Economic activity has slowed worldwide with the onset of the global
economic crisis. Although a number of African countries entered into a
recession in the second quarter of 2009, the global slowdown has had a lesser
impact on African continent than in other parts of the world. Consequently,
international investors are paying increasing attention to Africa as the next
growth frontier.



    (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO)



    "Africa is the next global growth frontier and the telecommunications
industry is a key driver of this economic expansion," says Frost & Sullivan
Research Analyst Mpho Moyo. "Key areas that will shape developments over the
next few years will be governments' focus on deregulation and privatisation,
infrastructural developments, the provision and adoption of new applications
and services."



    To offer decision makers a comprehensive overview of the opportunities in
Africa's telecommunications sector, Frost & Sullivan will be hosting an
online analyst briefing on Thursday 5 November at 2:00 pm GMT/ 4:00pm CAT.



    The session will cover key developments within the African
telecommunications sector in 2009 and highlight the market and technological
developments that will shape the future. Key growth opportunities will be
provided together with strategic recommendations for how companies can
capitalise on the opportunities identified. The briefing will benefit
regulators, infrastructure vendors, network operators, systems integrators,
investors and analysts by discussing emerging trends and providing forward
projections for the African telecommunications sector.



    While the telecommunications infrastructure in many African countries
remains under-developed, several regulatory and infrastructural changes have
taken place to create opportunities for vendors and network operators to
provide new applications and services. For instance, several undersea cable
projects are underway that are expected to increase the availability of
bandwidth, leading to a significant reduction in telecommunications prices.



    "In 2009, the SEACOM undersea cable landed, and this will be followed by
the EASSy cable in 2010 and other projects like SAFE," explains Moyo. "In
addition, there is a widespread adoption of next-generation-network IP
technologies that enable advanced communications solutions and services like
unified communications and managed services."



    To participate in this briefing, please email Patrick Cairns at
patrick.cairns@frost.com with the following information: your full name,
company name, title, telephone number, e-mail, address, company website and
country. Upon receipt of the above information, a registration link will be
e-mailed to you. You may also register to receive a recorded version of the
briefing at anytime by submitting the aforementioned contact details.



    Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to
accelerate growth and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation
and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and
the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to
drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth
strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in
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Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.


    
    Contact:
    Patrick Cairns
    Corporate Communications
    T: +27-18-464-2402
    E: patrick.cairns@frost.com
    http://www.frost.com



Source: Frost & Sullivan

Patrick Cairns, Corporate Communications of Frost & Sullivan, +27-18-464-2402, patrick.cairns@frost.com