Telephone subscribers worldwide hit 4bn – ITU

Telephone subscriber base worldwide has hit an estimated four (4) billion, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the global telecommunications regulator.

ITU, which is a lead-agency of the United Nations (UN), gave this insight, yesterday, Tuesday in Geneva, while unveiled its 8th report on ‘Trends in Telecommunication Reform - the Road to the Next Generation Network (NGN)’ said that this figure cuts across mobile and fixed line subscribers, just as the Internet users have growth to over 1 billion at the end of last year, 2006.

This is coming as ITU said it has a strong financial footing to embark on charting a strategic plan to fulfil its mission of connecting the world, achieving the 2015 connectivity targets and fast-tracking the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Disclosing this at a media session to mark the conclusion of the ITU Council of Ministers meeting, the ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, said that next-generation networks globally would herald the growth in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.

The 8th edition of the report, ITU said, aims at enabling regulators and policy-makers in developing countries to better understand the changes transforming the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) sector so they could evolve their policy and regulatory frameworks to leverage today’s technological and market developments.

Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, Mr. Sanjay Acharya, informed that NGN, which offers the opportunity for developing countries to leapfrog several generations of technology, would herald the shift from a “one network, one service” approach to the delivery of many services over a single network as well as the convergence of services and applications on both fixed and mobile platforms.

“This next-generation architecture will help leverage new technologies to dramatically reduce the cost of market entry, increase flexibility and seamlessly accommodate in a single multi-service network both voice and data,” he declared.

Equally speaking on the forthcoming Connect Africa Summit to be held in Kigali, ITU official said its aimed at connecting all of Africa to the benefits of ICT, noting, however, investment in ICT infrastructure on the continent has improved dramatically in recent years, hence, a Marshall Plan for ICT infrastructure development is needed to mobilize the world’s human, financial and technical resources to connect everyone in the region.

Meanwhile, ministers from 17 countries attended the ITU Council meeting, including those of Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Ghana, Italy, Pakistan, Philippines, Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tunisia and Ukraine.

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Zinox digital plant to go live in 2008

The Nigeria’s premier Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) partner in West Africa, Zinox Technologies, has advanced plans to ensure conclusion of its multi-million Naira digital plant by first quarter of next year, 2008.

Management of Zinox also said that it’s a beehive of activities as architects, builders, and automation experts resume work on the property in Lagos that would house the Zinox new digital plant.

Head, Corporate Affairs, Zinox Computers, Mr. Echika Ezuka, while confirming this development, noted that already the plant has been acclaimed to be the largest digital assembly factory in Africa by the Japanese manufacturers.

He also said that the digital plant when completed would consist of a couple of warehouses and two gigantic blocks of offices, and four floors each.

“This plant is expected to go live before the end of the first quarter of 2008,” he affirmed.

Mr. Ezuka emphasised that Zinox, the Microsoft’s only OEM partner in West Africa embarked on the expansion in furtherance of its belief that only a properly structured and articulated enterprise could achieve a successful technology transfer to Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

He stressed that by putting such structure in place would provide the chance to rise up to the challenges posed by the potentials of the Information Technology (IT) market in the continent.

Mr. Ezuka who recently returned from a working tour of Zinox operations in Ghana, said that the new digital plant is a positioning statement that Zinox Computers is prepared to invest in, and grow the IT market.

“Zinox Computers preferred to establish a legacy that would add value to the market and the operating environment rather than adopt the waiting game of opportunism,” he declared, adding that the pioneering experience of Zinox in the IT market has advised the feeling that despite the momentary setbacks to achieve IT penetration, “the market would surge like a storm and only those who prepared sufficiently could keep pace with the surge.”

He highlighted that the new digital plant, on completion would have an installed capacity for 3,000 world-class systems daily.

“Our expectation is that this plant would supply most of the PC needs of sub Saharan Africa and beyond. The Zinox dream is to provide Africa with a quality IT production platform, so strong that no foreign interest can hold Africa to ransom in terms of technology,” he said.

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Comm Warrior invades Nokia phones

Market Intelligence:

Recent investigations showed that many Nigerians use Nokia brand as their choice of mobile phone, but there seems to be some inert challenges facing them, especially as a virus known as ‘Comm Warrior’ is having a field day.

Several of those affected by this mobile phone virus are known to be somewhat die-hard Nokia fans that ventured into its 6600 and 3230 series.

These two models have been a sought of nightmares for the end users, which made some Nigerians to began to wonder if the brand on offer in the country is not a substandard model or already infected set of mobile phones.

Investigations also revealed that those allegations are not founded although several of these two series of Nokia on sale in Nigeria have witnessed increased attack by this Comm Warrior.

However, Comm Warrior could be removed at the notorious Computer Village Ikeja for between N1,500 and N5,000 depending on the ability of customer to bargain favourably according his or her purse.

Equally Nigerians may not after all be alone in this attack by Comm Warrior, which has given birth to a forum, specially on this virus, but the attendant hiccups that follows have forced some Nokia mobile phone centric customers to contemplate of making choices of another brand.

Experts advised that there’s a software called AntiCW by Mpulze that could be tried out by going to the web page of www.fullmaza.com, and Symantec Security.

In addition experts warned that this virus copies itself in memory card, therefore those intending to clean up the mobile set should check out their memory cards too, stressing that only solution remains to format the mobile and format the card completely.

Comm Warrior is largely suspected to be rooted into Nokia mobile phones that have bluetooth and as matter of fact tends to activate bluetooth and Global Packet Radio Service (GPRS).

Comm Warrior, it was learnt creates error, hangs up and restarts the set intermittently.

Above all, mobile phone users have called on manufacturers of Nokia brands to endeavour by finding a lasting solution to Comm Warrior, because it would help in boosting the image of the company rather than damaging as it were.

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GPLv3 may drive users from Linux to FreeBSD

GPLv3 will help FreeBSD take some users away from Linux, according to the founder and vice president of The FreeBSD Foundation, reports ZDNets.

Writing in the FreeBSD Foundation's August newsletter, Justin Gibbs said: "GPLv3 is a critical concern for many current commercial users of open-source software. Against the backdrop of GPLv3, the stark difference between the BSD licensing philosophy and that of the Free Software Foundation is only too clear," he said.

One difference Gibbs saw was future-proofing of the licences.

Linux, he said, is not immune to failure, but certain tips and strategies could rescue your machine from an untimely demise.

"A GPL proponent might argue that a licence for free software must be upgraded periodically since we cannot anticipate what new use models for free software might be developed that restrict freedom. The BSD licence is as permissive as possible exactly because we cannot predict the future or to what beneficial purpose, commercial or otherwise, our software will be used," said Gibbs.

Citing high support costs and an inability to guarantee adherence to specification for licensing, Gibbs said, "now was the perfect time to clarify the differences between GPLv3 and BSD licenses and start to engage with large current and potential users of open-source software to understand their use models and how the GPLv3 might impact them".

Gibbs said the FreeBSD Foundation will provide an effective response to GPLv3 and he implored the community to make the most of the opportunity it provided.

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ICANN invites comments on .MUSEUM

Global Internet coordinator, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has invited public comments on the proposed .MUSEUM sponsorship agreement.

ICANN said that the amendment from the previous draft agreement was as a result of significant collaboration between the registry sponsor and community members, just as the posted proposal would be available for comment for 30 days beginning August 31, 2007.

“The updated agreement is posted with the intention of submitting it to the ICANN board for approval after the 30-day comment period,” ICANN sources said in a press statement made available to Champion Infotel at the weekend.

Champion Infotel recalls that the initial proposal for .MUSEUM top level domain (TLD) registry agreement and appendices were originally posted for public comment on March 2, 2007 and after consultation with the community an amendment was made to appendix S of the agreement that describes some of the duties and rights of the registry sponsor, MuseDoma.

ICANN also informed that during the initial public comment period that was open through 23 March 2007, concern was expressed about proposed language in Part VII of appendix S, allowed for up to 5,000 domain names to be directly managed by MuseDoma.

“This language was created by MuseDoma recognizing that the “wildcard” capability that was allowed in the original agreement was eliminated from this renewal agreement,” ICANN noted.

However on March 27, 2007, at ICANN’s public meeting in Lisbon, MuseDoma and the ICANN Registrar Constituency held a public exchange on the purpose of the proposed language and on various forms that language might take, hence it was agreed that MuseDoma propose language in response to the public exchange, even as there have been additional telephonic conferences among some interested parties since that time.

Champion Infotel gathered that the original language read thus: “Sponsor may register up to 5,000 domain names directly with the registry operator and keep these names under direct management until the conclusion of its designation by ICANN as the sponsor for the Sponsored TLD.”

While the latest proposed language tends to recognize, “The charter of the .MUSEUM top-level domain is sufficiently restrictive so that it has appeal to a small, identifiable and limited community, and that said restrictions have created conditions that substantially limit market demand and as a result, registrar uptake;

“ii) MuseDoma is a not-for-profit entity as is the community it is required to serve by the definition of its charter; and iii) MuseDoma makes available to its community members under certain conditions, at no cost, third-level domain names.

“Therefore, MuseDoma is permitted to maintain up to 4,000 domain names directly with the registry operator and keep these names under direct management for purposes stated in iii) of this section until the conclusion of its designation by ICANN as the sponsor for the sponsored TLD.”

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Ekuwem applauds Glo @ 4

National President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, has applauded Globacom’s four years in operation in the country, just as he described it as ‘revolutionary’ in the nation’s telecom industry.

Dr. Ekuwem who spoke at the launch of the West Africa’s Top 50 Technology Business Enterprises 2007, in Lagos, noted that, considering the achievements of Globacom, it was difficult to believe that the company was only four years old.

“Globacom started late in the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) sector. Yet it has become the market leader. It pioneered Per Second Billing and a number of value added products and services. You can imagine what they would have done if they started when others started in 2001,” he observed.

He also expressed delight at the prospect of the company’s planned expansion into the West African sub-region with the GSM license the telco won in Benin Republic.

“I am excited because it is a Nigerian company. It is therefore in order that they are one of the companies being honoured here today,” Ekuwem said.

The Top 50 ceremony was organized by leading information and communications technology publication, IT Edge, and College of Researchers in honour of 50 companies in West Africa who emerged tops in a survey it conducted to determine the best performers in the technology business sector in 2006.

Globacom was selected in the telecommunications category and was rated as the best telecommunications company in West Africa.

IT Edge said West Africa ’s Top 50’ were “those enterprises who made a mark in service excellence, transparency and strict adherence to the tenets of best international practice.”

The publication said the companies were rated on “market spread and technical competence, functionality and relevance in terms of customer service and contribution to national economy in their respective areas of operation”.

Editor of the magazine, Segun Oruame, said data was obtained from local sources including newspapers, magazines, news websites, international news publications: Technology Times (Nigeria), It Weekly (Dubai), Balancing Act, Financial Times, Economist (United Kingdom) Forbes Rich List, Fortune 500, Wall Street Journal and Reuters.

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Telemedia presents N1.5m cheque to Jimoh Aliu

Recharge card hawker and winner of the N1.513,000 million in the Quiz Line being promoted by Telemedia Interactive, Mr. Jimoh Aliu, has been presented with his cheque at a ceremony in Lagos.

Even as Telemedia has lifted the SOS Children’s Village and Little Saints Orphanage Homes with N100,000 each.

Quiz Line is a phone-in programme that avails callers to interact with the presenter by playing around the questionnaire available through calling 345 on the MTN network or 358555 on other networks in existence in the country at the cost of N100 per call.

Welcoming guest to the occasion, the chief promoter of the Quiz Line and Managing Director, Telemedia Interactive, Mr. Femi Ayeni, noted that every day the programme is on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), many people are emerging as winners of several prizes.

He also said that before now, the programme has made a fisherman N60,000 richer as well as an Enugu-based businessman N500,000 wealthier.

According to him, Quiz Line is not just about giving out money to participants, but keeping Nigerians aware of contemporary issues, both locally and internationally.

He disclosed that Telemedia decided to give a boost to some selected orphanage homes in Lagos as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

“Quiz Line is not all about people winning money, so we decided to give out N100,000 to CDC, Little Saints and now SOS,” he said.

This, he said, would contribute immensely in alleviating hardship of these less privilege homes.

Also speaking, chairman of the occasion and top Nigerian comedian, Chief Chika Okpala, advised the winner, Mr. Aliu to ensure proper investment of his winning and lauded Telemedia for living up to its promise.

“You should use your money very well and not marry many wives,” Chief Okpala advised.

He later presented the cheque of N1,513,000 to Mr. Aliu in the company of the General Manager, Telemedia, Mr. Olu Akinlabi.

Equally commenting, Mr. Akinlabi informed that Telemedia had donated to CDC in June, Little Saint in July and SOS for the month of August.

Representative of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and Director of Surveillance and Enforcement, Mr. Emmanuel Abdullahi, also commended the management of Telemedia for the transparent manner they have been carrying out their activities in Quiz Line, since the programme began.

As monitors of promotions in the country and consumer concern, he said, that CPC is happy and expressed gratitude for being present to witness the event.

“Mr. Ayeni is always making out time to visit CPC from time to time to know how the consumers and the council is feeling about the programme,” he said, advising Mr. Aliu to ensure that he reports back to CPC when he clears the cheque to put it on record that everything went on well.

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Omatek bags BID quality awards

Computer manufacturing giant, Omatek Computers Limited, has bagged the Business Initiative Directions (B.I.D) recently at the 9th International Quality Convention held in Geneva, Switzerland.

The BID award was in recognition of its achievements in the realm of quality culture and the company’s position as a leader in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.

According to the award selection committee, Omatek Computers emergence, was based on the criteria of the principles of the Quality Convention (QC)100 Total Quality Management.

Managing Director, Omatek Computers, Mrs. Florence Seriki informed that the criteria include customer satisfaction, communication strategies, benchmarking, information and data analysis, leadership, planning and decision-making, human resources, continuing education and training, processes and production as well as financial outcome among others.

She added that the current recipient of the Best Systems Builder Award for West, East and Central Africa, which is an international quality award by Microsoft in November 2005, beating 42 other countries to win the coveted award for Nigeria.

Champion Infotel recalled that Microsoft had said, it was the international quality consciousness of the Omatek brand of computers that won it the award, thus conferred a stamp of excellence to the quality and volume of computers produced by the company.

At present, Omatek has offices in Lagos, Abuja and Kano and has recently launched its factory in Ghana at the instance of the Ghana government.

In a related development, Mrs. Seriki has called for increased patronage of local brands by the public and private institutions in the country.

As said by her, the low patronage of local brands is militating against the real growth of the information communications sector of the economy.

“There is really no basis for this low patronage since we, the local and foreign brands, buy from the same source. As such the quality is the same and Omatek, for instance, is still the current Best System Builder, an award by Microsoft with the criteria being quality and volume of systems produced,” she noted.

Mrs. Seriki argued that local manufacturers have the same quality, same price and employ and empower Nigerians, stressing that this is coupled with the research and development issues that comes out of local assembly.

“Hence, it makes a lot more sense to patronize the local brands,” she declared.

She wondered that after all these facts have been put on the table, several banks and oil companies have continued to give foreign brands the turnover that should ordinarily come to the local brands.

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BSA, NCC enter pact on anti-piracy campaign

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has entered a pact with the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), to boost the anti-piracy campaign in the country.

Speaking at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Abuja, BSA spokes person, Mr. Akeem Aponmade, said the pact would drive the anti-piracy campaign in the country.

He pointed out that following the recent launch of BSA ‘Consequences of Campaign’ to raise awareness among software distributors, resellers, partners and users of the legal and operational risks involved in the use of illegal software.

He stressed that the latest partnership is a great first step towards solving this problem once and for all.

“The BSA and NCC partnership will help to track the activities of software license violators and enforce compliance as a way to curb the menace on the nation’s economy,” he said, emphasising that software piracy, for instance, has a detrimental effect on the nation’s economy, as each year, software producers, partners and consumers are lose billions of dollars.

This, according to him, cripples the local software industry, increases unemployment and deprives the government of vital tax revenue.

Mr. Aponmade, explained that software piracy is copyright theft, and that the BSA ‘consequences campaign’ has been designed to sensitise the consumers and the general public as well as to warn the pirates on the consequences of their actions .

For the Director-General (DG), Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Mr. Adebambo Adewope applauded the initiative by BSA to join the fight against piracy in the country.

In an address delivered by a director in NCC and Legal Adviser, Mr. Sunday Fagbemi, Mr. Adewope said, the evils that are attendant to piracy are legion.

“Piracy kills creativity and diminishes the growth of the economy. Piracy is akin to robbery. NCC is committed to fight piracy in all it facets. This collaboration with BSA is one more step towards upholding the intellectual property law,” he said.

He equally said that, a key strategy towards winning the fight is for all relevant bodies to join the campaign.

“Government is very serious in the fight against piracy in all its ramifications, be it literary, music or design. The kernel of this understanding between the commission and BSA is to fight digital piracy. Software piracy has assumed high profile sophistication and it must be fought with all seriousness,” Mr. Adewope said.

BSA is a foremost global organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world, even as it stands as the voice of the world’s commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and the international marketplace.

Its members cut across the fastest growing industries in the world including Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Avid, Bentley Systems, Borland, CA, Cadence Design Systems, Cisco Systems, CNC Software/Mastercam, Dell, EMC, Entrust, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Monotype Imaging, PTC, SAP, SolidWorks, Sybase, Symantec, Synopsys, The MathWorks and UGS.

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Intel fortifies vPRO processors

Reinforcing its desktop Personal Computers (PC) security through the unveiling of latest vPro processor technology for businesses, Intel Corporation said its introduction would bring about innovations that add better protection against hacking, viruses and other threats, to name a few.

Intel vPro processor, the company said, is a technology packaged with a powerful new Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Intel Q35 Express chipset and several technology innovations.

Vice President and General Manager of Intel’s Business Client Group, Mr. Robert B. Crooke, said, this would enable the technology innovations to offer a host of security and management capabilities for desktop PCs.

He said that this include some PCs that were previously impossible, such as the ability to wake and repair a computer with an inoperative operating system or hard drive.

“As a result, businesses can reduce costs by limiting expensive and time-consuming desk side visits, and by improving power savings through the ability to turn off PCs and securely wake them when required,” he said.

Security features, Mr. Crooke explained included in this latest Intel vPro processor technology, formerly codenamed Weybridge; are designed to protect against software-based attacks and also filter and defend against viruses and other threats.

“Today, the business desktop PC just got more secure,” he said, adding that this generation of Intel vPro processor technology arrives with new security and management capabilities along with support from every leading PC manufacturer and software solution vendor in the world.

Mr. Crooke said that the new Intel Trusted Execution Technology (Intel TXT, formerly codenamed LaGrande), highlightening that Intel TXT protects data within virtualized computing environments, an important feature as IT managers are considering the adoption of new virtualization-enabled computer uses.

Used in conjunction with a new generation of the company’s virtualization technology – Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O – Intel TXT ensures that virtual machine monitors are less vulnerable to attacks that cannot be detected by today’s conventional software-security solutions.

By isolating assigned memory through this hardware-based protection, Intel said, it keeps data in each virtual partition protected from unauthorized access from software in another partition.

Additionally, Intel enhanced its Intel vPro processor technology with improved System Defense Filters. These filters can identify greater numbers and varieties of threats in the network traffic flow.

“The latest version of Intel vPro processor technology also offers an embedded trust agent, the first certified by Cisco, providing the industry’s only 802.1x compatible manageability solution not dependent on OS-availability,” he said.

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Nigerians urged to emulate Ndukwe @ 59

Nigerians have been urged to emulate the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Chukwuka Anene Ndukwe, in order to take the nation to the next level of its growth.

Leading this call was the President, Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Mr. Lanre Ajayi at a dinner organised in Lagos by IT & Telecom Digest in honour of Dr. Ndukwe’s 59th birthday anniversary, presided over by chairman, Zinox Technologies, Dr. Leo-Stan Ekeh.

For Mr. Ajayi, Nigeria needs more people like him to take the populace to the promised land of economic leadership.

“We need many more like him, he is very committed and loyal to the country and I can say without mincing words that he is passionate about what he does for the Nigerian nation. The truth is that he has given Nigerians the true dividends of democracy,” he said.

While commending the organisers, Mr. Ajayi who also is the managing director, PiNet Informatics, said that Ndukwe deserves any honour accorded him in the present day Nigeria because he has proved himself a worthy ambassador.

“Ndukwe is a legend. He is one of the very few Nigerians that have made this country proud. He has made tremendous impact on the life of the average Nigerian. And, the interesting thing is that he goes about this in a humble and subtle way, such that you won’t even know he is the one working these wonders on Nigerians,” he noted, adding “Engr. Ndukwe is a good ambassador of Nigeria and indeed of the engineering industry. I am proud to be an engineer and to associate with him. I am proud of him.”

Corroborating Mr. Ajayi, the chief executive, Cisco Systems West Africa, Mr. Maduka Emelife, said that what was being celebrated is not Dr. Ndukwe but quality leadership skill that is much needed in the nation’s socio-political life.

He tasked him not to relent because he has remained a source of inspiration to many Nigerians both at home and abroad.

President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, described Dr. Ndukwe as a very religious person despite the time he devotes to hardwork.

Responding, Dr. Ndukwe while expressing thanks for the honour, assured Nigerians that NCC is striving to ensure that quality of service is improved upon as he envisaged that NCC is tinkering on how to multiple the number of base stations per operator current by five, especially on the GSM platform.

Welcoming guest earlier, the chief host and editor of IT & Telecom Digest, Mr. Mkpe Abang, noted that it is actually a double celebration because Nigeria just turned six since the Global System for Mobile communications began in the country as well as birthday anniversary for who he choose to describe as ‘Mr. Telecom.’

“It is double celebration for the NCC CEO as GSM operation in Nigeria is marking six years of unmatched success and growth despite the odds and challenges,” he said, stressing that the evolution is evident in the ubiquity of the mobile phone device from the lower step of the economic ladder to the society’s high and mighty.

He pointed out that the occasion was to celebrate a man regarded as an enigma not only in the country “but outside the shores of the country.”

He noted that the over 38 million telephone lines growth in the country was achieved under Dr. Ndukwe’s stewardship as the head of the NCC, thus a testament to the sheer ingenuity he has infused into the commission.

“It is interesting to note and sometimes amazing to a segment of the society that the NCC is a government agency, yet it has earned the respect and even envy of the private sector,” Abang observed, adding that Ndukwe is “unassuming, humble and modest,” in spite of his successes and enjoined other Nigerians to emulate him in service to father land.

“If we all can do even a minute part of what Dr. Ndukwe has done for this country, then certainly Nigeria will be ahead of many so-called advanced countries,” he asserted.

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MTN empowers 11,000 women on rural telephony

Over 11,000 women from 15 additional states are to benefit from the rural telephone project (RTP) of the Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN) in the next couple of months.

This is in addition to about 354 women in over 100 communities in eight states (Edo, Kwara, Kogi, Kaduna, Borno, Enugu, Akwa-Ibom, and Oyo) already empowered by the project, reports Leonard Okachie.

Disclosing this in Lagos at the Rural Telephone Project press conference, MTN Foundation’s Executive Director, Mrs Amina Oyagbola said MTN is committed towards bringing great economic relief to thousands of rural women.

Amina said the aim of the project which was initiated in 2002 with only five women beneficiaries from Enugu State, is to empower rural women economically and give them a hand up not a hand out towards self- sustenance.

“Through this project, they are empowered to start call centres in their communities. They are equipped with a handset, SIM pack, airtime, and promotional materials – a branded umbrella and wind vane, as well as antennae and battery pack. In addition, they are trained to run a micro-finance business through learning about basic book-keeping, GSM technology, customer relationship management and so on,” she stated.

The executive director explained that the project is a practical demonstration that empowering a woman translates to empowering the nation because of their invaluable role as homemakers, care givers and co-providers.

“Through the rural telephone project, we are delivering a strong message of female empowerment and transformation of the family, the community, the economy and nation at large. By the end of this year, we hope to have 1,500 beneficiaries in 22 states of the federation spanning over 500 communities”, she revealed.

Also the Chairman of Growing Business Foundation (GBF), Rev. Fr Obiora Eke, lauded MTN for its initiatives of empowering rural women, even as he described its partnership with MTN as a win- win affair.

Speaking on the RTP expansion, Fr. Eke said, “Alone in 2007, we will have empowered 11,000 women in 15 states across the six geopolitical zones, including the Niger Delta.”

Similarly, the Operation Officer of International Finance Corporation (IFC), Colin Shephard, who commended MTN for its foresight, said IFC is also committed towards partnering with MTN, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and local microfinance institutions in expanding access to telecommunications service in the rural areas.

Three out of the five women beneficiaries of the pilot test from Enugu state who were present at the event expressed gratitude to MTN for transforming their lives. They were Messrs Felicia Nnaji, Gloria Eze Okafor, and Edith Onodugo.

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‘SwiftPhones reduce cost of int’l roaming’

The Swift Networks has introduced a new digital telephone service to offer international roaming at reduced costs through its SwiftPhones.

Managing Director, Swift Networks Limited, Mr Charles Anudu, while disclosing this in Lagos, said that subscribers of SwiftPhones could save a lot of money on both local and international calls by subscribing to latest service from his firm.

He pointed out that the service is network agnostic and will be bundled for Swift broadband subscribers as well as being made available to the subscribers of other broadband networks anywhere in the country, as a stand-alone service.

He explained that the only requirement is the availability of broadband internet, stressing that the branded SwiftPhone, allows subscribers to use “Virtual” Nigerian numbers from anywhere in the world to make and receive calls at Nigerian rates on their Nigerian bill.

“With SwiftPhone, national long distance or international roaming rates do not apply and are avoided,” he asserted, emphasising that with the broadband internet and data bundles, Swift Network is offering its subscribers the advantage of “many services, one service provider, one bill” convenience.

SwiftPhone service, Mr. Anudu said, is made possible by the firm’s recent investments in the Next-Generation Networks (NGN)-based Internet Protocol (IP) and access technologies.

He reiterated that Swift Network is able to achieve significant cost savings, which it intends to pass on to the subscribers through this service.

“Swift digital phone service is ideal for businesses, and professionals that want to communicate, collaborate and compete better,” he said.

Mr. Anudu explained that what is unique about the new phone service is its ‘from-anywhere-to-anywhere’ feature.

“Apart from being simple, convenient and affordable, we’re pleased to bring to Nigerians the benefits of modern IP communication technology. The world has at last become truly a global village for Nigerians,” he said.

Broadband subscribers, he said, could save on local and international calls, send and receive clear fax messages, and be assigned up to 10 telephone and fax lines.

“More lines and E1 circuits are available to larger enterprises. The service also comes standard with caller identification (ID), voicemail, voice to email, call waiting and 3-way call conferencing, all at no extra costs to the subscriber,” Mr. Anudu enlightened.

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Fashola applauds Celtel on youths development

The Lagos State Governor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Babatunde Fashola has applauded Celtel Nigeria, for its efforts at assisting youths to develop their potentials, and be more useful to the society.

The governor gave the applause during the visit of Celtel officials and the Top 10 contestants of Idols West Africa, which was held between January and May this year.

The visit was part of the Celtel Music Roadshow activities in three Nigerian cities, Calabar, Lagos and Abuja lined for the Top 10 Idols.

Mr. Fashola also said he was particularly pleased about the decision of Celtel to sponsor the music talent hunt competition, Idols West Africa, which seeks to identify, nurture and reward young music talents across the sub region.

He added that such a programme not only help to keep young hands and minds busy but also reduces the number of young people who are likely to take to criminal activities.

He stressing that Celtel through its programmes is assisting youths to contribute their quota to the development of the society.

Gov. Fashola who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Aderele Ogunsanya, equally said the popular music talent competition for youths, Idols, has opened the eyes of all Nigerians and indeed the entire world to the immense music talents that abound in the country.

According to the governor, the performance of the Top 10 Idols, especially the eventual winner of the contest and the runners up, Timi Dakolo and Omawumi Megbele respectively, goes a long way to show that Nigerians have a lot to offer the world despite the daily negative reports that assault the mind.

“Nigeria has a frontal place in music. This is very clear from the talents in this room and in the Nigerian music industry. I am happy that many of the Idols are going to become professional musicians. The story of the Top 10 Idols will no doubt help to inspire hope in many youths in Lagos State,” he said.

The governor said some of the negative behaviours of youths could be attributed to anger or protest against unmet youths needs by the society, pointing out that both the government and the private sector need to take concrete appropriate actions to abate this anger and assist young people to discover themselves.

The Idols were advised to work hard and to do their best to produce and release their albums.

Mr. Fashola further explained that they all posses fantastic talents which will surely make room for them in the professional music industry.

Celtel’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Michael Foley, who led the team including the Sponsorship Manager, Mr. Chris Adetayo, Public Relations Manager, Mr. Emmanuel Otokhine, Celtel’s Public Relations Specialist and Nsikan Umoh, said the telco decided to sponsor the Idols Roadshow to showcase the Top 10 contestants to more Nigerians, nurture their talent further and assist them to step into the professional music.

He said Celtel is committed to empowering the youths, helping them to realise their potentials, emphasising that the company will continue to create blissful experience for its customers with music and entertainment.

Also speaking during the visit, Timi thanked the State Government for receiving the Idols. He said the idols have also started to make a difference in the society by donating 10 per cent of their earnings to the less privileged.

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HiRest bags best new ISP award

Growing Internet Service Provider (ISP), HiRest Africa Limited, has been adjudged as one of the sub region’s ISPs to watch, just as the firm was honoured at the weekend in Lagos, as the Best New ISP for the year 2007.

The award was organised by the Knowledge Media International (KMI) Limited on behalf of the IT Edge Intelligence Unit (ITE-IU) and its College of Researchers, as part of its Top 50 Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in the West Africa.

The ITE-IU, according to the organisers used a localized prototype for the survey by assessing stakeholders’ perceptions on some indices that would shape the industry.

Responding at the ceremony, Corporate Affairs Director, Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro, said her company was glad to be honoured.

“We’re glad that despite the fact that HiRest is still very young in the market, KMI was able to recognize their potentials, an indication that KMI is alert to developments in the ICT industry,” she said.

She stressed that HiRest was actually a company to watch out for as the company is being driven by the passion to give Nigerians broadband Internet access that will give value to their world.

Mrs. Emuophedaro also said that HiRest is determined to change the face of Internet service provision and to ensure that its customers experience the power of the Internet to its fullest.

“This is a great honour to our customers and our dedicated staff who have worked so hard to make this feat possible,” she said.

HiRest Africa, she said, was licensed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the year 2006.

As said by her, the company provides multimedia services with a major focus on provision of Internet access to its numerous customers nationwide.

HiRest services, she said, are provided through the Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT) on KU-band C-band, respectively.

A wholly indigenous owned ISP providing first class Internet services to its customers, the company, which is a little over twelve months old has spread its tentacles from Lagos where its National Head Office is located to Abuja, where it has its international office and Port Harcourt, where its West and Central Africa office is located, from this location the company tackles the African market.

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Mobile roaming confab to boost business – WATRA

The West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) has said that its first-ever Mobile Roaming Conference & Exhibitions cum SAT-3 workshop would boost the operators ability to offer interesting variety to the business community.

Executive Secretary, WATRA, Mr. Nnamdi Nwokike, gave this insight in a chat with newsmen, stressing that businesses could actually add a lot of revenue to their earnings after getting exposed at the conference.

According to him, the event being put together by WATRA and its strategic partners would also encourage regional roaming across the West Africa states, build into a very lucrative business and also ensure that some reliable data on mobile telephony across the region is put in place.

Various regions of the world, he noted, has since realised that mobile telephony is a very big business, hence making it possible for users to take their communication tools across the world, even to regions beyond the reach of their home networks.

He pointed out that among the operators, roaming has become one of the biggest avenues of revenue generation, adding that the initial regional confab on mobile roaming, scheduled to hold between September 11 and 14 would take place in Abuja.

Mr. Nwokike also said that the conference enjoys the backing of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as chief host while MTN, and Celtel are gold sponsors of this year’s event.

He explained that WATRA is made up of Independent National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) and department for Regulation of Telecommunications Services established by governments of member states of the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) and Mauritania.

He equally said that the confab tends to be a double-pronged Information and Communication Technology (ICT) activity, one to dissect and review the SAT-3 sub marine cable transmission infrastructure, in addition to playing host to the first Mobile Roaming Conference for the Sub region.

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GTB warns customers on scam e-mails

Leading banking institution in the country, GTB Plc, has warned its teeming customers of a scam electronic mails, saying the perpetrators are only wanting to gain access to customers’ online account.

According to the management of GTB, in an email sent to customers with the subject: Scam emails in circulation, said that it has come to its notice that some “‘scam e-mails’ are being sent to our customers. The motive behind these e-mails is to gain access to customers’ Internet Banking Login details in order to defraud the customer.”

GTB also advised customers to ensure that they protect their account, hence it is important to confirm the authenticity of all e-mails with links to the Guaranty Trust Bank Internet banking page.

“To confirm this, look out for the gold padlock at the bottom right corner of the Internet banking page before you login,” GTB advised, adding that by double clicking on the gold padlock to view a window that would confirm that the page is the valid Guaranty Trust Bank Internet banking page duly registered with Verisign, an international digital certificate authority.

GTB further cautioned that in the event that the gold padlock was not found in the specified area of the Internet banking page, “please note that it is a scam and should not be responded to it.”

Just as the bank said that if customers have responded to such e-mails, kindly go to your Internet banking account via our website www.gtbplc.com, change your password immediately and inform the bank of such ‘scam e-mails.’

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African governments advance plans to form CUSF

African governments recently advanced plans to form the Communications Universal Services Access Fund (CUSF) in line with the Buenos Aires Declaration on Global Telecommunications Development in the 21st Century, reports Highway Africa News Agency (HANA).

Nine of Africa’s Universal Service Access Fund (USF) agencies are preparing to form an association, to be known as the Communications Universal Service Forum (CUSF), in order to streamline their works and experiences.

USF agencies were being established by African governments to manage the universal service obligations in recognition of the Buenos Aires Declaration on Global Telecommunications Development for the 21st Century, including the Universal Service Funds, which is dealing strictly with issues relating to the Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) services diffusion on the continent.

A communiqué from the meeting of the agencies in Nairobi to assess the challenges to rural inclusion in Africa, and endorsed by the spokes person of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, Mr. Toby Davies, the decision would facilitate the formation of the association within the next one year to promote their common interests.

“The forum is working towards the realisation of a voluntary association to be named at a suitable time, preferably by August 2008, but with an interim name of the Communications Universal Service Forum (CUSF),” the communiqué also disclosed that the association would act as a mechanism to realise the synergies from the group’s individual strengths to assist in carrying out their specific mandates.

The essence of the CUSF is to improve ICT services in Africa, and necessary steps and measures need to be taken to develop mechanisms and processes for closer cooperation and collaboration with each other.

In addition, the meeting is considered holding at least one annual meeting or forum where incumbents could learn from each other, exchange knowledge on best practices, and plan common programmes for joint events that would make individual agency operations more cost-effective and successful.

Consideration was also given to ways of pooling human, material, technical and financial resources for worthwhile programmes and projects of research and studies, training and knowledge through exchange, joint procurements of funding and expertise.

“And to set up an institutional collaborative framework with the assistance of the CTO to enable the group to carry out the agreed work programme,” the communiqué said.

The meeting, which is a four-day session at the instance of CTO, which began Tuesday, August 21 and lasted till Friday, 24 August 2007, reviewed the challenges to rural and marginalized areas in Africa, while identifying some areas for possible collaboration.

Davies explained that the Universal Service/Access (US/A) agencies meeting was taking place within the spirit of the CTO’s conference “Connecting Rural Communities Africa 2007 (CRC Africa 2007)”.

CRC Africa 2007, CTO official said is a forum for ministers, regulators, public officials, operating company executives, ICT equipment manufacturers and other stakeholders aimed at finding sustainable solutions to the major challenges of connecting Africa’s rural communities, whose over 80 per cent population is reportedly unconnected.

Mr. Davies further said that the USF officials were drawn from Nigeria, Ghana, Swaziland, Mozambique, the Gambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and host country Kenya, noting that access to affordable ICTs is a fundamental need for broader national development, and that telecommunications are an “essential component of political, economic, social and cultural development”.

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Samsung over takes Motorola – IDC

The International Data Corporation (IDC) recent study has announced that the global leader in semiconductor, telecommunications, digital media and digital convergence technologies, Samsung Electronics Company Limited, has over taken Motorola in the mobile phone deals as the number two in the global market share.

IDC also said that this was unbroken in the last four years of stable rankings, which followed a slow first quarter result announced by Motorola as well as a dismal performance in handset shipments in the second quarter.

IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, equally showed that vendors shipped a total of 272.7 million units worldwide in the second quarter of 2007, about 6.9 per cent more than the quarter earlier, and 16.5 per cent more than the same quarter a year ago.

According to the director of worldwide mobile device research at IDC, Dr. Shiv K. Bakhshi, the shift in the industry vendor rankings is certainly of importance, just as Apple made a debut as a mobile phone vendor with the launch of its over-hipped iPhone.

Research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, Ryan Reith, noted that following multiple quarters of increased growth, “Samsung was able to benefit from Motorola’s recent stumble.”

Reith stressed that with the introduction of Samsung’s Ultra Edition line of handsets “it has allowed the company to provide a wide range of handset selections for the upper-tier of the market while maintaining characteristic design.”

This platform approach, the analyst observed has been beneficial for Samsung and the vendor plans to further expand on this business practice.

The IDC study further indicated that top five mobile phone vendors include Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and LG.

The Mobile Phone Tracker highlighted that Nokia once again demonstrated its market leadership during the second quarter, with total shipments equalling more than those of the next three vendors combined.

“Nokia enjoyed leadership within the converged mobile device space, with a record shipment of 13.9 million units shipped, thanks in large part to its heavily promoted Nseries and Eseries devices,” IDC stated.

Samsung, the IDC added, sustained its upward trajectory for the fourth quarter in a row, and shipped a new record unit volume for a single quarter.

“With 37.4 million units shipped, Samsung wrested the No. 2 spot from Motorola,” IDC said.

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NCC sanctions Globacom on QoS

The Nigeria apex telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has sanctioned the Second National Operator (SNO), Globacom Limited, due to deteriorating quality of services (QoS) on the network to the tune of N5 million fine.

Daily Champion recalled that recently NCC had directed the three dominant operators to stop forthwith any promotion and concentrate in improving quality of service (QoS).

Some of the operators affected in the initial promotion directive include MTN, Glo and Celtel, mostly on the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), which services have continued to get worse in the past few months.

Announcing the directive, NCC Head, Public Affairs, Mr. Dave Imoko said that the fine of N5 million was in violation of its earlier directive.

He stressed that based on this, Globacom would pay half a million Naira for each day it defaulted since the deadline of the 14-day notice to stop its promo.

He explained that on July 6, 2007, Globacom alongside other affected operators were issued a direction, but the telco failed to adhere to the direction.

“Glo should not embark on and also discontinue any promotional activities that could directly or indirectly degrade the quality of service on its network for a period of ninety days in the first instance,” NCC noted.

The regulator also said that in spite of the clear terms of its earlier directive “Glo on July 23, 2007 published an advertisement on page 66 of ThisDay newspaper and commenced promotional activities, which has the effect of directly encouraging subscribers to make more minutes of call.”

This, NCC pointed out caused further deterioration of the quality of service on Glo network, hence it has contravened the direction.

According to Mr. Imoko, NCC is imposing this fine in line with the powers invested on the Commission from the provision of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, Regulation 15 of the Nigerian Communications (Enforcement Processes, etc) Regulations 2005 and the Direction dated July 6, 2007, which had made it on July 30, 2007 to impose the N5m fine on Globacom.

He explained that the amount escalated to the tune of N5 million due to inability of Globacom to pay initial penalty of N500,000 each day the fine has been unpaid.

“… Despite the expiration of the 14-day period within which Globacom should have paid the fine, it has failed, refused and neglected to pay the fine. Apart from the additional N500,000.00 (five hundred thousand naira) to be paid by Globacom for everyday the fine remains unpaid.”

NCC further affirmed that it would not attend to any regulatory request made by Globacom during this period, just as it warned that the Commission would not condone any flagrant refusal to comply with its directions by a licensee.

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Nigeria supports OOXML

Nigeria, weekend at the end of one-day session in Lagos with focus on DIS 29500 “Office Open Extensible Markup Language (OOXML)” obviously voted to support its standardisation by the International Standards Organisation (ISO).

XML is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) initiative that allows information and services to be encoded with meaningful structure and semantics, which computers and humans could understand. XML is great for information exchange, and could easily be extended to include user-specified and industry-specified tags.

This development came as Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) alleged that the OOXML has over 200 flaws.

The meeting held at SON headquarters in Lekki-Lagos, was in line with the ISO JTC-1 directive paragraph 48 section 9.8, which required national bodies to reach a consensus and precisely vote “NO with comments” if there remain unanswered technical problems.

The Nigeria’s session was dominated by Microsoft’s officials and partners including government officials.

Chairman of the occasion and Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Prof. Cleopas Angaye, said that Nigeria stands to benefit immensely from the standardisation of OOXML by ISO, especially in the areas of local software development.

Prof. Angaye who was represented by the agency head of public affairs, Mr. Inye Kemabonta, also said that Nigeria’s support of OOXML would translate into major reduction in the cost of acquiring and managing government applications.

NITDA boss equally said that OOXML is interoperability and could enable optimisation of broadband utilisation in the country, adding that though there could not be any categorical statement on the outcome of the meeting, there is still room for dynamic contributions.

While advising few dissenting voices from the CSOs to forward their claims of multiple flaws in the OOXML, Prof. Angaye emphasised that OOXML could be accepted if is technically sound.

Also speaking, Director of Standards at SON, Mr. Charles Okoro, informed that the meeting was to afford Nigeria the opportunity of harmonising its stand on the proposed standard, which is in its initial draft with final voting on this draft slated for yesterday, Sunday, September 2, 2007.

According to him, the final voting on the proposal would be held likely by next year, adding that those who do not have their say at this initial stage could still make input before the final adoption come next year.

He promised that SON would always keep the Nigerian stakeholders abreast of development in the issue and expressed joy in their honouring the invitation to discuss the initial draft.

Nigeria, he said, has grown in rank of participation within the ISO schemes and currently contributed to 18 standards from previously 14.

Meanwhile, CSOs seemed to have boycotted the meeting due to the number of attendance from the non-governmental bodies. Out of the estimated 19 participants, only four supposedly represented civil society group, while the rest were made up of government officials and Microsoft partners.

It was further gathered that top notchers of CSO in the country travelled out and could not make the meeting or even sent representatives.

Daily Champion recalled that earlier some members of CSO had sounded a note of warning, arguing that OOXML has several flaws that make it fall short of admission into a global standard, more so by ISO at this era when open standard is the in thing.

“The DIS 29500 “Office Open XML” (OOXML) does not meet the criteria defined by ISO and others for an International Standard, “ CSOs had insisted, stressing it is an immature documentation of one vendor’s proprietary document format, which depends on software patents held by this vendor.

This, CSOs noted, blocks interoperability, hence its in conflict with existing ISO standards.

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Progenics is waxing stronger in West Africa – Izeji

Leading enterprise software development and systems integration powerhouse in the country, Progenics Corp Limited, has said that its recent expansion into the West African sub regional market is surpassing all expectations and making the company stronger.

Managing director, Progenics Ghana, a subsidiary of Progenics Corp Limited, Mr. Charles Izeji, explained that the firm’s move into Ghana last year, was borne out of its quest to showcase the very best of technological expertise outside Nigeria.

Mr. Izeji, who was at the Economic Commission for West Africa States (ECOWAS) Top 50 Technology Business Enterprises forum held in Lagos, at the weekend, informed that presently Progenics Ghana has successfully re-enacted the feat its parent company has achieved in Nigeria.

“Our business approach in Ghana, though quite different from that which obtains in Nigeria, has been very effective and rewarding for the company,” he declared.

He went ahead to state that the flagship product from the stables of Progenics, Symbols – a comprehensive investment and capital market application solution, is gradually exerting its presence in the Ghanaian market with the rest of the West African markets taking keen notice.

“So far we’ve implemented Symbols in a couple of leading investment and stock management companies in Ghana, and with the level of satisfaction and feedback we’ve been getting on its performance, we have no doubt that the application will take its rightful place in that market very soon,” he asserted.

Progenics was at the Top 50 forum, hosted by the IT Edge Intelligence Unit, having been recognized as one of the most vibrant Information Technology (IT) companies in the sub-region.

The company’s leading product, Symbols, has been controlling the capital market scene for the past three years.

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