The Nation Newspaper

Category: Infotech

  • SIM deactivation blues

    SIM deactivation blues

    The ongoing deactivation and revalidation of subscriber identity modules (SIMs) have brought untold hardship to telecoms subscribers across the country. So much money has been spent by the Federal Government and the telcos to conduct the exercise. Subscribers say this development reflects the contempt and disrespect the operators have for the customers, LUCAS AJANAKU, OLATUNDE ODEBIYI, TOLU LAWANI and MODUPE ELEGUSHI report.

    She arrived at the experience centre of her mobile network operator (MNO) in company of her husband who cuddled their baby. When she saw the huge crowd that was waiting at the gate, shouting at the gate men, she became crest-fallen.

    The 35-year-old pregnant woman who introduced herself simply as Chinyere, said she was shocked when she discovered that her phone and that of her husband could neither receive nor  make calls. She complained to one of her neighbours and was advised to visit the nearest office of her MNO to complain.

    She said: “I was shocked when I could neither make nor receive calls on my phone. When I told my husband, he too complained about having similar experience. We thought it was one of those gimmicks they resort to each time they have issues with their network. Our neighbour later advised us to go to the office of our service providers. That is why we are here now. The baby with my husband is about a year and six months old. See my husband waiting under the tree because of the sun. “With the mammoth crowd here today, I do not know when we are going to leave this place. It is embarrassing that this is happening to us five years after using these lines.”

    Though Vivian Ekene, a secondary school teacher, lives and works in Lagos, she got her subscriber identification module (SIM) registered in far away Nekede, Imo State. According to her, she was on vacation and her hosts told her there was a registration centre nearby. She took advantage of the proximity of the centre to where she was staying to do the registration. According to her, she got an acknowledgement that her SIM had been successfully registered. Now, her SIM is one of the over 10 million lines blocked on the order of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) over deficiency in the registration process. “This is rude. How can they just deactivate my line without the courtesy of a text message? This shows how disrespectful they are to their customers,” she said.

    Kunle Lanrewaju, a civil servant, got his SIM registered in his office. He had taken advantage of a mobile SIM registration agent to do his long time ago. He later received a message from his service provider that his SIM registration failed.He promptly walked into one of the customer care centres and got the SIM registered again. Today, his line has been deactivated. “If I had been told earlier, I would have done the correction but it’s late. Look at the crowd. Very bad,” he lamented.

    These are just a few subscribers that have been subjected to harrowing experience over the last one week in the country.

    How it started

    A SIM is a card issued by mobile phone operators which provides the individual user with the appropriate number recognised by that network. A subscriber inserts the card into his or her mobile phone to access the mobile phone network.

    Since the launch of the global system for mobile communication (GSM) services in the country in 2001, SIM cards were offered to subscribers without the requirement to provide proper identification by the users.

    Sometime in early 2008, security agencies approached the NCC to assist in resolving crimes perpetrated through the use of phones which were not traceable to the phone users because they were not registered as users.

    Consequently, the commission held a consultative forum involving various telecoms operators, consumer groups, security agencies, telecoms associations, dealers, the Nigerian Identity Management Commission (NIMC), National Population Commission (NPC), National Census Commission, the media and a host of others.

    All the participants agreed that it is appropriate and necessary to register phone users in the country. Another committee was then set up to further look at the details of the implementation of the registration programme and submit its recommendations to the NCC.

    Upon reviewing the recommendations of the committee, the Board of the NCC approved the registration of all phone subscribers in the country.

    This began on March 28, 2011, when the official flag-off of the registration of all SIM cards was performed by for Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, in Abuja.

    The registration of existing SIM cards officially ended in January 2012. However, MNOs continued to register new SIM cards.

    On completion of the validation, harmonisation and scrubbing of the records of all registered SIM cards, operators will be authorised to disconnect unregistered SIM cards from the networks. NCC requested for and got budgetary approval of a whopping N6.2billion to register existing operators.

     

    NCC’s ultimatum

     

    The NCC said it is worried by the seemingly intractable security situation in the country, it handed down a seven-day ultimatum to GSM and other network providers to deactivate all pre-registered SIM cards or face sanctions.

    It said the action was the fallout of a meeting between Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Department of State Service (DSS), MNOs and NCC. The meeting which took place at the NCC boardroom in Abuja, took into cognisance crimes committed against members of the public either by kidnappers, terrorists, robbers and threats to lives, through the use of such unregistered SIM cards across all the networks. Operators were however told to notify such subscribers before deactivation of their SIM cards.

    At the meeting were the representatives of the NSA, Group Captain, Ibikunle Daramola, DSS, Mr. Godwin Ometu, the immediate past NCC Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Dr Eugene Juwah Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Engr. Ubale Maska and representatives of MTN, Globacom, Etisalat, Visafone , Airtel and others.

    NCC Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo said the Commission and all operators are to embark on vigorous public enlightenment on the need/ desirability for subscribers to register their SIMs, as well as the dangers of selling /buying pre-registered SIMs.

    The NCC lamented that till date more than 120 million SIM cards have been registered and transmitted to the Central Database by the operators, adding that validation exercise revealed a preponderance of unreliable data in terms of incomplete and/ or inaccurate demographic and / or biometric data.

    The issues relating to unreliability of data essentially border on the operators’ failure to ensure compliance with the formats and specifications that were jointly developed and agreed by the NCC and the operators before the commencement of the exercise in 2011.

    It was also noted that as at September last year, about 45 per cent of the total number of registered SIMs, at that time, were deemed invalid for reasons of invalid portrait image only, invalid fingerprints only, invalid portrait image and fingerprints, and incorrect/ inaccurate demographic data (name, address and others).

    Ojobo said the invalid records were returned to the operators in September last year for correction, adding that less than 30 per cent of the invalid records have been resubmitted.

    These resolutions were part of the ongoing efforts by government to nip in the bud the incessant occurrences of threats via telecommunications networks and the danger they portend for psyche of the citizenry.

     

    Credibility of exercise

     

    Over the years, SIM registration has come under criticism by security experts and other stakeholders in the IT industry.

    An official of the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS) who spoke on the sideline during a cyber security forum organised by ONSA in Lagos dismissed the exercise as a charade. He said with the level of breach of the guidelines set by stakeholders on SIM registration, data collated could not be reliable.

    Similarly, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) faulted the exercise, arguing that it cannot produce a reliable data for the country.

    Its Director General/Chief Executive Officer, Chris Onyemenam, said the exercise is currently marred by a lot of irregularities stemming from the fact that NCC abandoned the roadmap NIMC had prepared for its implementation.

    “Based on what we did and most of the people who did it are (still around) we worked on the SIM registration project; it was designed by the NIMC. We followed the standard that we felt, if they adopt and implement, the data will meet our own standard and our own standard are the benchmarked on the basis of international standard for such identity data base.

    “The moment we stopped being part of the SIM card registration project, rather than (settle for) 10 finger prints, they settled for something less and rather than the number of demographic data we recommended, they settled for something less. Obviously, it is no longer a perfect feat. Secondly, the background when you are doing the face shot capture, some of us have been to the high commission for visa, you know they tell you the type of background and the size of the passport photograph. There is a reason for that,” he said.

    According to him, there were locations where all the kiosk attendant did was just to ask the person willing to register SIM to stand well regardless of what the background was and just do the face capture.

    He said the practice does not meet international requirement. “That is just an ordinary passport photograph. If you want to convert it into something that can be used to conduct face recognition it is useless. They just asked me to stand and I did and they took my shot in their office. The place was not well lit and I shook my head that this is not what we recommended. There were certain parameters for all these,” he said.

     

    MTN apologises

     

    MTN apologised to its customers over the noticeable congestion in its service outlets across the country as a result of ongoing SIM validation exercise.

    In a statement signed by its Corporate Services Executive, Akinwale Goodluck, the company is doing everything possible to ameliorate the conditions at the service centres. “We wish to apologise to all our customers who are experiencing difficulty with the ongoing SIM registration/revalidation exercise. Affected customers can revalidate their registration details at all MTN sales outlets including the nearest agent and dealer shops. We appeal for calm as customers visit our various outlets. We are committed to ensuring that all affected subscribers complete the process as directed by the NCC. It is for this reason that we have increased the number of staff handling SIM registration/validation across all our channels. We have also mandated all our registration outlets to remain open till 8pm every day until further notice.”

    According to Goodluck, the decision to deactivate all lines with invalid or incomplete subscriber registration details was in compliance with the NCC directive. “It is to enable us provide maximum support to government in achieving the national interest objectives of the exercise,” he said.

    While reiterating that SIM registration is free, he urged all MTN customers in their interactions with MTN Channel Partners and agents, to be assured that in full compliance with NCC regulations, every element of the registration will be completed at once; and to report any fraudulent activity to the MTN manager in charge at the centres.

    Airtel extends operation hours

    Airtel said its customers that are yet to update their records as well as register their SIM cards in line with the directives of the NCC, have been offered another window of opportunity to do so. It  announced an extension of its operation hours in all its showrooms and customer touch points across the country.

    According to Airtel, all showrooms across the country have extended their daily operations by two hours every day of the week, Monday to Sunday, in a strategic move to accommodate the recent influx of customers who are desirous of updating their records in line with the Know Your Customer registration exercise.

    Airtel had noted that “following the directive from Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to ensure that all Customers on our network, who are yet to fully complete their SIM registration requirements, are barred from using their lines, we wish to inform you that the barring of non-compliant lines has commenced on the Airtel Network.

    “If you have been barred or received a message that you will be barred as a result of this process, we appeal to you to kindly reactivate your line or update your records accordingly to continue enjoying our quality services. Please, visit any of our Airtel Express Shops or KYC registration centres across the country to update your Registration details.

    “For customers who have duly completed the SIM registration requirements as stipulated by the NCC, please be assured that your lines will continue to remain functional and your services will not be interrupted.

    “We wish to assure everyone that Airtel is committed to providing top of the class telecommunication experience.

    ‘We thought it was one of those gimmicks they resort to each time they have issues with their network. Our neighbour later advised us to go to the office of our service providers. That is why we are here now. The baby with my husband is about a year and six months old. See my husband waiting under the tree because of the sun. With the mammoth crowd here today, I do not know when we are going to leave this place’ 

     

     

     

  • Skilled youths vital to driving growth, says NITDA

    •Affirms confidence in DEMO Africa 2015

    The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said it is committed to driving youth development through the promotion of the acquisition of relevant information communications technology (ICT) skills, adding that this is one way of driving the economy.

    Its Director-General, Peter Jack, said Africa is growing while the youth are showing the way, stressing that technology forum, such as DEMO Africa 2015, a pan-African launch-pad for technology start-ups to become technology leaders and entrepreneurs, is the way to go.

    He said: “Africa is growing in strength and its youths are pointing to the direction of things to come. NITDA is committed to Demo Africa as part of its mandate on youth development from the perspective of IT as well as its belief that a large population of highly exposed and trained youths will be the driver of Nigeria’s new economy.”

    The DEMO Africa takes place between September 21 and 25 in Lagos. It will showcase 30 technology start-ups from across Africa. Nigeria leads the table with eight startups. They are: PoshRite, Oga Venue, TalkingBookz, iKon Tracker, Mavis Computel,  CarpartsNigeria, Zuvaa, and SmartEdu.

    Kenya, increasingly gaining global spot as tech-startup haven, has six namely: Bitsoko, BambaPOS, Shield Finance, InsureAfrika, LipaPlus, ENT-Mobile, Abacus, and SimbaPay. South Africa has three startup-representatives: Edge Books, Bozza and Eco-mc2.  Ghana has two: Ghana’s Zeepay and Flippy Campus. Egypt also has two: LockName and Raye7. Cameroon features two: Koomza and Feem Wi-Fi; and Zimbabwe also has two startups: IPC eProductivity and RoadRules.

    Uganda, Tanzania and Ivory Coast each have one startup in this order respectively: Roundbob, Tango TV, and Airshop.  Francophone Ivory Coast with its Airshop startup company will be featuring in the event for the first time and underscores the expanding ecosystem for Africa’s technology startups.

    NITDA with the Ministry of Communication Technology is a co-host of DEMO Africa in collaboration with LIONS@FRICA and VC4Africa. NITDA is already promoting eight Nigerian startups at this year’s GITEX Expo and Conference taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    DEMO Africa also has the support of private sector technology giants, including Microsoft, under the 4Afrika Initiative.The software company is encouraged by the support of public institutions such as the NITDA for the DEMO Africa forum.

    “It is actions by different players that will see technology entrepreneurship effectively bringing sustainability to entrepreneurship across Africa,” said Executive Producer of DEMO Africa, Harry Hare, while commending on Microsoft’s support for the event.

    One of the highpoints of DEMO Africa 2015 is the newly introduced knowledge streams to delve into critical topics including Business Modelling, Scaling Businesses, Creating an Unfair Advantage, and Raising Capital. Top industry players, including MEST Founder, Jorn Lyseggen,  President, Harry Tomi Davies-ABAN, Partner, Adlevo Capital, Folabi Esan, IROKO TV CEO, Jason Njoku, among others, will lead the discussion.

    Other notable activities at the event would include an investor roundtable forum and theLIONS@FRICA Summit, with the uptake of Africa-generated technology being expected to dominate the conversations.

  • Osinbajo to get E-PPAN’s report

    Osinbajo to get E-PPAN’s report

    • Lemo, Fatokun, others for meeting

    The Chairman, Economy Team of Nigeria, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, will receive the result of the deliberations of the meeting of an electronic payment group, the  E- Payment Providers Association of Nigeria-(E-PPAN).

    The meeting will host personalities, such as its Chairman, Advocacy Committee and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Central Securities Clearing System Limited (CSSL) Mr. Kyari Bukar; former Director (Operations) the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Tunde Lemo; Chairman, Lambeth Trust Investment Limited, Oluwatoyin Jokosenumi; Head, Programme Office, FSS2020 CBN, Mr. Dipo Fatokun- Director; BPSD CBN and Chairman of NEFF and the E-PPAN Board of Trustees and the Governing Board Members.

    Its Business Development Officer, Adesakin Folasayo, said the group would hold its first meeting on September 10 at the Colonades Hotel, Ikoyi Lagos between 10am and noon.

    “This meeting will be structured in the usual E-PPAN technical/interactive session. The meeting will be anchored on the just-concluded E-Government Summit 2015 hosted in collaboration with FSS2020, CBN and other partners,” Folasayo explained.

    At the summit, hosted by E-PPAN and FSS 2020/CBN, key policy statements were made and the forum opened a new vista of opportunities for the industry as deliberations were centered on the uncoordinated approach to the implementation of the national policy on e-payment in the public sector, challenges in implementing national policies on e-payment at various levels of government; and the silo approaches being adopted by the private and public sector in addressing issues concerning e- payment and e- government.

    These, among others, will be the focus of discussion at the meeting to enable the group to come up with solutions that will convert the outcomes of the summit to business profitability for E-PPAN members and the industry as a whole.

    They added that E-PPAN members should reach decisions that would guide its advocacy campaigns in ensuring that the bottom of the pyramid is captured in the formal financial sector.

     

  • NITDA to showcase 20 tech exhibitors at GITEX

    The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is firming up the country’s participation in the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) holding this October in Dubai with about 20 companies and organisations selected to participate inside the Nigerian Pavilion.

    The exhibitors include public and private enterprises notably ICT startups for which the NITDA is hinging its 2015 participation in the 2015 GITEX Expo and Conference which usually attracts over 145, 000 participants from about 120 countries.

    In a GITEX Prep Forum in Abuja, the Director-General, NITDA, Mr. Peter Jack, said Nigeria would leverage on the theme of this year’s event ‘The Internet Future of Everything’, to promote some of its budding innovators who have created solutions with strong market or commercial values. The innovators cut across sectors across including the retail industry, agriculture, education, security, oil and gas, and health care.

    “We want to ensure promotion of local start-ups, projection of the country’s vast and untapped information technology potential, organisation of Nigeria’s IT Investment Forum within the Nigerian Pavilion as well as distribution of IT intelligence material from Nigeria to the rest of the world at GITEX,” said Mr. Jack while addressing participants that included heads of other government agencies, industry associations and corporate institutions including the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Mrs. Uju Aisha Hassan-Baba, President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Lanre Ajayi, and CEO of Chams Plc, Mr. Demola Aladekomo,.

    “GITEX is not about you buying space or setting up as an exhibitor or trade visitor, the question is whether you think it’s time to take your business global. Business has to be both local and global, that is where GITEX can help you leverage on its global networks to build interest in your enterprise and also to endear foreign partners to your business,” said Commercial Director at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), Mr. Bilal Al Rais.  The DWTC are the organisers of GITEX.

    Nigeria was the Country Partner for Gitex 2014 and first debuted at the 35 years old event in 2013.  The NITDA, Nigeria’s IT clearinghouse, is facilitating the country’s participation through the DWTC partnering organisations: Pinnacle International Consulting LLC and Knowhow Media International (KMI). The exhibiting companies include: the NITDA, Nigerian Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the Nigerian Communications Commission  (NCC) and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON),  a professional, non-profit, non-political umbrella organisation of all telecommunications companies of Nigeria.

    Others are Nigeria’s first indigenous computer company, Data Sciences Nigeria Limited;  indigenous software development company, Precise Financial Systems (PFS) Limited; system developers and system integrators, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited; and Sasware, an investment subsidiary of Signal Alliance that provides seed fund for technology and technology-enabled start-ups and those in their growth phase.

    The list also include:  Chams Plc, reputed as the first home-grown company to be listed in Guinness Book of World Records, for setting up the ChamsCity Mega Digital Mall and also the first Computer Technology Company listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the Smartcity innovation Hub; Rlg Communications, an ICT company that started in Ghana but with strong presence in Nigeria, the Gambia, China, Dubai, Kenya, South Africa, Angola, and Rwanda; and multi-services communications company, SKtel Nigeria Limited.

    ing platform that connects with local agents, movers, estate owners, customers and mortgage marketplace; Verge, a software as a service (SaaS) retail management solution for multi-store retailers. Verge helps clients identify critical cash leakages in the business as well as other operational inefficiencies and recommend steps to mitigate them by connecting and analysis critical business data across your outlets; and Medrep.ng,  an e-Commerce and logistics solutions provider for pharmacies and hospitals. With medrep hospitals and pharmacists can now procure drugs, medical equipment and consumables from multiple manufacturers and distributors at the best offered price.

    Other startups on the Nigerian startup list for Gitex 2015 include: Blubird which was designed and developed with the sole aim of providing African business owners (small and medium enterprises) an affordable and easy to use retail management platform to effectively manage their inventory, sales, supplier and customers through an all-in-one platform (software + hardware) that is energy independent. Blubird is an all-in-one-platform that consists of an innovative retail management app running on a 10.1inch android tablet plus a mini thermal receipt printer and 2D barcode scanner. The entire platform is energy independent and once fully charged is able to run in the retail/wholesale outlet for 6-8 hours. The bluebird app runs on Windows and Android platforms.

    The startup list also has Truppr, a social startup that provides a platform for a vibrant community of fitness enthusiasts to connect with events and people around them to help make regular exercise a lifestyle. It is a one-stop-shop for finding and booking sport venues in cities around the world. Truppr simplified process of organizing amateur sporting events and teammates. It is an easy way to find mates / fitness partners even while on a business trip or in a new city.  Others are the cribpark.com marketplace is an online platform which simplifies the experience of intending home owners so they can buy any housing product, from trusted sellers, at best prices, and free delivery; the Foodstantly, which is a Mobile-Web Marketplace for Food. It enables restaurants; fast-food, caterers, farmers and food vendors set up shop and sell online to Millions of Customers as well as facilitate delivery to customers.

     

  • NPC mulls biometric-based population census

    •Seeks NIMC’s collaboration on data harmonisation

    The National Population Commission (NPC) has said it is proposing a biometric-based census next year that will link demographics with biometric particulars of all residents.

    Its Chairman, Chief Eze Duruiheoma (SAN) who spoke during the visit of the management team of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) led by its Director-General, Mr Chris Onyemenam in his office in Abuja, described the visit of NIMC’s chief as timely, adding that its management had discussed the need for the two agencies to collaborate at its meetings the previous week.

    He said: “The issue of NPC/NIMC collaboration has been a topical issue within our commission. This matter was in the front burner in our deliberations during our meeting of two weeks ago and I actually set up a committee to commence preparatory works in this respect.”

    He said the mandates of the NPC were clearly spelt out in Section 24 of the 3rd schedule of the 1999 Constitution. This includes among others, to undertake periodic enumeration of population through sample surveys and census and to establish and maintain machinery for continuous and universal registration of births and deaths throughout the federation.

    Onyemenam called for collaborative effort with the NPC to ensure seamless data harmonisation as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari to all government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

    Speaking during a courtesy visit to the NPC’s office in Abuja, NIMC’s Director-General, said his visit to was pursuant to the implementation of the presidential directive.

    He said the directive by President Buhari that agencies and departments concerned with the collection and storage of the various biometric databases and ongoing data collection and harmonisation was the primary reason for the visit.

    Onyemenam gave a background of previous futile efforts at National Identity Management (NIM) in Nigeria which ultimately led to the establishment of the NIMC in 2007, stressing the distinctions between the roles of the NIM and the NPC. He identified the areas where the activities of both commissions converge, which he said led to the inclusion of a representative of the NPC on the board of the NIMC. He also gave a historical background into previous attempts by NIMC and NPC to further broaden collaboration.

    As a way forward to the collaborations, Chief Duruiheoma proposed the setting up of an Inter-Agency Committee to midwife the NPC/NIMC collaboration within a defined timeline.

    But reacting to NPC chief\s suggestion, Onyemenam said NIMC already had in place a harmonisation committee comprising of representatives of the various MDAs and security formations concerned with citizens data collection and usage, the committee meets regularly and has made several headways in the area of harmonisation with NIMC’s infrastructure.

    He suggested that the NPC could look into the mandate and objectives of the Harmonisation Committee and see where it meets with its own objectives, in the interest of national planning and in line with President Buhari’s directive.

    The meeting ended with both Commissions expressing willingness to look into the issues raised and engaging further in the coming days.

     

  • Yudala online goes live with mega deals

    Yudala online goes live with mega deals

    Yudala, Nigeria’s first true composite retail chain, is set to unveil its online shopping platform, in addition with the roll-out of more physical retail stores in various locations across the country. This is coming on the heels of the successful launch of four outlets in Lagos: two Experience Stores and two Smart Stores.

    Yudala enjoys strong partnership and comparative advantage for products from major brands including HP, Apple, Lenovo, Tecno Mobile, INNJOO, Infinix, X-Touch, Wiko Phones, Sony, YEZZ, Dell, Philips, ITEL, IBM, Microsoft, APC Schneider, Cisco, Canon, D-Link and many more  in the ICT space, with the company expected to roll out additional product lines such as consumer lifestyle, urbane fashion, food, wines and spirits, healthy living products, consumer electronics and many more in segments soon.

    Yudala Online Co-ordinator, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, said online platform was  unveiled with promotions and mega deals. This is in addition to shoppers enjoying an unbeatable deal on select ICT and mobile devices everyday till September 5.

    He said: “Nigerians are guaranteed a mind-blowing experience of online retail with the official launch of Yudala Online.  All you have to do is make sure you are logged on the Yudala website to stand a chance of enjoying this massive daily deal.

    “Yudala Online is ushering in a revolution in customer experience and service. Very soon we shall be guaranteeing same day delivery nationwide.

    “We are offering a faster and more efficient delivery and logistics chain which will keep the customer abreast of details right through the order placement to the delivery phase. More importantly, you enjoy core after-sales support on both warranty and out-of-warranty products when you buy from yudala.com from any of our offline stores nationwide as we shall be populating every nook and cranny with Yudala Experience Stores.

    “In line with the Yudala mantra, you are guaranteed peace of mind when you shop on our website. This is a state-of-the-art website with the full complement of security features which guarantees you a secure, safe shopping experience. Shoppers also get to enjoy All Risks Cover (except theft) on every product purchased from the website from Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc. Added to this is the fact that the Yudala Management will take responsibility for every product purchased from and delivered by us.”

    In addition to the launch of its e-commerce platform, more Yudala offline retail stores are being rolled out in various locations across the country. These include Abuja, Ibadan, Enugu, Warri, Asaba, Uyo, PH and Owerri.

    Vice President, Yudala Offline Retail Stores, Mr. Stanley Uzoechina, notes that this is in line with the roadmap approved by the Board and Management of the company, with the target to reach 151 Stores by June 2017 and 512 Stores by June 2019.

    “Every Nigerian will have an opportunity to be a part of the Yudala revolution as we have a road-map to reach the millions of unreached people in the hinterlands and rural areas. In no time, there will be a Yudala Store in virtually every local government council in the country. This is the Yudala offline store revolution road map as approved by Board and Management.”

    With its headquarters in Nigeria, Yudala which means Best wishes, Peace of mind and Prosperity has carved a niche for itself by being the first organization to combine a real-time online shopping platform with offline stores located in major cities across the country, with further expansion into other major African capitals. Backed by its multi-pronged yet standardized business model, the company has a bold ambition to dictate the pace and set new milestones for online and offline retail business, with the delivery of world class products and services in every Yudala store and on the online platform.

     

  • Why smartphones’ battery runs down

    With the replacement of feature phones with smartphones came the challenge of batteries depleting at almost the speed of lightning. Smartphone users practically go out with either conventional chargers, desk top charger or even car chargers. People who do not even own car now buy car chargers and put them so they could charge while on public buses or given free rides.

    A Computer Village-based engineer, who specialises in mobile phone and laptops, Mr Rotimi,  said one of the reasons smartphones’ battery doesn’t last long is because it has a lot of applications running on it.

    He said this could not be said of a phone worth N3,000, which is only used to make and receive voice calls and text messages.

    He said applications, such as WhatsApp, BBM, Twitter,  Facebook, and Skype through which instant messages are sent run batteries down. He said the only the battery could be saved is by switching off your data connection.

    “Even if you are not online and your data connection is on, it as will deduct the percentage of your battery because several messages, chat, friend request are always going on online. So, my advice is that you shut down unnecessary applications,” he said.

    He also blamed this problem on people who buy mobile phones and fail to charge them ‘to the prescribed optimal percentages required by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). “They buy mobile phones and just start using it because there is the little charge that is on the battery which is known as test charge that is the lithium (the chemical use in producing battery) has not been added up to. So this can also cause the damage of smartphone batteries,” he said.

    He further said the battery capacity for smartphones start from 1400MH(megahertz); so; if you are having more application, then the chemical (lithium)should be increased because they are making more functions as well as  the application available on the smartphones

    “Additionally, people should be cognisant of the hours of charging new smartphones batteries. They must strive to complete the hours of charging the batteries of brand new smartphones and also during the hours of charging a quality charger must be used because the voltage of this batteries varies,” he added.

     

  • NIG urges Buhari to force down internet access cost

    The Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to force down the cost of internet access in the country, adding that it is only by doing this that more people will use the internet and tap from its immense benefits.

    Its President, Bayo Banj, who spoke during its yearly conference and exhibition in Lagos, said the government should limit itself to policy and regulatory matters but must intervene in pricing to allow more people to benefit.

    He said the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) should also be prevailed upon to force internet service providers to make a distinction between local and international internet traffic.

    “This is the first step. It will also allow groups to host their servers incountry. NCC must force internet providers to make a distinction between internal data and international data. They should also be forced to take services to other parts of the country. They are comfortable remaining in Abuja, Lagos and other major cities where they serve the banks and other big companies,” Banjo said.

    With Internet Penetration: The way forward as its theme, NIG chief said internet is one of the very innovations meant for the youth, adding that cybercrimes are most associated with the youths. He therefore urged policy makers to factor the youths into making any policy that has to do with this age bracket.

    He wondered if the laws allow a brilliant hacker, who is only 15 years old to be employed by an agency of the government, such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to help burst cyber crimes. He also stressed the need for a re-orientation  and reform of the education sector, arguing that with the state of the sector, it is doubtful if it would be able to produce the required skilled manpower that would drive the economic development of the country.

    Banjo said the time has come for the government to exert a form of control over what people put on the internet. He took exception to the current practice where people go to the internet to insult people and cast aspersions on their reputation.

    He said to address this, “Swift Courts” should be set up across the country to deal with character assassination and defamation using the internet, adding that the need to restrict what happens on the internet is informed by the fact that young persons are becoming indoctrinated through the internet.

    He took a swipe at excuses, such as spectrum unavailability holding back internet penetration, saying a country, noting that as South Korea has 2.3 gigahertz (GH) spectrum is adjudged to have full penetration.

     

  • ASUS CEO Shen increases ZenFone family

    ASUS CEO Jerry Shen, has announced the pricing and availability of ZenFone 2, ZenFone 2 Deluxe, ZenFone 2 Laser and ZenFone Selfie for users in Brazil”. The announcements were made at an exclusive Incredible Comes to Latin America event held at the iconic Ibirapuera Auditorium in São Paulo, designed by the world-famous architect Oscar Niemeyer. Mr. Shen also revealed the upcoming ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition model.

    The event opened with a superb musical performance by the popular Brazilian singer Luiza Possi. Following this, Brazil’s first astronaut, Marcos Pontes, joined Mr. Shen on stage to present the ZenFone 2. “We are very excited to bring our latest ZenFone models to the Latin American market,” said Mr. Shen. “They offer Latin American consumers, empowering luxury with perfectly-balanced beauty, functionality and performance, together with a premium user experience that can be tailored to the individual needs of mobile users.”

    ZenFone 2 is a marvel of craftsmanship and engineering that is the world’s first smartphone to feature a 4GB RAM. ZenFone 2 Deluxe introduces a stunning new multifaceted polygonal design aesthetic to the ZenFone 2, offering beauty and power in abundance. ZenFone 2 Lasers also include laser auto-focus technology in its 13MP PixelMaster camera for clear, near-instant shots. ZenFone Selfie is the ultimate choice for selfies, with its twin 13MP PixelMaster cameras and a dual-color, dual-LED Real Tone flash at both front and rear. The incredible capabilities of ZenFone Selfie were demonstrated by Zenny and Brazilian celebrity Marina Ruy Barbosa, who appeared on stage for a group selfie with members of the audience.

    Mr. Shen also revealed at the event was the ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition, a brand-new addition to the hugely-successful ZenFone family. This exciting model features two exclusive color options and is equipped with 4GB of RAM, an incredible 256GB of internal storage, plus an exclusive pre-loaded version of the Asphalt 8 racing game.

    The new Zenny World game app was also announced at the event. Available in English, Portuguese and Spanish, this fun-packed game features four levels – based on the four key ZenFone features of fast charging, design and color options, performance and PixelMaster low light mode – with the user guiding Zenny through feature-themed worlds to reach his chosen destination planet.

    2 Deluxe (ZE551ML) delivers powerful performance and beauty in abundance, with a gorgeous new multifaceted polygonal ZenFone finish accentuating the signature ZenFone 2 Ergonomic Arc design. ZenFone 2 Deluxe features a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, 13MP/5MP PixelMaster cameras, 2.3GHz 64-bit Intel Atom processor with 4GB RAM, 128GB ROM and 4G/LTE connectivity. ZenFone 2 Deluxe also features ASUS Boost Master fast-charge technology for 60 per cent capacity in just 39 minutes.

    As with all other ZenFone 2 models, ZenFone 2 Deluxe includes the latest ASUS ZenUI – the world’s first fully-customizable mobile interface – and Trend Micro security software for safe web browsing.

    In this age of selfies the ZenFone Selfie, (ZD551KL) represent a trailblazing fusion of fashion, technology and craftsmanship that let users see their perfect selves, with dual 13MP PixelMaster cameras, dual-color, dual-LED Real Tone flash both front and rear, plus laser auto-focus for ultra-fast shots with complete clarity.

    ZenFone Selfie’s Ergonomic Arc design and intuitive rear key make capturing selfies easier than ever, with live digital cosmetics to apply some magical glamor – all enjoyed instantly in the stunning 5.5-in Full HD display.

    ZenFone Selfie’s exceptional front-facing PixelMaster camera has a huge 13MP resolution and an f/2.2-aperture, 88-degree wide-angle lens to capture more of every smile. The unique Selfie Panorama mode enables selfies with an outlook of up to 140 degrees, so everything and everyone becomes part of the shot.

    The ZenFone Selfie’s rear camera is just as advanced, with a large f/2.0 aperture lens for superior low-light shots. Both cameras are engineered with five-prism Largan lenses and top-quality Toshiba sensors, and include dual-LED Real Tone flash technology for perfect illumination in any lighting conditions. ZenFone Selfie also delivers superb macro photography that works on subjects as close as 6cm, plus rear laser auto-focus to compose shots in the blink of an eye.

     

  • ‘Secondary market for spectrum‘ll spur development’

    ‘Secondary market for spectrum‘ll spur development’

    In the telecoms and broadcast industries, spectrums are considered scarce and essential intangible commodities. For quality and ubiquitous services delivery, they are central. But some people are hoarding these commodities.  In this interview with LUCAS AJANAKU, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) President Lanre Ajayi says the government should create a secondary market for buying and selling spectrums to fast-track service rollout and enhance growth. Besides, he urges telcos to inform their customers before deactivating their SIMs. Excerpts:

    Let’s begin with recent subscriber identity module (SIM) card deactivation order handed down to telcos by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC). Some people have blamed the telcos and NCC for bringing pains to over 10 million subscribers. Do you agree?

    I have not seen anybody that disagrees with the concept of SIM registration.  Even ordinary Nigerians seem to have accepted that it is important to register SIMs. They have realised the fact that for growth, national security, and for so many other reasons. I haven’t really seen anybody that has argued against SIM registration. And if that is the case, why would anybody continue to use a phone beyond the deadline set without registering the SIM. So, I think it should be known by everybody that at a point such phones that are not registered would be suspended. And to the best of my knowledge, what NCC directed operators to do was not to remove them from the network but to suspend them. Suspension simply means that if you go back and register, you will get your SIM activated. So I don’t see how that becomes a problem. Whoever has his phone suspended should walk to the nearest registration point, and get the SIM registered and the phone will be reactivated.

    But the telcos inundate customers with unsolicited SMS and calls. Don’t you think the customers should have been warned before the rude deactivation?

    I agree that there should have been some kind of warning, informing subscribers that they have one defect or the other and asking them what to do. I agree to that maybe that’s an area that could to be improved upon.

    This brings the issue of integrity to the data gathered. Security experts have described SIM registration as a charade because of obvious shortcomings. What is your reaction to this?

    The data collected may not be perfect but I think it’s the best for achieving security to a great extent but those can be improved upon over time. Certainly, there are many people who would want to play some games on the system but over time, they will be sorted out over time. It would not have been good if we did not start at all. But what is more important is for us to start first and we have started registering. Then, those areas that are deficient can be improved upon. That is my take on that.

    What about the huge money spent by the NCC and the telcos. Is it justified?

     My personal view when SIM registration issue came up was that it should have been left for the operators to handle. That was my own opinion in respect of that but in the wisdom of government decided that regulators should also participate and that has been done. So i think we should just leave that as it is.

    The National Broadband Plan set ambitious milestones and timeline for achieving them. With what is on ground, do you see these milestones been achieved?

    At this stage, we are very slow at achieving these milestones. But if we accelerate and expedient actions on certain this that we are meant to do, there is enough probability that we can achieve those milestones. The National Broadband Plan is very detailed, very thorough, and very specific about what has to be done so if those things that are meant to be done are done so why not? You can speed up action on implementation.

    What do you think government and the operators can do towards the realisation of those goals?

    Create the right enabling environment for the operators to expand their network. Create the right environment for the investors to put down necessary investment for these expansions. Somebody has to bring money on the table to build infrastructure. You need to encourage that person, that investor to bring that investment by creating the right environment. People call it policy inconsistencies, regulatory inconsistencies, appropriate fiscal policies, taxation and all the rest. So, if you create the right environment, people will come. The market is here, we all know it. That’s a pull to come, that’s an incentive on its own for people to come and invest but that s not enough. If the market is there and there are disincentives, there are obstacles or barriers, people will still hold back their investment in the industry.

    What role for the freed spectrums after digital migration?

    It is one of the factors that will enable us achieve penetration. Spectrum  is one of the reason will enable us to achieve it and that the only thing  if you listen to his presentation  this are basically two ways of  that will be providing access to people  the fibre active and the wireless . We need the ‘digital dividend’ spectrums so it will help but it certainly not a magic wand.

    However, it is not digital migration that will lead us there, digital migration will help us it is the fact that we need those spectrums that are being used for broadcast; it will help but that not the only critical success factor, it is about investment. You have to put money there so that operators can roll out networks and the investment will come when the environment is right. If people see that ok we put down investment and the environment is hostile and the policies are inconsistent, nobody will put down investment to expand the network very quickly. We need the right environment to be able to make that expansion and if the environment is not there based on the issues that have been identified, even today nobody will put down the appropriate investment.

    You advocated the creation of a spectrum market. When you create a spectrum market, don’t you think that would lead to people buying spectrums, keeping them and reselling them?

    What is wrong with that? Is it not better for someone who bought a spectrum and is not able to use for whatever reason to sell it to someone who is able to use it than for him to just keep the spectrum without being able to use it for whatever reason? Well you are denying him of his resources. He is losing money. The Nigerians that are meant to benefit from the usage of that spectrum; you are denying them of the services. So from both ends you are losing. The nation is losing, the investors are also losing. Is it not better that that man has an opportunity to sell that  spectrum, to make money and Nigerians are able to obtain services from the spectrum that is sold? So which one is better?  It simply makes sense that a secondary market is sensible because sometimes, you set up a plan that I want to roll out, and along the line there are unexpected distortions. For example, the money you expected to raise to do the roll out is not forth coming and you have paid for spectrum. So why will you hold on to the spectrum when it is not useful to you, it is not useful to Nigerians? Is it not better that you find someone to sell it to so that you will recoup your money or at least part of it and that spectrum is sold to someone who has the capacity to roll out? I think it is better for the country. I want someone to fault that my line of argument.

    But will this not result into speculators taking over the spectrum space?

    You see every good thing has its own down side. That’s a downside for it but it could be managed through regulatory framework. Put a regulation around it, once you recognise that there is a secondary market and there would be rules around the market. Once you set down the rules and enforce it, all those side effects would be managed.

    The NCC has set up a task force to address the issue of service quality. How do you see this?

    I would not know the reason why they will be setting up a tax force , but am sure they will be having a good reason for that .ordinarily , what we do is that would have been a job of a particular department.

    NCC do sanction operators, now they have set up a tax force. Do you think those sanctions are right?

    I don’t think sanction is the solution because there are so many challenges. So we need to remove those challenges if those challenges are removed, operators can now be sanctioned if they fail to meet the key performance indicators.  But as long as those challenges are there, we cannot we talking of sanctions. Let us do simple logical reasoning, the market is there and service and the operators are not able to provide the service. If they provide more services, they will make more money. Do you think they will not want to make the money? If they are handicapped they will not be able to do it, so let us remove these challenges and see if the operators will expand  the network or not

    Certain factors have been identified as bottlenecks to service quality. Are the telcos ever going to meet up with the KPIs jointly agreed to by the NCC and the telcos?

    The operators are still part of the industry. NCC certainly have to do more because the number of obstacles that have been identified ,numbers of challenges have been identified , is not that we expect the problem to disappear overnight but we expect accelerated actions in some of the issues that have been identified. And we all know the issue of difficulties in getting the right of way.

    ‘So, if you create the right environment, people will come. The market is here, we all know it. That’s a pull to come, that’s an incentive on its own for people to come and invest but that s not enough. If the market is there and there are disincentives, there are obstacles or barriers people will still hold back their investment’

    We need to address these issues holistically and set up action and also ensure that issues are resolved because there are other challenges and we need to start adjusting.

    Over the past 10 years, mobile subscriptions have gone up but these have not translated to coverage in several rural communities in spite of the money available at the disposal of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF). How can rural access be achieved?

    There are two basic things for achieving universal access. One of them is by the Fund you have just mentioned that will provide incentives to operators to move into both under-served and unserved rural areas. That is one way. Another way is by having service obligations to operators. In other words, when you are giving license, you say to them that if you must rollout in this urban area, it is obligatory for you to also rollout in the rural areas too. So it becomes an obligation. So it’s no more voluntary. But as it is now rollout is more or less voluntary. People concentrate in areas that are profitable and that is logical for any business man. But if your license makes it obligatory for you to also do some areas that are less viable, you will factor it together in your business plan, you will know that this where you are going to  loss and this is where you are going to profit. And you even it out. So we need to do a combination of both. That is my suggestion in this area.

    The world is moving from the internet of things to internet of everything.  How prepared are we for this considering that the country is far down in the network readiness ladder ranking?

    Let me be honest with you, I know of internet of things not internet of everything. That may be a new concept. I know we are doing internet of people now and that the new paradigm is the internet of things, in other words, machine will be able to communicate with machine (M2). And that is internet of things. Internet of everything, I guess is a company’s slogan. I don’t think it’s a generic concept, it’s like a company’s slogan. For the internet of things, the basic thing is to put the infrastructure in place and people will have knowledge of developed applications that would make those machines communicate. We are able to do it. It is not something that is that difficult. We are not breaking atoms here. It is just that difficult; just let the internet be available, let it be ubiquitous, let it the devices be intelligent. You know it means that the devices that would be manufactured would be intelligent enough such that it can communicate and for example, the tracker is a device connected to a machine such that if a car is jail-fenced; and maybe the car is not required to move beyond certain restriction, if it does and the GPS discovered that it has traveled beyond the specified space, the machine will notify another machine that will set up an alarm and maybe that machine can also send another information to the car to completely shut it down. They are communicating. That is the internet of things. That is just an example of internet of things. So, it is already happening, it is not futuristic. But ubiquitous use of it is what we have not seen but it’s already happening with us.

    As we look forward to the appointment of a new minister for Communication Technology, what will be your advice?

    We need someone who is able to move with time, who understands that technology is trendy and realises that quality environment is crucial; someone that also has to be dynamic. So we need someone that is forward looking; that can quickly understand issues and attend to those issues. Ws need experienced people who understand and have good understanding about the industry.