MEA Service Provider Call – Telecoms & Media Outlook

Thecla Mbongue

Research Manager

Thecla analyzes telecom, media, and technology trends as part of the Middle East and Africa team. She researches regional operator strategies, network deployments, and regulatory development. Specific areas of her research include broadband technology deployments (4G, 5G, FTTx), smartphones, OTT, and mobile financial services. 

Thecla joined Omdia in 2003 as a telecom researcher and has over 20 years’ experience in the industry. She is a regular speaker and chair at industry conferences and comments on industry developments for regional and international media. Previously, Thecla worked for global telecom carrier Vectone in London.  

Danson Njue

Senior Research Analyst

Danson Njue is a Senior Research Analyst with Omdia. He works as part of the Middle East and Africa team, focusing on providing insights on telco and vendor strategies across Sub-Saharan Africa. His research includes operator network and digital strategies, disruptive technologies, and regulatory frameworks in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Danson joined Omdia, formerly Ovum, in March 2011 as a Research Analyst. Before that, he was a wireless training engineer at Huawei Technologies Limited in Kenya and has also worked as a base station subsystem engineer at Safaricom PLC. Danson holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering, specializing in telecommunications, a master’s degree in electrical and electronic systems, and an honors degree in electrical and electronics engineering.

Walaa Ibrahim

Senior Research Analyst

Walaa Ibrahim is a senior research analyst with Omdia. She works as part of the Middle East & Africa team, focusing on providing insights on telco across the Middle East and North Africa. Her research includes analyzing telecom, media, technology trends, and regulatory frameworks in the Middle East and North Africa.

Walaa joined Omdia in July 2023 as a senior research analyst. Before that, she was a data analyst at Al Futtaim in Dubai, UAE and has also worked as a research supervisor at Stat Solutions in Khartoum, Sudan. Walaa holds a master’s degree in econometrics and social statistics.

Daoud Jackson

Senior Analyst

Daoud Jackson leads Omdia's research on pay-TV and online video markets across the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and India as part of the media and entertainment team. He also oversees advertising market coverage in MENA and India. Daoud delivers analysis of key regional and global developments through research interviews, financial modelling, and industry analysis. 

Since joining Omdia in 2022, Daoud has presented at numerous industry events and received citations in international news coverage about the evolving media landscape. His research spans SVOD and social video platforms, changing seasonality patterns in MENA, emerging content trends, and successful monetization strategies for developing markets. 

Daoud holds a master’s degree in global history from the University of Oxford. Before Omdia, he worked as an analyst at social listening company Brandwatch and as a research analyst at Nielsen covering the global publishing industry.