Middle East telecoms sector needs to expand focus from mere technology to enhanced customer-services, say industry experts

Leading global and regional telecoms operators shared strategies and insights on 'Maximising Profitability in Competitive Telecoms Markets', the key theme of the Summit, which was attended by high-profile attendees comprising mobile operators, content providers, industry consultants, solution vendors and other telecom vendors and manufacturers.

CONNECT's line-up of speakers included experienced industry professionals who threw light on the recent developments in the Middle East telecoms sector, offering attendees expert perspective first-hand. The Summit was chaired and moderated by IDC, the premier global market intelligence and advisory firm in the IT and telecoms industries.

Commenting on the success of CONNECT, Sabine Enthammer, Executive Director, IIR Middle East stated, "Liberalisation has heralded an era of change in the region's telecoms industry and we are delighted to offer the industry a new forum to network and share knowledge about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. We received extremely positive feedback from participants, especially as attendants were able to share their expertise in specifically designed 'break-out forums' as well as discuss their opinions during the networking sessions, to gain maximum value from the Summit.

Mohsen Malaki, Program & Consulting Manager, Communications, MEA region, IDC, stated, "As several countries in the Middle East are moving towards liberalisation of the telecoms sector, encouraged by World Trade Organisation (WTO) membership requirements, it has become evident that operators have to adopt newer business models to sustain a competitive edge. This is especially true in the GCC regions, where market penetration is nearing saturation, prompting operators to focus on retaining customers through enhanced customer application services."

With 54 percent mobile penetration and single-player status, Qatar's telecom operator Qtel exemplifies the evolving 'customer-focused' trend among regional operators. Ross Cormack, Executive Director, Wireless Services, Qtel commented, "Qtel has focused on delivering customer satisfaction through our 'Qturn' transformation strategy. The key is to listen to customers' needs, offer simple to use services and provide customer education through easy to understand marketing messages." Qtel's new strategy has resulted in a 40 percent growth in its mobile subscriber base from Q1 2003.

Urging operators to look beyond technology for technology's sake, Cormack stated that customers simply want easy-to-use services and need the operator to deal with the complexities of applying new technologies rather than confusing customers with them. Operators need to focus on what they are good at rather than attempt to become banks or content owners. Operators already recognise the shift in consumer demand from voice to data services, such as breaking news and entertainment, but they will be successful by collaborating and not competing with content vendors. He further added that there is a lot of information which operators have about customer usage and lifestyles which can allow operators to move beyond pure connectivity. "The opportunities for telecom operators to synergise marketing activities with other industries through their tremendous data bases and acceptance as part of peoples' lives are immense," he concluded.

CONNECT - The International Telecoms Summit was supported by Etisalat, sponsored by Motorola, and endorsed by UMTS Forum, Global Billing Association and the Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum. The Summit featured 28 case studies and presentations from regional and international operators.