The continued broadband expansion in the Middle East and Africa – subscriber figures are up by nine per cent in the last quarter alone to over SEVEN million – is helping to attract record levels of interest in the region’s first ever major IPTV event, the IPTV World Forum Middle East and Africa -

The show is being held at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai and will run from 5th to 6th November 2006. Already confirmed as key speakers at the conference, which will cover issues from the current state of the market and business opportunities to the technologies required to successfully deploy IPTV, are Mickael Ghossein, CEO of Jordan Telecom; Tariq Habib, Head of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at Etisalat, UAE; Khaled Taha, Director of Technology at Al Jazeera Network; Sarat Lallah, CEO of Mauritius Telecom; Marc-Antoine d'Halluin, President and CEO of Showtime Arabia, UAE and Khireddine Slimane, General Manager, Algérie Telecom.

"It is estimated that the pay TV market will grow by 36 per cent over the next five years in the Middle East and Africa and as such IPTV, as a viable pay tv option, is high on the agenda for operators in the region," explains Ian Johnson, Managing Director of organisers Junction Ltd.

"This inaugural IPTV World Forum Middle East and Africa will, we hope, encourage discussion and debate on the current state of the IPTV market and opportunities for the future."

Running parallel to the conference is a free exhibition previewing the latest technology from some of the industries leading companies, including Harris, TANDBERG Television and Verimatrix.

For more information, visit www.iptv-mea.com.