DoC endorses another 5-yr contract for ICANN

Remmy Nweke

United States (US) Department of Commerce (DoC), has endorses another five year contract for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to continue to perform its functions as stipulated in the IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) function.

ICANN is a non-profit organisation responsible for managing the Internet's systems of unique identifiers, including the systems of domain names and numeric addresses that are used to reach computers on the Internet.

The deal with ICANN also saw that the IANA function which includes the allocation of Internet Protocol (IP) address space, protocol identifier assignment, generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) and country code (ccTLD) Top-Level Domain name system management, as well as root server system management functions.

ITREALMS Online recalls that ICANN has held the contracts for this function since 1998.

Chief executive of ICANN, Dr. Paul Twomey, said that the latest contract with DoC reaffirms that ICANN is still uniquely in charge of Internet administration.

"In executing this contract the Department of Commerce has confirmed that ICANN is uniquely positioned to perform this function," he declared.

Dr. Twomey stressed that the new contract for the IANA function is a five-year agreement consisting of a series of one-year options.

"It means that ICANN remains the organisation responsible for a range of functions that are vital to the daily operation of the Domain Name System (DNS) and hence the Internet," he said.

The DNS helps users to find electronically their way around the Internet, just as every computer on the Internet has a unique address called its "IP address".

IP addresses are strings of numbers, which could be hard to remember, thus, the DNS facilitates a familiar string of letters known as the "domain name" to be used instead.

Therefore, instead of typing "192.0.34.163," Internet users could simply type www.icann.org.

Dr. Twomey also attributed the newest contract to the staff of ICANN, who he said, worked so hard to perform this important task.

“On behalf of the ICANN Board, I congratulate them on a great effort," Dr. Twomey asserted.

This agreement was initiated between the DoC, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to maintain the continuity and stability of services related to certain interdependent Internet technical management functions, known collectively as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

These functions used to be performed on behalf of the United States Government under a contract between the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the University of Southern California (USC), as part of a research project known as the Terranode Network Technology (TNT).

As the TNT project neared completion and the DARPA/USC contract neared expiration in 1999, the Government recognised the need for the continued performance of the IANA functions as vital to the stability and correct functioning of the Internet.

On December 24, 1998, USC entered into a transition agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) under which ICANN secured directly from USC, all necessary resources, including key personnel, intellectual property, and computer facility access critical to the continued performance of the IANA functions.

Having assumed these key resources as well as other responsibilities associated with privatisation of the Internet domain name system, ICANN was uniquely positioned to undertake performance of these functions.

Hence, on February 8, 2000, March 21, 2001, and then on March 13, 2003, the DoC entered into an agreement with ICANN to perform the IANA functions.

In connection with its work under these agreements, ICANN has developed and maintained close, constructive working relationships with a variety of interested parties, including Internet standards development organisations and technical bodies.

ICANN's mission is to ensure the stable and secure operation of these unique identifier systems, which are vital to the Internet' operation.

Additionally, ICANN coordinates policy development related to these technical functions through its effective bottom-up consensus model.

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NiRA in comatose, late Prof. Ajayi remains .ng PoC

Remmy Nweke

THE Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NiRA) may have gone comatose, just as the late Director-General (DG) of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Prof. Gabriel Olalere Ajayi, remained the nation’s administrative Point-of-Contact (PoC), almost two years after his demise.

The PoC is supposedly in charge of the country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) name .ng. Prof. Ajayi died on December 16, 2004 in Abuja.

While NiRA was set up to manage the ccTLD as a non-governmental organisation (NGO), it has gone into oblivion as nothing has been heard of it since it was set up on June 23, 2005 in Lagos.

ccTLD is the proverbial nation’s flag in the cyberspace, which means that any Internet address registered under it; be it for electronic mail (e-mail) or website has to end with .ng such as .uk is for United Kingdom and .za for South Africa.

NiRA came into being following the resolution passed by the Internet community at the Muson Centre Onikan-Lagos, last year, at the instance of NITDA.

It could be recalled that on the rise of controversies surrounding the local hosting of .ng and subsequent forced redelegation of the PoC by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology to the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), from Mrs Ibukun Odusote, who was the pioneer PoC, Nigeria has about 567 sub-domains registered on .ng.

However, the incumbent PoC then, Mrs. Odusote with the support of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) rejected forced redelegation. In addition, petitions and counter petitions were sent to the Presidency and even the global administrators of the Internet, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) based in the United States (US).

Thus attracting an outcry and confusion leading to the personal intervention of the President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who directed that PoC be handed over to NITDA on behalf of the government pending a time when a body is set up to takeover.

According to administrative arm of ICANN, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), the bearer of admin PoC, must be a collective resolve of the Internet community stakeholders in a given state or society.

Investigations by our correspondent indicated that close to two years of his death, precisely 18 months as at the time of going to the press, late Prof. Ajayi is yet to be replaced as the nation’s PoC.

It was gathered also that it’s a decision by some ‘stakeholders’ after the conclusion of their meeting on the formation of NiRA to allow the change to be made once and for all.

Particularly, this ‘stakeholders’ meeting was online and based on the instance of the IANA last June, meaning that instead of using the current NITDA Director-General, Prof. Cleopas Officer Angaye to replace late Prof. Ajayi as PoC, the status-quo should remain.

This was further arrived at with the hope of registering NiRA soon to take over, as said by some industry observers.

But one year and two months later, NiRA after its debut as the chosen name for alternative replacement, there is no known meeting conveyed afterwards with respect to its being registered as an NGO.

Confirming the comatose state of NiRA, Corporate Affairs Manager at NITDA, Mr. Inye Kem Abonta, lamented that stakeholders have failed short of expectation by not living up to the resolutions passed at the naming of NiRA.

He does not see reason why Prof. Angaye should not be used to replace late DG as the PoC, pending when NiRA is ready. He blamed ‘stakeholders’ for taking the decision on the ‘statusquo’.

Also, sources close to IANA informed our correspondent that changing the details on PoC for .ng is not a difficult task once the Internet community in Nigeria agreed to a specific name.

Its current state, our sources said, would remain as long as stakeholders via NiRA remain undecided, just as our source decried the status as a condition of lack of trust among the so-called ‘stakeholders’.

Core implication of this undertone, our sources continued, is that the adaptation of .ng by entities and individuals in the country online would not only suffer great set back, but would remain appalling.

Efforts to get some key personalities among the 22 members of NiRA to comment proved abortive apart from NITDA for fear of victimisation.

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Umunze, Uga, 48 others join Glowing network

Remmy Nweke

Umunze and Uga towns, both in the South Eastern state of Anambra, along with 48 others spread nationwide have joined the Glowing network.

The Second National Operator (SNO) Globacom, while disclosing this development, said it was achieved in the last two weeks following the SNO’s resolve to extend services to the hinterlands.

The SNO also said that before now it has covered over 30,000 other communities nationwide.

The newest 60 towns to join Glo network, the operator said, consist of Umunze and Uga in Anambra State, Bori in Rivers State, Argungu in Kebi state, Ilesha in Wkara State to name a few.

Reliable sources at the communications department of Globacom, informed that in the past two weeks, approximated 60 towns in different parts of the country.

It was gathered that these communities include Etche and Gokana in Rivers State, Zuru, Argungu, Jega in Kebbi State; Ekeremor in Bayelsa State, Ipele in Ondo State; Amaigbo, Eziuihitte-Mbaise, Ihitte,Oboama, Uboma, Okporo, Umunama, Ihioma and Omuma in Imo State; Ado-Odo, Oke-Ore, Atan, Odogbolu, Gbelegbuwa- Ijebu, Ijofin, Oko-Eye in Ogun State; Efon Alaaye, Oye and Ido in Ekiti State and North Apoi in Delta State.

Also, on the roll call are Takum, Jalingo in Taraba State; Kachia, Zonkwa, Yai Kawada along Zaria – Funtua Road in Kaduna; and Malumfashi, Funtua and Bakori in Katsina State.

Others are Ohuepe in Kogi State, Chalawa in Kano State, Ikot-Akan, and Port Harcourt-Eket Road in Akwa Ibom State, Katsina Alla and Adikpo in Benue State; Dass, Jamaare, Ningi in Bauchi State; Odobata, Gbeleko, Okedayo, Kakun, Obangede, Kabba and Lokoja Road in Kogi State; and Ngurore, Numan-Yola road in Adamawa State.

In addition, Glo network is now at Shaki-Chikanda Road, Ilesha Baruba in Kwara State; Barakin-Ladi, Bokkos, Boto and Kuru in Plateau State as well as Jogana and Gaya in Kano State. So also are Dutse, Gumel, Hadejia, Shuarin and Malumaduri in Jigawa State; Daura in Katsina State; Tede and Oje Owode in Oyo State.

Azare in Bauchi state, Danda, Akanga in Benue State are now also on the Glo Network, and so are Bodinga, Shagari in Sokoto State and Ikoga-Zebbe in Lagos state.

Globacom further assured its subscribers that several more communities would be live before the end of the year as the company increases its network capacity to accommodate new subscribers. It also enjoined the new communities to avail themselves of the world-class services at their doorsteps with the coming of Globacom.

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NYSC boss praises SystemSpecs

Remmy Nweke

LAGOS State Co-ordinator, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs Clara Aramide Babatunde, has praised leading indigenous software house, SystemSpecs Limited, over its retention rate of corps members after their service year.

This came as SystemSpecs has disclosed that out of the 42 corps that served with the firm 28 were retained.

Mrs. Babatunde made this commendation at the end of her official visit to the company, saying the software house deserves an award for the retention rate.

With this and other supports from the firm, she noted, SystemSpecs has contributed immensely to the development of NYSC in the state.

She also urged the firm to continue in that stead, even as she said that there is urgent need to computerise the activities of NYSC in the country and Lagos State particularly.

According to the state coordinator accompanied during the visit by the Assistant Director, Public Relations, Mr. Bayo Adenaya, old files on corps are no longer accessible due to lack of computerised data.

“We shall also be delighted to computerise operations on corps so as to retrieve old files,” she noted.

She therefore, called on corporate organisations to emulate SystemSpecs in supporting NYSC for posterity.

Pointing out that the permanent site of NYSC in the state would require assistance from corporate entities.

“Any company that assists by building a hall, it would be named after the company,” she asserted.

Welcoming the guests earlier in his speech, the managing director, SystemSpecs Limited, Mr. John Obaro, informed that the firm established 14 years ago, has its products deployed by over 200 organisations.

He also said that about 42 corps have served in the company and out of this figure, 28 of them have been retained based on performance.

Consequently, he requested for a formal letter with respect to solicitation for support for the computerisation and permanent site of NYSC in Lagos State.

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Omatek, UI team up, sign MoU on digital facility

Remmy Nweke

Obviously heeding the call by the government for the private sector participation in the education sector, Omatek Computers has teamed up with the University of Ibadan (UI), even as they have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the setting up of multidisciplinary centre classified as Omatek Digital Research Facility (ODRF).

Disclosing this, Managing Director, Omatek, Mrs. Florence Seriki, said that the facility would serve as foundation for the implementation of research and development activities to boost advance skills and collaborative conduct in a variety of areas, including software, hardware and Information Technology (IT) applications in medicine and health sciences, science and technology, finance, marketing as well as evolving the interest of the small scale enterprises under the SME scheme of the Federal Government.

According to the elated Vice Chancellor of UI, Prof Olufemi Bamiro, the partnership particularly in the area of capacity building would now get a boost with the facility and precisely with the signing of MoU.

The don also said, the partnership is particularly important because of the strategic position of the university in the Nigerian higher education system and Omatek in the country’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

For Mrs. Seriki, the MoU is a gigantic step in the relationship between the business and academic community, emphasising that there is urgent need to tap the human resources available in various institutions of higher learning in the country to leapfrog the nation in solving problems in the areas of engineering and management including product development, marketing and financing issues among others.

“The knowledge base available in the academic community in terms of the various research and development efforts, abandoned projects written by students for example, cannot be quantified,” she noted.

As said by her, one could only imagine the SME opportunities that could come out of the research and development from these institutions.

“As such, there is need to direct and harness all these knowledge into good use. This is what the partnership with this great institution is all about. It is really a great leap forward in the development process in Nigeria,” she asserted

She further explained the objectives of the partnership, saying it would provide avenues for skills development of staff and students alike through research and industrial attachment, promote access of Omatek to multidisciplinary problem-solving teams in the areas of engineering, management including product development, marketing and financing among others.

Private sector and academic community partnerships, she said, are now gaining ground as the bedrock of national development.

Recently, the first four awardees of the Hall of Fame of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) were mandated to form the OAU Technology Company as a think tank for the university in providing research and development, and perfecting joint ventures between the academia and the business community.

Present at the signing ceremony were Professor Bamiro, the VC of the University of Ibadan, Mrs. Mojisola Ladipo, the Registrar, Professor Oluleye, the Chairman of ICT, Mrs. Florence Seriki Managing Director of OMATEK Computers Limited and Mr. Olumide Akinmutimi, the Deputy General Manager of OMATEK Computers.

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Winners emerge @ HP’s OpenView awards, holds promo

Remmy Nweke

Winners has emerged at the Hewlett-Packard (HP) organised OpenView awards for excellence globally, just as HP held a one-day sales promotion in Lagos.

The awards recognize organizations using HP OpenView management solutions to achieve exemplary business results.

The 2006 winners for the HP OpenView awards consist of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for excellence in innovation; FirstEnergy Corporation for excellence in business alignment; Principal Financial Group went home with the process automation award whereas Yahoo Search Marketing won the infrastructure optimization.

The sales promo, according to the Marketing Manager at HP Nigeria, Ms Ijeoma Onyiuke, afforded customers the opportunity to make purchases on discount.

“They were offered incentives ranging from price cuts to free gifts,” she said.

Ms Onyuike also said that the promo, organised by the Hewlett Packard's Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) and Personal Systems Group (PSG), took place at The Palms Mall, Victoria Island, Lagos.

She also explained that the promo was held in conjunction with the PC Outlet Store currently located at the Palms Mall.

The event featured an all day demo session on various HP products to enlighten customers about what different products could do.

Among the incentives include a five per cent off any HP Imaging and Printing Product like HP Photosmart Digital Camera, HP Photosmart All-in-One Printer, HP OfficeJet All-in-One Printer and so on.

The list also includes all PSG products like IPAQ's Pocket Phone Pc's- 6515, the new 6900 HP Notebooks, desktops, and PCs. A free flash drive was also given out to customers who bought products above N15,000.

Underscoring the importance of OpenView to HP, the firm’s Software Sales Specialist in Nigeria, Mr. Okey Onyia, said, the winners were selected by an independent panel of judges, based on outstanding business results and measurable improvements in key IT performance metrics.

Finalists and winners were recognized at a special awards ceremony during the 2006 HP Software Forum in Miami, Florida.

It is offered three times per year at each of the three regional customer conference events, namely the Software Forum in the Americas, Software Forum in Asia Pacific/Japan and Software Universe in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

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Celtel investment in Vmobile is a boost – Partner

Remmy Nweke

Chief executive, Time & Chance Limited, top partner of Vmobile, Mr. Kenneth Edet has lauded the recent acquisition of the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) operator by CelTel of Netherlands, saying it would boost the nation’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

As said by him, the investment was a market of confidence in the Nigerian economy by the international business community, specifically for the telecommunications sector.

“For any foreigner to decide to invest $1.1 billion in any economy is indicative of the high confidence reposed in such an economy by the investor,” said Edet, who was one of the 22 Vmobile Trade Partners sponsored by Vmobile to Germany to watch the last world cup.

Nigerians, he also said, would soon begin to witness an unprecedented transformation of the nation’s telecom industry at the end of the on-going re-branding of Vmobile by Celtel.

He disclosed that Celtel was excited by the magnitude of potential of the Nigerian market and would work at attaining leadership of the market in the near future.

Mr. Edet noted Celtel is already in 14 other African countries but sees the Nigerian market as one in a million, stressing that existing trade partners of Vmobile are prepared to cooperate with the Celtel Group to take Nigeria’s telecommunications industry to greater heights.

“We are determined to work with them because they mean well for our economy,” he said.

The Time and Chance boss, also pointed that the dawn of Celtel would further engender competition in the market to the benefit of telecom subscribers and GSM users precisely in the country, even as he foresees further reduction on call tariffs through such investment.

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Sesan raps Nigerians on e-Advocacy

Remmy Nweke

PIONEER Information Technology (IT) youth ambassador in Nigeria, Mr. Gbenga Sesan, has commenced research on involvement of technologies in advocacy, otherwise known as e-Advocacy.

Revealing this to ITREALMS Online in Lagos, Mr. Sesan who also is the Project Manager, Lagos Digital Village (LDV), said he was motivated to research on the status of technology usage for advocacy purposes mainly by the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country due to the broad definition of CSOs.

The theme of the research, he said, is “Exploring e-Advocacy and Technology Use by Civil Society in Nigeria.”

Explaining the choice of the topic, Mr. Sesan, said, “I have chosen to look at specific institutions, including community-based organisations, faith-based organisations, independent media, non-governmental organisatons, social enterprises, labour groups, student/youth groups, professional groups, women groups, special interest groups and political groups.”

He said, for the first phase of the research, it would encompass gathering of information about civil society organisations, which he has set up a questionnaire page, www.gbengasesan.com/eadvocacy.htm that would take less than 10 minutes to complete.

He, therefore, urged interested public, especially Nigerians to visit www.gbengasesan.com/eadvocacy.htm to complete the questionnaire, in order to “contribute to the depth and accuracy of the research exercise.”

Participating organisations, he said, could be faith-based organisations, independent media, non-governmental organisatons and social enterprises.

Also, he said that labour, student/youth, professional, women, special interest and political groups in that order are welcome to take part as long as they have activities in Nigeria.

He further urged participants to take part and apologised “if some of the questions sound too simple,” saying, they were meant to will contribute to the quality of the research, “which I am glad to let you know will take only twelve (12) minutes of your time.”

He appealed that as much information as possible could be provided, while there is room for additional comments.

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EPIA mainboard from VIA Tech

Remmy Nweke

Taiwan-based innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and Personal Computer (PC) platform solutions, has introduced a new mainboard product, tagged VIA EPIA in its EK-Series.

The company said that the latest mainboard was designed for a new generation of network based ultra compact digital media appliances to further boast a maximum power consumption of just 19 Watts (Wts).

Head, VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies Incorporated, Mr. Daniel Wu, while explaining the new product, said that as the first VIA EPIA Mini-ITX to be based on the VIA Luke CoreFusion processor platform, the VIA EPIA EK series is available in a 1 Gega Hertz (GHz) or 800 Mega Hertz (MHz) fanless option and offers dual Local Area Network (LAN).

This, he said, comes with the option of a Gigabit Ethernet port, as well as hardware based security in addition to the VIA PadLock Security Engine, which was built to help protect network communication and locally stored information, making the mainboard ideal for use in firewalls, servers and other secure networked devices.

He equally said that the product would be available globally later this month, integrates hardware for Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG-2/4) decoding acceleration and the VIA Vinyl VT1618 multi-channel audio codec, to enable smooth digital media playback.

According to him, it offers unparalleled connectivity with a Digital Video Interactive (DVI), an earlier compression technique that provided up to 72 minutes of full-screen video on a CD-ROM or the Low Voltage Differential Signalling (LVDS), which is a transmission method for sending digital information.

LVDS also enables sending of data over data high and data low lines rather than data and ground. The receiver detects the voltage difference between the two signals instead of relative to ground.

Mr. Wu further said that the DVI/LVDS module connection, Digital I/O (4 GPI/GPO), and has up to four COM and Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports.

Therefore, the new product could be optimized for use in Point of Sale (POS), kiosks, and other networked digital media applications with greater multimedia and security requirements, just as the VIA EPIA EK also serves as an upgrade path from the popular VIA EPIA PD-Series Mini-ITX mainboards.

“Leveraging the power efficiency and rich integration of the VIA Luke CoreFusion processor platform, the VIA EPIA EK offers a true low power, feature packed Mini-ITX solution,” he said.

He stressed that explosive growth is expected in demand for secure, bandwidth-efficient networked devices, especially in multimedia applications that have greater computational requirements.

“VIA EPIA range gives developers the solution they need on a single x86 platform,” he declared.

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