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2024 AGENDA

MVNO Nation Africa

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Day 1 

16 July 2024

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8.00-8.50

Welcome coffee 

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8.50-9.00

MVNO Nation opening

 

Realising the growth potential of the new type of telco service providers in Africa

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9.00-9.20

Telco industry expert insights: Exploring MVNO business prospects in Africa

  • Exploring the dynamic evolution and growth of South Africa's MVNO space, including the capabilities of existing players and the strategies of new entrants tapping into large customer bases

  • How does the South African market compare to other MVNO markets in Africa?

  • Examining key MVNO growth drivers: from focusing on niche segments through digital enablement to leveraging mobile services to increase customer stickiness

  • Identifying the remaining obstacles and providing tips and tricks for developing a winning strategy
     

Andre Wills, Managing Director, Africa Analysis Team, South Africa 

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9.20-9.40

Keynote: Critical success factors for MVNOs

  • Leveraging existing assets for a unique value proposition

  • Delivering exceptional customer experience

  • Business Intelligence and data-driven marketing

  • Agility & Adaptability

  • Strong partnership with MNOs

  • Partnership with an MVNE

 

Yaron Assabi, Founder, MVNE

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9.40-10.20

Panel discussion: Understanding telco customers’ needs in Africa

  • Identifying sought-after services: Gauging the pace of voice decline and preferences for data and other services

  • Designing effective marketing strategies: Evaluating the efficacy of various channels and assessing the extent of eCommerce adoption

  • Partnering strategically for marketing and service expansion: Exploring diverse ecosystems for optimal collaborations

  • Meeting the needs of rural areas and addressing connectivity disparities

 

Moderator: Peter Nussbaumer, Founder, MVNO Academy

Hymie Marnewick, CEO, NetEngage

Ben Adeniyi, CEO, Univasa, Nigeria

George Katumba, Non-Executive Director,  K2 Telecom, Uganda 

Michael Mku, CEO, ZNL Communications, Nigeria

Pieter Grootes, Former General Manager: Policy Research & Analysis, ICASA

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10.20-11.00

Coffee & Ice-breaker 

 

The first round of speed networking - everyone in the room gets to meet each other 

 

Leveraging technology: Unleashing the power of innovation in MVNOs in Africa

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11.00-11.20

Efficiently digitising your MVNO - Strategies and techniques

  • Exploring digital transformation - What are the challenges and what are the opportunities?

  • How to craft a robust digitalisation strategy - Where to start?

  • Pinpointing crucial areas for digitalisation in MVNO operations

  • Implementing best practices for smooth digital technology integration, reporting and assessment

  • Examples of successful digital transformation journeys

 

Rajesh Hari Parsad, Managing Partner & Founder, TAUSPACE

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11.20-11.35

Hot business model: Why it makes sense for financial services to embrace MVNO opportunities

  • Understanding the rationale and opportunities behind banks and FinTech companies launching their MVNOs

  • Evolution of Standard Bank’s MVNO strategy

  • Standard Bank’s fresh approach to the mobile market & future opportunities

Kartik Mistry, Head, Standard Bank Mobile, South Africa

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11.35-11.55

Unlocking MVNO success: Future-proofing for growth through cloud migration and effortless customer experiences

  • Defining the urgency to migrate to the cloud and regional differentiators

  • Exploring the impact on costs, scalability, and time to market

  • How does that enable winning customer experiences that drive loyalty and business growth?

  • Outlining the path to success and critical learnings

  • Looking into the future; examples of how platform diversification can help maximised ROI

 

Kartik Mistry, Head, Standard Bank Mobile, South Africa

Sean Casey, SVP, Product Management, CSG

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11.55-12.15

Pioneering a new era of digital MVNOs

  • Service innovation: The catalyst for evolving MVNO models

  • Modular platforms: Enabling rapid adaptation and growth in MVNOs

  • Frictionless subscriber onboarding: Leveraging eSIM and eKYC

  • Segment-specific deployment: Tailoring solutions for MNOs, fintech, travel, and more

  • Success stories: Real-world examples of digital MVNO excellence

 

Deepak Gusain, Associate Vice President - Collaboration & Connectivity Solutions, Tata Communications

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12.15-13.10

Panel discussion: Unleashing the power of innovation in African MVNOs

  • What does innovation mean to you? Is there an excess of technological innovation clouding genuine business needs?

  • Identifying the most impactful technologies and innovations driving current telco sector growth and predicting those that will shape its future

  • Evaluating the evolution of current go-to-market strategies and their transformations

  • Discussing essential factors needed to facilitate the growth of MVNOs

 

Moderator: Ndirangu Kibata, Director - Strategy and Growth, TAUSPACE

Len Pienaar, ex-CEO, FNB Connect, South Africa

Kartik Mistry, Head, Standard Bank Mobile, South Africa

Malcolm Subramony, Executive Head of Department, IoT Solution Development and Delivery, Enterprise Business Unit, Vodacom

Danson Muchemi, CEO, Jambopay, Kenya
Gavin Reuben, CEO, BluAdvance, South Africa
Stephen Morony, Chief Officer MVNO & Wholesale, Cell C, South Africa 

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13.10-14.20

Networking lunch

 

Exploring hot and new MVNO business models

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14.20-15.00

Panel discussion: Exploring diversified value-added services in the telecom sector and their potential to foster growth

  • Diving deeper than just mobile voice and data: Exploring mobile banking/fintech, digital content subscriptions, home automation, consumer IoT solutions, gaming, and more

  • Assessing market demand for these services and identifying potential growth opportunities

  • Identifying new services with the potential for higher ARPU and examining revenue models and monetization strategies

 

Moderator: Andrew McHenry, Co-Chairperson, Mobile Monday, South Africa

Samuel Chiwanda, Founder & CEO, Click Mobile, Malawi

Wesley Hellyar, Founder, Moth Innovate, South Africa

Christopher Geerdts, Managing Director, BMIT, South Africa

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15.00-15.20

Why some MVNOs succeed and others fail

  • Ensuring a commercially sustainable balance between go-to-market strategies and technical enablement

  • Becoming operator-independent

  • What to look for in your partnerships

  • Differentiating in a saturated market

  • The key success and failure factors of MVNOs

 

Valde Ferradaz, CEO, MVN-X, South Africa

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15.20-15.40

Launching an MVNO from scratch: the power of partnerships 

  • Juggling the complexities of launching an MVNO 

  • Understanding the importance of crawling and walking before running

  • Building partnerships to fast-track your success 

  • Presenting a case study 

Daniel Upson, Group Partnerships Director, Lebara, United Kingdom

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15.40-16.00

New business model: How to become an aggregator and create a BrandVNO?

  • Advantages of MVNOs adopting the aggregator model

  • Benefits for retailers and brands in partnering with MVNOs over alternative industry players

  • Collaborative strategies for maximizing partnership benefits and leveraging business expertise between both parties

 

Jignesh Dave, Founder & CEO, Next Communications, South Africa & Netherlands

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16.00-16.20

Hot business model: Exploring the SMEs and enterprise opportunity in Nigeria

  • What are the needs of the Nigerian SMEs and enterprises?

  • How to build a software-defined MVNO and create services that no one else provides

  • Exploring the opportunities presented by new technologies

 

Mattie Okunwe, Founder, Fonu, Nigeria

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16.20-18.30

Networking drinks

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Day 2 

17 July 2024

 

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8.00-9.00

Welcome coffee

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9.00-9.05

MVNO Nation opening

 

Providing a level playing field for a new type of telco service providers in Africa

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9.05-9.20

The impact of eSIM proliferation on the telecom competitive landscape and roaming agreements

 

Peter Nussbaumer, Founder, MVNO Academy 

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9.20-9.40

Keynote: How Cell C became the operator partner of choice for MVNOs

  • Cell's story - dispelling myths and fast-tracking innovation

  • How Cell C provides dedicated support and fosters strong collaborative relationships to help MVNOs navigate regulatory challenges, optimize network performance, and enhance customer experiences

  • Cell C's innovative plans to empower MVNOs to stay competitive, expand their market reach, and deliver exceptional value to their customers

  • What Cell C looks for in new MVNO partners and plans for future collaborations

 

Stephen Morony, Chief Officer MVNO & Wholesale, Cell C, South Africa 

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9.40-10.00

Keynote: Unleashing the power of a cloud-enabled and AI-powered BSS platform to launch quickly and enable new services

 

Mark Prudhoe, Business Lead SaaS connectX, Amdocs

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10.00-10.20

Emerging opportunities for MVNOs in Uganda

  • Resilience of Uganda's telecommunication landscape and survival of MVNOs amidst regulatory and market dynamics.

  • Exploring MVNO potential to enable innovative solutions (mobile banking, e-sim and IoT solutions)

 

George Katumba, Non-Executive Director, K2 Telecom, Uganda 

 

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Exploring new customer niches and expanding your services

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10.20-11.00

Panel discussion: South Africa: Leading the MVNO market in Africa

  • With near-complete mobile penetration and four major operators, South Africa offers unique hurdles for MVNOs. How to thrive in this competitive landscape?

  • B2C, B2B or B2C2B models? Which direction to explore?

  • Identifying key trends in South Africa regarding Value Added Services, content, gaming, and quadplay

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Moderator: Wesley Hellyar, Founder, Moth Innovate

Jignesh Dave, Founder & CEO, Next Communications, South Africa & Netherlands

Calvin Collett, CEO, Melon Mobile, South Africa
Stephen Morony, Chief Officer MVNO & Wholesale, Cell C, South Africa 

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11.00-12.00

Coffee & Ice-breaker 

 

The second round of speed networking - everyone in the room gets to meet each other 

 

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12.00-12.40

Panel discussion: Bridging the connectivity gap: MVNOs connecting Rural Areas

  • Leveraging innovative network technologies to extend coverage to underserved rural regions

  • Implementing cost-effective infrastructure solutions tailored to rural environments

  • Designing specialized service plans to meet the unique needs and preferences of rural communities

  • Collaborating with local stakeholders and community leaders to address connectivity challenges and foster sustainable growth

 

Moderator: Karl-Heinz Dorfmeister, Managing Partner, Acceleration-2
Sibusiso Khumalo, Managing Director, Mashobane Technologies, South Africa
Letsogile Baloi, CIO, Kometsi Telecommunications, Botswana
Hans Geldenhuys, Director-Africa, Intelsat

 

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Catering to the new type of MVNOs - new business models, new ideas, new funding

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12.40-13.00

The Startup Playbook: How the best startups are winning in Africa

  • Common themes

  • Best practices

  • What investors look for

  • What to focus on

Mathew Marsden, Founder, Startup Club ZA, South Africa

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13.00-13.20

Tips & Tricks on fundraising and securing early-stage funding

  • What are early-stage investors looking for? What’s important for them?

  • How to prepare for a pitch

  • Researching the right investors: What types of investments are out there?

 

Carl Niss-Fahlander, Co-Founder & General Partner, Amigos Venture Capital, United Arab Emirates

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13.20-14.00

Exploring the synergies between fintech companies and MVNOs

  • Supporting each other's business growth: What do you think about the collaboration of MVNOs and Fintech companies to access wider customer bases and drive innovation?

  • How can MVNOs and Fintech companies work together to improve customer experiences and enhance service portfolios? What are the benefits for each party?

  • Can this collaboration drive financial inclusion and close the connectivity gap?

 

Moderator: Andre de Wet, Founder & CEO, Flood, South Africa

Darren Franks, Co-Founder and Interim CEO, Fintech Association of South Africa

Mattias Rejman, Co-Founder & General Partner, Amigos Venture Capital, UAE

Mathew Marsden, Founder, Startup Club ZA, South Africa

14.00-16.00

Networking lunch

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Day 3 

18 July 2024

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MVNO Academy Workshop

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10:00 - 14:00

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Programme intro 

  • MVNO models overview

  • Value chain

  • Possibilities & responsibilities

  • Pros and cons

  • Tasks

 

Technology 

  • Mobile landscape

  • Integration models

  • Which Network Elements to which model? Pros and cons

  • SIM / eSIM electrical profile, timelines, eSIM providers

  • SLAs - principles with enablers

 

MNO relationships  

  • What do MNOs expect from you?

  • What do you expect from your MNO?

  • Host MNO contract principles

  • SLAs

  • Which commercial model?

  • Wholesales reconciliations

  • Responsibilities & options for roaming

 

Product proposition

  • Prepaid, postpaid, hybrid?

  • None-Telco products

  • Loyalty options

  • Tarif, plans, add-ons

  • Currencies

  • Rating options

  • Roaming

 

Product profitability 

  • General assumptions and market data

  • Risks

  • Templating the costs calculation

  • Example and explanation on real models

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