Agenda

Unlike other events, TowerXchange Meetups offer a unique balance of keynote debates and over 40 curated roundtable discussion groups, enabling participants to tailor the agenda to their own needs and interact in an intimate setting with industry experts.

Preparations for the Meetup MENA agenda are underway and a full speaker line up will be announced in Q3 2018.

Download TowerXchange Meetup MENA 2019 prospectus

Meetup Day One

  • 08:00

  • Welcome coffee & registration

  • 09:00

  • TowerXchange welcome address: The evolution of the towerco industry and the MENA tower landscape

  • 09:45

  • Keynote: Communications infrastructure for 5G and the digital economy

    Inspirational thought leaders from the region’s governments and MNOs share their vision for investment, rollout and optimisation of tomorrow’s networks across MENA

  • 10:30

  • Keynote towerco panel: Driving efficiencies and creating value through the towerco business model

    Founders and CXOs of the world’s leading towercos examine tangible impacts the model has had in select global markets and how this applies to unique environments across MENA

  • 11:15

  • Networking refreshment break and opening of the exhibition hall

  • 11:45

  • Roundtable session 1*

    Participants are divided into discussion groups of roughly 20 participants, hosted by an expert moderator on a selection of different topics. All sessions are held under Chatham House rule to facilitate open exchange

  • 12:45

  • Networking lunch

  • 14:15

  • Roundtable session 2*

  • 15:15

  • Networking refreshment break

  • 15:45

  • Debate: MNO owned versus independent versus joint venture towercos - what are the pros and cons of each model?

    A range of towerco business models have emerged globally. This debate examines each model and the pros and cons that they bring to MNOs, investors and the broader sector and economy

  • 16:30

  • Panel: The investibility of a tower industry in MENA

    Key investors share their appetite to funnel capital into an emerging MENA tower industry, discuss the expected involvement of different stakeholders and forecast the value locked in the sector

  • 17:15

  • Chair’s closing remarks

  • 17:30

  • Networking drinks in the exhibition hall

  • 19:30

  • Networking dinner

Meetup Day Two

  • 08:30

  • Morning coffee

  • 09:00

  • Infrastructure for smart cities and 5G: Business models, partnerships and technologies to deliver efficiencies

    In a region leading the charge on 5G this panel examines the roles of different stakeholders from government and municipalities to enterprises, operators and infracos in delivering the the networks of the future

  • 09:45

  • Connecting the unconnected: Low cost, rapid deployment solutions for network restoration, temporary coverage requirements and rural areas

    This panel shares experiences rolling out infrastructure in remote areas, regions experiencing or recovering from conflict and areas requiring temporary coverage, focussing on the most cost effective solutions and business models to improve connectivity

  • 10:30

  • Networking refreshment break

  • 11:00

  • Roundtable session 3*

  • 12:00

  • Networking lunch

  • 13:30

  • Roundtable session 4*

  • 14:30

  • Networking refreshment break

  • 15:00

  • Reducing the cost and improving the efficiency of cell site operations

    Infrastructure sharing presents one solution to reduce site opex but optimization of energy generation, O&M protocols, workforce management and site design presents further efficiency gains. This panel examines lessons learned by tower industry operational experts who have overhauled the way in which the telecoms sector manages towers

  • 16:00

  • Chairs closing remarks and end of Meetup

Provisional roundtable topics

  • - Evolution and comparison of towerco business models globally
    - Creating a win-win regulatory environment
    - MNO joint venture towercos: can they work?
    - Tower value crystallisation for MNOs without sale & leaseback – can “truly independent” towercos create more value than a majority MNO-owned towerco?
    - Carving out and creating value in MNO owned towercos
    - Sale & leasebacks: The good, the bad and the ugly
    - Infrastructure requirements, timelines and models for 5G rollout in the GCC
    - The MENA MNO landscape: Data and subscriber growth, competition and M&A
    - Achieving value through decommissioning
    - What drives value for tower investors?
    - Getting active sharing agreements off the ground
    - Infracos and infrastructure sharing models for smart cities
    - 5G use cases and commercialisation: reality versus myth
    - Indoor coverage in a 5G era
    - Who will be the infrastructure owners in tomorrow’s networks?
    - Delivering rural coverage cost effectively
    - How to scale a towerco
    - MENA fuel trends and the role for hybrid solutions over generators
    - What role will ESCOs play in MENA?
    - Optimising energy efficiency at high temperatures
    - How tighter asset management can deliver better margins in developed markets
    - Strengthening and future proofing sites for increased infrastructure sharing
    - Accelerating co-location
    - Pricing considerations and common pitfalls to avoid with your commercial negotiations
    - Reducing site opex in developing markets
    - Low cost rapid deployment solutions
    - Saudi Arabia
    - Iraq
    - Egypt
    - Iran
    - North Africa
    - Pakistan
    - GCC
    - Conflict markets: Where and when the growth will be