10th Convergence Summit to be held in Jordan from June 3-4, 2013
Amman, Jordan, May 27, 2013--Under the royal patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya Bint El Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society, the 10th Convergence Summit, will take place in Amman on the 3rd and 4th of June 2013 at the Four Seasons Hotel. Her Royal highness will be addressing the summit at the opening ceremony. The summit comes as telecom and media operators in the region capitalize on the growth of broadband users in the Arab World with its implications for Social media adoption and the emergence of regional and local content as well as multiscreen offerings by telecom and media companies.
Since the first summit in 2004, the landscape for convergence in the Arab region has changed beyond recognition. Markets boasting 3G cellular networks increased from two in 2004 to sixteen in 2013, with five markets also having some LTE deployments. The number of HD TV Satellite channels reached 103 in 2013, while FTA Satellite channels increased from 140 in 2004 to 750 in 2013. The massive rise in broadband users in the Arab World region (close to 60 million broadband users) meant increased adoption of online content by broadcasters and telcos alike. Some 500,000 households in the Arab region now get their TV signals as part of triple play services, concentrated mainly in the Gulf region.
Zain Group is the summit’s main sponsor. The summit is also sponsored by Ericsson and Eutelsat and supported by Paltel Group, Globitel, Elemental Technologies, France 24, Startappz, Umniah, Orange, DAMAMAX and ESKADENIA Software.
The 10th Convergence Summit discussion panels will focus on; the state of the industry globally and regionally, the future of telecom services and media consumption in the region, the role of startups and industry incumbents, cloud computing trends, and strategies for broadcast, online & social media.
In addition, he summit speakers will address important topics governing the industry; these include: the role of technology vendors in the ecosystem, the dynamics of supply and demand, demand for VSAT services by telecom operators, the broadband markets in the region and their role in enabling the convergence ecosystem, as well as digital content, mobile and E commerce and payments.
“10 years is a very long time in technology. The first Convergence Summit in 2004 discussed the prospects for convergence in the Arab World. In 2013, with the 10th summit, convergence is indeed a reality across the region. Rich online media (including user generated content at social media platforms) already have the largest share of cellular and fixed broadband networks in the region. Moreover, HDTV has finally established itself in the region. Satellite HD channels in the Arab World grew by 18%, to reach 103 unique channels by April 2013, up from 87 unique channels by mid-October 2012. The growth in HDTV supply and viewership, coupled by broadcasting media operators focusing on multiscreen strategies to leverage the massive growth in smart phones and tablets, creates an exciting dynamic for convergence in the region” Jawad Jalal Abbassi, Founder and GM of Arab Advisors Group said.
Zain Group is the main sponsor of the 10th Convergence Summit, for his part, Ahmad AlHanandeh CEO of Zain Jordan highlighted that the summit this year caught the interest of Zain Group to endorse and support it, as it stems from Zain’s deep belief that telecom companies shall focus more on the future of the Convergence of Media and telecom by providing premium valued added services to match the growing demands of customers to acquire diverse content and technological development.
He added: “We at Zain are beholding an exponential increase of the demand for Value added services, thus we tailored special offers to match the demands of the various segments at competitive prices, and we constantly work on upgrading our network, noting that Zain invested more than one billion dollars throughout the past eighteen years, in addition to establishing several partnerships with highly competent and experienced content developers.”
The annual summit also received the sponsorships of Ericsson and Eutelsat.
“Major trends are enabling more possibilities everywhere with increased intelligence in devices, along with the drive to transform networks, all being driven by the consumer desire for advanced connectivity and experience.” stated Tarek Saadi, President of Ericsson in the North Middle East Unit. Saadi added: “We look forward to participate again in this year’s Arab Advisors Convergence Summit to discuss with our partners and key industry stakeholders how we can work all together to enable better connectivity and fulfil the consumer demands in an all communicating world.”
"With the Middle East and Levant countries representing some of today’s most vibrant telecoms and media markets, Eutelsat is delighted to join the 10th Convergence Summit. This event has established itself as a privileged platform for addressing digital strategies across the Arab world and we look forward to presenting the opportunities to leverage the latest satellite technologies for broadcasting and telecom services." said Jean-François Leprince-Ringuet, Chief Commercial Officer, Eutelsat
As part of its vision to advance the knowledge and technology industries in the Arab World, the Arab Advisors Group has waived the delegate fees for telecom and broadcast operators. Also press members can attend the summit at no charge. As for paying delegates, they receive their choice of Arab Advisors Group reports for the same value of the registration fees.
For more details and Online Registration, visit the summit’s web site at:
