Agenda

Meetup Day One

08:00

Welcome coffee & registration

09:00

The MENA tower landscape and comparisons to international markets
Kieron Osmotherly, Founder & CEO, TowerXchange

09:45

Keynote | Rethinking the shape, ownership and management of communications infrastructure in a digital economy

Moderator: Rehan Hassan, Board Member, Enfrashare
Hatem Bamatraf, Chief Technology Officer, Etisalat International
Kamil Hilali, Chief Strategy Officer, Zain Group
Dimitris Lioulias, Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Saudi Telecom Company
Ali Khan, Senior Expert, M&A, Omantel

10:30

Networking refreshment break

11:00

Keynote | Creating a supportive environment to foster infrastructure sharing and develop a robust tower industry
Charles (Chuck) Green, CEO, International Digital Infrastructure Alliance

11:20

Keynote | The role for independent towercos in driving network efficiencies

Moderator: Gulfraz Qayyum, Managing Director, TMT, Citi
Ted Manvitz, EVP & Chief Strategy Officer, IHS Towers
Suresh Sidhu, CEO, edotco Group
Kash Pandya, CEO, Helios Towers
Keith Boyd, SVP & CCO, Africa, American Tower
Rajiv Jaitly, Chief Executive Officer, iSON Towers
Iyad Mazhar, Founder, TASC Towers

12:20

Networking lunch sponsored by IHS Towers

13:50

Roundtable session I*

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

Buyer briefings (invitation only)
Invitation only sessions where key MNOs and towercos explain their upcoming procurement requirements

International Digital Infrastructure Alliance open meeting

14:50

Networking refreshment break sponsored by Delmec

15:20

Panel | MNO owned towers, MNO captive towercos, independent towercos and other models – the pros and cons for the telecommunications sector

Moderator: Atirek Gupta, Manager, Capitel
James Maclaurin, Non-Executive Director, Dialog Axiata & Founder, edotco
Nihat Narin, CEO, Global Tower
Marc Perusat, Partner, TASC Towers

16:00

Panel | The investibility and investment case for towercos and infracos in MENA

Moderator: Yiannis Mavridis, Managing Director, TAP Advisors
Abu Bakar Chowdhury, Managing Director & CFO, ASMA Capital
Eric Crabtree, Chief Investment Officer, IFC
Rustem Umerov, Managing Director, ASTEM
Akshay Grover, Chief Investment Officer, iSON Towers

Data collection and utilisation focus group
(invitation only)

16:45

Chair’s closing remarks

17:00

Networking drinks in the exhibition hall

19:30

Networking dinner
(Separately bookable)

Meetup Day Two

08:30

Morning coffee

09:00

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

Moderator: Sam Evans, Partner, Delta Partners
Kevin Smithen, Managing Director, Digital Colony
Gayan Koralage, Director of Strategy & Commercial, edotco Group
Wiktor Barcicki, Technology Economics, Etisalat International

09:45

Panel | Connecting the unconnected: Network restoration, rural coverage expansion and temporary coverage

Zhardasht Khalid, Network Rollout Manager, Korek Telecom
Hussein Abdulkhader, COO, Asia Consulting Group
Salah Medawar, COO, ieng Group

10:30

Networking refreshment break

11:00

Roundtable session II*

_

Energy focus group (invitation only)

12:00

Networking lunch

13:30

Roundtable session III*

14:30

Networking refreshment break

15:00

Reducing the cost and improving the efficiency of cell site operations

Moderator: Spencer Crawford White, CTO, Delmec
Gordon Porter, VP, Operations, IHS Towers
Wiktor Barcicki, Technology Economics, Etisalat International
Alex Leigh, Chief Commercial Officer, Helios Towers
Jawad Chaudhary, Vice President, Global Supply Chain Services, Vodafone Procurement Company

16:00

Chair's closing remarks and end of Meetup

Provisional roundtable topics

Session 1: Tuesday 29 January 13.50 - 14.50

1A: North Africa
Malek Bouteraa, Director, Strategy Advisory, TMT & Digital, PWC

1B: The investment landscape for towers in MENA
Akshay Grover, Chief Investment Officer, ISON Towers

1C: Changing the status quo in MNO tower strategy in MENA: motivations, objections and learnings from international markets
Yiannis Mavridis, Managing Director, TAP Advisors

1D: Maximising the value and efficiency of your energy assets
Stuart Kelly, VP, Market Development, Bladon Micro Turbine

1E: Prioritising capex deployment to improve site efficiency
Wiktor Barcicki, Technology Economics, Etisalat International

1F: The evolution to a converged infraco model
Kevin Smithen, Managing Director, Digital Colony

1G: Avoiding and handling MNO and towerco frictions and cultivating a productive partnership
Ted Manvitz, EVP & Chief Strategy Officer, IHS Towers

1H: Accelerating network rollout: Aligning MNO and towerco objectives
Keith Boyd, SVP & CCO, Africa, American Tower

1J: IDIA meeting

1K: Buyer Briefings (invitation only)

Session 2: Wednesday 30 January 11.00 - 12.00

2A: Pakistan
Hammad Rabbani, Head of Sales, Enfrashare

2B: Operational governance during a portfolio transition
Rabin Kumar Sen, Consultant in Tower Transition and Optimisation (Former Director at edotco Malaysia and VP in American Tower, India)

2C: Rethinking the design of towers for infrastructure sharing and 5G applications
Spencer Crawford White, CTO, Delmec

2D: Creating and protecting value in MLAs
Natalie Lamb, Senior Professional Support Attorney, Vinson & Elkins

2E: The highs and lows of the global tower industry: what has been learned?
James Maclaurin, Non-Executive Director, Dialog Axiata & Founder, edotco

2F: Turkey
Nihat Narin, CEO, Global Tower

2G: Regulatory dynamics in MENA and how they could influence the evolution of the tower landscape
Rob Middlehurst, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Etisalat International

2H: Saudi Arabia
Dimitris Lioulias, Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Saudi Telecom Company

2J: How towercos are evolving in Asia in terms of fibre and small cell offerings
Gayan Koralage, Director of Strategy & Commercial, edotco Group

2K: Energy focus group (invitation only)

Session 3: Wednesday 30 January 13.30 - 14.30

3A: The role for ESCOs in MENA
Khaled Habbal, VP & COO, IPT PowerTech

3B: The 5G outlook in MENA: timelines and applications
Enda Hardiman, Founder & Managing Partner, Hardiman Telecommunications

3C: GCC states (excluding Saudi Arabia)
Rohan Dhamija, Partner & Head, Middle East & India (South Asia), Analysys Mason

3D: Iraq plus other former conflict markets
Zardasht Khalid, Site Management Director, Korek Telecom

3E: MNO owned, joint venture and independent towercos: the relative merits
Enda Hardiman, Founder & Managing Partner, Hardiman Telecommunications

3F: Global regulatory frameworks and the tower industry: the good, the bad and the ugly
Charles (Chuck) Green, CEO, International Digital Infrastructure Alliance, Founder and Ex-CFO, Crown Castle

3G: Egypt
Moustafa Sobh, Regional Expert, Egypt

3H: Reducing site opex: what are the easy wins?
Gordon Porter, VP, Operations, IHS Towers

3J: Who should be the infrastructure owners for tomorrow’s networks?
Kamal Shehadi, Chief Legal & Chief Regulatory Officer, Etisalat International

3K: Doing business in MENA: cultural, legal and operational considerations
Rehan Hassan, Board Member, Enfrashare