Mobile Asia Congress Line-up Revealed

The GSM Association (GSMA) has revealed details of the speaker line-up for the 2009 Mobile Asia Congress, to be held 18 - 19 November 2009, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event will include keynote presentations from the CEOs of some of the world’s largest and most influential mobile operators, including Bharti Airtel, China Mobile, China Unicom, NTT DOCOMO, SoftBank Mobile, Telenor and Zain. The GSMA is also accepting nominations for the 2009 Asia Mobile Awards, which will be presented at the event.
“The Mobile Asia Congress will bring together the leadership of mobile operators and key players in the broader Asian mobile ecosystem in an exclusive forum for sharing the visions and strategies that will shape the mobile future,” says GSMA Chief Marketing Officer, Michael O’Hara. “We’re delighted that these executives are able to participate in our conference programme – all Mobile Asia Congress attendees will benefit from the perspectives and keen insights that our keynote speakers will offer.”
Keynote speakers so far confirmed include Manoj Kohli, President and CEO of Bharti Airtel; Wang Jianzhou, Chairman and CEO of China Mobile; Ryuji Yamada, President and CEO of NTT DOCOMO; Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President and CEO of Telenor Group; and Dr. Saad Al Barrak, CEO of Zain Group
The Asia Mobile Awards are designed to highlight and reward the latest change-driving products, services and initiatives from across the Asia mobile ecosystem. The 10 categories include Best Mobile Music Service; Best Mobile Advertising or Marketing; Best Mobile Money Service; Best Mobile Internet Service; and the ‘Green Mobile’ award.
The Awards are judged by an independent panel comprising leading journalists, analysts and academics from across the region. They are open to organisations from across the industry value chain that provide mobile products and services that are commercially available today in at least one Asian market. The deadline for the submission of nominations is Tuesday, 15 September 2009. Winners will be recognised at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, 18 November at the event. Additionally, and for the first time, winners of the Asia Mobile Awards will be automatically shortlisted for the GSMA’s Global Mobile Awards, which will be presented at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, in February 2010. There’s more information about the Awards, including online entry forms, here.
The Asia Tournament of the GSMA’s 2010 Mobile Innovation Grand Prix competition – a category of the GSMA’s Global Mobile Awards 2010 - will also take place at the Mobile Asia Congress. The Mobile Innovation Grand Prix was created with the primary goal of showcasing promising entrepreneurs from small and medium-sized companies who are introducing innovative products and services. During the Asia event, companies from the region will compete in various categories, reviewed by a judging panel made up of senior executives from mobile operators and venture capital firms. Two overall winners from the Asia leg will win a trip to compete for the Mobile Innovation Grand Prix title at Mobile World Congress.