The Nation Newspaper

Tag: internet

  • Poor service quality: Reps probe internet service providers

    The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to begin an industry-wide audit of the quality of service being provided by internet service providers (ISP) in Nigeria.

    The lawmakers said the exploitation of internet service consumers by ISPs had gone on for too long without being checked.

    The lawmakers said the audit was necessary because since the introduction of commercial scale internet services in Nigeria, consumers have been subjected to exploitation, ranging from exorbitant rates, poor service delivery, limited coverage and non-existent roll-out option to slow internet access, among others.

    The sponsor of the motion, which was adopted by the House, Oluwole Oke (PDP, Osun) said the trend had continued to cause untold hardship to many subscribers and businesses which have been deprived of the right quality of service to enable them stay competitive.

    This trend must not be allowed to continue unchecked, he said.

    In their resolution, the lawmakers also urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to set up a framework through which internet service consumers would be compensated for poor services by ISPs.

  • N6b lost to internet fraud in 2014, says NIBSS

    N6b lost to internet fraud in 2014, says NIBSS

    The economy lost over N6billion last year to internet fraud the Nigerian Interbank Settlement Systems (NIBSS) has said.

    Hackers, it said, gained entry into accounts either through internal collusion, customers’ carelessness or breaking into the security system of financial institutions and companies from outside.

    At an event organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on  the role of ICT in a cashless economy, NIBSS Managing Director,  Mr. Adebisi Shonubi said the challenge financial institutions, organisations and individuals grapple with in a cashless economy is that of security of funds.

    Examining the growth of cashless economy, Shonubi said 95 per cent transaction in 2011 was based on cash with attendant high armed robbery cases where bank bullion vans were attacked almost on a daily basis.

    He said people did almost all their transactions in cash to the extent that in every N100 spent, N65 was on cash transaction.

    In comparison with recent years, he said,  between 2013 and 2014, for instance, cashless transactions increased to 53 per cent in volume and 78 per cent in value, growing the economy by cutting down on excessive cost.

    Represented by the agency’s Director of Industrial Services, Mr. Olufemi Fadiro, he encouraged the public to be more circumspect in disclosing their personal data to strangers or paying online.

    He maintained that somebody can be in Nigeria and lose his life savings outside Nigeria because of the heightened interest of people to pay everything online and also disclose the security numbers to unknown sites.

    Speaking on ‘Providing Seamless Connectivity in E-commerce,’ Managing Director, Vodacom Business Africa (Nig.), Mr. Guy Clarke, outlined the importance of e-commerce to the economy, noting for instance, that it makes life easier for people by giving them alternatives and choice of the durability of the products they are buying.

    He said it also ensures seamless transaction between customers and the service companies. Represented by Mr. Abu Eto however, encouraged the e-commerce companies to ensure adequate security, sustainability and connectivity.

    Earlier, Chairman, LCCI, ICT Group, Mr. Zakari Usman, called for a policy drive towards cashless economy that will benefit everybody. He canvassed a position that will holistically resolve issues and challenges associated with cashless economy by making the products user-friendly.

    He hinted that cashless economy has reduced robberies at homes and banks as people no longer carry cash, but do their transactions on phones and other devices.

    He said the industries and the economy can only grow with cutting edge technologies where people can sit at the comfort of their homes and offices to transact their businesses.

  • NCC: Internet users hit 97m

    NCC: Internet users hit 97m

    From 95.37 million in August, the number of internet users  has risen to 97.21 million, says the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in its Monthly Internet Subscribers’ Data for September.

    INEC indicated that internet users on both Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks increased by 1.84 million in the month under review.

    Of the 97.21 million internet users, it said 97.06 million were on GSM networks and 151,816 users were on CDMA networks.

    The CDMA operators lost 367 internet users, after recording 151,816 in September, against 152,183 in August, the data obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) indicated. MTN has 41.84 million subscribers browsing the internet on its network.

    NCC explained that MTN recorded an increase of 423,448 internet subscribers in September, after recording 41.41 million in August.

    Globacom has 21.89 million subscribers surfing the net on its network in September. According to the data, 20.77 million surfed the internet on the network in August.

    But Airtel had 17.73 million internet users in September as against 17.49 million customers recorded in August.

    The data showed that internet users on the Airtel network increased by 235,941 in September.

    NCC also said that Etisalat had 15.59 million customers, who browsed the internet in September, against the 15.54 million users in August.

    The data showed that those browsing the net on Etisalat’s network rose by 57,061 in the month of September.

    The NCC data also revealed that the CDMA operators, Multi-Links and Visafone, had a joint total of 151,816 internet users on their networks in September.

    It showed that the country’s only two surviving CDMA networks recorded a decrease of 367 internet subscribers in the month under review, from the 152,183 users they recorded in August.

    According to the data, Visafone has a decrease of 393 customers surfing the internet in September, as it has 151,530, compared to the 151,923 users in the month of August.

    Multi-Links had 286 internet users in September, adding 26 customers from the August record of 260 users.

    The increase in the use of the internet in the month of September showed that more Nigerians were embracing data as the next revolution as the country moves towards achieving 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018.

  • How to drive internet penetration, by Payporte

    The Managing Director, PayPorte Global System, Eyo Bassey, has stressed the need to do more by both the private and public sectors of the economy to drive internet penetration in the country to boost the growth of e-commerce and job creation.

    He said pursuant to this, Payporte, a leading online shopping portal is giving away free internet to hundreds of thousands of Nigerians on the Airtel network. According to him, it has been made possible through Opera’s Sponsored Web Pass, which enables brands to sponsor no-cost internet access through mobile operators to provide customers with easy-to-understand methods of accessing the net.

    According to a research firm, Ipsos, Nigeria is taking the lead in Africa in terms of online shopping uptake with over half of internet users having engaged with online shopping portals. However, data usage in Nigeria remains low when compared to mobile penetration.

    He said initiatives such as this aim to provide a free taste of the internet for those who do not regularly go online.

    Payporte is sponsoring 100,000 days of free internet every month for six months.

    He said: “E-commerce is revolutionising the way many Nigerians shop. We at Payporte are thrilled to provide free internet to current and future online shoppers and give them a taste for everything the internet has to offer.”

    VP Africa, Opera Software, Richard Monday, said: “Opera Software strives to pioneer solutions that facilitate low or no-cost access to mobile internet. We’re excited to work with Payporte and our operator partners in Nigeria to help bring more people online.”

    Airtel Nigeria subscribers can find the free pass by going to webpass.opera.com.

     

  • Facebook’s solar-powered drone to beam internet from sky

    Facebook has completed the production of its first full-scale solar-powered internet drone that will deliver wireless internet with lasers from the sky in parts of the developing world where internet availability is still a dream.

    Mark Zuckerberg has announced the completion of Aquila, Facebook’s first unmanned plane that beams down internet connectivity from the sky, as part of his project with Internet.org.

    “It has the wingspan of a Boeing 737, but weighs less than a car and can stay in the air for months at a time,” Zuckerberg said in a statement posted on his Facebook blog on Thursday.

    “We have also made a breakthrough in laser communications technology. We have successfully tested a new laser that can transmit data at 10 gigabits per second,” he continued.

    “That is 10 times faster than any previous system, and it can accurately connect with a point the size of a dime from more than 10 miles away,” Zuckerberg said.

    Aquila’s wings are made of a type of material called carbon fibre.

    “When the carbon fibre material undergoes a kind of heating process known as curing, it can become “stronger than steel for the same mass of material,” Yael Maguire, Facebook Connectivity Lab director, wrote in a blog post.

    The drone has been developed by Facebook’s Connectivity Lab which is part of Facebook’s Internet.org initiative to bring the internet to places where there is a lack of connectivity.

    This effort is important “because 10 per cent of the world’s population lives in areas without existing internet infrastructure. To affordably connect everyone, we need to build completely new technologies,” Zuckerberg informed.

    In an accompanying video, Facebook engineers said that the drone will fly from 60,000 to 90,000 feet above the Earth and stay in the sky three months at a time.

    “Using aircraft to connect communities using lasers might seem like science fiction. But science fiction is often just science before its time,” Zuckerberg wrote.

    Facebook will have lasers on the ground that can locate the dome-shaped optical head, located on the bottom of the plane, in the air basically shooting a laser at a dime-sized target that is more than 10 miles away, tech portal The Verge reported.

    The plane will first hone in on the general location of the laser on the ground, proceeding to target it further and lock onto the location so that it can start beaming down the internet.

     

  • Youths are dragged into Boko Haram through internet – Emir Sanusi

    Youths are dragged into Boko Haram through internet – Emir Sanusi

    The Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi II yesterday said exposure of the youths of nowadays to information technology and new social media dragged them into joining Jihadist and Boko Haram groups.

    Speaking during the 10th Annual Ramadan Lecture organised by VON, NTA/FRCN held in Kaduna yesterday, the Emir said the youths learn new ideologies from the internet and after watching they get up to go to Iraqi and Syria to join the Jihadist group.

    According to him, “Through information technology and emergence of internet and social media, today’s youth go on the computer and they learn Islam from facebook and twitter. They learn Islam from videos they watch on facebook and after 14 to 15 hours of watching new things, they decide that they need to become jihadists. They get up and go to Iraq or Syria or somewhere and join the group. And there are no controls. Right inside your house, your son can be sitting upstairs in the bedroom getting indoctrinated into an extremist without your knowledge. We need to watch what our children watch. And we need to talk to them. If we do not give them the correct Islamic Education, they will find the wrong education on the internet.

    “Now, this is very important because we have spent so much time in ignorance. I know we must send our children to school to acquire western education, which is very important. You have children going to England and becoming radicalised in American on the internet, not only in the Muslim countries. So we need to make sure that we give our children correct Islamic education, especially to take them away from religious Extremism.

    “In the 21st century, the Muslim ummah is facing enormous challenges. This century is facing challenges such as changing from traditional lifestyle to modern lifestyles. The increasing independence of women and awareness of their rights, which represents huge challenges for this caused by Boko Haram, especially on matters of marriage and divorce. Are we still living in the era in which fathers can force their daughters into marriage without their permission? Yes we are. Early marriage, yes we are in Nigeria. And it is hurting and destroying our society. We are the ones to address these social issues and they are problems.

    “And you know that taking her out of school and forcing her into marriage without education, results into having a child from her who does not have a mother that can give him training. That is a child that gets on drugs, hemp or joins Boko Haram. All these things are connected. We have to face these challenges,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Director General of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, Ladan Salihu, advocated for regulations of Islamic preaching, which tends to pollute the minds of the Muslim ummahs.

    “I am one of those who subscribe to the fact that preaching must be regulated. The situation we have now is people whose preaching are not checked. In fact, those who preach nowadays are preaching to win group to their sides, not souls to the way of Allah,” Salihu stated.

    The topic of the lecture was “The Challenges of Muslim Ummah in the 21st Century.”

     

  • Vodacom takes internet connectivity to Lagos school

    Vodacom Busines Nigeria has stepped in to  provide WiFi services for students and teachers in classrooms, laboratories, workshops and staff offices. The firm also sponsored a 250KVA powered generator to help keep the school connected during power outages. The firm donated the facility to the Federal Science and Technology College, Yaba, to help improve the productivity of the teachers and students of the school.

    Speaking on the occasion, its Managing Director, Guy Clarke said: “Internet penetration in Nigeria is still low, especially in public schools. With the Power to You Project, we aim to bridge the digital divide that exists in communities and schools without access to ICT. It’s for this reason that we’re proud to be able to provide this connectivity to The Federal Science and Technology College, Yaba.”

    Responding, the school’s Principal, Chris Ugorji said: “The vision of the college is to provide the scientific and technical skills, required to produce self-reliant young men and women, ready for tertiary institution and the ICT industry. The sponsorship of high-speed internet access and power generator by Vodacom guarantees this vision and we are happy to be beneficiaries of this project.”

    The Vodacom Power to You Project supports public and private schools in the country by ensuring that students and teachers have access to ICT and new telecommunication technologies.

    The power of the internet is invaluable and connectivity has the potential to transform education and accelerate economic growth in Nigeria.

  • 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.

  • Curb internet fraud now

    The increasing wave of internet frauds is posing big threats to Nigeria. It also hinders the performance of internal auditors in tertiary institutions, the Provost of the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Oto/Ijanikin, Lagos, Mr. Olalekan Wasiu Bashorun, has said.

    Bashorun said this while addressing participants at the opening of the 16th Annual General Meeting of Committee of Heads of Internal Audit Directorates in Colleges of Education (CHIADINCOE).

    Represented by his deputy, Mr. Wole Ajose, the provost noted that there was the need for a handshake among internal audit of colleges of education, administrators, management, Governing Council and other stakeholders to bring about stronger corporate governance in order to attain effective management of internal controls.

    “There is a growing interest among institutions of higher learning to enhance risk management through better controls of internal checks, processes and procedure. It has, therefore, become necessary to promote the importance of accountability among all professionals,” he said.

    The process of measuring and evaluating effectiveness of internal controls system, according to Bashorun, may be one of the surest ways to improving global competitiveness in our colleges of education nationwide.

    Bashorun, therefore, challenged auditors to always take measures that would strengthen the quality of education services, provide the superficial changes and revamp the quality of education, which to him, “is nose-diving’.

    In his opening remarks, host and AOCOED chief internal auditor, Mr. Nathaniel Eluwande, said: “One of the purposes of the committee is to allow for the gathering of various heads of internal audit in all colleges of education in Nigeria, to discuss issues bordering on internal controls for the day to day administration of our institutions.”

    Earlier, CHIADINCOE chairman and Director, Internal Audit, College of Education, Akwanga, Nasarawa State, Mr. Barnabas Abudu, said auditors are saddled with the task of making regulatory chains to enhance supervisory oversight of risk management, while ensuring internal control measures in colleges of education.

    “The recent global financial crisis exposed a number of governance issues that resulted in failures of educational institutions in Nigeria,” Abudu said, noting that one only needs to revisit numerous bleak reports of risk governance frameworks to fully appreciate the amount of risks in the wake of those crises.

    Nonetheless, Abudu appealed to managements of tertiary institutions  for maximum cooperation that would allow experts express their opinions in financial activities.

  • Students lament poor Internet service

    STUDENTS of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) in Ogba, Lagos are worried over the state of the school’s internet facility. The facility was donated by the National Communication Commission (NCC), but students are claiming that it is not being maintained.

    A student, who declined to give her names, said: “The school Internet is not functioning properly and with the poor service, the service is restricted to students. Only the Higher National Diploma (HND) students are given Wi-Fi to access the Internet service. This is a communication institute and the Internet facility should be up and doing for students to get information and materials online.”

    Another student, Grace Omale, said the Internet service is not useful to the students since they cannot access it. She said they have complained to manangement.

    Grace said: “The Internet service is of no use to the students. In the last six months, we have made several complaints to the management, yet nothing has been done.”

    But, the Head of Computer and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Unit, Theresa Abiodun, said the school has sought NCC’s intervention to resolve the issue. “We have made complaints to the NCC, but they made it clear that the Internet facility was not subscribed for. That is why the internet fluctuates. But, we are working to get it back to normal.”