CONFERENCE AGENDA

Join us as World Telemedia and WASPA officially open the Telemedia Johannesburg event and welcome all delagates to the conference.

Sport drives paid digital engagement because it sits at the intersection of passion, immediacy, and interactivity, making fans far more likely to convert from viewers into paying users compared to most other forms of digital content.

Trust is central to sustainable growth in digital commerce and subscription models.

Discussion points: Preventing subscription abuse and ensuring billing transparency, identity verification and authentication layers, operator and regulator responsibilities and building consumer trust to unlock scale.

Africa’s digital transformation story is entering a new phase. Connectivity alone is no longer the headline. The real opportunity now lies in how networks, payments, platforms and digital services come together to create sustainable digital economies for a rapidly evolving mobile-first consumer base.

Bringing together two distinct but connected industry perspectives: telecoms strategist and advocate for Africa’s digital future, Akim Benamara and digital payments and content monetisation specialist Anzelle Robertson, explore the forces shaping Africa’s connected future, from operator evolution and regulation to super apps, mobile payments, digital content and changing consumer behaviour across the continent.

Messaging remains the most scalable engagement layer across African markets and sits at the centre of digital commerce flows.

Discussion points: A2P SMS economics and margin pressure, RCS adoption, OTT competition and channel diversification, messaging as a payment, identity and engagement layer and authentication, fraud prevention and trust frameworks.

Growth requires localisation. Acquisition models must reflect market realities and regulatory expectations.

Discussion points: Traffic quality versus volume, conversion optimisation in low-trust environments, aligning marketing models with billing and compliance frameworks, building sustainable subscription growth beyond short-term campaign strategies.

As digital content, payments and mobile commerce continue to evolve across Sub-Saharan Africa, collaboration between regulators, operators, self-regulatory bodies and commercial stakeholders has become increasingly important.

This panel explores how statutory regulation, industry self-regulation and commercial innovation can work together to support sustainable market growth, strengthen consumer trust and create more predictable operating environments for businesses.
Discussion will examine evolving compliance priorities across African markets, the role of organisations such as ICASA, the FPB and WASPA, the practical realities facing operators and merchants, and how greater alignment between policymakers and industry can help unlock long-term digital growth.

We look back at key take aways from Day One and introduce the agenda for Day Two.

A dedicated deep dive into the South African market, aligned with the Mzansi Lounge and featuring some of the market’s foremost experts in their fields.

Discussion points: Structure of the South African billing and payments landscape, role of operators, aggregators and content providers, where growth will come from over the next three to five years.

As mobile operators across Africa look beyond traditional voice and data revenues, a new generation of operator-led digital commerce models is emerging. From carrier billing and digital subscriptions to fintech, identity, messaging and embedded consumer services, operators are increasingly positioning themselves as strategic commercial enablers rather than simple connectivity providers.

This panel explores how operators are reshaping their role within the digital economy, where the biggest monetisation opportunities now lie, and what merchants, platforms and payment partners expect from operator relationships in the years ahead. Discussion will also examine how operators can balance commercial innovation with customer trust, compliance and long-term sustainability in an increasingly competitive market.

The WASPA Annual General Meeting brings members together to review the organisation’s progress and direction. The session will cover key operational and financial updates, alongside presentations on compliance and Code of Conduct oversight. Members will also participate in the election of the WASPA Board, with the announcement of newly appointed representatives shaping the year ahead.