information and Communications, couldn’t attend the event as earlier advertised, “due to an urgent government commitment” but sent a representative Engr. Festus Daudu, to read his address. “Events such as the West and Central Africa Com congress are essential for us to share our experiences and ensure that such successes are replicated in other countries of the region,” the minister stated in the address. The keynote session saw some of the region’s leading operator groups present their strategies to grow their presence in the region. Christian de Faria, MTN Group’s Executive Vice President, West & Central Africa, said the group saw the region as one of the main places to invest, but that “MTN will only invest in countries where the licensing process is transparent,” as well as in market where there is a reasonable level of competition. He said that MTN welcomes competition, if it is on a level playing field. Zain Group/Celtel was represented by Osondu Nwokoro, of Celtel Nigeria who explained that the group’s strategy was based on a triple approach of “technological enhancement, social engineering and product development differentiation.” Etisalat group, a growing force in the region, discussed their plans to expand their presence in Africa, without however disclosing the date of their launch in Nigeria.
Quality of service was one of the recurring themes of the discussions With the congress theme: “Optimising Business Models and Networks in West & Central Africa’s Converging Communications Market,” all operators insisted that it was one of their priorities. They indicated that they were investing heavily to improve their networks, as well as working on network sharing initiatives. The subject was addressed in the keynote panel discussion which gathered representatives of leading operators Celtel and MTN, as well as Ijeoma Echeruo, representing the Senate (Nigeria) Committee on Communications. The lively debate addressed the respective roles of the regulators, government and operators in improving communications services for Nigeria’s market.
The afternoon’s conference was divided between two streams, one looking at wireless broadband technologies and strategies, and the other looking at how to managed the increased level of competition in the region. “West & Central Africa Com’s new format for 2008,” according to Ms. Rey, “has proved a success. The audience at the event is truly representative of the region’s diverse market, with the participation of delegates from operators and service providers (including GSM, CDMA, fixed line and wireless) from large and smaller markets across the Western and Central African region.” She noted that, “The new location in Abuja has enabled us to not only recognise Nigeria’s leadership in Africa’s telecommunications market, but also to make use of larger facilities for a better conference experience and a larger exhibition.”
Mr. Rodney Benn, Managing Sales Director for Africa, Intelsat who spoke on “Making the most of satellite technologies to deliver broadband access in West & Central Africa,” also advised on the need to concentrate on core areas of specialisation. Responding to a question, Benn stated that at “Intelsat, we don’t do last mile service, otherwise, we could be competing with our potential customers.”
The second day’s events had more leading speakers sharing their expertise on the region’s market. The morning keynote session, had Mr. Ahmad Farroukh, CEO of MTN Nigeria, Maher Qubain, Chief Executive, Starcomms Ltd (a leading CDMA operator) and a senior representative of the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC) Chief Executive Ernest Ndukwe. Engr. Bello, who represented Ndukwe outlined the Commission’s new thinking. He noted that at the NCC, there was a deliberate policy of technology neutrality to “make for a robust network portability” regime. With Nigeria now set for digital TV operation by 2012, Bello stated that there would be new technologies available to both new and existing operators who wish to expand their operation.
He also adduced reason why the Commission didn’t accord recognition to the CDMA operators as 3G. “3G is much more than speed. There are several variables that come to play. 3G is not just a service but a bouquet of services which the CDMA operators didn’t offer,” said Bello. Farroukh, while promising better services from MTN, also called on the custodians of Nigeria’s marine cable or SAT-3 presently managed by the ailing state own Nigerian Telecommunications Plc (NITEL) to make it available to all operators.
There was also a panel discussion on how to bridge the digital divide in the region, with contributions from representatives of ECOWAS, MTN Cameroon and the National Assembly.
Vanguard
