PlayStation3 saga: Sony shivers as Akunyili roars

The last may not have been heard of the ‘malicious advertisement’ by Sony Corporation and hosted on the World Wide Web, especially at some of the social networking sites, depicting Nigeria as a nation of criminals and advanced fee fraud otherwise called 419.

This came as fear has gripped the management of Sony Corporation in African region and Nigeria particularly on the likelihood that the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) may met out sanctions to the mobile and electronic company.

According to the Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Mrs. Dora Akunyili, the attention of the government has been drawn to an advertisement by Sony Corporation on the internet, which from all intents and purposes was designed to expose Nigeria in bad light in an effort for Sony to market her products, especially the PlayStation3 (PS3).

ITRealms Online gathered that the advertisement showed a man talking about the new PS3 and how it could be bought over the Internet at a very cheap rate. The customer in his reaction impressed that it is impossible to get it at that price, hence “you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet otherwise I’d be a Nigerian millionaire by now.”

Based on the aforementioned, Akunyili had noted that the commercial in question circulated extensively on www.youtube.com and www.facebook.com among other international websites, created the notion that Nigerians hardly engage in any genuine business for a living, an insinuation which puts Nigeria in bad light, and is unacceptable to the people of this great nation.

As said by her, it is on this premise that the government and the good people of Nigeria rejected this unwarranted attack on the reputation and image of the country.

“The government sees this as an attempt by Sony Corporation to undermine Nigeria’s business interest around the world,” she said.

Akunyili recalled that Sony Corporation has operated in Nigeria since the country’s independence and has enjoyed tremendous patronage from Nigerians at home and abroad.

Insisting that over the years, there is no established record that the company has recorded any major incidence of scam or fraud by Nigerians that warrants its deliberate campaign against the country’s image.

She noted that while Nigeria acknowledges the fact that there are few criminal-minded people within her population, just like any other country in the world including Japan, the home country of Sony Corporation, the government has as a matter of policy put in place institutions and mechanisms to purge the country of any form of fraudulent practices.

“Nigeria, therefore, does not see the basis to single out the country as an example in that infamous advertisement,” she decried, although it was on this ground that Nigeria requested Sony Corporation to immediately withdraw that advertisement from circulation, which has since been carried out.

In addition, Nigeria demanded an unconditional apology from Sony Corporation for this deliberate negative campaign against the country’s image and reputation, which according to her, must be given the same measure of publicity by Sony Corporation in all channels where the unfortunate adverts were aired.

Assuring all genuine investors globally that Nigeria remains a major investment destination, Akunyili maintained that Nigeria is a country where most businesses thrive in trust, good faith, competition, competence and integrity.

However, one unique point here by Akunyili was that a few criminal-minded individuals should not be used to generalize on the entire populace.

Equally of note here is that the tackling of this kind of campaign against the country heralds the first in the history of Nigeria that a serving minister found reason to address head-on such a campaign, at least to set the records straight.

Like Akunyili, every other good Nigerian should be concerned and so was Mustapha Abubakar Sidi, who endorsed the stand of the government in this issue.

For him, one of Prof Akunyili’s notable remarks in the rebranding crusade has been that when someone calls you a bad name and you do not do something about it, others would join in the fray and it would stick.

Sidi pointed out that the advertisement put up by Sony Corporation promoting its Playstation3 (PS3) game was not only rude but smacks of ignorance and disrespect for a sovereign country.

“The more I think of it the more I wonder what Sony thinks of the Nigerian market. It is either the corporation is just plain irresponsible or they truly don’t know that Sony products have a huge following in Nigeria. If the latter be the case, then it is a shame. It means Sony has been using unaccredited distributors for its products in this country who have not been reporting back on huge sales and uninterrupted loyalty over the years,” he said.

Trying to find the rationale behind Sony’s decision to even allow such campaign to be launched in the first instance, he said, implies that Nigeria is a small or insignificant African country; where people are uneducated and less human as depicted in their latest movie called ‘District 9’- another misrepresentation by Sony Corporation.

Sidi emphasized that the statement on Playstation3 (PS3) is at the very heart of 419, which is the popular term for advance fee fraud, insultingly ascribed to Nigerians.

“We acknowledge that 419 does exists, and a few Nigerians have engaged in that practice, but that is not enough to slam the entire country or portray its citizens as criminals. Advance fee fraud is not unique to Nigeria. Nigerians did not invent it. It exists in most developed countries including Japan the home country of Sony. Citizens of other countries even use Nigeria as a front to perpetrate this crime,” he argued.

He, therefore, applauded the federal government through the Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Akunyili for reacting immediately.

As at the time of going to press, Sony is yet to meet the demands of the minister, but rather chose to post three sentences on its website directing an apology to “some members of the Nigeria community.” This, he said, goes to confirm that the corporation is responding to some Nigerians in Diaspora, who have been protesting.

It must be made clear to Sony that it is yet to apologize despite the fears on the reaction of Federal Government after the days of grace may have expired is still unknown. Above all, it is in Sony own interest to give the official apology without further much ado.

As at the time of going to press, ITRealms Online gathered that over 6,812 viewers have accessed the facebook link with 51 of them leaving comments, eight viewers marked the site as their favourite, 11 rated it with an average rating of 2.45, even as it has no honours, but lamentations and scolding of Sony Corporation.

Efforts to get the official reaction of Sony Corporation was not fruitful at the weekend as the company is yet to respond to our inquiry.

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‘Landing of Glo 1, a bold initiative’

For second national carrier, Globacom, Saturday, September 5, 2009 was an epoch making day in the annals of the operator, as the much anticipated multi-million dollars Glo-1 submarine cable finally touched down in Lagos amidst celebrations.

Speaking on the attainment of this milestone for telecom industry, the Group Executive Director, Globacom, Mr. Paddy Adenuga, said Glo 1 cable will deliver transmission capacity that would radically change Nigeria and Africa’s economic landscape by providing unprecedented high speed internet services and make telecom services much faster, more reliable and cheaper for consumers.

Mr. Adenuga said Glo-1’s current and ultimate capacity is enough to cater for the required broadband need of Nigeria for the next 15 to 20 years.

He said the cable will free up resources for other forms of investments which governments and business developments need through broad market coverage at high capacity and at a fraction of cost and time.

“In a nutshell, Glo 1 will stimulate a new era of prosperity in the sub-continent,” said Adenuga, adding that the successful delivery of the cable has shown that Globacom has an awesome capacity to deliver complex projects.

The Glo-1 submarine cable worth over $250 million, is a boost to bandwidth deployment within the country and the West African sub-region. The cable which began its journey from Bude, in the United Kingdom, in November 2008 finally landed the shores of Alfa Beach, Lekki and was received by the Executive Director, Human Resources, Globacom Limited, Mr Adewale Sangowawa and other members of the telco’s management.

Also on hand to receive the cable at exactly 10.50am, includes; the Executive Director, Legal, Mrs. Gladys Talabi, Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Glo Mobile, Mr. Sanjib Roy, Head of Globacom-Gateway, Ibrahim Fadipe among others.

Speaking after receiving the cable, Mr. Sangowawa said the company was making history as this will be first time that any single company will achieve such a feat.

The tradition, he said, is for a consortium of telecommunications companies to team up to set up a submarine cable network to enhance their connectivity and bandwidth capacity.

“With Glo-1, Globacom has taken a huge leap to avail Africa the magical possibilities of broadband. Glo-1 submarine cable connects West Africa to the UK and has landing points in Lagos and Bonny in Nigeria, Bude in London and Lisbon in Portugal. Glo 1 is also deploying 16 branching units to connect countries in West Africa,” he said.

Sangowawa also said the 9,800km cable will enable the company to have a clear distinction in providing quality services through multiple redundant and high quality direct links to various countries across the world, stressing that it will also enable it to interconnect with several international networks and leading traffic carriers in the globe.

He said Glo-1 complements the nationwide optic fibre cable, the first phase which has been completed, and will provide a better alternative for bulk voice and data transmission requirements than satellite and microwave-based transmissions.

“It will be a whole new era of unequalled speed and access to digital information as Glo 1 would cater for long term bandwidth requirements for voice and data transmission in the West Africa sub-region. Presently, West African countries have a high dependability on satellite based operators for fulfilling their bandwidth requirement.

“At present, bandwidth providers are retailing bandwidth they procure in bulk, which invariably is very expensive. Glo 1 fills this vacuum and will narrow the digital divide between Nigeria, Africa and the rest of the world,” he said.

On the opportunities presented by this achievement, Project Manager Glo-1, Mr. Kayode Adebiyi said it would leapfrog the economy within the region through high speed and reliable data, voice and video transmission.

He noted that Glo 1 was built with a 640 gigabytes capacity and is 99.9 per cent reliable to boost electronic-medicine (e-Medicine); e-learning; governance; entertainment industry; telecommunications; E-banking; effective and efficient call centers across the nation and disaster management through on time and effective communication.

The cable which arrived via a specially-designed telecom vessel marked, International Telecom (IT) Intreprid Bridgetown, is being handled by Alcatel Laucent Submarine Networks.

The 9,800 kilometres-long undersea cable which is laid from United Kingdom, through Portugal up to Nouakchott in Mauritania will have landing points in United Kingdom, Portugal, Ghana and Senegal as well as in Lagos and Bonny in Nigeria by the time of completion.

Commenting, Senior Project Manager, Marine, Alcatel Laucent, Mr. Soren Christensen, said the cable landing station, in Lagos, would be completed in a few weeks, and will be laid on the sea bed in order to avoid disruption by vessels or by any other marine activity.

At the terminal building which will be built at the beach, he said, the cable will be connected to the land cable system and will serve as the interface from Lagos to the submarine cable.

The coming of Glo-1 submarine cable could only be better appreciated when it is recalled that recently, NITEL’s SAT 3, the only active submarine cable available to West Africa, experienced a cut which disrupted banking and telecoms services as most banks could not meet their obligations to their customers, owing to unavailability of internet which led to monumental loses in both manpower and financial resources.

With the ceremonies on land over, it was now time to take a trip by boat to visit IT Intrepid Bridgetown, specially designed cable ship which was in a dynamic position (DP). This enabled it maintain its stationary position regardless of wind and current, while the activities go on.

With the life jackets on, the trip that was to expose the fact that but a few, a greater majority were not only uncomfortable but obviously heaved a sigh of relief on disembarking over an hour later, began.

While on the sea, the boat suddenly stopped and there was palpable fear around as the waves made the boat appear as though it was susceptible to the wind.

Even though this lasted for less than two minutes, it was like a life time as those on board silently said prayers, while some others joked with the fact that they were either still unmarried or had only one child.

Of course, the boat captain and his crew were very calm as they explained that the boat picked up an object, which it had to discard for the journey to resume.

As the boat drew close to the ship, a call was made to the captain to send radio signal to the ship captain lest they mistake it for militants, of course the consequence will be better imagined.

As the boat went round, the beauty and level of the sophisticated technology of the ship became glaring. Apart from the name of the vessel, which shows it is an IT vessel, the design indicated that it is designed for laying cables as it has an opening on top through which the cables roll out from the ship.

With this bold initiative, Globacom has again proved its determination to rank among the top players in the continent and beyond as this will not only boost internet accessibility but also cheap and qualitative telephony.

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Lack of policy, bane of eHealth – Adebola

President, Society for Telemedicine and eHealth in Nigeria, Dr. Olajide Joseph Adebola, has identified lack of proper policy framework as the bane of electronic health (eHealth) implementation in the developing world including Nigeria.

Speaking at the 3rd Nigerian Conference on Telemedicine and eHealth (NICTe2009) in Lagos, at the weekend, he said that with the deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), a significant proportion of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for health, could be achieved by the Least Developed Countries (LDC).

“Studies done in Uganda, Saudi Arabia and three other countries in Eastern Europe showed that one of the major hindrances why eHealth services have not been implemented in developing countries is the lack of policy framework. It is the policy that gives the direction and enabling environment and once there is a policy and framework, every level tier of government will know their responsibility and what to do,” he said.

Adebola said the generality of Nigerians would gain more from the eHealth through having access to quality specialist health care service.

“There is a lot ICT can do. You know ICT is target 18 of MDGs. If we look more at the area of ICT we could do more than we thought we can achieve without it,” he said.

He also said there is need to improve capacity through training of health workers as well as more advocacies to the rural areas through support of other agencies in propagating the ideals of eHealth.

According to him, developing countries cannot speed up the implementation of badly needed eHealth services without close cooperation with the telecommunications sector.

He said there need for developing countries need strategic document on eHealth master plan in order to inform decision makers in the sector about benefits of technology as well as an urgent need for technical guidelines on how to use mobile telecommunications infrastructure.

Tagged: Deploying eHealth tools and services in the Nigerian Health System: The role of mHealth, the 2-day conference aimed at creating more champions that will lead the cause of ehealth.

In a related development the evolution of ICT in the nation’s health sector, has provided healthcare workers access to unprecedented health information and latest ways of treating patients, says Dr. Justin Ekpa, who spoke on: A Cost-effective strategy to improve healthcare delivery in low-resource settings: the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) approach.

He said as critical as information is to patient management, more critical is the ability of the care provider to effectively utilized the same information to the benefit of his patients

He said increasing the capacity of health institutions and health providers to effectively utilize information through evidence-based healthcare delivery strategies even at all tiers of care, is an issue very paramount to modern healthcare systems.

“It is in doing this that the backbone for success of the more elaborate and complicated e-Health projects can make the desired impact,” he said

He also at the smallest levels of our care and in low resource settings, the LRC approach is an option for consideration as a stepping stone to e-health implementation, start small and grow big.

Dr. Ekpa said the reality of our Healthcare system is near absence of information resources in healthcare facilities; neglect of the Primary health care (PHC) system, as the primary and secondary care centres are mere referral systems to the tertiary systems, saying this is an indication that evidence based practice is (EBP) is yet to take root.

Others, he said are lack of change agents; marked computer illiteracy; concentration of ICT innovations in other sectors like banking, telecoms, and entertainment, among others as well as more emphasis on drugs, structures and old orthodox way of training.

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NiRA endorses DigitalSense forum-09

The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) has given its endorsement for the 2009 edition of the Nigeria Digital Sense Forum, which focus is on enthroning globally acceptable internet governance and advancing penetration in the country.

The endorsement came from the vice president of NiRA, Mrs. Mary Uduma, at the weekend, who was quoted as saying that NiRA understands the need to have a common voice at the forthcoming global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Egypt.

“It is important that we harmonize our positions before heading to Egypt,” Mrs. Uduma said, stressing that the endorsement is essential to encourage participation of members both corporate and individuals as well as the entire Internet community in the country at the forum.

She promised that NiRA alongside other industry organization, would make every effort at ensuring that Digital Sense Forum 2009 turned out a success because it would reflect on Nigeria’s agenda at the IGF.

Reacting to the endorsement amidst consolation to NiRA over the death of its pioneer president, late Mr. Ndukwe Kalu on Tuesday, September 8, 2009, in a press statement signed by the Executive Director, Digital Sense Africa (DSA), Mrs. Nkemdilim Umah-Nweke, said that the endorsement by NiRA shows the importance of the forum and its theme, which is ‘Internet Governance: Creating Opportunities for All Nigerians.’

She expressed optimism that the forum scheduled to hold in Lagos on November at the Golden Gate Ikoyi, would offer stakeholders a platform to join forces in building the nation’s internet community so as to make it stronger.

Further, she said that it is unfortunate that Kalu who have worked so hard for the development of Internet and its penetration in the country did not stay alive to witness the berthing of this forum, which his input gave rise to the eventual concept for enlightenment of the Nigeria Internet community on Internet-related issues.

She recalled that NIRA was born by the Nigeria Internet Community in 2005 which include the Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN), Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria (COREN) and Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) to name a few.

Further she said that the formation and incorporation as well as the election of the first Board of Trustees and Board of Directors soon after on May 2007, cannot go without mentioning of the part played by late Kalu.

Reiterating that plans have been concluded to co-locate the event with an industry-focused expo, expected to attract who’s who in the nation’s Internet Service Providers (ISP) community, who would use the platform to showcase their brands and services by engaging end users.

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... Postpones AGM over president’s death

Following the death of its pioneer President, late Ndukwe Kalu, the board of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) has shifted indefinitely its proposed Annual General Meeting (AGM) in respect of Kalu, who passed away on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 in Lagos.

According to the Vice President, NIRA, Mrs. Mary N. Uduma, in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online, while confirming that late Kalu would be buried on Saturday, October 31, 2009 in Abriba, his hometown in Abia State, said the postponement has become imperative so as to give his family and entire internet community to commiserate over his death.

She explained that NIRA Executive Board rose from a meeting last week in Lagos, to adopt a unanimous decision to postpone indefinitely the AGM earlier planned to hold at the Airport Hotel, Lagos today, Wednesday, September 2009.

“Following the sudden death of the pioneer President of the association, Mr. Ndukwe Kalu, we hereby notify our board members, trustees, stakeholders and the general public that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) previously scheduled to hold in Lagos on September 24, 2009 has been postponed till further notice,” she said.

Also she said that the postponement would enable NIRA mobilize its members to attend the burial of late Kalu scheduled to hold in Abriba in Abia State, as announced by Kalu’s family.
NIRA she said, would make further announcements to Nigerians and the Internet community regarding programmes leading to the burial of its late president.

Nigerians from all walks of life have continued to express their condolence over the sudden death of the pioneer President of NIRA.

She noted that under late Kalu’s leadership, Nigeria recently recorded the successful full re-delegation and local management of Nigeria’s country code top level domain name, (ccTLD) the .ng.

Before his death, late Kalu specialised in design and installation of various networks for over a decade as well as pioneered IT publications in Nigeria through the publishing of Nigeria’s first IT magazine called IT Watch Africa in 1994.

From there, late Kalu revolutionized newspaper IT reporting by conceptualizing and commencing the first robust IT section in the Nigerian newspaper history, tagged InfoTech ThisDay in 1998.

He was a member of several professional bodies some of which are Nigeria Society of Engineers, Nigeria Computer Society, Nigeria Institute of Management, Chartered Institute of Administration, Institute of Data Processing and Management (IDPM) London, among others.

He also served on various boards some of which are Amsco Telecoms Limited, Amsco Nigeria Limited, Admiral Insurance Company Limited, Pricehouse Communication Limited, Alphastream Solutions Nigeria Limited, among others.

He also recently served as member of a Joint Committee of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN) on developing a suitable regulation for the use of ISM frequency band in the country.

In 2004, he was elected the National Vice President of Internet Service Providers of Nigeria (ISPAN) and also served on the NCC Industry Committee set up to advice on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) regulation.

Late Engr. Kalu also served on the National Cyber Crime Working Group, a body set up by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to fashion out effective legislation and system to fight cyber crime in Nigeria.

He has recently spearheaded several initiatives to improve teledensity and Internet penetration in Nigeria, one of which is Naijawifi, an alliance of Nigerian ISPs set to offer a Wi-Fi Internet Access blanket all over Nigeria. He was also the Chairman of NCC/Presidential Committee set up to actualize a sustainable Internet Exchange for Nigeria.


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Why we selected Alvarion – Mobitel

Mobitel Nigeria Limited has given reasons why it chose the largest WiMAX deployment leader, Alvarion saying it is in the bid to roll-out its nationwide 802.16e.

This is coming as Alavarion said its customer base and deployment is in over 250 countries around the globe.

The world’s leading provider of WiMAX and wireless broadband solutions, recently announced that it has been chosen by Mobitel to provide 802.16e WiMAX services for under-served areas throughout Nigeria.

Using Alvarion’s BreezeMAX, according to the chief executive of Mobitel, Mr. Johnson Salako offers solution in the 2.0 GHz, 2.2 GHz and 2.3 GHz frequency bands, which his firm plans to commerce offering of voice and high-bandwidth data services to thousands of residences and businesses nationwide, especially in the key cities of Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Warri and Abuja.

The initial rollout of WiMAX network, he said, is planned for third quarter of 2009, with 20,000 subscribers expected on the network during initial launch.

Alvarion, he said, would also provide a range of professional services including system integration, network deployment, field maintenance, configuration, training and local support services to ensure successful delivery of the network.

“This is a great opportunity for Mobitel to bring broadband services to remote parts of the country. The use of WiMAX technology together with our existing fixed line network allows us the possibility to offer converged services to our customers,” he said.

Emphasising that WiMAX provides a very good business case to roll out broadband infrastructure with a much lower upfront investment when compared to other technologies available in the market.

“Given our ambitious goal for Nigeria, we need a strong and reliable partner with a proven track record to ensure our success and we believe Alvarion is best suited to accomplish this,” he said.

During the second phase of the project, Mobitel and Alvarion will expand coverage to 18 other states in the country, including Kano, Kaduna, Oyo and Edo. The current population of Nigeria is estimated at 150 million people in 66 provinces with a very low internet penetration rate of less than 1 per cent.

President and CEO of Alvarion, Mr. Tzvika Friedman, said his firm is very pleased to be selected by Mobitel for this contract.

“This will reiterate Alvarion’s leading position in the WiMAX market with a strong portfolio of WiMAX solutions. Being selected by an innovative operator as Mobitel is another proof point of Alvarion’s strength in emerging markets as we continue to focus on abundant opportunities in these underserved regions. Our proven WiMAX solution and feature rich offering will enable a sound business case for Mobitel to bring advanced broadband services to consumers and businesses in Nigeria,” Friedman concluded.

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Glo eases SIM activation, replacement processes

Glo Mobile, the mobile arm of the Second National Operator (SNO), has introduced ease the process of activating new lines and replacing damaged or lost Subscriber Identification Module (SIMs) on the network.

Acting Head, Marketing, Globacom, Mr. Navdeep Kapur, said all new subscribers are required to simply insert the Glo SIM into his or her phone upon purchase or recovery and start talking.

“We have reconfigured our SIM cards to a new, ready-to-use format to make things easier and more convenient for our subscribers”, he said.

Hitherto, he said, Glo prepaid customers have to go through a series of steps on the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) platform and select preferred language, tariff plan, among others to activate the Glo prepaid SIM.

Kapur also said that this was so because the former Glo SIM was programmed to be flexible, meaning that one chip was provisioned for various packages and billing options, thereby requiring the user to do his or her own selection.

Further, he said, the user could now just buy a SIM already programmed with his or her desired package and billing choice.

“Now, we have put a new activation process in place for customers buying SIMs for Easy Talk, Classic Plus, Profitmax Special & Profitmax Extra. Under the new arrangement, the customer only needs to insert the SIM and instantly begin to make calls. “There is no need to go through the IVR”, he explained.

Globacom disclosed that the SIMs would come with per second billing option, which the user could change to per minute if desired.

The statement also announced that some trade partner outlets have been empowered to do SIM replacement in addition to Gloworld offices nationwide. With this arrangement, the subscriber who loses his or her phone now has more available options to retrieve his or her line.

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One9ja show: Etisalat creates more millionaires

Seven more millionaires have emerged in the Etisalat Nigeria’s One9ja game show at the weekend in the city of Ibadan.

Among the latest millionaires include Moses Dickson, Mojisola Babalola, Michael Ochonogor, Ayanwale Lukeman, Bamidele Folasele, Comrade Yakubu Jundu and Adeoye Omosebi. Others included Bernard Orivu, Osagu Emmanuel, Efe Igbi, Betty Obedeke, Florence Ajodu, Adokina Ajodu, Chidi Ofodili and Alaba Hassan.

In his speech at the event, Director Sales, Tolu Ojo said there is no doubt that Etisalat 9jillions game show is not just another game show.

“Everywhere we go, we set out to affect lives positively by raising the standard of lives and making the dreams of Nigerians come true and we are set to do more as we reach out to more people across the country with the Etisalat message of optimism,” Ojo said.

Ojo recalled that though the win-a-phone phase of 9jillions promotion ended with 4,320 mobile phones was given out to lucky subscribers, while the regional one9ja game show is still on and opportunity to be the ultimate prize winner still open.

“All a new or existing subscriber has to do is use up to N1,000 in a month, then send his location and name to #5123 to qualify for a chance to participate in the grand finale,” he said.

In the next few weeks, Ojo said, Maiduguri and Sokoto would be playing host to the One9ja game show while the grand finale holds in Lagos in October with one lucky subscriber to walk away with the grand prize of one million dollars.

Some of the winners who commented gave kudos to the management of Etisalat for initiating the promo.

One of the latest millionaires, and a business man, Mr. Michael Ochonogor said, “I am overwhelmed and I don’t even know how to express my gratitude to Etisalat for such breakthrough in my business.”

Another winner, a graduate of Electrical Engineering from Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Ayanwale Lukeman, is another young millionaire, asserting “Etisalat has given me a good start in life. I never imagined I would become a millionaire this soon. I just graduated and awaiting my national assignment billed for February next year. Etisalat has placed me where I can succeed in life as this money will be used to set me up as I have always dreamed of being an entrepreneur”.

Tolu Ojo further explained that though the win-a-phone phase of 9jillions promotion where 4,320 mobile phones were given to lucky subscribers had ended, the regional one9ja game show is still on and opportunity to be the ultimate prize winner still open.

“All a new or existing subscriber has to do is use up to N1, 000 in a month, then send his location and name to #5123 to qualify for a chance to participate in the grand finale”, he said. In the next few weeks, Maiduguri and Sokoto will be playing host to the One9ja game show while the grand finale holds in Lagos in October. One lucky subscriber will walk away with the grand prize of one million dollars.

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Lagosians applaud MultiLinks’ Blue broadband

Lagosians at the weekend applauded Multi-Links Telkom’s Evolution Data Only (EV-DO) products during a roadshow in the commercial nerve centre of the nation.

EV-DO is Multi-Links’ broadband service embedded on 3G service of the company branded ‘Blue Broadband’.

The roadshow activities covered areas like Victoria Island, Apapa, Festac, Surulere, Ikeja, Ogba and Ilupeju.

According to a press statement made available to ITRealms Online by the Public Relations Manager at Multi-Links, Mr. Bayo Abiodun, said that some residents of Lagos who gave the applause to the company already subscribed to the service, and were particular about the awesome speed and the plethora of capabilities which the Multi-Links Telkom EV-DO enables them to accomplish, including data and music cum video down loads, email and office on the go.

At Allen Avenue, Ikeja, he recalled that some of the existing subscribers who shared their experience on the EV-DO service by Multi-Links Telkom said the current speed package remained unmatched by any competitor in the market today.

A subscriber who identified herself as Mrs. Amaechi said that she enjoys seamless connection on the Internet, stressing that since she subscribed to the service, there was never a day that she had been disappointed on account of poor connection on the Internet.

EV-DO – is a mobile broadband service providing high speed Internet access for a wide range of applications and customers, ranging from professionals, mobile executives to students.

He quoted the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Multi-Links Telkom, Ms. Dipuo Msimang as saying that Blue 3G broadband offers customers an incredible web browsing experience designed for achieving more no matter who the users are or for whatever purpose they are on the internet.

The campaign tagged “Do Much More” showcased the power of the Rev. A EVDO technology, which is a personal wireless service designed for a wide range of customers from business people to students.

She highlighted the uniqueness of the product, saying that the offer has become a growing tribe of telecommunications consumers in Lagos is always on with seamless roaming and backward compatibility to 1x.

“The Blue broadband Service works on same cell sites as cell phones. Blue broadband allows you to be connected to the Internet wherever you are. You can download large work files, photos, spreadsheets and email with incredible ease,” she said.

The CSMO noted as well that the product allows subscribers to download and run video clips in real time. Blue broadband provides you service outside of cable – modem or DSL areas. You can access your corporate VPN (Virtual Private Network).

She stressed that this package is designed especially for professionals who are into heavy file download, 3D artists, Architects, Graphic Artists and other professionals. With the 3G Blue Broadband offering, she said that speed is key.

“And that’s exactly what the flexible tariff plan offers you, plus supersonic speed on the Internet. So you can achieve so much more in quick time. Also cool for anyone who loves to live in the jet age. There is no speed limit on the Blue Broadband,” she explained.

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Starcomms offers freebies on fixed phones promo

Acclaimed largest Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operator, Starcomms Plc is offering freebies to its customers who purchase any of the three models of Talkie (desktop) phones: LG LSP 4000; Huawei ETS 2558 and Huawei ETS 2258.

Chief executive, Starcomms, Mr. Maher Qubain, said that any subscriber in all the towns under Starcomms’ network coverage who this season purchase any of the three phones aforementioned would be credited with N2,000 free on-net airtime.

This airtime, he said, could be used to call any Starcomms phone number, either fixed or roaming in any location under the network’s coverage in Nigeria.

“And this free on net bonus would be credited only once on activation,” he said.

Qubain explained that the phones which are being sold for N4,999 would effectively cost N2,999.
“It is believed that this would increase the accessibility of the phone to all those who require fixed telephones for their homes and offices,” he said.

Additionally, he said that all homes and businesses in all the cities covered by Starcomms could avail themselves of Talkie phones which have proved over the years to facilitate communication for enterprise and personal relationship.

He stressed that Starcomms is the market leader in fixed telephony business and continue to do so by bringing more value driven offer to its subscribers.

“Talkie phones have served Nigerians more and better than almost any telephone set in this country today. It is in line with this that Starcomms decided to continue to make the device available to its subscribers for them to do more business transactions and better personal conversations,” Qubain said.

Starcomms, he noted, prides itself in the culture of bringing world class innovative products & services to its potential subscribers at affordable prices as a continuing business strategy.

The offer is not applicable for Starcomms Smart Center (Telecenter) the Telemax tariff plan and they would not be entitled to the free calls. The airtime largess comes on the phones on activation and is valid for the first 60days after activation. The telephone user reverts to the regular tariff plan afterwards.


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Serima advocates best of business applications

The Managing Director, SAP Africa, Mr. Pfungwa Serima, has said that for the nation to compete successfully in the emerging market, it is imperative to review existing business processes, optimize and then automate them in line with global practices through various business applications.

Mr. Serima, who spoke recently to Champion Infotel in Lagos, said solution design is a critical success factor in achieving the initial project objective and help minimize cost.

Speaking at a forum in Lagos recently on the theme, “Strategies for a success in the new reality” Mr. Serima said that with the involvement of government and individual, as well as corporate bodies in the level of IT investment, the nation is now embracing the power of information communication and technology.

He also said that the core interest of the company is on the emerging market and Africa is one of them and that there is need to look into the future business application solutions, stressing that SAP will explore new and essential strategies for using technology to gain strategic clarity necessary for success in the business world today.

The SAP Africa boss informed that though the environment in Nigeria is tough in setting up businesses, with challenges ranging from power to infrastructure and telecommunications, but that the country is well positioned for investments because of the human and material resources prevalent in the country.

Equally speaking, Director, Strategic Initiatives, SAP Africa, Mr. Simon Carpenter said, the company has been providing companies with information on how SAP solutions can help companies of all sizes successfully transform business challenges into opportunities and meet the demands of their industry and market in the country.

“SAP can truly work with its customers’ prospect and partners to discuss how technology enables companies to derive increased understanding and visibility, so they can meet the ever increasing need to be more transparent and accountable,” Carpenter said.

He further said that SAP business software solution portfolio can help companies adapt more quickly to changing market needs, execute growth strategies in an international environment and maximize results with existing resources while continuing to concentrate on core business competencies and maintain close customer relations.

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W/Africa convergence forum gathers momentum

EXCITEMENT is gathering for the IT Edge West Africa Convergence Forum 2009 holding in Abuja in November with more than 450 registrations recorded online at the official website of the event: www.itedgeconvergenceforum.com.

A press statement from the organizers said, the forum’s registration formally commenced online last week in line with the tradition started in 2007.

The forum being put together by Knowledge Media International (KMI) Limited, publishers of IT Edge magazine published in English and French languages, has as its theme, Content & Policy Dynamics in the Converged Market.

The 3rd IT Edge West Africa Convergence Forum, the organizers said, has been designed to get stakeholders in the industry to address some of the increasing challenges that convergence has brought about.

“The challenges of convergence for the telecom regulator are multidimensional and touches in various that include content regulation, interconnection, access, spectrum management, collocation, quality of service among others. In considering the paradigm shift from local to global arena we are also confronted by the issue of service content,” part of the press statement read.

Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, was quoted as saying, “Different countries have deployed different approaches to addressing the regulatory challenges as it uniquely expresses their market and national aspirations. The options include Convergence Regulation centering on the dynamics of the unification of IT, Telecommunications and broadcasting; essentially, the trend has been to merge infrastructure and content regulation.”

Ndukwe who chaired one of the sessions at the Forum 2008 and is regarded as the continent’s leading regulator said convergence has redefined the country’s broadcast and financial sector.

“The Nigerian financial market is becoming a major beneficiary of the convergence being witnessed in the ICT sector. The increasing application of such customer desired financials transactions that eliminates the movement of cash is driven by convergence. Mobile banking, as we are now experiencing in Nigeria are driven by possibilities offered by the convergence of telecom and ICT.

"SMS banking services ranging from debit, credit transaction alerts and salary alerts to buying prepaid units from the customers’ bank account are all made possible on convergence platforms,” he said

A large number of registration is at the Forum’s website is coming from the financial and educational sector. The high number of online registration in less than a week indicates the rising interest in convergence as it affects the industry, said KMI officials in Lagos.

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Suburban, Tata Com partner on data recovery deal

International wholesale supplier of Internet backbone and corporate data provider, Suburban West Africa has entered into a deal with Indian Tata Communications Transformation Services (TCTS) to curb internet invested viruses and improve data disaster recovery time.

Head, Brand and Communications, Suburban West Africa, Ms Morenike Popoola, affirmed this in Lagos, saying that the partnership deal affords her firm to deploy technology for process transformation, next generation operational systems support (NG OSS) and network support services from TCTS.

She explained that under the agreement Suburban would re-examine its processes to improve service delivery and assurance at reduced cost based on Enhanced Telecom Operation Map (eTOM) model as well as upgrade technology and improve resiliency to provide best in class services to its customers.
Also, she said that Suburban would achieve the TL9000 certification which is the highest quality assurance certification in telecommunication services.
Additionally, Suburban Network Operations Center (NOC) located in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, would now have a disaster recovery center in Pune in India manned by staff of Tata Communications.
“Both network operations centers will work seamlessly and ensure that customers get better response and service especially in the wake of growing threats to internet services in Nigeria,” she said.
According to her, incidences of virus and other malicious attacks on internet services including denial of service which some Internet Service Providers (ISP) in Nigeria have experienced have been on the rise and it is expected that Tata Communication’s global expertise in this regard, will help stem this tide.
The Chief Technical Officer, Tata, Anil Verma was quoted in a press statement made available to Champion Infotel as saying that at the culmination of this exercise, customers would feel a very positive impact through seamless interaction with Suburban technical personnel and highly improved quality and reliability of our network.
He assured on his team, saying they would constantly seek ways of improving customer experience and reliability on the Suburban network.

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SystemSpecs hosts banks on e-payment

Lagos-based software house, SystemSpecs Limited has hosted bankers on the electronic payment (e-payment) strategies embedded in its Remita solution.

The event which attracted over 70 bankers from 20 commercial banks was held in Lagos to review the progress of e-Payment in Nigeria, share experience and come up with technical and business strategies on how their current e-Payment operations could be optimized in the interest and for the increased satisfaction of their public and private sectors’ customers.

SystemSpecs’ Managing Director, Mr. John Obaro, told participants that as key stakeholders in Nigeria’s e-Payment ecosystem, forum helped to generate fresh ideas on how to best position existing banks to have competitive advantage through optimization of the Remita e-Payment platform.’

Some of the participants at the event, commended SystemSpecs for the initiative.

Head, Payments & Collections, First Bank Plc, Mr. Ezinne Obikile, said that the support for Remita from SystemSpecs has been quite tremendous and has made the use of the solution a wonderful experience.

The e-Business officer at Union Bank Plc, Mr. Olumide Akanbi, expressed gratitude to SystemSpecs for introducing Remita because, according to him, it has greatly reduced the e-Payment headache.

“We were the first adapter of this platform among the banks for use by our customers, we have no reason to regret this decision because the benefits are immense. This forum has been quite educative and interactive,” he said.

Equally for the Funds & Remittance Transfer officer at Sterling Bank Plc, Sumbo Sobanjo, the event was exciting and educative; a lot of awareness has been created.

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Telecom Device Forum holds tomorrow

PLANS have been concluded for the hosting of 2009 Telecom Device Forum in Lagos, tomorrow.

This is coming as regulators, top government functionaries, bankers, major switching companies, telecom operators, device manufacturers and suppliers as well as the general public are billed at the Nigeria Telecom Device Forum to meet, discuss, suggest and chart a roadmap for the future of communications industry in Nigeria.

Organizers of the event in a press statement endorsed by the Head, Public Affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Reuben Muoka and editor, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, Mr. Ken Nwogbo, said captains of industries would present valid forecasts of developments in the telecom industry and examine the driving forces behind these developments.

They informed that the executive vice chairman and chief executive officer, NCC, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, would deliver a keynote address at the event with the theme “Telecom Industry Fuelling the Future of e-Payment System,” while the president, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and chief executive officer, Teledom International Limited, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem and Sonny Aragba-Akpore, Head of News, The Guardian Newspapers and the doyen of ICT reporting in Nigeria, will also play key roles at event.

The event would be chaired by Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (Alton) whereas Dr. Chris Uwaje, the oracle of the Nigerians IT industry and regional director, D-Link West Africa will make a technical presentation on the security of the e-payment system.

Kyari Bukar, managing director, Valucard Nigeria, providers of e-payment processing infrastructure and Ken Aigbinode, executive vice chairman, ZoomMobile, pride of Nigeria telecommunications industry will present the various angles of their sectors.

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Glo Text 4 Million excites subscribers @ Calabar

Since the commencement of the Glo’s Text 4 Million promotion, it has been a season of excitement for subscribers on the network known for its per-second billing innovation.

This excitement was further exhibited recently in a style as Glo continued to create millionaires among its subscribers and down-trodden precisely in Calabar, Cross River State. And so was a pensioner turned pastor, Mr. Gbadebo Ogunlewe emerged a millionaire.

According to Ogunlewe, he began to play leisurely, believing that one day would be his turn to win and so was Monday, August 31, 2009, when he was informed the N1,000,000 he won in the promo, asserting “I believe God has answered my prayers.” Even as he plans to support his church building project with his prize.

Ogunlewe was among the seven winners who recently took delivery of their prizes amidst the crown at the Cultural Centre, Calabar, courtesy, Globacom, at the event flooded with leading comedians including Gbenga Adeyinka, Basketmouth, I Go Dye, Klint D’Drunk, Maleke and musicians comprising 9ice, Nigga Raw and Wande Coal.

While the special guests at the event were members of the State House of Assembly, including Hon. Ekpeyong Oja and Hon. Uduak Akiba; Deputy Commissioner of Police, Tonye Ebitibitunwa; DSP Charles Okafor; veteran actor and playwright, Larry Williams and Glo ambassadors, Ini Edo and Mike Ezuruonye, to name a few.

For each of the winners who received a cheque of N1million, including Mr. Bode Dogunro, Mr. Owolabi Abiru, Mrs. Olayinka Adegun, Dr. Ebomwonyi Osaro Cosmas, Prince Gbadebo Ogunlewe, Mrs. Omobola Ishie and Corporal Isaac Tope Odunfa of the Lagos State Police Command, it was a joyous moment.

Speaking afterwards, Dr. Cosmas narrated how thieves burgled his apartment and made away with his handset containing a Glo SIM, and six months after he replaced it, the new SIM won him a million.
“God has used Globacom to compensate me. My colleagues discouraged me, saying that the promo was not for real and that even if it were, it was for lazy, jobless people. Even when I was called and informed that I had won, they still discouraged me, but today I am vindicated in my belief that not everything in Nigeria is fraudulent,” he said as he came on stage to collect his prize,” he said.

Equally, Mr. Isaac Odunfa, a corporal with the Nigeria Police Force who works in the Information Technology Department (D. Ops) of the Lagos State Command, said he would return to school to update himself and advance his status.

“That is what I am going to do now with Globacom’s one million naira,” he said, stressing that it takes courage to play the game. “Some of my friends who began with me fell back along the line but I summoned courage and trudged on. Now I will even invest more and play again.”

Also commenting, Mrs. Olayinka Adegun from Abule Egba, who is the administrator of First Mainland Hospital, Abule Egba, expressed surprise that Globacom could extend such generosity to its customers.

Mrs. Adegun said, “My husband and I have been wondering if Globacom really cares about profit considering the way the company gives out gifts and money to its subscribers. I am really delighted and I urge Nigerians to support this network and participate in the promotion as they can also win because it is conducted in a very fair manner. If not, someone like me would not have won”.

The star of the evening was Mrs. Omobola Ishie, a Lagos based business woman, who had won N1million three times earlier. She said that for her to be allowed to win as many times as possible showed that Globacom was an honest company with integrity.

“This is the fourth time that I have won in the ‘text 4 millions promo’. I commend Glo for allowing me to win the prizes,” she stated. According to her, her buying and selling business has been enriched and greatly transformed.

She disclosed that she usually ploughed a large portion of her winning back into participating in the promo which made it possible for her to keep winning the weekly highest player’s prize. Omobola is married to Mr. Ishie from Ikot Ishie in Odukpani Local government area of Cross River State.

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