2020 Meetup Agenda

Day one | 28 January 2020

08:00

Welcome coffee & registration

08:50

Opening address: The evolving Middle East & North Africa landscape and changes in the ecosystem presented by TowerXchange

Kieron Osmotherly, Founder & CEO, TowerXchange
Aninder Khera, Head of Research, MENA, TowerXchange

09:30

Keynote panel discussion: A vision of the MENA tower industry for the 5G era

- Geodiversity: common and distinct challenges and opportunities for the professionalisation of infrastructure sharing in MENA
- The criticality of infrastructure sharing and site upgrades in the 5G era
- Evolving regulatory frameworks and business models to promote infrastructure sharing in MENA
- Visions beyond towers: an holistic and integrated view of 5G communications infrastructure spanning indoor and outdoor sites, fibre, core networks and data centres

Moderator: Rohan Dhamija, Regional Managing Partner, Analysys Mason
Abdulrahman ALMoaiqel, Chief Commercial Officer, TAWAL
Majid bin Amer al Kharousi, CEO, Oman Tower Company
Kash Pandya, CEO, Helios Towers
Steve Howden, Senior VP & Deputy CFO, IHS Towers

10:15

Panel discussion: Identifying towerco opportunities and redefining the value proposition for MENA

- Adapting the towerco business model to fit the Middle Eastern market and attract local capital
- Identifying the value drivers for tower investors and meeting investor expectations
- What are the monetisation options?
- Exploring the outlook for long-term growth and securing cash flows for Middle Eastern towers

Moderator: Gulfraz Qayyum, Managing Director, Citi
Richard Ltaif, Chief Strategy & Governance Officer, TAWAL
Iyad Mazhar, Founder, TASC Towers
Akshay Grover, Chief Investment Officer, iSON Tower
Eric Crabtree, Chief Investment Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC)

11:00

Networking refreshment break

11:30

Roundtables I, closed-door sessions

Click here to see roundtables and closed door sessions.

12:30

Lunch

14:00

Roundtables II, closed-door sessions

Click here to see roundtables and closed door sessions.

15:00

Networking refreshment break

15:30

Panel discussion: Increasing network efficiencies and driving site level profitability

- To what degree are improvements in site level efficiency driving group level profitability?
- Best practices in operational efficiencies – O&M, energy and site design
- Identifying how capex is being deployed to reduce energy consumption and improve reliability

Moderator: Darragh Stokes, Managing Partner, Hardiman Telecommunications
Saeed Alshehri, Chief Operating Officer, TAWAL
Gordon Porter, VP, Operations, IHS Towers
Samuel Tanon, Operations Director, Oman Tower Company
Yildiray Ornekli, Network Infrastructure Manager, Turkcell

16:15

Panel discussion: Defining the business case to accelerate 5G rollout

- Accelerating 5G network rollout, what are the priorities of the MNOs?
- Monetisation of 5G; who’s paying for what? Achieving returns on ROI
- Infrastructure sharing amongst MNOs to maximise evolution from 4G to 5G
- How are MNOs dealing with structural and power upgrades for 5G?
- Indoor connectivity of existing and new build of 5G

Moderator: Dalius Budvytis, Director, Corporate Finance, Delta Partners
Salah Medawar, Chief Commercial Officer, i-eng Group
Wiktor Barcicki, Group Senior Director, Technology Economics, Etisalat
Gayan Koralage, Director Group Strategy, edotco

17:00

Chair’s closing remarks

17:15

Networking reception hosted by TowerXchange

19:00

Networking dinner hosted by TowerXchange

Day two | 29 January 2020

08:30

Welcome coffee

09:15

Chair’s opening remarks

09:30

Keynote panel discussion: Growth potential and investibility of North African market

- Developing the business case for expansion into North African territories
- Evaluating North African MNO landscape: Data and subscriber growth, competition and M&A
- Where are the emerging opportunities in North African towers?
- Penetrating new areas with 4G connectivity
Moderator: Darragh Stokes, Managing Partner, Hardiman Telecommunications
Tom Greenwood, Chief Financial Officer, Helios Towers
Keith Boyd, SVP & CCO, Africa, American Tower
Steve Howden, Senior VP & Deputy CFO, IHS Towers
Yoshinori Utaka, CEO, Mitsui & Co. Middle East and Africa Projects Investment & Development Limited

10:15

Panel discussion: Exploring the viability and attractiveness of the ESCO model across MENA

- How big an opportunity is the MENA region for ESCOs?
- What are the demands of MNO’s and towercos for innovative energy solutions?
- How can ESCOs ensure grid reliability and service requirements?
- Examining the role of renewables in powering MENA telecoms market
- What role will ESCOs play in the future of MENA? Learning from Africa

Moderator: Kieron Osmotherly, Founder & CEO, TowerXchange
Nabil Hadad, CEO, IPT PowerTech Group
Kadri Hakim, Co-CEO, i-eng Group

11:00

Networking refreshment break

11:30

Roundtables III, closed door sessions

Click here to see roundtables and closed door sessions.

12:30

Lunch

14:00

Panel discussion: The role of towercos and MNOs in driving smart city programmes

- Revaluating the business model in driving efficiencies through advanced technologies
- The role of governments in smart city rollouts
- Infracos and infrastructure sharing models for smart cities
- Small cells implementation and the role of Edge in progressing smart cities
- Developing effective partnerships to assist in advancing smart city rollout
Moderator: Phil Cooper, Independent Consultant
Vijendran Watson, Chief Regional Officer, edotco Group
Fadi Shanaah, Senior Director - 5G, IoT, Smart Cities and Digital Transformation, Etisalat
Satyan Abraham, Director - ICT, DXB entertainments

14.45

Networking refreshment break

15:15

Panel discussion: Enhancing the economics of rural connectivity

- How infrastructure sharing enables MNOs to reach rural areas
- Options to solve the problem of rural backhaul
- Achieving low cost low opex
- Optimising renewable energy for reliable grids in rural areas
Moderator: Moderator: Pankaj Sachdeva, Country Market Director, Energy & Telecom, Ramboll Middle East & Asia
Akbar Shaukat, CEO & Executive Director, AWAL Telecom
Hussein Abdulkader, COO, Asia Consultancy Group
Akbar Ladak, CEO, Smart East Africa

16:00

Chair’s closing remarks & close of meetup