CONNECT attracts experts from regional and global telecoms corporations

The event is held under the patronage of H.E. Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of Communications, UAE.

The two-day summit themed on "Maximizing Profitability in Competitive Telecoms Markets" will feature case studies and presentations from 19 regional and international operators. Key topics to be discussed include liberalization in the regional telecoms market, 3G services in the Middle East, value added customer services, building customer loyalty, leveraging new technologies, minimizing fraud, and prepaid and postpaid mobile services. The event is supported by Etisalat and endorsed by UMTS Forum, Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum and the Global Billing Association.

The event will also include two post-summit workshops on key telecoms issues, conducted by leading global industry experts. The workshop on June 1 will discuss "Minimising Fraud and Protecting Revenues in Telecoms," while the second workshop on June 2 will discuss "Implementation of Successful Billing for Prepaid and Postpaid Mobile Services".

"The immense growth potential and favorable demographics in the Middle East Telecoms sector has rendered the industry extremely competitive. It is still a growth sector as far as infrastructure is concerned in many areas, with an estimated US$ 3 billion to be invested in mobile network infrastructure in the MENA region between 2003 and 2004. There is also an increasing demand for value-added next-generation mobile services, already adapted in mature markets like Europe and the Far East. We have decided to launch the CONNECT summit to bring together key regional and global players at a common platform, in order to identify areas where they can benefit from each other and maximize profits, while simultaneously introducing new technologies to the region," said Sabine Enthammer, Executive Director, IIR Holdings Ltd.

"The inaugural CONNECT will fulfil the growing demand for knowledge sharing and meaningful dialogue between mobile operators, ISPs, ASPs, content providers, solutions vendors and other telecom vendors and manufacturers," added Enthammer. "This event brings together a veritable Who's Who from the telecoms world, and will allow participants to network with, and learn from established players."

Among the key industry leaders addressing the summit will be Khalid Abdullah Al Mohem, Executive President, Saudi Telecom; Jean-Pierre Bienaimé, Chairman, UMTS Forum; Ingo Schneider, Vice President Group Strategy, T-Mobile International; David Murray, CEO and General Manager, Wataniya Telecom; Karim Sabbagh, Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton; Boris Nemsic, CEO, mobilkom austria; Eng. Akil Beshir, Chairman, Telecom Egypt; Hamid Farooq, Executive Vice President and CFO, Mobilink; Ross Cormarck, Executive Director Wireless Services, Qatar Telecom; and Mohammed Saqer, President and CEO, Fastlink.

According to recent market studies, mobile phone penetration in the Arab world has accelerated, following a growth rate of 9.92 per cent at the end of June 2003, compared to the increase in fixed lines of just 3.57 per cent. This is further confirmed by research conducted by Dubai-based Madar group, indicating that the UAE has 2.65 million mobile phone subscribers, against 1.11 million fixed line subscribers, for a population of 3.7 million. Bahrain has 400,000 mobile phone subscribers, against 178,000 landlines, with a population of 728,000. Kuwait has 1.5 million mobile subscribers, against 485,000 landlines. Saudi Arabia has 6 million mobile phone users, against 3.43 million fixed lines, with a population of 23.89 million.

In sharp contrast, some of the less developed Arab countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Sudan, Iraq and Libya, have more landlines than mobile phones, highlighting the urgent need to address development of telecom infrastructure in these areas.