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Management World Middle East 2010

Management World Middle East Roundup

Thoughts from the Conference Chairs
[Open Quote]The event has been a great enviroment to share knowledge and engage in active discussions about challenges and opportunities as well as solutions for the telecom business in the next decade.[Close Quote]
– Nizar Hoblos, Head of Practice for MEA Region, Nokia Siemens Networks

[Open Quote]Management World Middle East had a diversification of issues which were very related but at the same different was a great enrichment to our knowledge especially with the focus on Data issues from different perspectives, providers & vendors. The experience brought to the table through the different presentations was very successful and enlightening that people wanted to stay and benefit from it. [Close Quote]
– Bareh Mohummad Shankiti, Finance Division, Revenue Assurance & Fraud Management, Zain

[Open Quote]It was useful to have, in two days, a wide view of the industry trends and the current problems facing service providers and how they deal with them. Overall, it was time well spent.[Close Quote]
– Dr. Khalid Khalil, VP Strategy and Business Development, Telcordia
Last week’s Management World Middle East, held in the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, was another success for the TM forum and its members in the Middle East. The conference attracted delegates from throughout the Middle East, who came to listen, learn, discuss, debate, network and do business. Management World Middle East was an important conference for anyone involved in the management challenges of the communications industry in the region. If you weren’t able to make it, you missed a vibrant environment for business development and a series of very informative and open discussions by regional carriers on the challenges they face, their strategies for addressing them and their many lessons learned.

A key theme, highlighted by a number of speakers was the coming ‘Revenue Crunch’ – the need to provide ever expanding fixed and mobile broadband capability without matching revenues. This in turn led to a wider ranging set of examinations of how to cut operating costs; how to provide drive new revenue sources and how to expand existing revenues. Excellent keynotes from Sabri Ali Yahya, CIO of Etisalat Egypt and Eugen Schulz, Group CIO of QTel gave some fascinating insights into real-time revenue maximization and the challenges of driving harmonizing approaches across fast growing international operator groups. Jan Wuppermann from Vodafone Egypt, gave an upbeat talk about the opportunities offered by mobile broadband complimented by Jon Aalbers from Volubill on the need for segmentation and offering different service packages to different market segments. A fact-laden insight into ‘real’ telecom in the Gulf was given by Mahesh Jaishankar of Du, looking at the growth in internet traffic in the region and the growth of international cable capacity to meet the growing demand. The international dimension was amplified by Kathy Romano from Verizon USA, on their experience in revenue assurance; Pradeep Khowash from AT&T USA on flow-through automation; Marco Montalli from TIM Brasil on coping with massive mobile growth and Ian Isherwood and Cath Houghton from BT in the UK on their transformation initiatives. More regional insights came Santhosh Gopalan from Du and Bareah Shankiti from Zain focusing on revenue assurance issues while Samer Geissar from Du looked at the opportunities and threats for Managed Service Providers.

In all, some 27 speakers and a lively audience combined to make this Management World Middle East a highly interesting, informative and enjoyable event, supported by sponsors Huawei, HP, Dorado, Tektronix, NetCracker and ITS. Through conferences like these, the TM Forum continues to set the standard for the industry, and as management steps more and more into the spotlight, be sure you stay informed by sticking close to the TM Forum.

Keith Willetts
Chairman & CEO 		Tony Poulos
Head of Revenue Management Sector