S04 CAF 1 2014 Agenda C B D E_Layout 1 2/14/2014 10:34 AM Page 15
AGENDA @ AFRICACOM
Eutelsat’s expanding satellite portfolio WITH DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE build-out high on Africa’s agenda, advanced satellite technologies and services were showcased at AfricaCom by Eutelsat, which presented the features of recently launched and upcoming satellites designed to serve the African continent as well as new solutions to support markets for digital broadcasting, VSAT networks, mobile backhauling, IP trunking and broadband access. With 31 satellites concentrated in the geostationary arc from 15° West to 172° East, Eutelsat offers an exceptional footprint of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and continues to pursue investments that will accompany the growth of digital services. Its portfolio of satellite resources spans C, Ku and Ka-bands, equipping Eutelsat to respond to multiple markets and afford a high level of commercial flexibility.
BICS builds on its African carrier commitment EXHIBITING AT AFRICACOM, the team at wholesale roaming carrier BICS spoke of the ongoing expansion of the company’s African footprint, and its recent successes. Last year BICS opened three regional centres in Africa, and enabled the first LTE roaming session between Africa and Europe. BICS regional VP for Africa Clementine Fournier discussed the opening of its three new regional centres - in Kenya, South Africa and Ghana - with Communications Africa/Afrique. She spoke, also, about the experience the company gained in facilitating Africa’s first LTE roaming session between Belgium and Angola. She added that BICS has developed plans to expand its footprint in the coming years, to continue to develop international roaming services within Africa, and to continue the development of LTE and support the evolution of telecoms on the continent. Protecting the business One interesting point that Fournier made was that International telecoms enterprises can be very effective at keeping costs down - and that they tend to limit the scale of their commitment to external suppliers as much as possible - though they do seek to maximise engagement with firms specialised in areas where they lack expertise. Larger operators are, the more likely they are to outsource to remain agile. Ms Fournier’s experience indicates that roaming is an area for which there is a strong interest in outsourcing for corporate agility. She said that some
CBNL’s CEO on microwave market trends CAMBRIDGE BROADBAND NETWORKS (CBNL) CEO Lionel Chmilewsky offered insights into recent developments and market trends in point-tomultipoint (PMP) microwave technology and software defined networking (SDN). They spoke of the logistical challenges of building carrier grade macro and small cell backhaul networks in Africa, and of the recent developments in PMP microwave technologies in Africa. Lionel Chmilewsky, CEO of They also offered notes Cambridge Broadband Networks on how to manage the growing demand for spectrum and new LTE networks, and on how African carriers are using innovative backhaul technologies to create network efficiency and profitable new services. CBNL specialises in PMP microwave backhaul and access solutions and works with many African operators to provide carrier grade network capacity and spectral efficiency. The firm uses advanced PMP microwave technologies to deploy smarter, more efficient and resourceful networks for operators. It has a large market share in Africa and its technologies are widely deployed across the continent. Its customers include Vodacom, Airtel, Safaricom and MTN. In Africa, CBNL's VectaStar platform is deployed across 15 countries.
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smaller operators can earn as much as 40 per cent of their revenues from international termination. However, she also added that, in today’s highly competitive market, larger operators are able to exploit on-net roaming tariffs, to the disadvantage of their smaller counterparts. It is an increasingly dynamic marketplace - and this is largely because operators are relatively unregulated, as compared with their counterparts on other continents. However, that may change, as governments and their regulators appreciate the revenue possibilities from taxation on telecoms operations - for example, on international termination. Looking forward Nonetheless, Fournier believes that Africa will remain as one of the fastest-growing telecom markets in the world, characterised by a strong uptake of voice, messaging and mobile payment services and an increasing use of data services - in the main, thanks to increased smartphone ownership and use. And she expects BICS to be a strong player. This Belgian wholesale carrier has been providing services to the African market for more than 15 years. Those African operators it has worked with have been able to rely on an extensive and fully-owned network, and a number of wholesale solutions designed to meet the continent’s communication needs.
Comverse supports CSP success in the digital era FOLLOWING STEEP SUBSCRIBER growth in recent years, Africa is now experiencing a data boom, with consumer and enterprise users increasingly devouring digital content and services. At AfricaCom Comverse highlighted innovative solutions and services enabling communication service providers (CSPs) to enhance the customer experience, evolve successfully to IP/4G, and sustain profitable growth in the rapidly evolving digital economy. “With Africa going digital and mobile broadband usage soaring, the telecommunication revenue and growth opportunities in this region are unparallelled,” said Denis Bernaert, Comverse senior vice president and managing director of EMEA. “Comverse helps CSPs evolve to IP/4G seamlessly, enabling them to preserve traditional revenues while moving to monetise lucrative digital lifestyle services and expanding into new business models.” “With more than 75 deployed solutions generating significant value for African CSPs of all sizes across the continent, and with decades of IT and network expertise, Comverse is a longstanding trusted partner for African CSPs meeting the challenges and opportunities of today’s digital world,” said Bernaert. “Our broad portfolio of innovative solutions and services demonstrates effectiveness, reliability and value worldwide every day.” Comverse contributed to two key sessions at AfricaCom, which were focused on enhancing the customer experience and evolving successfully to IP/4G. The presentation on ‘Practical Steps to Achieve an Engaging Customer Experience’, delivered by Yariv Geller, VP, corporate marketing at Comverse, offered ideas on attaining a more personalised customer experience for the digital lifestyle through converged BSS. The keynote titled ‘Optimize the 4G/IP/Digital Customer Experience for African Markets’ delivered by Shai Perach, head of marketing for digital and value-added services at Comverse, outlined new data monetisation and social media opportunities.
Communications Africa Issue 1 2014
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