Networking cars for safety through SMS

Features of the week:

The recent introduction of C-Track system based on Short Messaging Service (SMS) system is a product to behold by any telecom subscriber especially vehicle owners, reports REMMY NWEKE.

Telecommunications subscriber, Mazi Ofor Idoga, is a Lagos-based businessman. He was lucky to have bought a car recently and because he cherished his car, a Toyota brand, he was excited to note that his network of choice, MTN Nigeria has just entered into a partnership with ADATA C-Track; consummated in Lagos few weeks ago and celebrated by the nation’s media as innovative option for vehicle tracking system.

Top on the innovation is that with his mobile phone on MTN network, Mr. Idoga’s car could be tracked via a Short Messaging Service (SMS) via the control room of ADATA C-Track, a Nigerian firm, which found favour in the eyes of South Africa-based Digicore International, the proprietors of C-Track Vehicle System in over 30 countries globally, even as the car could promptly be stopped if declared missing.

So, Mr. Idoga took the decision to be part of the evolution by leveraging on the mobile phone based security system, which offers him apart from mere tracking in terms of theft by enabling him to know the whereabout of his vehicle either driven by him or some else, as long it is within the Nigerian air space.

Yes, the air space as far as Nigeria is concerned and beyond, because the service is motivated by the Global Positioning System (GPS), defined as a worldwide radio-navigation system that was developed by the United States Department of Defense (US-DoD).

In addition to military purposes it is widely used in marine, terrestrial navigation and location based services, according to Nitronex educational glossary. Additionally, as said by experts at GISlounge, GPS is a technology that uses the locations satellites to determine locations on earth and is an essential part of Global Information System (GIS).

This came on the heels of the just concluded three-day workshop and exhibition on ‘Fully networked car’ by the global telecommunications regulator, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Palexpo, during the 2007 Geneva Motorshow.

The workshop geared towards creating awareness for modern cars to be Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) compliant was borne out of convergence.

For the chief public information at ITU, Mr. Sanjay Acharya, there is need for ‘fully networked car’ which is the goal of most manufacturers seeking to offer improved safety and a better experience for the driver, stressing that all major car manufacturers are looking to incorporate some level of ICT functionality into their vehicles.

He quoted recent industry analysis, which says that the market for vehicular communications is estimated in billions of U.S. Dollars by 2010 and 2012 timeframe. So, there is need for synergy among car manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEM), telecommunication systems manufacturers, network operators, service providers, systems integrators, member states, as well as other Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs).

The exhibition, which held between March 7 and 10 reviewed the implications of the latest developments in the fast-moving market for ICT in motor vehicles and featured speakers drawn across ICT and automobile industry, including Bosch, BMW, Cisco, Ford, France Telecom, Freescale Semiconductor, Head Acoustics, Hitachi, Intel, Motorola, Nissan, On-Star, Orange, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Q-Free, T-Systems, Telecom Italia, Telecordia, Toyota, Vodafone and Ygomi among others.

The Geneva Motor show paved the way for communications from and to the car, location-based services and multimedia entertainment to be experimented upon.

In apparent realisation of aforesaid features coupled with impression created by ADATA C-Track vehicle system proposal, leading Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Third Generation (3G) operator, MTN Nigeria, could not resist but to partner with the firm.

Announcing this development at the official launch and demonstration of C-track secure systems in Lagos, the chief marketing and customer relations officer, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Bola Akingbade said the launch was in the bid to continually move Nigerians ahead in their world that MTN Nigeria chose the path of partnership with ADATA C-Track Limited on this “very first truly-mobile vehicle tracking and stolen vehicle recovery service to the Nigerian market.”

He described the product as a unique one that promises to help subscribers on MTN network to keep track of the location of their vehicles from the comfort of their homes or offices, while they are on the move through their mobile phones.

“The uniqueness of this product is that, as an individual, you can monitor your vehicle from your cell phone or from the web,” he said, stressing that the technology would afford MTN subscribers the opportunity to safeguard their precious passions against deliberate misuse, theft or other forms of loss, even as the launch is certainly another first from the stable of MTN, ” Mr. Akingbade said.

Giving an overview of C-track secure system, the chief executive, ADATA C-Track, Mr. Jeyejeye Okorodudu, said that by mere sending of SMS to a given vehicle’s on-board Subscriber Identification Module (SIM), subscribers could ensure they are immediately alerted in the event of their vehicle being moved, especially by unauthorised persons, notwithstanding whether the ignition is on or off.

“They can also keep tabs on the location of their vehicles on the go as they can send and receive the crucial information on their cell phones,” Mr. Okorodudu said, even as ADATA is collaborating with Digicore of South Africa.

He explained that the GPS-based products employ technology for location information: longitude and latitude, date and time would be universal and speed tracking with C-track range employing an eight-channel GPS receiver system that gives an average accuracy of four (4) meters.

On the GSM aspect, Mr. Okorodudu said that it is deployed to track and communicate the location data back through the network using the SMS subsystem to a Personal Computer (PC) installed with the vector maps, fleet management software, and communication kit for the fleet operator’s tracking requirements, control and management.

According to him, C-Track system also offers speed monitoring virtually tracking up to 100 knots via satellite by providing effective and reliable speed monitoring even when ignition is off.
“This proves very useful for tracking in cases of theft and illegal transport by air. Additionally however, the system provides an input for tracking vehicle speed via onboard speedometer,” he said.

In the area management cum awareness, he said that the C-track server founded on base station software allows the operator to setup predefined no-go and preferred areas as well as waypoints.

He said, that between 100 and 200 areas could be created and then transmitted to the C-track secure unit, which would report any violation of the areas immediately to the server at the base station when they occur.

Route monitoring, he further explained could be done by tagging designated routes as ‘go areas,’ ‘no-go areas’ and ‘routes’ which could be created, saved and programmed for vehicles.

He noted that installation of all C-Track features in-vehicle units covers GPS components, internal GSM modem, internal backup battery, movement sensor, activated SIM card, tampering alarm on GPS unlock and battery, emphasising that the set up takes up to three hours so also is the uninstallation.

“This single box assembly and compact size design allows installations to be covert and non-intrusive. Wiring harness and antennas; both GPS and GSM also leave virtually no visible footprint after installation, providing a truly secure and safe but yet powerful vehicle and asset tracking implementation,” he said.

Additionally, he said, that the system supports the recording of full per second incident information for the last one minute before an accident, thus a very helpful feature for liabilities placement in such events.

Just as the unit has a failure rate of less than one per cent and is warranted by manufacturer for one year against factory defects and system failure with local support provided by ADATA C-Track local stock.

Also speaking, the International Manager, Digicore, Mr. Jose Marsal said they found love with ADATA to bring this service to the Nigerian people, noting though that nothing is 100 per cent prove and no company in the world can guarantee 100 per cent on recovery.

According to him, there are kinds of reports offered on C-track secure system, including trips, summary, activity and vehicle list which could also be printed or sent via an electronic mails, even as there are business and private options, “Which helps users to manage their asset” whilst a subscriber could have as many panic buttons as possible.

“It is even better that a car driver and car owners have individually panic buttons,” he pointed out and listed some of the benefits to consist of real time location access to one’s vehicles from your cell phone through and SMS or Internet connection, receiving meaningful location information down to the street names.

Mr. Marsal said that C-Track secure system was designed to add value to the private vehicle owner and to the Small to medium Enterprise (SME) owner who runs a fleet of vehicles by allowing cell phone to vehicle location and status as well as offering the convenience of internet access to vehicles location and movement information, all at an eminently affordable price.

He listed the benefits to include adding value to having proactive warning, possible unauthorized movement, battery tamper, area alarm and the ability to immobilize the vehicle, usage information, mileage, speed recording, enhanced personal and vehicle security.

He pointed out that the nationwide coverage of MTN offers vehicle owners’ accessible via a cell phone or the Internet based on 24-by-7 days per week security.

“One SMS is all it takes to be notified of your car’s whereabouts for active tracking,” he said, noting that moving time report with speed recording as well as real time location on your cell phone, subscribers could access the location, status, speed and time at each ignition of and ignition on of your vehicle.

Apart from this it could be a measure for saving fuel and also increasing the vehicle life span, even as the internet option enables tracking and measuring of activity of the vehicle and its user, thereby verifying the whereabouts, hence reducing maintenance costs, decreasing wear and tear while maximizing profit.

“Active intelligent unit through secure unit sensor, enables the unit fitted into your car to do self-tests daily to ensure that it is working. If it’s not, a call is logged and the client is notified immediately,” he said.

Mr. Marsal explained that the secure unit senses and proactively reports a tampering of battery in which case a back up battery takes over. “It also reports ignition tampering in which case it’s immobilized if it’s confirmed to be a theft case,” he said.

On keeping track of vehicles over the Internet maps, he said that with an Internet connection to a PC, users could see their vehicles and know its activities on a detailed map.

“You can also print out detailed information as back up evidence for future review and this helps for a better as well as a more transparent and productive management system,” just as there is second by second report availability of what could have led to an accident in such events which helps to reveal the faults of drivers.

He emphasised that in event of hijacking or theft “your vehicle is immobilized safely from the ADATA C-Track Emergency Response Centre and your car is recovered.”

Mr. Marsal said that C-track secure gets its position from the GPS satellites, usually accurate upto four metres and as a back-up traceable via the GSM networks.

The device, which costs about N70,000 as a one-off payment has a monthly service charge of N2,500, while the support centre is open 24/7 and 365 days annually.

Reacting to this innovation, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the Nigerian Insurance Association (NIA) commended the partnership for introducing the ADATA C-track secure into the country.

The commission spoke through the Assistant Corps Marshal, Lagos Zonal Command, Mr A. Abu, who said that the product would give vehicle owners peace of mind and operational control of their vehicles in addition to enhancing the safety of lives and property in the country.

He also said that by introducing the vehicle tracking service, ADATA C-track and MTN are ensuring that help gets to needy road users more promptly.

“I am excited with the presentation. We’re concerned when our wards and families travel which prompts much money in making calls. I recommend it to all fleet and car owners. We want to identify with the project and recommend that to every road user in the country,” Abu said.

For the Director-General NIA, Mr. Ezekiel Chiejina, that the service is one that could help secure vehicles and reduce the risks borne by insurance companies, noting that in the near future, subscription to the service may reduce the premium paid by insurance subscribers in the country among other benefits that could emerge as the system evolves.

Put succinctly, C-Track secure is the entry-level version of the C-Track range of GPS/GSM telematics products specifically designed for the SME, light vehicle fleet and stolen vehicle recovery market sector.

And with the partnership it avails Nigerians and telecom consumers an opportunity of keeping tab on their automobiles via mobile phones, even as Mr. Okorodudu hinted that plans are underway to include subscribers on other networks in the country in the near feature.

The likes of Idoga in other networks would no doubt cherish the Value Added Service (VAS), any time and anywhere as long as there is coverage, and by getting involved.

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Nigerian exchange ready in April

Newly inaugurated board of directors of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) has reaffirmed its commitment to the April date for the commissioning of the nation’s exchange.

An Internet exchange point (IX or IXP) is a physical infrastructure that allows different Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to exchange Internet traffic between their networks, which in effect must be autonomous systems by means of mutual peering agreements, which allow traffic to be exchanged without cost, according to experts at Answers.com.

Also experts claimed that IXPs reduce the portion of an Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) traffic which must be delivered via their upstream transit providers, thereby reducing the Average Per-Bit Delivery Cost (APBDC) of their services. There are about 113 Internet Exchange Points globally.

Board chairman and chief executive of pioneer ISP in the country, Linkserve Limited, Chief Chima Apugo Onyekwere, gave this indication in a chat with Champion Infotel at the weekend.

Speaking exclusively to Champion Infotel after the inauguration of the 11-man board, Chief Onyekwere said that as matter of fact, the first mandate of the board is to come up with a date for the commissioning, which according to him must not pass the second week of April, even though the first week is receiving greater consideration.

“We have been mandated to pick a date before the first week of April for the commissioning or at most second week for the commissioning,” he asserted.

When commissioned, he said, the exchange would save lots of bandwidth for the operators and foreign reserve for the country.

In addition, he said, the exchange when up and running as it should, has the capability of improving the scale of local content in the country, especially when it comes to Internet uploading of content.

He pointed out that the board core reference apart from aforesaid, is to ensure the optimisation of the exchange by making it commercially viable.

“So, our board’s mandate is to bring to life this exchange in a commercially viable manner,” he said.

Explaining that the commercial viability of the exchange is to make it self-sustainable.

“It is not for profit, but the commercial viability is that it should be self-sustaining,” he told Champion Infotel at his Victoria Island office in Lagos.

Champion Infotel recalled that IXPN board was inaugurated at the weekend by the overseeing agency, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Speaking at the inauguration, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, said that it is in tandem with the directives of Mr. President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

Champion Infotel notes that following the conclusion of the second phase of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis 2005, the need for Internet Exchange Point/Gateway for Nigeria came to the forefront in the nation’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development.

Consequently, President Obasanjo directed NCC to urgently establish an Internet Exchange Point (IXP) for the country.

This paved the way for the setting up of a Presidential Committee on the Nigeria Internet Exchange Point headed by Mr. Ndukwe Kalu of Amsco Telecom, at the first quarter of 2006.

The committee has since completed the first phase of the project, which was to set up the Lagos branch made of three exchanges, namely Ikeja, Victoria Island and Neccom House, Onikan-Lagos.

The Presidential committee also supervised the registration of a company with the name Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria Ltd (IXPN) with a guarantee to handle the operations of the exchange.

IXPN is also a Public Private Partnership (PPP) where all the nation’s Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and content providers as well as stakeholders are to collaborate, just as the company is neutral and not-for-profit organization.

In readiness for the commissioning, NCC at the weekend inaugurated an 11-man board of directors to be headed by Chief Onyekwere, whose company pioneered Internet service provision to Nigerians with over 20 years experience in Internet Protocol-based consumer products.

Members of the board drawn from the ICT and academia aim to continue the process of expanding the Internet exchange presence in other parts of the country which number was initially slated to be seven.

Other members of the board were Mrs. Zubaida M. Rasheed of Transcorp, Dr. Sylvester A. Ehikioya, NCC, Mr. Sam Adeleke of Digitek Teevee Cunsulting and president, Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN), Prof. K.R. Adebeyi of FTU Minna, Mr. Aminu Tijjani of Multilinks, Mr. Yen Choi of Netcom, Mr. Chioke Ogugua of Celtel, Mr. Sunday Afolayan of Scannet, Mr. Akinwale Goodluck of MTN and Managing director of IXPN, Mr. Muhammed Rudman.

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It’s a spam – Ericsson

Market Intelligence:
Telecommunications equipment giant, Ericsson has warned that it is not having any promotion of any sort with a promise to give away laptops or mobile phones.

Reacting to the recent spam mail currently being circulated on the Internet, Ericsson Media Relations team informed Champion Infotel that what is going on presently is ‘Spam’.

Defined as unsolicited mails usually circulated on the Internet via electronic mail (e-mail) distribution, spam mails have continued to be of concern to the stakeholders, especially the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

It would be recalled that current spam mail reads:

“Hi everyone,
“The Ericsson Company is distributing free computer Lap-tops in an attempt to match Nokia that has already done so. Ericsson hopes to increase its popularity this way. For this reason, they are giving away the new WAP laptops. All you need to do to qualify is to send this mail to 8 people you know. Within 2 weeks, you will receive EricssonT18. But if you can send it to 20 people or more, you will receive Ericsson R320.

“Make sure to send a copy to: anna.swelung@ericsson.com.”

But responding to our inquiries, Ericsson Media team in its headquarters, said that what people are receiving is spam mail.

“What you received was a SPAM. A chain letter is currently in circulation via e-mail, claiming that Ericsson is giving away Laptop PCs/mobile phones,” the team said.

According to the team, the e-mail is a fraud and Ericsson is not giving away Laptop PCs or phones for free.

Ericsson also disclaimed Anna Swelung, who purportedly originated the letter and said that such a person does not exist at Ericsson.

“The letter is signed off by Anna Swelung. This person does not exist at Ericsson,” the media experts at Ericsson informed.

Ericsson also said, the legal and Information Technology (IT) departments at Ericsson are aware of the issue with illegal chain letter.

While expressing displeasure over any inconvenience this (letter) may have caused, Ericsson asked people not to forward the chain mail further.

Another noteworthy factor here is that both Ericsson T18 and R320 mobile phones have since been stopped in the line of production according to company sources. So it is no longer available in the market, let alone being giving out.

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Celtel introduces unity tariffs, ready for 3G

Third Generation (3G) compliant and Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) operator, Celtel Nigeria has made another first by introducing a flat tariff structure, to be known as ‘Unity tariffs’ even as the telco declared its readiness for 3G regime in the country.

Chief Executive, Celtel Nigeria, Mr. Adebayo Ligali, said in Lagos, Thursday that the introduction of the unity tariffs on its network is in the bid towards making life better for Nigerians.

According to him, the flat tariffs come in three formats, namely simply special, simply smooth and simply smart, just as it has slashed the international call tariffs by 45 per cent and on per second billing.

Mr. Ligali, said the flat tariffs has three key elements including simplicity, affordability and transparency.

He explained that ‘simply special’ offers subscribers on the network affordable prices and maximum benefits as on or across the net calls during peak hours, that is, 6am to 7pm which attracts 66 kobo while off peak is 39 kobo respectively.

In addition, subscribers on this platform would have access to local Short Messaging Service (SMS) nationwide at the cost of N9 at all times, whereas SMS send internationally would attract N15 per message.

On the Simply smooth, Mr. Ligali said that its targeted at customers who are business people and high volume users desiring affordable prices while removing complexity and price discrimination between networks.

He said that on this platform subscribers are expected to pay a monthly fee of N400 while having access to on and off net calls during peak hours at 59 kobo and off peak at 33 kobo respectively, with local SMS costing N9 and international SMS attracts N15.

Equally on Simply Smart, Mr. Ligali noted that it is focused on small and medium enterprise (SME) owners looking at increasing convenience while controlling phone costs.

He pointed out that Simply Smart attracts N3,600, which includes 100 free minutes and 30 free SMS, stressing that on and off peak periods attract 61 kobo and 33 kobo in that order, even as it has the same offering for local and international SMS like in other platform on this new package.

Mr. Ligali further said that extra features of flat tariffs structure include that midnight happy hours between 12am and 4.30; friends and family enjoy 15 free SMS monthly apart from Simply Smart which comes with 30 free SMS.

Other benefits, he enumerated include 10 per cent recharge bonus, 300 ‘call me back’ option per month and 300 ‘credit me’ monthly options.

He pointed out that for any subscriber to migrate to the new unity tariff structure, those who want to engage in Simply Special has to send ‘Yes’ SMS to 701, while 702 is for Simply smooth and 703 is for Simply smart.

“You would get an SMS containing the Personal Identification Number (PIN) for your migration,” he said.

Mr. Ligal added that by entering *126* plus the PIN number and then send.

“You would be migrated within 48 hours and would receive an SMS when done followed by a congratulation message,” he said.

He equally warned prospective migrants to the unity tariffs to desist from sending SMS for this purpose more than once, otherwise, “you would be charged N100 for each SMS if you send more than one.”

In a related development, Celtel has reduced its international call rates by 45 per cent, which means that calls to United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, United Arab Emirate is now 55 kobo per second on the network.

Just as special discounts await callers to popular African countries such as Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cameroon to name a few.

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FBN boosts Omatek with N1bn

LEADING computer manufacturer in the country, Omatek Computers Limited, has received N1 billion to finance ownership of computers in the country from Frist Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Plc, especially on Omatek brand.

This development is coming as Omatek brand has been adopted as hardware of choice by the financial institution, which entails Omatek brand would be used in its network of branches nationwide.

A press statement from Omatek said that FBN is staking N1 billion in Omatek Computers to finance ownership of Pcs on the brand.

“The First Bank N1 billion stake would enable a credit facility for specific categories of Nigerians
to purchase Omatek computers with payment stretched over several months,” Omatek said.

According to the chief executive, Omatek Computers, Mrs. Florence Seriki, the bank’s credit facility would help to advance the key objectives of the Computer- for All Nigerian Initiative (CANi).

She explained that it would invariably cater for those Nigerians who ordinarily are outside the CANi scope.

“The scheme would cater for employees of public and private establishments including those of small and medium enterprises (SMES), and self employed individuals,” she said.

Applauding this development, Omatek boss described it as demonstration of FBN commitments to improve the national economy over the years as one of most reliable financial institutions.

“With this present commitment, we at Omatek believe that the bank has shown that it has the hope that Nigeria’s chances at leapfrogging its economy is through having citizens that are Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enabled,” Mrs. Seriki said.

Equally the Managing Director of FBN Plc, Mr. Jacobs Ajekigbe, was quoted as saying that the computer-financing scheme is to allow Nigerians have the necessary financial capacity to acquire the basic ICT skills to drive their businesses and become more productive.

While describing the facility as part of the bank’s social responsibility aimed at uplifting the computer literacy quotient of the average Nigerian citizen, Mr. Ajekigbe assured Omatek of the bank’s willingness to support initiatives that would promote economic growth and empowerment of the citizens.

He also enjoined those in the private and public to exploit the opportunity to own their computers and be computer literate.

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SkyVision launches I-Direct C-band in Nigeria

Global provider of broadband Internet connectivity solutions over satellite and Internet backbone connectivity, SkyVision has launched its I-Direct C-band based on Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) broadband solution into the nation’s market.

Disclosing this in a chat with Champion Infotel, Nigerian Country Representative, SkyVision Global Networks, Mr. Sunny Imudia, said the essence of the launch was to introduce the latest in stock to the local resellers in Nigeria.

He said that the I-Direct C-band solution comes with key advantages in cost and range even as it is deployed with the smallest of dish for C-band.

According to him, complete I-Direct kit cost about $4,000 about N513,140.00, apart from the installation fee, saying it is a shared system and the bandwidth is low, stressing that the number of customers to be engaged at a time is determined by the capacity of bandwidth available which facilitates the velocity of the connection.

Giving some insight on the new Sky Direct, he said its a complete internet connectivity solution provided via the all new SES ASTRA AMC-12 satellite which was launched February 2005 to provide a complete solution to even the remotest part of Africa.

As said by the regional sales manager at SkyVision, Mr. Eitan Meshika, the goal is to bring the best value for money in the broadband provision industry and with the new AMC 12 which is operated in the c-band, its the only reliable solution for Africa.

The new Sky Direct solution is powered by I- Direct Technology, a leading IP traffic solution which offers features like the real time traffic management, Quality of Service (QoS), built in encryption with automated uplink power control, error correction to eliminate weather related performance degradation, control management, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) acceleration among others.

“The Sky Direct which offers instant Internet access with high quality service is operated on the C-band which is better than ku- band, which currently operates in Africa,” Meshika said.

He also explained that the new Sky Direct C-band VSAT offers broadband solutions to enable quick access to the Internet, digital media streaming, distant learning, education and telemedicine, data communication and data transfer, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and voice based services.

He said, Sky Direct could be used by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), VoIP centres, government parastatals, hotel chains, gas stations and finance institutions among others.

Sales and marketing coordinator of SkyVision, Ms Ana Cymerman, said “its important for us at Skyvision to know what our customers need and satisfy each one of them and I know that now that we are in the Nigerian market, Nigerians would start experiencing quality Internet service.”

With headquarters in Israel, Skyvision has been in existence for six years and has achieved remarkable success overtime, in addition to having increasing market share of the central Asia, Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa.

SkyVision manages its gateways for its unending reach of network through two gateways, located in Austria, Europe and Atlanta, Georgia in the United States.

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CWL shines @ NetApp-07

Computer Warehouse Limited (CWL) has described its outing at the one-day annual conference, Network Appliance (NetApp-2007) in Lagos, as impressive.

The conference organised by NetApp for its Nigerian partners and clients was heavily supported by Cisco Nigeria. CWL is a subsidiary of the Computer Warehouse Group (CWG).

Speaking on the conference, Corporate and Marketing Manager at CWG, Ms Moronike Popoola, said that participants cut across various sectors of the economy.

She also said that the confab which has its theme as “Data Centre Proven: Better Management, Performance and Value for your enterprise,” afforded CWL to display its offering to teeming customers, including corporate and individuals.

She noted that CWL partnership with Network Appliance has been to deliver powerful, data centre proven products and services designed to simplify complex Information Technology (IT) environments and dramatically reduce total cost of ownership.

“It is designed to support large data centres, NetApp’s industry-leading products make data management scalable, flexible, and available,” she said.

Ms Popoola equally said that NetApp enterprise storage allows users to unify and streamline their infrastructure by consolidating storage across many servers and applications over any storage fabric.

“NetApp fabric-attached storage (FAS) systems integrate easily into complex enterprise environments and provide shared access to UNIX, Windows, Linux, and Web data while simultaneously supporting Fibre Channel SAN, Internet Protocol (IP) SAN (iSCSI), and NAS,” she said.

Further, she said that these high performance systems, have a proven ability to continuously serve data at higher than 99.99 per cent availability, and could scale from 720 Gega Byte (GB), to over half a petabyte using serial ATA and/or Fibre Channel disk drives.

She explained that the NetApp FAS product line on offer by CWL includes FAS6000 series - scalability for the largest enterprise applications, FAS900 series - industry-leading performance and storage scalability, FAS3000 series - breakthrough value for mid-tier enterprise storage, and FAS200 series - affordable, highly scalable, and upgradeable storage.

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Resourcery, GTB sign deal on SAS solutions

Information Technology (IT) solution provider, Resourcery Limited and award-winning Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Plc, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on SAS anti-laundering and detection solution.

SAS Institute Pty is the market leader in provision of a new generation of business intelligence software and services that create true enterprise intelligence.

SAS solutions are in use by over 40,000 customer sites, including 90 per cent of the Fortune 500, to develop more profitable relationships with customers and suppliers, thereby enabling better, more accurate and informed decisions to drive futuristic organizations.

Managing Director of Resourcery, Mr. Tani Fafunwa who disclosed this, said that as the key representative of SAS in the country his firm would be responsible for the implementation of the solution at GT Bank.

He also said that with this acquisition, GT Bank has joined the league of banks in the country who are turning to SAS solutions to provide them with information that gives competitive advantage, hence availing the bank with the power to know.

“We’re delighted to have GT Bank as one of our clients, and GT Bank is known for revitalizing and changing the banking environment. Within a short space of time, they have become clear leader in the banking sector in Nigeria,” Mr. Fafunwa said.

He said the benefits of the SAS anti-money laundering solution are abundant.

“With the adoption of the solution, GT Bank would be better positioned to detect and manage all forms of money laundering activities within its network,” he said.

Particularly, he said the bank would be able to minimize the number of false alerts, while enforcing compliance with government regulations and legislation and reporting all relevant information related to a suspicious case to the appropriate person for investigations.

“We look forward to working with the GT Bank team to deliver a world class solution to the bank,” he asserted.

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Panabiz unveils Workio 263

Panabiz International Limited has unveiled the Panasonic Workio 263 copier into the Nigeria’s market.

Speaking to newsmen at the venue of the unveiling in Lagos, General Manager, Customer Support Department (CSD) at Panabiz, Mr. Ashok Kadadi, said that the latest Panasonic Workio 263 has the features to send electronic mail (email) and exchange information at ease.

He also said that Panabiz believes in after sales service, “So we have after sales experts for Panasonic products.”

In Panabiz, he said the company provides best of services around its product ranges, even as it has presence in 30 major cities in the country, including Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Warri, Eket, Enugu, Aba and Calabar to name a few.

Mr. Kadadi equally said that Panabiz has commercial engineers to provide backup and replacement where and when necessary.

The event, which offered the company the chance to also exhibit other range of Panasonic copiers in its kitty, noting that Panabiz carries dealers along, whereas the event was specifically for corporate customers to learn more about Panasonic products.

He explained that Workio, means work with input and output.

He also said that Workio 263 copier series offers the option of printer, scanner and email with a control panel to moderate its activities.

According to him, this product could be networked to be used in a larger organization with document distribution system, just as the management could actually give or deny people access to colour printing.

In addition, the copier offers fax, which could be facilitated through Internet options, even as it has about 256 Mega bytes of main memory and page memory respectively.

His company has in stock all the paper sizes and toners of its various models on sale in the nation’s market today.

Equally on display at the mini exhibition, he said, includes Panasonic DP-2330 digital imaging system, which he disclosed prints 23 copies per minute and prints the same number while serving as a printer.

DP-2330 like DP-263, he said, has the standard network printing feature that is managed by document manager software with the capacity to scan to Personal Computer and send to email by scanning to File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and server in that order.

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Akinlabi explains Quiz Line

General Manager, Telemedia, promoters of Quiz Line, Mr. Olu Akinlabi, has adduced some reasons why Nigerians should embrace interactive phone-in programmes like Quiz Line, saying it has enhanced over 839 Nigerians.

He also said that Quiz Line, which is yet to clock one year, that on daily basis, a winner must emerge, just as he recalled that two main winners with over N1.2m, have since emerged.

He said that the programme designed for easy, quick and small wins was designed with the vision of carrying some bonus wins, which allow a winner to go beyond the N10,000 mark.

According to him, when played in different parts of the world as an interactive TV show, the drama to win is between the player at home and the presenter who would usually ask the interacting viewer some questions most times presented in form of a puzzle.

“The programme is highly cerebral and the player must have full concentration in order to get a win,” he said, describing it as a great game show that has continued to attract a large fellowship in the country.

“This is one of the reasons, the process of playing must always be explained to the players,” he said.

He added that interested public could call 345 on MTN network or 358555 on the other networks at the cost of N100 per call, which is a non-refundable registration fee.

“You will then receive an automatic response from the computer which qualifies you for participation,” he said, stressing that if a number is selected from the pool of numbers on the list, “you will receive a call from the presenter inviting you to play the interactive game. And if you successfully solve the puzzle, you could win as much as N1m,” Mr. Akinlabi explained.

He also noted that an electronic version of this message is available to those who call into the programme and are left with the choice to continue with the transaction.

Mr. Akinlabi pointed out that Telemedia has always given this explanation just for players to know that Quiz Line is a phone interaction between the presenter and the viewer at home whose indication to play would necessitate him to call the presenter.

He emphasised that such call is not an automatic qualification but until the request is processed by the computer, and a number gets through.

“All over the world where Quiz Line is played, it is billed on a premium rate and has become a major value added product to most telecom operators and Nigeria is no exception,” he said.

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Nweke, Isoun for ATCON franchise forum

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) minister, Mr. Frank Nweke and his counterpart in the Science and Technology Ministry, Prof. Turner Isoun, are billed to lead delegates to the Franchise forum being organised by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).

President, ATCON, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, who disclosed this said that minister of state for Communications, Dr. Obafemi Anibaba, Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Prof. Cleopas Officer Angaye and the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Chuka Ndukwe as well as the Director, Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), Mrs. Lolia Emakpore and Director-General, Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Mrs. Modupe Adelaja are among top government officials slated to grace the event.

Dr. Ekuwem who spoke through the Executive Secretary, ATCON, Mr. Godwin Morgan also said that other dignitaries have been invited from the private sector including chief executives of telecom companies, banks and non-bank financial institutions, oil & gas companies in addition to representatives of local and multinational funding agencies as well as high network personalities from all sectors including the mass media.

ATCON said the one-day forum is being organised in collaboration with the NCC, and USPF and would play host to telecommunications stakeholders at the event scheduled to hold on Friday, March 30, 2007 at the Golden Gate Paradise, Ikoyi, Lagos based on the theme: “Telecom Franchise and Virtual Operation: Accelerating Service Provisioning in Rural Nigeria.”

Also, ATCON reiterated the group’s support for the universal access policy of the government of Nigeria, currently being implemented by NCC and USPF.

By this forum, ATCON said its using the forum to complement the efforts of the government, NCC and USPF “by assembling telecom industry experts and their counterparts from other relevant economic sectors to brainstorm on the potentials of adopting the franchise system and virtual operation as strategic business models with great potentials for driving the rapid expansion of telecom and other ICT services to all parts of the country, especially in the unserved rural areas.

In line with this vision, ATCON said that recent studies have revealed that telecommunications development in Nigeria has its concentration mostly in the urban and commercial centres, stressing that the reasons are simple.

“Poor infrastructural development of our rural areas, low commercial activities, low purchasing power of rural dwellers, low population, hostilities in some local regions to name a few,” Ekuwem said.

The aforementioned, he said, are enough reasons to discourage big investors from investing in the rural areas, as economic viability is the watch word of any profit oriented business,” Ekuwem said.

He emphasised that there are some local entrepreneurs who may be interested in investing in telecom and other ICT businesses in the remote areas but do not have the prerequisite for obtaining the relevant operating licences from NCC.

“With a well tailored franchise systems and appropriate virtual operation model, these set of investors could participate as franchisees of big licensed network operators in bringing ICT services closer to the grassroots,” he said.

Therefore, he said, the forum would examine telecom franchise and virtual operation as business models that could attract more investors to participate in further expanding telecommunications and ICT services to such areas that have not been served, without necessarily obtaining licences of their own from the NCC.

He said that discussants at the forum would dwell on what would be the format of contractual agreements between the franchisor and franchisee? What would be the guarantees and safeguards between a franchisor and a franchisee? What policy and regulatory framework would the NCC provide to strengthen franchising agreements? What level of funding could the banks and non-bank financial institutions provide to promote telecom franchising? What kind of investment incentives and support could States and Local Governments give to small and medium entrepreneurs to encourage their participation in telecom services franchising?

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Celtel embarks on aggressive coverage

... Opens viewing centres for Idols

Celtel Nigeria has said that its embarking on aggressive coverage expansion of the network in pursuit of its 2007 goals of providing significant coverage for portions of Nigeria’s over 150m population.

This is coming as the telco has given a boost to Idols West Africa, which it’s a major sponsor by establishing viewing centres across the country.

Celtel also said this would offer more Nigerians the opportunity to watch the popular reality television (TV) talent show, Idols West Africa.

Public Relations, Specialist at Celtel Nigeria, Mr. Emmanuel Otokhine said, that by rolling out an average of 100 base stations monthly across the six geo-political zones of the country, and is speeding up the completion of it North-south microwave transmission backbone.

He quoted the Chief Executive Officer, Celtel Nigeria, Mr. Bayo Ligali, as confirming in a press statement made available to Champion Infotel while addressing key functionaries of the business at a management strategy meeting in Lagos, weekend.

Mr. Ligali noted that the objective is to cover 95 per cent of the total population of the country by mid-next year.

He explained that the investment by the MTC/Celtel Group in Celtel Nigeria has begun to yield fruits with the completion of numerous equipment supply contracts and roll-out agreements.

He pointed out to one of this plans as being the $50 million contract the telco recently signed with Motorola to expand its GSM network within the South-East and South-South regions of the country.

Under the turnkey arrangement, he said, Motorola would deploy its latest Motorola Reach Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) solutions and provide comprehensive services. Whereas the expansion would afford Celtel to increase its subscriber capacity, extend its coverage into new areas and improve network quality.

Meanwhile, Celtel has advanced plans to establish viewing centres across the nation for the Idols West Africa.

According to the Head, Public Relations, Events and Sponsorship at Celtel, Mr. Emeka Oparah, several viewing centres have began to emerge in various cities, mostly in university campuses, nationwide to serve the populace the chance to watch their idols perform in the on-going reality TV show, Idols West Africa.

Champion Infotel recalls that Celtel Nigeria is headline sponsor of the Idols West Africa project, which commenced in February this year.

Presently over 40 university campuses across the country have been designated to host the viewing centres.

The centres will be equipped with Plasma television sets, Digital Satellite Tv (DSTV) decoders and satellite dish and 6KVA power generating sets.He also said that viewing centres were introduced to boost public engagement in and association with the talent hunt project, which offers Nigerian youths a shot at fame and fortune.

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Executive networking @ W.Afri.Tel-07

Organisers of the West Africa Telecommunications (W.Afri.Tel) 2007, the Exhibition Management Services (EMS) of South Africa, has said that they expect the high level conference to set the ground for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) executives in the country to network.

They also said that all is now set for the three-day exhibition scheduled between June 5 and 7 this year in Lagos.

“W.Afri.Tel is set to heighten the growth through high level participation and attendance,” a press statement from the organisers and signed by the management of its local partner, IT & Telecom Digest said.

“There really is no other way to meet and interact with the region’s telecom decision-makers, all in one place, at the same time,” Ms Gillian Pope, who is the Exhibitions Manager at EMS said, emphasising that over 40 per cent of visitors to the expo were either managing directors or company chief executives.

“We’re confident that, with the last edition of a high-level conference, this number will grow even further,” she said.

The event which is on its seventh year, is scheduled to hold at the Expo Centre, Eko Hotel, Lagos, the organisers also said is promising and has began to make some progress for this year’s event.

“We’re already receiving phenomenal endorsements, with several leading Nigerian and foreign companies already signed up,” says Editor-in-chief of IT & Telecom digest, Mr. Mkpe Abang.
He noted that like the previous editions, the show would be sold out as early as possible, with a higher scale of rush from active participants of the nations ICT sector and the economy in general.

In addition, Ms Pope, said that the last three exhibitions in particular have been completely sold out, stressing that as participation opens for the event, she said the management is ready for, “A high level conference to support the expo we expect to post the ‘sold-out’ signs up much earlier this year.”

Ms Pope pointed out that the world’s major telecom companies and suppliers are being expected at the event.

“But in addition, together with our local partner, IT & Telecom Digest, we will run a cutting-edge conference at the same time as the exhibition,” she said.

The introduction of the technical conference this year, at the request of W.Afri.Tel participants – exhibitors and visitors alike, she said, would reflect the ongoing interest from the region in acquiring the latest technologies.

“Whereas Africa is now the world’s leading area for cellular expansion, Nigeria is largely regarded as the world’s fastest growing mobile phone market,” she noted.

A statement issued in Lagos by IT & Telecom Digest, the Nigerian Sole Agent for W.Afri.Tel said the event was already “almost fully booked” and advised prospective exhibitors to confirm their booking early once they received provisional booking to avoid missing out on the show.

“Space is limited. Last year we had over 15 companies that we could not find space for despite their interest. And already, we are almost 80 per cent booked, so chances are that companies confirming late risk the chance of missing the event,” said Mr. Abang.

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ALTON tasks FG on NITEL training school

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has tasked the Federal Government on the need to upgrade the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) Training School, Oshodi-Lagos.

ALTON made this call during a courtesy visit of its executive to the Minister of State for Communications, Dr. Obafemi Anibaba, at the weekend in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

The executive led by its chairman, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, while lamenting the dearth of manpower in the core telecommunications engineering segment of the industry, said that the nation’s educational institutions have not measured up to the manpower needs of the this specialised area.

He noted that most of the networks in the country today, are new and as such currently require less maintenance, stressing that it would amount to economic slavery if the nation fails to produce graduates to take up the maintenance of these infrastructure.

“If we do not produce graduates trained to take up maintenance of these infrastructure the nation will continue to depend on foreign manpower in this regard,” he observed. Mr. Adebayo also said that the nation’s tertiary institutions should be encouraged to carry out specialised training in telecommunications engineering as well as in other related courses in the interest of the country. “We kindly request that the NITEL training school be revisited. ALTON is of the view that this institute in Oshodi-Lagos, and a campus of know-how, should be upgraded and equipped with modern training facilities in order to assist in the area of the much needed local manpower in the telecoms industry,” he said. Mr. Adebayo equally assured the minister of his association’s readiness to assist in bringing the training school back to life. “Operators will be ready to assist with the provision of training equipment and also support with resource persons,” he declared. He pointed out that there is need for the government to address the upgrading of this institution because of the much-needed human capital development in the Nigeria telecommunications. ALTON further requested the upgrading of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) Abuja, to specialised degree awarding institution. This, ALTON said, would boost the development of highly skilled personnel and high level manpower development for the evolving telecommunications sector.

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Task Systems becomes biggest HP partner in Africa

The foremost Information Technology (IT) solutions provider, Task Systems Limited, has pronounced Task Systems Limited, the 2006 Best and Biggest Hewlett Packard (HP) Preferred Partner Award winner for West Africa and Africa.

The latest is the ninth in a row, according to sources at Task System.

Presenting both Awards, the General Manager SPO for Africa at HP, Mr. Foad Afilal said, that he was very proud of Task as a committed and professional Information Technology (IT) company that has continued to show strength and growth year after year for over a decade.

Mr. Foad wished the Task team continued success in their hunger for IT Solutions Excellence in Africa.

Responding after receiving the wards, Managing Director, Task Systems, Mr. Dave Ibelegbu, expressed thanks to HP for recognizing and rewarding commitment to professionalism and loyalty.

Mr. Ibelegbu dedicated the first award, the best in West Africa to their numerous satisfied customers all over the country while he dedicated the second award, the best in Africa to all staff of Task Systems for being a winning team.

Mr. Ibelegbu said that the award was a welcome tonic that would make the Task team to work even harder.

He also said that winning the awards for a record ninth time showed the depth, focus, and tenacity of the Task management and staff in the industry where they operate.

“It wasn’t as if competition was sleeping. It was just that at Task we keep setting higher customer satisfaction levels for ourselves. This ninth award would, like the other awards, translate to smarter and faster responses to ensure that Task customers consolidate their winning edge in the market,” he said.

“I felt very proud as a Nigerian dominating this award,” he asserted, pointed out that it was another proof that Nigerians were capable of providing high tech solutions and match the best anywhere in the world.

“Awards like this one, won consistently in international platforms, would help re-write the image of the Nigerian,” he said.

Mr. Ibelegbu also said that these awards came at the right time to provide the reassurances that the Task Service Manager (TSM), is appreciated and recognized worldwide.

He said that IT deployment and administration was getting more and more specialized and discerning corporate persons were relying more on IT Solutions companies. Task Systems Limited, established in 1987 by the Nigerian IT Visionary, Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh, operates from Abuja, Port Harcourt, Warri and Lagos, and recently launched the Task Service Manager, TSM, an engine that enables companies to entirely outsource their IT needs to Task.

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IBM, Cisco take GAS to 46 new countries

The International Business Machines (IBM) and Cisco Systems Nigeria, have announced the collaboration in the bid to expand their Global Services Alliance (GAS) in providing product maintenance services for mutual enterprise customers in 46 new countries.

A joint press statement from both Information Technology (IT) companies, signed by Jeena Gable of IBM and Owen Nwelih of Cisco Nigeria, said that the collaboration is built on the success that IBM and Cisco have seen within the United States.

This, they said means that IBM customers who purchase Cisco networking technology solutions would now get a globally consistent level of IT infrastructure support.

The collaboration includes IBM’s extensive service-delivery capabilities and Cisco’s technical expertise in one integrated support offering.

Vice President, Cisco Services Marketing and Channels, Mr. Karl Meulema described the collaboration as significant evolution in global services alliance, stressing that by providing a concerted maintenance service offering means mutual customers would no longer need to choose between Cisco networking skills or IBM multivendor systems integrator capabilities.

“Instead, customers get the collective expertise of both companies, combining the best of both worlds,” he said.

On his part, the vice president, IBM-Cisco Strategic Alliance, IBM Global Technology Services, Mr. Robert Kritzer, said that the partnership have existed for over three years on these service offerings especially in the United States and they were excited to offer a broader global customer experience by expanding the frontier into additional markets around the world.

“Our relationship with Cisco allows us to provide our customers with a single resource to seamlessly and rapidly integrate business processes, industry knowledge, information technologies and the intelligence of the network,” Mr. Kritzer said.

The deal, it was gathered involves that IBM would market and sell this services offering under the name “IBM managed maintenance solution for Cisco products,” while collaboratively delivering the service with Cisco.

Company sources informed that IBM will provide the customer with consolidated call management for all networking devices and will retain responsibility for resolving customer issues.

Also, technical support would be provided via IBM Technical Support Centres by highly experienced network specialists, trained by Cisco, who have access to IBM’s technical support resource base.

Speaking on the development, Cisco’s Managing Director for Nigeria and Ghana, Mr. Maduka Emelife, said that his firm would provide, through IBM, such benefits as worldwide escalation to the Cisco Technical Assistance Centre at any time of the day, access to cisco.com, on-going operating system updates, advance hardware replacement, and tools and best practices to address network issues.

He noted that the collaboration has been in place for three years and is intended to increase customer success with Cisco networking technology.

“The programme promotes greater collaboration and alignment between Cisco and its Global Service Alliance partners in order to deliver a consistent level of IT infrastructure support across the network lifecycle,” he said.

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Starcomms introduces 07028

Acclaimed largest Third Generation (3G) Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) mobile network, Starcomms Limited, has introduced a new numbering plan for its mobile to be known as 07028.

Commercial Director at Starcomms, Mr. Prakash Pantham, said that the step is a major in fulfillment of its newly acquired national unified license by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

He said that with the introduction and activation of its new code numbers, which the telco has been test-running since last month, February, that plans are up for its formal launch this month.

He explained that the unified license affords Starcomms to offer a wide range of telecommunications options to its subscribers, which include the operation of fixed wireless, fax, data, mobile telephony, long distance, national, international mobile and high speed internet services.

This, he said, would enable subscribers on the network to enjoy the roaming mobility that was once the exclusivity of the Global System for Mobile Communications lines.

Mr. Pantham pointed out that other features in the unified license deployment as planned by Starcomms, would consist of offering superior voice clarity, flexibility and mobility.

“We have planned for this for about three years because we realized long ago that this day will come; we are set to match our pedigree in the business. We are excited to pull this through,” he said.

As a result, he said, Starcomms is closing in on the half million mark subscription base, even as it is ready to replicate the feat by deploying its world-class mobile broadband internet access service, a CDMA 2000 1X EV-DO powered technology.

With this development, Starcomms seems to affirm industry views that the kind of influence, power and money which the GSM networks enjoyed since the introduction of GSM six years ago will be significantly go down with the entry of an aggressive player like Starcomms with its robust financial clout and array of value-adding products and services.

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Nokia connects media pros with mobile

World leading mobile communications manufacturer, Nokia has introduced platforms to connect media professionals with their mobile accessories.

Top beneficiaries of these platforms are those in advertising and publishing industries.

Communications Manager at Nokia West Africa, Dana Adnani, said that the platform known as ‘Nokia Ad Service and Nokia Advertising Connector would enable delivery of the right ad to the right mobile consumer.

Adnani explained that the Ad Service is a fully managed service for advertisers to conduct targeted advertising on mobile services and applications, adding that Nokia also introduced Nokia Advertising Connector, a private label service for third party publishers and advertising aggregators that want to extend to relevant mobile advertising.

“Nokia Advertising Connector operates as an intelligent switch, selecting between text, visual, audio and video ads - depending on the user’s context - and feeding the ad to the device,” Adnani.

Director, Nokia Ad Service at Nokia Emerging Business Unit, Mr. Tom Henriksson was quoted in a press statement made available to Champion Infotel as saying that Ad Service consists of a group of mobile publishers forming a mobile ad network and a platform to deploy, manage and optimize mobile advertising campaigns.

“As advertisers struggle to reach personalized targeting with traditional media such as print and TV, mobile advertising is becoming an increasingly attractive channel for brands,” he said, stressing that Nokia has completed a number of pilot campaigns with advertisers and mobile publishers for testing the ad serving technology and consumer experience, even as the feedback has been very positive from all parties.

Nokia Ad Service, he said, fulfills different types of advertising needs such as advertisers deploying global mobile campaigns, agencies offering mobile advertising to complement traditional media initiatives, and publishers seeking new business models and a larger consumer audience.

Mr. Henriksson said that Nokia Ad Service serves mobile operators as a solution provider bringing the mobile advertising model to operator services, driving new and sustainable revenue streams. Nokia Ad Service simplifies the mobile advertising process by supporting and managing the full campaign lifecycle for advertisers including planning, deploying, optimizing, and reporting.

He explained that typical mediums of experience for mobile advertisements are in the form of interactive content like banner ads in browsing services, ads in applications, and videos.

“Nokia Ad Service began its operations in Europe with a kick-off at ad:tech, an interactive marketing event in Paris, France on March this year and globally in the second half of 2007,” he disclosed.

On Nokia Advertising Connector, Head, Business Development, Nokia Multimedia, Advertising Business Programme, Mr. Matthew Snyder, said that with this platform precisely, Nokia is partnering with newspaper publishers, other traditional media companies, aggregators, platform companies, operators and internet companies to help them serve their current advertisers by offering easy access to a mobile audience.

“We have an aggregator interface for plugging partners’ platforms into the Connector - Nokia being in the role of platform service provider. Think of the Connector as a one-stop delivery point with intelligence,” he said.

Mr. Snyder added that the Connector enables delivery of targeted ads to mobile devices, even as Ads would be closely tied and optimised to specific multimedia applications, such as reading digital newspaper content, watching TV, listening to music or looking at directions on maps.

Nokia offers access to the platform for third parties and enables their ad sales teams to sell for the mobile channel. Nokia Advertising Connector supports so called Cost Per Action (CPA) model and it provides usage data from mobile devices for facilitating targeted ad selection and delivery to users’ devices.

“A key part of the platform will be the easy-to-use reporting and analytics tools for Publishers to manage their advertisers Return-on-Investment (ROI),” he said, just as it will be commercially available by December 2007.

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SystemSpecs, 21st Century lead support @ Titans of Tech

Emerging software giant in West Africa, SystemSpecs Limited and 21st Century Limited are leading Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) firms in the country to provide support to the Titans of Tech nite.

Also, ICT training institution, New Horizons is warming up in support of the event billed to take place on April 6, this year.

According to the organisers of Titans of Tech nite, New Horizons, SystemSpecs, 21st Century are among companies that have indicated support for the programme through sponsorship.

A press statement from ICT Africa, organizers of the event, said the sponsors indicated their willingness to be a part of the programme because of the immense benefit it holds for the Nigerian ICT sector in particular and the nation in general.

Managing Director, New Horizon, Mr. Tim Akano, applauded the organizers of the programme for the efforts in packaging it. He expressed willingness to be part of the success of the “Titans of Tech.”

Equally commenting, Managing Director of SystemSpecs, Mr. John Tani Obaro, while confirming support for the event noted that ICT Africa has contributed greatly to the development of IT in Nigeria.

In addition, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), 21st Century Limited, Chief Wale Ajesibutu, said that his firm is biased to the event because of the avenue its expected to open up in promoting the country’s image abroad.

‘Titans of Tech refers to individual Nigerians who by dint of hard work, foresight and commitment to purpose have become the reason for the tremendous leap the nation has experienced in the deployment and use of technology in the country,” he said.

Africa’s leading ICT TV producer of the year courtesy of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and co-ordinator of the Titans of Tech, Mr. Don Pedro Aganbi said that the project was instituted to honour Nigerians who have contributed to taking the country from the dark ages to the light of the 21st century.

“Titans of Tech night is an opportunity to celebrate these titans; men and women who’re the driving force of the tremendous wind of technological change that has engulfed our nation, Nigeria,” he said.

Mr. Aganbi who also is the vice president of the Joint Action Committee for ICT Awareness and Development (JACITAD) in Nigeria, explained that the country has become a major beneficiary of the technology revolution that has marked the world over the last decade with technology increasingly altering the way people live, work and communicate.

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