ECOWAS MOBILE TELEPHONE SECTOR OVERVIEW

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ECOWAS MOBILE TELEPHONE SECTOR OVERVIEW

• Presented by Dr Raphael KOFFI
• Telecom Adviser
• ECOWAS COMMISSION
• Website www.ecowas.int

2nd ANNUAL NIGERIAN INTERNATIONAL GSM STRATEGIC
CONFERENCE EXHIBITION Abuja, 11-12 July 2007
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Agenda

• Objectives
• Present Situation
• Actions Taken by ECOWAS
• Expectations from Mobile Operators

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CITATION
THE POOR REMAIN POOR BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT
RECEIVING ENOUGH INFORMATION THAT WILL ALLOW THEM
TO GROW, ALLOW THEM TO MAKE CHOICES UNESCO,1997
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Global Objectives

• Development of a regional, reliable, modern ICT
  infrastructure for the deployment of ICTs in the
  sub region in order to realize a cheap and
  affordable communication for community citizens
• Harmonization of Telecoms policies, legal and
  regulatory frameworks for the establishment of a
  single liberalized telecoms market within the
  Community.

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Specific objectives

• Implementation of full connectivity between
  telephone operators in ECOWAS region.
• Establishment of regional postpaid and prepaid
  GSM Roaming in all Member States.
• Preferential community tariff to boost the
  prepaid roaming services

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Present Situation

• At the end of 2006, the number of GSM operators
  (operational) in ECOWAS Member States stood at 45
  
• All the Member States have launched postpaid
  Roaming and 11 operators over 7 countries have
  launched the prepaid Roaming with CAMEL-2 or 3.
• The average penetration rate is 11.8 against
  1.1 for fixed telephone.
• The highest mobile penetration in the region is
  in the Gambia where it exceeds 24 whilst Cape
  Verde has the best coverage 90 of the country

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Present Situation

• Nigeria is the largest market and has also the
  highest annual growth rate in ECOWAS region.

Source Informa Telecom media
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Present Situation

• More than 98 of mobile subscribers in ECOWAS
  region are prepaid subscribers
• There is the absence of a study to determine the
  profitability of prepaid roaming for most of the
  GSM operators in the region
• The average fee charged by operators in the
  region for prepaid roaming services is 2 (US)

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Present Situation Pre-paid roaming agreements
(with CAMEL)
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Actions Taken by ECOWAS

• Having noted that mobile telephone services in
  the ECOWAS region is not only a business
  opportunity for mobile telephone operators, but
  is also considered as a social issue and a factor
  of exchange and regional integration, the Head of
  States and Government
• adopted a new regulatory framework (6
  Supplementary Acts) in January 2007 that are more
  favorable for the development of mobile telephone
  and the implementation of GSM Roaming in the
  sub-region
• appealed to cellular telephone operators to sign
  roaming agreements in order to facilitate
  communication in the region

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Actions Taken by ECOWAS

• ECOWAS Technical Group on Roaming (ETGR) was set
  up in 2004 to accelerate the implementation of
  Roaming services
• ECOWAS, by the Supplementary Act adopted on
  Interconnection, is fully committed to support
  and facilitate the development of regional ICT
  broadband infrastructure and promote cross-border
  connectivity

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Perspectives

• Accelerate the domestication of Community
  regulatory framework by the ECOWAS Member States
  in order to establish an attractive environment
  for investments and promote greater competition
  on international gateways
• Pursue the collaboration with WATRA for the
  implementation of regional regulatory projects
• Feasibility study to harmonize tariffs of
  communication including roaming , to establish a
  regional clearing house and regional signalling
  route

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Expectations from mobile operators

• ECOWAS
• Appeals to mobile operators for more transparency
  billing and affordable prices
• Encourage mobile operators for the acquisition of
  the appropriate equipments and software to
  implement prepaid roaming in the sub region in
  order to allow the majority of their customers to
  roam
• Exhort the mobile operators to be more involved
  in the meetings and telecoms projects of ECOWAS
  Commission

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THANK YOUFOR YOUR ATTENTION