The prospect of consolidation among African and Middle Eastern operators has provided much fuel for the industry rumour mill in 2009, but the apparent collapse of talks involving the disposal of Zain Africa as well as those between Bharti and MTN has not diminished the appetite for expansion.

Over the years, the Informer has heard staff from various operators say what a great employer they’ve got. Vodafone, Orange, Virgin, Telefonica, 3, Zain (especially Virgin, though; it’s almost as if it’s a condition of employment), the list goes on. Now that he comes to think of it, though, he’s never heard it said by anyone from T-Mobile. Nobody’s suggesting T-Mobile’s a bad place to work, of course, just that none of its employees has ever volunteered information to the contrary in the Informer’s direction.

There is still plenty of growth potential in Africa. The rules of the game have changed with a paradigm shift from Customer Numbers to Customer Value (share of wallet)

African telecoms operators have faced several challenges in 2009. The global economic downturn, a fiercely competitive landscape, and pressure to expand networks into rural areas have tested the mettle of the region’s carriers both big and small.