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. Click here to view a list of the full list of speakers and roundtable hosts.

Download TowerXchange Meetup MENA 2019 prospectus

Meetup Day One

  • 08:00

  • Welcome coffee & registration

  • 09:00

  • The MENA tower landscape and comparisons to international markets
    Kieron Osmotherly, Founder & CEO, TowerXchange
    Frances Rose, Head of EMEA, 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: Avoiding and handling MNO and towerco frictions and cultivating a productive partnership
    Ted Manvitz, EVP & Chief Strategy Officer, IHS Towers

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

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

    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: North Africa
    Malek Bouteraa, Infrashare & former CTO, Ooredoo Algeria

    1H: Iraq plus other former conflict markets
    Zardasht Khalid, Site Management Director, Korek Telecom

    IDIA meeting:

    Buyer Briefings

  • Session 2: Wednesday 30 January 11.00 - 12.00

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

    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: How to successfully structure and price MLAs
    Ahmed El Gaili, Partner, Vinson & Elkins

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

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

    2G: Pakistan
    Senior Representative, Enfrashare

    2H: Turkey
    Nihat Narin, CEO, Global Tower

    2J: Intelligent site upgrades
    Host TBC

    Energy focus group

  • Session 3: Wednesday 30 January 13.30 - 14.30

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

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

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

    3D: Maximising the value and efficiency of your energy assets
    Stuart Kelly, VP, Market Development, Bladon Micro Turbine

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

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

    3G: Egypt
    Moustafa Sobh, Regional Expert, Egypt

    3H: The investment landscape for towers in MENA
    Akshay Grover, Chief Investment Officer, ISON Towers

    Data collection and utilisation focus group