The Nation Newspaper

Category: e-Business

  • Sidmach Tech rewards workers

    Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited, a foremost ICT company in a bid to motivate staff and friends of the company, recently celebrated them for their efforts at moving the company forward.

    The company presented special awards to Major General Sebastian Achulike Owuama (Rtd); Dr. Mohammed Sakiwa Abdulrahman and Mrs. Deborah Tinuola Ajayi in appreciation of their support and contributions to the growth of company.

    The chairman, Mr. Mike Olajide speaking on the awards said: “Today is awesome; I am excited that Sidmach has grown to this level. We have been in business for 18 years now and we have no abandoned project.”

    Mr. Olajide explained that the Company also maintained its presence in the public and private sectors of the economy and delivered best-in-class solutions and services to customers and stakeholders.

     

  • Subscribers’ gain, operators’ loss

    Subscribers’ gain, operators’ loss

    Telecom operators used to charge subscribers exorbitantly for off-net short message service (SMS). Now the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has pegged the price at N4. Subscribers are happy, operators are licking their wounds. LUCAS AJANAKU reports

     •NCC pegs sms price at N4

    Many did not believe it when they first saw the message, which came from their service providers. Before now, they had paid through their nose for sending messages. Then came the message placing a ceiling on the charge for short message service, popularly known as SMS.

    When Kehinde Albert heard about the slash in the price of off-net SMS through his service provider, his initial reaction was that of disbelief. “I saw the message of capping of off-net SMS price on my phone. I thought it was one of the gimmicks these service providers play to get customers. So, I ignored it and moved on. But I was surprised that subsequent text messages sent attracted N4. This is a good development from the NCC. It should move a little further by ensuring that service quality improves,” he said.

    For Wale Olaogun, secretary, Community Development Committee (CDC), Alimosho Local Government Area, his problem is that he had to pay twice for sending SMS even after the announcement of the slash by the government. “Immediately, I sent the first text, I noticed a debit of N4 before the message was sent; few seconds later, another debit for same amount. To make sure I wasn’t seeing double, I decided to confirm the balance after each message,” he recounted in a letter to The Nation, insisting that he was ripped off.

    Deolu Ognbanjo, president, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), commended the NCC, arguing that with the directive, on-net SMS that used to attract N5 should now be reduced to N1 preparatory to eventual removal of payment for SMS. “We welcome the development. Since on-net SMS attracts 50 per cent of off-net charges, the operators should reduce on-net SMS to N1 per SMS,” he told The Nation.

    The NCC recently set a price cap of N4 per every SMS for all domestic off-net messages with effect from February 5, 2013. Before the NCC directive, it used to cost between N9 and N10 depending on the operator. No cap was placed on international SMS as demanded by the operators because interconnect rates for international SMS are determined by extraneous factors as they are terminated through carrier service providers in various jurisdictions.

    the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ALTON), the umbrella body of telecoms operators in the country, said the new price cap has become the last straw that will break the SMS camel’s back, saying it is not a good deal for the operators.

    It president Gbenga Adebayo, said the new price cap is not profitable for the telcos, lamenting that a situation where the NCC indulges in micro-managing commercial venture was not in the best interest of the industry.

    He said the NCC directive would push a lot of small and medium businesses out of the industry, adding that most of them have entered into contractual agreement with the service providers before the regulator’s directive.

    “SMS traffic over the last two or three years when Blackberry messenger and WhatsApp introduced free internet-based messages, which became popular, has dwindled. So, this last straw that the NCC has thrown is just to kill SMS business for service providers because there is meagre revenue from there. Few people use SMS and NCC is placing a N4 price cap on it. It is very bad for our business.

    “Other than operators, there other value adding providers who buy bulk SMS and resell. This kind of directive would kill this business segment. A lot of them have contracts with the operators, which are long-term contracts,” the ALTON boss said.

    ALTON’s fears may not be funfounded. According to a report by Ovum, by next year, telecoms carriers globally would lose $54 billion accruing from the use of SMS due to the increasing popularity of social messaging services – messaging within social networks – on smartphones.

    Aside Blackberry, WhatsApp, one of the more prominent social messaging brands, has seen its levels of penetration increase in Nigeria, Singapore and the Netherlands. Ovum said this level of growth would continue as smartphone and mobile broadband penetration increases, and expects smaller players, such as textPlus, Pinterest, and Fring to cause further disruption in the messaging space.

    He noted that the figure is more than double the $23 billion they are expected to have lost by the end of last year, adding that collaboration with handset manufacturers is imperative if operators are to remain relevant and competitive in the instant messaging industry.

    The new report, which addresses how operators can counteract the social messaging threat from over-the-top (OTT) players, also highlighted the rapid increase in the number of such players, and demonstrates that social messaging is not a short-term trend, but a shift in communication patterns.

    Said Neha Dharia, “Social messaging is becoming more pervasive, and operators are coming under increased pressure to drive revenues from the messaging component of their communications businesses.

    “Operators need to understand the impact of social messaging apps on consumer behaviour, both in terms of changing communication patterns and the impact on SMS revenues, and offer services to suit. OTT players are changing consumers’ messaging preferences, and the pressure they are exerting on operators’ messaging services is forcing them to offer increased SMS bundles and to experiment with messaging pricing models, further dampening revenue growth,” says Dharia.

    According to Ovum, the importance of collaboration cannot be underestimated as operators look to a Rich Communication Suite (RCS) platform to provide consumers with features such as file sharing, video calls, and internet protocol (IP)-based messaging. But RCS is not expected to reach the mass market before 2014, so for the time being operators will have to rely on innovative pricing strategies, partnerships, and launching operator-branded IP messaging services to keep up with the changing demand.

    “To take advantage of RCS when the time comes, operators will have to have a strong market presence. This means that they need to move to social messaging now in order to make sure OTT players are not in a better position to take advantage of future opportunities,” says Dharia.

    But the Director, Legal and Regulatory Services of NCC, Ms. Josephine Amuwa, disagrees. She said the decision was taken after evaluating and analysing SMS traffic information provided by the operators. “There was a recognition that the cost of SMS is too high, especially in view of the inter-connection rate of N1.02 for SMS as determined by the Commission in 2009.”

    Ms. Amuwa said based on these considerations, and in the interest of striking a balance between sustaining operator’s profitability and ensuring consumer satisfaction, and also in accordance with the powers conferred on the Commission under Sections 4 and Chapter V11 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, it took the decision to set the price cap which “shall be implemented within 30 days from the date of the directive.”

  • Tokunbo computers harmful to health, says society

    The Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) has raised the alarm over importation of used computers , warning of its potential threat to health, safety and environment. The importation, it added is a disincentive to the growth of the local computer industry.

    Its President, Sir Demola Aladekomo, said whle the body is working with the Federal Government to address the issue, some Nigerians care bringing the products into the country illegally.

    “We are worried about the importation of used computers and want the Federal Government to discourage it. Computers are becoming cheaper; they are being assembled in Nigeria. I see no reason why it is not affordable to the local people. The more we patronise our local producers, the better for us. So, we are working with the Federal Government in this respect but unfortunately, you have grey imports and you have unscrupulous importers that bring in these computers,” he said.

    On the quality of computers assembled locally, he said they are at par with the ones from China, Taiwan and even the United States of America (USA) as the components were sourced from the same source.

    “I do not think that the locally assembled computers are substandard. It may be a case of just wanting to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. The computers that are assembled in Nigeria are not inferior to the ones assembled in China, Taiwan and the US. They are all assembled, the components come from the same manufacturers, the OS (operating system) come from the same sources. So, I do not see anything that makes computers assembled in Nigeria inferior,” Aladekomo said.

    The NCS boss said he would have been worried if the silicon tubes were manufactured in the country, adding that all the international players in the industry also import silicon tubes from the same source Nigerians import theirs.

    “If you are doing the silicon tube in Nigeria, I will be worried. It’s just like Dell, HP, IBW, all import their silicon chips. The number of companies doing chips in the world are few, so they all import from the same source. It is the same OS, whether it is from Microsoft, Linux or Apple. They come from the same source. So, I do not see why Nigerian computers should be labelled inferior. That is not correct,” he said.

    According to experts, computer monitors that contain cathode ray tubes is one of the electronic items that constitute dangers to HSE because they contian over 1,000 different chemical substances found in their waste, many of which are toxic. Metals, such as lead and tin, copper, cadmium, mercury, brominated flame retardants, barium, antimony, and beryllium, are said to be contained the wastes arising from the use of computers and other electronic products.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Banks, govt agencies, others risk IT security breach

    An information technology (IT) expert has warned that banks, other financial institutions, government agencies, universities and other corporate organisations may become targets of young people with IT skills if unemployment persists.

    Tim Akano, vicechairman, WiniGroup Incorporation, an America-based IT security and business solutions company, warned that brilliant young hackers will attack on the data banks of these organisations and sell to others.

    “IT security is already a major concern globally which threat will become more serious in 2013 and beyond. In Nigeria, IT security is usually handled with levity. With more young people acquiring IT skills and with little opportunity to earn a decent income due to poor infrastructure that will make them transit to technopreneure, these youths will turn to vulnerable banks, universities, government agencies and other corporate organisations to earn huge income by hacking into their database and sell(ing) it for handsome fees in the online booming black market,” Akano who is also chief executive officer of New Horizons Nigeria Limited, said.

    According to him, organisations will have to embrace encryption to stave off attacks. “The way out of this pending hacking- earthquake is for organisation to embrace encryption. Organisation that will go unhurt, un-embarrassed and stand protected this year and beyond will need what I call:’’7-Layer IT-Security Sweater’’ to cover its origination’s body. Fortunately, this 7-Layer IT-Security Sweater’’ already exists in Nigeria,” he said, warning that the recent news about the hacking of the Federal Reserve’s and Wall Street Journal’s and Twitter accounts in the America is a tip of an iceberg as to what will come this year.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • ‘Why Lagos software institute is yet to take off’

    ‘Why Lagos software institute is yet to take off’

    THE Lagos State Software Institute has not taken off because the governement is retooling the project, the state Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr Adebiyi Mabadeje, has said.

    Noting that the government is committed to using science and technology to drive the economic development of the state, he said software development is one aspect of the technological space that is capable of local value add to the state and national economy.

    “We are still on the project. The concept is there. It has a physical component, which is the building. What we want to do is do something differently. We want to be creative and build something that is futuristic. We want to use sustainable materials that are friendly to the environment. We are looking at alternative sources of power not only because power is problem but because it is envrionment-friendly. A lot has been done at the back end as to what we want to achieve (form the project),” he said.

    According to him, to make the project a success, the state is in talks with international organisations that had run similar programme successfully so that the state will tap into their experience, adding that the concept has gone beyond what it was at inception to something broader that will encapsulate an ICT park.

    “We are taliking with some international bodies that have done this before. Essentially, the scope has evolved from just being a software institute but to technology. It is better to spend more time planning than to rush and not get the right value for the project. We, hopefully, will do it this year, if only to commission the physical structure itself. We are continuing work at the back end,” the commissioner said.

     

  • Fed Govt shops for venture fund manager

    With initial seed fund of N500 million made available by the Federal Government as part of the $15 million Technology Venture Capital Fund needed to grow the nation’s local software sector through incubation programme, the government said it is searching for reputable venture fund manager to manage the fund.

    Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, said the N500 million seeded through the Nigeria Information Technology Development Fund (NITDEF) is expected to attract the remaining $12 million from private individuals and investors locally and internationally.

    She said, “The Federal Government has allocated N500milion to the fund. We are looking for fund managers to raise the remaining. We are not only looking for institutional investors but also individual investors,” Omobola said, adding that telecoms operators are not barred from funding the venture capital.

    According to her, as part of efforts to grow the software sub-sector of the ICT industry and make it contribute substantially to the gross domestic product (GDP) the government came up with the idea of setting up incubation centres with the pilot project located in Lagos and Calabar, Cross River State capital.

    Johnson said the e-Learning Centre would host the software incubation centre in Lagos while Tinapa Knowledge City would house the Cross River State innovation centre.

    Rather than being government-owned, the minister said the innovation centres would be ‘government-inspired’ or ‘government- catalysed’ but would eventually be run by a non-profit organisation to be set up soon.

    She assured that the Federal Government would initially provide the enabling environment for the proper take off of the incubation centres and later step aside and allow the centres to have lives of their own.

    Specifically, the minister said the software incubation programme would initially be government-funded with the aim of attracting more investors in the long run.

    Shedding more light on the programme, Ms. Helen Anatogo, programme manager in charge of the implementation of the software incubation programme, in a presentation, disclosed that the Federal Goverment planned to have established six incubation software incubation centres by the end of 2015.

    Abeokuta, Enugu, Ife and Abuja have been chosen as potential centres for the establishment of incubation centres in the country. The choice is based on parameters like presence of large students and availability of tertiary institutions in the areas.

    The focus of the software incubation programme and centres, according to her, include enterprise software development, linguistic software, custom programming, mobile software, business intelligence and gaming.

    Essentially targeted at students, start-ups and software development companies, the programme would offer business and technological training, access to software development tools at no cost, use of facilities and computer resources for development purposes, mentoring, assistance with marketing and promotion, as well as access to finance.

     

  • Benefits of social networking, by expert

    AN expert has listed sharing of ideas about entrepreneurship and getting feedback from customers as some of the advantages of social networking sites.

    Speaking with The Nation, the General Manager, Yookos Nigeria, Mr Gboyega Adelowore, said: “Social networking sites are platforms that make social engagement a lot easier. It’s not just about making friends but also engaging brands for products and services. With greater inclusion in social networking, we see more idea sharing and entrepreneur rising.

    “Also, brands now find it a lot easier to engage their customers and get useful feedbacks that can help them grow. These are important for the growth of any economy.

    “Deep Internet penetration directly impact trade through exchange of ideas, goods and services and social networking sites make it easy. This is extremely important.”

    On Yookos, he said the firm has embarked on initiatives to match the social networking requirements of social media users by offering an exciting and engaging product, adding that the release of the desktop version dovetails the recent launch of its much anticipated mobile web version late last year in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    By offering the mobile version meant especially for phones, Yookos has made it possible for more people to join the fastest growing social network in Africa, he explained.

    According to him, what makes Yookos to be a social networking site of choice is its ability to blend a multiplicity of social media functionalities and features into one intuitive and robust platform. Thus, its users do not have to have accounts on diverse social media platforms as all their requirements are met on a single platform. Users are not only able to sign-in with their other existing social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and Linked-In but they can now easily share all their Yookos posts with friends and family on these platforms as well.

    He said Yookos ensured that users get the functions they require from a social network.

    “The intention on this latest version is not different but a significant step-up in the offering once a user signs-up. It is a bouquet of offerings that one would normally have to go through a few sites to enjoy all found in one place,” he added.

    Also, Chief Executive Officer, Yookos Nigeria, Tomisin Fashina, said: “Users can enjoy all these benefits with the comfort of knowing that they are in a safe and clean online environment free from any violent or abusive content.”

     

  • Firm unveils Internet products

    Internet security firm, Norton by Symantec, has released the latest versions of its security products into the market. They are Norton 360, Norton Internet Security, and Norton Anti-Virus.

    The products are Windows 8 compatible and engineered to make Windows 8 safer and faster compared with running Windows Defender on Windows 8.

    In a statement, the Group President, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec, Janice Chaffin, said the products will guarantee the security of users online.

    “According to this year’s Norton Cybercrime Report, one in 10 social network users said they’d fallen victim to a scam or fake link on social network platforms. Today, consumers are living nearly every aspect of their lives online and often putting personal information at risk.“

  • Otudeko chairs digital confab

    Business mogul and chairman, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Ayoola Oba Otudeko, has accepted to be the chairman of the forthcoming Digital Africa Conference & Exhibition, slated for April 23-25, 2013 in Abuja.

    According to a statement from the convener of the confab, Dr. Evans Woherem, MD/CEO of Compumetrics Solutions Limited, he is excited by the gesture of the foremost industrialist. “We are delighted that this distinguished Nigerian, foremost investor, and respected African business leader will chair the 3-day Digital Africa 2013.”

    Mr. Oba Otudeko was the pioneer chairman of the Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce which he led from May 2000 till June 2011. During this period, trade between both countries grew from $16.5 million in 1999 to $2.9 billion in 2010.

    Giving an update about the event, Woherem said, “Our focus is to bring ICT people from Africa and the rest of the world to interact closely with the users and consumers of ICT across major sectors of the society such as agriculture, SMEs, hospitals and clinics.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Eight staff get Airtel’s long service award

    Airtel Nigeria has honoured eight of its employees for putting in 10 years in service.

    The event held at the company’s Employee Consultative Forum (ECF) in Lagos.

    Speaking at the event, the firms’s Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Segun Ogunsanya, commended the awardees for their dedicated service to the company through the good and bad times over the past ten years.

    He said: “It is a thing of pride to see people who have put in 10 precious years of their lives in the service of Airtel Nigeria. It is a moving human-interest story and it is the kind of story we wish to encourage in Airtel Nigeria,” Ogusanya said.

    The awardees were Yetunde Okaro, Vivian Ogunbanjo, Gabriel Afunwa, Ogochukwu Chigbo, Nicholas Aigberua, Babatunde Oginni, Joshua Eru and Titilope Olusanya.