January 26th, 2017

CTO’s Transforming Telcos round table begins discussing the changing competitive landscape of the telecoms sector

Johannesburg, 26 January 2017 – Telecoms stakeholders gathered today at the BT Building in Johannesburg, South Africa for a two-day workshop that will examine how to manage the transition from fixed-line telecoms provision to a converged environment. The round table, organised by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) and hosted by BT, will examine strategies to enable operators to keep pace with technological innovation, face new competition and prosper in the new ‘telcos+’ environment.

Delegates will hear from BT – an incumbent operator who has successfully transitioned to an ICT company with a range of services – and other experts on areas such as organisational restructuring, the changing regulatory environment and opportunities in the digital economy.

Statistics indicate a steady decline of subscription levels of fixed-line operators,” said Shola Taylor, CTO Secretary-General. “To survive and prosper in this environment, operators have to innovate. I hope that delegates will learn from our expert speakers and think creatively about how to leverage this knowledge for their organisation.”

Restructuring is a key issue in this environment with some companies, such as BT, incorporating mobile and ICT companies into their organisation, while others are being restructured by regulators. The Swaziland Post & Telecommunications Corporation, for example, is currently undergoing re-structuring into three separate entities that will deliver backbone services, retail telecommunication services and postal services.

The CTO is pleased to have been able to assist Swaziland in this exercise by developing the necessary legislative framework,” concluded Mr Taylor. “We stand ready to work with other members – and even non-member countries – to undertake such projects to assist their transformation into successful ICT operators in the modern world.”

For more information please contact The Communications Team, communications@cto.int or +44 20 8600 3816.

About the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation

The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) is the oldest and largest Commonwealth intergovernmental organisation in the field of information and communication technologies. With a diverse membership spanning developed and least developed countries, small island developing states, and more recently also the private sector and civil society, the CTO aims to become a trusted partner for sustainable development for all through ICTs.