Globacom starts world-brand dream with Cotonou roll-out

Nigerian pride, Globacom Limited, at the weekend rolled-out services in the Benin Republic with official launch in Cotonou. Senior Reporter, REMMY NWEKE, who was there reports.

CHAIRMAN of Globacom Limited, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr has explained the choice of Globacom as the name of his telecommunications outfit.

According to him, the name of the telco positions it as a world brands, saying that the decision was taken at onset with a clear vision of living up the dream.

Speaking further, he said, “Globacom is for the world.”

In his address to the official launch of Glo Mobile Benin at the weekend, Adenuga in a teleconference told the audience at the Hotel Marina Cotonou that at inception, the proprietors of Globacom knew what they wanted.

“We know what we wanted when we started,” he declared.

Adenuga added that the telco with its investment in Nigeria which has attracted over 16 million subscribers within few years of operation, was boosted with the introduction of it’s per second billing system.

“Ever since we introduced per second the world has changed and since giving away SIM cards, telecom has changed for our subscribers,” he said.

Reaffirming the resolve of Globacom to position itself as the continental network, he noted that initially when the telco came up with the pay-off of “building the African network” many industry watchers and competitors did not comprehend the concept.

“Today, we have installed more towers and telecom equipment more than ever before in Benin Republic,” he said.

Assuring Beninoise subscribers on Glo Mobile of better service, Adenuga said, “Our package would be fairer and service affordable.”

Already, Glo Mobile launch in Benin Republic last weekend on 98 numbering range in the city of Cotonou, crashing the prices of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards in that country as Glo offers its SIM for CFA 1000, (about N280.15) with CFA 1000 free airtime.

As at Monday, Beninoise have continued to crowd the Cotonou Gloworld office and other sales outlets of the telco in the country to make purchases of the network’s SIM cards.

Meanwhile, Glo Mobile Cotonou has extended its closing hours from 5pm to 7pm to accommodate the surge by Beninoise to get on the network.

Confirming this, Globacom official, Ms Sade Boyede said the Gloworld, the customer service centre of the network, has extended its closing hour by two hours from the normal 5 pm in order to meet up with the demands from the populace as quickly as possible.

Subscribers who had activated their Glo Benin SIMs attested to its clear voice quality and seamless interconnectivity with other networks.

ITRealms Online recalled that the launch was held at the Marina Hotel located at the commercial nerve center of Cotonou, and was witnessed by dignitaries from Nigeria and Benin including the Minister of State for Information and Communication, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande, the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe among others.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Steps to observe packet spoofing by ISPs (9)

As a technical matter, any of these ISPs has the ability to spoof (or drop) packets.
Detecting the presence of spoofed packets, then, does not directly reveal or conclusively establish which ISP was responsible for injecting them.

To find out which ISPs were involved in the process of forwarding packets from one computer to another, one can use the trace route tool or any of its descendants or variants. (On Unix and MacOS, the command-line version of this tool is generally called trace route; on Windows, it is known as tracert.)

This tool is run with a host name or IP address as its argument and experimentally determines the path probably followed by probe packets, displaying a list of the routers in between the local computer and target computer.

In order to establish which ISP is responsible for packet spoofing, one could try experiments with a wide variety of ISPs in order to determine if users of one ISP routinely or disproportionately experience that sort of spoofing; one could also try to enable a virtual private network (VPN) to hide traffic from a local ISP, although the details of this process are beyond the scope of this document.

Using pcap files:
As we’ve described above, packet capture files produced by Wireshark and many other network analyzer programs are normally in the pcap format (also known as libpcap format or tcpdump format). This format is an open standard that is widely understood by network analysis software.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Ovia calls for national network backup

The founder, Visafone Communications Limited, Mr. Jim Ovia, has called for the establishment of a national network backup against any unforeseen disaster and to aid the recovery, reports CHARLES OKOH.

Mr. Ovia who made this call at the weekend in Lagos, during the one-day D-Link Contemporary Technologies and Solutions seminar, noted that as a nation Nigeria risks suffering a total Information and Communication Technology (ICT) network collapse without the skilled knowledge capacity to fix it quickly and timely.

Dwelling on “Knowledge networks: Strategic tools for bridging digital divide,” Ovia who was represented by the Managing Director, Visafone, Mr. Ninan Thomas said the future of businesses, families, government and national survival, to a large extent, depend and continue to depend on ICT network infrastructure, design, content, application, technical support and security.

The former president of the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) also called for an urgent need to build a critical mass of skilled networking engineering capacities for the business continuity of the nation, stating that the significance of the event was that it challenges the collective ability to better understand, apply and use ICT networks as fundamental instruments for bridging digital divide and serves as a veritable tool for actualizing the opportunities and benefits presented by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

According to him, “today, computer networks have become the centre of gravity of the global economy as ICT networks and their topologies signify the way in which intelligent devices in the network see their logical relations to one another.”

Mr. Ovia also said that in technical terms, there would be no internet without the computer networks such as Local Area Network (LAN), Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN).

He added, for instance, that there will be no Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and cell phone connectivity, e-banking, e-payment, e-learning, e-government, e-education, e-books, telemedicine, distant learning and digital platform of today’s global economy and globalization which are inter-connected as e-everything is made possible by computer networks, better known as knowledge networks.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Davis praises Galaxy Backbone on data centre

Managing Director, Huawei Nigeria, Mr. Leon Davis, has praised the management of Galaxy Backbone (GBB) Plc over its competence in operating and managing the firm’s data centre in the last one year without downtime.

Speaking during a visit to Galaxy Backbone in Abuja as part of the activities to mark the first anniversary of the data centre recently. Davis expressed delight on the ability of the firm to sustain the centre.

Mr. Davis noted that though Huawei was able to complete the data centre project on schedule in spite of the very challenging environment, but attributed the success to the overall support and cooperation his firm received from Galaxy Backbone team.

“GBB is a serious and committed organization that delivers if it says it will deliver. You have demonstrated this by your ability to manage the facility, unarguably the most modern and sophisticated data centre in the Nigerian public sector for one full year, 365 days, without a down time. It’s a feat considering the adverse operating environment,” Davis said.

He also pledged Huawei’s readiness to continuously support Galaxy Backbone Plc towards delivering more networks for its valued customers.

Earlier in his remark, the Chief Technical Officer, Galaxy, Mr. Martin Ahachi, expressed gratitude to the Huawei team for the positive relationship existing between the two organizations, demonstrated by the presence of the high powered delegation led by Mr. Davis.

Mr. Martin also pointed out that the first anniversary of Galaxy data centre was being celebrated by the company in recognition of the efforts, sacrifices and commitment of the management and staff of Galaxy Backbone Plc, which resulted in its existence.

He emphasized that by not experiencing a single down time for 365 days even against the background of a challenging operating environment such as public power outages and other recurrent variables is no doubt a feat.

Equally speaking, the Chief, Business Operations, Galaxy Backbone Plc, Mr. Yusuf Kazaure, reassured that the occasion of the first year anniversary of the data centre, is rather an opportunity for his firm to rededicated itself to its official mandate and the vision of being globally recognized as the leading facilitator of the use, by African public institutions, of ICTs towards regional attainment of global economic competitiveness and development through the provision of quality services and customer satisfaction.

GBB is a public enterprise of the Federal Government that was established to provide a common platform for the provision of network connectivity and other transversal services to the public sector. It also has the objective of delivering connectivity and digital access that will enable relevant solutions to governance and other underserved communities and locations in Nigeria.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Ericsson goes to AfricaCom-08

Leading provider of telecommunications equipment and related services to mobile and fixed network operators, Ericsson, has announced its participation at this year’s edition of West and Central AfricaCom conferences and exhibitions.

The event, which is the fifth in the series and tagged “Optimising Business Models and Networks in West & Central Africa’s Converging Communications Market” would hold at the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja between June 18 and 19, at the Abuja International Conference Centre.

Communications Manager, Ericsson West Africa, Mr. Olabode Sowunmi, said that the event comprises a high-level conference programme and separate co-located networking exhibition, the West and Central AfricaCom is fast gaining a reputation as being the place to learn from peers and network effectively.

“The event is aimed at creating an enabling environment where key issues affecting the communications industry, can be effectively discussed. The forum also attracts a large number of network operators, regulators, service providers like Ericsson, and non-governmental agencies,” he said.

He stressed that the overall objective of Ericsson for taking part at the event would be to ensure that it’s viewed as the industry leader for innovation and support.

“We aim to be perceived as the leading solutions provider for operators by devising and driving an industry ecosystem that would enable the maturity of the network as well as carving a niche within multimedia. There is also the need to position our advisory and integration services portfolio with both traditional and prospective clients in vertical markets such as non operator services,” he said.

Sowunmi in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online said that as one of the sponsors, the focus area of the stand is full service broadband.

The Manager Customer Solutions at Ericsson Nigeria, Mr. Chinedum Akaniro was quoted as saying that the telco would be making a presentation entitled ‘Optimizing Network Quality in High Growth Emerging Markets.’

Additionally, Ericsson will also be hosting a session for industry analysts during the conference on the 18th of June at Le Meridian Hotel, Abuja.

Participants at the event, he said, would include the Minister for Information and Communications, Mr. John Odey, chief executive, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, and his counterpart at MTN Nigeria, Mr. Ahmad Farroukh, and a host of others.

Investment and Financial organisations will also be in attendance and participating at the event. Ericsson positions itself as the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators.

An acclaimed market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies, Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that serve more than 185 million subscribers.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

3,000 NACOSSITES converge @ UNIJOS

Over 3,000 youths and members of the Nigerian Association of Computer Science Students (NACOSS), have converged at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) for the group’s 12th Annual National Convention and the first-ever Nigerian Information Technology (IT) youth assembly that commenced on Monday.

NACOSS is the umbrella body for all students studying Computer Science, Information Technology (IT) and other related courses in Nigerian Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education (Federal, State and Private).

The convention with the theme “Harnessing Youths Potentials for ICT Convergence and National Development (HAPIDEV 2008)” has been scheduled to hold at UNIJos between June 9 and 14, 2008.

A press statement made available to ITRealms Online endorsed by the duo of National President, NACOSS, Mallam Bayo Mohammed Onimode Jnr. and National Secretary, Mr. Aminu Femi Enesi informed that the week-long event has been formally approved by the management of UniJos, as the institution is supporting the association to ensure that the event is a success.

The event, they further said, would throw up an opportunity for all those involved in the state of ICT development in the country to come together in the discussion, dissect and demystifying the issues surrounding the current trends in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development in Nigeria.

According to NACOSS, rather than be just another talk show, it hopes to offer attendees a genuinely valuable experience via the convention.

Adding that the theme also has some sub-themes like: Securing a digital Future for Nigerian Youths through ICT, Building Confidence and Security in the use of ICT, Web Business: An untapped goldmine, Improving ICT Education for Entrepreneurial Development, Delivering Citizen Centric Public Services through e-Governance, The Role of Financial Institutions in ICT Infrastructural Development, Discovering the Future of Technology led Government, Outsourcing and its impact on Nigeria’s Economy, achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria through Digital Access.

The group said its focus is on the importance of technology in developing Nigeria as a country ready to belong to the top 20 world economies by the year 2020.

NACOSS pointed out that by using the perspective of infrastructure vendors, service providers, regulators, corporate end-users and the would-be employees, key issues will be considered in a manner that drives discussion and forms valuable action plan.

“Today, technology has become sacrosanct with development; the corporate and the public sectors need to adopt standards that promote optimal use through corporate social responsibility,” they stated.

Speakers, NACOSS officials said, would include President, Computer Professionals (Registration Council) of Nigeria, Prof. (Mrs.) Adenike O. Osofisan; President, Nigeria Computer Society, Prof. Charles O. Uwadia; Dr. Olu Agunloye –EVC/CEO, National eGovernment Strategies Limited, Abuja; Mr. Chris Uwaje –MD/CEO, Connect Technologies, Lagos; Prof. Manny C. Aniebonam– President/Chief Executive, AfriHUB LLC, USA; Mr. George K. Idiaghe –HR Manager, GCOML Nigeria Limited, Jos and Mr. Ismaila Abdul Hakeem –Unity Bank Nigeria Plc, Abuja.; Dr. Ishaya Tanko –Director of ICT, University of Jos, Jos; Mr. Lanre Ajayi –MD/CEO, PiNet Informatics Nigeria Limited, Lagos; Mr. Kayode Shobajo – Chairman/CEO HIIT Limited, Lagos; Mr. Austine Okere –MD/CEO, Computer WareHouse Group, Lagos; Mr. Tim Akano –MD / CEO, New Horizon ICT Limited, Lagos and several others.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

RIMAW-08 expo to hold in August

Records and Information Management Awareness (RIMA) Foundation has concluded plans to hold an annual Information Management and Security exhibition and awards, tagged RIMAW, this August.

President of the foundation, Mr. Oyedokun Ayodeji Oyewole, informed ITRealms Online that RIMAW 2008 is a unique opportunity to meet potential users, advisors and project managers of information management systems across the country, in a focused, discussion-oriented environment.

“It is an annual event that seeks to promote access to information, raise public consciousness on the need for proper management and security of information, and encourage the overall development of the information management community,” he said.

Mr. Oyewole added that its enlightenment campaign, RIMAW 2008 would also afford participants to showcase a number of world-class providers of business and information systems offering the best and latest information management and security solutions that would help organizations resolve challenges associated with the management and security of their business information.

He noted that over the years, RIMAW has been the only Nigeria’s dedicated event that provides attendees with unique opportunities to compare the most comprehensive range of solutions from all the leading suppliers within and outside the country.

Just as major issues affecting information management and security, he said, would be addressed at the event.

RIMAW, he said, promises to be a platform for showcasing solutions that will provide definite answers to the growing information management and security needs of the society.

As said by him, RIMAW is the leading information and content management event that develops, maintain and promotes active community of vendors, service providers and users.

“We have been delivering successful events in the industry and would continuously strive to move forward, the Nigerian market in information management and security,” he said.

Stressing that the event scheduled to hold between August 29 and 30 2008 at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos, will witness the best and latest information management solutions from local and international exhibitors that have already indicated their interests to participate at the event.

The event would be rounded off in style with an award night and dinner on Saturday, August 30.
He therefore invited more participation from exhibitors who think they have the solutions that will best address issues on information management and security.

The RIMA 2008 awards categories, he said, include Project Awards, Product Awards, and Special Awards for Excellence.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Protecting consumer is collective concern - Nakande

Minister of State for Information and Communications, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande, has declared that the protection of telecommunications consumers in the country should be a collective concern.

Speaking at the third edition of stakeholders’ forum held on Monday in Lagos organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in collaboration with the publishers of IT & Telecom.

He pointed out that in order to satisfy the yearnings of the consumer, which is the reason for being in business.

“We cannot be in business without the patronage of the consumer,” he said.

The minister stressed that based on the aforementioned, he commended the organizers for instituting this forum, which is in its third year, adding that he has followed with keen interest the monthly consumer forum of the NCC and came to the conclusion that the for a provides an opportunity for the various layers of the industry to meet and rub minds on how best to move the sector forward.

He emphasized that it’s the government’s resolve that in the nearest future the tariff of telephone calls will drop and quality of service among operators in the country, noting that the industry has witnessed some improvement.

He added that Nigerian consumers are gifted with an unmatched patience; stressing that over the years this has been one of the strongest factors encouraging investors in the sector.

Noting that consumers are very vital group of the stakeholders should be treated with all possible care and attention, especially by all telecom operators, adding that the aphorism that the consumer is the king has not changed.

“Instead, it has even become stronger in an industry like telecommunications where the average revenue peer user can make all the difference in investment returns.

He recalled that recently, the trust on Nigeria’s leadership in the information and communication technology on the continent was once more affirmed in Cairo with the Bureau of African Ministers in charge of Communications elected Mr. John Odey as the chairperson of the bureau for the next two years.

Also speaking, Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe identified some stakeholders, which include the government, consumers, operators, media and the international community among others.

He pointed out on the need to advance on this so as to accommodate more people into the stakeholders forum, adding that consumer nowadays, mostly on telecom products and services, have many desires expected to be met.

“The consumer wants the services to be of a good quality and affordable, wants operator to respond at all times when he or she needs attention and provide explanations whenever anything goes wrong,” he declared.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Uwadia tasks NigcomSat on cheap bandwidth

The Minister for Science & Technology, Mrs. Grace Ekpiwhre and Minister of State for Information and Communications, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande, as well as the chairman, Senate Committee on Communications, Senator Sylvester Anyanwu and chairman, Zinox Technologies, Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh are expected to lead delegates to the D-Link seminar slated to hold in Lagos, tomorrow, Thursday.

Equally, founder of Visafone, Mr. Jim Ovia, Director General of the National IT Development Agency (NITDA), Prof Cleopas Angaye, among others are being expected.

Affirming this development, consultant to D-Link in Nigeria, Mr. Chris Uwaje, said D-Link Nigeria has lined up a series of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) programmes to usher in its global position as the first among manufacturer of SMB networking products.

According to Uwaje, “DLINK Intelligent Network products and solutions” seminar promises to transform Nigeria’s ICT sector into efficient, productive and secured Knowledge Networks (KN).

He said, the firm tends to increase its market share in the enterprise market for industrial scale network solutions and services, stressing that seminar has been specifically planned for players in the key sectors of the Nigerian economy such as the financial sector, oil and gas, telecommunications, and educational institutions.

Uwaje added that the objective is to engage these sectors in the use of D-Link worldwide solutions that has great influence in the sectoral and national development in several countries, especially in developing nations.

“The great potential and the emerging nature of Nigeria demands for the best and most experienced players from all parts of the globe,” he declared.

Also, President, Nigeria Computer Society, Prof. C. Uwadia, chief executive, Telecom Answers Associate, Mr. Titi Omo Ettu, President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, President Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Mr. Lanre Ajayi and other captains of industry have accepted to honour the seminar.

The seminar will showcase new and emerging technologies with respect to network infrastructure, storage and data management solutions, WiFi WiMax, broadband, electronic IP digital surveillance security cameras solutions and others.

“The mission of D-Link International with more than 600 ICT-based high-tech products and solutions is to transform Nigeria’s network framework into knowledge supper-highway.

Resource persons according to the country manager, DLINK Networks, Nigeria, Mayokun Ogedengbe, would include the chief executive, Connect Technologies, Chris Uwaje, DLINK Regional Director for Africa and Middle East, Mr. Jacky Chang, DLINK Global Technical Product and Solutions Manager, Mr. Robin Than, and Senior Accounts Manager – projects, Ericsson Technologies, Mr. Anthony Ikemefuna.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Etisalat interconnects key operators

Fifth Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) operator, Etisalat Nigeria Limited, has concluded interconnected with some key operators in the nation’s telecom market, mostly on the GSM platform.

Plans are up to continuously interconnect with other operators on various platforms.

This development came as Etisalat has finalized agreement and practical assessment of the viable installation of equipments at relevant locations, just as it promises on quality of service.

Affirming this during the Etisalat Day at the just concluded W.Afri.Tel, chief executive, Mr. Saoud Al Shamsi, in a message delivered on his behalf by the Director, Government Relations, Ibrahim Dikko, stated that the telco is much concerned about quality of service.

“We are not driven by profits to rush to sell services that are not robust. Our objective is to give consumers a world-class GSM network,” he said, adding that its service offering will be simple but of superior quality.

He stressed that at all times the company would show that it is a caring network.

Also speaking after a tour of Etisalat stand, the Lagos State Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu, expressed delight at the assurance he got from Etisalat to offer world-class services, saying telecom customers are eager to enjoy quality services just like they do in other markets.

For the Managing Director, Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), Makanjuola Alabi, described Etisalat stand as excellent.

ITRealms Online notes that this year’s edition was the first for Etisalat at the W.Afri.Tel expo.
The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe commended Etisalat, enjoining them to ensure they roll out commercially with quality services so that the populace would be happy with the telco.

Reiterating that the commission has emphasized adequate preparation and readiness as key imperatives in the roll out of services by GSM operators.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

No plan for dual SIM phones yet – Sony Ericsson

Mobile phones manufacturer, Sony Ericsson has said that it does not have plans to delve into the manufacturing of dual Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) phones.

Disclosing this at the just ended three-day West African International Information and Communication Technology (ICT) exhibition (W.Afri.Tel-08), in Lagos, Regional Director for Africa, Sony Ericsson, Mr. Martijn Lutgerink said there are no plans currently in this regard which is making wave in Nigeria due to multiple lines usage by individual subscribers who want to be connected always.

Accompanied to the exhibition by the Head, Marketing Southern Africa, Ms Shonja Shear, Country Accounts Manager for Nigeria, Mr. Emeka Nkpa, and Head of Sales, Ms Nocllen Janse Van Rensburg, the regional director noted that though the mobile company has lots of new products lined up for this year, there is no roadmap for dual SIM phones.

“Currently, we do not have a roadmap for dual SIM phones. No, that is not on our programme now,” he told newsmen during a chat.

According to him, Sony Ericsson has other inspirational mobile phones slated for marketing in the continent and Nigerian market precisely.

“… For the dual SIM phones, it’s not on the roadmap yet,” Lutgerink said, stressing that the firm, a joint venture founded seven years ago by Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones, recognizes Nigeria as an important market.

He pointed out that the establishment of Sony Ericsson’s office in Nigeria was not by mistake, but due to its strategic importance to the mobile company.Nigeria, he said, is one of the most important markets on the continent.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

W.Afri.Tel-08 excites participants

The 2008 West African International Telecommunication and Information Communication Technology exhibition (W.Afri.Tel) ended last weekend with participating firms describing the three-day event as exciting moments.

This eighth edition, which kicked off on Tuesday, June 3, saw the Minister of State for Information and Communications, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande and Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, gracing the event.

But reacting to the event, participating companies said it was an exciting three-day moment, an indication that they would definitely return to the event in the next edition, and probably more actively too.

Exhibition Management Services (EMS), organisers of the event and IT & Telecom Digest, the sole Nigeria agent had, explained that they have a full year ahead to identify a suitable venue, as a challenge, in order to accommodate those who may have missed out in this year’s show due to lack of space.

The exhibition held at the New Expo Hall, Oceanview Restaurant, Victoria Island, received commendations from the Minister among other dignitaries.

“ … I think the exhibition has been very good and very educative. I only hope that it will continue to grow in the years to come,” Nakande said, stressing that exhibition of this nature, avails visitors to get acquainted with new solutions coming up on regular basis.

“If you are a content provider, you can only take the opportunity of such exhibitions to also improve on the quality of services you are providing. These are some of the steps that can make us move forward,” he added.

Further, he said that the federal government was committed to the provision of an enabling environment in pursuit of its desire to ensure economic stability as a means of attracting and encouraging investment both foreign and local.

The list of companies which marked their presence through exhibiting their various ICT products and services at this year’s edition included Accat Nigeria Ltd., CITEL2CP, Battery Technologies Nigeria, Communications Africa, Business Connection (BCX), Cyberspace Network, Dizengoff West Africa (Nig) Ltd, Bentley Walker Ltd, Danisat Communications Ltd., ECAS Telecommunications and Systems Ltd, Celtel Nigeria Ltd., DCC Networks and Emperion West Africa Ltd.

The highly qualitative exhibitor list includes Etisalat, Netcom Africa Ltd., i-Cell, Gilat Satcom, ICT Convergence Ltd., Globacom, Harris Stratex, SimbaNet Nigeria Ltd, Helios Towers Nigeria, Multi-links Telkom and Skylinks Satellite Communications Ltd. Other exhibiting companies were SkyVision, Starcomms Ltd., Transtector Systems, Sony Ericsson, Systemtech Services Ltd, Swift Networks Ltd and Visafone Communications Ltd.

According to the Marketing Associate of Helios Towers Nigeria, Nikky Obianwu, her firm had been inundated with requests on their services with bright prospects for business.

Deputy Manager Engineering of ICT Convergence Ltd, Mr. Sam Ekojah, said that the company’s participation at W.Afri.Tel 2008 would translate into millions of naira in terms of patronage in the next few months.

ITRealms Online recalled that the first edition of the W.Afri.Tel exhibition was held in June 2001 and has grown over the years to etch its name as the leading and most professional exhibition in the ICT sector.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

MGE introduces 3-Phase UPS into market

MGE has introduced its three-phase Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) into the nation’s market, saying it’s in a class of its own.

African Regional Director for Critical Power and Cooling Services Business unit at Schneider Electric, Mr. Carl Kleynhans, while disclosing this said that with the introduction of the MGE Galaxy 9000, the critical power and cooling services business unit of Schneider Electric now offers the most efficient three-phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS) in its class.

The new system, he said, has the highest power footprint ratio in its class of 200W / m2 to overcome increasing space constraints in the data centre sector.

“It also features easy installation and a true front access design,” he said.

Kleynhans explained that Galaxy 9000 has a 95 per cent efficiency rating, which also is the highest in its class and ensures high efficiency thereby reducing operating expenses at a 720kW load, a 1 per cent increase in efficiency equates to 52MWh savings per year.

“The UPS is therefore equally appropriate to users with an interest in “greening” their infrastructure as well as the cost conscious,” he said.

He further explained that the latest UPS is ideal for Tier IV data centres and ultra sensitive high power applications, thanks to its very low voltage distortion rate and great output stability even during load transients.

“The Galaxy 9000 ensures a resilient and high quality power supply to keep loads running optimally 24 hours a day,” he said.

Stressing that as the data centre becomes more populated, the Galaxy 9000 enables a power uplift without disrupting continuity of services.

“Upgrading the system is simplified by its flexible, modular architecture, and the Galaxy 9000 provides two modes of redundant power distribution – up to four modular units running in parallel or a centralised static transfer switch,” he said.

Kleynhans said the robust design of Galaxy 9000 also makes the system ideally suited to even the harshest operating conditions.

“The new UPS features high reliability batteries, with continuous monitoring for full battery life management and failure prediction,” he said.

As said by him, Galaxy 9000 is fully compatible with remote management tools and so could be easily monitored and controlled from anywhere on the network,” he said, adding “In addition to Ethernet, it is also compatible with other communications protocols including J-Bus/ Mod-Bus and relay contacts. A high definition colour touch screen with intuitive information makes local management effortless.”

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Nigeria is important to Sony Ericsson – Lutgerink

General Manager, Sony Ericsson, Southern Africa, Mr. Martijn Lutgerink has described the Nigerian telecommunications market as very important to the mobile phone manufacturer.

Mr. Lutgerink made this assertion at the just concluded eighth West African Information and Communication Technology (ICT) exhibition, which held at the New Expo Centre, Oceanview, Lagos at the weekend.

He said that the establishment of Sony Ericsson’s office in Nigeria was not by error but based on the strategic importance the mobile company attached to the market, noting that Nigeria is one of the most important markets on the continent.

“After setting up in South Africa, we have to also set up sales office in Nigeria and Nigeria is currently the biggest telecom market in Africa and there is a lot of potentials in this market. So, its very strategic and very important,” he said.

Leading a team of Sony Ericsson officials for African region to the three-day even, Lutgerink said that the telco has several new products lined up for launch in the remaining part of this year, including Xperia X11 and Z770 series among others.

Most of these new products, he said, would be commercially available in the third quarter of this year.

He promised to bring into the nation’s market place a complete line up of products, which is over 40 products.

“We are also looking from high models to the affordable models,” he asserted.

Mr. Lutgerink was accompanied to the exhibition, Head, Marketing Southern Africa, Ms Shonja Shear, Country Accounts Manager for Nigeria, Mr. Emeka Nkpa, and Head of Sales, Ms Nocllen Janse Van Rensburg to the event.Sony Ericsson is a joint venture founded in seven years ago by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Nigeria is important to Sony Ericsson – Lutgerink

General Manager, Sony Ericsson, Southern Africa, Mr. Martijn Lutgerink has described the Nigerian telecommunications market as very important to the mobile phone manufacturer.

Mr. Lutgerink made this assertion at the just concluded eighth West African Information and Communication Technology (ICT) exhibition, which held at the New Expo Centre, Oceanview, Lagos at the weekend.

He said that the establishment of Sony Ericsson’s office in Nigeria was not by error but based on the strategic importance the mobile company attached to the market, noting that Nigeria is one of the most important markets on the continent.

“After setting up in South Africa, we have to also set up sales office in Nigeria and Nigeria is currently the biggest telecom market in Africa and there is a lot of potentials in this market. So, its very strategic and very important,” he said.

Leading a team of Sony Ericsson officials for African region to the three-day even, Lutgerink said that the telco has several new products lined up for launch in the remaining part of this year, including Xperia X11 and Z770 series among others.

Most of these new products, he said, would be commercially available in the third quarter of this year.

He promised to bring into the nation’s market place a complete line up of products, which is over 40 products.

“We are also looking from high models to the affordable models,” he asserted.

Mr. Lutgerink was accompanied to the exhibition, Head, Marketing Southern Africa, Ms Shonja Shear, Country Accounts Manager for Nigeria, Mr. Emeka Nkpa, and Head of Sales, Ms Nocllen Janse Van Rensburg to the event.Sony Ericsson is a joint venture founded in seven years ago by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

NCS AGM goes to Gateway city

THE Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) would later this month hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, the acclaimed Gateway to the nation’s economy.

The theme of this year conference is ‘Enabling Capacities of Information Technology (IT) for Sustainable National Development (ENCITDEV 2008).

Speaking to the press on the conference, NCS President, Prof Charles Uwadia, said this year’s would be a departure from the previous ones because of innovations attached to it.

He said the three-day confab slated for June 24 through 27, is intended to attract the involvement and participation of stakeholders who will proffer solutions to what hinders information technology growth and would encourage Nigerian industrialists to consult with NCS and chart the way out to establish confidence in the services and manpower of the Nigerian market.

He further said the banking/finance industry should be convinced of the potentials of local manpower in the provision, development and maintenance of their software needs.

Prof. Uwadia pointed out that the year’s theme was thoughtfully selected to inform Nigerian government – federal, state and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders that NCS has the technical know-how and the professional pride and competence that would make Nigeria achieve her vision.

According to him, in the past, NCS conference were held based on the theme ‘Bridging the digital gap between the rural and urban and connect the disconnect.’

“At the moment, the task ahead of IT professionals is for all of us to put together the achievement of the 2020 vision of making Nigeria one of the 20 world economies,” he said.

Prof. Uwadia equally said the Chief Executive Officers’ (CEO) forum recently introduced into the conference is aimed at connecting policy makers and convincing them that there is sufficient manpower to handle IT needs in Nigeria.

He said in line with the country’s vision 2020, the deployment from NIGCOMSAT will reduce the cost inherent in the use of Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) and the related bandwidth, adding that NCS would like to see them deploy signals for browsing easily while on the internet across the 774 local government areas of the country.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

MTN Beyond call of duty takes off

GLOBAL system for Mobile Communications (GSM) giant, MTN Nigeria, has flagged off this year’s edition of Y’ello Care for 21 days across the federation from June 4 with the theme: Beyond the call of duty… because we care.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer of the telco, Mr. Ahmad Farroukh, said MTN is about people, adding that “the services we provide cut across all aspects of our lives, including work, play and rest. Our services empower people with knowledge and information and also help to bring people, including families, friends and communities closer.

Mr. Farroukh also said the 21 days of Y’ello care programme is about MTN people who have individually and collectively chosen to sacrifice their time, energies and expertise in order to add more value to the community.

He said this year, every member of staff would be taking part in various community-based activities classified under two main groups: Business Transformers and Share and Care.

According to him, under the Business Transformers group, MTN professionals in such areas as Information Technology (IT), finance, accounting, management and marketing communications, among others, will share their expertise with their counterparts in select small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) across the nation. While under the Share and Care, he said staff would volunteer their time and resources to connect and share with the less privileged.

Speaking earlier, Corporate Services Executive, Mrs. Amina Oyagbola, said corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an integral part of MTN’s business strategy.

She said the 21 Days of Y’ello care programme captures the telco’s vision of demonstrating social responsiveness and leadership wherever it operates in the 21 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Oyagbola added that the programme is a process in which they will dedicate their time, skills and expertise giving back to their community and the society at large.

Beneficiaries of this programme, she noted would include charity homes, homes for the elderly, physically challenged among others.

According to Mrs. Oyagbola, MTN remains the only organization in the telecoms industry that sets aside a percentage – which amounts to over N2 billion – of its earnings annually to corporate social investment, stating that this year’s event would seek to improve on the performance of the previous years.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Signal Alliance repositions

Leading information technology integrator, Signal Alliance (SA) has announced its rebranding motives to steer the company in the right path.

Chief executive, Signal Alliance, Mr. Collins Onuegbu who disclosed this, said at the weekend, that the acclaimed indigenous Information and Communication Technology (ICT) company with specialization in systems integration for both the telecoms and IT industry is delighted to introduce a new Signal Alliance Visual identity.

He noted that for some time now, Signal Alliance has repositioned both in process and policies.
“We have invested considerable time and resources to fine tuning our processes, policies and our people,” he said.

Onuegbu explained that the reason behind the repositioning is to deliver value to SA customers.
“The reason for this is to truly project the reason we are in business: to deliver value to our clients and make I.T. fulfill its promise to business,” he said.

According to him, Signal Alliance has introduced three units to boost its businesses, including the business solutions, optimization and network infrastructure.

“As a result, we now operate three principal business units - Business Solutions, Business Optimization and Network Infrastructure units – as one fully integrated business capable of delivering multi-opportunities to our clients,” he said.

Onuegbu further said that these units would work together to deliver value for every customer of the company and enjoined stakeholders to continuously support Signal Alliance.

“As we go in this new direction, it is our hope that you will continue to support us,” he declared.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D