Announcing the Speaker Line-up at West & Central Africa’s Only Dedicated Telecoms Event

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following 2 exceptional years in Nigeria, West & Central Africa Com (www.comworldseries.com/wcafrica) telecoms conference and exhibition returns to Senegal. Driven by increased competition from new entrants and a growing broadband market, Senegal has undergone exceptional growth to become the region's 3rd largest telecoms market. This growth offers a great case study for the opportunities and challenges faced across the region and is the perfect setting for West & Central Africa’s largest and only dedicated telecoms event.

Hailed as Africa’s engine for growth, West & Central Africa accounts for 35% of Africa’s mobile subscriptions and rising. Regional subscriptions are expected to reach 300 million by 2014 and SIM-card penetration is expected to rise from 36% to 66% over the same period. The huge potential offered by this growth is undeniable; the challenge for regional operators and service providers is to ensure their business is achieving maximum profitability from it.

West & Central Africa Com 2010 will bring together 700 decision-makers from regional operators and international stakeholders with an interest in the market to share experiences, knowledge and ideas with a view to overcoming these challenges. Centered on delivering innovative services and managing efficient operations, the 2 day congress agenda will address all aspects of regional telecoms including: investment strategies, broadband, LTE, WiMAX, outsourcing, VAS, ARPU, mobile banking, marketing, customer retention, CRM, future trends and more. All discussions will have English and French translation.

Support for West & Central Africa Com comes from the very top of regional telecoms. Senegal’s Ministry of Telecommunications & ICT will head a speaker line-up featuring the leaders of West & Central Africa’s most dynamic telecommunications companies. Attendees will learn from and network with the very best in the region including:

• Regional operator group representatives Christian de Faria (Vice President – West & Central Africa, MTN Group), Tiemoko Coulibaly (COO, West Africa Region, Zain Group), Elias Arwadi (COO, Lintel Group)
• CEOs of mobile network operators from the leading markets in the region: Wim Vanhelleputte from MTN Cote d’Ivoire, Badara Mbye from Africell Gambia, Steven Evans from Etisalat Nigeria, Louis Lubala from Zain Niger, François Nze from Comium Côte d'Ivoire
• CEOs of ISPs and alternative service providers: Felix Weyerstahl of Connecteo in Senegal, Ken Aigbinode of Zoom Mobile Nigeria, Robert Aouad of Isocel Telecom Benin, Ifeanyi Amah of ipNX Telecommunications Nigeria
• C-level representatives of operators such as Orange Cameroon, Starcomms Nigeria, Intercel Guinea, Togocel, Azur Gabon
• Representatives of leading vendors active in the region: Corning, Ericsson, PCCI, Belgacom

With over 700 senior level attendees and 40 speakers including 25 CxO operators, the learning and networking opportunities at West & Central Africa Com 2010 are un-paralleled. This is a must-attend for anyone working in or looking to do business in this region's telecoms sector.

For more information, visit http://wcafrica.comworldseries.com/

Operators attend the event free of charge and there are early booking discounts for all others. Find out more and register today at: www.comworldseries.com/wcafrica.