The Nation Newspaper

Category: Infotech

  • Telcos fret over govt’s economic policies

    Telecoms operators have again raised the alarm that they may be constrained to stop offering services flexibility and added benefits to subscribers, given the state of the economy.

    Oil prices have been falling.This has affected the value of the naira against the dollar and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has restricted the importation of telecoms equipment, generators and other items by directing that foreign exchange be sourced through the interbank only. The efficiency level of services rendered will be affected, according to operators.

    The operators, acting under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), lamented that those government policies will impact negatively on the cost of service delivery.They however, hope that they would not be forced to pass the cost of the impact to the end users.

    ALTON Chairman Gbenga Adebayo told The Nation  that since the software and hardware that oil the engine of the telecoms industry are import-dependent, it  follows that when attempts are made to constrain access to the funds   required to keep the industry up and running, there is bound to be negative impacts.

    He said: “Certainly these policies will have grave impact on the industry. All the things we use in the industry, to a large extent, most of the hardware and software are import-dependent. So, once you tamper with the source or access to foreign currency, you tamper with the direct effect and, by extension, the cost of service provision. So that ultimately will have its impact.”

    Adebayo said naira devaluation would make cost of service delivery to go up relative to prices end users pay for such services. He added that this would inevitably determine what the operators could do and what they could not do.

    Experts say the resort to interbank for foreign exchange sourcing to import hardware and software for the telecoms industry will increase cost and hamper expansionary drive. This is against the background that there is a huge deficit in infrastructure provision in the country with its attendant effects on quality of services (QoS).

    Adebayo said: “The second is the issue of service prices relative to (the cost of offering the services). All these will have direct impact on the cost of service provision and what we can do (as telcos) and what we are expected to do. It will certainly have impact on our services, but we are hoping that it would not be so significant that we will have to transfer it to the end users.

    “If we don’t have increase in end user tariff, we may not be able to introduce other benefits in terms of areas of flexibility on services. If tariffs are not increased, it will impact on the features and added benefits that we can give to subscribers.”

  • MTN surprises Lagos don

    MTN surprises Lagos don

    For his consistency in the discharge of his diligence and professionalism, former Dean of Student Affairs, at the University of Lagos, Professor Harrison Oloruntade Longe has got a surprise gift of a brand new KIA car from MTN Nigeria.

    Professor Longe was among the University Dons that got nominated by their students during MTN’s Surprise a Profcall for entries in its campaign tagged: ‘Season of Surprises.’ The compelling story of how Longe used his office as Dean of Students Affairs, University of Lagos (UNILAG), to resolve students welfare issues ranging from accommodation to security, improved facilities and many more, stood him out as the most deserving Unilag Don to be surprised.

    With the decision taken after a rigorous process of evaluation and selection, MTN’s management team led by General Manager, Consumer Marketing, Richard Iweanoge, stormed Unilag to reward the deserving Professor, who was kept in the dark about the development.

    The only thing ProfessorLonge knew about MTN’s presence on the campus prior to receiving the car that day was his being called upon to present gift items to some of his students who won iPhone 6. The students were given the presents for nominating their Professor in MTN’s Surprise a Prof.

    Shortly after the presenting the gifts to the students ProfessorLonge got the greatest shock of the day as he was announced the beneficiary of the star surprise of the day, a brand new 2014 KIA car.

    Obviously surprised by the turn of events in split of seconds, ProfessorLonge said: “This is the best gift I have ever received in my life. How will I explain this to my wife? How? They just told me that I have to come and present gifts to some of my students, and it turned out that I am now a proud owner of a brand new 2014 KIA car.”

  • NIMC to accelerate collection of e-ID cards

    The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has concluded its two-day 2nd International Vendors’ Summit, which was aimed at ensuring that citizens who have enrolled for their National Identification Number (NIN) get their National e-ID Cards on time, and draw a road map for the cards personalisation phase.

    The summit held at the NIMC Headquarters, Abuja, the nation’s capital, and had in attendance top executives of all NIMC Vendors’, partners and stakeholders; both local and international.

    A statement by its General Manager, Corporate Communications, Abdulhamid Umar, explained that a major consideration of the summit was for the commission to interface with the vendors and further examine the inputs of each vendor in the NIMS project.

    The interactive session was also a means to discuss strategies to ensure the swift distribution of the National e-ID Cards, and to fast-track the process for post issuance update for citizens who have already received their cards.

    Also, a review of the applets in the phase ‘1’card issuance, its successes, challenges and the way forward, was also part of the agenda, even as NIMC prepares for the activation of eight other applets on the National e-ID Card.

    “The key consideration for the second International Vendors’ Summit is to ensure that Nigerians are issued their cards on time. It is imperative to bring all stakeholders, who are involved in the National Identity e-ID Card project together to brainstorm on steps to make all the applets on the card user friendly,” the Acting General Manager, Information Technology/Identity Database (IT/IDD), Mr Chuks Onyepunuka, said while making his report.

     

  • Power central to optimising ICT potential

    Stable power supply remains central to the optimisation of the huge potential the information communication technology (ICT) sector holds in the country, a company chief has said.

    The Managing Director Africa, Electrical Sector, Eaton, Shane Kilfoil said though Nigeria has emerged Africa’s largest economy with less than 4000megawatts (Mw) of electricity, beating South Africa with 45000Mw, there is still much to be done if the country is to take full advantage of its enormous potentials.

    Kilfoil, who cited data centre as an example, said the country with its big subscribers’ figures will continue to witness boom in data, lamenting however, that the power sector challenge would compel operators to choose the generator option, which he described as “not economical”.

    He spoke on the sideline when the power management company, Eaton, hosted its inaugural West Africa Technology Day at the Eko Hotel, Lagos, to showcase its solutions spanning five industry segments including Data Centre and IT, oil and gas, electrical utilities, mining, solar and wind.

    Speaking at the occasion, its West Africa Sales Manager, Electrical Sector, Charles Iyo said: “The sustainable growth of the ICT sector in Nigeria and West Africa is dependent on developing innovative technologies to solve the sector’s toughest power management challenges.

    “Our vision is to establish Eaton as one of the premier power management companies in the region providing customised, innovative solutions that enable our customers in Nigeria and West Africa’s burgeoning telecommunications sector to use power more reliably, efficiently, safely and sustainably.”

    The Technology Day was officially opened by Eaton’s Guest of Honour, Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce & Industry, Mrs. Olusola Senapon Oworu. The one-day event combined an exhibition floor showcasing Eaton’s power management solutions and products, alongside eight technical seminars run by the power firm’s leading experts from Africa and around the globe. Over 100 customers and partners from the region attended. Representing Eaton at the West Africa Technology Day were its most senior leaders in the region including, Kurt McMaken, President Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA); Frank Campbell, President Electrical Sector EMEA; Shane Kilfoil, Managing Director Africa, Electrical Sector, Yishay Weissman, and Sales Manager sub-Saharan Africa, Eaton Hydraulic Sector.

    Kilfoil said: “The West Africa Technology Day represents another key milestone in Eaton’s 78-year history in Africa.

  • RCOM, Avaya partner on customer care

    Reliance Communications, India’s fully-integrated telecommunications service provider, has entered into a multi-year agreement with Avaya Inc., the leading provider of customer and team engagement solutions, to transform its Call Center operations. With more than 110 million customers, Reliance Communications is one of India’s largest telecom service providers.

    Under the terms of the deal, Avaya will transform Reliance Communications’ existing Call Center operations to the most advanced digitally-enabled customer engagement call centers in the country. The objective is to provide an enhanced and consistent customer experience across all their customer touch points and help enhance the customer life-time value. Avaya has won the services contract to implement and manage the new Call Center technology for the next five years.

    A large number of the solutions that RCOM is investing in are born in Avaya’s R&D lab in India, the largest in the world for the global solutions provider, making this project a flagship move towards supportingthe ‘Make in India’ national campaign of the Indian government. Under the terms of this deal, Avaya will invest in long-term training and support of RCOM’s technical team and its Call Center agents, protecting the company’s workforce, upgrading its skills and transforming its Call Center operations into a strategic asset for growth.

    Commenting on the innovative alliance with Avaya, Mr Gurdeep Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Consumer Business, Reliance Communications, said: “We are investing in one of the best Call Center technologies available in the worldtoday to deliver a differentiated experienceto our customers.

  • ‘Why NIPOST must be repositioned’

    MinIsterof Communications Technology Dr  Omobola Johnson has said the Federal Government will reposition the Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST) because it is central to the realisation of its goals of financial, digital and social inclusion – in line with the Vision 20:2020 of the government.

    Meanwhile, plans to reform the postal sector and restructure NIPOST have received a boost with the approval of the Nigerian Postal Commission Bill 2014 by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). The Bill is expected to be forwarded to the legislature for passage into law.

    Dr.  Johnson said NIPOST has the largest retail infrastructure in the country, but contributes about 0.03 per cent to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) with 300 courier companies.

    She said 10 pilot states will run the programme of its being converted to a platform for digital, financial and social inclusion across the country.

    The Postal sector in Nigeria has grown over time with more than 1,200 post offices owned by the government, close to 2,000 postal agency outfits managed by individuals, and over 290 registered private courier companies. However, statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that whilst year-on-year growth is increasing, the contribution of the Post and Courier Services sector to GDP (at 0.03 per cent) is still low.

    The Nigeria Postal Commission Bill 2014 is designed to reform and reposition the postal sector in line with global trends and international best practices. It promotes a postal sector that is efficient, cost effective, better funded and capable of delivering service that meets universal obligations embedded in National policies and programmes such as the Transformation Agenda and Vision 20:2020.

    The postal sector is managed by NIPOST, therefore, the growth of the sector is intrinsically tied to the reform of NIPOST.

  • Council urges implementation of Broadband Plan

    The National Broadband Council has urged stakeholders in the information communications technology (ICT) industry to expedite action on the implementation of National Broadband Plan of the Federal Government.

    Rising from its meeting chaired by Communications Technology Minister, Dr. Omobola Johnson, it acknowledged the progress made on the implementation of the Broadband Plan in the last 18 months, especially the increased capacity rolled out by telcos and other infrastructure providers, which had resulted in a two per cent increase in broadband penetration last year.

    The Council also said the successful auction of the 2.3 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum, licensing of the first two infrastructure companies (Infracos) for metro fibre rollout were giant strides, adding that companies that won should quickly rollout to improve the pace of implementation.

    It commended the trial of TV White Spaces approved by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) geared at reducing cost of internet access.

    A statement by Senior Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister, Efem Nkanga, said the Council also commended the telcos for their leadership in the area of base station infrastructure sharing and deployment and resolved that this needed to be extended to fibre.

    “Of particular concern to the Council, and the subject of extensive discussion during the meeting was the need to increase the landing points of international submarine cables beyond Lagos to other coastal states,” the statement said.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • ‘Outsourcing enables optimal use of IT infrastructure’

    ‘Outsourcing enables optimal use of IT infrastructure’

    The Chief Executive Officer of Computer Warehouse Group, Austin Okere has described outsourcing as a key enabler of optimal use of information technology (IT) infrastructure.

    Speaking at the Airtel’s Regional Corporate Customers’ Forum/Dinner in Lagos titled:  ‘Is IT and Network a Revenue Enabler or a Call Centre?’, Okere said there are two sides to a coin.

    He said the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN), which CWG partnered Airtel and others to build, is a cost to the government, Airtel’s investment on aerial fibre optic cables is also at a cost to the telco.

    He explained that both are investments which benefits outweigh their costs, adding that while the former connects the country to the global learning and research portal, the latter makes the telco’s network more resilient.

    “The discussion five years ago was what was appropriate to spend and there was so much research and the pendulum swung to between three and five per cent of revenue, which was adjudged to be a fair amount of money for IT to spend. The issue about benchmarking this amount is that you are taking the median and somebody is spending 1000 when the median is 500.

    “If am spending the 5000 and citing Gartner figures, you are not being fair to me as a CIO. At the end of the day, those benchmarks ended up just what they were, which were benchmarks. Ecobank has a shared centre which it called e-process, which is eventually turning into an IT company that is beginning to provide service to all Ecobank’s operations globally.

    He said in the telecoms sector, the same process is done a little bit differently through outsourcing. IBM does outsourcing for Airtel; Huawei does for Etisaltat. The other one has CWG doing their outsourcing. Okere explained that outsourcing becomes more optimal because the companies doing it are also doing it for all the customers, saying that there is learning that you are going to bring to the table that will make you hit the ground running quicker.

    “It doesn’t diminish the value of what you are getting because you are not doing it because somebody else is doing it for you. What it does is that it is something that you are good at doing, so your IT people will sit up and roll up their sleeves,” Okere said.

    He identified cloud computing as another cost cutting design, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that don’t have the huge funding requirements of setting up an IT centre. According to Okere, the smart thing for SMEs to do is to take advantage of a platform that has been built.

    “The next level is cloud computing. This is speaking more to the SMEs because they cannot afford the kind of budget that you will need even to set up an IT centre and you are talking about shops in Ikota, in Maitiama, Iyana Ipaja. I am talking about people making tie and dye; people in carpentry and so on. They want to use technology to enhance their businesses and they need to incur a certain cost,” he said.

    Okere sais the way forward is for them to take a solution that someone has done for everybody and plug into it just like a utility. It is more optimal to have water from the waterworks than everybody digging a borehole. In Lagos, it is more optimal for power to come from the central grid than everybody having a generator.

    “We are spending the same amount. When everybody is generating power, the cost does not match the benefit. When the power is coming from the grid, you make an investment in which the benefit outweighs the cost. So, at the end of the day, you will need to spend money for the technology that you need to provide services because you have to look at what is the optimal rate to make an investment so that the benefits far outweigh the cost.”

  • Aerial cables solution to vandalism, says Phase 3 chief

    Aerial cables solution to vandalism, says Phase 3 chief

    With mounting complaints about incessant optic fibre cables’ (OFC) cut, which aggravate poor quality of service (QoS) by telcos, West Africa’s largest independent OFC infrastructure and telecommunications services provider, Phase3 Telecom, has said the option to terrestrial OFC is aerial which rides on high tension wires of power distribution companies (DISCOs)

    Its Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Jegede, who spoke on the sideline in Lagos, emphasised the uniqueness of aerial fibre optics technology.

    He said provides the best and most reliable transmission medium connecting cities in Nigeria and across the West African sub-region.

    “Phase 3 is offering the reliability of aerial fiber optics platform to connect multiple business locations, residential areas, institutions and government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) with diverse needs locally and across the region in the fastest and most resourceful manner that will broaden full business and internet potentials.

    “This is in line with ongoing debate in the IT/ICT space in the country, which revolves around broadband connectivity in terms of access, affordability and speed. Ours is also in line with the Federal Government’s broadband aspirations-ubiquity and access, because of its potential to grow the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).”

    He said the firm is connecting several cities, including Ibadan and Kaduna to its internet protocol/multiprotocol label switching (IP/MPLS) point-of-access to provide affordable and robust broadband with enterprise solutions offerings, adding that this development means people and businesses in these cities will enjoy network access to several cities globally through the firm’s global IP/MPLS services, leveraging on its long term collaborations and partnerships with organisations such as with PCCW Global.

    Jegede said the firm is expanding the reach of the company’s network through enterprise solutions and broadband services, stressing that it reinforces its dedication to value creation and solid commitment to providing exceptional customer experience and best in class technological solutions.

    He argued that the firm will continue to ensure service provision at low cost, making communications simpler and bringing multiple networks together onto a single IP platform that makes them easier to manage. This is because more businesses can connect to all their sites from large offices to smaller ones and choose the right access for each one based on available speed and resilience options.

    He said the firm’s enterprise solutions remained the best ICT decision that will help businesses cut costs and sustain value creation as well as increase productivity which is a much needed respite for doing business in a country such as Nigeria where the cost of doing business is significantly high.

  • Vodacom signs to Convention on Business Integrity

    Vodacom signs to Convention on Business Integrity

    A technology firm, Vodacom Business Nigeria, has signed into the Convention on Business Integrity (CBi), a move which it said underscored its commitment to the observance of the Code of Business Integrity both within the company and in its dealings with customers and partners.

    Managing Director, Vodacom Business Africa, Douglas Craigie–Stevenson and his Vodacom Business Nigeria counterpart, Guy Clarke signed for Vodacom while the Executive Director, CBi, Mr Soji Apampa signed for his organisation during a ceremony in Ikoyi, Lagos.

    Craigie-Stevenson said Vodacom has always maintained the highest level of integrity in its business dealings in every country it operated, adding that formally joining the group is a further manifestation of the firm’s unalloyed commitment of standing on the side of integrity all the time.

    “Joining the Convention on Business Integrity shows our commitment to conducting all our business affairs with honesty and professionalism,” he said.

    Apampa commended Vodacom Business Nigeria for taking the bull by its horns, stressing that with firms such as Vodacom joining the CBi, corporate governance will become a reality while corruption will become reduced.

    He said: “We recognise the necessity to build a strong alliance of companies and organisations such as Vodacom, their collective action will improve corporate governance and reduce corruption in the Nigerian business environment.”