African VoIP Forum in Lagos over 21-23 August 2006

The 3rd annual African VoIP Forum is due to be held in Lagos, Nigeria, over 21-23 August 2006.  Over 150 delegates, exhibitors and speakers from over 16 countries are expected to attend.  With two weeks to go there are only a few places left.
This conference is expected to have a high educational value.

Exhibitors

The exhibitors at the VoIP Forum will reflect current developments in Nigeria’s ICT industry.  They include TFnet, a specialized Internet solutions company and VoIP service companies such as Symphony Telecommunications, Digitalk, Taide Networks, Dalco and Delta Three.  

Accelon and Skannet lead the Nigerian ISPs demonstrating VoIP solutions in the exhibition, among more than ten members of the Internet Society of Nigeria (ISPAN) inside the ISPAN PAVILION. 

"The VoIP Forum offers a unique mix of delegates from within the Nigerian ICT industry and across the Africa continent,” said Chairman of AITEC, Sean Moroney in London. “We are holding the event in Lagos at a time when the Nigerian ICT market is at its most dynamic and the high-level knowledge we are offering at the Forum is vital for telecom operators and ISPs as they develop their business strategies for future survival and growth.”

Organisation

AITEC is co-organising the event with Nigeria’s leading technology-biz magazine, IT Edge with the Nigerian Communications Commission, as host country partner.

Please contact   John Mwangi,  Sales Coordinator, AITEC Kenya
Tel: +254-20-6750802, Cell: +254-721-860228
Email: john@aitecafrica.com,   Email2: johnmwangi1@yahoo.com
URL: www.aitecafrica.com

Delegates include participants from telecom operators, ISPs and other core IP service providers, as well as hardware vendors such as Teledom International.

Representative of the computer hardware industry include Omatek and Junisat, promoting its Geniac computer brand.

The Nigerian Communication Satellite Initiative offers an interesting insight into the Nigerian government’s drive to offer pan-African satellite coverage in order to lower the cost of communications on the continent.

The Director-General of NARSDA Prof Ajayi Boroffice, is also expected to deliver a paper on bringing down the cost of communication access through the Nigerian initiative.

The VoIP Forum will be opened by the Hon Minister of Communications, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, with keynotes from the Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Engr Ernest Ndukwe, President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), and the president of ISPAN, Sam Adeleke. 

C band 2.4m diameter satellite communications dish in Africa
 suitable for VoIP and satellite internet access.

The VoIP Forum will include a presentation by Paolo Rosa, Head of Standards Co-operation & Communications at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

VoIP experts such as Tom Koster, GM, Sky-Stream, United Arab Emirates, Yossi Barkan, Executive Director, Africa, PCCW Global, Hong Kong, Sunday Folayan, MD, Skannet Nigeria, Mawuli Tse, Sales Director, Africa, iBasis, and Russell Southwood, CEO, Balancing Act, UK will be leading the speaker list. 

Forum sessions will consider issues that include ‘Assessing investment in new VoIP opportunities,’ ‘VoIP pricing and service strategies in a competitive market,’ ‘The business opportunities VoIP offer,’ and ‘Maximising international connectivity via a virtual service provider’, among others. 

Workshops

Three workshops are being hosted alongside the main conference.

They are:
• An interactive workshop for corporate users, will provide a detailed Introduction to VoIP, and will provided by a leading local expert, Sunday Folayan, MD of Skannet Nigeria
• The second workshop is aimed at ISPs & telecom operators and will focus on international VoIP links, with training provided by Mawuli Tse, Sales Director, Africa, iBasis, USA.
• Survival strategies for Telcos, ISPs & Cyber Cafes, will be discussed by Russell Southwood, CEO of Balancing Act, UK.

Media partners for the VoIP forum include CCA, Balancing Act, Nigeria’s premier technology newspaper Technology Times and IT Edge magazine.