Nicola D’Elia, Growth Manager Africa, Facebook, talks to telecoms.com at AfricaCom 2012 about growing the social network’s presence in Africa.

Spotting the opportunity in the African emerging market, France Telecom has launched the Orange brand in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The operator group acquired domestic operator CCT in October 2011 and has invested CDF87.4bn ($95m) since to expand and upgrade its network.

Already staking a claim to be the one of the most effective mobile money success stories to have graced the telecoms industry, Kenya’s M-Pesa service has now been extended to allow consumers access to interest-bearing saving accounts and the ability to take out small loans.

Alcino Lavrador, CEO of Open Idea, talks to telecoms.com at AfricaCom 2012 about the significant investment being made in the region. He anticipates mobile penetration to rise 20 per cent from 54 per cent in the next three years, indicating the significant opportunities in the region.

The African subsidiary of Indian operator group Bharti Airtel has extended its mobile money transfer service across the 17 African markets it operates in. Airtel Africa’s subscribers will be able to send and receive money transfers over the operator’s network, which will be connected to a community of mobile network operators, and money transfer organisations, through the HomeSend hub.

As the African market continues to mature, the importance of optimising and monitoring network activity is growing in line, with Astellia providing such solutions to the region ever since the firm was established in 2000.

Service providers in the African region have a golden opportunity: a chance to prepare for the opportunities afforded by next generation services, while operators in developed markets have tried and largely failed to develop consumer services beyond connectivity.