Infinite possibilities for broadband across Africa

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Over the past three years, AfricaCom has seen a major shift in the discussion points affecting the telecommunications industry across the African continent.

As an annual conference and exhibition geared towards this industry, AfricaCom is well placed to track the conversation and where it is going. For the networks, it has been all about creating an opportunity for those without a voice to be heard. However, now that conversation is firmly headed in the direction of data, some more data and then even some more data.

Ignited by VoIP and the resultant consumer demand for cheaper communication alternatives to voice, the increased traffic in the apps market, as well as the ongoing colonisation of broadband across Africa, operators are upgrading their networks to meet these new needs and demands. In understanding how Long Term Evolution (LTE) can affect the delivery of these services and how to maximise revenue opportunities in this sector, AfricaCom is launching its first dedicated LTE event.

Mobile data is dominating

A global online survey conducted in May and June 2013 by Informa Telecoms and Media, owner of AfricaCom, reveals that emerging LTE network launches are accelerating in all regions. Network operators are looking to increase network capacity and offer higher speed mobile broadband access to enterprises and consumers alike. Mobile data roaming is set to deliver approximately US$13 billion in revenue over the period 2011 to 2016. Comparing this to the voice roaming forecast of around US$5 billion, confirms how mobile data is dominating the space.

Informa's research shows that the majority of service growth (in-service specific units) is expected to come from data services: the annual volumes (in MB) of data services are forecast to grow by 328% over the forecast period. The voice services minutes sector is only predicted to grow by 112%, while the text messages sector will grow by 150%.

Appreciating the significance of LTE deployment across Africa, as well as how to maximise revenue opportunities, AfricaComLTE, will present a series of master classes, interactive panel discussions and presentations, which will involve some of the first movers in this space and technology companies already delivering on the LTE opportunity.

AfricaCom takes place from 12-14 November 2013 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

For more, go to africa.comworldseries.com.