Impact of ICT on climate change

The impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on climate change cannot be over-emphasized, reports REMMY NWEKE.

Unknown to many dwellers in the Least Developing Countries (LDCs) of the world, including Nigeria, the most populous nation with the largest concentration of blacks on earth, technologies have been rated as one of the key agents for the escalation or otherwise of climate change.

And as a matter of fact, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) could even save about N103.4 trillion, according to a recent report jointly published by independent non-profit entities, The Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI).

This is in spite of the clamour for adaptation of technologies to bridge the ever growing digital divide around the globe.

It was not surprising, therefore, that Nigeria is concerned over the evolution, hence the recent signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for increased awareness and sensitization on climate change and related issues between the Federal Government (FG) and the British Government, which was endorsed by the Minister of Environment, Mr. John Odey, and the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Bob Dewar, for their respective states.

This MoU came as Nigeria joined the rest of the world recently in celebrating the World Environment Day (WED), which has the theme, “Your planet Needs You. Unite to Combat Climate Change.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Odey noted that problems connected with climate change could be mitigated through collaborative efforts among stakeholders both locally and within the international communities.

The MoU, he said, would establish a framework for the implementation of projects in key areas, such as research into climate change attitudes, impacts and adaptation strategies.

He also said the agreement would help in the areas of emission reduction, technology cooperation, renewable and efficiency energy, in addition to capacity building and public awareness.

The MoU, Odey pointed out, would bring Nigeria and British industries, research and other non-governmental bodies closer; to discuss strategies for increasing and engaging in related climate change answers.

He promised that the FG and British Council will do all it takes to provide resources to support the agreed work plan, and seek appropriate external funding or sponsorship for specific activities.

Reiterating that effective responses to climate change remains an important objective of the Nigerian government and would continue to engage Britain for a closer and positive development, that could reflect government’s active programme of bilateral climate action.

For Mr. Dewar, climate change issue has assumed confronting position to the international community, hence it is a matter for everyone and all countries.

“It is a global issue, requiring a bold and collective solution in reaching an agreement in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December, requires that we work together for a common solution that will be important, not just for us, but for our children. We have only one planet,” he asserted.

Dewar stressed that Nigeria was strategic because of its population and leadership role in Africa, noting that the country would play a significant role in ensuring that Africa as a whole has one and balanced voice in Copenhagen.
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He noted that the British Government was keen in collaborating with Nigeria in awareness creation, sensitization and technology transfer, in its effort to assist in mitigating the impacts of climate change.

To achieve the objectives, he said the British Council would also need to collaborate with NGOs and the Civil Society Groups in Nigeria, to combat desertification, erosion, flood and deforestation across the federation.

This commitment, especially as Nigeria grows its ICT market comes to play, more so with the recent report by GeSI, entitled “Smart 2020: Enabling the Low Carbon Economy in the Information Age,” indicated that through enabling other sectors to reduce their emissions, the ICT industry could decrease global emissions by as much as 15 per cent by 2020 – a volume of CO2 five times its own footprint in 2020.

CO2 is the chemical formula for Carbon dioxide, which is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom. Also, carbon dioxide is the number-one reason for man-made climate change. Known as a colourless gas consisting of one carbon and two oxygen atoms; carbon dioxide existing in gas state above -78.5°C and in solid state (dry ice) below -78.5°C among other variables that could change from solid to gas by sublimation.

According to GeSI, transformation in the way people and businesses use technology could reduce annual man-made global emissions by 15 per cent by 2020 and deliver energy efficiency savings to global businesses of over EUR 500 billion (N103.4 trillion).

The report, which was the world’s first comprehensive global study of ICT sector’s growing significance for the world’s climate, was conducted independently by international management consultants, McKinsey & Company, showed that while ICT’s own sector footprint was two per cent, global emissions will almost double by 2020.

“This is countered by the sector’s unique ability to monitor and maximize energy efficiency both within and outside of its own sector could cut CO2 emissions by up to five times this amount. This represents a saving of 7.8 Giga-tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) by 2020 – greater than the current annual emissions of either the United States (US) or China,” part of the report read.

Even though, the report added that tele-working, video-conferencing, e-paper, and e-commerce are increasingly commonplace, replacing such physical products and services with their virtual equivalents; de-materialization and substitution, is only one part of six per cent of the estimated low carbon benefits the ICT sector could deliver.

Equally, the report showed that far greater opportunities for emissions savings exist in applying ICT to global infrastructure and industry as well as examined four major opportunities where ICT can make further transformational cuts in global emissions. These exist globally within smart building design and use, smart logistics, smart electricity grids, and smart industrial motor systems.

As explained by the chief executive officer, The Climate Group, Mr. Steve Howard, “PCs, mobile phones, and the web have transformed the way we all live and do business. Global warming and soaring energy prices mean that rethinking how every home and business use technology to cut unnecessary costs and carbon is critical to our environment and economy. Supported by innovative government policy, ICT can unlock the clean green industrial revolution we need to tackle climate change and usher in a new era of low carbon prosperity.”

And for the chair, GeSI, Mr. Luis Neves, the ICT industry is a key driver of low carbon growth and could lead transformation towards a low carbon economy and society.

“The ICT sector must act quickly to demonstrate what is possible, require clear messages from policy makers about targets and continue to radically innovate to reduce emissions,” he said.

While the United Nation’s Under-Secretary General and Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Mr. Achim Steiner, pointed out that the rigorous assessment underlines the world can realize a green economy and make the transition to a low carbon economy.


“It also underlines the crucial importance of the international community reaching a deal on a new climate agreement at the climate convention meeting in Copenhagen in 2009 … Gives us yet another platform for action and yet another compelling reason for reasoned optimism,” Steiner said.

As we look forward towards the growth of ICT to about 4 billion by 2020 with Nigeria already scoring over 70 million mobile communication subscribers within eight years of telecom boom, it is crucial to continue to recognize that the tools have become imperative for the new ‘socially networked’ generation globally, thus, there is a need to see how collectively the global ICT emissions of about 22 per cent could persistently decrease; through the use or adaptation of trends like virtualization of data centres, long-life devices, smart chargers, Next Generation Networks (NGN), and growth of renewable energy consumption by encouraging the usage of solar powered base stations in delivering future sustainable sector growth.

Equally, ICT could help, rather than hamper the fight against climate changes, through ensuring that the ICT sector manage its own rising effect and maintain reduction in emissions from data centres, telecommunications networks, and the manufacture, as well as the use of related inventions, particularly via strictly adhering to type-approvals by the industry regulars like the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) alongside industry interest groups, including the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) among others.

Most of all, the steps taken so far by the government via the recent MoU with Britain is encouraging and should be sustained to aid Nigeria’s aim of reducing its carbon dioxide drastically, while keeping a positive tap on the nation’s Vision 20-2020.


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‘Selling Zain will spell doom’

The allegations that French conglomerate, Vivendi, may buy over the African operations of Zain Group, could spell doom for the company, industry experts predicted at the weekend.

ITRealms Online recalls that reports from Zain Group’s home country, Kuwait, last weekend, indicated that the group has decided to offer its African operations for sale with anticipation that it could climax to about $12 billion, (about N1.7 trillion).

It was also gathered that Zain Group, is reviewing a large number of bids across four continents, comprising Africa, America, Europe and Asia Pacific; Chinese and Indian telcos, to acquire Celtel Africa which was rebranded about 11 months ago to Zain, traversing the African operations.

Even as Zain Group is gearing up for the due diligence on the bids based on the avalanche of offers at its disposal and to give room for proper examination of the offers, thus it is predicted to move upward the anticipated date of conclusion, which was earlier slated for a week to a month.

However, those who hold the position that the proposed plans to dispose Zain Africa may spell doom for the investors, according to ITRealms Online investigations, was predicated on the premise that the number of rebranding that has characterized the telecom company, especially in the Nigeria’s telecommunications industry, which incidentally is touted as the ‘bride’ for the latest bidding, has become worrisome.

Equally, experts who spoke to ITRealms Online noted that the latest offer for sale is coming too soon for Zain Africa, mostly for the Nigeria’s market, arguing that by the frequency in re-acquisition and rebranding, that it would have its own impact on the customer service delivery of the telco, in terms of putting fund into the business, more so, for the investing public.

“The unreliability of investment and even for elementary enhancement of subscribers’ relationship to the brand, leaves out tale of confusions on its shadow with the frequency,” one of our respondents said.

In the past eight years, what is now Zain Nigeria, has transformed from Econet to brief instinct as Vodafone to Vmobile, then Celtel before its latest form.

It is also being highly speculated that Globacom if it can muscle the required fund, then its dream of connecting Africa would have become a leapfrog desire and so, also, is MTN Group, which recently advanced strategies for a merger with India’s Bharti Airtel in the bid to create an estimated $61 billion (about N9 trillion) telecoms giant with tentacles across Africa, Asia and Middle East.

If Vivendi plans scale through, it would be the first French telecom operating company to play in the Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, just as stakeholders are wondering the name Zain may take this time around.

Responding to our inquiries, Head, Corporate Communications, Zain Nigeria, Mr. Emeka Oparah, said, “I‘m afraid I would not be able to comment on the subject.”

Meanwhile, Zain Africa has operations in 16 countries and had in May 2005 invested US$3.36 billion, which underscored Zain’s ambition to become an international telecommunications services provider.

This figure has grown to about $12 billion, which is what Vivendi is prospected to pay for the takeover.

Precisely, on August 1, 2008 Zain Nigeria joined all Celtel operations to rebrand into Zain, even as the move coincided with the linking of the world’s first borderless mobile service ‘One Network’ across two continents on the platform.

Zain also prides itself as a leading mobile operator in sub-Saharan Africa, with over 40 million customers as at March 31, 2009 , while it has presence in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, even as Zain’s operation in Sudan is regarded as part of the Middle East operation.

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TD depends on channel partners – Chimere

General Manager, Marketing at Technology Distributions (TD) Limited, Mrs. Chioma Chimere, has said that the firm depends majorly on its channel partners’ support for all its success.

She also described the company’s channel partners as the corner stone of its ever growing accomplishment in the West African market.

Speaking at the Information Technology (IT) Summit in Ibadan, recently Mrs. Chimere explained why Technology Distributions partners with the likes of Amazing Grace, an Ibadan based reseller.

She said at the summit organized by Amazing Grace Computers as a means of sensitizing the people and governments of Oyo State in view of the need to take the good tidings of the information age beyond the urban cities like Abuja and Lagos, she gave kudos to the organizers for the initiative.

In his keynote entitled “Making the Nigerian Bill Gates” to the occasion attended by school proprietors, principals, policy makers in education, students and the general public, the Permanent Secretary, Osun State Bureau of Computer Services and
Information Technology, Mr. Abiodun O. Ladipo, noted that the digital revolution is here to stay.

He pointed out that computer has become central to everyday living most especially in education, and assists the teacher in the development of the child.

“They are to be used as amplifiers of knowledge that enhances and expands the pupil’s range of information; as parameters of individual capabilities,” he said.

Equally commenting, the Managing Director, Amazing Grace Computers, Pastor Tunji Agboola, said that the time has come for Oyo State to step up and lead other States in the information technology sector, mostly in the region.

He observed that Ibadan is a leading African city in academics judging from the number and age of schools and research institutes in the vicinity.

Just as he stressed that this status makes it mandatory for Ibadan to be a front runner in the information age or else be overtaken by less endowed cities.

Agboola noted that the summit was a clarion call for IT action for all stakeholders in Oyo State and invited the government of Oyo State, educationists, the organized private sector, the media and the general public to take advantage of the Computer for All Project (CAP) to computerize their offices, schools, and homes.

He outlined the benefits of CAP as including its flexibility payment plan of up to three months without a bank guarantee; affordable and durable systems; and value added after sales support.

Further, he made it clear that with CAP, computer users would have the opportunity to bundle their purchases, citing for instance, that a customer could buy all his IT needs – laptops, printers, projector, and smart board – bundled for affordability and convenience.

“CAP offers total IT solutions,” he said.

ITRealms Online recalls that Technology Distributions Limited was set up in 1999 as the pioneer bulk mover of ICT products, which has since emerged the most decorated ICT firm in the country.

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Group asks U.S. to hands off Internet Governance

Group of academicians under the aegis of the Internet Governance Project (IGP) group has demanded an end to the United States’ Department of Commerce (DoC) deal with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), otherwise known as the Joint Project Agreement (JPA).

The group in its comments to the so-called Joint Project Agreement with ICANN recently called on US to take a decisive step in bringing that agreement to a close for the sake of the future of the Internet and ICANN, which presently coordinates its activities globally.

They also called for the engagement of other governments to create stronger and more internationalized legal arrangements that will keep the organization accountable to Internet users.

“It’s time to fish or cut bait on the ‘transition’ of the Internet’s naming and addressing system,” said Dr. Milton Mueller, professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies and chair of IGP’s Scientific Committee.

According to him, after 11 years, either ICANN is ready to be independent or it is not.

“If it still has problems, and it does, let’s take decisive action to fix them,” he declared.

While noting ICANN’s shortcomings, the IGP comment focused its criticism on the Department of Commerce’s Joint Project Agreement with ICANN.

The JPA is a temporary form of supervision that allows the Commerce Department to negotiate goals and priorities for ICANN on a short time frame.

As said by him, the “JPA process is inherently broken,” hence contributing to ICANN’s failings….

“It does nothing but invite the stakeholders in one privileged country to complain to their own government about policy outcomes they don’t like,” IGP said.

Instead of continuing an endless series of renewals and revisions of the JPA, the group argued that the “U.S. government needs to let the JPA expire and immediately initiate an international agreement that completes the transition of ICANN to a stable, accountable form of global governance.”

The group further outlined what the latest agreement should look like to include, the affirmation and formalize the nongovernmental status of ICANN; formally recognize the sovereignty of other national governments over their top level domains; prohibit ICANN from interfering with freedom of expression; ensure the consistency of ICANN’s regulations with antitrust law and nondiscriminatory trade principles; select an appropriate body of national corporate law under which ICANN should operate and dissolve ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee.

“The United States can gain buy-in from other governments for its own model of Internet governance and ensure that the transition does not harm any of its own legitimate interests. But to succeed in completing the transition and to avoid fragmenting the Internet, the U.S. will have to win the acceptance of a critical mass of other countries and peoples,” the group canvassed.

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Oke advises SMEs on ICT

The Managing Director of Ibadan-based Heterogenius System Limited, Mr. Adewumi Oke, has advised Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs (SMEs) in the country to make use of various Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools to advance their businesses, reports DELE OGUNYEMI.

He gave the advice in Ibadan at a roundtable discussion involving business owners and Information Technology (IT) experts on ways to combat the current global financial meltdown.

Mr. Oke said that at these days of global village, most businesses rely on IT to survive such that they could make projections on where they would stand at a specific period of time.

“Information technology tools if well deployed can help small and medium scale businesses to reduce cost of running their day to day activities. It is a known fact the world over that the cost of acquiring ICT skills is paramount to the big companies; they are not taking IT lightly and they are using IT tools by leveraging on it to balance out things,” he declared.

The IT expert also said that in Nigeria, there exist good and relatively cheap professional IT experts that could help small and medium scale enterprises to evolve tailor made special IT packages specifically designed for their businesses” he said.

On ICT tools available to business owners, Mr. Oke said that these tools are known to people by name, but the lack of specific knowledge of these tools and how they could be deployed and applied to help various businesses are the problem.

“Website is a must have for those who have small and medium scale businesses and the benefits derivable from having a functional website transcend imagination because it takes business beyond its border of brick and mortar operations,” he said.

In addition, Oke said that electronic mails (e-mail) is another effective communication tools, while software should be developed to aid business operations and management, such as in accounting packages to manage finance properly, as well as expenses and revenue.

Oke, further charged SMEs, owners to consult thoroughbred IT certified professionals before they spend their money on IT products, noting that every business has its specific need just like some could be made with the general day to day IT tools.

“Most business owners make the mistake of buying or purchasing software off the shelf because it has been used by some other business or similar business, but it should not be like that. A thorough operational need of each business has to be carried out and then the specific needs and areas of interest should be identified and appropriate software acquired, developed or recommended,” he advised.

In addition, he said, SME business owners should learn from the banks, who are all doing banking business “but the software they are using are different from one bank to another, because their operations, target, managements, customers needs are  not always the same.”

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Know your Skype end user licence (12)

New Versions of the Skype Software: Skype, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to add additional features or functions, or to provide programming fixes, updates and upgrades, to the Skype Software.

Skype has no obligation to make available to You any subsequent versions of the Skype Software. You may have to enter into a renewed version of this Agreement, in the event you want to download, install or use a new version of the Skype Software.

3.5 Suspension: Skype may, in its sole discretion and to the maximum extent permitted within Your jurisdiction, modify or discontinue or suspend Your ability to use any version of the Skype Software, and/or disable any Skype Software You may already have accessed or installed without any notice to You, for the repair, improvement, and/or upgrade of the underlying technology or for any other justifiable reason, including but not limited to, circumstances where You, at
Skype’s discretion, are in breach of the Terms, creating problems, possible legal liabilities, or engaging in fraudulent, immoral or illegal activities, or for other similar reasons.

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Ndukwe bags Pillar of Telecom in African award

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Chukwuka Anene Ndukwe, has once again bagged another award, this time, the Pillar of Telecom in Africa prize.

The award which was bestowed on him at a special ceremony to climax the first edition of the West African Information Communications Technology (WAFICT) Congress 2009, which ended in Lagos recently, heralded the formal institution of the African Hall of Fame by IT & Telecom Digest.

The award ceremony, sponsored by 21st Century Technologies, Nigeria’s premier provider of multi-faceted telecom services, was an exclusive gathering of dignitaries from the Nigerian and international telecom sectors.

Encomiums were showered on EVC Ndukwe, for his astral performance in navigating Nigeria’s telecom sector to global reckoning; as subscriber base is currently estimated at 70 million, while foreign direct investment from 2001 till date has surpassed $12 billion.
Chief Executive Officer, Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation (CTO), Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, who graced the WAFICT sent in a special message for the award ceremony.
Spio-Garbrah in a text message read at the occasion, said, “Any award to Engr. Ernest Ndukwe by the Nigerian and African ICT community is most richly deserved.”

Also commenting, a Director of the Lagos Business School, Prof. Pat Utomi, describing Ndukwe as a friend, declaring that he was not surprised that he was being honoured for his exemplary work in turning around the nation’s telecoms sector.

“For me, it’s pure joy to watch what you have done at the NCC,” he noted, recalling a magazine feature on emerging CEO’s in the country, which included himself, asserting that Ndukwe had turned out to be the individual who had impacted the society the most of the lot.

Corporate Services Executive, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Wale Goodluck, said “With everybody talking about the success of the telecommunications industry and as somebody who has been here in the industry I can testify without any equivocation, that the biggest factor of the growth of this industry has been the regulatory certainty we have enjoyed in the industry.”

Disagreeing with the opinion that telecom operators were being favoured by the NCC, Goodluck revealed that there have been several occasions in which the MTN and regulators have disagreed and the regulator has even in the past penalized telecom operators.

“Looking at where we are going we have enjoyed a fantastic regulatory regime. It’s only in Nigeria when the analysts all over the world are talking about telecoms industry we don’t hear them using words like immature regulator, or nascent regulator and all the other things they use to write Africa down. When it comes to Nigeria the stability of the regulatory environment, the transparency of the regulatory environment has translated into our ability to source and attract funding as the best way for telecoms investment in Nigeria,” he said.

Emphasizing that from an operator’s point of view, “I would say that what we have witnessed in the last nine years, if we are able to translate it into other sectors of the economy, believe me, Nigeria would be completely out of the doldrums. The sky is the limit,” he declared.

Chief executive, 21st Century Technologies, Mr. Wale Ajisebutu, said, “I admire and identify with Ndukwe, because this is one hero that we must sing; and we must not be tired of showering praises upon him. If we do not applaud our heroes, no one will do this for us; and it will discourage others from performing heroic acts.”

Reacting to some of the comments, Ndukwe expressed surprise at the award as he had no inclination of his investiture into the African Telecom Hall of Fame and dedicated the award to the board and members of staff of the NCC.

He described the Commission as a government agency with a difference.

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Etisalat opens multi-purpose centre @ Kano

•Offers 27 scholarships

Etisalat Nigeria, has opened a multi-purpose call centre, also known as Experience Centre in the ancient city of Kano, just as it awarded scholarships to 27 students of Bayero University Kano (BUK), Kaduna State University, Kaduna and Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.

The telecom operator also said that this was in its continued drive to provide total customer care experience and bring services closer to the people of Kano State.

The Experience Centre, the telco said, incorporates an ultramodern state-of-the-art call centre, saw to the formal unveiling of its two key products easy starter and easy cliq and its ongoing 9jillions promotion to the people of Kano.

Chief executive officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Steven Evans said that the new centre is in line with the promise by telco to cover 50 per cent of the population by December 2009, while assuring full network coverage was now available in most places in the northern part of the country while attesting to his personal experience of testing the network in the road trip through Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, Kano and Katsina when he paid courtesy visits to the Emirs of Kano and Zaria and the Executive Governors of Katsina and Kaduna States.

At the official flag off event of the network which was graced by dignitaries the Deputy Governor of Kano State who represented the Governor, the Turakin Kano, Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero who represented the Emir of Kano, the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, members of the Governor’s cabinet as well as prominent other citizens of Kano State, Etisalat CEO extolled the virtues of the people of Kano State and thanked them for the warm reception accorded the company since it began commercial operations in Kano in October 2008.

“Kano is a warm and welcoming city where we have found a good home for our business since we began operations here in October last year. We are delighted at the opportunity to officially flag off our operations from Kano and at the same time commission our ultramodern multipurpose Call Centre and Experience Centre here in Kano. We look forward to continuing to do business here in the city of Kano for a very long time to come”, he said.

27 students of Bayero Universisty Kano, Kaduna State University, Kaduna and Ahmadu Bello University Zaria received scholarships from Etisalat Nigeria in the fields of Electrical Electronics Engineering, Computer Science and Management Sciences.

According to Etisalat Nigeria Chairman, Mr. Hakeem Belo-Osagie, the scholarships were part of Etisalat’s corporate social responsibility programme and were being offered to the best students in the various disciplines identified by the company.

Mr. Belo-Osagie also said that the new multipurpose centre will offer the people of Kano and its environs an easy access to a complement of Etisalat services.

“The Centre will offer our customers a personal experience of the high quality of service Etisalat strives to maintain in all its operations. Not only do we want to be known for the top notch quality of service of our network, we are also keen to demonstrate to our millions of subscribers and potential subscribers alike that we are a very customer focused organization and have them at the heart of our business.
We have well trained and courteous customer care specialists who will provide information to customers on how best to maximize the benefit of being part of Etisalat’s global subscriber base of almost 80 million treasured subscribers”, Bello-Osagie asserted.

Emir of Kano, represented by Alhaji Mahmoud Ado Bayero, later declare the centre open.

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Glo raises alarm over cable cut by LCC

Globacom Limited, has raised alarm over the cutting of its Fibre Optic cables along the Lekki-Epe Expressway in Lagos by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC), thus causing service disruption on the Glo network.

According to officials of Globacom, this cut in cable has affected the quality of services to Glo subscribers.

The telco explained that the cut resulted in substantial damages to its Optic Fibre Cable from Saka Tinubu in Victoria Island to Ijebu Ode in Ogun State.

Affirming this, Head, Glo Fixed, Mr. Ashok Nehra, said, in the past few weeks, the optic fibre cable connecting the Lagos-Ijebu Ode route has been cut along the Lekki-Epe axis no less than five times.

This, he said, has consequences in service disruptions to Glo subscribers particularly from Lagos towards the eastern part of the country including Ijebu Ode, Benin, Warri, Port Harcourt, Ontisha, Awka, Aba, Owerri and Enugu.

Mr. Nehra explained that some of the Automated Teller Machines (ATM), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) and banking services linked to the network through leased lines and bandwidth to banks, oil companies , Private Telephone Operators (PTOs) and other valuable customers have witnessed intermittent disorder since the fibre cable was down.

“Data services are affected the most and our subscribers experience congestion and call drops during the time services are down as a result of these cuts,” he said.

“The most recent damage to the cable was Thursday. The failure of the fibre transmission network was traced to a cut at the 9.2 kilometre from Saka Switch stretch along Lekki-Epe Expressway,” he said, stressing that these disruptions made it impossible to offer seamless telecom services to customers.

“We have complained several times to LCC but the damage keeps recurring,” Nehra said.
“We had even upon the directive of LCC shifted the cable to where they said was a safe passage, yet their contractors still cut our cables frequently. Apart from the inconvenience to our subscribers,” he said.

Insisting that the disruptions have led to huge losses in terms of drop in revenue and the damaged cables are also repaired at heavy cost to the network, just as Globacom has initiated moves to bring the issue to the notice of telecom industry regulator, the Nigerian CommunicationsCommission (NCC), adding that the network will continue to strive tooffer world class services to its customers, despite all odds.

Globacom’s optic fibre cable offers high speed transmission of point-to-point voice, high speed data, fax and video and provides large bandwidth for offices and corporate organizations. It also makes available to other telecom companies, internet service providers, individual businesses, manufacturers, oil companies, banks and financial institutions, governments and other corporate organizations a much better alternative for their bulk voice and data transmission requirements.

The Glo fibre cable network has already covered the entire Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan route, Lagos-Ijebu Ode-Ore-Benin-Sapele-Warri-Kaima (Yenegoa junction)-Port Harcourt route, Port Harcourt-Aba-Owerri-Enugu, Onitsha-Awka, Owerri-Onitsha route and the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano and Abuja-Minna routes.

Other routes that will soon be covered in the first phase of the project spanning 10,000 km include Enugu-Oturkpo-Makurdi, Markudi-Lafia-Abuja and Ibadan-Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Bida-Minna-Abuja routes.

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Multi-Links co-locates on 400 HTN sites

The nation’s foremost infrastructure sharing and managed services provider, Helios Towers Nigeria and the pioneer Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operator, have grown the number of co-located sites to 400.

This, Helios said, is a milestone achieved by Multi-links last week.

A press statement from Head, Corporate Communications at Helios Towers, Mr. Myke Ofili, noted that Multi-Links Telkom has been at the forefront of telecoms revolution in the country since 1996.

ITRealms Online recalls that Multi-Links was awarded a Unified License in 2006 for provision of full range of telecommunications services over a broad range of technologies, which enables it to offer an exciting bouquet of superior telecom services that encompasses the very best of voice, high speed data, internet and other innovative value added services to both individual and corporate subscribers.

According to Ofili, Multi-Link Telkom had embarked on massive expansion of mobile telephone services to previously underserved areas which created a more favorable environment for businesses to operate, thereby creating jobs and contributing to poverty reduction using Helios Towers’ fully managed independent sites nationwide in a co-location arrangement.

The company had at the end of May, 2009 activated 400 towers sites on Helios Towers Network (HTN), restating the believe of the firm in infrastructure sharing as the best option for speedy network roll-out, speed to market, reduced opex and zero CAPEX.
“It has remained one of the most stable telecom operators in Nigeria with aggressive roll-out plan,” he declared.

On the other hand, he said that Helios Towers currently has over 1000 four-operator sites nationwide across the six-geographic zones of the country, with a strong presence in key markets including Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Warri, Kaduna, Onitsha and Ibadan.

The company is in the process of expanding its fully managed co-location sites while maintaining their current 99.9 per cent uptime, thus helping operators to achieve high service quality and helping operators in reducing operating and capital expenses of network roll–out and operation.

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Why we endorsed 750,000 laptops project – HP

Celebrated top selling Personal Computer (PC) brand, Hewlett Packard (HP), has explained its endorsement of the 750,000 laptops project promo, initiated by the Computerize Nigeria Project (CNP).

District Manager, Personal Systems Group (PSG), New Africa at HP, Mrs. Chioma Iwuchukwu-Nweke, affirmed that the company was on board for the promo from the beginning.

HP, she stated in a public statement made available to ITRealms Online shared the vision of providing high quality systems at affordable prices to Nigerians.

Mrs. Iwuchukwu-Nweke said that HP was willing at all times to partner with other stakeholders to increase the level of IT penetration in Nigeria because that was the only way of ensuring that Nigerians can quickly enjoy the benefits of the information age.
 
She said that the campaign which commenced three weeks ago, is meant to break new grounds in cooperation as HP, ACER, Toshiba and Zinox pulled resources together, on a common platform with the active participation of Microsoft, to make the latest Information Technology (IT) products available to Nigerians at affordable prices.

“The 750,000 laptops project for Nigerians seeks to enhance productivity in Nigeria by empowering the workforce. Targeted in the promo are civil servants (Federal, State and Local Governments), staff of organized private sector, staff of military and para-military organizations, students and staff of educational institutions and cooperatives,” she noted.

The promo, she also said, has excited the market in more than one way, given that it resolved the dilemma of how to offer all the credible international brands on a single promo devoid of the heated environment of competition.

Additionally, she pointed out that the result is that there is an array of state of the art laptops and desktops on offer from the best Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in the world, thus, “restoring the consumers’ supreme right to choose.”

Further, she said, the OEMs – ACER, HP, Toshiba, and Zinox have all made sacrifices to ensure that the products get to the consumer at exceedingly affordable prices.
“Prices that you cannot get anywhere else,” she said, even as the 750,000 Laptops Project has eliminated the various bottlenecks arising from the documentation process of Computer Ownership Schemes.

The chief executive officer CNP, Mrs. Vivian Abii, emphasized, there are no bank guarantees required to participate in the promo and consumers could just pay in cash or take advantage of the flexible payment terms with interest rates below prevailing bank rates.

She said that consumers equally could make purchases, no matter the quantity as in organizations that want to computerize their workforces, from any CNP or Zinox office nationwide.

While urging the governments, organizations and individuals to seize the opportunity of this promo to computerize their offices, workforce, homes, and school as computer ownership has never been easier before this initiative, stressing that it has always been the passion of the founding fathers of the Computerize Nigeria Project to make PC acquisition easier and affordable. 

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LCU, Cyberschuul deal to boost training

The recent partnership between Lead City University, Ibadan and The Cyberschuul, Lagos, would give a boost to telecommunications training in the country.

Chief executive officer, Telecom Answers Associates (TAA), the owners of The Cyberschuul, Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu, gave this insight at the weekend while announcing the deal.

He also said that the partnership will implement a synergy that facilitates upgrade of graduating students of computer and electronics with additional training in telecommunications business.

The pilot scheme, he said, will soon be completed as 21 out of the 30 hours training has been satisfactorily completed.

He recalled that TAA, founders of the Cyberschuul, had a few years back contested the argument by some extremist employers who made claims that Nigerian graduates are unemployable, pointing out that the content of training in universities were excellent but have merely not responded fast enough to making present graduates immediately relevant to the needs of rapidly evolving telecommunications industry.

“This lapse in Telecom Answers Associates’ view could be corrected by a slight modification in the content and style of training to include materials in telecommunications business,” he said.

Lead City University mid-2008 approached TAA on the matter and the resources of The Cyberschuul were put into supplying the missing stuff to graduating students of computer and electronics at the university.

He noted that 35 graduating students are benefiting from the pilot training programme, which exposed the trainees to stuff on traditional telecommunication subjects, such as wired and wireless systems, mobile communication standards and emerging technologies such as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), WiMAX and internet applications to name a few.

“They were also introduced to industry management tools such as number portability, co-location and sharing of telecommunications infrastructure as well as convergence issues,” he said.

Omo-Ettu further said, the programme does not include a Train-the-Trainers component as the concept is to use current industry practitioners to deliver the stuff to the students on a continuous basis.

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Eyo Asajon Group commends Globacom

The Second National Operator (SNO), Globacom Limited has been commended by the first star prize winners in the recently concluded fifth Eyo festival, the Eyo Asajon Group, saying that the prize of N1 million would assist its preparations in future competitions.

The group gave this commendation in Lagos, through their chairman, Prince Alamu Shonibare, while presenting the trophy won at a ceremony to the head of the family, Prince Kola Balogun, at the weekend.

According to Prince Shonibare, his group emerged top out of the 76 Eyo groups from various palaces that took part in the event, noting that the first version of the group was unveiled in 1996 during the Oba Shamusedeen Olufunmi’s era.

The Eyo Asajon group, expressed appreciation to Globacom for finding it worthy to encourage such a culture among Lagosians, which they noted has even began to attract tourists and foreign interests.

“We thank the Globacom group for supporting this year’s event in a big way,” he declared, stressing that his group is working hard to ensure it retains the cup and prize until it wins it for keeps.

“We’re particularly happy for Glo’s contribution in the whole process,” he asserted.

The Eyo Asajon group, he said, picked the first prize based on the considerations of the Eyo Planning Committee set up by the Lagos State government and the result was not influenced in anyway other than the laid down guidelines.

“So, we won the first prize of the Globacom’s cup during the festival for the best danced and attired Eyo Iga,” Shonibare said.

Already, he disclosed, the group has plans to re-invest the prize in development of Eyo activities among their families, so as to sustain the drive that distinguished Eyo Asajon Group during the festival.

“We’re going to appoint a committee to look inwards with a view of sustaining the winning stride,” he said, pointing out that over the years the festival has improved with the last edition climaxing the growth and progress.

Also speaking, the head of the family, Prince Kola Balogun, told ITRealms Online that he was excited to be alive to witness this kind of progress in the family and expressed appreciation to God for making all things possible and the Oba of Lagos.

“... And Glo for the sponsorship as well as all the members of the family for ensuring the success that led to this achievement. So, we give Allah (God) the glory,” he said.

Assuring that the prize money of N1 million will not be misused, but will be channeled into growing the Eyo festival.

Enlightening further, Prince Shonibare, said that there is no fetish involvement in the process, apart from the normal African, although before now the festival was usually in celebrating dead notables in the community, even as they would soon be presenting the cup to the Asajon elect Ebutu Iga of Owotu land in Ikorodu division, Chief Ahmed Olokodale Ojebiyi.

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Cancellation of 2.3GHz: Count us out – Galaxy

One of the 40 applicants in the controversial N4,104,000,000 billion sale of 2.3 Gega Hertz (GHz) spectrum, Galaxy Wireless Communications Limited, has refuted media reports that it originated petition that staled the process as claimed in some quarters.

ITRealms Online recalls that last month, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had announced the granting of three national frequency licenses in the 2.3 Gega Hertz (GHz) band after they successfully paid the fixed price of N1,368,000,000 for each of the four slots on offer in the auction that closed on May 8, 2009, which amounted to N4.1bn.

The successful companies include Mobitel Nigeria Limited, Spectranet Limited and Multi-Links Telkom Limited. While the supposed fourth beneficiary, Galaxy Wireless Ltd, reportedly could not pay the full fixed price for the slot at the end of business based on the deadline, “and therefore, did not meet the conditions for the offer of license,” according to NCC.

But reacting to some media reports that its petition steer up the controversy that surrounded the frequency, especially between the NCC and Ministry of Information and Communication, Galaxy Wireless said that they did not write to anybody including the presidency.

“Galaxy Wireless did not petition President Umaru Yar’Adua or any person either, directly or indirectly regarding the recent controversial licensing of national frequencies in the 2.3GHz band by NCC,” the media relations manager of Galaxy, Ms. Joy Idoko, insisted.

She also hinted that there was an editorial entitled “Controversy over telecom licenses” published on June 8, and noted that the company will not be making any further statements on this issue, as this matter has since been referred to the company lawyers.

Galaxy, she said, is a mature corporate entity comprising experienced professionals who are dedicated to the deployment of technological solutions to communication experiment on-going in the country.

As said by her, Galaxy Wireless wishes to state categorically and “in very strong terms that the editorial report was completely false as Galaxy Wireless did not petition President Yar’Adua or any person for that matter either directly or indirectly regarding the said telecom licenses.”

Galaxy Wireless Communications is licensed by NCC and is incorporated locally as an affiliate of Canada-based Galaxy Wireless Networks Inc. (GWN), a broadband wireless technology integrator.

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