The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nokia

  • Red Cheetah App Exceeds 100,000 Downloads

    The Android version of the innovative Red Cheetah Free Wi-Fi App launched by Swift Networks has crossed the one hundred thousand downloads mark and this is excluding the users of the web and Windows versions of this innovative platform. In addition, the usage of the app has hit an all-time high of 50,000 sessions per day. The app which provides up to 1 Gigabyte of free Wi-Fi internet access per day per user is available at its dedicated 500 hotspots across Lagos State.

    The platform is currently supported by advert revenues from iconic brands like Milo, Nokia, Quickteller, Shoprite, UBA and many others who use it to connect to and engage with this important demographic group. This is in addition to the SMEs who now use Red Cheetah to reach their target prospects relying on its high level of profiling and geo-targeting precision leading to minimal media waste and outstanding return on investment.

    Speaking on this milestone achievement, the Chief Operating Officer of Swift Networks, Mr. Chukwuma Okoye, said that “the accelerating adoption rate for the Red Cheetah service is a clear testament that it is meeting a critical need in the life of its users. We gave ourselves the tall order to help close the digital gap in the country starting with Lagos State and we are well on our way to achieving this feat. It’s been a challenging undertaking given the complexity of the technology and project management skills required to deliver this service model but the rewards so far outweigh the sacrifices, especially now that users and advertisers are warming up to the platform.”

    According to SWIFT’s General Manager SwiftMedia, Mr Bolaji Ige, “my team will not rest on its oars in our quest to reach every nook and cranny of this country with the Red Cheetah Free Wi-Fi service and while continuously improving the user experience. I want to specially thank our early advertising partners whose patronage has made this laudable initiative a reality.”

    Red Cheetah hotspots are currently located across Lagos, especially on tertiary institution campuses, the malls, hotels, restaurants, clubs, hospitals, over 200 BRT buses, among others.

  • Nokia reshuffles management, to focus on 5G market

    The head of Nokia’s mobile networks arm, its largest business unit, is leaving the Finnish company as part of changes designed to position the company for the 5G telecoms era, Nokia said at the weekend.

    Marc Rouanne, Nokia’s head of mobile networks will be replaced by Tommi Uitto, a Finn described by the company as an “expert in radio technologies”.

    Frenchman Rouanne is the second senior executive to leave Nokia within the past few weeks after the head of its patent business, Ilkka Rahnasto, resigned at the beginning of last month.

    Nokia plans to merge the mobile networks and fixed networks business groups into a new unit called Access Networks which will have a president, who is yet to be named.

    Mobile networks accounts for around 30 per cent of Nokia’s revenue. Under Rouanne, it had been in charge of developing and selling new 5G technologies in which operators are only beginning to invest.

    “By creating a single Access Networks organisation that includes both fixed and mobile, we can improve our customer focus, simplify our management structure, and more efficiently leverage our full portfolio,” Chief Executive Rajeev Suri said in a statement.

    Uitto has been leading mobile networks product sales since Nokia acquired its Franco-American rival Alcatel-Lucent in 2016 for 15.6 billion euros.

    The company’s share price was down around 1.7 per cent.

    Nokia last month launched a new cost-cutting program and repeated an ambitious profit forecast, saying operators’ demand for 5G networks would gather pace in the remainder of the year.

    The networks industry — dominated by Nokia, Ericsson  and China’s Huawei — has been battered by years of slowing demand for existing 4G networks and investor doubts over when the benefits from 5G contracts will begin.

  • MTN, Nokia term up on customer experience

    With the increasing demand on telecoms network services and the subsequent rise in customer related issues, MTN, in partnership with Nokia, has launched a revolutionary cognitive analytics solution for customer insight.

    The proprietary solution was designed to provide a complete view of customer experience, device analytics, network experience and usage. This will help the company better and much quicker understand network quality/user issues, reduce customer churn, grow usage, achieve best experience in the market and lead to a more positive net promoter score (NPS).

    The project, which commenced in MTNN late last year with the deployment of platforms and a Service Operations Centre (SOC) at VGC, was presented to media, stakeholders and regulatory agencies present at the Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. After presentations and a brief question and answer session, the guests were conveyed to the Service Operation Centre (SOC) in VGC, Lagos for the commissioning and use case demonstration.

    Commenting at the launch,  Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Ferdi Moolman, said: “We have always been a customer-centric organisation, placing unmeasurable value on our customers and their experiences, and constantly seeking ways to better serve them. We are very excited about this launch today as it marks a new era in customer relations not just for us as MTN and our customers, but also for telecommunications and the technology ecosystem as a whole”

    Also commenting at the event, General Manager, Customer Experience, MTN Nigeria, Kola Oyeyemi said: “Our customers are our most critical asset as an organisation, and this has driven us to seek for partnerships that will make our customers delighted. The new CEM system will help us anticipate the problems customers might face even before they experience it, and this helps us tackle those problems ahead of time. This means customers don’t have to go through any nasty experience and the service is also at no extra cost to the customer.”

  • Nokia tackles fast battery consumption with Nokia 2

    Nokia tackles fast battery consumption with Nokia 2

    Mr Joseph Umunakwe, General Manager (West, East and Central Africa), HMD Global – on Tuesday said that Nokia 2 had tackled fast battery consumption.

    In a statement in Lagos, Umunakwe said that Nokia 2 battery was built to last for two days.

    HMD Global develops and markets smart phones and feature phones under the Nokia brand name.

    “Nokia phones are associated with great battery life; today, we announce a smart phone that takes it to a whole new level.

    “People rely on their phones so much these days with many subconsciously rationing the battery life so they can last the day.

    “To make this a reality, every component of the Nokia 2 – from display to battery, chipset to system design – has been engineered to draw as little power as possible,’’ Umunakwe said.

  • Nokia unveils 4G LTE network

    Nokia, a global telecommunication firm has introduced its 4G LTE communication network to the Nigerian Information Technology (IT) space.

    Telcos, governments at all levels are expected to key into the new development for better internet accessibility.

    The Head of Marketing, Middle East and West Africa, Joachim Wuilmet during a demonstration of the new innovations in Abuja said the new 4G internet service was capable of supporting businesses across the country and beyond.

    Describing Nigeria as a growing market that has good potentials, he said mobile operators working with the fixed operators could further expand market opportunities in the country.

    He said Internet Service Providers (ISPs) could also improve their services to subscribers by adopting the LTE while government can adopt it for protecting the citizens and their environments (smart city).

    According to him, the event was aimed to gather experts, media and other stakeholders in the IT world to Nokia product demonstrations on new ideas and innovations in the sector.

    He added that event was put together to enlighten the global community on its activities towards ensuring the world remain digitally connected.

    He said: “2G network was good for voice, 3G was for beginning of data and 4G brings the full mobile Internet experience. This is the new innovation in Africa.”

  • Nokia devises account for 7m smartphones, says MTN

    Nokia devises account for 7m smartphones, says MTN

    MTN, Usman Idris of the eight million 3G devices on the network of the  seven million are Nokia devices, its Manager, Data and Device, Usman Idris has said.

    He said:  79 per cent of the devices constitute cash cow for the telco as the fortunes of voice calls diminish paving way for data.

    Speaking during the launch of Lmia 930 in Lagos, Idris said the telco was exploring the option of expanding its channel links to drive revenue for the firm as earnings from voice calls continue to dip.

    He said the partnership the telco had with Microsoft Mobile Devices had worked very well as it has been a win-win situation for both parties, adding that there is more room for partnership.

    According to him, MTN will do more in the open channel space by making its presence felt in Slot, Otigba Market, Ikeja and other such open channels to get closer to the customers.

    Also Managing Director, Microsoft Mobile Devices & Services, Nick Imudia, said the firm partnered with MTN and Mansard Insurance to underscore the premium placed on providing exciting services to customers all the time in the country.

    He said it was not by accident that the three big Ms (Microsoft, MTN and Mansard) were coming together to form a formidable alliance all in the interest of the customers.

    According to him, while MTN will provide data bundle for the new device, Mansard will take care of the insurance aspect which is also covered by Microsoft Devices’ 12 months warranty.

    He said the device was beautifully crafted and designed with the customer’s ways pf life at the back of the mind of the firm. According to him,  it is a machine that combines work with play.

  • Microsoft acquires Nokia devices, Services

    United States technology giants, Microsoft Corporation has completed the acquisition of the Nokia Devices and Services business.

    Speaking on the development,  Microsoft Chief Executive Officer,  Satya Nadella, said: “Today we welcome the Nokia Devices and Services business to our family. The mobile capabilities and assets they bring will advance our transformation. Together with our partners, we remain focused on delivering innovation more rapidly in our mobile-first, cloud-first world.”

    Reporting to Nadella is former Nokia President and CEO Stephen Elop, who will serve as executive vice president of the Microsoft Devices Group, overseeing an expanded devices business that includes Lumia smartphones and tablets, Nokia mobile phones, Xbox hardware, Surface, Perceptive Pixel (PPI) products and accessories.

     As part of the transaction, Microsoft will honor all existing Nokia customer warranties for existing devices.

    The acquisition has been approved by Nokia shareholders and by governmental regulatory agencies around the world. The completion of the acquisition marks the first step in bringing these two organizations together as one team.

  • Hellofood.com partners Nokia

    Hellofood.com, an online food delivery company, has partnered Nokia.

    This was announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

    The global food delivery app Hellofood app will launch across the Nokia Asha, Lumia and X family of devices. Many partners, such as Facebook, BBM, Twitter, LINE, Viber, Electronic Arts, Gameloft and Rovio are also making their key apps available across Nokia’s device portfolio of feature phones, Asha, Nokia X and Lumia.

    Nokia unveiled new affordable handsets, including a new family of smartphones debuting on the Nokia X software platform. The launch builds on Nokia’s leadership in delivering innovation to more price points with its family of Lumia smartphones, and the latest momentum for Windows Phone.

    “Across our portfolio of devices, Hellofood is delivering a convenient way to view menus and order food with major restaurant franchises around the world,” said Bryan Biniak, vice president/General Manager of Nokia.

    “We’re getting hungry already as we look forward to working with Hellofood to expand the reach of their app in growth markets.

    “The partnership with a global player such as Nokia is a great honor for us,” said Ralf Wenzel, Global Managing Director of Hellofood.

    “Being available on Nokia smartphones fits well into our strategy of ensuring that people around the world experience convenience, variety and great customer service when ordering food via Hellofood, “ he added.

    The online marketplace Hellofood helps restaurants increase delivery sales through online and mobile platforms and provides them with constantly evolving technology and analytics. Customers can choose their favourite meal online and Hellofood processes the order directly to the restaurant, which delivers the meal to the customer. Hellofood is partners to over 22,000 restaurants worldwide.

  • Microsoft to win EU okay for $7.3b Nokia deal

    Microsoft to win EU okay for $7.3b Nokia deal

    Nokia mobile phone lies on a tablet computer showing logos of Microsoft, in this illustration picture taken in Frankfurt, November 18, 2013.

    Microsoft is set to secure unconditional EU regulatory approval for its proposed 5.4-billion-euro ($7.30 billion) takeover of Nokia’s mobile phone business, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

    The deal, announced in September and which includes a 10-year licensing agreement of Nokia’s patent portfolio, underscores Microsoft’s push into the competitive consumer devices market.

    It faces fierce competition from market leader Samsung Electronics and Apple.

    “The (European) Commission is expected to clear the deal without conditions,” one of the people said.

    The EU competition watchdog has set a December 4 deadline for its decision. Commission spokesman for competition policy, Antoine Colombani, declined to comment. Microsoft also declined to comment. Nokia did not immediately reply to an email for comments.

    Regulators in Russia, India, Turkey and Israel have already given the green light to the deal. Nokia shareholders earlier this week also gave a thumbs-up to the sale of what was once Finland’s biggest brand and worth 4 percent of the national GDP.

     

     

     

  • Airtel, Nokia partner over Asha series

    Airtel is partnering Nokia on the new Asha Series 501 and 210 which were recently introduced into the market to enhance the quality of products and better service delivery.

    Nokia Operator Account Manager Beatrice Olumhense said the belief is that the devices are modelled to change the way consumers experience the internet as well as being able to keep in touch with what is going around.

    She spoke while unraveling the qualities embedded in the new Asha series in Lagos, adding that the Asha 501 device is made of a monobody able to resist scratches as usually experienced by mobile phone users. The device provides consumers with ranges of bright luring colours.

    “Today, we are introducing the 501 series with stunning that actually takes turn from the successful app. We know that our youths drop their phones, scratch their phones when using them for different things. Now we have made sure that these colours are scratch proof and even when you scratch, the back has a capacity torch. We have also ensured that our consumers have a choice of what colour to pick from,” she added.