The Nation Newspaper

Category: e-Business

  • PAT, WATT seal N7.2b infrastructure investment deal

    A new player in the telecoms infrastructure sharing industry, licensed by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) for collocation and infrastructure sharing services, Pan African Towers (PAT) and a Canadian firm, WATT Renewable Corporation, at the weekend in Lagos, sealed an infrastructure investment financing deal to address the energy needs of the telecoms industry.

    WATT Renewable Corporation Chief Operating Officer and founder,  Oluwole Eweje, who spoke on the sideine of the sigining ceremony in Lagos, said it is an infrastructure based partnership in which his firm will supply power to the tower firm.

    According to him, power accounts for about 70 per cent of the firm’s operating cost (opex), adding that WATT’s mandate is to provide between 40 and 50 per cent savings on opex.

    “So, part of what we are doing is  using a combination of technology and conventional energy sources to provide power  to offtaker, which is PAT.  The offshoot of all of these is the socio-economic component of what we are doing. We are not just providig power to the business, part of what we are doing is that we are looking at using that as anchor station so that we can provide power to businesses within the country, which currently do not have power., “ Eweje said.

    He said the partnership has been in the works for about a year before the final signing of the deal.

    He  added that investors are committed to spending about N7.2billion on the project. “We are looking at over $20 million that would be spent on the project,” he said.

    Also, Pan African Towers Limited CEO, Wole Abu, said the sigining ceremony was a significant milestone in the firm’s pursuit of innovation, service delivery and pushing the country towards  achievment of the Federal Government’s National Broadband Plan, which informed the licensing of infrastructure firms by the NCC.

    According to him, there will be reduction in opex and improve end user’s experience of service quality. About 70 per cent of problems associated with service quality, he said, could be traced to power related disruptions.

    He said: “Quality of service, I am sure you suffer from one challenge or the other. Do you know that 70 per cent of those drop calls can be traced to disruptions either they ran out of diesel or the generator has a problem or they stole the generator.”

    The firm, he said, has plans to hit its target of erecting 2000 towers in areas where it has presence in Nigeria and other African countries.

    PAT, which prides itself as innovative player in the market, has concluded arrangements to grow its initial tower portfolio from an existing 850 towers to 2000 towers across the West African sub-region, with most of the discussions at advanced stages.

    Director, Investor Relations at WATT Renewable Corporation, Sherisse Alexander, said PAT is not only going to be assisted in its business model, but in terms of providing it with mini-grids that will be deployed.

    According to her, this will translate to the growth of the communities because businesses in the communities will be able to power their operations. This, she said, will trickle down in terms of the socio-economic impact it will have on the entire value chain.

    In sub-Saharan Africa alone, several telecom towers are still being managed in-house by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).  PAT said it has mapped out a strategic growth plan to acquire and manage to lease over 2,000 towers in the next 12 months in Nigeria and three other African countries. The growth plan will see PAT becoming a major player among independent towers companies and equally make it the fastest growing  a feat that took many TowerCos years to attain, with many MNOs already looking in the way of tower divestment and infrastructure sharing.

  • Sixty per cent businesses hit by cyber crooks

    ABOUT  60 per cent of businesses in Nigeria suffer one cyber attack or the other yearly, while an estimated 54 per cent of firms globally experience at least, one cyber-attack every year, two technology firms, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria said at the weekend in Lagos.

    The firms, which made these startling revelations during a one-day Lunch and Learn event, said only 38 per cent of global organisations  claim they have the infrastructure to handle a sophisticated cyber-attack.

    Meanwhile, 43 per cent of cyber-attacks target small businesses, but only 14 per cent of these small and medium exnterprises (SMEs) have  effective infrastructure to mitigate cyber risks, vulnerabilities and attacks.

    Sophos Country Manager (Nigeria), Mr. Jimi Falaiye, said businesses are often concerned about security of data, adding that unfortunately, 95 per cent of security breaches are due to human error.

    “Cyber-criminals and hackers will infiltrate your company through your weakest link, which is almost never in the information technology (IT) department,” he said, adding that it takes organisations an average of 191 days to identify data breaches.

    According to him,  92.4 per cent of malware is delivered via email, even as total cost of cybercrime committed globally added up to over $1 trillion last year.

    Speaking on cyber crimes, particularly the effects of ransomware on Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs), the Market Intelligence and Research Analyst at Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited, Nathanael Odofin, said 22 per cent of organisations had to cease business operations immediately because of ransomware

    “Reports revealed that 81 per cent businesses have experienced ransomware; 66 per cent have suffered a data breach; 35 per cent were victims of ransomware,” he said.

    He warned against too mcuh reliance on  anti-virus because most of them are reactive in nature.

    “Antivirus protects you from classic dangers such as known viruses, Trojans, and worms – ‘known’ being the operative word here. An antivirus cannot protect without a signature database for detection. But, most antivirus programmes are reactive.

    “A study has found that a typical anti-virus will only stop between 30 and 50 per cent of new malware when it first appears. Unless the anti-virus software has seen a particular threat in the past, it won’t necessarily protect your computer.”

    Recalling Verizon Data Breach Investigation report, he reminded businesses across the country that over half of all cyber breaches in 2017 included the use of malware.

    Malware activities, he siad, include the stealing of credit card details; revealing passwords and spreading spam. “It is why the fortification of anti-virus merely is not enough. You need to bolster this layer of defence with another layer (like an onion)– that of an anti-malware,” he said.

    The firms advised organisations to deploy software security solutions, which Sophos has developed to “keep a very close eye on what is happening inside your system, blocking both known and unknown malware threats”. “It also safeguards you against any potentially harmful programmes,” the firms said.

    Sidmach Technologies Managing Director Peter Arogundade, who spoke earlier, said the forum was aimed at assisting IT experts in different organisations to understand cost effective security dynamics, and tools that mitigate latest threats, giving  them insights on the need to have complete visibility and control of their IT infrastructure.

    Represented by Head of Marketing, Olanrewaju Adelanwa,  the CEO described the sessions as crucial as they offered the experts new perspective on better architectures for end-to-end network threats management with a one-stop-solution that Sophos offers.

    “It is not about security for just the hardware, the emails and everything within your network protocol that requires protection, this forum was basically organised to bring these professionals together and expose them to insights about what is happening in Nigeria and across the world,” he said.

  • Bumpy road to financial inclusion

    The Federal Government’s plan to narrow the 80 per cent gap of those financially excluded by next year may remain wishful thinking if challenges such as data privacy, security, lack of transparency as well as limited financial education and literacy, are not tackled, reports LUCAS AJANAKU.

    During  the first quarter (Q1) of last year, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) identified that, to reach the goal of 80 per cent inclusion by 2020, an additional 7.6 million adult Nigerians would need to be financially included.

    Factors such as illiteracy, security challenges and slow penetration of financial services in rural areas had slowed the pace of inclusion.

    General Manager of Mobile Financial Services at MTN Nigeria, Usoro Usoro, said by the end of the year, Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access’s (EFInA) biennial results illustrated that the progress made towards this goal had been modest, with only an additional 3.5 million individuals included between 2016 and last year.

    As the nation draws closer to the 2020 target for financial inclusion, he said it was imperative to look at the developments that brought about some progress – albeit limited and provided a strong indication of what to expect from the various industry players, as well as the most suitable next steps to help realise the goal.

    According to Usoro, the establishment of agent networks served as proxy channels for banks, to enhance their reach of marginalised communities. Yet, despite having up to 10,000 agents in 2017, the impact of this reach was yet to be felt, as most of these agents delivered their services in semi-urban or urban areas. The slow growth of this initiative led to the launch of the Shared Agent Network Expansion Fund (SANEF) Initiative – it was designed to introduce an extra 500,000 agents by 2020, to cater to an additional 60 million Nigerians in rural and underdeveloped areas.

    According to him, with the limited time, there was some skepticism about how quickly the agents could be trained, on-boarded, licensed and begin to operate, especially as the process of establishing 10,000 agents had taken up to seven years. This initiative, while capable of enhancing access for the financially excluded, lacks the required trajectory that will enable Nigeria to meet the 2020 target.

    KYC

    On the matter of Know-Your-Customer (KYC) Requirements, the 2015 rollout of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) had provided a way to achieve the primary objective of creating a unified national financial database; enhancing e-payments and reducing fraud risks.

    However, even in 2018, the effective implementation of the Tiered KYC Requirements still required an additional review – the challenges remain for customers based in rural areas, who have limited access to physical bank branches, and the capital intensive nature of BVN registration also reduces the ability for banks to ease this challenge. The enforcement of BVN registration for these groups of customers (usually Tier 1 account holders with the lowest verification requirements and account limits) potentially reduces the rate at which financial inclusion is achieved.

    ALTON intervenes

    He said with banks dominating the activities of the financial inclusion agenda, key stakeholders in other industries identified the need for collaboration to accelerate efforts. In this vein, Nigeria’s largest telecoms operators – MTN, Globacom, 9mobile and Airtel – formed a coalition under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and collectively, resolved to leverage their vast reach and resources to deliver access to financial services to 90 million customers by 2020, and deepen financial literacy across the country. This readiness for participation by non-financial stakeholders was timely, as it coincided with the CBN’s launch of the Payment Service Banking (PSB) licence months after.

    This development was significant, considering that the licence would enable non-banks – including telecommunications companies, retail chains, postal and courier service companies, mobile money operators, and FinTechs – to obtain a licence to operate in the financial sector.

    Banks kick

    Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank)  has said the decision of the apex bank to license telcos for payment services is a threat to banks’operation.

    In a report, Nigeria Macro-Economic and Banking Sector Themes for the year, the banks PSBs will compete with commercial banks for earnings.

    “A more compelling threat, however, relates to the recent decision by the CBN to license PSBs to facilitate transactions in remittance services, micro-savings and withdrawal services in rural areas,” it said in the report.

    Though it’s a positive move for customers, the report said it would improve customer service and digitalisation of banking services while enhancing financial inclusion.

    Last year, MTN Nigeria and Airtel  announced plans to delve into mobile money services with the former expressing hopes that it would get the CBN’s approval and launch in Q2 of this year.

    The PSB license will, however, not allow the telcos to offer lending services and participate in the foreign exchange market.

    In the report, the tier 1 lender said the capacity of FinTech firms to gain a significant market share would be limited in the absence of collaborations.

    But Usoro said these developments set the pace for the years ahead. While optimistic about the progress made so far, there should be an increased alignment between the need and the delivery of the required services. By ensuring that more seamless approaches to BVN registration and account opening processes are established expediently using agents, industry partners, and other available networks; and providing an enabling structure and environment for the participation of payment service banking licensees.

    “As we approach the 2020 deadline for achieving the financial inclusion targets, our current position is prime for making significant headway towards 80 per cent financial inclusion.

    ‘’The CBN recently launched a revised National Financial Inclusion Strategy, which will tackle the challenges that have thus far hindered a quicker pace of inclusion – data privacy and security; a lack of transparency; and limited financial education and literacy. There might be need for additional policies to support these new entrants that are mobilised to address these challenges and bridge the gap in financial inclusion.

    “The feasibility of a 20 per cent financial exclusion rate over the next 11 to 20 months may appear doubtful; but if the participating stakeholders are able and encouraged to effectively leverage their positions in the national financial inclusion agenda for the ultimate good of the Nigeria populace. We just might be closer to seeing the needed changes that would enhance our economy and society,” Usoro said.

  • Samsung: leveraging decade-old leadership in mobile industry

    • Unveils Galaxy S10

    South Korean original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Samsung, is leveraging its decade leadership in the smart device space to usher in a new era of smartphone technology.

    Managing Director, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. David Suh, who stated this in Lagos at the weekend during the unveiling of Galaxy S10, said since its launch 10 years ago, the Galaxy S series has stood for premium innovation – offering consumers an incredible experience, and the ability to find the device that’s right for them.

    He said: “Galaxy S10 builds on that incredible legacy, and delivers breakthrough display, camera, and performance innovations. With three premium devices, each built for a unique consumer in mind, Samsung is leveraging a decade of industry leadership to usher in a new era of smartphone technology.”

    He said with the three unique devices, the Galaxy S10 line is engineered to meet the distinct needs of today’s smartphone market, so consumers can do more of what they love. Each device delivers a next-gen experience in the categories consumers care about most: ground-breaking innovations in display, camera and performance.

    “As testament to a decade of innovations, Galaxy S10 is designed for those who want a premium smartphone with powerful performance and sets the stage for the next generation of mobile experiences. For consumers looking for a supercharged device, Galaxy S10+ takes every spec – from display, to camera, to performance – to the next level. Galaxy S10e is built for those who want all the premium essentials in a compact package on a flat screen,” he explained.

    The firm said the devices have Dynamic AMOLED Display: Full Screen Experience with Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner.

    Galaxy S10 is made with Samsung’s best screen yet, the world’s first Dynamic AMOLED display. As the first HDR10+-certified smartphone, the display delivers vivid digital content, and with dynamic tone mapping, you’ll see a wider range of colour for a brilliant, realistic picture. Galaxy S10’s Dynamic AMOLED display is also VDE-certified for vibrant bright colours and the industry’s best contrast ratio on a mobile device for even deeper blacks and brighter whites.

    Verified by DisplayMate, users will also enjoy the world’s most accurate colours on a mobile device – even in harsh sunlight. What’s more, the Dynamic AMOLED display also reduces blue light through its TÜV Rheinland-certified eye comfort display without compromising picture quality or adding a filter.

    The result of a ground-breaking engineering, Galaxy S10’s unique Infinity-O Display packs an array of sensors and camera technology into a hole-in display – so you can maximise the screen real estate without any distractions.

    Galaxy S10’s Dynamic AMOLED display also includes the first-ever embedded Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner  that reads the 3D contours of your physical thumbprint – not a 2D image of it – for improved anti-spoofing.

    With the world’s first FIDO Alliance Biometric Component certification, this next generation biometrics authentication offers vault-like security to keep your device safe.

    Building on Samsung’s camera leadership of Dual Pixel and Dual Aperture firsts, Galaxy S10 introduces new camera technology and advanced intelligence that makes it easy to take epic shots and videos.

  • TraderMoni loans: Empowering Nigerian entrepreneurs through Eyowo’s innovative platform

    TraderMoni loans: Empowering Nigerian entrepreneurs through Eyowo’s innovative platform

    Eyowo’s innovative platform is helping the Federal Government transform millions of lives through the TraderMoni, reports OYEBOLA OWOLABI. 

    The TraderMoni Loans Programme, a government-backed microcredit initiative in Nigeria, is transforming the lives of small-scale traders, artisans, and micro-entrepreneurs by providing much-needed financial support. The programme plays a critical role in promoting sustainable economic growth and poverty alleviation in underserved communities across the nation.

    At the forefront of this initiative is Eyowo Limited, a mobile money platform that has streamlined the loan disbursement process through its innovative technology. By leveraging Eyowo’s platform, TraderMoni has successfully disbursed over ₦1 billion to 1 million low-income businesses, enabling beneficiaries to invest in and expand their operations.

    Innovation Driving Financial Inclusion

    The Eyowo platform was developed to simplify and accelerate the loan disbursement process for TraderMoni. With a network of 5,000 mobile money agents, Eyowo enabled efficient cash-outs for beneficiaries in rural and urban areas, ensuring funds reached recipients without delays.

    To further support the program’s operational goals, two call centers staffed by 400 personnel were established to handle virtual disbursements. These centers facilitated the daily processing of loans to 10,000 traders, meeting a critical program benchmark and ensuring seamless delivery of services to beneficiaries.

    During one of the disbursement events, Adeola Aliu, Project Manager for the TraderMoni programme at Eyowo Limited, expressed her confidence in Eyowo’s platform to address the financial needs of underserved Nigerians. 

    “Eyowo is exploring partnerships with the Federal Government to implement other socio-economic initiatives aimed at uplifting underserved communities.  These projects will target rural areas where traditional brick-and-mortar financial services are unavailable, bridging the financial inclusion gap and contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We remain committed to creating solutions that empower individuals and foster sustainable economic growth,” Aliu said. 

    Read Also: FG set to relaunch Tradermoni, beneficiaries to get N50,000 each

    Yomi Adedeji, CEO of Eyowo, further emphasized the company’s dedication to innovation and commitment to bridging the financial inclusion gap.

    “The Eyowo platform has all it takes to address the financial needs of underserved Nigerians and it is helping the government to achieve this through the TraderMoni,” Adedeji said.

    Impact on Grassroots Businesses

    TraderMoni has proven to be a game-changer for small business owners, many of whom previously lacked access to formal financial services. By providing loans of ₦10,000, the program helps micro-entrepreneurs invest in their businesses, boost productivity, and achieve economic independence.

    Eyowo’s role in implementing this programme highlights the power of technology in addressing socio-economic challenges. The platform’s ability to meet and exceed operational targets has established it as a cornerstone of TraderMoni’s success, ensuring the programme continues to deliver measurable impact.

    As the TraderMoni initiative progresses, its collaboration with platforms like Eyowo demonstrates the potential of public-private partnerships to foster financial inclusion and economic empowerment across Nigeria. Through these efforts, Eyowo not only drives financial inclusion but also reinforces its role as a critical partner in achieving socio-economic development and the SDGs.

    “Eyowo is exploring partnerships with the Federal Government to implement other socio-economic initiatives aimed at uplifting underserved communities.  These projects will target rural areas where traditional brick-and-mortar financial services are unavailable, bridging the financial inclusion gap and contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We remain committed to creating solutions that empower individuals and foster sustainable economic growth,” Adeola Aliu said. 

    Adeola Aliu with a beneficiary

  • Glo 2 submarine cable activation coming

    Nigeria’s second largest carrier, Globacom, has said its second submarine cable, Glo 2, will be launched this year to improve service to its customers and accelerate economic development in the country.

    Its Group Chief Technical Officer, Sanjib Roy, who spoke during a media event at Eko Hotel, said when the cable is launched, it will stimulate  the overall socio-economic development of the rivers and Niger Delta regions of the country.

    According to him, the cable will provide the much needed bandwidth for local information communication technology (ICT) business to flourish. He added that it will also provide back up for the terrestrial fibre route from Port Harcourt to Lagos for much better resilience in case of fibre cuts.

    He said the cable will contain three fiber pairs which include Fiber  Pair 1 (Express) – connecting Lagos directly to Southern part of Nigeria with terrestrial extension to existing terrestrial  backbone; Fiber Pair 2 (Omnibus 1) – with eight Branching Units (BU) to offshore oil stations and communities; and Fiber Pair 3 (Omnibus 2) – with two switchable Branching Units (BU) southward Africa

    Speaking on new initiatives for this year, Roy said the telco has done proof of concept for 5G in 700megahertz (Mhz) band for Internet of Things (IoT) application and plans to introduce new data analytics tools to capture subscriber experience in real time and taking pre-emptive action to improve the network.

    He said the telco plans new prepaid charging system that will enable new products and give more choices to its subscribers. Others are new contact centre solution, sites roll out deeper into the rural areas to bridge the digital divide between the cities and villages. Globacom will also embark on new densification sites to increase capacity, thus providing a congestion free network with superior quality in voice and data.

    Roy said: “Swapping of old equipment in the remaining states for better quality and experience to our subscribers; rolling out long term evolution (LTE) 1800Mhz through frequency re-farming to give choice for everyone to enjoy the fruits of technology;  upgrading Glo 1 capacity by another 100G for data speed; equipment more path redundancy to take care of fibre cuts and investment in creating intelligent network operating centre (NOC) to give the best value to our customer with rapid response time in monitoring and correcting network problems.”

    He said last year was a year of massive investment in equipment and infrastructure to improve the network availability, capacity, quality and upgrading, adding that the huge investments were  also to scale up the network for the future  and innovation in new products.

    According to him, the telco has deployed more than 2000 new generators and 6000 new batteries for better network availability, stressing that work is ongoing on the telco’s more than 1000km of fibre route for relocation of fibre which are having multiple cuts where the road construction is completed.

    “Globacom has streamlined site distribution to fuelling contractors. We are already seeing the improvement resulting into higher activation and traffic capacity. We have ordered 1710 base transceiver station (BTS) and 2200 High Capacity Node B. Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Rivers have undergone equipment swap while Edo and Delta are currently being swapped.

    “We have also deployed high wattage radio remote units (RRU) for 3G and multi-sector antenna for better 3G indoor coverage and high speed data download. 750- 3G multi-sectors and 700 high capacity CE boards have been ordered to enable our subscribers to continue to enjoy high speed data. The result is that we now have a much better data and voice network in terms of download speed, quality of signal and coverage. In terms of backhaul capacity, we are upgrading the capacity of existing microwave links, converting TDM linke to internet protocol (IP) for 2G and 3G; deploying high capacity microwave back up links to increase data backhaul capacity and protect traffic against fibre cuts,” Roy said.

    According to him, the introduction of new E Band Radio Technology in network resulted in increase in band width from 400megabyte (MB) to 1.5 – 2 gigabyte (GB) in Lagos, Oyo, Ogun and Rivers states while 1000 microwave were ordered to modernise the transmission network to IP.

    Glo 1 submarine cable capacity has been upgraded to 300G all the way from Lagos to the United Kingdom providing huge bandwidth for mobile and enterprise businesses.

    He said: “We have a brand new network with superior quality and higher capacity; activation is looking up; traffic is going up while consumption. This means we are reaching out to more and more Nigerians to enable them to achieve their dreams. We  are going to embark on scientific and methodical way of rolling out new sites based on feedback from the regions on where the sites are needed to address customer complaints. Already, there are many sites that are in the process of rollout based on field feedback.

    “We are also rolling out LTE in 1800MHz band for greater handset compatibility and subscriber adoption and planning to rollout LTE in 1800 Band this year in major cities to increase our Data penetration in 4G LTE and allow higher handset adoption to enable and empower the masses  and harness the future into their  fingers,”

  • MainOne to businesses: adopt technology or die

    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), MainOne, Funke Opeke, has advised businesses to adopt new technologies to avoid falling behind the rest of the world in technological advancement and early extinction.

    Speaking during the firm’s annual tech conference tagged ‘Nerds Unite,’ in Lagos with the theme: Accelerating Digital Transformation, she said a digitally connected country will speed up economic growth and transformation.

    “A connected Nigeria is a more economically prosperous Nigeria; it is a better educated Nigeria; it is a Nigeria where access to social services and health services are able to reach more of our population, which in itself adds to more prosperity for Nigeria,” she said.

    She added that the opportunity to use technology to drive economic development is the vision the firm has for a “connected Nigeria.”

    The forum hosted mid-level and top level information technology (IT) executives, start-up innovators and IT enthusiasts, who discussed emerging trends in the IT industry and how they affect Nigeria and Africa.

    The event featured IT specialist including Toby Shapshak, ICT journalist and thought leader, Libby Barr; Chief Operating Officer, Avanti Communications, Obinna Ekezie; CEO, Wakanow, Ife Oyedele; CEO, Kobo 360, Deji Balogun; and CTO, Terragon Group among others.

    At the event, IT experts discussed the importance of applying technology to every facet of life in line with digital transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

    The keynote speaker at the event, Shapshak, highlighted reasons why a connected Africa is way to move the continent forward. He said the peculiar situation of Africa and why it is important for Africa to utilise her strength, innovate and catch up with the rest of the world.

    During a panel discussion on: How Artificial Intelligence (AI) can Revolutionise your Business Model and Create New Revenue Streams,’ Chief Transformation Officer at MTN Nigeria, Bayo Adekanbi, said there is more to gain from AI than there is to lose, and that man would have to adapt to leverage these gains.

    A third session focused on cloud technology and cyber security. It was chaired by Ms Opeke and the panelists included Niyi Ajao from NIBSS and Adedayo Adesanya, Lead Consultant at Virtual Nigeria.

    The panelists lamented the challenges involved in cloud technology and cybersecurity especially IT illiteracy, with attention drawn to: “When it rains, what happens to my data in the cloud?” But they agreed that cloud adoption is on the increase and emphasised the role of partnerships among global players and local cloud providers with issues such as latency and lack of government support affecting -growth.

  • Korean envoy pledges support for Abuja smart city

    South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. In-tae Lee, has pledged support to Federal Government’s Abuja Smart City Master plan, designed by the Ministry of Communications.

    He stated this in Abuja when he led a team of South Korean communications experts on a courtesy visit to the Minister of Communications, Dr. Adebayo Shittu, in his office.

    He said: “I was so impressed when I got acquainted with the Abuja Technology Village; it makes me appreciate the minister for developing Nigeria’s culture through ICT. ”

    The purpose of the visit, according to the envoy, was to introduce the new Director for Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Woo Chan Chang, following the tenure expiration of his predecessor, Sook Hyun, after three years of successful stay in the country.

    In a farewell message to the Federal Government, Hyun expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Communications for creating an enabling environment which made her work very successful in Nigeria.

    Similarly, Chang expressed delight over the warmth welcome accorded him by the Minister of Communications and pledged to build on the solid foundation already laid by his predecessor, to ensure the agency partnered with the Federal Government to advance the cause of e-government in the country.

    Dr. Shittu lauded the government of South Korean as the most committed, supportive, generous and highest donor to the Federal Government in the area of e-government development in Nigeria.

  • Mastercard unveils sonic brand identity

    Mastercard has unveiled its sonic brand identity, a comprehensive sound architecture that signifies the latest advancement for the brand. Wherever consumers engage with Mastercard across the globe – be it physical, digital or voice environments – the distinct and memorable Mastercard melody will provide simple, seamless familiarity.

    Its Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Raja Rajamannar, said sound adds a powerful new dimension to the firm’s brand identity and a critical component to how people recognise Mastercard today and in the future.

    He said: “We set out an ambitious goal to produce the Mastercard melody in a way that’s distinct and authentic, yet adaptable globally and across genres.  It is important that our sonic brand not only reinforces our presence, but also resonates seamlessly around the world.”

    To ensure the Mastercard melody would resonate with people the world over, it said it tapped musicians, artists and agencies from across the globe, including musical innovator Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park.

    The result, he said, is a distinct and memorable melody with adaptations across genres and cultures, making it locally relevant while maintaining a consistent global brand voice. In addition, the use of varying instruments and tempos help to deliver the Mastercard melody in several unique styles such as operatic, cinematic and playful as well as a number of regional interpretations.

    Also speaking on the development, its Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Middle East and Africa, Beatrice Cornacchia, said  with the introduction of the new visual identity in 2016 and its most recent evolution to a symbol brand.  “We are continually evolving to meet consumers’ ever-changing needs while maintaining the simple, secure and seamless experience people have come to expect from Mastercard. Sound is our next frontier for brand expression and a powerful way for us to create an emotional and culturally-relevant connection with consumers,” she said.

  • ‘How regulators saved 9mobile from extinction’

    Proactive regulatory interventions initiated by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) helped in saving investors’ money in Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services (EMTS), trading as 9mobile.

    It also preserved over 3,000 direct jobs and put the telco on the path of recovery.

    The interventions, which averted possible collapse of 9mobile, as the fourth largest telecom operator in the country, as result of a debt burden to a consortium of 13 banks, also saved over 16 million subscribers on the network from being cut off.

    These were the highlights of interactions when the new management and Board of 9mobile led by the telco’s Chairman, Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero, paid a courtesy visit to  NCC in Abuja at the weekend.

    NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, who received the 9mobile delegation, said: “The interventions became necessary in order to address the decreasing subscriber base on 9mobile, save the country from image problem, instill investor’s confidence in the telecoms market and prevent loss of jobs among Nigerians.

    “By successfully mid-wifing the take-over of 9mobile by new investors, we are happy that the joint regulatory interventions have culminated in the stabilisation of the telecom industry as well as calming frayed nerves in the financial services sector of the economy. One can imagine the consequences to these two important sectors of the economy, if we had not intervened in a timely manner.”

    While stressing the need for new investors to demonstrate technical competence in managing the operations of the telco, Danbatta urged its management to address its institutional structure by ensuring that core professionals are hired to pilot its activities for the delivery of good quality of service (QoS) to its consumers, whose confidence in the fortune of the telecoms company has been re-ignited.

    Danbatta specifically urged EMTS management to ensure it runs a process-driven operations that make all its stakeholders happy on a long-term basis in line with the provision of the 2016 Code of Corporate Governance for telecommunications industry, which provisions have become mandatory on all licensees to comply with.

    Earlier, Alhaji Bayero praised NCC for its laudable role in the industry.

    “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the NCC for giving us this chance to explain and present ourselves to the Commission. We are most grateful to the EVC and we, indeed, commend the NCC’s collaborations with the CBN and Federal Government for intervening at the time they did,” he said.

    9mobile Managing Director Mr. Stephane Beuvelet, who was excited that the telecom company has been put on the path of rebound, said in the last three months of having new management and board in place, “9mobile subscriber base rose from 15.3 million to over 16 million.”

    He said 9mobile subscribers stood at over 20 million before the crisis started but dipped to around 15 million in the wake of the incidence that led to its being taken over by new investors.

    He added that the number of subscribers on its Long-Term Evolution (LTE) platform subscribers stood at 192,000 by last November, but has  exceeded 235,000.

    “What all these data point to is that we have actually, in a sense, restored trust in our subscribers who reactivated their Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards and we are quite pleased about this rebound which we are ready to sustain. However, we will continue to seek the support of the regulator in sustaining our investment in Nigeria,” he said.