e-Voters’ registration: NigcomSAT applies for global patent, advises INEC to look inwards

The Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSAT) said it has applied for the worldwide patent of its e-voting registration application in readiness for the 2011 general elections.

This came as NigComSAT advised the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), under Prof. Attahiru Jega, to look inwards in deployment of Information and Communication Technology for the exercise so as to encourage local IT entrepreneurs, especially in the hardware sub-sector.

Speaking to newsmen recently, the Managing Director, NigComSAT, Mr. Ahmed T. Rufai, noted that there is need to look inwards so as to tap from the local companies’ capable of providing part or holistic deployment for the exercise expected to be a transformational step for the country.

He said, by deploying computers, especially laptops needed for the project through the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) such as Zinox, Omatek, Beta and Brain with NigComSAT e-voting suite, to name a few, it would reduce capital flight and spur local companies in creating more jobs for the populace.

“We should believe in ourselves and look inward in developing this country because for every Naira you throw out of this country, you are developing the economy of another country,” he warned, wondering what policies are in place to ensure that Nigeria have developmental agenda.

Rufai stressed that the Local Content Act recently passed into law by the National Assembly should not just be restricted to the oil industry alone, but should apply in so many other sectors.

He noted that there was a time the government tried to domesticate the textile industry by banning the importation of lace material, but said that it is not about banning a product.

“We should try to enhance our local industries for them to be competitive enough over other foreign counterparts,” he declared, noting that though textile industry is still talking of bail out and the money has not even gotten to stakeholders.

He further noted that before now the textile industry has been the largest employer of labour in the country.

“So, if you are talking of creating employment and reducing crime, to what extent are we matching our words with action” he queried, pointing out that now that INEC is seeking to conduct direct digital capturing of voters’ registration for the forthcoming general election billed for next year, it is paramount that local content is brought to bear on the exercise by encouraging Nigerian companies to participate actively in the deployment.

Rufai described the exercise as the simplest form of software engineering, because the hardware required includes laptop and a camcorder.

According to him, a foreign branded laptop could cost $1000, about N150,250, or at least, $850, an estimated N127,712.50, that is, coming with a camcorder.

“What makes the e-registration complete is just the software platform, the template that tie to enable them connect together, not just an intelligent table if I can call it, a table that we design not with the Microsoft window, for every window there is a software behind the window that is not seen. But to create table itself there is a command and the template will be used for data analysis, storage and production eventually,” he stressed.

Emphasizing that what is actually uploaded would comprise a special table for the capturing of the picture, finger print and bio-data of the voters as well as where they would want to vote.

“So, all these things were what we have produced locally and it’s owned by Nigerians because we are government. Whatever is our product is owned by Nigeria; they can decide to take it free of charge without paying N1 for it,” he asserted, noting that a computer could be used for more than three wards.

He said, all these capabilities are there in an electronic register, in such a way that given an interaction when an election is going to take place, voters are given an opportunity to choose where to vote, “so if you are in Abuja and want to vote in Lagos.”

Though, he said, Nigeria is not yet there, in terms of allowing citizens to vote electronically, Rufai disclosed that flexibility has come to the system, based on the recent study by NigcomSAT.

Rufai further said that NigComSAT has experimented on this technology in the past two years, citing an instance of staff attendance system based on smart card.

“In fact, it is from this system we graduated, because everything we place there represents entire register system of workers, giving them smartcard and authentication of their presence; when they come to work and when they close from work,” he said, explaining that it’s a system that has been used over time and is resilient.

What NigComSAT is saying, according to him, is that it’s high time to look inward, because there are multiple advantages in INEC taking these decisions correctly.

Just as he alleged that today, INEC is thinking of providing vendors with 30 per cent worth of the contract, saying that this amount is enough to build a micro-electronic computer line in the country.

“Imagine if we start producing our own computer, television as it used to be in Phillip in Ojota in those days, imagine if we start producing our own handsets for 50 million mobile telephone users in Nigeria,” he declared. This is how you grow the economy toward vision 2020 and not exporting all the money to foreigners,” he canvassed.

He maintained that what is really needed for the direct capture machine is a modern laptop equip with camcorder in addition to the biometric machine.

He charged INEC to use this voters’ registration exercise to challenge and encourage local capacity building, just like former President Olusegun Obasanjo did in a memo during his tenure thus, giving support to local IT hardware manufacturers.

“They can ride on that and the beauty of it all is that we have created an electronic ballot system which cannot be snatch and you cannot snuff ballot paper into it because the entry is mechanized and there is magnetic reader that recognizes whether this ballot paper will enter it or not. If the answer is yes, it is the one way to accept the ballot paper from you. You cannot even vote with the ballot paper unless you are programmed to vote in that ward,” he said.

Rufai explained that the ballot paper is biometric inclined as well as the finger tips.

“Why can’t we just look at it for once, and the beauty of it is that we can export this to Ghana and some other West African countries, and even export this to Europe and America,” he said, insisting that if China is exporting technological product to America, he does not see what could stop Nigeria from doing same.

Revealing that NigcomSAT has already applied to the United States (US), Europe and worldwide, for patent of this product and said that they are very confident about this application for e-registration and voting.

“It is still pending, they have not replied us, which means nobody has done it because once you apply for United States patent and worldwide patent, they will start doing their research. So, we believe that if we adopt this solution, it will put Nigeria on the path of technological progress and diversifying our economy and the path of attaining our vision 2020, so that we match our words with action,” he submitted.


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‘Nigeria is Epson’s hub for West African markets’

The Head, Regional Sales for Africa and Europe at Seiko Epson, Mr. Michael Hunt, has said that Nigeria would be the hub for its market outreach in the West African
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) markets.

Speaking at a one-day customers’ forum organized by Epson Nigeria in Lagos, Mr. Hunt noted that bringing this forum to Lagos, Nigeria, is an indication of how serious Epson Africa takes the market.

Africa, he said, is the second largest continent with 54 countries and AFIS region
consists of 24 countries with 32 distributors made up of businesses and retail.

He also listed Nigeria as being among the top 10 economies on the continent for Epson products led by South Africa and includes Algeria and Angola to name a few.

“Nigeria would be the base to market Epson in West Africa across Ghana, and Sierra Leone,” he said.

Equally he listed two key distributors of Epson in the country including Technology Distribution (TD) and Nakanwura Technologies, saying that both have offices across the country for retail purposes, in addition to maintaining warranty centre at Computer Plus, even as they also uses the United Kingdom-based distributors like WestCon Africa and Tri-Continental and DistAfrica to name a few.

Further, he said that the 50 per cent of Epson revenue annually still comes from Dot Matrix printers in Africa and the demand would continue to rise, though it’s being used mainly by banks.

In his address at the occasion, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Seiko Epson, Mr. Tadaaki Hagata, tasked its partners and customers in African to share in the company’s goal of exceeding their vision.

Hagata also said that the ultimate goal of the company is to ensure that its partners and customers alike buy into its goal of making certain that whoever gets in contact with them for business purposes exceeds his or her vision.

He urged them to always remember that the sole platform being created by the company is for all its partners and customers specifically to achieve beyond their imagination.

“In partnership with Epson, you can exceed your vision and always remember that,” he declared.

Mr. Hagata who was equally accompanied at the forum by the Account Manager for Africa, Mr. Shaun Robinson, Support Specialist, Mr. Maier Roberts, Accounts Manager for Nigeria, Mr. Joseph Ejiogu, Sales Expansion Manager, Mr. Fukaishei Acitino, Product Business Manager-Africa, Ms Chiyo Kubota and Business System director, Mr. Whley Jason, said that they now have in-country accounts manager in the person of Mr. Ejiogu, to further strengthen Epson presence in the country.

Epson, he noted has been doing business in Nigeria with both public and private sectors, stressing that the company made over $12 billion in annual turnover, though he was not specific about the figure originating from Africa and Nigeria precisely.

Hagata further said that they are working at making the market better by engaging more sellers with good offering.

On the future goal of Epson for Africa, he said that they have challenged themselves to maintain the provision of the products that would avail customers to exceed their goals as they go about their businesses.

For the Director, Business System, Mr. Whley Jason said that in Epson, they have since realized that planning for the future is unrealistic without consideration for the environment, hence, the company came with an environmental friendly vision towards 2050.

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Zinox eyes Zambia, gets JACITAD commendation

Zinox Technologies said it has concluded plans to open country office in the Republic of Zambia, just as the Joint Action Committee for ICT Awareness and Development (JACITAD), has commended Zinox management on its latest ranking by the International Data Corporation (IDC) as the top selling laptop brand in the country.

Disclosing this, at the weekend, the chairman, Zinox Technologies, Dr. Leo-Stan Ekeh said that in a less than two weeks, his company would open office in Zambia in addition to the already existing offices in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia and South Africa to name a few on the continent.

This, he said, is in fulfillment of the dream to build a continental Information and Communications Technology (ICT) company for Africans.

Also, he said, Zinox is ready to collaborate with any other Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) in the country for national development, which eventually would cut down cost of operation.

“I am ready to collaborate for a consortium,” he declared.

Ekeh also expressed appreciation to the members and executive of JACITAD for finding it worthy to congratulate Zinox on IDC ranking, at least for even the thought in the first instance.

He prayed that Zinox leadership would continue to be in the right path to be undeterred in supporting genuine organisations like JACITAD, that are driven by the urge to development the Nigeria nation.

Speaking earlier, President, JACITAD, Prince Osuagwu, recalled that in 2005, Zinox was rated by IDC as second to Hewlett Packard (HP) and has strived to emerge lead in 2010, describing it as a remarkable feat worthy of commendation, hence the executive of his group decided to recognize its value by paying a courtesy call to the management of Zinox in this regard.

Osuagwu, noted that Zinox had promised to make Nigeria a force to be reckoned with in Information Technology and based on the scope and quality of jobs rendered both at the private and public sectors as streamlined by the IDC ranking, Zinox has delivered on that promise.

He also expressed confidence that Zinox’s achievements are reassuring to the nation’s youths that definitely Nigeria would partake in the sharing of emerging global wealth generated by knowledge and pledged the group’s support to Zinox for continuously flying the nation’s flag in the digital arena.

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APC, Cisco collaborate on Smart+Connected project

Global leader in integrated critical power and cooling services, APC by Schneider Electric recently collaborated with Cisco at the 2010 expo in Shanghai, China.

Commenting on the participation and collaboration, the vice president, Global Strategic Alliances, APC, Mr. Alistair Pim, said that the company provided its expertise and solutions by demonstrating the EcoStruxure architecture, which incorporates the company’s InfraStruXure architecture for data centers in support of the Cisco Smart+Connected Communities initiative intended to help communities save up to 30 per cent off their energy bills.

He pointed out that from managing the complex operating environment of factories, operating a data center more efficiently or meeting the efficiency targets for the building, Schneider Electric makes the connections and helps companies manage their energy usage more efficiently.

He expressed delight in working with Cisco to bring the Smart+Connected vision to life through the collaboration in the Cisco Pavilion at Expo 2010.

APC’s energy efficient physical layer solutions, Pim also said, helps to ensure availability on the Cisco Unified Computing System and the EMC Vblock solutions that are powering the Cisco Pavilion, showing the modularity, scalability and manageability of the solutions when used in the enterprise data center.

Outside of the data center, he said, Schneider Electric’s building management solutions and APC’s InfraStruXure management software portfolio integrate with Cisco EnergyWise to provide for more visibility and management of connected devices over the Internet Protocol (IP) network, resulting in decreased energy consumption across the Cisco Pavilion, demonstrating how Smart+Connected Communities of tomorrow can make the most of their energy.

Also speaking, director for the Cisco Pavilion, Mr. Anthony Elvey, said that this collaboration shows that both companies share vision for the Smart+Connected Communities.

“Just as the Internet has transformed our businesses and personal lives, so it will now transform our cities and communities. Everything will be connected, from health care to education, government, buildings, physical security and much more — truly everything,” he said,

Elvey pointed out that cities which embrace technology will be those who lead in the future, achieving significant environmental, social and economic sustainability.

In addition to the Cisco Pavilion, Schneider Electric energy management solutions will be showcased within following pavilions at Expo Shanghai 2010.

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ATCON, ITAN enter alliance for ICT4D

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and Information Technology Industry Association of Nigeria (ITAN), last weekend, entered into an alliance to share information on Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) with a consummation of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Giving the summary of the alliance at a media briefing in Lagos, the President, ITAN, Dr. Jimson Olufuye, said that this Memorandum of Understanding is for exchange of information for the benefit of the emerging ICT industry in the country.

He also said that each of the parties in the alliance would forward a copy of an input it has already made to the government to the other parties for information only.

“The purpose is to enhance understanding and minimize discordance in the different input from which governments base their decisions,” he said.

According to him, the independence and the right of content of opinion on input to governance are retained for every party involved, stressing that it would make it possible for any other association at take off in order to allow for any other willing industry association to have known the scope before opting to be part of the alliance.

He stressing that Internet Protocol (IP) enables convergence of hitherto disparate services for telephony, broadcasting, computing, communications, postal services to name a few, which has transformed the multi-polar world into a uni-polar world now referred to as a global village.

“The apparent global transformation has affected the way we live, play, study, work and particularly do business,” he said, adding that entities once thought to exist in silos are now driven by a common thread called the internet.

He noted that the objective of this alliance include to facilitate the need for governments to receive a common voice from advocates of the emerging ICT industry in the country, which benefits comprised improved industry base for the sector, accelerated development of the sector due to synergy and coordination of efforts towards one goal capable of leading to development and creation of business for members.

Additionally, Olufuye said that it would bring about increased political reckoning for the industry, fast-tracked public policy articulation and effectiveness as well as promotion of critical industry confidence desirous for accelerated attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Vision 20-2020.

In his remarks, ATCON president, Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu reiterated that the scope of the alliance is limited to each partner sending a copy of any input it made to any government on issues relating to ICT industry development.

He warned that a few people may read meanings into the alliance and are likely to go aware with the notion that a body of association has been formed, stressing that some other people would find reasons as to why one association will eventually swallow another.

“This is not so … It is not so and it is not intended,” Omo-Ettu insisted.

He pointed out that the major benefit envisaged in the alliance is to facilitate assistance to the government in terms of reaching decision from advices from professional associations in manner that such advices will not be discordant.

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Abosede opens Etisalat’s shop @ Sabo-Yaba

The Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Francesco Abosede has opened the Etisalat’s Experience Centre at the e-Center, Sabo-Yaba in Lagos.

A press statement from the operator quoted Etisalat Acting Director Sales, Mr. Ken Ogujiofor, as saying that this was to further bring its unique products and services closer to new and existing customers on the network.

Customers who visited the centre, he said, during the unveiling had the opportunity of enjoying the Etisalat experience.

According to him, Mr. Abosede who was special guest and represented by the Permanent Secretary, Architect Mrs. Yetunde Ajayi, commended Etisalat for bringing its services to the neighborhood.

He also said Etisalat has come to this community to open a store, which is exciting, adding that it’s a chance for more people to have access to different benefits available on the network and not have to go far to take advantage of these benefits.

Ogujiofor, said at the event that the new Etisalat Centre offers the people of the area and its environs easy access to various services offered by the brand.

“In fulfillment to serve our customers ever better so they can enjoy the Etisalat experience, this Centre will provide easy access to the people in this neighborhood to a point of purchase for data devices, SIM packs, and handsets,” he said.

Additionally, he said the ever ready sales specialists would also be available to help solve customer-related issues and offer information to Etisalat subscribers on how best to enjoy the unique benefits of the products.

As said by him, the Centre located within the E-Center, Sabo, Yaba, has been designed in signature with Etisalat style and colors.

Etisalat currently has Centres at GRA and Allen Avenue in Ikeja, Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, Awolowo road in Ikoyi, Silverbird Galleria, Mega Plaza, Saka Tinubu and the Palms all in Lagos; other Centres are in Kano, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kaduna, Maiduguri and Abuja.

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Glo assures associates of better days ahead

*@ awards nite

Second National Operator (SNO), Globacom has assured its business associates of better days ahead.

Group Chief Operating Officer (GCOO), Mr. Mohammed Jameel, who gave the assurance at the Glo business associates rewards nite in Lagos, last weekend, noted that the company is aware the business associates have issues with profitability, but assured that Glo would not claim ignorance of their situation.

“As a responsive, flexible with the feeling of corporate entity, their anxieties are being looked into,” he said, promising that Glo would continue to strive so as to make certain that its business associates get rewarded for their uncommon loyalty.

For Jameel, “We have been collating feedbacks from the field in the last few months. I assure you that all your concerns would be looked into,” insisting that Glo would continue to share a bit of returns on investment with its business associates.
On market penetration, Jameel said, the SNO would not rest on its oars as it strives to make its presence felt in every nook and cranny nationwide with its superior bouquet of products and services.

Further, Jameel pointed that the desire to ensure high quality of service, in addition to a number of projects, especially building of additional base stations to add to the already near 5,000 on ground, would continue.

Equally speaking, Director, Marketing Unit, Mr. Ken Hall, said the determination to expand its presence and services is going to be total as its products would be made available at every school gate, places of worship and inhabited by man nationwide.

He said the operator has launched the territorial campaign which makes every state in the country a “sales region.”

Emphasising that Glo would expedite action on the payment of their incentives, Hall said, frequent changes have become inimical to the growth of the business.

Some of the business associates were rewarded with in several categories including silver, gold and platinum, with some going home with about 30 new Toyota Hiace, three brand new Land Rover Jeeps and about a 100 motorbikes, laptops and printers for their loyalty to the brand.

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ZOOMmobile unveils free calls

One of the nation’s leading Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), ZOOMmobile, has introduced a 24-hour free calls on its network for customers as part of the Nigeria’s 50 year anniversary, tagged as ‘Awooof’.

Chief Strategy Officer, ZOOMmobile, Mr. Usman Amodu-Shuaibu, who made this disclosure in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online said that the move is targeted at giving subscribers more value for money.

He explained that the new package called Awooof was because it is targeted at anybody who could afford N50 per day to make unlimited call on the ZOOMmobile network.

“This package introduction coincides with our 50th anniversary and is intended to give Nigerians a good deal and a voice to talk for free,” he said.

According to him, the package is unique in the sense that all other operators offer free call service for a limited number of hours mostly on promotional basis at midnight.

He stressed that with the new package, subscribers on ZOOMmobile are at liberty to talk unlimited for twenty four hours without having to wait till midnight.

“The new package is not a promotional offer but an ideal tariff plan that has come to stay,” he declared.

He explained that in order to enjoy unlimited free on-net calls, subscribers on the Awooof package could make calls to other networks at 27K per second or N16 per minute, stressing that the package is the most affordable tariff plan so far in the industry.

Amodu-Shuaibu also informed that to get connected, new customers only need to purchase a phone at any ZOOM shop or dealership outlets nationwide, while both new and existing subscribers could migrate to the new plan by texting ‘100’ to ‘333’.

ITRealms Online recalls that ZOOMmobile offers a comprehensive range of wireless communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users.

The company has won most of the high profile industry awards in her category for mobile voice telephony and Internet services.


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Symantec acquires VeriSign’s security business

Symantec Corporation has announced the acquisition of VeriSign’s identity and authentication business.

This includes the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Code Signing Certificate Services, the Managed Public Key Infrastructure (MPKI) Services, the VeriSign Trust Seal, the VeriSign Identity Protection (VIP) Authentication Service and the VIP Fraud Detection Service (FDS).

Symantec’s president, Mr. Enrique Salem affirmed this in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online at the weekend, saying that enterprises and consumers alike expect simple and secure access to information from any device, protection from identity fraud, and online experiences that are user-friendly and hassle-free.

These, he noted, motivated Symantec to go the acquisition of VeriSign identity and authentication business arm. The combination of Symantec’s leading security solutions with VeriSign’s security products, services and recognition as the most trusted brand online, uniquely he said, positions Symantec to drive the adoption of identity security and restore trust online unlike any other company.

Also, SVP Platform Services at Charles Schwab, Andrew Salesky explained that, “Symantec has acquired a strong technology suite and team that we hope to continue to leverage.” He said that users will benefit by having a single primary security partner for our enterprise and client facing applications, and look forward to further enhancing these capabilities with Symantec.

The VeriSign check mark is the most recognized symbol of trust online with more than 250 million impressions every day on more than 90,000 websites in 160 countries.

Symantec has begun the process to transition to a new corporate identity incorporating the VeriSign check mark. This will include a new corporate logo, as well as a new version of the Norton consumer logo, to convey that it’s safe to communicate, transact commerce and exchange information online. The external global roll-out will begin in the December quarter.

With the completion of the acquisition, Symantec’s current portfolio, along with assets from VeriSign, provides the depth and breadth of technologies to make identity-based security of information part of a comprehensive security solution. Integration efforts are expected to:

The integration efforts will provide VeriSign’s SSL Certificate Services with Symantec Critical System Protection through the sales channel. By quickly enabling the sales force to begin cross-selling these offerings, Symantec will help organizations ensure and verify a higher level of security on their web servers, providing users with the trust and confidence to do business online.

It will align the VeriSign SSL and client PKI authentications services with Symantec Protection Center (SPC) to provide a unified enterprise security management solution.

The integration is expected to strengthen user access security by expanding Symantec’s Data Loss Prevention solutions and Data Insight technology with VeriSign’s identity security services to ensure that only authorized users have access to appropriate information.

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Security: Digital Sense, ATCON endorse summit on ICT intervention

Stakeholders are gearing up for the first summit on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) intervention on national security, scheduled for next month in Lagos, just as some notable industry groups and organisation have endorsed the summit.

Event coordinator, Mr. Godwin Morgan said that the proposed stakeholders’ summit has been endorsed by well-meaning Nigerians at home and abroad, saying that it indeed an idea whose time has come.

Some of the organisation that endorsed the summit at the weekend included
He quoted a letter endorsing the summit from the apex telecom industry association, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), saying that the initiative deserves commendation, endorsement and support as it has great potentials to facilitate the efforts of our national security forces in combating crimes and making Nigeria a safe, attractive and preferred investment destination for the international community.

In her reaction to the idea of the proposed summit, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, Executive Director, Digital Sense Africa (DSA) endorsed the initiative and announced the agreement of DSA to partner with other collaborating organizations in actualizing the laudable goals of the summit.

Citing national and public interests as the driving force for supporting the initiative, Mrs. Nweke said it has become embarrassing that Nigerians now live with kidnapping scare when they have advanced digital options to turn the tide against criminals, as it is the case in advanced countries of the world.

She also called on ICT industry players to team up and evolve appropriate digital networking that will assist the federal and state governments fight crimes effectively in our society.

Also commenting on the initiative, Prince Osuagwu, chairman, Joint Action Committee on ICT Awareness & Development (JACITAD) said the summit is a welcome development.
He also confirmed that his committee is working with the ICT sector to ensure the success of the summit leading to the implementation of an integrated ICT-based security network across the country.

Osuagwu noted that in recent times, Nigerian media practitioners have become targets of hired killers and kidnappers, recollecting the incident involving four journalists recently kidnapped in Abia State, who later regained their freedom last June.

He said that it would not have taken the mobilization of almost the whole of the security forces to Abia State to search for the kidnapped journalists if Nigeria had developed modern surveillance and monitoring technologies that would have captured and replayed footages of the criminals’ movements.

Further he observed that even the ICT sector operators have been victims of criminal activities in our society.

“Operators often complain of vandalized equipment, youths’ hostilities in some communities, theft of machines and equipment, etc. and these incidences affect business operations adversely. So, if we now come together and plan how to develop a national ICT-enabled security system, it will be easier to monitor, detect and arrest these criminals and make Nigeria a secured and safe place to do business. Everybody will be happy at the end of the day”.

Concerned Nigerians in the diaspora firmly believe the planned technology intervention will reduce the level of insecurity in the country. Dr. Clifford Maxwell, a London-based telecom expert said the move by the ICT sector in Nigeria is commendable as it will help stem the increasing rate of criminal activities that almost returned Nigeria to the dark age.

He said in advanced countries, technology has made homeland policing much easier because footprints of criminals can be traced to their doorsteps leading to arrests.
He also insisted that Nigeria cannot be recording advancements in the ICT sector yet the government at federal and state levels display helplessness in fighting crime and corruption in Nigeria, the giant of Africa.

Also, speaking in support of the planned summit, Patrick Edemson, international coordinator of Nigeria Advancement Alliance (NAA), a US-based interest group, described the initiative as a positive step in the right direction. He pledged the support of his group to ensuring the success of the initiative in anyway possible.

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Juwah commissions GateWay network, promises support

The newly inaugurated Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah, Monday, officially in Abuja, commissioned the network of GateWay Africa Business, just as he promises the network of NCC’s support in conduct of its business in the country.

The commissioning signaled the commencement of commercial services for provision of wireless broadband services in as part of the provision of services in six states of the country by Gateway Business.

This followed the company’s successful roll out of its Airlink wireless internet and Metrolink broadband solutions in Lagos.

“You products and services are interesting and we will give you support to roll out to the benefit of your subscribers. We hope that your services will be reliable and affordable to the Nigerian subscribers and that the enterprises will be for the benefit of the subscribers and the nation. We wish you well” Dr. Juwah said.

Earlier, the company team led by its Chief Executive Officer, GateWay Africa Business, Mr. Wally Beelder and Managing Director of GateWay Business Nigeria, Mr. Guy Clarke, paid a courtesy visit to the NCC headquarters, where they made a presentation about the facilities being provided by the company in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano and Kaduna.

They also told Dr. Juwah and his team that Gateway Business’ broadband wireless access provides organizations with fast and secure broadband connectivity, for reliable last-mile service, without the risk of potential interruptions and downtime on a terrestrial (fibre) “local loop”. AirLink or MetroLink could be installed and activated in a single day, giving customers immediate connectivity.

Gateway Business Nigeria, promises to roll out high speed access services across five further states before end 2010; Benin, Abia, Onitsha, Enugu and Warri.

According to the team, the company has committed to complete the roll out of the network to 36 states in two further phases.

This, they said, furthers Gateway Business’ drive to build a pan-African Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network that covers every major African city based on terrestrial (fibre) infrastructure with access to submarine cable.

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Ericsson Academy now open to all

Ericsson has launched a new Internet portal known as the Ericsson Academy, where users can access learning services, online courses, lectures, tutorials and learn more about cutting-edge technology such as HD Voice, 4G etc through interactive webinars and specially developed tutorials created by Ericsson experts at no charge.

In a world of rapidly evolving technologies the Ericsson Academy allows the world to tap into one of the richest sources of technology and business expertise. It is a new entry point to Ericsson’s expertise and knowledge about managing competence in rapid technology shifts, competence-related support and learning opportunities.

Originally launched to employees, the Academy which features content developed by Ericsson alongside online lectures from renowned professors of Harvard Business School has now opened its doors to the world. By making available its expertise and learning opportunities, Ericsson aims to inspire people and organisations throughout the industry to collaborate, exchange ideas and stimulate innovative thinking and behaviours.

Ericsson’s training portfolio comprises more than 1000 courses covering different technology systems and service areas.

For easy navigation, courses are grouped into predefined training packages within a certain area and participants receive a printable course certificate upon successful completion.

With an extensive portfolio of online and instructor-led training packages made available through the Academy and Education Centers around the world, Ericsson
Academy guarantees strong, flexible, end-to-end educational and people performance offering through a combination of learning, consulting services and broad spectrums of learning products and delivery methods.

According to the Head of Ericsson Academy for Region Sub-Saharan Africa, Tade Oyinlola, “This new approach to learning, leveraging on the use of technology to bring development initiatives closer to users across Africa, is received with much enthusiasm and will greatly aid Ericsson’s drive towards improving competence development on the continent.”

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Zinox, best selling netbooks in Nigeria – IDC

The United States-based global market research with focus on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), the International Data Corporation (IDC), has named the Laptop range of Zinox Computers, as the best selling Notebooks in the nation’s market.

According to the second quarter report for 2010 at the IDC’s website Zinox Computers are the fastest selling laptops in the country.

Also, the report showed that Zinox Computers have continued to perform very strongly, ensuring a quality Nigerian participation, in a market that would have been completely dominated by foreign brands.

Zinox, as said by the report, is strongest in the laptop market where it leads six other international brands, including HP, Acer, Toshiba, Dell, Lenovo, and LG Electronics, with a 53.6 per cent market share and a year in, year out growth of 799 per cent, while its closest competitor HP achieved a 23.6 per cent market share and a -5.7 per cent decline.

In the desktop Computer category, Zinox came second with an 11.4 per cent share as the market defines a HP, Zinox rivalry.

Equally, IDC reported that Zinox has a share of 32.5 per cent of the Total PC market, a remarkable achievement for an indigenous brand that has been in the market for less than a decade.

Responding, Chairman of Zinox Computers, Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh, said that the report has justified the vision, hardwork, capital outlay, human resources and patriotism that have gone into the building of the Zinox brand.

He said that he was satisfied that Nigerians are proving that if given the opportunity they could compete and overcome even the best in the world, recalling that amidst skepticism in government circles, among professionals, and the general public he had declared at the launch in 2001, that Zinox was a public trust and a spiritual commitment.

Ekeh also said that Zinox had the finance, know-how, and the will to make the brand a source of national pride.

Further, the Zinox Chairman said that he was proud that less than a decade after that launch, the brand is keenly competing for space with foreign and international brands, pointing out that the success of the Zinox brand is traceable to the strict adherence to international quality standards and processes.

For example, he said, the launch of Zinox was delayed for some years to enable Zinox Computers to attain the Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL), a certification that remained exclusive to Zinox among the indigenous manufacturers for many years. In 2005, just 4 years after launch, Zinox received the NIS ISO 9001: 2000 quality and management processes certification.

In recognition of its quest for excellence, the brand has won all known international and local Awards from professional associations, and remains the largest partners of Intel and Microsoft Inc. in sub Saharan Africa. And just in June 2010, Intel the # 1 Microchips producers in the world profiled Zinox Computers in her Newsletter as African Digital success story based on her achievements and growth.

Ekeh explained that the flagship of the Zinox charge in the market is the Bijimi (Digital work horse in Hausa) laptop which comes in two variants – the Bijimi PRO and the Bijimi Sage.

This Zinox Notebook, he said, is an all time best seller loaded with over 1,000,000 e-books and other contents like JAMB, WAEC, NECO to name a few exams revision questions and answers. This dominance of the laptop market is also helped in no small way by the rapid market penetration gained by the Zinox Smart mini notebooks in partnership with Intel.

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Dell plans to unveil entreprise solutions

Dell Corporation office in West Africa has fine-tuned strategies to introduce new enterprise solutions to give boost to the computing environment in the region, particularly Nigeria.

Dell ‘s President, Mr. Steve Schuckernbrock, gave this indication recently, saying that “technology boost” is in affirmation of Dell’s determination to launch two new enterprise solutions targeted at optimising computing throughput for Nigerian companies.

These products, he said, would include the ‘Cloud Infrastructure Solutions’ and the ‘Intelligent Data Management’ suite.

Schuckernbrock also said that Dell would continue to leverage its Cloud Infrastructure Solutions suite across developing markets, looking at building efficient and affordable cloud computing environments for large corporate as well as public sector organisations.

With several years of experience and customer collaboration, he said, as the infrastructure partner of the world’s largest cloud service providers and hyper-scale environments, Dell would be delivering new integrated solution stacks, services and hardware that simplify the deployment and management of computing environments.

As said by him, Dell is present in over 180 countries. Its current portfolio of flexible computing solutions and services is a broad one, extending from intelligent nodes and terminals through virtual desktops to granular applications and profile options.

Additionally, he said, Dell’s approach gives customers outstanding flexibility to centralise and control desktop management while enjoying the uncompromised experience of a full PC. As a result, organisations can now more than ever, maximise workforce management and productivity.

He pointed out that all these developments are geared towards meeting business and individual IT needs.

“Customers have spoken loud and clear for more than 20 years that they prefer open, standards-based IT solutions that help them retain flexibility and drive down cost,” he said.

Schuckernbrock declared that gone are the days when one vendor could dominate a customer’s technology infrastructure.

“The pendulum has swung towards open and interoperable systems and Dell has the experience and know-how to deliver. Dell offers open and heterogeneous technology, partnerships and services so customers can grow their business without being weighed down by legacy approaches,” he asserted.

Dell’s Intelligent Data Management suite leverages, he said, positions the company as a leader in storage hardware, software and data management services.

“Its differentiated approach to managing information across the enterprise creates new levels of access, availability and protection through the use of next-gen object storage, reduplication and unified storage moving from the core of the datacentre to the cloud – giving businesses and organisations a differentiated alternative to closed, proprietary stacks,” he said.

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Glo takes prepaid roaming to United Arab Emirate

The Second National Operator (SNO), Globacom, has announced the availability of its prepaid roaming service in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This, Glo said, enables extension of its avalanche of services to UAE , especially for the prepaid subscribers to enjoy.

Head of Glo Gateway, Mr. Pankaj Pradhan noted that hitherto, roaming service on the
Glo network in UAE was available only to postpaid subscribers.

“The company had last month extended prepaid roaming to South Africa and now UAE,” he said.

The decision to extend the prepaid roaming service to more countries, he said, was informed by the desire to offer more value and convenience to subscribers, stressing that UAE was particularly important considering the high number of Nigerians who travel to the country for business and leisure purposes.

“Our commitment is to ensure that our subscribers are able to enjoy our services irrespective of where they are. We offer postpaid roaming in almost all the countries of the world. We want to ensure that millions of our subscribers on the prepaid platform are also able to enjoy this service as much as possible. This is why we are extending prepaid roaming to more destinations,” he said.

Other countries where Glo prepaid roaming is offered include United Kingdom, France, Spain, Belgium, Ukraine and Republic of Benin.

Pradhan said the next phase of service extension will include China. He noted that arrangements had been concluded for the service to be launched in the countries shortly and that the plan was to make Glo prepaid roaming service available in most parts of the world.

“To enjoy the service, all a subscriber on the prepaid platform travelling out of Nigeria to any of the destinations with Glo prepaid roaming needs to do is to have sufficient credit on his line and he will be able to make or receive calls,” he added.

Globacom, he also said, had in December 2004 become the first network in Nigeria to introduce prepaid roaming services. Before the launch of the service, roaming facility was enjoyed only by subscribers on postpaid platforms in Nigeria.

Pradhan added that Glo Gateway’s roaming service “gives subscribers crisp clear calls. The subscriber, whether on a prepaid or postpaid platform, is able to stay in touch with friends, family and business associates back home and the quality of service makes him feel as if he is just next door.”

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