The increased take-up of smartphones in Africa could lead to a surge in digital adoption on the continent, says Nik Willetts, chief strategy officer for the TM Forum, a non-profit industry association.

According to Willetts, mobile penetration in Africa is at 68% while only 6% of mobile phones on the continent are smartphones.

Willetts, who was speaking at the TM Forum Africa Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, also said ‘cheap’ smartphone makers have the potential to dominate the African market, which could lead to a ‘digital storm’ in Africa.

The rest of the world is currently in a ‘digital storm’ where everything from music to television has moved onto a digital system, said Willetts.

But Africa has yet to experience the full force of this phenomenon, Willetts explained in his keynote address at the event.

“The digital storm is yet to hit many parts of Africa but there is still room for growth.”

“Africa will hit a billion (mobile) subscriptions in the next two years. There is low smartphone penetration but this will change with the introduction of cheaper smartphones,” he added.

Willetts added that in Africa there is a great demand for healthcare and energy services, and that digital technologies could allow for these demands to be met.

The TM Forum Africa Summit, meanwhile, is taking place on August 6-7 2013 at the Hilton hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.

Key trends that the event is focusing include looking at how operators can improve customer engagement to boost loyalty and grow additional revenues by harnessing the likes of partners, data analytics and cloud.

Sponsors of the summit include the likes of South Africa's Telkom and China's Huawei.