Bharti Airtel plots its course

Indian operator Bharti Airtel will start a five-day strategic meeting to plot its course in the African market following the conclusion of its $10.7 billion Zain Africa buyout, reports Business Daily Africa.

Top on the agenda will be how to introduce the Indian brand to its over 42 million African subscriber base as well as outlining key strategies aimed at growing its market share in highly competitive markets such as Kenya.

“We shall be holding a strategic workshop in Kampala this week with Bharti Airtel executives. As of now, there has been no formally announced structure on the business,” says Rene Meza, Zain Kenya CEO.

The Qatar Telecom Group (QTel) has teamed up with Ericsson to offer multimedia services across the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia, states The Gulf Times.

The Ericsson platform would allow the Qtel Group to handle an increasing number of multimedia applications more efficiently and open up new revenue streams for the telco.

“We are determined to bring innovative, attractive new services to our customers by identifying their areas of interest and customising solutions to meet their needs,” says Qtel group CEO Nasser Marafih.

Central Africa's mobile communications market is expected to experience fierce competition and significant growth in the long term compared to other African regions, says Cellular News.

Frost & Sullivan research analyst Mervin Miemoukanda says: "The DRC, Central African Republic and Chad are anticipated to experience strong growth over the next seven years by providing increasing network investments, continuous product innovation and reduced handset costs."

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan finds the market earned revenues of $2.62 billion in 2008 and estimates this to reach $8.99 billion in 2015.