Nigeria wins bid to host Idlelo-5

Nigeria has won the bid to host Idlelo-5, an international conference of the Free and Open Source Software Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA).

This is coming as FOSSFA and partners have advanced plans to hold the 2010 West Africa Internet Governance Forum in Dakar, Senegal.

In the bid to host Idlelo-5, Nigeria surpassed Kenya to emerge the host nation for the continental bi-annual conference, scheduled to hold at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja in 2012.

Disclosing this in a telephone chat with ITRealms Online, the proponent of Nigeria Open Source Foundation and chief executive of Mandriva West Africa Limited, Dr. Dele Ajisomo, said that Nigeria has been given the right to host the Open Source community via the Idlelo 5.

He also expressed support from the Nigerian government, ministries, departments and agencies as well as industry interest groups including the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) and Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) among others.

According to him, in the coming weeks, his office would release strategies toward making this opportunity a success, reiterating that Idlelo 5 will be a memorable one in the annals of FOSSFA.

Dr. Ajisomo stressed that the fifth African conference on FOSS and Digital Commons, otherwise tagged Idlelo 5, will mark the 10th anniversary of the Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa and has been billed to hold in the first semester of 2012, just as he promised that Nigeria will make it a delight for all participants and sponsors.

ITRealms Online recalls that during the Idlelo 4, which took place in Accra-Ghana, the chairperson of FOSSFA, Ms Nnenna Nwakanma, noted that at the end of the call for proposal on May 17, 2010, two countries had expressed interest to host Idlelo 5 in 2012, namely Nigeria and Kenya.

The 2010 weeklong Idlelo 4 conference was held at the Kofi Annan Indian Centre for Excellence on Information and Communication Technologies (KAICE) in addition to a three-day pre-conference workshops and trainings on FOSS-related applications.

Nigeria’s proposal was made by Mandriva West Africa with office in Nigeria on behalf of FOSS community in the country and led by Dr. Ajisomo, while the Kenyan proposal was submitted by the Strathmore University of Kenya led by Dr. Joseph Sevilla.

Also, ITRealms Online gathered that in pursuit of this right, Nigeria FOSS community and FOSSFA’s programme committee are expected to open invitation for papers and presentations of all topics and in all disciplines related to Free and open Source Software and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in general.

Accordingly, sessions often consist of three 30-minute presentations and proposals which should be geared to that length, even as the committee may introduce a different format for some sessions after the proposals have been reviewed.

Noteworthy is that Idlelo conference was instituted to bring together Information Technology (IT) and FOSS experts from all over Africa and the world at large.

Further, the programme committee tends to capitalize on this strength by encouraging sessions that would address subjects of interest to a wide range of FOSS experts and put experts from different disciplines in dialogue with each other.

Till date, Idlelo has been held in South Africa, Kenya, Senegal and Ghana.
In a related development, FOSSFA has opened call for Internet Governance Forum core team in West Africa to be hosted in Dakar before the end of August this year.

FOSSFA chairperson, Nwakanma noted that her organisation, the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and other partners, with support from the Open Society Institute of West Africa (OSIWA) has launched a call for West Africa Internet Governance Forum preparation.

According to her, the terms of reference for West African IGF consortium group for the formation of the core team entails background for the key members of the consortium group of organizations who would be contributing to the development and organization of the 2010 West African Regional Internet Governance Forum.

The Consortium, she said, is comprised of members and organizations from the seven target countries, namely Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon; as well as the convening organizations.

She also said that interested Internet enthusiasts in other countries in West Africa not listed above are free to apply to be part of the listed target countries.

The objectives of the WAIGF, she said, include the facilitation of Internet policy discussions on a multi-stakeholder platform for issues relating to the development and the governance of the Internet in West Africa.

In addition to increasing awareness of Internet governance issues in the sub-region and encourage participation of a broad range of stakeholders in the IGF process within West Africa.

Equally, she said, that WAIGF is to create an opportunity for West Africans to engage in, contribute towards discussions regarding spam, Internet and security, and other IGF related issues at the global Internet Governance Forum.

Therefore, she pointed out that WAIGF is to create a systematic, bottom up, national, regional and global policy dialogue process in West Africa.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Etisalat relaunches Easy Starter, attains 4m subscribers’ mark

ACCLAIMED most innovative Global System for Mobile (GSM) Communication operator in the country, Etisalat Nigeria, last weekend, relaunched its Easy Starter package, just as it has attained over 4 million subscribers’ mark.

The relaunch, according to the Chief Commercial Officer at Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Wael Ammar was occasioned by the success of the Easy Starter since October 2008.

He also said that introduction of a repackaged and recharged “Easy Starter package is because it’s the flagship product of the company designed for the larger mass of the innovative company’s customers.”

He explained that the recharged product includes new features such as ’You & Me’
which allows customers to register a preferred Etisalat number as their ’You & Me’ number and enjoy N300 worth of free minutes to the number every week.

Ammar who was accompanied by director, Brands Communication, Mr. Yinka Akande and
his counterpart at Marketing, Segment and Strategy, Mr. Ernest Akinlola among others, pointed out that the latest in shelf comes with the ‘Bonus on Incoming Calls’ which offers subscribers one free minute for every three minutes of calls received from other networks within a month.

“Easy Starter also boasts of existing features like the Homezone and Receiver Pays which were an instant hit and successfully endeared the company to the hearts of subscribers when the company launched commercially into the market in October 2008,” he noted.

The Chief Commercial Officer, explained that the aforementioned recharged qualities contributed in making the all new easy starter a much better proposition for its subscribers and potential subscribers.

“The all new Easy Starter comes with ‘You & Me’, a new service that allows customers to register a preferred Etisalat number as their special ‘You & Me’ number and then enjoy N300 worth of free minutes to the number every week,” he said.

Elucidating that all a subscriber needs to do is to recharge at least N200 in a week and get the 10 free ‘You & Me’ minutes.

“Though the service is available by default, subscribers need to register their ‘special’ number by simply dialing *233*1*08xxxxxxxxx#; the preferred number to register for free. Bonus on Incoming Calls, though an existing feature on easy cliq, offers customers one free minute for every three minutes of calls they receive from other networks,” he said.

The three incoming minutes, he said, could be accumulated over a period of time within the same month and the one minute bonus could be used to call any other network.

On the rationale behind the relaunch, Ammar said that Etisalat constantly seeks new ways to ensure customer satisfaction hence its decision to review the product and load it with even more unique offerings.

“… All for the benefit of our teeming customers. We constantly review our products with a commitment to always raise the bar in our customers’ satisfaction. We are confident that the all new Easy Starter will surpass the expectation of our customers,” Ammar said.

Etisalat, he added, has covered most states in the country and would continue to increase investment, given the rise in its subscriber-base, which is now over 4 million.

ITRealms Online recalls that currently, Etisalat has other products and services including Easy Cliq; designed for the youth market segment; Elite World; designed for its post-paid customers; EasyNet data service, and Blackberry Enterprise and Internet Service. In appreciation of its customers, the company has run a series of reward and loyalty activities on its network.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

MTN, NITDA support ICT taxation, clean summit

MTN Nigeria Communications Limited and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) have thrown support for the Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) and Clean Environment Summit.

A press statement from the coordinating entities; AIT Infotech Network, eWorld Magazine and IT Edge, disclosed that MTN Nigeria has confirmed its support for the conference which is being anchored by three media organisations in the ICT industry, saying “it’s timely and topical.”

In the same vein, the National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA) endorsed the conference slated to hold on July 30, this year, at Sheraton Hotel, in Lagos.

The organizers said that the summit is a pioneering role to provide a platform for stakeholders to discuss protracted issue of multiple and in some cases illegal taxation that has plagued the sector.

Noting that this is the first time all the stakeholders both from the ICT and agencies from the three tiers of government are being rallied to a common platform to discuss the issues in a more holistic and collaborative manner.

“It will be recalled that previous talks on these issues have been largely sectional and did not involve all the stakeholders,” part of the statement read.

Before now, both Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and the Association of Licensed Telephone Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) have declared support for the summit.

As said by the organizers, multiple taxations have continued to be a source of worry to telecom operators who argued that the various taxation levies by the three tiers of government in Nigeria are illegal and have contributed to weigh down on their profitability and investment sustainability.

“The tax administrators have argued otherwise, creating the scenario that the parties involved are not communicating appropriately and understandably,” said Aaron Ukodie, the chief executive of eWorld.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Task Systems, NetApp partner on storage solution

Task Systems Limited and NetApp West Africa, have sealed a deal to boost storage and management solutions in the sub-region.

Managing Director of Task Systems Limited, Mr. Stanley Okpaleke, made this disclosure in Abuja last week, saying that the two companies are pulling together their superior knowledge and experience with products and businesses in a combination that would see their partners and customers succeed.

As said by him, at the heart of this partnership is an innovative bouquet of storage and data management solutions that would help organizations store, manage, protect, and retain one of their most precious assets, which is data.

Okpaleke also said that the motivation for this deal was the customer, reiterating commitment to make the Information Technology (IT) departments the star departments of collaborating organizations.

He promised that Task Systems would remain professional and responsive, dynamic in the quest for excellence, and would be guided by the same high level of integrity that propelled the company to where it is today, as spelt out by the founding fathers in 1989.

Okpaleke further said that collaborating with NetApp, Task Systems would ensure that customers have everything they need to make their businesses more competitive, delivering value, speed, and efficiency.

Mr. Okpaleke stated that Task Systems would work with its customers to fund projects that its customers require and allow them to pay over a period of time.

“This will ensure that its customers remain able to access cutting edge technologies without having to pay upfront,” he said.

In his comments, the country manager, NetApp, Mr. Rex Mafiana said that the partnership with Task Systems was in line with the NetApp tradition of forming strategic partnerships with the industry’s best application, infrastructure, consulting, and reseller partners to deliver industry-leading solutions that are tailored to the unique requirements of each customer.

He said that the NetApp culture allows creative, inventive, and dedicated people to work together as one team for creating products and services that exceed expectations.

Mr. Mafiana said that NetApp in 1992 built the first networked storage appliance, making shared storage an affordable reality.

“Over the years NetApp helped their customers to overcome the challenges of tape with solutions that make disk-based back up affordable and reliable,” he said, stressing that they have boosted the capabilities of lower cost technologies to make high performance application storage dramatically more affordable.

In the process, he explained that NetApp has acquired the reputation of being a creative problem solver, assuring that the partnership with Task would help customers to make revenue faster than ever as well as anticipate and adapt to market changes faster than their competitors.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Okere canvasses support for local industries

Group Chief executive officer, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG), Mr. Austin Okere, has canvassed support for local industries in the country, so as to encourage them to be the best among equals.

Speaking at the visit to the newly appointed Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Adetokunbo B. Sofoluwe, the Group Chief Executive Officer, CWG, Mr. Okere, said that local industries should be sustained to focus on areas where they have core competence.

He also said that this would avail them the opportunity to contribute meaningfully through adding value capable of changing the views of foreign contemporaries who hitherto see them as irritants.

“I believe that what we need is a structured way in which we can support local industry by encouraging local industries to focus on areas where they can best add value,” he said.

Additionally, he said that this support would enable them to be indispensible partners in the like of China recognised as the indisputable manufacturing capital of the world, and India becoming the outsourcing capital.

Okere, who was accompanied by the Chief Operating Officer, CWG, Mr. Philip Obioha, noted that this is precisely what the Computer Warehouse Group has laboured hard to achieve.

“Computer Warehouse is the foremost systems integration company in West Africa, providing core banking application for 11 out of the 24 banks in Nigeria, as well as network communication facilities for 21 out of the 24 banks,” he said, stressing that the group has offices in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ghana and Uganda, and is a partner to many of the global Information Technology (IT) majors.

According to him, with the recent acquisition of Sun Microsystems by Oracle, Computer Warehouse Group is now one of the significant partners of Oracle in sub Saharan Africa by scale and revenue.

“As a legacy Oracle and Sun partner, CWG has won numerous awards from both companies, including OPN Award for Business Excellence and Sun Microsystems Best Systems Partner for Sub Saharan Africa. As always, our best is yet to come,” he asserted.

Although he noted that National office for Technology Acquisition (NOTAP) has done a lot in terms of protecting local industries by requiring that foreign companies partner local counterparts to develop skills and capacity as a complement in providing services to customers.

He pointed out that perhaps, NOTAP has been relatively more successful in their quest because beyond mere moral suasion, “they have the instrument of sanction through the restriction on Foreign Exchange (FOREX) approvals, where foreign companies have rushed to engage directly with Nigerian customers without local partners.”

He decried that many local companies have wiped out literally as a result of a vendor making a direct presence in the market.

“This is very detrimental to the local economy as it erodes jobs and decimates the middle class that are the very engine of economic growth,” he said.

Citing the oil and gas sector for instance, Okere said it seems to have taken an early initiative to protect local industry by instituting a local content bill that ensures that the percentage of local input in the industry is progressively increased by creating the needed local capacity.

Despite this, he said, the contribution of local content is largely insignificant, with policy, products and personnel all being shipped in directly from overseas headquarters of the oil majors to execute turnkey projects here.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

DBI, GIT partner Berkman Center on e-Nigeria

Plans have been concluded for the hosting of a public symposium tagged e-Nigeria in Abuja on Monday at the Musa Yar’ Adua International Conference Centre.

ITRealms Online gathered that the symposium is being put together through partnership of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT), National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and the Berkman Center, with the objective of stimulating discussion on the role and uses of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in civic engagement.

“We will specifically examine and advocate around the upcoming 2011 Nigerian presidential election, exploring ICTs as environments to educate, discuss, deliberate, choose, and act,” the organisers said, noting that the meeting would draw on relevant experiences from Nigeria, the rest of Africa, and elsewhere around the world.

This, would be done via bringing together thought leaders, practitioners, activists, and citizens, with a particular focus on civil society actors.
Of particular interest, they said, are the various ways in which ICTs could be enabling key functions of democracy, including how they help people to access and share relevant news and information, organize and coordinate activity, and generate and utilize data.

“While these endeavors are always important in the drive to create transparent and accountable government and rich civic engagement, they are perhaps never more essential as in the period around (and including) elections, where they represent a unique resource,” they said.

According to them, Nigerians, and indeed the world, are collectively holding their breath in anticipation of the 2011 presidential election.

Indeed this election is important to the citizens and the good functioning of the government cannot be overstated, hence, there are tremendous promise and associated risks of using information and communication technologies to enhance the

effectiveness of both electoral activities and new approaches to reform, monitoring, and civic participation in the democratic process.


ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Intel commends Zinox on success story

Intel Corporation, manufacturer of processors in the world and the 5th most successful global brand, has commended Zinox Computers as Africa’s success story.

The latest edition of the Intel Learning Series of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) newsletter, stated that Intel commended Zinox for its commitment to be the leading and preferred source of world-class Information Technology products and solutions on the continent.

Commenting on this, the Country Manager of Intel Corporation Nigeria, Mr. David Ibhawoh, said that the success story is a phenomenon representing the endless IT possibilities embedded in an entrepreneurial drive that is committed and professional.

Ibhawoh said that the Zinox strategy is basically patriotic and should be judged by its relevance to the aspirations of society.

He also said that Intel is impressed that Zinox is not interested in just market shares and consumer loyalty but is pursuing a course; this time the provision of IT infrastructure in schools to motivate meaningful teaching and learning for national development.

He said that Intel is happy that Zinox is growing and not cannibalizing the IT environment as it leads the new crop of IT players in sub Saharan Africa.

Stressing that Zinox is Intel’s number 1 partner in sub Saharan Africa, and has won all major Intel Awards in recognition of its creative participation in the IT market.

Mr. Ibhawoh further said that in the near future Intel Corporation intends to use Zinox to drive consumer programmes in the region; expressing Intel’s interest in helping companies like Zinox with the right attitudes and processes to become global players.

He noted that in the past nine years of operations, Zinox has relentlessly pursued its vision that Information Technology can only make the desired impact as the main driver of national development if the educational sector is fully computerized.

In the process, Intel said, Zinox has come to be known as the prime provider of IT equipment and solutions to educational institutions in Nigeria.

“In the last 2 years Zinox has unrelentingly engaged in educational ICT projects and successfully deployed Intel-powered classmate PC projects to 210 secondary schools in Nigeria which included wireless internet connectivity, and training teachers as ICT champions in the beneficiary schools on Zinox’ e-learning platform consisting of over 1,000,000 e-books”.

Today, the Intel Newsletter stated, these schools are model schools, and the projects are regarded as systematic approach in building a knowledge economy.

Recalling that in May 2010, the Federal Government of Nigeria approved that Zinox should implement Intel-powered classmate PC projects to an additional 201 secondary schools across the country.

This, Intel said entails that Zinox has deployed over 80 per cent of all Intel-powered classmate PC projects in Nigeria, even as it has deployed digital labs equipped with Intel-powered PCs and laptops and internet to 180 tertiary institutions on behalf of the government of the federation.

Meanwhile, the Group Managing Director (GMD) Zinox Group, Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh, has expressed belief in IT industry in the country.

Speaking at the IT Assembly and Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), Dr. Ekeh said that Zinox commitment could be measured by the numerous pioneering efforts of the company in the sector.

These, he said, include the introduction of digital knowledge tools like the Zinox card with access to over 1,000,000 books including examination revision modules for West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO) and Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) among others; the expansion of the digital plants to increase the production of PC machines; and the sustenance of the initiative of the Computerize Nigeria Project which is empowering Nigerians with subsidized computers.

Ekeh said that governments in the West African region should do more to encourage the development of the IT market and pledged to remain an aggressive collaborator of CPN.


ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

2011: NIGCOMSAT develops e-voting solution

The Nigeria Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited, has announced the development of electronic voting (eVoting) solution ahead of the 2011 general elections in the country.

This, the company said would assist the country in check mating electoral frauds.

According to the Managing Director, NIGCOMSAT, Mr. Ahmed Rufai, the solution is a 100 per cent home grown product designed, developed and fabricated by Nigerian engineers at NIGCOMSAT facility in Lugbe, Abuja.

“It’s been demonstrated to be very workable and if given the financial support needed to purchase materials, 40,000 sets can be produced within four months,” he said.

Before now, he said that the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Muhammed K. Abubakar had canvassed for official acceptance by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the solution developed by an organisation under his ministry.

Also, he quoted Prof. Abubakar during inspection of the solution at NIGCOMSAT facilities as saying that the teams of engineers have proven that the eVoting solution is a sure proof that the solution to Nigeria’s problems lie at home.

“Based on what I have seen here today, I am highly impressed and confident enough to say that my ministry has developed a comprehensive solution for an electronic voting system that will ensure that every vote counts. I will bring this to the attention of Mr. President and the INEC chief for appropriate action,” the Minister said.

Equally, Abubakar said that with what the young engineers here have developed, biometric-based voters’ register could be produced before December this year by NIGCOMSAT given the necessary financial support.

“They have all that it takes to do this,” he declared.

Throwing more light, Rufai said that the solution is cost effective and provides a broad base multiplex of foolproof solutions at a fraction of what INEC sought to do in the last 2007 election, which was never implemented.

Being home-grown, he said, the solution eliminates the need for foreign exchange (FOREX) and addresses the core of Nigeria’s electoral fraud as clearly understood by the team of indigenous engineers who are all Nigerians.

“It’s cost effective, NIGCOMSAT already has the production line equipments in-place except for the copy and paste equipment, which is meant for mass production. It has also been demonstrated to be efficient because it is user friendly, a simple guide is embedded in the system and as soon as an individual confirms his or her candidate selection, the cast is recorded and sent to a central server, the system is also designed in such a way that each candidate can monitor the votes coming in and for whom. Remember also, that the engineers involved are in federal government employment. By way of comparison, total cost of ownership will be 20 times as much if imported from abroad as against being produced by NIGCOMSAT,” Rufai noted.

He explained that the registered voter ID with his passport photograph and finger print would be on the card to show that he is eligible to vote. A voter’s finger print would be screened against his card for authenticity and detect multiple registration.

“Once the finger matches with the one on the card, the voter is then eligible to vote. After a choice of candidate has been made, a printout of the political party, person, time and place he voted will be given to him with a copy placed in the ballot box,” he said.

This, he said, would prevent multiple registrations and voting, even as the system displays full names and pictures of candidates for various offices being contested for as registered by INEC along with names and logos of political parties they belong to.

He recalled that over 40 billion naira was invested on technology by INEC in 2007, emphasizing that NIGCOMSAT e-Voting system is based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFI) technology which uses a contact-less card system with enhanced security features embedded in a voting card.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Multi-Links Telkom gets acting CEO

Subsequent to the appointment of Mr. Jeffrey Hedberg as the acting Group Chief Executive Officer, Telkom South Africa, the parent company of Multi-Links Telkom, an acting chief executive officer, Mr. Vincent Raseroka has been named to take his place in Multi-Links Telkom Nigeria.

Raseroka was the immediate past Chief Operating Officer (COO) Multi-Links Telkom and had a robust working relationship with Jeffrey culminating in a seamless transition at Multi-Links Telkom.

Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Mrs. Ijeoma Abazie, in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online, said that prior to Raseroka’s joining of Multi-Links Telkom, he had served as the Managing Director of Cell C Service Provider Company from 2003 to 2005 from where he was engaged as the President, Chairman of Peters Papers before his latest appointment with Multi-Links Telkom.

She further said that Raseroka had a varied and exciting work experience working at different levels of engagements with blue chip organizations including Shell Oil Company, South African Breweries, Development Bank of Southern Africa, Nampak and South African Airways – Cargo, where he was Managing Director/Cargo and CEO South African Airways Technical.

The new Acting CEO has studied in the United States of America (USA) to obtain his BA (Hons) Cum Laude in Admin. Economics at Fisk University, Nashville, USA from 1982 – 1984, he was nominated to “Who is Who” among students in the USA. A native of South Africa, Raseroka is married with two children.


ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

'Mobile subscription exceeds 5m'

Based on the estimation of Ericsson study group, the global mobile subscription has exceeded the 5 billion mark, 18 months after the 4 billion mark was reached at the end of 2008.

With bulk of this growth spurred by four key emerging markets, namely China, India, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, experts at Ericsson said that the main drivers of growth have continued to be Africa and the Asia-Pacific regions.

These regions, Ericsson noted together accounted for 80 per cent of global subscription net additions in the first half of 2010.

“Today, there are 450 million mobile subscriptions in Africa as compared to the year 2000, when there were about 16 million subscriptions, less than the amount of users in Ghana today,” part of a press statement made available by Ericsson Corporate Public & Media Relations department.

They said, 2 million additions are made per day globally, more than 500 million Third Generation (3G) subscriptions and 50 billion connected devices will be attained by 2020.

According to them, mobile broadband subscriptions are growing at a similar pace and are expected to amount to more than 3.4 billion by 2015, that is, up from 360 million in 2009. “Over 100 million of these will come from sub-Saharan Africa.

Studies show that soon 80 percent of all people accessing the internet will be doing so using their mobile device, this is already the case in Africa,” Ericsson said.

For some, officials said that it’s a question of convenience, while for others it is a necessity, pointing out that mobile subscriptions allow people who do not have access to a bank or a bank account to transfer money; fishermen and farmers can get quick updates on sudden changes in the weather forecast, villagers can get local medical care, and children can access online education.

Thus, it facilitates daily operations of small businesses and drives economic growth, emphasizing that through its joint ventures, Sony Ericsson and ST Ericsson, they enabled access to new services and enriching individual’s Internet, multimedia and user experience through innovations in device design, multimedia platforms, smart mobility and entertainment.

In more mature markets, Ericsson officials noted that connected devices rather than people, are driving the increase in network traffic, underscoring the fact that Ericsson’s vision is to reach 50 billion connections by the end of this decade.

The communication landscape, they said, is changing rapidly and in December 2009, another milestone was reached when the amount of data traffic carried over mobile networks exceeded the amount of traffic generated from voice calls.

As such, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications would be a key component in the future growth of the mobile industry, even as medical applications include remote medical diagnostics, which would facilitate the collection, monitoring, and analysis of patient data from rural and/or isolated locations.

For energy companies, they said, it could be smart meters that read themselves, increase business efficiency and cut operational expenses.

In transportation, Ericsson’s experts said that tracking solutions would improve route optimization and safety for vehicles on the road and even digital signs that could be updated remotely, cameras that could send pictures halfway around the world are other examples that machine-to-machine technology make possible.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Akunyili for Nigeria Internet world confab

Arrangements have been concluded for the hosting of the maiden edition of the Nigeria Internet World conference and exhibition (NICE-2010) in Lagos.

Kenneth Omeruo, the chief host, informed ITRealms Online that the event scheduled to hold at Afe Babalola Hall, the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on July 20, would be graced by the Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Mrs. Dora Akunyili.

“This is to announce that the maiden edition of Nigeria Internetworld conference and exhibition 2010 would hold in Lagos,” he said.

NICE, he said, is an initiative of Techtrendsng.com in collaboration with Embolden Limited.Techtrendsng.com is an ICT based e-publishing platform that has been in the fore- front of empowering Nigerians and has become the leading ICT blog in Nigeria while Embolden Limited is a Youth development and empowerment company.

He said that based economy; the Internet has become a veritable tool for business, communication and social empowerment, noting that Nigerians when it comes to Internet are known as people that use the Internet for fraudulent purposes, hence the name Nigerian scam.

“This has tarnished the image of the country in no small measure,” he said, stressing that one of the ways to reduce the incidence of cyber crime and rebrand the country is by empowering Nigerians with the latest opportunities that the Internet provides in areas of business, education, governance, communication, medicine, agriculture, hence NICE has come as a solution. A one day annual event, he said, NICE would provide education, empowerment, networking, business opportunities for Nigerians.

“It is a gathering of Internet based businesses, service providers, e-Commerce providers and experts that are involved in online marketing, e-commerce technology, web technology, content development and management” he said.
noting that registration is free at http://www.nice2010.net/

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

ICANN seeks nomination for committee chair

Internet coordinating agency, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has announced the search for the 2010-2011 Nominating Committee (NomCom) chairman.

NomCom Chair is responsible for organizing the NomCom in its activities to select certain ICANN board members and individuals who would serve in key leadership positions within ICANN’s supporting organizations (SO) and advisory committees (AC) in accordance with ICANN’s bylaws.

Equally, the chair is a non-voting member of the NomCom selected by ICANN’s board to serve until the conclusion of the next ICANN annual meeting.

A press statement from ICANN informed that to properly serve as chair, the selected individual must have adequate time available to undertake the role; excellent communication and negotiation skills to manage a committee of 22 - 23 members; a clear understanding of the duties and responsibilities of each position for which the NomCom is selecting candidates.

Additionally, the candidate for NomCom chair, must have experience on or with a board of directors; strong organization and leadership skills; ability to remain unbiased; no conflicts of interest, and a thorough understanding of, and satisfy, all criteria set forth in ICANN bylaws relating to the NomCom.

“No person who is an employee of or is a paid consultant to ICANN (including the Ombudsman) shall simultaneously serve as a member of the NomCom, including the post of Chair,” the statement read.

On the duties and responsibilities of the chairman of NomCom, ICANN said include reviews of the NomCom policies and procedures with the committee members and supporting staff and ensures that all activities of the NomCom are in compliance.

“Plans, schedules and chairs NomCom meetings as required; appoints non-voting Associate Chair if so desired; reports to ICANN Board on status of the NomCom; prepares and publishes the NomCom report as well as coordinates due diligence on nominated candidates in cooperation with ICANN’s General Counsel and any outside firm(s) retained to perform due diligence activities,” part of the statement read.

ICANN further said that the duties include conducting of outreach with ICANN constituencies, ACs and SOs (with Chairs of those groups), ICANN Board, and other bodies outside ICANN.

And with other committee members, review and evaluate candidate Statements of Interest (SOIs) and references submitted during NomCom process; additionally schedules and manages both telephone and face-to-face interviews with selected candidates.

Even as the chairman should ensure NomCom records are secure and then deleted at the end of the year, with the exception of Statements of Interest that candidates want ICANN to retain for the NomCom for future consideration.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Cisco launches borderless network in Lagos

Cisco Systems has launched its borderless network in the country.

Speaking at the session in Lagos, Advanced Technical Business Development Manager for Emerging Marketing at Cisco, Mr. Bola Adegbommire said that the new product is architectural based and would enhance the way Nigerians live their lives as well as offer them the chance to communicate with their businesses, associates, friends and loved ones irrespective of their location.

The launch, he said, would enable the availability of borderless services for Nigerians in three major areas of voice, data and video.

Also speaking, the Systems Engineer at Cisco Systems Nigeria, Mr. Salami Morakinyo; noted that the introduction of the borderless network became necessary, since mobility and video are leading revolution in technology.

Though the service has been in existence for decades for specific subscribers, Cisco, he said, is now making the service available not only for organizations but also for private persons who want to have a feel of architecture powered by its Tele-presence.

ITRealms Online gathered that Borderless Networks, is a Cisco next-generation architecture, which delivers the new workspace experience, connecting anyone, anywhere, using any device, to any resource - securely, reliably, and seamlessly.

“We work, live, play, and learn in a world that has no boundaries and knows no borders,” official said, pointing out that Cisco’s Borderless Networks architecture addresses key IT and business challenges to help create a truly borderless experience by bringing interactions closer to the employee and customer.

Officials emphasized that systems innovations across routing, switching, wireless, acceleration, and security help organizations to deliver mobility, security, and performance to transform the way IT delivers and scales those services on the network.

Cisco’s five-phase plan for Borderless Networks provides a roadmap to the advanced features and services that would help enable the next-generation workspace experience.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

3 firms collaborate on top 50 ICT brands @ 50

Three Information and Communication Technology (ICT) entities are collaborating on a documentary of top 50 brands in commemoration of the nation’s 50 years of independence.

The trio includes Technology Africa, e-Business Life Magazine and Tech Trends.

A press statement endorsed by the chief executive officers of these firms, namely Don Pedro Aganbi, Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro and Mr. Kenneth Omeruo, and made available to ITRealms Online, said that as part of events to mark Nigeria’s 50th Independence Day celebrations, they came together to unveil a documentary on the transformation of Nigeria’s ICT industry since independence till date.

Scheduled to hold on September 23 and 24, 2010, they said, the event would feature a lecture series and the unveiling of a documentary on 50 years of ICT sector in the country.

The documentary described as the first of its kind, they said, would bring to mind how the telecom, software and hardware industries have fared in the last 50 years.

According to Aganbi, the Nigerian ICT industry has evolved from a very humble beginning at independence and has grown to a point where it has given Nigeria a pride of place among the comity of nations.

“It is in this regard that we think the activities of the drivers of the sector be documented and broadcasted to the whole world,” Aganbi said.

The documentary, he explained, would also be in print in the October edition of e-Business Life Magazine, will be a reference point for those who would want to know the true story of pioneers and revolutionaries in the hardware, software and telecom industry

Aganbi also said that the lecture part of the event would dwell on the ICT industry since independence and a dinner with top 50 ICT brands.

Tagged “Nigeria’s Top 50 Brands @50,” he said, they are collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Information and Communications.

Equally speaking, the publisher, e-Business Life, Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro noted that the ICT sector has been a major ace in the development of the Nigerian economy therefore making it very important that the drivers of the sector be celebrated.

She further noted that the pace of transformation in the industry coupled with the significance of a golden jubilee makes this an appropriate time to document the unique happenings and those who propelled the industry since independence.

“We need to celebrate our own and project a positive image of the Nigerian ICT sector to the rest of the world in order to sustain the growth beyond 2010,” she asserted.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Starcomms unveils new int’l tariff

The Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operator, Starcomms Plc has unveiled a new set of international tariff, which it described as pocket friendly and relatively low international call rate.

Announcing this, the Chief Commercial Officer of Starcomms, Mr. Tushar Maheshwari said that it was in determination to make talking easier for its customers who want to keep in touch with their loved ones outside the shores of the country.

The new call rate which is as low as N12 per minute is applicable to calls to the United States of America, Canada , United Kingdom , China and India.

Maheshwari said, the new tariff is another first from Starcomms because it covers peak and off peak calls to both land and mobile lines in the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, China and India.

He further said, these countries that the rate covers are top international business and leisure destinations, as a result, the new comparatively low rate will enable Starcomms customers to be in touch with their business partners and loved ones in those countries.

He noted that there is a passion in every Nigerian to stay connected with loved ones outside the country, and that since Starcomms is a network that speaks the language of the people; it is obliged to always give them the opportunity to do so.

Starcomms, he said, would continue to improve the life of all its customers through exciting packages, Maheshwari said that it is currently running a three minutes promo, through which customers could make unlimited on-net calls after paying for the first three minutes.

Recalling that Starcomms, Nigeria ’s only publicly quoted telecommunication firm has won several awards locally and internationally because of its innovativeness and excellent services.

In 2009 Starcomms was adjudged the CDMA Company of the Year during the Beacon of ICT Awards. It clinched the award after leading the pack in an online voting process in which all Nigerian subscribers were invited to participate.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D