North Africa Coms key speakers in the news this week: Mobinils new Chairman Alex Shalaby, Wana new leader of Moroccos fixed line market, and Vodafone taking on the Internet market
04 September 2008
Telecoms Vision
North Africa's telecoms market is showing no signs of slowing down as we recap major operator News, 3G launches, and battles for market share!
Mobinil recently announced a change of leadership, with former CEO Alex Shalaby taking the helms from longtime Chairman Naguib Sawiris as part of the natural evolution of the firm. This comes in the same month as Mobinil's long awaited launch of 3G services in Egypt.Mobinil said in a statement their number of subscribers rose to 17.5 million in June, a 47 percent increase on the same time last year. You can listen to the new chairman present Mobinil's thoughts on the launch at North Africa Com 2008 (www.comworldseries.com/nafrica), at which Mr Shalaby is participating as a VIP speaker.
Wana has over taken Maroc Telecom as the leading Fixed-Line Provider in Morocco, after Maroc Telecom's market share fell to 48 per cent because of Wana's strong competition since it launched its services just over a year ago. Wana, which is owned by Moroccan conglomerate ONA, increased its number of fixed-line customers to 1.4 million at the end of June, up 218 per cent from the same time last year. Maroc Telecom, by contrast, suffered a 13 per cent drop in its number of fixed-line customers. It had 1.3 million at the end of June, down from 1.5 million a year earlier. Wana's rapid success was revealed by the latest figures from Morocco's telecoms regulator, Agence Nationale de Reglementation des Telecommunications. Both the Chairman of Wana, and the Executive Director of ANTR, will be participating as VIP speakers at North Africa Com 08, lending their experties to the hundreds of delegates (800+) expected to attend. In the mobile phone market, Maroc Telecom had 14.2 million customers or 66 per cent of the market, the same share it held a year ago. Mobile rival Meditel had 5.9 million customers and the remaining 34 per cent of the market.
Vodafone Egypt could be about to give traditional ADSL a run for their money… The telecom giant could have the solution to leading the internet market in Egypt; it announced at the end of August its intention to buy a majority stake in content provider Sarmady Communications (Sarcom). The deal, the details of which are being kept strictly under wraps, will greatly expand Vodafone's ability to support its own internet services with content. It is all part of Vodafone's aggressive growth strategy. Do not miss the opportunity to discuss this deal with Vodafone Egypt's Head of Strategy and Business Development, Sherine Anwar, at North Africa Com 08!
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