The Nation Newspaper

Category: e-Business

  • Swift test-runs LTE

    Swift test-runs LTE

    SWIFT Networks, Nigeria’s leading provider of high speed broadband internet and data services to enterprise and consumer customers, has announced that 500 volunteers will test-drive its brand new Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in preparation for its launch in Lagos, in the first instance.

    The firm has built the LTE network on the spectrum resources of the Direct On PC which it acquired recently, enabling it to overlay the ultra-fast LTE network over its current 4G WIMAX network to offer higher access speed to its current and future customers.

    Wireless spectrum is a finite resource and LTE uses it more efficiently than other technologies, creating more space to carry data traffic and services and to deliver a better network experience.

  • Waiting for telcos at stock market

    Waiting for telcos at stock market

    Over three years ago, the House of Representatives Committee on Capital Market resolved that telecommunications and oil firms should be listed on the Stock Exchange. The Federal Government is now pushing to actualise this dream. Will it succeed? LUCAS AJANAKU writes.

    When the Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her Communications Technology counterpart, Mrs Omobola Johnson spoke during a visit to the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Lagos, they did not conceal their mission.

    “We are here today because we believe that this stock market needs to be deepened and broadened and one of the key ways to do that is to get more companies to list.

    “Our vision for this stock market is that it must become the premier stock exchange of Africa. We must overtake Johannesburg, even as our economy overtakes that of others and we are hoping that down the line this stock market will do the same,” Dr Okonjo-Iweala said.

    Mrs Johnson said the telecoms sector is the fastest growing sector of the economy, adding that it has taken the leadership position in the last five years, growing yearly at an average of between 22 and 23 per cent and contributing 8.5 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as at the second quarter of the year.

    “The main reason we are here is to bring more companies unto the stock exchange. The ICT industry contributes 8.5 per cent to GDP; it is the fastest growing sector of the economy and we need to ensure that companies in the sector are listed. It is therefore appropriate that many more Nigerians should benefit from this success through the increased public ownership of these companies. That will happen when they are listed on the stock exchange,” she said, stressing that efforts had gone beyond just calls for more companies to be listed to collaboration.

    The ministers pledged the government’s support to the NSE and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as it moves to deepen the market.

    Twelve years after the liberalisation of the telecoms sector, the subscriber base has crossed the 100 million mark while most of the telcos have been smiling to the banks, repatriating billions of dollars yearly as profit.

    Though some of the telcos have moved close to indigenising the brand by appointing Nigerians as chief executive officers, sector analysts argue that listing on the NSE will further strengthen the people’s confidence in the telcos.

    Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Teledon International Group, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, said the time had come for the telcos to list on the NSE. According to him, when he was national president of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), getting the telcos listed was one point he raised.

    “The big telcos, MTN, Etisalat, Glo and Airtel should be listed on the NSE. They are big enough. They are generating a lot of revenue. They should become proper Nigerian entities so that Nigerians, who desire can own shares in them. When their public offer is out, people can buy their shares. When they have annual general meetings, management will account for their stewardship. The move will popularise them rather than victimise them. It will make them open to Nigerians so that if there is any subscriber that has the financial muscle to participate, such a subscriber will buy shares and bring a lot of capital onboard. They keep talking about going abroad or going to banks to source $2 billion, $3 billion to expand their networks. When they do public offer, they will have a lot of capital because of the shares that people will buy. That will give them the financial muscle to expand their network and improve on the quality of service as well as popularise them as Nigerians will now have a sense of ownnership of these companies,” he said.

    He added that listing will also enhance the institutionalisation of corporate governance which will bring about transparency and accountability.

    The telcos, he said, would be reluctant to list, arguing that when the necessary regulatory framework is in place, the telcos will fall in line.

    President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, agrees with the former ATCON boss. According to him, if the telcos get listed, the issue of vandalism will become a thing of the past as the subscribers will see the infrastructure as their own. “The telcos will be able to raise money from the public to finance network expansion and improve services. People will be prepared to allow the erection of BTS in their homes and offices. There will be a sense of belonging by Nigerians who will jealously guard the infrastructure,” he said.

    All the operators except Glo are listed on the stock exchange of their home countries.

    MTN Nigeria

    Board Chairman: Dr Pascal Dozie

    CEO: Michael Ipkoki

    Subscribers: 55, 238,430 million

    MTN Group is a South Africa-based multinational mobile telecommunications company, operating in many African, European and Middle Eastern countries. Its head office is in Johannesburg and it is listed on Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

    Globacom Limited

    Board Chairman: Dr Mike Adenuga

    CEO: Jameel Mohammed

    Subscriber base: 25,019,862 million

    Globacom Limited is a Nigerian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Lagos. The firm is a privately owned telecommunications carrier that started operations on August 29, 2003.

    Since then, there is no record of the telco going to source funds from any bank both onshore and offshore.

    About four years ago, the firm single-handedly funded a submarine cable, Glo 1, at $800million. It recently signed a network modernisation with two Chinese quipment vendors, ZTE and Huawei worth $1.25billion. It also operates in Ghana, Republic of Benin and Cote d’Ivoire.

    Airtel Nigeria

    Board Chairman: Oba Otudeko

    CEO: Segun Ogunsanya

    Subscriber: 21, 591,904 million

    Bharti Airtel Limited, popularly known as Airtel, is an Indian multinational telecoms services company with headquarters in New Delhi, India. It operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa, and the Channel Islands. Airtel has GSM network in all countries in which it operates, providing 2G, 3G, (3.75G in Nigeria) and 4G services depending upon the country of operation. It is reputed to be the world’s fourth largest mobile telecommunications company by subscribers with over 275 million subscribers across 20 countries as of July, this year. It is the largest cellular service provider in India, with 191.39 million subscribers as of last month. Airtel is the third largest in-country mobile operator by subscriber base, behind China Mobile and China Unicom.

    Airtel is credited with pioneering the business strategy of outsourcing all of its business operations except marketing, sales and finance and building the ‘minutes factory’ model of low cost and high volumes. The strategy has since been copied by several operators.

    Aside Nigeria, it operates in 16 other African countries, namely Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

    It is listed on the floor of both the National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Bombay Stock Exchange Limited.

    Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat Nigeria)

    Board Chairman: Hakeem Belo-Osagie

    CEO: Steven Evans

    Subscribers: 15,303,647million

    Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, branded trade name Etisalat is a United Arab Emirates (UAE) – based telecommunications services provider, operating in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. As of February, last year, Etisalat was the 15th largest mobile network operator in the world, with a total customer base of more than 135 million and was named the most powerful company in the UAE by Forbes Middle East last year.

    Etisalat International Investments is the business unit of Etisalat that operates outside the UAE and manages the firm’s stakes in telecommunications carriers in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Gabon, India, Indonesia, Iran, the Ivory Coast, Egypt, Niger, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

    The International Investments unit also manages Etisalat’s minor stakes in other telecommunications services providers, such as Sudatel (a mobile, fixed and Internet services provider in Sudan), and Qtel (Qatar-based telecoms services provider).

    It is listed in the UAE Stock Exchange.

    “Any of these telcos that braves the odds and be the first to get listed on NSE will attract the attention of subscribers who will naturally see it as truly a Nigerian brand,” Ogunbanjo said.

  • SIM registration: Agents accuse dealers of sharp practices

    SIM registration: Agents accuse dealers of sharp practices

    Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) registration agents have accused the global system of mobile communication (GSM) workers and dealers of shortchanging them.

    The working, they alleged, colluded with the dealers to cheat them.

    To forestall sabotage, the operators have deployed itinerant agents in the field. The agents comb the streets and other remote areas of the country with their biometric data capturing machines.

    They operate in groups of two and three, armed with loads of unactivated SIM cards and wearing the branded T-shirts of their employers.

    Some of the agents said while the operators approved N100 per registered or activated SIM card, they only get between N10 and N40 per SIM.

    “The owners of the telecoms’ companies approved N100 for each activation but you know that the Nigerians working with the companies will take their cut, which may be N30. The dealer will take his own and give us any amount he feels,” Elvis an agent lamented.

    A female agent, who gave her name as Titi, said before she started work, she signed an agreement with her employer.

    A friend, she said, introduced her to the dealer who gave her the machine.

    “I am a 300-level student of Obafemi Awolowo University, IIe-Ife. I felt I should get something to do with my time since our lecturers are on strike. The dealer gave me a machine and other things that I needed to do the SIM registration. I was asked to work with others. While a colleague sells, I activate the SIM cards with the machine. Initially, I was paid N10 per each SIM card,” Titi added.

    She further said the target is 1000 SIM cards per month, but because she worked hard, delivering about 50 SIMs daily, her stipend was increased to N20 and later N40.

    However, they lamented the irregularity in payment. According to them, they are not paid at the end of the month.

    “Sometimes, they will not pay until the middle of the following month. “One of the big two does not even pay at all. It is shocking to me because the company makes a lot of money,” Elvis added.

    They accused the dealers of not paying them for the double SIM cards activated. “It is no fault of ours that somebody who has registered his SIM comes to us to register again. We do not have the art of knowing that somebody has registered his SIM card earlier. Customers tell us that they are registering their SIM cards because of the text message they got from their service providers.

    “So, when you register about 20 and you are happy that you have done well for the day, they would tell us at the office that half of that had been registered. That means there is no pay for those ones,” they further lamented.

  • Dell to unveil e-waste management strategy

    Dell to unveil e-waste management strategy

    Computer giant Dell Incorporated will soon unveil its e-waste management strategy for Nigeria, its Client Product Marketing Manager, Anglophone East and West Africa, Annie Odo-Effiong, has said.

    She spoke on the sideline during a training for Information Technology (IT) reporters in Lagos.

    “I will not say there is anything that is taking place (about e-waste management) in Nigeria. Dell will soon come out with a sustainable e-waste management strategy in the country. E-waste is a global issue and Dell is the first to ban the export of disused electronics and e-waste to developing countries of Africa, India and China. But you know the Dell office in Nigeria is young, just two years old and as we grow and our business grows, we will make sure that we provide all the necessary vehicles for e-waste management in the country,” she said.

    According to him, in this financial year alone, it accomplished its goal of collecting one billion pounds of e-waste and continues to be an industry leader.

    Mrs Odo-Effiong said though Dell’s products were not threatened by counterfeiting, she urged its customers to patronise approved channels, because it will not only boost the growth of the economy but also make them to get the necessary support should there be any challenge after purchase.

    “Our products are not produced locally. We don’t do consumables here, so we haven’t really had the challenge of counterfeiting but when it comes to our hardware, we emphasise and encourage people to ensure that they are buying devices from the appropriate channels.

    ‘’We encourage customers to patronise the channels not necessarily because the products are different from what you get locally, but because buying the devices is one thing, getting support is another thing. If you bring the product from another region, then most of the time, that device cannot be attended to, but if you buy it in Nigeria and there are issues, we do what we call a service charge transfer.

    ‘’So, normally what we emphasise is, buy the device through the channel, so that we can hold our partners accountable for what is in the market. We are prepared to serve them and make sure they get the best service from our devices,” she added.

  • How intellectual property theft threatens software development

    How intellectual property theft threatens software development

    An Information Communication Technology (ICT) expert, Osamede Umweni, has suggested the updating of copyright laws to take care of emerging issues in the industry.

    Unweni, who is the Chief Executive Officer 70th Precinct warned that if intellectual property theft is not checked, the industry’s growth be stunted.

    To check copyright abuses, the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, inaugurated an Information Technology Developers Enterpreneurship Accelerator (iDEA) Software Incubation Centre in Lagos and raised a governing board to run it.

    Also, about N500 million has set aside and the venture capital fund manager is expected to generate about $75 million which will be used to assist young software developers and start-ups.

    Unmeni said: “Let me commend the minster for her visionary leadership of the new ministry. Intellectual property theft is a big issue that must be addressed. It refers to a range of intangible rights of ownership. There are essentially four types of intellectual property rights relevant to software: patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and trademarks. Each affords a different type of legal protection. So, every young sta-rtup should always consult their lawyers, who would guide on them on how to protect their intellectual property.”

    According to him, it also important that the laws on intellectual property are updated.

    Vice Chairman, iDEA, Pius Okigbo Jnr, said young software developers would sign an undertaking that they will not steal other people’s ideas, adding: “People will be mentored on patenting.”

    Mrs Jonhson assured that patent registration is available in the country, adding that poorly tested and documented software were the major challenges confronting local software industry.

    She promised to support the industry, adding that if local software are well documented and tested, banks and other institutions will not waste money on imported software.

  • MTN unveils virtual top up service

    MTN unveils virtual top up service

    MTN has unveiled an enhanced version of its Virtual Top Up (VTU) service known as MTN VTU Plus.

    MTN VTU Plus, which is an improvement on its predecessor, VTU, has been enhanced to enable customers buy airtime, purchase MTN data services, logical PINs and renew Blackberry subscription directly from any VTU terminal or vendor nationwide.

    Speaking during a press prelaunch of the enhanced service, MTN’s Sales and Distribution Executive Omatsola Barrow said MTN VTU Plus is a unique innovation that allows MTN’s trade partners and vendors to sell up to 48 different MTN products and services to their customers.

    “Not only is MTN VTU Plus convenient for our customers, our trade partners can also enjoy the benefits of making a single payment for stock while selling 48 different products and services to their retailers and customers. Aside from the ease of payment, VTU Plus also completely eliminates the cost of inventory and storage, theft of stock and increases the speed of product distribution with effective tracking and monitoring,” said Barrow.

    Shedding more light on the benefits of the service, the General Manager, Business Development, Richard Iweanoge, said that MTN VTU Plus also enables MTN customers to remotely top up airtime on their mobile phones from any location.Customers could also enjoy multiple services without the inconvenience of using scratch cards and punching in the USSD code *555*PIN# or *888*PIN#.

  • Govt resolves NCC/NESREA rift over base station

    Govt resolves NCC/NESREA rift over base station

    The Federal Government has resolved the rift between the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) over base transmission stations (BTS).

    While NESREA was established as a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Housing and Urban Development and charged with enforcing environmental laws, guidelines, policies, standards and regulations, the NCC was created in 2003 as an independent body to regulate the telecoms sector.

    In the past, NESREA shut some BTS, which NCC re-opened, raising questions about the co-existence of both agencies.

    Minister of Communications Technology Mrs Omobola Johnson said at the weekend during the National Council on Communication Technology meeting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, that her ministry and the Ministry of Environment had aligned NESREA and NCC regulations on BTS.

    “Working with the Ministry of Environment, we have finally been able to align the NESREA and NCC regulations on base stations. We are working to remove any bottlenecks to the speedy rollout of infrastructure. We have collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Works to streamline and standardise the processes and pricing of Right-of-Way (RoW) on Federal Highways across the country.

    This has been adopted by the National Council of Works and is now applicable to state highways as well. The National Economic Council last month formally endorsed these guidelines and have also committed to streamlining and standardising the levies that are charged on telecoms infra-structure,” she said.

    According to her, “These are extremely significant achievements and milsetones as they have established the predictability of the cost of infrastructure development in the ICT sector, reduced the cost of network deployment by ensuring that for every naira that is spent on infrastructure more is spent on actual infrastructure and less on administration and taxes, as well as shortened the period for application processing.”

    The minister said it is the mandate of the ministry to ‘Connect Nigeria’ with a ubiquitous physical fibre, satellite and microwave telecommunications network that reaches the nooks and crannies of the country. She added that Nigerians also have to be connected through the wide ownership of cost-effective devices or access to devices where people can still not afford them while government will aggressively drive the participation of the citizens in ICT businesses and improve local and domestic value add in the sector.

    She said: “Under the Connect Nigeria Programme, a national broadband strategy and roadmap has been developed by a Presidential Committee to facilitate the achievement of fivefold increase in broadband penetration by 2017.

    ‘’The Committee comprised network operators, ICT infrastructure providers and ofcourse representations from the states—an inclusiveness that has more or less guaranteed that the plan will be implemented successfully. This plan was approved and endorsed by Mr President in May and a Broadband Council chaired by myself has already been inaugurated to oversee the expeditious implementaiton of this plan.”

    According to her, under the programme, the Federal Government is promoting the student computer ownership scheme for students in tertiary institutions, continuing with various initiatives to connect schools to the Internet. It will also ensure that universities and research institutions are connected to the Internet through fibre optic cable while the deployment of additional public access venues, the financial and digital inclusion programme that leverages the extensive assets of NIPOST will also be pursued with vigour.

    She assured that the ministry will collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture to provide connectivity in the rural areas to facilitate the rollout e-wallet programme and extend it beyond fertiliser subsidy to market and other information farmers need to improve productivity. Rural dwellers, she added, will be included in the Save One Million Lives (of mothers and children) programme of the Federal Ministry of Health. – including Public Assets Venues, financial inclusion and ‘ICT for farmers’ projects.

  • Samsung, Union Bank partner on solution

    The Managing Director, Samsung Electronics West Africa Mr Bravo Kim has said it partnered with Union Bank to make the bank different from others in offering customers technology-driven services that redefines their banking experience.

    The managing director, who spoke over the weekend in Lagos at the unveiling of ‘’Bank of Future (BoF)’’ solutions designed by the electronics company for the money deposit bank (MDB), said the solution is an interactive self-service solution that focuses on gaining an in-depth knowledge of the individual customers of the bank to meet their unique needs.

    He added that BoF will ensure that customers are well informed and better engaged whenever they come into the banking halls and are attended to, leaving them with a unique customer experience that is deeplysatisfying.

    “Samsung’s Bank of the Future Solution will differentiate Union Bank from the rest and create a niche for the bank. Customers coming into the banking hall will be well informed about operations, and various products offerings in a way they will not easily forget,” he said at the Silverbird Galleria branch of the bank, venue of the event in Lagos.

    According to him, the BoF revolves around three core principles which are that the banking space is designed to allow personnel opportunity to converse with customers readily in a variety of ways; facilitate relationship and enhance connection to the wider and significant network of the bank, and to enhance the ease and efficiency of the banking process.

  • 35 firms for GITEX in Dubai

    More than 35 local ICT firms have indicated interest to participate in the first Nigerian Pavilion at GITEX Technology Week inside the Dubai World Trade Centre, United Arab Emirate (UAE).

    The Nigerian Pavilion is being promoted by Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN) and Pinnacle International Consulting with the support of the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology.

    In a statement by the organisers noted that the technology fair will hold between October 20 and 24 and will be led by a mix of the big, oldest and innovative players like Omatek Computer Ventures Plc, Programmos Solutions Ltd and Data Sciences Nigeria Ltd.

    ITAN Secretariat disclosed that several countries are already billed to have their pavilions on ground at the event to promote their local capacities. They include the USA, Germany, India, Brazil, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Others are Kenya and Morocco from Africa.

    GITEX Technology is the premier Technology event in the Middle East and South East Asia (MEASA), which now occupies over 78,000 sqm of space, and saw Infocomm and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) collocate with it in 2012. More than 150, 000 trade visitors and exhibitors from 144 countries attended Gitex 2012 which recorded over 25,000 visitors from Africa. Over 20,000 C-Level visitors at the event last year; $1.2 million was the average value per order placed during the event and 92 per cent of the exhibitors met their return on investment (RoI) expectations.

  • NITDA wants HP, others to fund local content, R&D

    The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has called on foreign original equipement manufacturers (OEMs) to invest in information communication technology (ICT) research and development (R&D) initiatives.

    Specifically, NITDA wants Microsoft, Delll HP, Dell, Intel, Samsung and others to assist in developing the local component of indigenous hardwares to make them compete favourably with the foreign ones.

    Acting Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Ashiru Daura, who made the call over the weekend, said a well developed local computer industry will create employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled manpower in the country and boost gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

    Indigenous OEMs are Zinox, Omatek, Beta and Veda Technologies Limited. Despite Federal Government’s directive to all its ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and tertiary institutions it owns, to patronise indigenous OEMs, the preferred brands by these institions are foreign brands.

    With statistics indicating that almost 60 per cent of the 743,000 computer units sold in the country last year came from the stables of HP and Dell brands alone, experts are calling for a change of focus.

    Daura said a well-developed ICT industry could provide the springboard for wealth creation and rally the support of government to confer the status of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) on citizens who carry out outsourcing business operations and ICT procurements for state governments.

    He argued that though the number of homes with computers and Internet access has grown dramatically, not much has been achieved in the area of exported software and hardware as the country continues to be a net importer of PCs, switches, network access devices and softwares.