Informa Telecoms & Media said the North Africa Com Conference and Exhibition will provide market insights, practical solutions and best practice benchmarks for the industry.

More than 850 delegtaes are expected to attend the region's largest telecommunications event scheduled for October 14 and 15 at the JW Marriott hotel in Cairo, Egypt.

The attendees include senior level representatives from the region's mobile and fixed-line operators, Internet Service Providers, regulators, investors, telecoms solution vendors and content providers.

'The event provides a distinct meeting point for mobile, fixed and integrated telecoms service providers and their suppliers working in, or looking to be part of the market,' said Louisa Rogers, marketing director at Informa Telecoms and Media.

The two-day, strategic conference is designed to deliver market insight, practical solutions and best practice benchmarks that are transferrable back in the office so participants can grow their business.

Informa Telecoms & Media is the leading provider of business intelligence and strategic marketing solutions to global telecoms and media markets.

'The region is set to become a springboard for further investment, driven by a low penetration rate and a population estimated to reach 230 million by the end of 2012,' said Informa Telecoms & Media analyst, Nasreddine Mana.

North Africa is Africa's largest market in terms of mobile subscriptions and has become in recent years an attractive destination for investors.

Informa Telecoms & Media forecasts that North Africa will have 167 million mobile subscriptions by the end of 2012 with market penetration approaching 70 per cent. These forecasts indicate 55 per cent growth over the next five years.

Comprising Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia, the region had 102 million subscriptions at end-2007, but penetration remains low at just below 50 per cent.
 
The North Africa Com event is part of Informa Telecoms & Media's Com World Series, the most established annual suite of 12 telecommunication conferences and exhibitions focussing on emerging, high growth markets.

The agenda is a mixture of presentations, case studies, interactive panel sessions and Q&A slots. Alongside the conference sits a 70 stand market style exhibition showcasing the leading international vendors and their newest solutions and technologies.

North Africa Com is sponsored by the world's leading telecommunication providers, including Etisalat, Huawei Technologies, Nokia Siemens Networks, Ericsson and Altobridge.

'The conference and exhibition are ideal platforms for interaction between the leading network vendors, software developers and operators from outside the region and those within it,' Rogers said.

'Networking is at the core of the event. We schedule longer lunch and coffee breaks, speed networking sessions, after hours networking drinks and online networking to ensure you meet the people most important to your business success.'

The 14 C-level operator representatives from the North Africa region shceduled to attend the two-day event are: Haitham Abdul Razzak, CTO, Etisalat Misr, Egypt; Mohamed Elmandjra, CEO, Meditel, Morocco; Guillaume Van Gaver, VP Commercial, Mobinil, Egypt; Karim Zaz, Chairman, Wana, Morocco; Ahmed Khaouja, director of competition and operator relations, ANRT [Agence National de Règlementation des Télécommunications], Morocco; Naoufel Kahloul, CEO, Mediatel, Tunisia; Ahmed Abou Doma, marketing director, Mobinil, Egypt; Eric Kerboriou, marketing director, Tunisiana; Mohamed Bouhelal, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Canar Telecom Sudan; Khaled Rabie, Country Director, Nokia Siemens Networks Egypt; Ramy Iskander, Vice President Networks, Market Unit North Africa, Ericsson. - TradeArabia News Service