The opening conference session will provide an introductory foundation for the remainder of the programme, and will provide an appraisal of the development of applications that are central to the mission-critical networking requirements of the various exploration and production segments of the oil & gas sector, together with a ready appreciation of the dynamics of current communications technology trends.  Panel 1 will assume a pan-regional focus in the form of an analysis of today’s communications product and service environment within which the players in the vendor community compete to satisfy the efficiency and risk-management needs of the buyers of ICT solutions in the oil & gas environment in North Africa and the Middle East.