The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Rat race

  • Rat race for 5G revolution

    TO promote investment in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, availability of spectrum in a timely manner is a  major task for telecoms sector regulators.

    This is so because it will enable innovation and competition, as well as ensure the fifth generation (5G) services benefit consumers, businesses and industries.

    A report jointly published by Ericsson and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), titled: Making 5G a Reality for Africa, underscored the important position of timely availability of spectrum.

    The report said: “Regulators will have to determine the process they’ll follow to ensure mobile data growth and early 5G deployment is not hampered by spectrum requirements.”

    The fifth-generation technology is expected to set new standards for high-speed, wide bandwidth, low latency wireless connections. Mobile operators in South Africa are preparing for the rollout of 5G, but have for some time been saying 5G will not be possible without additional spectrum being allocated.

    Ericsson sees massive mobile growth in sub-Saharan Africa over the next five years, with mobile subscriptions likely to exceed 900 million, total mobile data traffic growing by 11 times compared to today, and 75 million cellular Internet of things (IoT) devices being connected by 2023. This will be aided by the growth of 4G/long term evolution (LTE) and 5G deployments if more spectrum is allocated.

    “Decisions on where, when and how operators deploy 5G are not only driven by commercial considerations but also on the availability of spectrum, network equipment and devices,” the report said.

    The authors said modern mobile networks need a variety of spectrum, with different frequencies providing different key components.

    Low frequency spectrum tends to offer better coverage, travelling distances and giving in-building coverage, at the expense of data rates (that is, speed). High frequency spectrum offers shorter coverage distances but substantially higher data rates.

    The report expected that 5G will need a mix of low, medium and high frequency spectrum, some of which will be ‘new’ spectrum and some ‘re-farmed’ spectrum, previously used by other services or even shared with existing services.

    As the use of spectrum is a global phenomenon, the spectrum bands available in Africa should not be different from that of other administrations, the report says, “as it would be expensive to use without the economies of scale for network equipment and device manufacturers that come from harmonised bands”.

    Ericsson believes governments in Africa should support 700megahertz (MHz), 800MHz, 2.6gigahertz (GHz), 3.5GHz, 26GHz and 40GHz as 5G pioneer bands.

    “The spectrum available for 5G will vary from market to market, according to whether it is already in use and the timing of auctions and licensing processes. Each spectrum band has different physical characteristics, which means there are trade-offs between capacity, coverage and latency, as well as reliability and spectral efficiency.”

    Ericsson said these trade-offs needed to be taken into consideration when planning 5G deployments, especially with regard to the mobile network operators’ (MNOs’) service focus, whether this is enhanced mobile broadband, massive IoT, critical IoT or fixed wireless access.

    Last month, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) confirmed plans to license high-demand radio frequency spectrum by the end of March 2019, which will likely be used first for 4G, and it’s still unclear as to when higher bands will be released with 5G in mind.

    Although the report said 5G will need the release of new spectrum, it highlighted that it will also require the re-farming and/or re-use of current spectrum.

    The report urged regulators to issue licences that are technology-neutral or unified licences, where MNOs can move one technology from a spectrum band and deploy a different technology, in that same band.

    But the Vice President/Head of Networks for Ericsson Middle East and Africa (MEA), Chafic Traboulsi, said spectrum should not be linked to specific technology.

    “In some countries, unfortunately, they link the frequencies to a specific technology. We believe it’s very important not to do this because it puts a barrier up right in the beginning,” Traboulsi said.

    The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Garb Dambatta, said spectrum licences in Nigeria are technology-neutral. This explains whhy telcos have been able to re-farm their previous spectrum for newer technologies such as LTE.

    While the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr Gbenga Adebayo, has advised the regulator to revisit its technology-neutral licensing, the regulator appears not in a hurry to do so. Dambatta believes other African countries should adopt  the model that makes spectrum not to be tied to a particular technology.

    The report added: “With the adoption of 5G, MNOs will require an increased amount of spectrum and therefore it is important that a country develop spectrum policies that will enable the fast adoption of innovative technologies and sustainable development of the mobile industry. This will help to realise maximum benefit for its citizens, particularly those that are unconnected.”

  • Woman loses husband, son same day

    Woman loses husband, son same day

    A 60-year old woman, Helen Odiazor, has cried for justice, following the alleged killing of her son, Melody, the same night her husband died.

    Police Commissioner Babatunde Kokumo has invited the Divisional Police Officer of Saint Saviour Police Station and members of the vigilance group, who allegedly killed Melody.

    The deceased, a tipper driver apprentice, was said to have been killed by members of the vigilance group at Tipper garage, on Saint Saviour Road, about 9pm when he was returning home after being informed about his father’s death.

    He was said to have been shot dead with two other boys.

    His mother, Helen, who was in tears, said it was painful for her to lose her husband and son the same day.

    She said her husband died in a hospital on November 8, and she was informed about her son’s death the same day.

    The woman said her son was heading home on hearing about his father’s death when he was allegedly killed by members of the vigilance group.

    She insisted that her son was not a robber.

    The deceased’s sister, Rachel, said policemen told the family that her brother was not dead, but being treated for gunshot injuries.

    She said the police refused to disclose the hospital or take the family to the hospital where he was being treated.

    Kokumo said he had invited the parties to a meeting for briefing.

    He said the impression given the police was that members of the vigilance group had an encounter with robbers, adding that another information had emerged about the killing.

  • Rat race for platform economy

    Rat race for platform economy

    Many companies, whether they realise it or not, have already taken steps to embed themselves into the digital ecosystems that will drive their growth in future. However, the pace of adopting new digital platforms for doing business needs to increase – especially in Africa. These platforms are business models that create value by facilitating exchanges between two or more interdependent groups, usually consumers and producers.

    ACCORDING to the Wall Street Journal, platform companies are major drivers of innovation as the top companies set the standards for the digital transformation taking place around the world. Traditional companies are challenged to keep up or risk being left behind. As platforms become the new normal for how business is done, African companies must seize this opportunity to begin to build a new digital value chain.

    According to the Chief Executive of Accenture South Africa and Chairman of Accenture Africa, William Mzimba, more than a quarter (27 per cent) of the executives Accenture recently surveyed reported that digital ecosystems are transforming the way their organisations deliver value. He said: “We found that 81 per cent of executives say platform-based business models will be core to their growth strategy within three years. The mandate for leaders is to capitalise on new relationships, building a network of digital partners that will not only enhance their existing business, but also allow them to forge their way into newly emerging digital ecosystems.

    ‘’What we are seeing is that entire ecosystems of customers are aggregating around several new digital platforms, and businesses are more motivated than ever before to take advantage of these entry points. Communication platforms such as WeChat and WhatsApp, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) intermediaries such as the Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri represent distinct ecosystems delivering unprecedented access to customers – and businesses are flocking to them.

    “A couple of examples include Hyatt Hotels, which uses Facebook Messenger to let guests do everything from booking and checking existing reservations to ordering room service during a stay, while Capital One bank developed a ‘skill’ for Amazon Echo’s Alexa, allowing people to check their accounts and pay credit card bills via the Echo device.”

    He said it is little surprise that the trend two of Accenture’s Tech Vision 2017 study highlights that in the State of the Cloud survey, 95 per cent of respondents reported using public, private, or hybrid cloud technology, while the chief information officer (CIO) Strategic Partner Index run by the IDC reports that 29 per cent of information technology (IT) leaders are spending more than half their IT budget on external providers. Each platform commitment means easier future engagement with other companies on the platform using the same infrastructure.

    However, of the 176 platform companies included in a recent report: The Rise of the Platform Enterprise: A Global Survey led by Peter Evans and Annabelle Gawer and sponsored by the Centre for Global Enterprise, Asia has the largest number with 82, 64 of which are in China. North America has 64, with 63 in the United States (U.S). Europe is a major consumer of platform services, but it’s home to relatively few platform companies -27 spread across 10 countries, nine of which are in the United Kingdom (UK). It is disturbing that Africa and Latin America have a number of small platform companies, only three of which have met the $1 billion valuation threshold for inclusion in the survey.

    More African companies need to decide which ecosystems to join and which roles to play as the technology changes are only the beginning.

    How do African companies begin to close the gaps?

    Mzimba said an important way to get moving on this journey is to conduct an audit identifying how many internal and external platforms you are using and the goals for their use, identify and address unnecessary overlaps. “Determine the platforms your organisation most relies on, as well as those that most depend on you. These are the ecosystems where your organisation should hold its strategic and market strengths.

    “Over the next 100 days, look to essentially develop a comprehensive strategy to establish the foundation for your platform business model and ecosystem. During this phase you should appoint a C-suite sponsor to oversee a team that is responsible for championing your new ecosystem and digital partnership strategies. Then ever the next year, leadership should have achieved comprehensive understanding of the new rules of business, developed a platform business model strategy, and started to test it with the launch of a small pilot programme.

    “Companies should keep expanding the conversation: for instance, in the first 100 days, have a strategy summit with your closest partners to understand their goals for the future; uncover shared goals and commit to developing a strategic plan for achieving them together.

    “Consider your organisation’s future through the lens of the biggest disruptions shaping your market, from inside and outside your industry. Craft the ideal role of your company in this future, and develop a shortlist of partners who can help make it a reality. And remember to develop metrics to quantify the results of ecosystem participation.

    “Many global brands are already taking the bold steps needed. The digital ecosystem is, for instance, totally redefining what automakers do; rather than just building cars, they’re engaging with customers throughout the vehicle lifecycle, directly managing software upgrades, diagnostics, and safety. In the insurance industry, pulling down driving data from connected car platforms has enabled new services such as pay-per-mile insurance with newcomers like Google and Metromile to challenge the industry status quo. The opportunities are endless, no matter what industry you are in,” Mzimba said.

    According to him, General Motors (GM) kicked off 2016 with a $500 million investment into ride-share platform Lyft. The move gave GM the inroads to launch their Express Drive service, an exclusive offering for successful, but car-less, Lyft driver applicants to rent a car directly from GM and get to work right away. The programme was remarkably successful in the short term, opening a new line of business for GM: by July, 30 per cent of new Lyft drivers were requesting an Express Drive vehicle in their sign-up.

    In addition to partnering with Lyft, GM also made a $1 billion-plus acquisition of the autonomous vehicle software company Cruise Automation, and another billion-dollar investment in building an autonomous vehicle testing facility in Detroit.

    This shows how platforms are rapidly becoming the central hubs for the rich and complex digital ecosystems that companies want to access. Consider the fact that 70 per cent of ‘unicorn’ startups (over $1 billion!) are platform companies. Other companies such as personal car-rental app Turo and group dining experience Feastly have introduced their own offerings, as have dozens of start-ups, each with their own angle and offering. LiquidSpace, which lists offerings in more than 500 cities across the U.S, Australia and Canada, offers a platform for renting workspaces and meeting rooms by the day or hour.

    In South Africa, a good example of a company embracing the platform economy and reaping rewards is Discovery Vitality, while Discovery’s proposed bank is another example of the evolution of this concept into other exciting sectors. The retail market for consumer goods in South Africa received a shot in the arm in 2015 when Kalahari was merged with Takealot, with the technology platform cleverly harnessed to drive growth since then.

    Remember the sharing economy brings people together through technology to exchange or rent access to goods and services, so entrepreneurs are building this economy by leveraging emerging digital technologies to meet customer needs in new and disruptive ways.

    Digital and mobile technologies have combined with public support to create a host of opportunities to transform the way government manages the infrastructure it has already acquired. For instance, through MuniRent, six local governments in Michigan are already renting equipment to and from each other.

    How African companies and governments react to this change brought about the platform economy will define their prospects going forward. The platforms they use will serve as the pathways to the new digital economies that will drive growth and jobs across the continent. They will form the pillars of entire value chains in the future and so African companies need to ensure they make these decisions wisely – and fast because there is no doubt that the digital partnerships African companies make today will determine how successful they will be tomorrow.

  • Rat race tears Okpella apart

    Rat race tears Okpella apart

    Crisis is brewing in hitherto peaceful Okpella community in Estako East Local Government Area of Edo State as Komunio, one the clans that make up the community, is at daggers drawn with the monarch, Okuokpellagbe, and other clans.

    The battle may not be unconnected with the huge mineral deposits in the community, as it was gathered that some influential leaders of Komunio, also known as Afokpella, are on a mission to excise the clan from Okpella, in a move for their people to gain unfettered control of their resources.

    A source said: “The revitalisation of the Okpella Cement Factory under the ownership of the BUA Group and other economic interests appeared to have triggered recent demand for autonomy by the Komunio clan as the company is located in the clan.”

    It was further learnt that the agitation for autonomy by the Afokpellas is coming at a time Okpella community is locked in a battle with its neighbors in Kogi State over ownership of a large parcel of land with huge limestone and other mineral deposit.

    The growing tension escalated recently when the President of Komunio Community, Chief Charles Adogah, authored a letter dated 24 July to the Chairman, BUA Cement Company Limited, hinting of the community’s move for autonomy.

    Adogah told the company that his clan had decided to indefinitely boycott activities at palace of the Okpella monarch, Okuokpellagbe of Okpella, HRH Andrew Yusuf Dirisu, citing perceived high-handedness, tyranny, and injustice.

    He asked the company not to transact any business whatsoever with the Okpella monarch on any matter that concerned the Komunio community and reminded the company that the parcel of land where the company is currently located and the minerals therein form part of the landed property of Komunio community.

    It was gathered that those leading the agitation by Komunio clan included Chief Adogah (SAN), Dr Ayuba Giwa, Philip Magnus, a community leader and Messrs Edward Sado and Anthony Usman, both of whom are lawyers.

    Our findings revealed that trouble started on June 16 when the traditional ruler summoned a meeting of the Okpella Traditional Council based on series of petitions from Ogiriga community that it wants to be a clan of its own and not under the Komunio community.

    It was also alleged by elders of the Komunio community who were at the meeting that a hidden agenda of HRH Dirisu was to dissolve the Komunio Ruling House and make part of Komunio an annex of the Imiegiele Okashie quarters so that no others parts would form part of the Ogiriga and Iddo sub-clan/ruling house.

    Chief Adogah, Dr. Ayuba, Sadoh and Usman wrote a strong-worded letter to the monarch accusing him of plotting to dislodge them from the place they have occupied for over 300 years.

    They reminded the monarch that the same gazette legal notice, which recognised his position as Clan head or Paramount Chief of Okpella equally recognised the Komunio Ruling House of the Oteku Sub-clan of Okpella clan.

    The letter reads: “No law or rule of law vests jurisdiction in you to decapitate Okpella, eliminate kindred and or villages or sub-clans or ruling houses that you hate and add more to your own village or any other for the purpose of “divide and rule” or to ignite inter-kindred conflicts.

    “No law or rule of law vest in you or any Clan head of Okpella as at today in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, any jurisdiction to make any declaration of the title to land as you have purported to do in favour of your own kindred and others or at all, certainly not after more than 300years of our ownership and occupation of the said land area.

    “We have hitherto believed that the unity and peaceful coexistence of Okpella was one of your primary responsibilities and not its economic exploitation and despoliation, which is the only reason you are attempting this patent lawlessness and illegality after all the assistance we have personally rendered to you to assist in the maintenance of peace in our beloved clan.

    “We shall make a report of this lawlessness and caprice to the Government of Edo state that made the legal notice under reference so that they can be forewarned of your moves to cause significant and serious security breaches and challenges for the State where none currently exists,” the letter added.

    The monarch was accused of deliberately increasing the number of villages in Okpella from seven he inherited in 1971 to 120. This action, they argued, made Okpella too large to be under the leadership of one traditional ruler.

    In his response to the letter from the lawyers, HRH Dirisu explained that no final decision on the issue raised at the meeting was reached regarding the dissolution or annexation of any part of Okpella and described it as the figment of the imagination of the authors.

    He said: “The Palace expresses dismay at the language of your letter and content on issue which it is displaying every act and diplomacy at its disposal in resolving. More painful is the fact that you are all gentlemen who have unfettered access to the palace from which you could have obtained the facts of the matter.

    “The substance of the matter is that there were petitions from Ogiriga Community regarding their continued grouping under Ukhomunyo. As these were continuing unabated and increasingly provocative, the Palace summoned the Okpella Traditional Council to discuss and evaluate the issues raised at its meeting held on 16th June 2015. No decision was arrived at that meeting regarding the dissolution or annexation of any part of Okpella. It is the figment of the imagination of the authors.

    “The Palace is undeterred by the very strong unwarranted and unjustifiable vituperations and threat in the tone of your letter. It will continue in its efforts and endeavors in ensuring the unity and co-existence of our clans.”

    It was learnt that another meeting slated for June 27 was boycotted by Komunio clan. Sadoh explained that they viewed it as a matter beyond the legal competence of Okpella Traditional Council.

    He stated that it is now a matter within the exclusive competence of the Edo State Executive Council and the legislature.

     

    Afegbua
    Afegbua

    Special Adviser to Governor Adams Oshiomhole on Media and Public Affairs, Prince Kassim Afegbua, who hails from the community, said nobody can redraw the map of Okpella. He accused the Komunios of seeking autonomy for economic reasons.

    Prince Afegbua stated that the Komunio clan earlier kicked against agitation by his ruling house for the creation of more clans for more political and economic patronage.

    He said some companies left Okpella because of economic agitation which he noted left many youths jobless.

    According to him, “Are they conducting a plebiscite or are they going to rewrite the history of Okpella? I am surprised that a particular community wants to pull out. Are they going to use caterpillar to uproot their houses? Are they saying they are no longer under the political leadership of the king? If they want to take such measure, there are procedures in law to take such measures. I expect that as we are moving forward, people should be talking about how to move community forward and not issues of clannish and ethnic sentiments. It should not be the driving force in promoting communal prosperity.”

    Dr. Ayuba, who faulted Afegbua ‘s claim, said the battle for the Komunio clan land was because of the huge mineral deposit therein not found in other clans. He said their agitation was to free them from oppression and further incursion on their ancestral land.

    When contacted on phone, HRH Dirisu said he traveled out of the country and described the agitators as his subjects whom he would not join issues with on the pages of newspapers.