Realization of liberalization benefits key factor behind opening up of telecom sector in the Middle East

During his presentation at the summit, Mohsen Malaki, Program and Consulting Manager, Middle East and Africa Region, Communications Group, IDC, said, "The benefits of liberalization and the requirements that entail being a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are critical factors behind the developments taking place in the GCC telecom sectors."

"Mobile operators in smaller Gulf countries have realized the importance of consumer data services such as SMS and MMS as key drivers of growth. As a result, 2004 saw them shifting strategic focus away from increasing penetration to potential revenue from mobile data and content services, and many operators have entered into revenue-sharing agreements with content providers," Malaki added.

CONNECT 2005 featured case studies and presentations addressing key issues, and more than 30 leading international industry experts addressed the summit. Among the key topics discussed at the summit were; strategies for operator growth, competition regulation, management of mobile content while maximizing content revenue, development of new creative business models, targeting of enterprise customers, the role of IP, making 3G a high-volume market, extending the success of SMS and optimizing prepaid customer spending. In addition to the conference, CONNECT 2005 also featured an industry-focused exhibition and two post-event workshops.

Sabine Enthammer, Executive Director, IIR Middle East, the organizers of CONNECT 2005, said, "The summit provided an excellent platform for interaction among industry professionals and enabled delegates to gain an in-depth knowledge of the trends and developments in the Middle East telecoms market. The success of the summit has inspired us to hold the event on an even bigger scale next year."