African VAS Leaders Prepare to Set Strategies for Monetizing Africa’s Growing Value Added Services Ecosystem at VAS Africa Conference in Johannesburg Tomorrow

VAS Africa 2011

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa--()--Tomorrow, over 200 African value added service leaders will gather in Johannesburg at Africa’s only dedicated VAS conference and exhibition, VAS Africa. Their agenda for the 2 days is to establish strategies, set best practice benchmarks and find innovative ways of monetizing Africa’s growing value added services ecosystem.

The value added services market in Africa is booming but the market’s unique specificities call for a fresh approach from operators, solutions suppliers and developers to offer the right VAS for the end-users. Services such as mobile money have proved a great success, but operators need to innovate more in order to deliver attractive offerings for a mostly low-income customer base.

It is for this purpose that the organisers of AfricaCom, have launched a brand new event dedicated to this value added services market. Over 200 telecom leaders will meet tomorrow at VAS Africa conference, 5-6 July. Representatives will include mobile, fixed and satellite operators, ISPs, regulators, ministers, solutions and technology providers, investors and consultants to ensure a truly 360 degree perspective of the market. Attendees will pool their different perspectives, ideas and experiences to set strategies around increasing revenues in low ARPU markets, delivering cost-effective VAS, understanding mobile entertainment, maximising m-money and m-commerce, capitalising on new opportunities in messaging, marketing and advertising and much more.

The 2 days of discussions will be led by a panel of 40+ speakers representing leaders of the region’s most dynamic operators, from pan-regional investors (Orange represented by Vice President Bernard Ghillebaert, MTN with Vice President of West & Central Africa Ahmad Farroukh, Airtel Africa with Director for Francophone Markets Tiemoko Coulibaly, and Expresso Telecom with Commercial Director Saiful Alam), incumbent operators (Sonatel with Marketing Director Thérèse Tounkara, Sotelgui with Director of Studies and Development Mohamed Sylla), alternative service providers and more. The conference will be officially opened by the Senegalese Minister for Telecommunications and ITC and spokesperson for the government, Moustapha Guirassy.

For more information on VAS Africa and to attend please contact: Caroline Wiezien, caroline.wiezien@informa.com, tel: +44 (0)20 7017 5605 www.comworldseries.com/vasafrica

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Contacts

Informa Telecoms & Media
Caroline Wiezien, +44 (0)20 7017 5605
caroline.wiezien@informa.com
www.comworldseries.com/vasafrica

Release Summary

African VAS leaders from MTN, Airtel, Orange, Safaricom, Vodacom, Cell C, Unitel Angola, Globacom, 8ta and more to meet at VAS Africa conference in Johannesburg, South Africa tomorrow.

Contacts

Informa Telecoms & Media
Caroline Wiezien, +44 (0)20 7017 5605
caroline.wiezien@informa.com
www.comworldseries.com/vasafrica