Poor telecoms services threaten Yuletide celebration

Despite all the investments supposedly made by all the telecoms network operators this year, poor quality of service has continued to persist. This anomaly, however, is fast becoming a norm in the Nigerian telecoms space.

Inasmuch as subscribers are worried about the situation and are calling for a total overhaul of the existing processes and modus operandi, network operators have also continued to defend the state of affairs, with a strong indication that the situation obtainable could be the best possible.

The circumstance has been of great concern to telecoms stakeholders in Nigeria, including the regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission. But industry watchers have continued to task the NCC over the relative stability of the industry, stressing that the regulator still has a lot to do as far as fixing the industry is concerned.

Telecoms subscribers under the auspices of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers have also called for a quick solution to the problem so that during the Yuletide, when call and text traffic is expected to rise, people will not have challenges communicating with family members, loved ones, friends as well as business associates.

Commenting on this, the President, NATCOMS, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, told our correspondent that the Nigerian subscriber is strongly concerned about the quality of service, and would not fail to commend operators, who provide good quality service.

According to him, the problem of QoS has been attributed to infrastructural deficit on the side of operators, and the earlier investments in the industry are infrastructure-focused, the better it will be for Nigerians who want to communicate seamlessly using their phones.

He said, “Something must be done now. We need more infrastructure like base stations. The NCC must license more infrastructure companies. This trend had been sustained for a long time, and now, we can’t just stay here and fold our arms watching.”

Ogunbanjo said since the QoS issue had affected all subscribers in Nigeria, operators should develop a compensation scheme for subscribers under their networks in the form of bonus airtime and the likes, so that in the end, subscribers get value for every kobo spent on their ‘choice’ network.

“There should be constant compensation for poor QoS. This, we believe, is rational,” he added.

In this light, the Head, Business Development, Helios Tower, a telecoms infrastructure firm in Nigeria, Mr. Myke Ofili, told our correspondent in a telephone interview that the QoS status was dependent on many interconnected issues.

He said a critical look at global telecoms statistics showed that Nigeria should have more telecoms towers than it already has.

According to him, utilisation of telecoms service is increasing without a proportionate expansion of network capacities.

He said, “This problem is very serious because even in a state like Lagos, operators are not given a free hand to build towers. The state is regulating the construction of towers. To build new towers, an operator is required to pay N1.5m per tower. N1m is also paid to maintain an existing tower. This trend is being adopted by a lot of western states in Nigeria.”

Ofili said in the United Kingdom, for instance, there are about 1,500 subscribers tied to a base station; while in Nigeria, over 4,750 subscribers are accommodated on a base station. This, according to him, is a huge stretch for the networks, and remains a strong factor causing poor QoS.

He added, “There must be failed services. To worsen this, majority of the CDMA operators are not operational and everybody is leveraging on just the GSM networks. Our networks are not well distributed. This is also a problem.”

On the average, he said operators powered their generators for 22 hours in a day; and were left with just a two-hour supply from the grid.

He said fibre optic cables were very critical in the operations of telcos, and in some states, it was almost impossible to get the Right of Way to lay cables.

This year alone, telcos have proposed a $6.95bn investment on their networks. As of June this year, different financing deals have been struck in that regard.

Airtel Nigeria is investing $1.5bn in network upgrade; Globacom, $1.25bn; MTN Nigeria, $3bn; and Etisalat, $1.2bn. Despite all these seeming interventionist moves, poor QoS has persisted.

But some industry watchers have suggested that it is important that operators provide a breakdown of these investments so that the regulator can holistically ascertain that such investments, as claimed, are made.

In its last assessment of the industry, the NCC scored only one network high in key Quality of Service parameters.

In the commission’s report entitled, ‘Quality of Service Indicators for Mobile Operators in December 2012,’ and published in March this year, all other operators were found wanting in the Key Performance Indices target as signed in the Memorandum of Understanding between telecoms operators and the NCC for Drop Call Rate, Call Set-up Success Rate, Traffic Channel Congestion and Stand Alone Dedicated Control Channel Congestion.

The President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria, Mr. Lanre Ajayi, had said that one of the responsibilities of the regulator was to ensure competition, which means that the NCC has the responsibility to encourage competition in the industry with the intention of attracting all the benefits that competition brings to the consumers, such as lower tariffs, creativity, innovation and possibly improved quality of service.

He said, “If NCC decides to intensify competition by attracting more investors into the industry, I would not grudge that because it is one of its responsibilities. I am in support of attracting more investments into the industry. If other operators come in, that will add more investment to what already exists in the industry.

“There is room for more investment; we have not reached 100 per cent teledensity. A whole lot of people are still not connected to the Internet. So, there is room for expansion and there is demand for these services. There is infrastructure shortfall, which can only be filled by more investors willing to deploy more infrastructure. So, we need more investment, which means that we need more operators.”

Just last month, President Goodluck Jonathan said investment in the Nigerian telecommunications sector in the past 12 years was worth $25bn.

He said telecommunications was the fastest growing sector of the Nigerian economy, performing twice as much as the next sector – building and construction.

According to him, the telecommunications sector, which is growing at 30 per cent per annum, is contributing eight per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.

Jonathan said the strength of the Nigerian telecommunications industry could be seen in the fact that operators had staked $25bn on the expansion of the industry in the past 12 years, adding that there were still immense opportunities for growth.

But experts say amid these achievements, there is the need for the country to promote quality and ensure there is value for money spent by subscribers, who are the biggest agents of growth in the sector.

It is also believed that the country will see more growth if good quality of service is strictly adhered to, as this remains a critical factor needed to build confidence of subscribers on their network operators.

Source: Punch

WhatsApp overtakes Facebook as leading mobile messaging service

WhatsApp has overtaken Facebook as the leading social messaging service on mobile network, according to a report.

A survey of nearly 4,000 smartphone users in five countries found that 44 per cent use WhatsApp at least once a week, whereas just 35 per cent use Facebook messenger.

The research by On Device also found that Snapchat’s largest source of users are 16 to 24-year-olds in the US; the same group which research has suggested is leaving Facebook.

The report also confirmed that social messaging apps – including WeChat, Twitter, BBM and Skype – are the dominant way in which people communicate on their phone.

It found that 86 per cent use social messaging daily, while 73 per cent use their phones for voice calls, 75 per cent use SMS messages, and 60 per cent use email.

The study was based on the response of 3,759 smartphone users in the US, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia and China, between October 25 and November 10 of this year.

In April, WhatsApp’s chief executive Jan Koum claimed that the service now has more users than Twitter and carries more messages than Facebook.

He said WhatsApp carries as many as 20 billion messages per day, double Facebook’s daily message traffic.

Koum said WhatsApp, based in Silicon Valley, will not follow Facebook and Twitter in carrying advertising, and will continue to charge a 99-cent annual subscription on Android and other smartphone operating systems.

“We do have a manifesto opposing advertising. We’re so bombarded with ads so much in our daily lives and we felt that smartphones aren’t the place for that. Our phones are so intimately connected to us, to our lives.”

In August WhatsApp, which is used by 300 million people worldwide every month, launched an update to offer voice messaging services.

The smartphone messaging service, which is used by 300 million people worldwide every month, has until now only offered the possibility of text-based chat.

It is hoped the move will help the smartphone app compete with chat rivals BBM, Facebook Messenger and WeChat, which already offer voice messaging services.

The new function could also make the software more popular in countries with harder-to-type languages – such as Russia, where the 33 letters in the Cyrillic alphabet are often crammed onto narrow touchscreen buttons – or in areas with lower rates of literacy.

The add-on, which has been in development for six months, will not place a limit on the length of voice messages sent. Users can record messages in a single tap, holding down on their screen for as long as they are speaking.

“The number of taps matters. People want to send a message and be on their way,” said Jan Koum, the California-based company’s CEO.

Messages will automatically be played through the phone’s earpiece if it is being held to the user’s ear, or speakerphone if the device is being held away.

As with the application’s text messages – an estimated 11 billion of which are sent every day – the sender of the voice messages will be able to see when they have been listened to.

There is currently no possibility of making real-time voice or video calls in the app, as there is with the Blackberry BBM or Microsoft’s Skype.

The option of sending voice messages has been added to the Whatsapp application for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone and Nokia S40.

The service has attracted more monthly users than the 200 million claimed by Twitter, Jan Koum told a technology conference on Tuesday. He did not release an exact figure, however.

He also said WhatsApp carries as many as 20 billion messages per day, double Facebook’s daily message competitior to social networks; the figures represent major milestones for a service that was only traffic.

Although WhatsApp is seen as more of an internet-based threat to text messaging than as a introduced in 2009.Koum said WhatsApp, based in Silicon Valley, will not follow Facebook and Twitter in carrying advertising, however.

The app charges a 99-cent annual subscription on Android and other smartphone operating systems.

Jolla: Ex-Nokia employees launch smartphone

A team of ex-Nokia employees has released the first handset running on a new smartphone platform.

The Jolla phone - pronounced Yol-la - is powered by open-source operating system Sailfish, but can run most apps designed for Google's Android platform.

The company has paired with a major Finnish network, and hopes to set up a similar deal with a UK operator.

Industry analysts said Jolla faced a challenge in taking on a market dominated by Google and Apple.

Just 450 Jolla phones will be available at launch on Wednesday evening, with the majority going to customers who have pre-ordered the device.

Co-founder Marc Dillon told the BBC the company was in the process of ramping up manufacturing.

He said the phone's ethos was to provide a more "open" approach to how people used their mobiles, a contrast to the relatively closed systems used on the iPhone and, to a lesser extent, Android devices.

"There's different opportunities for people to get apps form different places, different stores," he said.

"We've created a world-class platform. Users will be getting more choice."

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

This is the 'what might have been' scenario had Nokia not gone down the Microsoft road with Windows Phone”

Geoff BlaberCCS Insight

Dumped OS

The platform - originally called MeeGo - was developed by Nokia, but dumped in 2011 in favour of the company adopting the Windows Phone system.

Nokia released just one handset running the software, the N9-00.

Antti Saarnio, chairman and co-founder of Jolla, told the BBC in May that MeeGo - now called Sailfish - had not been given enough chance to succeed.

"Everybody felt so strongly that they wanted to continue," he said.

Large parts of the Sailfish code were open-source, which meant anyone could expand and adapt the platform, Mr Dillon said.

"We are ramping up our Jolla community right now.

"There's already a Sailfish website so that developers can come and contribute."

David v Goliath

According to CCS Insight, 81% of smartphones shipped globally from July to September ran Google's Android software. Apple's iOS accounted for 13%.

Smaller players such as Blackberry, Microsoft and Mozilla made up the numbers.

Analyst Geoff Blaber, from CCS, said while it might seem Jolla was taking on an impossibly large challenge by trying to muscle in, its strategy could pay off.

"It's easy to characterise this as David v Goliath," he told the BBC. "But the fact is if Jolla can maintain a competitive cost base, there is already an enthusiast base seeking this product. It could be successful."

But Mr Blaber added the handset was a means to an end, and that Jolla's long-term strategy was to create a operating system it could licence to other manufacturers.

"This is the challenge," he said.

"At the moment we have a situation where Android is utterly dominant. They've got to prove the software is competitive and it works."

Jolla may also be buoyed by support in its home country as a result of Microsoft's planned buy-out of Nokia.

Jolla co-founder Mr Dillion said he was getting "stopped everywhere I go".

"We're not trying to piggy-back, but we have seen a bump," said Mr Dillon. "We've had a lot of support in Finland."

Mr Blaber added: "This is the 'what might have been' scenario had Nokia not gone down the Microsoft road with Windows Phone."

Source: BBC

iPad wonder: Apple can Apprehend your ipad thief

When robbers visited Mr. Tunde Makhinde’s house in Lagos last week and took his iPad with them, they did not know that they had shot themselves in the foot. The tech whiz had activated the tracking device on his iPad, and within a matter of days, had gone with law enforcement agents to catch the thieves red handed.

In the United States recently, an amazing app, Find my iphone, used to track down a stolen iPad and the man who allegedly took it from underneath a family’s Christmas tree. The victim on the ‘Find my iPhone’ app that sends out a signal to the device.Using his computer, the victim was then able to locate the iPad on a map, and alerted police to its whereabouts – just a few houses away.

Even the burglar who broke into Steve Jobs’ house was caught last year two weeks after the crime thanks to the technology in one of the late Apple founder’s own inventions. He might never have been caught if he hadn’t logged onto iTunes on one of Jobs’ personal iPads. Investigators say they were tipped off about the perpetrator when one of the stolen devices connected to Apple servers.

‘But I am no tech whiz!” you might say. That doesn’t matter. How smart would smart technology be if it can’t holler at its owner when it gets stolen? There are simple ways to be two steps ahead of the thief. The ‘Find My iPhone’ application can be used if an Apple device is stolen or misplaced. It does not come installed but can be downloaded for free.

The user then signs in with their unique Apple ID.a device goes missing, the owner can activate the app on a computer. Signals ‘ping’ the device and its whereabouts can be seen on a map online.can then choose to display a message on its screen, play a sound for two minutes at full volume, lock the device or erase all of its data.can be used on iPhones, iPads, Apple computers and iPods.

iOS 7 includes a new feature called Activation Lock, which makes it more difficult for anyone to use or sell your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch once it’s gone missing or has been stolen. And it starts working the moment you turn on Find My iPhone in iOS 7. Turning off Find My iPhone or erasing your device requires your Apple ID and password. And your Apple ID and password are required before anyone can reactivate it.

But what happens if you find your device on a location you can’t reach? Go for second best-initiate a remote wipe to delete your personal data and restore your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac to its factory settings. With iOS 7, Find My iPhone can continue to display your custom message, even after your device has been erased. And if you do retrieve your device, you can restore it from your iCloud backup. iCloud is not just for backup, it can help you find your apple device on the map. If one of your Apple devices goes missing, iCloud can help you figure out where it is. Just sign in at iCloud.com or use the Find My iPhone app to see your missing iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac on a map.

Source: Vanguard

Tackling menace of substandard mobile phones in Nigeria

THE trade on sub-standard mobile of phones has become a flourishing business in mobile sales outlet in the country.
  These phones popularly known and most times call ‘China phones’ or ‘chinco,’ a derogatory cliche to describe some of the sub standard products coming from China, have unique selling points – cheap prize tag and dual SIM platform. When the original products, which these counterfeits are adapted from, are selling at about $400 to $500, the fakes are selling for far less than a $100 and can contain two or four SIM cards.

However, what buyers of these products perhaps never put in perspective was the huge cost and pains that subsequently follows these cheap priced phones as against the original products that may cost a little higher.
   Most times, consumers, who are constrained by ignorance, poverty, inability to detect counterfeit products, go ahead to purchase fake products that may be rather harmful to them. Consumers opt for substandard or counterfeit mobile phones because they are cheap and look like the originals.
   All these are informed mainly by the advancement and sophistication of counterfeits in recent times, and compounded by the lack of zeal of producers to partner with regulators in the education of consumers to remove fake products from the market.
    In spite of the efforts made by government agencies like the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), to combat counterfeiting in Nigeria, the business appears to have taken a foothold to the detriment of consumers, manufacturers and government alike.
   The result of a recent research carried out by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the International Data Corporation (IDC), disclosed that Nigeria lost more than N19.8 million to software counterfeiting in 2009, and also recently, Microsoft, the global giant in software development, stated that consumers and companies spend millions of dollars each year on counterfeit copies, financing scammers, who threaten the integrity of the software industry.
   World-renowned mobile phone manufacturers, including Nokia, have identified Asia as one of the main sources of fake phones. In China, they are locally known as “Shanzai” or black market cell phones, and ‘Shanzai’ is a local term used to mean copied of faked products.
    The ever-growing ‘Shanzai’ market has responded quickly to the needs of mobile users by quickly manufacturing fake version of all the new models. The top models, which have been faked, include Nokia E86, Nokia N 95, Nokia 8800, Nokia E91, Nokia E69 and also Nokia N87. Like the originals, they come meticulously packed with a charger, headphones and an instruction manual.
   The only and the major difference is that these phones come without a warranty, cluttered and clunky software difficult to operate and low quality batteries, which may explode anytime. The fake versions do not adhere to any safety standards of the industry. These global brands have been warning mobile users about the dangers of buying a fake model. 
    In China, there was a case of a T45-year-old man, who was severely injured as his fake mobile phone exploded violently, causing serious burns.
   However, the UK market has been flooded with these fake mobiles, and in order to prevent customers from using these mobile phones, countries like the United States and Australia are devising ways to de-link these fake phones from connecting to their country’s existing mobile network.
   In the telecom market, apart from the loss of valuable income through the purchase of substandard mobile phones and their frequent replacement by consumers, there is a growing concern that the result of highly hazardous emissions from fake mobile phones, may soon begin to manifest.
    Counterfeit mobile phones are low in quality and do not meet safety standards, and in some situation, the radiation from them is beyond the permissible limits, and can cause serious damage to the health of consumers.
    Products of counterfeit products evade legitimate sources of government revenues like duties and taxes. Also employment opportunities are lost, as genuine producers and employers of labour are hindered from attaining economies of scale, and as a result forced to shut down on many occasions. This goes with the concern in the world that, terrorists get their funding from illegal activities like counterfeiting, smuggling, bunkering among others.
   In a speech delivered by Director-General, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Emmanuel Amlai at a roundtable conference, on counterfeit products highlighted that products counterfeiting has become so prevalent that on a daily basis, the lives of consumers are threatened and national economy and security are jeopardised due to the prevailing activities.
    He said in view of the foregoing, the influx of fake and substandard products, has been a source of concern to the federal government and as the apex consumer protection agency, the issue has compelled it to come up with an interventionist programme like the establishment of joint task force, in conjunction with the SON, NESREA and market associations on fake and sub-standard electrical and electronic products.
     The Head of Care, Nokia West Africa, Mr. Silvin Sinan, some time in an event staged by Nokia in Lagos, explained that as long as the trade on counterfeit mobile devices continues, government loses revenue in the form of taxes, the economy loses potential employment opportunities, and investors are discouraged, thus dealing a deadly blow on government’s efforts at encouraging foreign direct investment (FDI). He said this discourages creativity and innovation, because the very existence of cloned counterfeit devices is an infringement on intellectual property.
    Sinan noted that the interesting thing about the trade in counterfeit devices is that it is a buyer’s market. This means that it is the demand for them that encourages the supply.” We believe that if the average consumer is aware of the potential hazards that he exposes himself to, every time he purchases a counterfeit device, chances are that he would have a rethink, the more people are aware of these dangers, the less vulnerable they become and the cheap prizes of these devices become less and less attractive,” he stated.
    As a further move to eliminate substandard products from the Nigeria market, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, director-general of the SON, at a telecom forum in Lagos stated that his organisation would be collaborating with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), to rid the Nigerian mobile market of fake devices that do not meet the stipulated international standard for products that should be imported into the country.
   However, in an interview with mobile phone dealers in Lagos, shows that there is ready market for phones considered as substandard because they are cheap, and comes with almost all the features of devices considered as superior products.
    They stated that these phones, which are mostly manufactured in China, are emerging technology that with time can be developed to meet with global standard, and that because most Nigerians live below average level, the devices have become widely acceptable to the masses.
    But according to SON, the influx of substandard phones would soon be curtailed, as it would adopt collaborative measures with the Nigeria Customs Service both at the country’s border and seaports in this regard.

Source: Guardian

ASUS adds two devices to Nigeria’s mobile market

World’s third largest PC manufacturers, Asustek, last week joined technical forces with Intel corporation to launch two Intel-powered devices comprising the Asus fonepad 7 and the Asus Transformer Book T100, saying the features suited the Nigerian market.

Both tablets are powered by Intel Atom processors, Intel Atom Z2560 and Intel Atom Bay Trail-T Z3740 quad-core processor respectively.

Unveiling the devices, Regional Director of ASUS for Africa, Turkey and Israel, Mr. Shawn Chang, said that “the two devices that we’ve launched today, the Fonepad 7 and the Transformer Book T100, are all run by the latest Intel processors. They are  designed to fit the Nigerian market. From battery life to the performance of their processors, and to their retail prices, everything is right. These are the devices you want to offer to your loved ones as  Christmas gift”

Also Country Manager of Intel West Africa, Mr. Bunmi Ekundare said the partnership between Intel and Asus was a welcome development, adding that “Intel is glad to be able to extend our long collaborative history, including our most recent, the Ultrabook and Intel-based tablets and again, to Asus. Our partnership with this company is recurring and we are pleased with that.”

Ekundayo also saidContinuing, he added that “Intel’s new Atom Z2560 and Intel Atom Bay Trail-T Z3740 quad-core processor not only deliver power, they are also guaranteed to drive the quality of performance and flexibility that accommodates a range of devices and market needs”.  The Asus Fonepad promises to offer the dual value of voice communication of a Smartphone and the entertainment opportunities afforded by a tablet, and comes with the convenience of carrying just one device.

Source: Vanguard

NITDA targets 100,000 jobs via outsourcing

As part of initiatives to fulfil it mandate, the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA says over 100,000 jobs will be created in the country annually through Information Technology, IT outsourcing sector.  The Director General of the agency,  Dr. Ashiru Daura, made this  known during the second National Outsourcing Conference held in Abuja.

Dr. Daura said, though the sector is in its infant stage, it  has the capacity to create over 100,000 jobs in the economy, given the  efforts of the agency in making Nigeria a leading  IT hub in Africa.

When achieved, he stated that thousands of Nigerian unemployed youths would be gainfully engaged in different IT outsourcing jobs within and outside the country.

“NITDA is aware of the priority place job creation is given in  Mr. President’s Transformation Agenda. It is our resolve to support the  President on this agenda by creating an enabling environment for providing job opportunities for our teeming youths through the use of IT enabled services. We have no doubt that IT outsourcing will go a long way in complementing the federal government’s effort to tackle the challenge of unemployment in the country,” he said.

Also speaking, the chairman of Nigerian Association of Information Technology Enabled Outsourcing Companies, NAITEOC,  David Onu, boasted that outsourcing industry in Nigeria is capable of generating N1.3trillion annually if it is well developed and would be able create over five million jobs in the next ten years.

He stated that over 10,000 unemployed Nigerians have so far been engaged in the sector.

The NAITEOC Chairman, while calling for more support of the sector by both government and the private sector, said the sector, if given the priority attention is capable of boosting the country’s gross domestic product.

Source: Vanguard

Nigeria’s $25bn telecom market, haven for businessmen

Traffic to the Nigerian pavilion, at the just concluded International Telecommunications Union, ITU Telecom world summit became unprecedented as the Secretary General of the union, Dr Hamadoun Toure encouraged investors to head to Nigeria, stoutly claiming that the country’s telecom market is haven for technology businesses.

This was as the Executive Vice Chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr Eugene Juwah had highlighted several prospects that could benefit interested investors in the Nigerian economy, in an attempt to woo investors to the new broadband sector the country was nurturing .

Juwah also had his path ways cut with two prominent business entities in the Nigerian telecom sector, MTN and Etisalat testified to having turned their economies around with the Nigerian investment.

At that point, it was a matter of who is fit to come and where his business plans are fit to compete. The stage was set when on the first day of the event, Nigeria snapped the golden opportunity of hosting the Leaders Lunch Forum, capitalising on the opportunity to showcase to thousands of participants from across the world, pathways to revitalising its economy with broadband business.

Toure was there, savouring the details, particularly when Juwah’s diplomatic presentation of Nigeria’s broadband business plan held everybody spell bound: ‘“I do not need to bore you on the figures of our population because you already know that Nigeria is the most populated black Nation in the world. You are also aware of the high ratings of Nigeria in terms of mobile penetration and general ICT growth.

Investment in the Nigerian telecom industry is well over $25 billion and we can say that it is well invested.  ICT sectoral growth is at 30 percent for the past 3 years, sectoral contribution to GDP was 7.05 % in 2012 and currently stands at 8.53 percent. You can’t  get it better anywhere, in terms of robust and steady favourable business climate”

Juwah however quipped in : “But we still have low broadband penetration. However, we have a lot of international broadband cable lying on our shores, amounting to about 10 tetra bytes but we have inadequate fibre infrastructure in several states leading to high cost of services.

The problem we have in Nigeria is actually that of distribution to the last mile. Although, this may be a challenge, we also see it as an opportunity that investors can come and take advantage of “

“However, in order to address the paucity of broadband penetration in Nigeria, government had introduced some regulatory initiatives. First of all, government has released a national broadband plan from 2013-2017. We as NCC, representing government, have also been holding consultation on a proper framework for broadband investment and services in Nigeria.

We have announced open for auction our free 2.3Ghz spectrum, for wholesale service operators to provide last mile broadband services to our regions and hinterlands. This will commence in January 2014. We are also getting ready to license what we call Infrastructure companies, InfraCo, to roll out high speed broadband backbone in 2014.

Nigerian broadband map has mandated what is called the open access model as a strategy and we as a regulatory agency have out rightly decided to solve the tactical issues involved in owning access by developing what we call the Nigerian Open Access Model. So there are mountains of opportunities now for any investor that would want to tap into the huge growing Nigerian broadband market” he added.

But it was on the second day, as a special guest, when Nigeria again hosted participants to an event tagged ‘Nigeria Day’ at the pavilion, that Toure spilled his mind: “Nigeria is the largest country in Africa by population and the engine of the continent in terms of business. There are enviable human and natural resources in this country and I can say that the natural resources we can see standing are even far more than the ones deposited in the ground.

I have observed that Nigeria Nigeria’s growth has remained steady over a few years and this is a good sign for prospective businesses that crave for returns on their investments.

Nigeria was ranked the highest mobile growth by ITU for five consecutive times and that means that there are things they are doing right. It’s not possible to retain that for such a long time by fraud.

Today, we are moving from connect Africa to transform Africa and Nigeria being the business hub of Africa is important in this transformation. It has taken the lead for this in many respects because they have visionary leaders. The country’s First Lady is the ITU’s child online protection champion and she is acknowledged worldwide for protecting children and empowering women. I would like to thank her.

However, the position of the First Lady to protect children online was instrumental and an opportunity for Nigeria to correct its image which criminals from other countries, unfortunately, are trying to tarnish. Every day, you see someone purported to be from Nigeria, trying to sell one thing or the other online. But we know they are not Nigerians. Nigerians are industrious and their economy is friendly to business people” he added

Meanwhile, part sponsors of the Nigerian pavilion, MTN, Etisalat and Airtel, capped the accolades with testimonies of how the Nigerian business climate had treated them, encouraging other investors to dismiss whatever negative impressions they had about the country because they were mostly unfounded.

On behalf of the operators, Corporate Services Executive of MTN, Mr Akinwale Goodluck noted: “MTN’s decision to invest in Nigeria in 2001 was a decision highly criticised in South Africa. But it is a risk that has now paid off.  I could still remember that the day the license was granted in 2001, the share price of MTN dropped by 40 percent but today, the share price in South Africa is over two thousand rands.

I also remember that a lot of people said that GSM will not work in Nigeria because there was no light but we came in and have been posting good returns. we also can say that Policy wise,, the government has been responsive enough. We want you to come and join us and together we shall share the good news”

Source: Vanguard

Computer village relocates to Katangowa Internet City next year, says LASG

The Lagos State Government has disclosed that arrangements have been concluded to relocate all computer dealers in Ikeja to Katangowa Internet City, in Oke Odo area of the state, in the first quarter of 2014.

However, it has dispelled rumours making rounds over non-functioning of over 100,000 Close Circuit TV Cameras installed across the state by the Federal Government, saying the cameras have since been activated for effective surveillance and crime monitoring.

The government also disclosed that no fewer than 100,000 residents had been captured by the Lagos Residents Registration Agency, LASRAA from the beginning of this month.

Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr Adebiyi Mabadeje, made the remarks at a recent media parley on the activities of his ministry.

According to him, all major players in the Information Technology, IT, industry would soon be moved to the 15 hectares of land axis, assuring that it would generate jobs for hundreds of Lagos residents when it finally kicked off.

“I cant categorically say when we are moving them to the city, but we are working towards the first quarter of next year. We are discussing with all stakeholders in the market to ensure the success of the project. All the traders at the market now, will be fully carried along in the project.”

“The new market will be a modern standard market that will serve as one stop shop for IT industry. This will further enhance business in a friendly and enabling environment that will add value and ensure accessibility.”

Allaying the fears of residents, Mabadeje, confirmed that the CCTV cameras in Lagos are fully operational contrary to the speculations, describing the installation of the cameras as part of the integrated communication project of the state.

Source:Vanguard

Nigerians bored with unsolicited text messages

As the Nigerian telecommunication space widens, service providers and business owners are not relenting in their efforts to woo more customers. One of the most popular marketing channels they are exploiting is telemarketing.

Although it is being hailed in certain quarters especially among marketing experts, an aspect of it is constituting a nuisance as far as the average Nigerian telephone user is concerned.

Owing to the ‘population advantage’ and ease with which these messages can be sent, subscribers have become regularly inundated with unsolicited text messages from the network service providers and Value Added Service providers.

While Short Messaging Services are a valuable means of communications they can also pose a nuisance, especially when  sent without the receiver’s consent and then are regarded as a spam SMS.

Aggrieved consumers lament that these messages are not only received at odd times and sometimes in quick succession but  also give them no option to opt out in any way.

Typical examples of these messages often read something like this, “The power of colours! Analyse what your favourite colour means or says about you, by texting your colour e.g white to 33550.”

Another example goes, “Are you … please send OK to 7070! Your number is one of the successful with access to MTN’s N2000000 draw today! Subscribe for N100/day.” And then, “To you my dear customer we offer a free 87 day trail of the local sports news service. To receive it, text 4 to 33555. SMS is free.”

A very typical one also goes, ““Dettol soap is now N100. 6 participants will win a Galaxy Tab 3 or Blackberry Z10! Text DETTOL to 5030 at N10\SMS”, “Include one dark green and one orange vegetable on your plate everyday”.

According to Joy Oghenevo , an undergraduate of  the University of Benin, she has simply grown thick skin as far as the unsolicited noises are concerned. She says, “It is worse with Globacom because theirs is a combination of calls and crazy text messages. Sometimes, it can even be random phone call from an unfamiliar company or person trying to market a service or product.”

Besides Oghenevo, several other persons are being subjected to this frustrating condition on a daily basis.

Interestingly, the trend is not particular to one service provider as all major players are guilty of this. Other angry Nigerians who have taken to Twitter to vent their frustration are unhappy that the regulatory body, Nigerian Communication Commission, has yet to take a firm stance despite issuing certain guidelines that have not been respected.

Only recently, the commission issued a warning, charging VAS providers to restrict sending unsolicited messages on the networks between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm.

It also listed MTN Nigeria, Globacom Nigeria, Upstream Limited, Adnol Multimedia Limited, Fun Mobile, Terragon Limited, Rancard Mobility, Mtech Limited, Elseji, Starfish Limited, Next Generation Tele Solutions, One Communications Limited, Cloud and Mobilexcetera as some of those affected.

Yet, this charge appears not to be effective or the answer to subscribers who are concerned with either regulating or stopping the trend at best.effective.

Already, Twitter is proving to be one of the most effective avenues where these subscribers have chosen to complain and directly reach out to the affected service providers.

One of such aggrieved persons is @eyeexcel, who tweeted at MTN’s twitter handle saying, “ Please guys get me out of this unsolicited text messages its running down my battery.” @eronsie also made his case known with a ting of humour,  asking, “@mtnng, Quick one, can I sue you guys for unsolicited calls & text messages?”

For Henry Okelue, his telephone inbox is now a battle ground of some sort. He also tweeted, “ My SMS inbox is no longer mine. Telecommunication companies is falling over each other in there trying to out-text one another with unsolicited messages.”

An infuriated, Jonathan Ekhator, on the other hand, yelled,” @GloCare I get too many unsolicited promotional text messages and calls at critical moments. That makes me want to break my Globacom SIM. Fix this please.”

Another concerned Nigeria, Arin Bamgbose, went hard this time, saying, “@MTNNG, please stop the unsolicited junk text messages. They are disturbing. Use the resources and time to improve network services.”

While sending and receiving unsolicited text messages are not peculiar to Nigeria alone, the practice is regulated in countries such as the UK and The US.

Airtel unveils BBM bundle for smartphones

Lagos – Leading Telecommunications service provider, Airtel Nigeria, has become the first service provider to create a special Blackberry Messenger (BBM) bundle for the teeming number of Nigerians who now use the Blackberry Messenger (BBM) for Android and iPhones.

This bundle provides great opportunity and access for Airtel customers to chat with friends, family and loved ones, as much as they want with the monthly plans, which allow unrestricted data usage for BBM-related activity within a 30-day subscription window.

To enjoy the special BlackBerry Messenger offering for smartphone users, customers are to dial *440*22#, *440*23# and *440*24# for the Monthly, Weekly and Daily plans respectively.

The Airtel special BBM daily plan attracts N100 charge; the Weekly plan goes for N200 while customers can activate the Monthly plan for N300. All these plans enable customers enjoy a full month BlackBerry Messenger access.

According to the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of Airtel, Deepak Srivastava, the newly introduced BlackBerry Messenger Bundle for Smartphone, which is coming less than a month after global launch of service, affirms the company’s innovativeness and customer-centricity.

He asserted that Airtel is always swift in its response to impact customers with the latest technology trends, especially those that provide them great telecoms experience.

“The demand for BlackBerry Messenger on smartphones is unprecedented and as a company that thrives on innovation and customer satisfaction, we had to be swift in providing our customers with added value and further delight their BB service experience with the BBM bundle plans. In addition, the offering will enable our customers to experience the efficacy and robustness of Airtel’s 3.75g service”, he said.

BBM records 80 million active users

Following the launch of BBM on Android and iPhone devices recently, with more than 10 million downloads in the first 24 hours, BBM has now ended its first week with more than 80 million monthly active users, including over 20 million new users on Android and iPhone devices.

It would recalled that during its first week, BBM was the top free overall app in 35 countries in Google Play and in 107 countries in the App StoreSM, and continues to maintain a strong position in key markets such as Canada, the US, the UK, Indonesia and much of the Middle East, to name a few.

“It is great to see so many people downloading BBM, but the true measurement for us is engagement – the connections being made and the conversations in which our BBM community engages. The power of BBM has always been the active, real conversations and interaction that our customers enjoy,” said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President of BBM at BlackBerry, adding that, “From here on out, we will focus on active users of BBM and will no longer focus on simple download numbers.”

With the BBM community now at more than 80 million active users around the globe, users are connecting on the private social network like never before.

This past weekend, BlackBerry was able to remove the virtual line-up so that Android and iPhone users can now immediately download, sign in and start using BBM without having to wait.

Interestingly, BBM users are enjoying the immediacy and control that BBM offers as they chat with their new contacts – either one-to-one, in multi-person chats or as part of a BBM Group. The delivered and read statuses, as well as the message-in-progress alert, keep people engaged and active in conversations on BBM. BBM users can also share files such as photos, and voice notes, as well as update their statuses with ease. BBM Groups allows photo, calendar, chat and file sharing for up to 30 people in a user-generated community.

Every BBM user has a unique PIN that helps maintain privacy, so users never have to give out their phone number or email address to a new or casual contact. BlackBerry ID connects with a person’s PIN, BBM contact list and services to make device switching quick and easy.

The BBM experience will continue to evolve. In the coming months, BlackBerry will deliver BBM Video calling, BBM Voice calling and BBM Channels – a new community building service to connect BBM users even more broadly – to Android and iPhone users.

How African professionals migrate to mobile devices

The African business community is adopting the use of mobile devices very rapidly. This is the main conclusion drawn from the survey conducted by the Africa Business Panel, involving about 1,776 African business professionals.

The survey demonstrated that about 67 per cent of Africa’s business professionals use desktops, versus 94 per cent using laptops. The tablet, a relatively new mobile innovation, is already adopted by 47 per cent of players in the African business world. 76 per cent use a smartphone, which is more than the use of the classic mobile phone (64%). Nine per cent possess both a private and a company smartphone. However, there are reasons for this massive migration, which the survey also highlighted in its reports.

Security

Laptops are best protected. 87 per cent of laptop owners in the survey had software security installed. For desktops, 76 per cent made use of security, for tablets, 46 per cent, while the least protected are smartphones (44%). People find it difficult to install security software because of high costs, lack of urgency and complexity.

Usage

Smartphones are used most frequently. 65 per cent of participants in the survey use their smartphones several times a day, 54 per cent use their laptops just as frequently, with users of tablets following at 44 percent. 22 per cent never use their personally-owned mobile phones for work related communication as opposed to the smartphone, of which six percent of the owners say they never use it.

Future use

Asked about expected future use, the rise of mobile devices is confirmed by survey participants. 60 per cent expect a surge in the use of smartphones. For the tablet and the laptop, responses in perceived increase were 58 and 44 percent respectively. On the other hand, asked about which devices participants expected a strong decrease in use, 32 percent indicated the desktop, versus only four per cent for both smartphone and tablet.

Blackberry still a big brand in Africa, iPhone comes third after Samsung

Samsung is the leading smartphone brand in Africa. 30 per cent of respondents that have a personal smartphone, have a Samsung. Blackberry is runner-up (22%), iPhone comes in third place (19%), prior to Nokia (11%), HTC (6%), Sony Ericsson (2%), LG (1%) and Motorola (1%). The – smaller – market for company owned smartphones is led by Blackberry (31%), followed by Samsung (25%) and iPhone (23%).

The survey which was conducted between August and September, 2013, had in total, about 1766 Business Professionals from the continent of Africa participating in this research. 73 percent of these participants were said to be either senior managers, executives, directors or business owners. The participants represent a wide range of African countries, with the main contributors coming from Nigeria (19%), South Africa (18%), Kenya (14%), followed by Ghana (5%), Tanzania (3%), Zambia (3%) and Angola (3%).