Nigeria needs IT adviser @ Aso Villa – ITAN

cover of the week:

Professionals in the country under the aegis of the Information Technology (Industry) Association of Nigeria (ITAN) have said that the nation needs an IT adviser at the Presidency.

This is coming as the Executive Governor, Yobe State, Senator Mamman Ali has confirmed his readiness to relaunch ITAN’s Old Students Computer-In-Schools Initiative (OS-CISI) at this year’s edition of the Enhancing Information Technology Penetration in Nigeria (EITPIN-08) in Lagos, tomorrow.

ITAN made this call through its national president, Dr. Jimson Olufuye who said that the appointment of a special adviser to Mr. President on IT matters would go a long way in aligning the nation’s Information and Communication Technology and core IT industry particularly with the global trends.

“This would allow the President to be better advised on developments in the sector and on what policy and programmes that the government should prosecute,” Dr. Olufuye said in a press statement made available to Champion Infotel.

ITAN also expressed gratitude to some state governors for the foresight in appointing special advisers on IT at that level, describing it as a step in the right direction.

“This is a step in the right direction. We call on the states that do not currently have advisers on IT to do so,” the group said.

ITAN also added voice to the Local Content Bill currently before the National Assembly, suggesting that the scope of the proposed bill should be structured to accommodate IT in addition to the initial eight focal sectors.

Equally, ITAN called on the National Assembly to establish IT Committees in the House and Senate as it had in other sectors like in Communications.

“This we believe would allow the National Assembly to be well prepared to play its oversight role with respect to IT development, policy making and the enactment of relevant laws to regulate the sector,” Olufuye said.

Emphasising that State’s Assemblies should follow suit with their IT Committees established without delay for articulated and well co-ordinated IT development at various levels.

“The establishment of IT Ministries in states at the executive level is a necessity in this regard,” he said.

ITAN further expressed satisfaction over what it called ‘steady progress’ in IT sector, noting that a proactive and conducive policy environment will provide professionals and IT corporate citizens the opportunities, support and incentive to excel in the sector.

Additionally, ITAN urged the National IT Development Agency (NITDA) to urgently conclude its IT policy review initiative before its elements become obsolete on the drawing board.

Meanwhile, Governor Mamman Ali of Yobe State, is set to relaunch ITAN’s OS-CISI at EITPIN-08 holding at UNILAG in Lagos, tomorrow.

Confirming this, Dr. Olufuye said this has become necessary to ensure that schools have access to educational computers, as first step towards the deepening of IT at grassroots.

ITAN, therefore decided to use EITPIN-08 scheduled to hold at the Centre for Information and Technology Systems (CITS), University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Yaba, Lagos on Thursday, next week to resuscitate the initiative.

“We at ITAN have decided to resuscitate our earlier initiative, the Computer In School Initiative now christened Old Students Computer In School Initiative (OS CISI),” he said.

He added that the objective of the initiative is to facilitate deployment of computers to old students primary and secondary schools as its first level of implementation.

The second level, he said, would require the deployment of computers to old students-nominated schools apart from their alma mata.

“The first and second levels deployments can actually run pari-passu,” he asserted, adding that the third level would be deployment of PCs to third party nominated schools across the six geo-political regions of the country.

He explained that the computers involved could be fairly used but not below Pentium III 128 Megabyte Random Access Memory (MB RAM), or brand new systems that could be as may be recommended by the sponsor of the school.

Dr. Olufuye emphasised that based on strategic partnership with Microsoft and local software developers through Cognitive Software, ITAN plans to power each system with Microsoft Windows XP, MS Office 2003 Suite, MS Student Encarta 2005, MS Educational software, and Cognitive educational packages at the first instance.

“An option with Linux has an alternate standard platform which is still on the table,” he said.

He pointed out that a minimum of five computers would be star-networked with a fairly used or brand new laserjet/deskjet printer, even as the equipment would be made Internet ready but not connected to the Internet.

“It is hoped that the Galaxy Backbone Internet Infrastructure will extend to benefiting schools as soon as it is deployed. At least one 5kva stabilizer and 5 650va UPS’ shall also be part of the package,” he said.

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Observing packet spoofing by ISPs (10)

For general information about checksum offloading and why it can cause errors when capturing packets, see http://www.wireshark.org/docs/wsug_html_chunked/ChAdvChecksums.html and http://www.wireshark.org/faq.html#q11.1.

Note that the approach suggested there of disabling TCP checksum verification in Wireshark does not help for our purposes, because we want to compare packets; having TCP checksums that are different across capture files will still appear as a discrepancy between those capture files even if the checksums’ values are never verified.

If your system performs checksum offloading and you are unable to disable it, other options are available.

The pcapdiff programme described below allows you to ignore TCP and UDP checksum values entirely, in case you have reason to believe that checksum offloading is in use.

You can also perform the capture on a separate machine distinct from the computer that is generating the test traffic - as long as it is connected to the same local area network and is able to see the traffic passing by.

In this case, the capture should be performed in promiscuous mode (see footnote 3 above) and, on a network used by multiple people, extra care should be taken to avoid capturing other users’ communications without their knowledge.

Another form of offloading that can cause packet capture accuracy problems is TCP segmentation offloading, also known as large segment offload.

In TCP segmentation offloading, an Ethernet card, rather than operating system software, splits a large TCP packet into multiple TCP packets.

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Zinox to acquire 3 IT firms, injects N3.5bn

Shareholders of Zinox Technologies Group, at the weekend, approved the injection of N3.5 billion to position the company better for competition, just as Zinox advanced strategies to acquire three local Information Technology (IT) firms with core interest in computer manufacturing.

Zinox Technologies is owned by STAN Technologies of Nigeria, Mustek of South Africa manufacturers of South Africa, Kenyan and Zambia No.1 brand MECER Computers and Alhaner Ventures of France, a major telecom facility company with extensive interest in Europe and Africa.

Confirming this, the group’s corporate affairs manager, Mr. Echika Ezuka said that the latest fund injection is to truly position the company as the number one among its competitors if there is any on the continent.

He also said that this decision to inject new fund into Zinox was taken at the board’s last meeting towards the end of 2007, and confirmed last week in accordance with the promise made to stakeholders by the founding fathers of Zinox Technologies during its launch in 2001.

He explained that the additional capital was necessitated by the need to expand its programme, which includes the planned acquisition of majority shares in some three local computer firms.

“That will add value to our present network of branches both locally and internationally in order to serve our customers better, reduce the total cost of ownership of ICT products and fast track us to our desired destination,” he told newsmen during a briefing in Lagos, stressing that Zinox is expanding its offices and support network to 20 before the end of this year.

This, Mr. Ezuka noted would add value in Zinox desire to deploy world class infrastructure that will sustain the firm’s position as the number one brand.

Presently, he said that Zinox is committed to building the largest computer assembling plant on the continent located in Lagos, Nigeria.

“When completed, this shall increase our plant output by over 500 per cent and shall resolve some digital interfaces faster and accurately. We shall soon relocate to a more spacious office with mean high-tech facilities possibly the first of its kind on this side of the Atlantic,” he said.

Adding that Zinox group is investing heavily on human capital that will drive this growth explaining that this must be incubated over a minimum period of nine months.

“We have just hired over 40 new graduates for the first phase and they are all Nigerians,” he said, revealing that this was a prelude to Zinox plan to launch the largest software company on the continent.

“We intend to launch possibly the largest software,” he asserted, clarifying that Zinox is partnering with both African and Asian companies to ensure this happens between the end of next year, 2009 and first quarter of 2010.

As said by Echika, Zinox is set to launch an interest-free computer ownership scheme in the country and Ghana, pointing out that after the successful launch of Zinox Student Computer Ownership Project (ZSCOP) and the current Computer Discount scheme partly financed by a Nigerian philanthropist, few foreign interests have approached Zinox to use its credible platform to really test the reliability of the Nigerian and Ghanaian consumers when they purchase items on credit.

Champion Infotel recalls that recent market study in the West African region by the United States-based International Data Corporation (IDC) rated Zinox Computers as being neck-to-neck with Hewlett Packard (HP).

Zinox, however, reaffirmed its position as the only Microsoft certified Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) partner in West Africa and the largest Intel Corporation partner in sub-Saharan Africa.

Also speaking weekend at the end of Zinox board meeting in Lagos, Chairman, Mustek South Africa, Mr. David Khan, restated confidence in the Nigerian market and paid tribute to chairman, Zinox Technologies, Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh for taken the franchise beyond all expectation in such a short period with a passion.

“I would say wait for another 12 months to really appreciate his road map. Stan is one gentleman you must trust because his focus is not just on money but rather building a knowledge driven Nigerian economy and we all support him and hope your government will support him to change the face of Nigeria because that is his passion,” Mr. Khan declared.

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Jidaw.com boss tasks NACOSS members

Founder, Jidaw.com with speciality in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) training and networking management, Mr. Jide Awe, has tasked Nigerian graduates, especially those majoring on Computer Sciences to develop real knowledge and passion based on improving their studies in order to face the labour squarely on graduation.

Addressing participants drawn from tertiary institutions and members of the National Association of Computer Science Students (NACOSS) was a one-day Collaborative Seminar organised by the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) on the theme: Career Development – Computer and IT related areas, Mr. Awe presented at the event held at the MUSON Centre Onikan-Lagos, an overview of knowledge, technology and career objectives.

He highlighted some areas of interest to include the aspect of IT career tips and choices, formal education programmes, alternative education programmes, prospects and opportunities.

For him, ICTs affect all sectors and the way people now live, work and interact, therefore Nigerians must utilise technology in order to remain at their best, more so in a growing knowledge economy.

He pointed out that there are massive global demand for talented and motivated individuals with the knowledge and skills required to work as professionals in these areas.

Every individual must have insight on what they really want to be in the near future, then identify same so as to have the right education whether formal or non-formal.

He urged youths to be better informed in order to make better decisions on their future choice of career, because according to him, more knowledge means more power.

He counselled participants on the need to keep an open mind, asserting that there is no ‘Yes or No’ answer until one grows up by graduating successfully.

Mr. Awe noted that with the desire, knowledge and right thinking, career success is both straightforward and possible.

He further gave participants a career outline on how to make the best out of it, saying that though it is usually challenging, career especially in IT is exciting and rewarding, but needs requisite knowledge and practical skills.

“Avoid ‘bandwagon’ or ‘feel good’ peers and shun ‘get-rich quick’ scheme,” he cautioned, asserting that career in IT is well-respected profession with excellent prospects.

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NATCOMMS cautions NCC over prefix numbers

THE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been advised against indiscriminate award of multiple prefix numbers to Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) operators in the country.

Giving this advice is the national president of National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS), Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo.

In a press statement to mark the World Consumer Day recently, Chief Ogunbanjo said “NCC should ensure that before the GSM operators are granted further extensions for 0806/0703 (MTN), 0807/0705 (Glo), 0808/0702 (Celtel) among others, which will accommodate additional 20 million SIM cards per operator, they should ensure that 0803, 0802, 0805, which accommodates 10 million subscribers each, have been satisfactorily served with corresponding number base stations and enough E1 connectors that will ensure good quality service.”

The NATCOMS chief frowned at a situation where these extensions have not brought about a corresponding improvement in the quality of services offered by the operators.

According to him, “If NCC does not grant the GSM operating companies the 0806, 0807, 0808 etc extensions, the operators will ensure that they provide good quality service for consumers because they know that if they do not satisfy the existing customers, NCC will not grant them the next level of 0703, 0705, 0702 etc which will accommodate an additional 10 million subscribers.”

He pointed out the fact that NCC is granting GSM operating companies more levels/batches of 10 million SIM cards/subscribers means they (NCC) are also contributing to network congestion of the operators.

Adding that NCC must evolve a subscriber quality protection policy and ensure that they do not grant any GSM operator the next level/batch without good quality services provision to current subscribers on their various networks.

The NATCOMS president, also welcome the entrance of Visafone to the market hoping that they will offer the subscribers with a more pocket-friendly products and tariffs just as the group look forward to Etisalat roll out.

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Data congestion hits Starcomms

The joy of the Third Generation Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operator, Starcomms Limited for crossing a million subscribers base, may be short-lived as consumers witnessed unprecedented disconnection of data volume on the network in the past weeks.

Investigations carried out in the Lagos area on Starcomms network showed that the disconnection was over-whelming in the Ikeja, Oshodi-Isolo and some parts of Mushin and Okota areas.

Champion Infotel recalls that Starcomms recently announced it has crossed over a million subscribers and is now aiming at two million, even as it attributed this to the Unified Access Service License granted in year 2006 the telco by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for the rise in market share.

It was gathered that the frequency of intermittent disconnection made most subscribers in these areas to crowd the next customer care centres nearest to them.

Most of the Starcomms subscribers at the Customer Centre along Toyin Street, Ikeja showed that the highly affected customers were those on 1x EVDO platform, forcing them to come along with their laptops.

One of the customers who spoke to Champion Infotel on anonymity said he resides along Adoniyi Jones and was most humiliated because he just renewed his subscription of over N15, 000 per month on the 1x EVDO.

As said by our sources, he spend more time these days trying to reconnect than using the Internet that he paid for.

“My brother that was not what I bargained for,” he lamented, wondering if the 1 million subscribers are only on the EVDO platform to warrant the kind of slowness, that is, if eventually connected.

Another customer who gave his name as Mr. Tolu, confirmed, the likelihood of data congestion on Starcomms network, especially now that the rainy season is almost here.

For him, a check on his call log to know how many times he tried logging on after a disconnection indicated that he made an average of 16 connection trials after witnessing 16 disconnections within a space of three hours.

In addition, each time he manages to connect it is only one out of the five indicator bars that is highlighted, meaning the level of service quality available at a given time, thus too sluggish that even a dial-up should have performed better.

He also said that this experience has been persistent both day and night and that made him to come penultimate Thursday to the centre.

The most painful aspect of it, Tolu lamented that he just paid for 24 hours but now he rarely uses three hours in a day and spends more precious time waiting for Internet pages to open.

However, industry watchers believe that CDMA technology also deployed by Starcomms has always provided better capacity for voice and data communications than other commercial mobile systems, unfortunately this one is failing Nigerians.

Efforts to get Starcomms public relations to comment on the report proved abortive.

This, they explained, is based on the fact that every communicator will be allocated the entire spectrum all of the time, thus CDMA utilizes codes to identify connections.

Company sources informed that the hiccup would not be confirmed until after the long public holidays by the management.

Efforts to get the response of the management of Starcomms led by the chief executive, Mr. Maher Qubain, concerning this experience, was still being awaited since last weekend.

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BT partners CTO on COMARCI take off

The British Telecommunications plc (BT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group is partnering with the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) on its Commonwealth African Rural Connectivity Initiative (COMARCI) for the take off of the first phase of the project.

CTO official, Lasantha De Alwis, informed that BT has committed to support COMARCI, a project designed to find gaps in connectivity in the 18 African Commonwealth countries, with a view to improving telecommunications access.

Champion Infotel recalls that COMARCI was launched at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala, Uganda last November.

COMARCI is a flagship project of the Commonwealth Connects programme, which is an inter-agency initiative to optimise the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for development within its domain.

Equally, the project is supported by the Maltese government and 30 other telecommunications administrations of the Commonwealth, just as BT with the recent collaboration provided funding to enable CTO to carry out the first phase of the project.

During the first phase, a repository of information detailing the status of connectivity in the African Commonwealth countries will be built to increase awareness of all stakeholders.

Additionally, De Alwis said that the report would also identify and evaluate successful rural connectivity strategies in these countries, along with six other “peering” countries, namely the United States (US), Canada, Australia, India, Malaysia and Finland, which have all tackled the challenge of rural connectivity with a considerable degree of success.

The CTO official in a press statement made available to Champion Infotel added that in a subsequent phase, 10 of the most successful projects would be replicated in African Commonwealth countries through Public-Private-Peoples Partnerships.

The chief executive of CTO, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, was quoted as welcoming “the first steps of industry engagement in an initiative ultimately aimed at helping bridge the digital divide. BT’s growing global footprint and the naturally strong links it enjoys with the target stakeholders will be further augmented by this gesture of support.

He expressed delight as the United Kingdom (UK’s) largest and one of the world’s oldest telecommunications companies, the support of BT underscores to all potential partners that the COMARCI project is indeed a possible resolution to a real problem for billions of people, not only those in Africa, but also rural people the world over, who could benefit from the knowledge CTO is developing about the African case.

Head, Global Corporate Social Responsibility at BT, Ms Janet Blake, said they believe that everyone should have fair access to the opportunities of the digital age – education, employment and prosperity.

“Through our provision of ICT services worldwide we know how access to enhanced communications technology can literally transform the prospects of individuals, communities and countries. The CTO has a clear vision for improving rural connectivity and leveraging the power of ICT for national development objectives. We’re delighted that BT’s funding will help the region take a step forward on its journey towards sustainable economic growth,” she said.

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DaniSAT relaunches Thuraya satellite phones

LEADING satellite telecommunications entity, Thuraya in conjunction with DaniSAT Communications Limited is offering the Nigerian market 100 per cent telephone and tracking coverage, reports Charles Okoh.

Announcing its re-entry into the Nigerian market, Senior country manager Thuraya, Mr. Abdullahi Ahmed Ali, said the firm values the Nigerian market as it ranks as one of the top five in Africa.

The company, he said, is coming with special offers both in cost of telephone, call rates, network coverage as well as social welfare services.

Mr. Ali also said Thuraya offers satellite based telephony with dynamic mobile suite that combines satellite, Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Geo Mobile Packet Radio Service (GmPRS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) which guarantees 100 per cent network coverage in rural areas both on land, sea, rivers, lakes with no or less terrestrial network.

He pointed out that Thuraya with a coverage of more than 120 countries across Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia, is the “preferred option in government, military, corporate, oil & gas, construction, business travellers, remote worker as it is orbital and requires no base station nor is it subjected to bad weather conditions.”

Speaking on its special offering for the country, Ali said Thuraya plans to support educational and developmental projects as well as satisfy the communications needs of its subscribers through cheap call rates.

Chairman, DaniSAT, Mr. Peder Sidelmann who accompanied Mr. Ali, said the partnership with Thuraya will ensure 100 per cent coverage in the case of theft, both within and cross border tracking devoid of network congestion, restricted coverage and other limitations of the GSM.

DaniSAT manufactures tracking hardware and developer of the software that allows visualized access to report containing information about position, speed, direction, start and stops of a vehicle or vessel in the event of theft or as a way of monitoring their activities.

This, company sources said also allows “the owner of vessel or car to know if the driver stops somewhere for more than one hour.”

Further, the facility tells if the “vessel or car goes by another route than the one planned, if he speeds for a longer period than it takes just to overtake another vehicle etc. Transporters of sensible cargo may want to know when and where doors are opened, fuel locks are opened, etc. In the unfortunate event of theft, it is of utmost importance to know the position of the vehicle, to be alerted, and to be able to trace live (real time) the stolen vehicle, or even to stop it.”

On the cost of the Thuraya phones, Mr. Ali, said Thuraya offers the most affordable rates in the satellite sector, stating that satellite phone and communication are expensive but that the offer for the country will be cheaper, lighter, smaller telephone than what it was before now.

According to him, “Thuraya is solution to drop calls and rural telephony because a satellite phone is not subjected to weather conditions which allows for uninterrupted telephone access as well as provide GSM-like services.”

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Nokia unveils 2600 Classic

Nokia office in Lagos has unveiled a new model handset that offers a range of useful features and colours aimed at consumers in emerging markets tagged Nokia 2600 Classic.

General Manager Nokia Nigeria, Mr. Fady Khatib, said that recently unveiled Nokia 2600 classic, is a mobile handset that offers useful features, range of colours or exchangeable covers for consumers in emerging markets.

The Nokia 2600 classic, he said, has already begun shipping of this product into the Nigerian market .

A press statement from Nokia Communications Manager in the country, Ms Ngozi Ife Anene quoted Mr. Khatib as saying that the highlight of Nokia 2600 classic borders on allowing consumers to customize their phone with colourful, fully changeable Xpress-on covers and MP3 ring tones.

The cheerful Nokia 2600 classic also features a number of entertainment features, including an FM radio and a VGA camera.

“While cost sensitivity is an important element in creating mobile devices for emerging markets, the overwhelming feedback we receive from consumers in these markets is that they want their mobile device to complement their personality and offer a range of colours and entertainment features,” Mr. Khatib said.

He explained that the Nokia 2600 classic offers a colourful sense of flair and a robust set of features at an exceptionally accessible price.

“As with all Nokia devices, it is backed by a brand that stands for quality and durability,” he assured.

Ms Anene added that Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries.

Stressing that Nokia makes a wide range of mobile devices and provides people with experiences in music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games and business mobility through these devices, just as the telco provides equipment, solutions and services for communications networks.

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Windows Server -08 gets NAMA endorsement

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has endorsed the recently launched Microsoft Windows Server 2008, saying it has enhanced its security and improved network access control.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) manager at NAMA, Mr. Ogochukwu Ifeanyi said that since its establishment in 1999, NAMA has witnessed some infrastructural changes by way of trying to improve on its services by ensuring the security of flights in the country.

NAMA, he said, recently completed its electronic flight (e-flight) planning management system pilot, which is a web-based application that facilitates online flight planning.

“We realised quickly that we needed a strong and secure identity and access management solution, as well as strict security and policy enforcement for our entire network,” he said, adding that the remedy was found in the enhanced network security features of Network Access Protection (NAP) in Windows Server 2008.

“What solved this particular problem was our recognition of the fact that the enhanced network security features of NAP in Windows Server 2008 were exactly what we were looking for,” Mr. Ifeanyi said.

The deal facilitated by Microsoft business partner, 1st Intell IT Solutions Limited was a stroke on the rock.

He listed some of the benefits of deploying the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 to include the use of identity and access solutions to manage user identity and associated access privileges properly.

Additionally, he said, that by focusing on security and ease of use, these solutions have been able to assist NAMA in boosting productivity, reduce Information Technology (IT) costs, and eliminate of complexity in the management of identity and access.

“The fact that we have NAP allows us to address the industry-wide problem of ‘unhealthy’ computers accessing and compromising our agency’s network,” he pointed out.

Champion Infotel recollects that Microsoft Corporation, recently launched its latest in shelf solution, the Windows Server 2008 in the city of Lagos, just as it plans to spread the launch across 38 countries within the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.

Speaking to newsmen at the event, Core Infrastructure Server Products and Solutions Lead for MEA, Mr. Goksel Topbas, said that already, the launch has taken off in some African countries including Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Ghana.

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Celtel improves QoS in Kaduna with new switch

In demonstration of its commitment to the improvement of Quality of Service (QoS) on the network, Celtel Nigeria has commissioned another new switch in Kaduna.

The company had, last weekend, commissioned a switch in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, with a promise to bring the total number of switches to 17 nationwide, thus giving the mobile operator a switching capacity of 20 million subscribers.

Chief Executive Officer of Celtel Nigeria, Bayo Ligali said at the Commissioning ceremony in Kaduna that the addition of the switch “clearly represents a timely response to the yearnings of telecommunications consumers for concrete action towards a resolution of the Quality of Service (QoS) challenges in the industry.”

Ligali also announced a plan to commit $1 billion to significantly expand coverage, enhance capacity and improve QoS this year.

Projects, he said, have been designed to achieve these including a 4000 kilometres fibre optic transmission backbone; additional 2000km microwave transmission backbone (supplementary to the existing 3000 km); nationwide generator swap-out and dualization and additional 1000 base stations (to the existing 4100).

These, he said, would enhance the integrity and robustness of the network in the coming months and ultimately result in world class quality of service.

Mr. Ligali also revealed that the company’s Network Monitoring Centre in Abuja would be completed this year to facilitate real-time fault detection and speedy rectification.

“I commit on behalf of my colleagues at Celtel Nigeria that we shall do all that it takes to meet the expectations of our customers by giving them what they want: quality, coverage and excellent customer care,” he declared.

He disclosed that Celtel currently has service in 90 per cent of the covered population of Northern Nigeria, given its importance in the socio-economic and political life of the country, adding that work is ongoing to further expand the coverage and capacity of the network in the region.

Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Hon. Jerry Manwe, who led other members of his committee to the commissioning, praised Celtel for taking concrete steps to address the challenge of QoS.

Manwe expressed the hope that the new switch would result in improved QoS in Kaduna and its environs, just as he challenged Celtel not to rest on its oars in giving Nigerian telecommunications consumers what they want.

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