The Nation Newspaper

Category: Infotech

  • Blogging ‘ll reduce crime, other vices, says Smile Communications

    Blogging ‘ll reduce crime, other vices, says Smile Communications

    provider of long term evolution (LTE) of 4G broadband internet service provider (ISP), Smile Communications Nigeria Limited, has said the growing number of bloggers in the West African sub-region is creating jobs, decreasing crime rate, adding that professionalism, passion and content creation are critical elements in enhancing their capacity in the sub-region.

    Its Chief Marketing Officer, Mrs. Alero Ladipo who spoke during a presentation on How to Promote Your Blog, during the West Africa Blogger Conference (WABC) 2015, held in Lagos, said in as much as bloggers must ensure explicit, informative and clearly defined content delivered with passion and fun, they should not relent in professionalising in order to attract right businesses to monetize the enterprise.

    She listed qualities that distinguish bloggers from others to include sticking to their already created niches built on professionalism, uniqueness, responding quickly to trends, invest in the content design, while building on loyal audience, relationships and reaching out to experts.

    She said the leading ISP is already preparing grounds to partner with 10 bloggers to support them in lifting the platforms to greater heights.

    She said: “People think that blogging is a habit that anybody can just pick up and start practising. However, as we get more people entrenched in consistent growth, it becomes important we make it professional. Essentially, readers visit bloggers for a particular reason. By implication, a blog is not a dumping ground. Stick to the core reason you started the blog and adhere to your principles.

    “There is a philosophy that you stick to certain principles even when many people are deviating; it is the same thing with blogs. When you maintain the professional competencies, people will collaborate with you. For instance, on the course of my presentation I randomly asked participants ‘sell me your blog’, which is simply to market the platform, but people fell-flat on their faces. It is important you know what your blog is all about and you can sell it, and also present it appropriately”.

    According to Ladipo, for bloggers to attain the expected heights, they should improve on marketing and how to communicate, stressing that a lot of people do not know how to use these tow tools. She cited the social media as an example, wondering how many people talk about leveraging the platform to grow their businesses. “People need to understand their target audience, segmentations, and how to retain people’s interest. That is the way they will continue to visit your blog; keeping people interested and understand that you are one among many.

    “That’s the strength you need to have, the tools of marketing and communication and it does not require long sessions of learning. It can be an hour session of going through the principles of marketing and communication at an introductory level, because you are not trying to go deeper on the subject, but how to use the tools. Truly, content is king, you also need to be smart about it. That is where marketing and communication aspects come in.

    “We chose to support the conference due to the link between our service offering and what the bloggers do. During my presentation, I asked how many people had internet connection in order to monitor what is happening now or what has happened in the last hour that could inspire your writing. For bloggers to keep tap on trends, they must have internet connectivity,” she said.

    According to her, internet connectivity is a utility that will soon be in the range of demands such as water supply, electricity and others.

    On the drive to partner with some bloggers, Ladipo said, “the organisers will help in screening ten bloggers that Smile Communications will partner.”

    Managing Director, Advert Strikers Limited, and convener of the conference, Mr. Ayodele Oyebade, thanked Smile Communications for supporting the conference where a new chain of professional bloggers will emerge.

     

  • Waiting for efficient, affordable internet services

    Waiting for efficient, affordable internet services

    Access to internet has defining impact on countries’ gross domestic product (GDP). This is because it destroys fetters, such as distance, race, colour and others. Though the mobile network operators (MNOs) have tried to close

    Three Nigerian journalists  travelled to Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa for a three-day international conference. During the conference, they had no problems sending their stories and pictures from the venue of the event to their media houses in Lagos.

    “As soon as I finished doing my story and click the attach icon on my gmail address book, it pops up and gives me options from where to attach pictures. I click my desktop and press attach. It attaches in the speed of electricity, regardless of the size. As soon as I click on the send icon, it disappears too and show ‘message sent’ immediately,” one of them said.

    Back home, at a forum held at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, reporters made futile efforts to file  their stories to their offices located within the metropolis. Virtually all the modems of the MNOs were used but to no avail. Instead of displaying 3G which most of them claim is the technology on which their services are being rolled out, it is either WCDMA, EDGE or HSPA that was displayed. Then will come several hours of waiting just for the page to load.

    If internet experience in an urban area such as Lagos could leave such a sour taste, it could only be imagined what it is going to be like in the rural areas of the country where there are 447 local government areas. After more than a decade after the telecoms sector liberalisation that ushered in the telecoms revolution, a lot of rural communities are still largely “disenfranchised”.

    The story everywhere, from Calabar to Kano, Bauchi to Bayelsa, Abakaliki to Bornu, is the same. Not even in cities such as Abuja and Port Harcourt is the story different. Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa with a population of over 168 million people as at 2012 according to the World Bank. Population has grown at a rate of 2.3 per cent for each year from 2000 to 2013. Nigeria is a country with a largely youthful population with 60 per cent approximately under age of 22.

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said in line with these demographic changes, internet penetration has increased from less than 0.1 per cent in 2001 to about 32 per cent in 2012. The 2012 National ICT policy placed broadband internet penetration for both mobile and fixed broadband at about 6.1 per cent.

    The Federal Government launched the National Broadband Plan (NBP) which set very ambitious targets to be met within specific time-lines. Under the plan, fixed broadband targets for cities (which is currently standing at 1.5per cent) expected to go up to 10 per cent in 2015 in the short term, 16 per cent medium term of 2018 and long term target of 25 per cent by 2020. Penetration level which stands at 0.5per cent, will move up gradually to 3.3 per cent, 5.3 per cent and 8.3 per cent respectively

    For national broadband targets, current level is 35 per cent while short term target is 60 per cent (2015). For medium term (2018), 80 per cent is targeted while 95 per cent is targeted by 2020 as long term target.

    Penetration currently is six per cent. It is expected to go up steeply to 21 per cent, 42 per cent and 48 per cent respectively.

    But the road to achieving this target is laced with thorns as frequencies that are supposed to be freed to boost internet penetration are not available yet.

    Director, Regulatory Affairs and Special Projects, Airtel Nigeria Osondu Nwokoro who spoke at an ICT forum in Lagos, said the launch of the National Broadband Plan (NPB), 2013-2018 by the Federal Government is consistent with developments in other parts of the world, adding that it is a step in the right direction and showed government’s commitment to pursue a broadband agenda for the country.

    Nwokoro defined broadband as the easier, faster, and high speed internet access for data transmission and download, compared to traditional telephone and modem. Broadband supports real time internet radio, music, video, gaming, interactive services and others.

    He said with six per cent broadband penetration in the country, there is both a challenge and an opportunity to meet the goal of realising a five-fold increase in broadband penetration by 2017.

    According to him, the Broadband Commission for Digital Development charges that “access to broadband infrastructure and services must therefore be a top policy priority for countries around the globe, developed and developing alike as well as least developed countries,” adding that commission urges “governments and business to work together to develop innovative policy frameworks, business models and financing arrangements needed to facilitate growth in access to broadband worldwide

    Speaking on impact on the economy, he said wireless broadband is expected to contribute an additional N190billion to gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015 while wireless broadband will have a direct revenue impact (spend on usage and devices) of N598billon or 0.7 per cent of GDP this year.

    He added that its ecosystem value will be N124billion comprising consumer retail (m-commerce; m-Entertainment), financial services (m-banking), social services (m-learning, m-health, and m-governance) and corporate verticals (m-farming, m-enterprises, m-utilities).

    Head, Core Network Services, Cyberspace Network Limited, Osuere Peter said broadband is the totality that forms the entity for faster information delivery across a network. This network could either be digital subscriber line (DSL), fiber-optic, cable modem, satellite, wireless and broadband over power lines (BPL).

    He said internet and mobile banking: customers could now carry on banking transaction activities via their fixed and mobile devices while e-commerce sites such as Konga, Jumia, Olx have also emerged.

    It has also led to the provision of public services like driver-license application, international passport, national ID card registration and the general e-government solutions, adding that the implementation of regulatory framework and policies to promote electronic transaction such as the Cashless Policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

     

    Daunting hurdles

    The Nigerian Broadband technology infrastructure has grown up to an appreciable level in some very specific places and at different degrees.

    Nwokoro said fixed infrastructure is not available in Nigeria and the cost and burden to put same in place is daunting. Wireless is the only viable option for broadband penetration.

    Another challenge is paucity of spectrum. According to him, NBP acknowledges the need for spectrum for mobile broadband and proposes to publish plan for freeing up spectrum for LTE rollout this year, conduct licensing of 2.5/2.6GHz spectrum in 2014 and facilitate accelerated wireless infrastructure expansion and upgrade with operators.

    Another issue is that of right of way (RoW) permits and other planning approval processes and associated charges between different ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) at federal, state & local levels remain a strong disincentive for infrastructure development.

    Though NBP proposes to secure RoW waivers with states and also pursue expedited RoWs. achieving this goal between the three tiers of government remains a daunting challenge.

    Device ownership and access points which are key to adoption and utilisation are also key challenges.

    “NBP proposes to challenge original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to produce sub $30 access devices to reduce cost of ownership and thus facilitate uptake by the broader subscriber base.

    “NBP also proposes to deploy local access points (in NIPOST premises and local government, headquarters to facilitate access within 2km for people who cannot afford own access devices,” Nwokoro said, adding that in spite of all the promises of the market size in the country, major OEMs are unwilling to site assembly plants for device manufacture, on account of unstable electricity supply, intellectual property rights issues and challenges in the business environment.

     

    Solutions

    Mandate should be given to the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC) to articulate a spectrum roadmap to address timely availability, cost-effective pricing and licensing of the 700/800 MHz Digital Dividend spectrum band to support mobile broadband penetration.

    Another is resuscitation of the NFMC and expansion of its membership to incorporate private sector representation.

    Nwokoro said consideration should be given to the 900 MHz and 2.5/2.6 GHz spectrum re-farming to support mobile broadband on LTE while spectrum policy and regulation to support flexibility while supporting regional integration.

    the gap, there is still a long way to go as access cost remains punitive while service quality is patchy, reports LUCAS AJANAKU.

  • Nigeria is strategic to our business

    Nigeria is strategic to our business

    Executive Director, Mobile Business Group, Lenovo Technologies for Middle East and Africa, Mr. Shashank Sharma, says Nigeria is central to its business operations in Africa. He says management of electronic waste in the company’s host communities remains an important part of its corporate social responsibility strategy. He speaks about the industry and other issues with LUCAS AJANAKU.

    Electronic waste is a global challenge. What is Lenovo doing about this?

    You are right. We have a lot of initiative on environmental responsibility as well as social corporate responsibility. I don’t want to speak much about that now because details are sketchy.  Let me assure you that we are addressing the issue region by region.

    How is grey import affecting your business in the country?

    Grey market is something which happens when people outside your official channels try to import your products and the challenge with that is that the goods might not be properly taken to the consumers as they be buying them without the right warranty and service facilities. Again, the credibility of those devices is very difficult to ascertain. So we work closely with our local partners to make sure that we don’t allow such things to happen and partner community under retailers to try and ensure that they don’t sell products that are not coming from the official channel.

    What is the level of acceptability of your products?

    The acceptability of our smartphones has improved tremendously to the extent that we are thinking of raising the game. We have only four people on ground and we want to double that number in the next couple of months. That shows the confidence we have in the kind of response we got. Am very confident about Nigeria consumers appreciating the value this organization is giving to them the innovation, the scale and the quality promise we have

    Are your products region-specific or universal?

    We are a global company; it is a global scale and products of innovation. So our products are of global in nature so we try to design products for different people across the globe but then you also keep in mind the local customer in some countries. So there are countries such as Nigeria, India which their requirements are slightly different from other countries such as the United States (U.S) or Europe. You need to have a global scale but you also need to keep in specific local requirements so that the customers are fulfilled.

    What are your expectations in the short, medium and long term?

    See for any organisation especially as large as Lenovo, one has to look at responsibilities and survey carefully and be committed towards to their responsibility towards shareholders, your employers, your partners and your customers and your responsibility towards the ecosystem you operate. This is socio-economic environmental. Though I may not be able to answer you right now on Nigeria specifically but I will be very happy to give you the details on CSR activities which we do all over the world right now as Lenovo the kind of projects we have taken which are helping the local communities we work in

    What is your global market share?

    Our global market share in PCs is about 20 per cent; in Tablets, it is about 40.9 per cent and in phones we are number three I don’t remember our share right now .

    What percentage of the market are you looking at for smartphones?

     For the first two to four quarters, we want to be between 10 and 15 per cent market shares for smartphones.

    Lenovo is globally rated as the number one PC maker. What is your strategy to replicate this success with smartphones, especially in emerging markets?

    Yes Lenovo is the number one PC manufacturer in the world. We currently have 20 per cent market share and we are leading in that space, a position that we are very proud of. We are also one of the leading players in the smartphone segment, especially with our acquisition of Motorola. To lead in the smartphone segment it requires innovation and efficiency, and Lenovo has a great balance of these qualities. We possess the global scale that is required to compete and win in the smartphone segment. That, combined with the global supply chain, allows me to say that Lenovo is going to be a strong contender for the top spot in the world’s smartphone market. It is important to understand the market that one operates in. At Lenovo, we are coming up with products that have designs that are appealing to Nigerian consumers,as well as smartphones which have features that are required and used by Nigerians. We are making products with functionalities that are much in demand by Nigerian consumers, including flash and long battery life.

    Lenovo introduced three sets of smartphones into the market. What should customers expect from these devices in terms of quality?

    Recently, we launched three sets of quality phones from Lenovo, which include Lenovo S90, S70 and S 60.

    The Lenovo S90 is a product that we are very proud of. It is a very slim and stylish device. The S90 is a great phone for people who love taking selfies. It has an eight-megapixel front camera that is perfect for taking selfies, and I think this is an expression that will resonate with many people. The S90 also comes with Lenovo’s standard suite of applications including SHAREit, which allows users to share files and videos with others without an internet connection. The SECUREit also allows users to keep their data safe.

    The Lenovo P70 is a very lovely device for people who need to use their phone for extended periods of time. The battery of the device can last for up to three days. This is great for people who have a routine that does not allow them to charge their smartphone often. Also, in spite of the P70 smartphone having a 4,000mAh battery, it is not a heavy phone at all. It is slim and very light – much slimmer than smartphones with the same battery size. We are positive that our Nigerian consumers will really like this phone because a lot of people have this kind of requirement. Another unique feature of the P70 is that it can be used to charge other mobile phones. The S60 is a much slimmer device with an eye-catching form. It is easy to hold, light-weight and packed with features that showcase users’ fun and social sides.

    Wearable tech is the vogue. Any plans in this direction?

    Lenovo has been monitoring developments in the wearable technology segment very closely. We will be launching wearable bands this year. The devices will be able to track health and fitness parameters, among others. But the wearable technology segment is still evolving. There are innovations that we will see in the segment in the coming years but I believe that it is still in its nascent stage. We are yet to see the true dimensions of wearable technology.

    How do you intend to compete with established original equipment manufacturers?

    In every smartphone market, you will find other organisations that are already present and own percentages of market share. This has been our experience since we started expanding outside China in the last two years. We have gone into other markets with other brands already on ground so it is something that we are ready for and we believe that we are well equipped to compete and get mindshare and market share by providing Nigerians with products with the right kind of design, features and functionalities.

    In terms of sales, how has Lenovo performed in Nigeria since it began operations in the country last year?

    Without going into numbers, I would say that our targets and objectives for Nigeria in the last one year have been met and from this quarter onwards, we are already seeing exponential growth in demand for our products.

     What has the experience been like for Lenovo across African markets, especially here in Nigeria?

    The experience has been very good. We are happy with the response that our products have received till date in Nigeria, and based on the success we have had, we have actually invested more in this market. We now have more people on ground. We have strengthened our service network even more by investing in resources. The response we have received has been very good and we believe that Nigeria is right now in a good position to embrace the Lenovo brand even more, especially with the new products that we are coming out with.

    How will the recent acquisition of Motorola by Lenovo affect your smartphone business?

    Lenovo has always been a strong player in the global smartphone market, even before the acquisition of Motorola. With the acquisition, it has become even stronger. Motorola gives us a strong brand name, it gives us presence in major markets, it gives us a strong Information Technology (IT) portfolio and access to a huge pool of innovation engineers and researchers. For us, it is a great acquisition in every sense. With the help of Motorola, we are able to expand and have presence in markets where Lenovo products are not being sold today. In addition, our range of products for the customer, including wearables, have grown even bigger as a result of the acquisition

    How will you ensure that every mobile user group enjoy a great smartphone experience from Lenovo?

    There is a breadth of customers that are looking for suitable products in the smartphone segment. You will see that the products that we are coming out with in our ‘A’ series of smartphones, cater to individuals looking for devices that are affordable. We also have our ‘S’ series and premium vibe series smartphones that come with more features and more functionalities. We have a wide range of products at different price points that cater to the majority of users. Each product comes with its own unique functionality and the ability to deliver value while exceeding customer expectation.

    How affordable are your brand of smartphones?

    We consider affordability while design new products for manufacturing, even though we do not compromise quality with pricing. Our products have high qualities and at the same time affordable.

    In terms of smartphone market share, where do you see Lenovo Nigeria in the next one year?

    I believe that we will have captured between 10 and 15 per cent market share in the next one year. We have the right team, the right partners and the right kind of products to achieve this.

    What important factors that a buyer should consider when investing in smartphone?

    The smartphone buyer will always consider a reliable brand with a global scale that can protect the customers’ interest. This comes as a first point for me, and the second factor is the consideration of the kind of service that the brand is able to provide the consumer with and the third would be the features of the device, including display and battery life.

    Lenovo, as a major player in smartphone manufacturing and sales, always put these factors into consideration, when designing smartphones.

    What key trends do you see defining the mobile segment in 2016?

    The future is always difficult to predict, but I think that display technology will see some changes. We are already seeing a lot of innovation in this area and I expect that we will have more in the coming year. Also, we will see finger print security getting more acceptability. I think that we will see interesting things happening in these areas next year.

    Despite the ubiquity of smartphones, most consumers do not make optimal use of their mobile devices. Reports indicate that feature’s utilisation is at 30 per cent for the average consumer. What do you think can be done to help users integrate their smartphones more into their daily lives?

    Since the advent of smartphones, we have had increasing access to services that we did not have previously, from social media engagement to communication. People are using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social websites to interact and communicate with one another. But there are a lot of areas where devices remain unexplored. I think it is just a matter of time before most people get exposed to what they can do with their phone and start utilising it in more facets of their lives than they do today.

    Do you still see the survival of feature phones across the world as smartphones take over?

    All over the world, we are seeing the migration from feature phones to smartphones where customers feel they can get more value in terms of what they want from their mobile device. That trend began in Nigeria in the last couple of years and is now accelerated. There would be a small number of feature phones around in the next two to three years in Africa, but majority of feature phone users are going to migrate to smartphones within this period

  • Boosting health with mobile phone

    Boosting health with mobile phone

    The mobile phone technology is fast providing answers to the challenges facing the human race, simplifying processes. Already, there are some wearable devices in the market. Fitbit Flex is one of them. It is a band strapped around the user’s wrist and tracks how many steps he takes, the distance he travels and how many calories he burns. Mobile health is gaining traction, writes LUCAS AJANAKU.

    A major challenge facing Nigeria, like other developing countries, is how to improve access to quality health care for the entire population. This is the principal reason that motivated the idea of health insurance which the Federal Government has pursued vigorously in the last one decade or so.

    Indeed, it is the way to go. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a recent report said, “A health system where individuals have to pay out of their own pockets at the moment of seeking treatment restricts access to only those who can afford it, and is likely to exclude the poorest members of the society.”

    Even a fairly comfortable man may find that he does not have enough money in his account at the exact time he falls sick, especially when the sickness happens towards the end of the month when he has finished spending his last salary.

    This is why, across the world, a broad range of risk-pooling mechanisms or insurance schemes are increasingly being utilised to boost populations’ access to health care and reduce the financial burden of health services.

    However, as laudable as the health insurance is, it has not been embraced by the populace as expected. The Federal Government is working on the target of providing health insurance for at least 30 per cent of Nigerians by the end of this year.

    Globacom has taken a giant step in assisting the Federal Government to achieve this target by introducing what it called the Glo Mobile Health Insurance Scheme. The package is put together in partnership with the Nigerian Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and Salt and Einstein MTS.

    The mobile health insurance product was unveiled in Abuja recently by top Globacom officials and senior officials of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

    According to Globacom, this product is aimed at bringing health care to millions of Nigerians through their telephone handsets. The scheme will guarantee Globacom customers free and easy-to-access consultation and medication in over 8,000 hospitals across the country. It will open a viable avenue for millions of people to come under the health insurance coverage, enabling them to sign up to one of the many Health Management Organisations accommodated in the scheme.

    To benefit from this package, Globacom subscribers need to do dial *616# on their mobile phones and they will instantly be placed on the Glo Health platform after a simple registration process.

    Once subscribed, they will be able to use their mobile phones for a range of pre-defined medical treatments for which affordable premiums are remitted through the subscribers’ mobile phone credit.

    The package also comes with supply of drugs free from NHIS accredited operators across the country for subscribers who are consistent in the payment of their premiums for the first three months.

    The premiums have been deliberately made affordable for virtually everyone. Subscribers can pay N35 per day, N250 per week or N1000 per month to qualify to benefit from the mobile insurance package.

    “We do not know when we will fall sick and require medical attention. The beauty of health insurance is that it takes away the burden of worrying whether you will have any money left in your account or in your wallet when next you fall sick. With health insurance cover, anytime you fall sick, you can rest assured that you will have access to quality medical treatment even if you have nothing left in your wallet or in your bank account,” said Globacom’s Regional Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Ashok Israni.

    According to him, there are millions of Nigerians yet to tap into the immense benefits of health insurance. He said the initiative would open a viable avenue for some of these people to come under the health insurance coverage, enabling them to sign up for one of the many Health Management Organisations accommodated in the scheme.

    He said the product will go a long way in realizing the national objective of extending health insurance to Nigerians regardless of their financial status or social class.

    “Together with our partners, Salt & Einstein MTS and NHIS, Globacom is committed to achieving universal health coverage for all Nigerians within the shortest time possible,” Israni added.

    The Chairman of Salt and Einstein MTS, Ernest Ndukwe, said the scheme would reduce the fear of the cost of health care among the populace. According to him, many Nigerians are typically afraid of going to the hospital when they are ill, but with the product, that fear has been removed. He praised Globacom for its efforts in midwifing the scheme.

    The Executive Secretary of NHIS, Dr. Femi Thomas, said the beauty of the scheme is that the health care cost of one person is shared by all subscribers such that the financial burden is virtually lifted off . He commended Globacom for providing its infrastructure for the project.

  • Nigeria ready for digital economy, says Smile Communication chief

    Nigeria’s 4G or long term evolution (LTE) broadband provider, Smile Communications has described the Nigeria’s digital economy as huge, and will impact virtually all segments of the economy.

    Its Managing Director, Mr. Michiel Buitelaar, who spoke in Lagos, said in the face of dwindling oil revenue and increasing pressure on the economy as shown in budget deficits, infrastructural deficit, high unemployment rate, harsh business environment, corruption, among others, leveraging on digital economy should be regarded as a sine qua non for sustaining the economy by the incoming administration of Muhammed Buhari.

    Mr. Buitelaar spoke during a panel discussion at the sixth Annual Pan-African 1:1 Investor Conference organised by Renaissance Capital and identified infrastructural advancement as overriding factor for the immediate expansion of sectors such as agriculture, transportation, banking & finance, healthcare/medicine and education.

    He said Smile Communications aligns itself with the key statistics expected for the Nigerian Digital Economy by 2018 as released by the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology, especially for the emergence of an industry that is less fragmented.

    According to the National Broadband Plan (NBP), the government expects to attain 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018 from the present current about six per cent.

    “There are various advantages the digital economic providers have over the traditional. However, to make this happen faster, there are catalysts required for it to even drive other sectors outside the ICT. Digital economy will be the driver of the agricultural, transport, health-care/medicine, education, banking & finance, among others. In our company, for instance, we are talking to companies in those sectors and one recently said ‘the software is eating the world’.

    “We do believe the new digital ICT will influence other sectors. For example, in agriculture; like I have seen in other countries, the efficiency and productivity is very likely to explode once the digital economy has entered into the arena. It is also our expectation that the impact will become more pronounced within the next 10 years. For emphasis, sectors such as agricultural, transport, health-care/medicine, education, commerce, in fact, the whole move of digitisation will have impact on the emerging economy and Nigeria’s economy is well positioned to make their journey better than many others,” he said.

    Buitelaar lauded the outgoing government for approving the NBP, expressing confidence in the Buhari government’s compelling posture for its implementation of the plans.

    He said: “I think the Federal Government did well, especially, by releasing a NBP. The next government should continue with the plan in an even ‘forceful’ manner. Similarly, spectrum allocations should be looked at too; it is more of technical, but very important in the nation’s quest for more ubiquitous broadband. There are sub-sectors that the broadband availability will immediately impact their operations such as the delivery of ecommerce, e-payment, education and other clusters of business. These are crucial reasons the digital economy should be allowed to blossom.

    “Nigeria is a wonderful country. The incoming government should do something regarding the image of the country and its perception in the eyes of the rest of the world. That alone is capable of convincing foreign investors about the country’s business climate. Secondly, on infrastructure, I do believe that the whole country will benefit in smart investments in infrastructure. There are issues in transport, power and payment systems; if these issues can be addressed, with a couple of other commitments, I believe that in the next few years, the country will be reaping large chunk of benefits from them,” he added.

  • Anger over unsolicited text messages

    Anger over unsolicited text messages

    Unsolicited text messages have become one of the many challenges subscribers have to contend with. While the messages could so often be provocative, customers are forced to pay for them, largely because they are either ignorant of what to do is complacent. But the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says aggrieved subscribers should stop suffering in silence, reports LUCAS AJANAKU.

    She had left her business for the day to be part of one of the sessions of the monthly Telecoms Consumer Parliament (TCP) convened at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). She had reasons to do so. For three years, she has been carrying the burden of receiving no fewer than 40 unsolicited text messages on her phone daily.

    She gave her name as Hajia Binta Maina, dealer in Dangote products. A woman in her late 50s, she sprang up from her seat, clutched her mobile phone and beckoned on officials of the NCC to come and see what she had been passing through with agonies all these years. According to her, the text messages were imposed on her by fraudulent value added service (VAS) providers riding on the infrastructure of Globacom, her mobile network operator (MNO). Bitter, she lamented that she had consistently loaded air time which so very often gradually gets depleted.

    She said: “I have been living with this problem over the past three years. I receive about 40 text messages daily from my service provider. If I were not advanced in age, some of the messages were capable of breaking my marriage. Imagine my husband opening my phone and reading a message such as; ‘I love you’. I have visited three offices of Glo and had even taken my case to the head office of the company in Victoria Island where an Indian man attended to me and assured me that the text messages and loss of money will stop. They said there is a code I could use to opt out. I used it but the more I used the code, the more the messages come in.

    “As I speak with you, it has not stopped. So when I heard that this meeting is taking place today, I decided to sacrifice everything I have to do today to bring my problem to the world.”

    Another subscriber, Madam Joy Adeniran, a window  living in Itele, a suburb of Sango Ota, Ogun State, had been promised by one of her customers that she was going to make payment into her bank account so that she could go to the market the following day to stock her shop. She waited all day long to receive transaction alert from her bank but nothing came. Frustrated, she called the customer that promised to pay money into her bank account at about 10pm to find out what the problem was.

    She was assured of the payment and encouraged to wait for the transaction alert because that will form the basis of her going to Idumota, Lagos to buy goods for her shop.

    “It was like a vigil for me. I must get confirmation before setting out from Itele to Lagos latest by 5am the following morning. So, I kept waiting for the alert. When my text message alert tone rang at about 12.30 midnight, I sprang up from my bed, reached for the phone. When I opened the message box, it was one useless message sent at that ungodly hour by my MNO. I was so pissed off and felt like smashing the device on the concrete wall,” she lamented.

    Hajia Maina and Mrs Adeniran are just a few of the over 140 million active subscribers that daily go through the pains of unsolicited text messages on their mobile phones. The messages come in torrents, sometimes blocking genuine messages from being received. “I have to delete these messages to allow important messages to be delivered because if I don’t do that, the icon showing that a message is waiting will keep popping up. It is very sad,” Alvin Afadama, an intern, lamented.

     

    NCC’s position

     

    Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Tony Ojobo, said the Commission has issued a lot of directives aimed at minimising as much as possible, the burden of unsolicited text messages to all the operators, adding that the regulator had even sanctioned the operators for not playing by the rules.

    He said the regulator has consistently urged the MNOs to install powerful firewalls to prevent unbridled influx of unsolicited text messages to their customers.

    He said: “We have made our position known on this matter. We have warned against sending messages to subscribers at night on their networks. The Commission is putting its foot down against the operators and monitoring their activities and giving them various regulations to ensure that this does not happen. We encourage subscribers to go to the operators, walk to their customer care centers; call customer call centers to lodge their complaints and give them detailed explanations about the content of the text message, the time you got them and from which number.

    “Agreed, most of these things come from VAS providers. They are not actually coming from the network service providers; some of them may come from them but most are from VAS providers with the knowledge of the service providers anyway. These things are like pipes for them to transmit their services and sometimes they get services through the system without them being able to detect it. It happens all over the world but we are insisting that they should be able to provide various types of systems that should be able to detect these unsolicited text messages especially those that are not wanted. The customers have a right to stop them. Send stop to the number that sent the message and it will stop and if it doesn’t stop; walk to our Lagos office at Bankole Oki Street, Ikoyi and complain. We take such complaints seriously because they infringe on the rights of the customers.

    “If you fail to get redress, you can also call us on our toll-free number on 622. Additionally I would like to say that this is a global problem it does not happen only in Nigeria alone.”

    Its Zonal Controller, Lagos, Okechukwu Aniweke, however said there are also positive sides to the unsolicited messages. According to him, unexpected bank alerts, warning about impending disasters, outbreak of epidemic disease, outbreak of fatal disease such as the Ebola and warnings about how to avoid contacting them, alert about fire disasters and even armed robbery attack. He said some ‘unsolicited’ text message have been so useful to the customers as they have helped to save lives, adding however that this is not to say the MNOs and VAS providers should not respect the right of their customers to have peaceful rest in their homes.

     

    Operators react

     

    Head, Network Operations, Globacom, Aremu Olajide, said most of the messages that customers complain about are not sent by the MNOs, arguing that VAS providers licensed by the NCC send the messages but using the MNOs.

    Customer Care Executive at MTN, Akinwale Goodluck agrees  with Olajide. According to him, a huge percentage of the unsolicited messages on the network are actually generated on the internet. He said with the rise of the internet, it was possible for somebody to be in Asia and send mass messages to millions of subscribers in the country. He said though there are subsisting contractual agreements with bulk SMS providers, the telco is however strict with its terms of engagement.

     

    VAS providers speak

     

    The umbrella body of VAS providers in the country, the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN), has absolved itself of any blame. The group blamed the raft of unsolicited messages on what it described as “rogue VAS providers.”

    Its National Coordinating Consultant, Simon Aderinlola, who described WASPAN as a self-regulatory body of firms licensed by the NCC that have at least connection with one MNO in Nigeria providing VAS.

    He said: “In answering that other aspect of your question about messages getting to people may be at night, they are rogue VAS services. By rogue VAS services, the Commission has tried immensely, to halt their operation. There is a framework for licensing but it is gathering momentum. There are some who actually open business to do wrong things.

    “The more the right regulation is put in place such that you are not killing innovation, but ensuring that the customer is protected and the rules are clear and transparent, the better for all of us.

    He commended the regulator for creating a forum for the MNOs, VAS providers and other stakeholders to come together to tackle the problem of unsolicited messages.

    “I must say this is the first of its kind forum of this nature where you have the operators, the VAS providers and the NCC all giving their own ideas on how things can work and I am sure the more we have session of this nature, the more we will be able to drive things forward,” he said.

  • Striking workers ground MTN’s operations

    Striking workers ground MTN’s operations

    If MTN is your network, you may have experienced some delays with their call centres yesterday.

    Reason: About 2,000 workers at the South African mobile phone operator went on strike demanding higher pay, union leaders said, threatening a prolonged walkout at the nation’s second-biggest telecoms firm.

    Spokeswoman for the Communication Workers Union (CWU), Zodwa Kubeka, said its members at MTN want a 10 per cent pay rise and higher allowances for work done over weekends and holidays, its embers of have downed tools.

    They have gathered at the company’s headquarters in Johannesburg to demand changes to their salary and bonus payments.

    Other demands include the return of canteen subsidies, cellphone allowances and the introduction of a rewards programme.

    Unions are demanding a ten per cent wage hike and sixteen per cent bonus.

    MTN is currently offering a five per cent salary hike, a four percent bonus, plus a guaranteed 13th cheque.

    Call centre agents and IT technicians are amongst those striking.

    However, the telco said it had contingency plans in place to mitigate the effects of a strike described by the CWU as “the biggest industrial action in the company’s history”.

    The dispute centres on annual bonus payments, but this is one of many battles between MTN and the union, which is pushing for bargaining rights.

    The union said it had experienced rapid growth in membership and was demanding a recognition agreement based on sufficient representivity. The CWU said it could achieve more than 50 per cent in some bargaining units in MTN.

    MTN had offered the four per cent in conjunction with a guaranteed 13th cheque — about eight per cent of annual salary — as part of a review of the bonus model, MTN chief human resources officer Themba Nyathi said.

    This, he said, had exceeded the original demand from the CWU, which had subsequently also asked for an across-the-board salary increase. Salary increases above five per cent would hinge on an individual meeting or exceeding performance criteria, which was company policy internationally, Mr Nyathi said.

    The CWU is not recognised nor does it have bargaining rights at MTN SA, which has no recognised trade unions. The union said it had about 2,000 members at MTN.

    Mr Nyathi said the union had 19 per cent membership at MTN SA — or about 1,000 out of 5,000 staff — thus the company anticipated most of its workers would not strike.

  • Etisalat unveils Easylife 4.0

    Etisalat unveils Easylife 4.0

    Etisalat  has introduced a new tariff rate that offers customers the opportunity to make calls at 11k per second to all networks under its latest package tagged, Easylife 4.0 Limited Offer.

    Its Chief Marketing Officer, Mr Francesco Angelone, said this is a voice prepaid plan that offers the most affordable call rates to all networks in Nigeria. With Easylife 4.0 limited edition, our customers can now make calls at 11 kobo per second to over 160 million Nigerians with a daily access charge of N5, irrespective of the network being called.’

    He said this is part of efforts to sustain the revolution in the telecommunications industry that the company started about six years when it opened shop in Nigeria. His words: ‘We revolutionized the telecommunication landscape in Nigeria with the launch of Easylife 1.0, a tariff offer that halved call rates to all networks in the country. Easylife offers our customers simple and affordable call rates to all networks in Nigeria and international destinations without limitations or restrictions.’

    The offering is also to reinforce Etisalat’s customer-centric positioning, as the CMO pointed out. ‘We developed this package with an understanding of the different tastes and preferences of our customers. Insight into customer’s needs also led to the development of variants of the package, ranging from Easylife 1.0, Easylife 2.0, Easylife 3.0 to Easylife 4.0. I am pleased to announce the introduction of the Easylife 4.0 Limited Edition.’

    He said Etisalat is well prepared to handle the influx of customers that this value proposition might bring, recalling that the company is focused on customer satisfaction that has seen it come out tops on Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC’s) ratings over the years. ‘Let me assure you that Etisalat will remain committed to delivering innovative, life enhancing products and services to our customers as we work to realise our vision of a world without limitations to communication,’ he said.

  • Samsung launches DVM S, others

    Samsung launches DVM S, others

    Samsung Electronics West Africa has launch the world’s largest capacity DVM S VRF system and smart inverter air conditioners. Tagged The Samsung AC forum, the initiative was aimed at boosting the local industry’s knowledge of the various Samsung cooling solutions available in the market. The forum, which attracted about 180 attendees, took place at the Eko Hotels and Suites.

    Its Managing Director, Mr. Brovo Kim stated that the AC technology and solutions are evolving at a rapid rate. The forum, he stated will bring Samsung partners up to speed on the company’s air conditioners both in the room air conditioner and system air conditioner segment.

    He said: “We want to keep our stakeholders abreast of the level of market research that goes into designing and producing Samsung air conditioners and cooling solutions, which are especially suitable for Africa and the Nigerian climate. The ultimate goal is to provide dependable cooling to keep consumers comfortable at all times.”

    The highlight of the forum was the introduction of Samsung “DVM (Digital Variable Multi) Super” system AC, which has the world’s first and largest single capacity outdoor of 26HP. It is credited as the next-generation modular system in the world of high-efficiency air conditioning and has undoubtedly changed the face of cooling associated with high-storied buildings.

    Samsung has also launched air conditioners with a five-year warranty on compressors, keeping in mind the energy conservation and eco friendly standards being set in the air conditioning environment. These air conditioners come equipped with R410A gas, which is, eco-friendly and Smart Inverter compressors capable of reducing energy consumption up to 40 per cent in line with global standards. The air conditioners can handle up to 50mtrs in piping length as against the conventional 10mtrs. Samsung air conditioners will also have a five-year warranty period on compressors.

    Its Director, Consumer Electronics, Mr. Sunil Kumar, said Nigerians are astute customers that are always on the lookout for the best that advancements in technology can offer. “Samsung’s innovative products offer excellent functionality with dependability and durability. The Samsung System Air Conditioners have a Eurovent certification in performance and are also corrosion resistant, which ensures greater operational longevity with voltage protection, dual digital inverter system and a smart management system,” Kumar stated.

  • Glo out with Mobile Rhapsody

    Glo out with Mobile Rhapsody

    Nigeria’s National carrier, Globacom, has said that the newly launched Rhapsody of Realities, a daily devotional mobile service on its network, will add value to the spiritual lives of Christians.

    In a press release issued in Lagos on Friday, the leading telecommunications outfit disclosed that the innovation, which contains reading and voice contents, was designed for the spiritual edification of the Christian faithful.

    According to the company, the materials in the daily devotional are based on the Rhapsody of Realities devotional published monthly by Christ Embassy Church, one of the fastest growing Pentecostal churches with large followership in Nigeria and South Africa. Rhapsody of Realities has been rated in some quarters as the number one daily devotional in the world with translations in various languages.

    The ROR Mobile Service from Glo is a Value Added Service that offers subscribers the opportunity to receive Rhapsody of Realities content on their phone via Interactive Voice Response, (IVR) text message or WAP.  According to Mr. Ashok Israni, Globacom’s Chief Regional Marketing Officer, the service is offered in English, Hausa and Pidgin English.

    Israni explained that the service comes in the following versions –  E-Rhapsody and  Download, ROR Voice Services and the Daily ROR SMS service. The E-Rhapsody and Download is an electronic version of ROR in which  a subscriber will receive a link to download a PDF version of ROR.  Content will be in text format (PDF) supported by mobile OS, Androids, Blackberry, Windows phone, iPhone and any data enabled devices.

    “The Daily ROR is SMS-based and the subscriber receives a text message, which will have a mini URL for more of the message to be read from Rhapsody of Realities WAP portal,”  Israni explained

    ROR Voice Service is the voiced Rhapsody of Realities reading for the day. For ROR voice content, subscribers will get an out-bound call daily with content in the language subscribed for.

    The subscriber can subscribe to the ROR voice service by sending the corresponding activation keyword to a particular short code. Israni said that for Voice ROR in English, subscribers are required to Text VROR to 55515; for Voice ROR in Pidgin, text VRORP to 55515; for Voice ROR in Hausa, text  VRORH to 55515 and for ROR SMS, text ROR to 55515.

    For E-download, the text is  EROR to the short code 55515 . Subscribers will only get the content for the service subscribed for. For instance, if one subscribes for ROR English, he will get the content in English accordingly.

    According to Globacom, one can also dial 55515 on the IVR portal to listen to the IVR instructions on how to activate the ROR services. Israni disclosed that Subscription to the Rhapsody of reality voice is affordable with content costing N35 for 3 days or  N70 per week.