(4 October 2008 4:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Soccer's governing body Fifa and the event organisers of next month's conference Soccerex in South Africa from 23-26 November 2008 have assembled a panel to highlight the importance of mobile marketing and broadcasting ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

The panel called Mobile communications in Africa and beyond – the key to reaching fans at the 2010 FIFA World Cup will feature senior figures from Fifa, Ericsson and Perform.

Heading up this panel is Fifa director, TV division Niclas Ericson who will outline the importance of fan communication via this media platform and the opportunities this poses ahead of 2010. The next Fifa World Cup is expected to push forward interaction via many different communication technologies, including full match broadcasts on mobiles.

As a relatively new broadcasting medium, Niclas Ericson will reveal the world governing body of football’s stance on the activation of event mobile broadcasting rights.

Ericsson business development manager Robin Berglund will reveal how companies such as Ericsson remain innovative in this highly competitive market and where he feels mobile services and handsets can take fan interaction to new levels.

With Ericsson currently operating in over 1,000 networks in more than 140 countries, Robin Berglund is highly knowledgeable on mobile global deployments in markets such as Africa. Berglund will divulge where he feels mobile services and handsets can provide the greatest influence on media and sports consumption and the related mobile marketing strategy.