Panel Sessions

Session One: Regional Telecommunications Opportunities

Jordan was the first Arab country to fully liberalize its telecommunications industry in 2005 and other countries in the region are following suit. The shift from state ownership of the telecommunications industries to market competition is bringing more services and more value to customers.

The liberalization of the telecommunications industries in the Arab world, the rapid technological developments in mobile communications, strong customer demand and regional alliances and integration of markets is fundamentally changing the region’s telecommunications landscape.

According to the ITU, more than half of the countries in the world have fully or partially privatized their telecommunications operators. Furthermore, countries with a privately owned mobile operator accounts for over 85% of the world market by revenue, while those with fully state-owned operators in mobile as well as fixed lines account for just 2%.

Key Discussion Points:

• Regional telecommunications regulators that are gearing up for competition will map out the licensing opportunities in their respective markets.

• A regional wave of telecommunications mergers and acquisitions is creating economies of scale and scope and companies are becoming more attractive partners for other international fixed and mobile telecommunications providers as well as hardware and software suppliers.

• What is the future of voice? Pioneering new technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and the introduction of IP-enabled Next Generation Networks (NGN), promise to transform the provision of voice services.

• Advanced wireless technologies, such as WiMAX, WiBro, or ultra-wideband (UWB) are transforming the economies of low-cost last-mile connectivity. What are the promises of advanced wireless technologies? Will wireless networks also become the preferred means for carrying data and video? Does WiMAX or the longer-term evolution of IMT-2000 (3G), offer broadband for all in developing countries?

• Jordanian and regional companies specializing in billing and payments solutions will demonstrate how homegrown solutions are assisting telecom providers across the region in achieving competitive advantages as billing can account for up to half of the cost of delivering a new service.