Ericsson, MTN terminate biofuel project in Nigeria

Acclaimed world’s leading provider of telecommunications-based technology services to telecom operators and supplier of communications services and managers of networks that serve over 195 million subscribers globally, Ericsson, has terminated its biofuel project with the nation’s leading Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) operator, MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, ITRealms Online can authoritatively reveal.

Biofuel result is out of produce from feedstocks that have been grown on idle and marginal land that has not been deforested for the purpose of biofuel crop plantation, resulting in lower carbon emissions than diesel when calculated on a whole of life basis and taking into account the effect of land use changes as well as produced in a manner that contributes to the social and economic development of local, rural and indigenous people and communities.

This revelation came at the time the world’s mobile operators group, the Global System for Mobile Association (GSMA) has identified fully with biofuel based on the likely escalation of the cost of generating power for the GSM operators, as well as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector generally.

Industry watchers also have advocated for alternative source of energy supply, with a greater number favourably endorsing the biofuel method, saying it’s cost effective and at the same time boosting the agricultural produce.

The bioful project was initially instituted between the trio of MTN, Ericsson and GSMA deploying the GSMA’s Development Fund, which was set up in October 2005, to provide consulting support to innovative pilot projects that use mobile technology to boost social, economic and environmental welfare in developing countries.

Confirming the latest development, Manager, Marketing and Communications, Ericsson West Africa, Mr. Olabode Sowunmi Jnr, said it has since been put an end to.

“… The project has been discontinued,” Sowunmi told ITRealms Online recently and refused to give further details on the suspension of the project.

External Affairs Manager at MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, Mr. Andrew Okeleke said he needed time to confirm whether or not MTN has pulled out of the project finally and what ignited the current state of discontinuation.

But as at press time, Monday night, he is yet to make any further input based on the query, while other senior officials of MTN Nigeria kept mute over the issue as they did not respond to even Short Messaging Service (SMS) sent to them in this regard.

ITRealms Online notes that MTN Group was part of the GSMA renewable energy interest operators hosted in Kenya by Safricom last month.

Meanwhile, MTN recently identified Nigerian market as source of its revenue growth in the interim results for six months, which ended June 30, 2008, just as the group’s market share increased by 29 per cent amounting to R19.6 billion (about N276.8 billion).

The result endorsed on August 28, this year by MTN chairman, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa and the Group President and Chief executive officer, Mr. Phuthuma Nhelko, which was made available on the telco’s website, expressed optimism in the global telephony market as it plans to seek expansion opportunities in emerging markets and optimize efficiencies as well as improved competitive position.

The group also said its West and Central African (WECA) operations are being led by Nigeria with increased Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) of 37 per cent. This accounted for the 57 per cent growth on the network.

“This was mainly driven by EBITDA from Nigeria,” the result stated, pointing out that the South and East Africa (SEA) region contributed 30 per cent and down by four per cent, while the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) recorded 11 per cent, that is, up by three per cent within the period under review when compared with the same period last year.


ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

What to know about firewall (1)

WINDOWS Firewall overview: A firewall helps to protect your computer from potential damage from viruses or unknown intruders. In Windows XP, Windows Firewall is turned on by default. You may also choose to download and install a firewall of your own choosing. (However, some computer manufacturers and network administrators might turn it off.) If someone tries to access your computer without your knowledge or consent, Windows Firewall blocks that access.

How Windows Firewall works:
If someone on the Internet whom you do not know asks your computer for permission to connect to it, Windows Firewall intercepts the request and notifies you. You can then allow or deny the connection.

These requests are called “unsolicited requests.” When a programme such as an instant messaging programme or a multiplayer network game makes a request to connect to your computer, you can make an exception so that Windows Firewall does not need to ask you each time that programme wants to connect.

With unsolicited requests, you always make the decision, which helps to make your computer more secure. However, although you can turn off Windows Firewall for specific network and Internet connections, every time that you do this you run the risk that your computer’s security might be compromised.


ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Imperative of SIM cards registration

Features of the week:

The concept to have all users of telephone services in the country identifiable and traceable by the stakeholders led by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is an essential step in the right direction, reports REMMY NWEKE.

RECENTLY, subscribers of one of the major Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) operators in the country, had difficulties recharging their lines, the next thing according to investigations was for most of them to discard their Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards, walk across to the street next to them and purchase another SIM from other networks they believe is ‘simply working’ for them to continue being in touch, especially these days that this communications tool has become a means of business transactions in the polity.

This explains how easy it is nowadays to get a SIM, just for the asking at most Nigerian shops or from hawkers on the streets and this applies to those who invariably have genuine businesses. But a big question mark here is what of those who need a new SIM just for criminal purposes?

Just a few weeks ago, a prominent Lagosian claimed he received a threat call from an unknown caller who also withheld the GSM line used thereof.

Worried by GSM crimes:
Obviously worried by this situation, which is gradually becoming rampant, the umbrella body of about 161 telecom firms in the country, founded in 1992, the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) during its 2008 Annual General Meeting (AGM) listed top on its agenda the proposal for urgent accreditation of SIMs nationwide, which is intended to automatically halt the hawking of SIM packs on the streets.

SIM pack contains SIM card and other valuable information for customers or potential subscribers. SIM card is a small electronic card also called smart card used in mobile phones which carries the phone number, the operator’s serial numbers and used in identifying a telecom subscriber on a given network for billing and sundry services as well as a device for storing information in mobile phones for Security Information Management (SIM) purposes; a concept in data security and which could be transferred from one mobile handset to another as far as the handsets in question have cellular modules.

According to ATCON national president, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, the proposed accreditation would aid national security greatly, stressing that the call has become necessary due to the security repercussions, and requested for mandatory call data retention database of all telecom operators to boost cyber-security initiatives of the government, as well as advocating that this database be highly classified as confidential and passworded, and restricted to on-line access to subscriber bio-database by appropriate law enforcement agencies via a multilaterally agreed access due process.

Accreditation to stimulate national database:
Dr. Ekuwem said that the accreditation would also avail the nation a database of telecom subscribers, especially on the GSM platform among others. Lamenting that as at today, Nigeria is the only country where you could pick a SIM pack on the street because it’s hawked without relevant data of the buyer. Pointing out that in other countries of the world, SIM packs are sold in shops where relevant data of the buyer is captured including details of the international passport data page.

“If a SIM after being purchased on the street is used to commit a crime it would be hardly traced, this is because the buyer may have used false name, if at all,” he said, adding that without the capturing of other important part of the buyer’s information such as photograph, the SIM in question could be used to perpetrate any evil act untraced.

He also disagreed with those who think the suggested accreditation would impact negatively on the sales record of operating companies and penetration of their networks, rather than allowing the illegality of picking SIMs on the street to continue, “it’s better for the nation and her citizenry to get it right now and support the reform. This would assist security agencies in curbing crimes committed via telecom and using GSM platform, which subscriber-base is over 42 million as at January 2008.”

Emphasizing that currently, there is need for the accreditation because whosoever makes a call or sends Short Messaging Service (SMS) that is inimical to the national security may not be traced.

This, he further said, would help the nation’s law enforcement agencies including the Police, Economic and Finance Crime Commission (EFCC), Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC), State Security Services (SSS), Customs and Immigration to name a few, in carrying out their responsibilities effectively.

He argued that this exercise when eventually accepted and guidelines issued by the industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), would significantly advance criminal investigations.

ATCON also canvassed for a defined and registered distribution of dealer channels for SIM packs for the operating companies. He highlighted that sale of SIM packs after the accreditation expected to start after a moratorium of about six months or one year by any dealer or seller in the country would involve a photocopy of the buyer’s international passport data page or national identification card, filling of accreditation form containing basic bio data and contact address information.

Regulator taking the bull by the horn:
Reacting to this development, NCC after a one-day consultative forum held at its headquarters and attended by major telecom operators and security agencies in the country, announced that any unregistered SIM at the end of a deadline to be given soon, would be deactivated. The anticipated deadline, from ITRealms Online investigations would not be less than six months and not more than one year.

This much was affirmed by the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), NCC, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, who said it has become imperative on the prepaid SIMs on the face of its security challenges to the nation, impressing that Nigeria would soon join the fray in compulsory SIM registration as obtained in some other countries of the world.

According to him, an Action Committee has been set up with a one month mandate and is expected to come up with guidelines on the mandatory registration, including specific deadline for already existing subscribers to get registered or face deactivation.

“Unregistered prepaid cards may be deactivated by the deadline of the registration period,” he said, enumerating other countries where same action have taken place previously to include Singapore, Australia, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and South Africa. “So, Nigeria will not be the first or the only country strengthening controls to deal with the anonymity of prepaid SIM Cards,” he reiterated.

Underscoring the need for a time frame to be set aside when operators will commence compliance to ensure proper recording of the personal details of all customers who buy prepaid SIM cards, Ndukwe assured that subscribers could continue to use their pre-paid SIM cards as long as they register their particulars with respective mobile operators during the registration period.

Making crimes traceable:
Equally, he said, that it was precisely agreed that the registration of SIM cards by pre-paid subscribers and that the methodology of carrying out the registration would involve both potential and current subscribers. Pointing out that prepaid mobile phone users are those who use pay-as-you-go type of GSM and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) mobile services; could buy their SIM packs, from street corners and shops without proper identification.

Postpaid counterparts, he explained usually meet stringent identification conditions that make them traceable. Noting that though this was the first effort at systematically holding a discourse on the subject, the results of the consultative forum was intended to contribute to an evidence-based policy guideline on a practical regulatory regime on registration of pre-paid SIM cards and to ensure that mobile services remain a tool for social and economic development.

As said by him, NCC has been deliberating on this issue for lately, in addition to other complaints received from security agencies, concerned individuals and corporate organisation over the rise in the use of mobile phones to commit crimes and the difficulty in tracking down the perpetrators who take advantage of unregistered SIM card especially on prepaid platform.

“It is a widely held opinion that every technological development has provided a new opportunity for criminality and the introduction of cellular mobile telephone services is no exception. As part of an ongoing holistic security review by the government, the Commission by this consultative meeting planned to work together with all network operators who issue SIM cards to subscribers to agree on a workable regulatory regime,” he said.

Waiting for Committee report:
In the month of July, NCC named the members of Action Committee with one month’s mandate, but till the time of filing this report, the committee report is still being expected after over two months, just as ITRealms Online exclusively gathered that Director, Legal Services at NCC, Mr. Steven Andzenge-led committee, has finalized its assignment and is only waiting for an audience for submission to the appropriate quarters.

Essence of database:
On the readiness of some of the GSM operators, the chief executive officer, Zain Nigeria, Mr. Bayo Ligali, recently told ITRealms Online that the idea is a noble one, but Nigeria and regulator particularly has to get it right by ensuring that relevant structures needed for its success are on the ground, especially the database.

According to him, it would be extremely difficult to embark on such gallant initiative without a national database, where the security agencies could deploy for appropriate actions against the criminal minded telecom consumers.

Commenting on relevance of national database on this kind of project, the President, Global Network For Cyber Solutions, Mr. Chris Uwaje said in Abuja recently that the critical challenge facing the country, is that while the nation is developing online culture, it fails short of developing requisite national information infrastructure that could facilitate adequate response to online culture.

He cautioned that the earlier the nation tinkers on how to exploit its national database in terms of name, date of birth, date of death, house number, education, consumer records, the looming e-disaster may be averted.

Conclusion:
ATCON president, Ekuwem, once noted that though, there may not be a national database presently, but NCC has assured that it would actively collaborate with the National Identity Commission to ensure that the project becomes a success by way of stimulating the proper recording and identification of Nigerians, mostly telecom subscribers in the country.

And like the saying goes, a stitch in time saves nine.


ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Experts tasked on harnessing ICT

Nigerian-born winner of the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize, the Nobel Prize of supercomputing, Dr. Philip Emeagwali has tasked African Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) experts in diaspora to ensure that the continent harnesses technology for the benefit of mankind.

Delivering a keynote address entitled: Technology the root of all evil, to the conference of African Diaspora held in Tucson, Arizona, recently, Emeagwali decried that technology in the hands of others have been used to exploit Africa for centuries.

Now, he said, is the time for Africa to wake up and take its rightful place by ensuring that technology is used for the good of all people.

“But now it’s time for Africa to grasp technology and finally embrace the modern age’s clay of wisdom and advancement,” he said.
Emeagwali, also said, that Africa has the chance be an example for other continents
of the world to emulate in terms of technology usage.

“Africa has the chance to show the world how technology can be used for good, not evil. And the people of Africa can use today’s technology, not to mimic their own exploitation, but to right the wrongs of the past and empower themselves with the same tool that has been used to oppress them in the past,” he asserted, maintaining that African continent could actually provide a shining example for the world in using technology for its own upliftment and the benefit of mankind.

He lamented that some of the ICT professionals in Diaspora, especially from Africa are teaming up to exploit the continent and cited an electronic mail (e-mail) he received about a year ago, which read: “About a year ago, I hired a developer in Africa to do my job. I am paying him $12,000 a year to do my job, for which I am paid $67,000 a year,” the sender wrote. “He’s happy to have the work and I’m happy that I have to work only 90 minutes a day. Now I’m considering getting a second job and doing the same thing.”

This kind of exploit, Emeagwali said, should not be allowed to continue let alone being perpetuated by African experts in Diaspora.

He enjoined Africans to take cognizance of Internet, because it is “our modern-day compass,” stressing that as the continent and its people warm up for the great journey into the cyberspace of the future with its technological promise, which he described as the clay of wisdom, there is a need to understand the strategic value and potential of this all-important tool.

“Our image of the future inspires the present and the present serves to create the future,” he said.

As said by him, Africa’s lack of substantial technological knowledge of the Internet and its potential may lead to an assault or manipulation in unexpected ways, just as it was devastated generations ago for the lack of a simple compass, a technological development of the innocent compass, invented in China for religious divination 2,000years ago; facilitated the ravaging of Africa.

“We didn’t recognize the power of the compass then; the danger is that we don’t recognize the power of technology today,” he decried.

Pointing out that while Africa merely contemplates the future, the West, the quickest off the mark to wield technology’s weapons, actually makes the future.


ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Women’s IT summit takes off in Ile-Ife

The first-ever Nigerian Women Information Technology Summit (WIT 2008), being hosted by the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, yesterday, kicked off at the conference hall of the institution.

The three-day event, according to the summit co-ordinator, Mrs. Omowumi Hassan, in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online, has been scheduled to end tomorrow, Thursday, October 9.

She said, the summit would address how to bridge the digital divide through the empowerment of women, using Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

The summit, Mrs. Hassan also said, would have the President, Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), Prof. (Mrs) Adenike Osofisan, presenting an address as the keynote speaker.

She further said that the summit targeted at women in all sectors of the economy with particular interest for those involve in ICT, would feature topics such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Role of Women.

The event chaired by the chief executive officer, Omatek Computers Plc, Mrs. Florence Seriki, she said, has the theme: ICT and the Millennium Development Goals: The role of Women at the Grassroots.

In addition, she said, the summit would feature action plan by women towards achieving the MDGs.

Further, she said, they would dwell on the available technologies and tools to deconstruct gender stereotypes, training on how to develop blog and websites adopting the ‘Stand Up, Speak Out’ approach for networking as well as how information technology could assist Nigerian women in achieving the MDGs.

Meanwhile, the 2006 United Nations (UN) Secretary General’s report showed that new forms of violence against women have emerged with the advent of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

With increasing access to ICTs, the cases of cyber violence against women and girls, according to the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), where also increased.

APC’s Gender and ICT activists column informed that women’s organizations working on the issue of violence against women are quick to underscore the need to ensure a proper balance between the interests of law enforcement and respect for fundamental human rights.


ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

PIN introduces Curbing Cybercrime essay

Information and Communication Technology ((CT) driven non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Lagos, the Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), has introduced ‘Curbing Cybercrime in Nigeria’ essay contest for students in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Mr. ‘Gbenga Sesan, disclosed this last weekend and said that there are an increased concern over Internet safety.

“Especially as those who never had access are increasingly now being connected through their computers, mobile phones and other devices,” he said

Sesan noted that while the prevalence of social networking websites, online communities and internet-enabled processes should be of great news for individual, corporate and government users, but the concern for safety remains a major source of worry for ICT enthusiasts.

According to him, the 2007 Internet Crime report listed Nigeria as number three on the world’s top 10 online crime spots, stressing that the prevalence of cybercrime among a sizeable number of young Nigerians goes to show the need for immediate concern, mostly with the recent boom in mobile service provision and online payment platforms in the country.

With support from Microsoft Nigeria, Nigeria Computer Society and Teledom Group, PIN, he said, is proud to announce an essay competition as part of its ongoing Microsoft-sponsored social campaign against cybercrime.

He explained that essays are invited only from students of tertiary institutions in the country and the theme to be explored is “Curbing Cybercrime in Nigeria,” with a focus on what must be done to redirect the energy of young Nigerians towards productive online engagements.

Submission, he said, must be in Microsoft Word document attachment to essay@pinigeria.org on or before11:59pm on October 19, 2008.
Sesan further said, the winning essay would be announced at the campaign event holding in Lagos on October 25, 2008.

“So all those whose essays go past the first screening exercise would be invited to attend the event,” he said, while prizes to be won include Laptops, Multimedia Desktop Personal Computer (PCs) and Global Packet Radio Service (GPRS)-enabled Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) wristwatches.

ITRealms Online recalls that few weeks back, PIN launched its ISSPIN campaign in search of youthful Internet Ambassadors to aid in sensitization of youths on cyber crime.



ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Zinox, Freeplay target plants in Nigeria

Zinox Technologies Limited and Freeplay Energy of United Kingdom (UK) are set to launch an assembly plant that would reduce the dependence of Nigerians on electric power.

Chief executive officer, Freeplay Energy, Mr. David Floyd said recently while on official working visit to Lagos, that the assembly plant would produce essential communications and lighting equipment like the small reading lamps, the Indigo Lantern, the bigger reading lamps, the Kito Lantern and portable radio sets, the Eyemax Radio, as well as the touch lights, the Jonta Flashlights.

He also said that the plant would employ thousands of Nigerians and is expected to deploy millions of these energy conserving products across the continent, where it is estimated that over 600 million people lack access to stable electricity.

Floyd said that population explosion has increased the strain on existing but insufficient infrastructure making the production of energy saving products mandatory.

According to him, “our exclusive partnership with the Digital Accessories Division of Zinox Technologies Limited, is to build a plant that would assemble these globally certified products in the country and distribute to other countries of Africa except South Africa.

“We’re partnering with Zinox because of her ownership pedigree, passion to develop Africa and reputation outside Nigeria as a company to trust,” he said.

Floyd further said that as an international company, Freeplay Energy has over the years introduced energy saving innovations that have impacted on the lives of people across the world, especially those in communities where electricity is in very short supply.

Explaining that the product range of the Indigo Lantern, the Kito Lantern, the Eyemax Radio and the Jonta Flashlights were specially designed to deliver excellent performance despite the tough conditions they may be subjected to.

He stressed that the products could withstand the shock of sudden drops without any effect on their casing or the content.

Mr. David Floyd further explained that Freeplay Energy is currently in partnership with the UNICEF, USAID and a number of other development agencies to take the products to less developed communities and the most recent include: rural communities in Nairobi, Kenya and New Delhi in India.

He said that due to its excellent performance the products are hot cake there.
In her comment, the Executive Director, Zinox, Mrs. Vivian Abii, said that they are still in the era of epileptic power supply, as Nigerians need to own at least two of the Freeplay products and recommended the lamp and radio set as the benefits are unquantifiable.

Mrs. Abii said that apart from being a cheaper source of energy it would help to usher in a new culture of energy conservation in a country where security lights are left on 24/7. Additionally, she said, candles and paraffin lamps are extremely hazardous to health, often messy, apart from being quite expensive to maintain.

As said by her, every student needs to have one for reading as the illumination is brighter and covers a wider area with zero health hazards as against the cruder applications.

She emphasized that the federal, state, local governments and institutions could promote a reading culture among children without a cheaper source of energy.

“Are our children going to read in darkness? What is the cost of power supply to even the richest family?” she wondered.

She disclosed that these are issues that have been resolved in countries like India as a knowledge driven economy and government must embrace this safe alternative source energy for our students and homes.


ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Nigeria consolidates on ICT success with CTO-08

A three-day annual Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), summit kicked off at the nation’s capital, Abuja on Monday, with the aim of consolidating on the success stories of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in the country.

The summit opened by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, according to officials of CTO would open more vista of opportunities for Nigeria’s ICT sector apart from contributing to the investment potential of the country.

Making this pronouncement, the Chief Executive Officer, CTO, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, accompanied by the Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. John Odey, Minster of State in the Ministry, Alhaji Ibrahim Nakande, and the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, said at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, venue of the event that the organization has enormous respect for Nigeria’s performance in the ICT sector, hence the commitment to host this momentous event in the country.

He also said that about 13 Ministers from more than 58-country strong CTO have arrived Nigeria for the summit, which would last till today, Wednesday, October 8, alongside exhibition of products and services at the event.

Dr. Spio-Garbrah who described the growth of the telecom sector in the last seven years in Nigeria in glowing terms, hailed the nation’s leadership, saying that even if the services are not perfect, it has provided opportunity for millions of Nigerians to have access to services and even change the service providers when they are dissatisfied.

Also speaking, Minister of Communications, Mr. Odey, emphasized on the importance of this summit, reiterating it was in this bid that President Yar’Adua agreed to declare the event open.

The summit, he said, is a major capacity building event for the ICT sector in Nigeria, stressing that the event in addition would give the nation the opportunity to showcase its democracy and hospitability to the outside world.

Minister of Sate for Information and Communications, Alhaji Nakande, said the beauty of this summit is that it is mainly being funded by the private sector, which has contributed more than N35 Million as contributions towards hosting the event.

"It is a win-win situation for the country. It is good for our image. And we will have the opportunity to benefit from other countries who are attending the conference," Nakande said.

The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization was founded in 1901 and has for a long time embarked on research and provision of resources that can impact meaningfully on commonwealth countries and on Nigeria in particular.

The theme of the sixth edition of the CTO holding at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, from Monday, October 6, to October 8, is: ‘Ensuring Effective Connectivity for a Socially Inclusive and a Commercial Vibrant Africa’.



ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Zain boosts S/Eastern with fixed phones

In its bid to continuously improve the reach on the network, Zain Nigeria has launched its fixed phone line services in the South Eastern part of the country, thereby offering them more opportunities.

Chief Marketing Officer, Zain Nigeria, Mr. Normal Moyo, said at the launch that it would provide people in the region, especially students, rural dwellers, hospital attendants, and others, the chance to communicate particularly in places where access to telephone is restricted, irrespective of their level of income, age, status and location.

As stated by him, the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)-based fixed phones are wireless devices or terminals which make telecommunication services available 24/7 without requiring human or control and the use of mobile handset.

Moyo also said at the ceremony held in Enugu, capital of Enugu State, recently that the service would help to eliminate barriers to communication such as high cost of handset (phones) and restriction in access to phones in certain areas.

The company’s Fixed Phones, he explained, provide affordable telecommunication services nationwide round the clock when the deployment is complete and would empower many Nigerians, especially those who cannot afford handset or cannot make calls because of current barriers such as lack of access to phone service or coverage problem and restriction in the use of phones.

Zain Nigeria is determined to make telecommunications services available, accessible and affordable to all Nigerians, and create an environment that will enable Nigerians especially the youths realize their full potentials regardless of their income level or location,” he said, emphasizing that the service is very flexible and easy to use.

Users can send and receive SMS, retrieve voicemails, check credit balance, and send “credit me” or “Call Me Back” (Value Added Service or SMS service from Zain) and make and receive calls, by inserting a special SIM card into the device using the terminal,” he said.

The deployment of Fixed Phones by Zain in the region, Moyo noted, covers six States, including Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia and Cross Rivers States.
These States, he said, are categorized as South East Region under Zain network’s geographical coverage classification.

A press statement from Zain endorsed by the Public Relations Manager, Mr. Emmanuel Otokhine, also saw the operator recently, extending its Fixed Phone rollout to the North Central Region.

He pointed out that the company initially commissioned the service in April this year in the South West Region of the country, thus becoming the first company to introduce GSM unmanned Phones or Fixed Phones in Nigeria.


ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

MultiLinks’ ultra care centre opens

Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operator, Multi-Links Telkom, has opened an ultra-modern customer care centre along Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The new complex which is in line with the company’s strategy of taking the lead in customer care and wellbeing has been described as an architectural master piece. A press statement by the Manager, Corporate Affairs, Multi-Links Telkom, Mr. Olubayo Abiodun, said that the flagship customer centre is a manifestation of the new corporate identity detailing its logo type, corporate brand name, corporate culture projection in its interior and exterior looks and feel, visual languages and service delivery.

The total brand transformation is a product of intense analysis of brand equity and brand promise as well as the customers’ expectations,” he said. Abiodun quoted the Manager Customer Service Centre, Mrs. Sunbo Odulaja, as saying that the new outlet is an expression of the inner energy designed to make the customer well catered for in the new dispensation in Multi-Links Telkom.

She expressed the excitement of the staff at the centre, saying that it is a refreshing start to a new dawn in the on-going total overhaul of the Multi-Links Telkom brand for a bullish penetration of the Nigerian telecommunications market. As a foremost operator in the liberalized telecommunications market, she said that this new face of customer service centre stands as the model customer care centre that would further reinforce the leadership role of Multi-Links Telkom in the area of customer care.

According to her, more of the model would be built in other locations in the determined effort to take customer care closer to the customers.
Stressing, the new centre is specifically modeled to reposition Multi-Links Telkom to meet the dynamic sophistry of its customers.


ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Nokia battles iPhone with 5800 series

AS arrangements advanced for the launch of latest from the shelf of mobile handset manufacturer, Nokia in Africa before the year ends, the firm may have indicated its battle-ready with media unveiling of 5800 series as it plans to take the fight to Apple’s iPhone to another height.

Nokia 5800 comes with the first ever touch-screen identity from the mobile manufacturer.

Obviously taken a cue from Apple in its design of the 5800 Xpress Music, formerly known as “Tube” Nokia disclosed the device is due for release by year’s end.
With looks quite similar to Apple’s iPhone, Nokia 5800 has a single panel of smooth glass on the front.

Running on Symbian’s Series 60 OS, Nokia said it plans to modify 5800 to make the software more user-friendly in agreement with the aim of releasing alongside a software development kit.

Giving this insight, the senior vice president, marketing at Nokia, Mr. Jo Harlow, said at the recently held media launch event in London, that the idea is to make the product a human interface.

“We wanted to turn the user interface into a human interface,” he said.
On the software side, the 5800 has a “contacts bar” that shows images of frequently contacted friends. Those friends can be sent text messages directly from the home screen. Also, feeds could be assigned to those friends that would alert the device’s user to new content on social-networking sites.

“It also has a drop-down media bar that gives one-touch access to music, photos, video or the Internet,” he said.

In addition, the 5800 would support Adobe Flash multimedia technology, which is reportedly not supported by the iPhone.

While many websites have created mobile versions of their sites to support the iPhone’s capabilities, the 5800 could potentially work with many more websites without modification.

“I know some people thought Flash wasn’t important on a mobile device,” Harlow said, in a clear reference to Apple.

Like the iPhone, the 5800 has a software keyboard rather than a tactile one. Apple’s software keyboard could at times be difficult to manipulate since it requires a person’s fingertip to touch the screen.

Harlow noted that the 5800’s soft keyboard would work with a fingernail or even a guitar pick in addition to a finger.

The report further said that when slanted on its side, the 5800 has a full-screen QWERTY keyboard plus a mini-QWERTY one. The 5800 is also equipped with handwriting recognition, which will recognize 60 languages, which Harlow said would cover about 90 per cent of the world’s mobile-phone users.

Nokia also said the 5800 has built-in surround-sound speakers, which are louder than any other mobile device on the market. Nokia let those attending the launch try out the 5800’s speakers in a soundproof booth. The 5800 has a 3.2-megapixel camera with a dual flash and a Carl Zeiss lens. The 5800’s screen supports 16 million colours, which Harlow claimed is best in the industry.



ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Vendors rush to fix critical Internet protocol bug

INTERNET infrastructure vendors are rushing to develop patches for a set of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP), which is the basic communication language or protocol of the Internet, following security flaws that could help hackers knock servers offline with very little effort, reports IDG news service.

TCP/IP is the communications protocol that under-girds the Internet and communications between computers in a network.

The security community has been buzzing about the bugs since last week, when security researcher Robert Hansen discussed the problem on his blog.

Technical details on the vulnerabilities have not been released, but the security experts at Outpost24, who discovered the problem, Robert Lee and Jack Louis, have said that they could knock Windows, Linux, embedded systems and even firewalls offline with what’s known as a Denial of Service (DOS) attack.

The flaws lie in the TCP/IP software used by these systems to send data over the Internet.

According to the report, Lee and Louis first discussed the problem about a fortnight ago at a conference in Amsterdam, disclosing that many of the affected vendors were now working on patching the issue with help from the Finnish National Computer Emergency Response Team.

Lee, who spent most of Wednesday and Thursday explaining the issue also said that the vendors who are capable and responsible for creating solutions are in the loop.
The Outpost24’s chief security officer, said “The public message here is ‘Chill out, the people who need to be involved are involved,” stressing that he did not know how long it would take to fix the problem.

In a related development, Microsoft in a press statement, said it was investigating the matter and was “unaware of any attacks trying to use the claimed vulnerability or of customer impact.”

But according to Hansen, if attacks did appear, they could be bad. That’s because they could be launched with very little bandwidth and because machines targeted would often remain disabled even after the DOS attack has stopped.



ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Leveraging on ICT to improve bank operations

THE banking consolidation exercise in 2005, spearheaded by Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, as the Central Bank Governor, which initially sent the banking sector into disarray, might very well be the best thing that has happened to the industry in Nigeria.

In 2004, Soludo, announced a comprehensive reform program for the banking sector part of which stipulates a minimum capitalization of N25 billion for every commercial bank compared with the N2 billion previously fixed with full compliance by the end of December 2005. The reform led to a series of mergers and takeovers with the result that the number of banks operating in Nigeria shrunk from 89 to 24.

Proponents of the financial sector consolidation argued that institutions need size to spread growing Information Technology (IT) and process costs over larger revenue bases. Another key factor is the need for greater capital base to fund larger projects in Nigeria that would enhance the economy.

These proponents have been proved right as the Nigerian economy and not just the industry appears the better off from this exercise. Aside the creation of well paying employment for graduates due to the roll out of new branches in order to further reach the un-banked, banks have of late been funding high capital projects that they were incapable of before now. One of such examples would be the $2billion loan syndication spear-headed by Stanbic IBTC Bank for MTN Nigeria late last year.

Another example was the financing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA2) where Zenith Bank Plc led 6 banks whose financial input led to the completion of the project.

Other benefits of the consolidation include the expansion of quality ownership which improves Corporate Governance in the Nigerian banking sector and also the increased value to shareholders. Also the consolidation exercise has resulted in the merging of banks, paving the way for the emergence of larger banks which have used the combined operation synergies to generate higher net income.

The growth of the banking industry has also produced a competitive grasp for market share and industry leadership amongst big banking brands with each bank trying to out do the other with choice products such as car loans and mortgage facilities as well as attempts of world class service delivery. Just a few years ago, the use of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) was a marvel to Nigerians, now, it is the norm and banks send automatic notices via Short Messaging Service (SMS) on account transactions. With mobile banking solutions such as the ones eTranzact provides, customers could conduct financial transactions from the comfort of their homes or offices, all with the use of their mobile phone or/and the internet. Surely in the past few years, there has been an evolution of banking services available to customers all made available through technology.

Some banks have gone as far as firming up their customer care services through the deployment of Internet telephony. Now instead of customers trying to memorise different branch office phone numbers, the bank recording time and resources being wasted as calls are forwarded from desk to desk, the bank now has an automated call system that routes calls to appropriate quarters or just supplies the caller with information on services without having to speak to any of the well trained customer care executive equipped with all information details.

Also via core banking solutions such as Flexcube and Finacle using the internet, banks could attend to customers whose accounts are not domiciled in that branch as it can be called from the data bank at the head office, where all information is stored. All these branches are connected virtually through a wide area network WAN, that enables information sharing as though all these branches were in the same office via the internet. Banks’ use WANs because it enables bank staff in one area to communicate with other bank staff and their information in other areas, hence they could share information easily and this is what powers the ease with which a customer could access bank details from any branch nationwide. This is a marked improvement from the era of the tally numbers and branch specific services of only just a few years ago. Surely technology has made banking easier.

There are however some hitches in the service delivery offered by these mega banks. Many customers have often experienced down time at a nearby branch in which the bank is unable to process information and resultantly unable to attend to customers since “the server is down”. At other times, it is just plain slow and the queues begin to grow as even the ATM machines might not be working at the time. This, many a time, is caused by overload on the bank’s broadband infrastructure. Where there is immense pressure on the available bandwidth, this slows down the response time of the core banking solutions and hence the ability of the bank to respond promptly. An option for the bank, however, is to increase bandwidth. The increase in bandwidth will accommodate the new branches and ensure that the response time is not affected despite increased staff users and surging customer numbers. However, this option does not solve the problem permanently as applications have ever increasing demands requiring more bandwidth resources. Importantly the use of the resources are sub-optimal.

A more cost effective solution might be to get a Wide Area Network optimization solution that would enable the bank optimize the wide area network they presently enjoy and their broadband capacity.

In September last year, Francis Hook of the International Data Corporation, MEA unit, at eNNOVATE Expo, an annual technology expo in Lagos-Nigeria, delivered a paper on broadband penetration with information from a nationwide research by IDC.

The research showed that broadband penetration is about 0.01 per cent in Nigeria. Mavis Ampah, a World Bank representative speaking at the Nigerian eGovernment Interoperability Framework workshop, last July in Abuja, noted that the cost of broadband in Nigerian is among the highest in the world.

Since all banking operations run on broadband and with more branches springing up across the country, banks have to contend with the high cost of broadband acquisition in order to run their IT driven services such as the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which drives improved customer service delivery, the ATM network system, and even the core banking operations as retrieving bank details of customers over the WAN. Notably, optimized use of broadband or bandwidth will not only enhance present activities, it will leverage the banks upgrade to the use of broadband intensive technology such as video conferencing (VC) from state to state instead of incurring travel expenses. Technologies such as VC help to introduce the concept of virtual sales experts helping to drive service excellence leading to customer loyalty at a lower cost.

Though one of the resultant benefits of the consolidation exercise was the increase in the size of the banks and perhaps the availability of more resources for improved service delivery, there is also the need for these banks to optimize their spend on investment in order to maximize return on investment to investors. With the high cost of broadband, making the most use of available broadband may be a more resourceful investment than increasing broadband spend.

Taking a cue from the American television network, NBC, banks could adopt Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) to optimize bandwidth and reduce the cost of acquiring broadband.

During the just concluded Beijing Olympics, Cisco Wide Area Application Services enabled WAN optimization and acceleration between Beijing, New York and Los Angeles.
By optimizing 35 Mega Bytes Per Second (Mbps) links into 140Mbps links, Cisco WAAS allowed editors and shot selectors to access gigabyte-sized files over the WAN with the same performance as if they were stored locally. This reduced for them the operating costs of housing, air travel, transportation and food for 400 video shot selectors and editors that would have otherwise been flown to Beijing.

Cisco WAAS is a comprehensive WAN optimization solution that accelerates applications over the WAN, delivers video to the branch office and provides local hosting of branch–office IT services. Cisco WAAS allows IT departments to centralize applications and storage in the data center while maintaining Local Area Network (LAN)-like application performance and provide locally hosted IT services while reducing the overall branch-office device footprint.

WAAS improves productivity of branch employees, minimizes branch costs, responds rapidly to changing business needs, scales perfectly with core banking software such as Finacle, FlexCube and even business solutions software such as SAP, Oracle, to name a few. More specifically, WAAS has caching facilities which checks for the delta at all times, so the danger of caching (where the bank is liable to having outdated information in the event of a downtime) is aptly eliminated.

What this translates to for the banks is more value for every amount spent on broadband, and for the customers, lesser likelihood of downtime and the delays and inconveniences associated with it and importantly the ability to freeze operation expenditure on broadband while getting more out of the network due to the deployment of the Cisco WAAS.

The high cost of broadband and even deployment of new branches could be cut down substantially by this new cutting edge technology that would optimize available bandwidth. This creates room for the banks to deploy other WAN enabled applications like video conferencing over the same broadband capacity as WAAS enables wide-scale delivery of live video by eliminating bandwidth upgrades and complex configuration, reducing broadband spend in the long-run and enabling faster roll out of new branches as IT cost of branch offices are reduced considerably.

Technology has transformed the way the banking industry delivers its services. The ease and quality of service delivery has been transformed in the past few years and though the advanced countries are still ahead in their banking processes, the Nigerian banking industry can very well be seen to be leveraging technology to improve service, maximize profit and by extension grow the economy.

The growth in the short while is a clear indication that in no distant future, Nigerian banks will continue to finance massive developmental projects and in the process, contribute to enhancing the economic growth and development.


•Toju Grage, wrote in from XLR8, a communications consultancy in Lagos.



ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D