Agenda
Please find a final copy of the conference programme below. For any questions regarding this, please contact Heather Stewart at subsaharaspectrum@forum-global.com or on +44 (0) 2920 783 027.
Please note: all speakers that are yet to be confirmed are marked with an (*)
Wednesday 18 February, 2015
Morning
08:30 – 09:00
Coffee and Registration
09:00 – 10:40
Session 1: Keynote Presentations
Moderator: Bashir Gwandu, Chairman, Commonwealth ITU Group (CIG)
09:00 – 09:25
Opening Keynote Presentation
Mario Maniewicz,
Deputy Director of the Radiocommunications Bureau,
ITU
09:25 – 09:50
Keynote Presentations
Stephen Sipho Mncube,
Chairperson,
ICASA
09:50 – 10:15
Keynote Presentations
Abdoulkarim Soumaila,
Secretary General,
African Telecommunications Union (ATU)
10:15 – 10:40
Keynote Presentations
Andreas Geiss,
Head of Spectrum Management,
European Commission
10:40 – 11:00
Morning Coffee
11:00 – 12:30
Session 2: WRC-15: Key positions, priorities and agenda items ahead of the conference preparatory meeting
WRC-12 showed the growing potential of the African region to influence regulatory decisions at a global level, when their proposal to make the 700Mhz band available for mobile was agreed despite initial reservations from European countries. With WRC-15 considered by many to be the most important for many years with many crucial spectrum and band plan issues up for discussion in prime spectrum bands, this now offers a huge opportunity for the region to put its views, and ensure that the needs of spectrum users in the Sub-Sahara are fully represented and protected. Ahead of the vital Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM-15-2) which will take place next month, this session will offer the opportunity to examine where we are with the development of the common positions and proposals, where there are still decisions to be made, and where the key priorities and agenda items for the region lie.
Moderator: Bashir Gwandu, Chairman, Commonwealth ITU Group (CIG)
Adam Imoro,
Consultant,
African Union of Broadcasting (UAR)
Geoff Daniell,
Correspondent for Sub-Saharan Africa,
Global VSAT Forum (GVF)
Lasse Wieweg,
Director, Government and Industry Relations,
Ericsson
Daniel Hamadeh,
Director, Spectrum Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Middle East and North Africa,
Motorola Solutions
Baxton Sirewu,
Acting Director General,
Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ)
Afternoon
12:30 – 13:30
Lunch
13:30 – 13:45
Case Study: The Analogue Switch off in the US
Mindel de la Torre,
Chief, International Bureau,
Federal Communications Commission, United States
13:45 – 15:15
Session 3: Meeting the deadline for Analogue Switch-off
With the ITU-mandated analogue switch-off deadline of 2015 fast approaching, many countries across the Sub-Sahara region are still yet to finalise their plans and proposed timeframes. This session will look at the current situation in different countries across the region, and who is in the most danger of missing the deadline. It will also examine the risks that could appear if governments and regulators look to meet deadlines at all costs and switch off their signals before the transition to digital, and at the best way forward in planning an efficient digital switchover.
- How important is it for Governments and regulators to do everything possible in order to meet the 2015 deadline and which countries across the region already have the required digital TV infrastructure in place?
- What options are available to those that don’t to ensure it is rolled out quickly and efficiently?
- How can citizens be persuaded to purchase the necessary equipment and set-top boxes?
- What are the potential dangers to the broadcast sector if switch-off is pushed through too quickly, and how do these compare with possible dangers both to broadcast and the emerging 700 MHz IMT band if there are considerable delays?
Moderator:
Graham Louth,
Partner,
Aetha Consulting
Ellen Nanuses,
Secretary General,
Southern Africa Broadcasting Association (SABA)
Ishmael Chikwenhere,
Chairman,
Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe, and ATU
Mindel de la Torre,
Chief, International Bureau,
Federal Communications Commission, United States
Daniel Onyango Obam,
Communications Radio Technology Expert,
National Communications Secreteriat, Kenya
15:15 – 15:35
Afternoon Coffee
15:35 – 16:00
Introductory Presentation: The challenges of valuing digital dividend spectrum in Africa
Philippe Berard,
Managing Consultant,
Coleago Consulting
16:00 – 17:30
Session 4: Designing the Digital Dividend
The digital dividend offers arguably more opportunity for economic and social impact in Africa than in any other region. To achieve this, it is important that a harmonized and co-ordinated approach is adopted, and the 47 countries of sub-Saharan Africa took a big step towards this when last year they became the first region to agree to harmoniously allocate digital dividend spectrum to mobile services in both the 700Mhz and 800Mhz bands. There are currently however a number of bandplan and timing decisions still outstanding, and the direction that some countries (such as Kenya and Rwanda) are considering in taking of launching wholesale LTE networks also opens up some interesting questions. This session will address all this, and look at the best way forward to ensure the long-term benefit of the digital dividend is realized to its full potential.
- What band plan proposals have currently been put forward for the 700Mhz band, and to what extent which option will offer the greatest benefit for consumers and mobile operators?
- Which options across the 700Mhz and 800Mhz bands would offer the most benefits in terms of inter and intra-regional harmonization, and provide long term economies of scale?
- What timing options have been put forward for the respective bands in order to achieve this?
- Should countries look at implementing wholesale networks in the digital dividend bands and how successful can this approach be in both promoting competition and efficiently rolling out LTE networks in developing countries?
- Looking further forward, what should the long-term approach to the 600Mhz band be in Africa? Does it have a future as an IMT band?
- To what extent can interoperability and roaming facilitation across the region be expected in the near future?
Moderator:
Graham Louth,
Partner,
Aetha Consulting
Mortimer Hope,
Director Spectrum and Public Policy, Africa,
GSMA
Elizabeth Migwalla,
Senior Director and Head of Government Affairs, Africa,
Qualcomm
Florence Martey,
Deputy Director of Engineering,
National Communications Authority, Ghana
Gerhard Petrick,
Deputy Chairperson,
Southern African Digital Broadcasting Association
Thabiso Thukani,
Manager of Government and Industry Relations,
Ericsson Sub-Saharan Africa
17:30 – 19:30
Drinks and Networking Reception
Hosted by GSMA
Thursday 19 February, 2015
Morning
09:15 – 11:00
Session 5: Connecting Africa - Working together to tackle the digital divide
The use of the digital dividend spectrum discussed in the previous session will play a big part in delivering mobile broadband to outlying areas and tackling the digital divide. Alongside this however, there are a huge number of other technological and regulatory tools that are available in order to help solve the problem, and in order to achieve the ultimate goal of universal access. This session will look at some of these options and discuss the right technology mix to provide the best solution
- What technology mix or solutions can play a part in delivering connectivity to outlying areas now and in the future?
- How can we connect currently underserved areas quickly and efficiently?
- What policies and technologies are currently being seen in different countries, and which are having the most success?
- What mixture of licensed and unlicensed spectrum provides the best solution?
- What can be done by regulators to stimulate private investment to build infrastructure and provide the required equipment, and what role can public-private partnerships play?
Moderator:
Marcia Socikwa,
Telecoms Expert,
and Futures Thinker
09:15 – 09:30
Presentation: Dynamic Spectrum Access
H Nwana,
Executive Director,
Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA)
09:30 – 09:45
Presentation: Satellite
Jens Langenhorst,
Sales Manager, Southern Africa,
SES
09:45 – 10:00
Presentation: Enablers for realizing digital inclusion in Africa
Shiletsi Makhofane,
Head: Government and Industry Relations,
Ericsson Sub-Saharan Africa
10:00 – 10:15
Case Study: A regulatory perspective
Elhadji Maman Laminou,
Executive Secretary,
West Africa Telecommunication Regulation Assembly (WATRA)
10:15 – 10:30
Case Study: Internet.org - Delivering free basic internet access
Ebele Okobi,
Head of Public Policy, Africa,
Facebook
10:30 – 11:00
Panel discussion with the session's speakers
11:00 – 11:20
Morning Coffee
11:20 – 13:15
Session 6: Spectrum requirements across the Sub-Sahara region – where do the long term and short term priorities lie?
With much of the mobile use in Sub-Saharan Africa currently based around for text and voice calls rather than broadband, the region is not experiencing immediate capacity problems in the same way as is being seen elsewhere around the world. Therefore short-term strategies in the region are often geared towards using spectrum to deliver digital inclusion and increase coverage, and ultimately, contribute to the overall growth and development of countries. However, as mobile markets in countries develop, the forecast of huge population surge coupled with the lack of a fixed broadband network to offload traffic, has led to some predicting that in the future the region risks an even more severe ‘spectrum crunch’ than has been seen elsewhere. This session will look at the current strategies and priorities of regulators, operators and other spectrum users, and at what needs to be done in both the long and the short term to ensure that the available spectrum is being used in the most efficient way, and that the potential that it offers in helping to deliver economic growth to the region is maximized.
- What current spectrum strategies are being seen across the region, and what goals and priorities are Governments and regulators looking to address?
- Is there an opportunity to think long-term and put a strategy into place now in order to successfully meet the spectrum needs of the ‘mega-cities’ of the future, or should the focus be on shorter term goals?
- How can it be ensured that spectrum is being used efficiently by all users, including the military and public sectors?
- What role can spectrum sharing play in this and what sharing models offer the best approach?
- How can it be ensured that the needs of all spectrum users and the essential services that they provide are met across the region in both the short-term and the long term?
- With the need for new spectrum bands in the future arguably higher in Africa than in Europe, is there an opportunity for policymakers to take the lead in identifying these for region 1, and in making the bandplan and timing decisions for their release?
Moderator: Tony Lavender, CEO, Plum Consulting
11:20 – 11:30
Introduction from Moderator
Tony Lavender,
CEO,
Plum Consulting
11:30 – 11:45
Presentation: Mobile
Reward Kangai,
CEO,
Netone
11:45 – 12:00
Presentation: Broadcast
Gerhard Petrick,
Deputy Chairperson,
Southern African Digital Broadcasting Association
12:00 – 12:15
Presentation: PPDR - Public Safety
Daniel Hamadeh,
Director, Spectrum Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Middle East and North Africa,
Motorola Solutions
Noel Watermeyer,
Sales Director,
Altech Alcom Matomo
12:15 – 12:30
Spectrum sharing: enabling innovation while preserving current usage
Alessandro Casagni,
Head of EU Wireless Regulatory Policy Wireless Network Product Line,
Huawei
12:30 – 13:00
Panel discussion with the session's speakers
Afternoon
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:30
Session 7: Best practice in spectrum awards for an open and competitive market
To date, whilst there have been a few successful auctions held in countries across the Sub Sahara region (such as Nigeria), the use of market mechanisms such as auctions, trading and incentive pricing has in the whole been relatively limited. Drawing on experience from the previous awards across the region and beyond, this session will look at the best way to handle license renewals and awards, and at when auctions may be appropriate. It will look at the extent to which market-based allocation of spectrum can be successful in the region, and at the competition tools that are available to regulators in the situations that it may not. Finally it will look at spectrum valuation, and at how best to price spectrum when auctions are not being used.
- What lessons can be taken from previous auctions and other spectrum awards that have taken place both in Sub-Sahara and in other regions?
- In what situations should auctions be considered as an appropriate method of allocating spectrum, and what role can they play in encouraging competition and new market entrants?
- How can regulators best decide on what the optimum number of operators in a specific country should be?
- What is the appropriate balance between market mechanisms and administrative decisions in spectrum awards?
- In the case that spectrum is awarded in other methods than auctions, what methodologies and tools can be used to ensure that bands are priced appropriately?
- How do local factors, such as population size and local market structure, affect decisions on use of auctions and market pricing?
- What approach should regulators be taking with regards to license renewals in the 900MHz, 1800MHz and 2.1GHz bands? Is a new, clean award of spectrum the best way forward, or should licenses simply be renewed?
Moderator: Philippe Berard, Managing Consultant, Coleago Consulting
Andrew Barendse,
Managing Executive Regulatory Affairs,
Vodacom South Africa
Igor Furdik,
Key Account Manager,
Specure
Mindel de la Torre,
Chief, International Bureau,
Federal Communications Commission, United States
Simon Edkins,
Senior Economist,
Copenhagen Economics
Bashir Gwandu,
Chairman,
Commonwealth ITU Group (CIG)
Logistics
When
Wed 18 February, 2015 09.00 to
Thu 19 February, 2015 16.00
SAST
Where
Corner Rivonia Road & Daisy Street
Sandton
Benmore 2146
Johannesburg
South Africa
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