Broadband Council and 19 wise men

ITRealms with Remmy Nweke:

Introduction:

BARELY a year after assuming office as the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, hinted on the need for a national broadband committee, following consultations her office held since taking over the helm of affairs of the new ministry and calls by stakeholders at various fora.

One of such fora was the broadband forum organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on July 26, 2012, tagged ‘Demand as Catalyst for Broadband Services in Nigeria,’ where Mrs. Johnson reiterated Federal Government’s plans to set up a presidential committee on broadband to chart a broadband strategy for the nation.

She also told stakeholders including DigitalSENSE Business News the need for such a committee cannot be overlooked and informed by government’s recognition that ubiquitous internet capacity and a national backbone are critical to ICT infrastructure to deliver data traffic nationwide, cutting across power, transportation and water infrastructure, which are crucial for globally connected and increasingly knowledge-based world, nowadays.

For her, universal access to broadband has become a significant indicator of development and competitiveness among nations, stressing that broadband has the potential of enabling entire new industries and introducing significant efficiencies into education delivery, health care provision, energy management, public safety, government cum citizen interaction and the overall organisation as well as dissemination of knowledge.

Evidence of demand:

“In Nigeria, there is already clear evidence of demand for broadband in many facets of our economic and social lives. There are very few aspects of our lives that are not impacted or affected by the internet. So, the demand is there, in fact so is the supply when you take into consideration the internet capacity that we have landed on our shores. The challenge for us in Nigeria is not the proverbial last mile but the last hundreds of miles, taking that landed capacity to cities, communities, institutions and home,” she declared.

The Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, noted the Commission was driving utility model, equal access model and passive infrastructure model as Open Access Model to be adopted for broadband infrastructure deployment in the country.

Between awareness and affordability:

In his contribution, chief executive officer of Teledom Group and former President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, pointed out on strategies to boost broadband services demand, emphasizing the need to look into issues of awareness, access, availability and affordability.

“There is need to create demands through solutions-driven applications in areas of national security, education, health, banking and finance and so on. Broadband solution will address consumer needs, and pool of latent demand in the country for broadband services would be created,” he asserted

For the Chief Executive Officer, Independent Networks Cooperative Association, Mr. Malcolm Corbett, from 1990, demand for bandwidth had been growing globally with bandwidth consumption on various data-enabled amounting to several terabytes.

14-man committee:

By September 2012, a 14-man broadband committee was inaugurated by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in Abuja, tasking members to “perform this task creditably and expeditiously.” Stressing that broadband access and internet technologies are key enablers for socio-economic growth.

He underscored the importance of putting on the thinking cap on how to build a digital economy in this era of knowledge economy, just as he disclosed that the National ICT policy set a target of a five-fold increase in broadband penetration by 2017 and his administration is determined to develop a comprehensive broadband roadmap for the country to achieve this goal.

Highlighting the role of broadband to economic development, the President mandated the Ministry of Education to incorporate ICTs in the nation’s education curriculum beginning from the primary school level to raise global ICT leaders of tomorrow.

Parents must expose wards to ICT:

He enjoined Nigerian parents to begin to expose their children to ICTs so as to encourage them to familiarize with new technologies and the desire to develop software and other applications. Drawing attention to the fact that Nigeria is in the middle of a digital revolution that has seen ICT transform the global economies. Declaring “ICTs have changed the way we live, work and learn. In some countries around the world, including Nigeria, ICTs have even transformed the way citizens participate in governance.”

Broadband, he also said has the potential to facilitate the creation of new industries and introduce significant efficiencies into existing ones in all sectors of the economy, even as he pledged his “administration will continue to give the necessary support and encouragement to ICT practitioners in Nigeria to empower collective effort in attaining the goal of 21st century economy.”

Reiterating commitment in deployment and adoption of ICT as a driver for national transformation, the President commended CommTech Minister, Mrs. Johnson for steering the new Ministry efficiently, disclosed that the ministry was separated from the Information ministry to enable Nigeria leverage ICTs for national transformation. Government, he explained, named two co-chairmen for the committee “to re-emphasis that broadband is not just about ICT infrastructure, but it is about the enablement and facilitation of national socio-economic development.” 

He charged members of the committee to deploy their vast knowledge and competence in discharging their duties as committee members.

Broadband linked to increase in GDP:

Mrs. Johnson remarked that the importance of broadband to socio-economic development cannot be over-emphasised, noting that increase in broadband penetration is directly linked to increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), stressing that empirical evidence shows that 10 per cent penetration in broadband penetration leads to about 1.3 per cent increase in GDP. She also said that ICT is a tool that Nigeria can deploy to leapfrog to a digital economy. She informed Nigerians that the Ministry is working hard to change the face of ICTs in the country and inauguration of the Committee is a reflection of the importance of ICTs to the transformation agenda of President Jonathan.

Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe in his remarks, said that the Committee will work to carry out the task assigned to it speedily and with dedication, promising that the committee would proffer effective ways to achieve universal digital Inclusion in Nigeria by identifying and suggesting ways to eliminate obstacles to digital inclusion in Nigeria.

Ndukwe assured that the committee would also outline an Action Plan to take the issue of digital inclusion into mainstream development plans across all sectors. While commending CommTech Minister for the leadership role which she has been very ably playing in the ICT sector.

In the same vein, Co-Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Jim Ovia stressed that the world has woken up to the importance of ICTs to development, adding that ICTs will transform Nigeria and thanked the President and the Minister of Communication for their role in setting up the Committee, even as he reassured that the Committee would deliver on its mandate within the three months duration.

Terms of Reference for 14-man:

Terms of reference for the 14-man Committee comprised:

1. Articulate acceptable definitions and perspectives of broadband and related issues that are current and dynamic for the country.

2.  Evaluate and analyse the current position of broadband infrastructure and service delivery in the country, if possible define broadband served, unserved and underserved areas of the country and articulate an agenda for bridging the gap between the ‘’haves’’ and the ‘have-nots’ within the country and showcasing possible challenges.

3. Consider and articulate the funds requirement for the ubiquitous roll out of broadband in the country.

4. Consider and articulate other related and reasonably connected relevant plans and agenda that are incidental to broadband development in the country.

5. Expatiate and detail additional strategic and tactical approaches for reinventing the country as a broadband rich digital haven capable of supporting electronic and mobile architecture for commerce and trade, education, health, agriculture, citizens empowerment among others: capable of attracting internal and external investments for development. 

6. Produce a comprehensive National Broadband Roadmap for Nigeria.

We’re also members:

Other members of the broadband committee include Mrs. Juliet Ehimuan Chiazor, country manager, Google Global Service Nigeria, Mrs. Lynda Saint Nwafor, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) MTN, Mr. Philip Chuwueke, Chair, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) Forum, Mr. Rasheed Adegoke, Chief Information Officer (CIO), First Bank plc, Mr. Stanley Jegede, chief executive officer, Phase 3 Telecom, Mr. Gbenga Sesan, Youth ICT Entrepreneur, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, Commissioner for Science and Technology, Kano State, Mr. Kayode Jegede, SA to Ekiti State Governor on Infrastructure and ICT, Engr. John Ayodele, Ministry of Communication Technology, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and  Mr. Junaid Dikko.

Although the public presentation may have been delayed for over four months, but it was finally in June 20, 2013 tagged Connected Nigeria, the Committee report was presented to stakeholders in Lagos, of which key recommendation was the establishment of the Nigeria Broadband Council (NBC).

19 wise men to implement roadmap:

In less than a month later, FG proclaimed the 19-man Broadband Council to implement the recommendations of the Presidential Committee on Broadband, which recently submitted its report.

Inducting the 19-man on behalf of President Jonathan, CommTech Minister, Mrs. Johnson on Tuesday, July 16, said the Broadband Council is chaired by herself, while members will work on implementation modalities for the newly developed and approved Nigerian National Broadband plan for the period 2013 - 2018.

She said the team represents significant milestone in the implementation roadmap of the national broadband plan. Pointing out that latest Terms of Reference (ToR) include providing periodic reports on the progress of the plan, facilitating the coordination and collaboration of the various stakeholders during plan implementation, ensuring that relevant agencies, institutions, and the general public are actively engaged.

“Where necessary the Council shall highlight adjustment areas where needed in the execution of the strategy and roadmap,” she said, noting that the Council, has both institutional, government and individual representation. Institutional representation, she said, will ensure that requirements of the industry are taken into consideration and such these are ATCON, Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) and Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria.

On individual representations, she said, comprised of highly knowledgeable people who are extremely credible in the ICT industry and have shown a great passion to see to the deployment of robust broadband infrastructure in the country including the two former co-chairmen of the recently concluded Presidential Committee on Broadband, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe and Mr. Jim Ovia.

She explained that Google and Microsoft represent a small section of international partners strongly positioned to advance the broadband agenda, while the government institutions that have the direct mandate to deliver broadband to the country were also included namely the Ministry, NCC, Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) and NITDA.

Special Adviser, Media to CommTech Minister, Mrs. Efem Nkanga confirmed that the members of the Broadband Council are Dr. Ernest Ndukwe-Chairman Openmedia Group, Mr Jim Ovia-Chairman of Visafone, Dr. Eugene Juwah, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, Ms Funke Opeke, Chief Executive Officer, Main One Cable Company, Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu, Managing Consultant, Telecom Answers Associates, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo-Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications of Nigeria (ALTON).

Equally in the council is Mr Ademola Aladekomo, immediate past President, Nigeria Computer Society, Mr. Bayo Banjo-President, Nigeria Internet Group, Mr Lanre Ajayi-President, Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr Abdullahi Maikano-Secretary, USPF, Mrs Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor-Country Manager, Google Global Services Nigeria Limited, Mr Junaid Dikko-Director, Etisalat, Mr. Mohammed Rudman-Chief Executive Officer, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, Mr Ayoola Oke-Managing Partner, Ayoola Babatunde Oke & Co, Engr John Ayodele-Director, Ministry of Communication Technology, Mr Emmanuel Onyeje, Microsoft and Mr Jinmi Sonuga, principal consultant-Business Unusual Ltd.

Conclusion:

The truth is that the setting up of Broadband Council is a welcome development and based on expectations of Nigeria, the council has a lot of work on its table and as the mandate outlined, they have the right to adjust where necessary to the execution of the strategy and roadmap to the letter.

The Broadband Council as seen in other climes is also expected to have a structure to enable it to run and even more efficiently rather than depending on the personnel of the Ministry of Communication Technology.

This opinion is very apt considering that beyond 2015 when the current leadership of CommTech Ministry would last, the affairs of the Council should not be allowed to fade into the public sector syndrome, like was witnessed after the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2005, when President Obasanjo set up a Presidential committee on WSIS that should have repositioned and fast-tracked Nigeria’s development with the political will demonstrated by the former president in implementation of ICT-inclined policies over time.

The sooner the CommTech Ministry led by Mrs. Johnson realises this fact, the earlier the Broadband Council of 19 wise-men will get focused, therefore, shunning the bureaucracy of government and inter-agency squabbles, which has been the bane of development for the sector over the years.

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Demands for IPV6 on increase in Nigeria

ITRealms with Remmy Nweke:

Preamble:

THE 2013 edition of the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable ended recently in Lagos, with an indication that many more Nigerians are beginning to show considerable interest in the aspect of Internet Protocol Version Six (IPv6).

Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable is an annual stakeholder assembly organized in Lagos by DigitalSENSE Africa Media, to address the enlightenment needs of Internet community in the country and spur adoption and adaptation, which this year was in collaboration with the Nigeria Chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC) and Phase3 Telecom with the theme: “IPv6 and Mobile Services in Nigeria” presided over by the pioneer Admin Contact for the Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), Mrs. Ibukun Odusote.

Fundamentals of IPv6:

IPv6 is a version of the Internet Protocol that has been designed to succeed Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), the first publicly used Internet Protocol, which is still in dominant use across the globe, but reportedly running out, according to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Thus, IPv6 is an Internet layer protocol for packet-switched internetworks, the communications protocol that provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic across the Internet.

IPv6 was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to deal with the long-anticipated problem of IPv4 address exhaustion, hence, IPv6 is intended to replace IPv4, which still carries the vast majority of Internet traffic as of 2013, though as of late November 2012, IPv6 traffic share was reported to be approaching 1 per cent.

Fundamentally, every device on the Internet must be assigned an IP address in order to communicate with other devices. With the ever-increasing number of new devices being connected to the Internet, it was anticipated that more addresses than IPv4 would be able to accommodate would be needed.

IPv6 uses a 128-bit address, allowing 2128 or approximately 3.4×1038 addresses, or more than 7.9×1028 times as many as IPv4, which uses 32-bit addresses and which allows only approximately 4.3 billion addresses. The two protocols were not initially designed to be interoperable, complicating the transition to IPv6, an issue IETF alongside other Internet stakeholders are dealing with.

So, IPv6 addresses are represented as eight groups of four hexadecimal digits separated by colons, for example 2001:0db8:85a3:0042:1000:8a2e:0370:7334, but methods of abbreviation of this full notation exist, as said by some experts.

Patronise only IPv6 Service Providers:

Welcoming participants to the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable to commemorate the global IPv6 in the country, the lead organizer and Executive Director, Operations, DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke, said the theme was drawn based on the fact that Nigerians were not demanding for IPv6 based services, even though IPv4 had since 2011 been exhausted according to the issuing agency, Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

She noted that since 2011, the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable platform has continuously raised relevant issues  concerning the need to chart a roadmap for early transition to IPv6 as IPv4 addresses running out. Stressing that the theme was chosen because of issues and challenges associated with mobile services with regards to IPv6.

Mrs. Nweke pointed out the need to migrate to IPv6, saying it cannot be over-emphasised because of the growing numbers of smart devices – phones, tablets, ipad to name a few, Internet users, broadband penetration and with IPv4 running out, it has become imperative to deploy IPv6. Asserting, “Deploying IPv6 is imminent and we cannot but follow now as the world will not be waiting for us, beside Nigerians should be positioned to be able to compete globally.”

According to her, the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable is a platform where all stakeholders in the country gather annually to share IPv6 knowledge and experiences, chart a roadmap for early transition to IPv6 in order to avoid accelerated expense and last minute improvising in the future and promote IPv6-enabled products and services in the country.

In addition, she said the Roundtable aims at stimulating public discourse and creating awareness on the technological cum business benefits of this rapid advancing technology, encourage integration of IPv6 into all aspects of networking and telecommunications infrastructure in the country, celebrate the World IPv6 Day, as well as providing a first-class platform for networking.

She said that the last batch of IPv4 addresses were allocated on February 3, 2011 at a ceremony in Maimi to Asia Pacific Network by the IANA, thus underscoring the extent to which the web has become a ital and all-inclusive part of our daily life and business.

She commended Mrs. Odusote, who was ably represented by Mrs. Blessing Korie, a director at the Federal College of Food Technology, Lagos, for accepting to chair the event and to the Internet Society Nigeria chapter and Phase 3 Telecom for their collaboration spirit.

Noteworthy is that Mrs. Odusote, currently the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) was a director, Information Technology in the Ministry of Information and a national coordinator, DigiTest and member, Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria, among others.

In her welcome remark, Odusote commended DigitalSENSE Africa for sustaining the organization of the Roundtable and urged Nigerians to make personal efforts to be part of the evolution, especially on IPv6 adaptation.

Nigeria must be proactive with a trade-in option:

For the chapter officer, ISOC Nigeria, John Otunte Otueneh, Nigeria needs to be proactive on global issues to avoid some administrative setbacks that may occur locally.

Otueneh who discussed “IPV6 and Mobile Services in Nigeria – An ISOC Projection” at the Roundtable, rhetorically asked if Nigeria is ready to migrate to IPv6 on our smart phones, blackberry, iPads etc. and are the devices that are IPv6 compliant, mean that while using them, parents could monitor their homes from their offices. Underlining that in Nigeria “we are only consumers and at the mercy of the western world. We can be very ready if we can build our own equipment.”

He decried the growth of Nigeria technologically which has been limited to what exists in the outer world, stressing that Internet service providers are mainly now the telecom providers, therefore if they are IPv6 ready, there is need for a handshake with them by using phones that are IPv6 compliant.

For users of phones that are not IPv6 compliant, he advised them to ask for compliant products in the market or ICT product dealers, saying they should encourage trade-in of phones with the telecom providers rather than going to buy new phones. He insisted that users should champion the course of Ipv6.

IPv6 drive, a huge success:

Benedict Othello Obaro who represented the chief executive officer of Phase3 Telecom, noted that there is a huge drive to go into the IPv6 which is a huge success, even as Microsoft integrates IPv6 into its operating systems; adding that the challenges is in the skill of manpower to mitigate on the devices with IPv6 when issues arise.

“Skill set is necessary to operate the system. Phones should be IPv6 enabled,” he said.

Publicity Secretary, Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) Mr. Bayero Agabi pointed out the need to build safe cyber space based on trust, adding that content challenge and the payment system require trust for a successful broadband access, coupled with protecting innovation in the cyber space as well as if something goes wrong how do one get justice?

NIRA commends DSA on IPv6 Roundtable

The immediate past Chief Operating Officer of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), Mr. Ope Odusan said that IPv4 was a unique 32-bit number that identifies the location of a computer network and could be likened to ‘street address’, which enables other computers to find out exactly where you are and deliver information to the end-user’s computer systems.

Also, Mr. Odusan commended the organisers of the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable, the DigitalSENSE Africa Media Limited, declaring the firm as champions of IPv6 awareness in Nigeria.

NIRA, he said, recognises these efforts by DigitalSENSE, especially on IPv6 awareness, stressing that IPv4 exhaustion, which paved way for the introduction of IPv6 has a unique 32-bit number which identifies the location of a computer network and could be likened to ‘street address,’ but on the cyber space, which enables other computers to find out exactly where you are and deliver information to the end-user’s computer systems.

He explained that IPv6 is the sixth revision to the Internet Protocol and the successor to IPv4 with a unique feature: using 128-bit addresses. Odusan equally noted that the .ng is owned by Nigerians and a domain name is essential in the internet. Asserting “It is easier for humans to remember numbers that is why the use of domain names.”

NiRA, Odusan had stated, is the custodian of domain names on .ng country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) and handles a lot of issues on the internet and as a member of the Africa Internet Community, recognises the urgency to migrate to the .ng domain names and pledged the support of NiRA for this roundtable forum.

In his contribution to the colloquium, Mr. Odusan said that the successes of IP version 6 has actually allowed more inclusiveness, more devices being included for communication such as cars, fridges and homes to name a few.

“It takes two to tangle, so you need the device makers and the telco’s to really make a success of this,” he said, adding that consumers should demand for products that are version 6 compatible.

Last line:

As we look forward to government acting on the outcome of this Roundtable through its agencies like the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the truth is that Nigerians are beginning to demand that IPv6 be integrated in all aspects of networking and infrastructure in the country, which in the near future would ensure that device manufacturers coming into Nigeria or even local manufacturers ensure such devices are IPv6 compliant.

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Charting Way Forward with ICANN’s Strategy Panels

The 47th public meeting of ICANN ended in Durban, South Africa on July 18, REMMY NWEKE who was there writes that ICANN is trying to walk the talk with the establishment of its five Strategy Panels to chart a new course for the global internet community.

Introduction:

BIG story as it were emanating from the just concluded 47th public meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in Durban, South Africa was the setting up of a five Strategy Panels by ICANN president and chief executive officer, Mr. Fadi Chehade, to fast-track the proposed five-year strategic planning process.

This much was applauded by the stakeholders as a means of charting a way forward for the global Internet community on the soil of Africa, with the acclaimed father of Internet on the continent, Dr. Nii Quaquor from Ghana as the overall chairman, with a year timeframe to conclude its assignments.

As said by Chehade, the creation of five new ICANN Strategy Panels will serve as an integral part of a framework for cross-community dialogue on strategic matters. The ICANN Strategy Panels will convene subject matter experts, thought leaders and industry practitioners to support development of ICANN’s strategic and operational plans, in coordination with many other global players, and will be comprised of up to seven members including the chair.

He explained that the panels have been designed to conduct work in critical strategic areas identified by the community, board and staff, the ICANN Strategy Panels will build on public input being generated to inform a new, overarching vision and five-year strategic plan, and subsequent operating plan, for the organization.

ICANN president made it clear that the panels are advisory in nature, hence they would report to him, but would operate in a manner consistent with ICANN’s commitment to transparency and accountability; and channel all views, guidance and advice produced into the standard community and board processes that guide ICANN’s activities.

Chehade noted that in its 14-year history, ICANN has grown to reflect a changing landscape of continued innovation, interconnectedness, and unprecedented growth in the Domain Name System (DNS) ecosystem, one that transcends groups and borders to serve the public interest. Yet, the Internet is at a critical inflection point as billions of new people are expected to join the global network in the next few years and as the nature of its usage matures dramatically.

With this in mind, he anticipated that the ICANN Strategy Panels would help catalyze transformation and advance ICANN’s role in the context of a dynamic, increasingly complex global environment.

Time table:

Further, Chehade told participants at the Durban 47 that the ICANN strategy panels would conduct their activities, starting in September 2013, primarily online and through conference calls, although face-to-face meetings are expected to take place according to the needs of each panel. “The ICANN Strategy Panels will also provide public updates on their progress that will be linked to ICANN’s overall strategic and operational planning activities,” he said, adding that dedicated ICANN executive liaisons have been assigned to and will support each of the ICANN Strategy Panels throughout the process.

Objectives:

Chehade said the ICANN Strategy Panels would focus specifically on identifier technology innovation; ICANN’s role in the Internet organizations’ ecosystem; ICANN multistakeholder innovation; the public responsibility framework; and the role of ICANN in the future of Internet governance.

Chairs who will lead the panels in their respective concentrations and who will guide the panels in their groundbreaking efforts have been identified; however, qualified individuals interested in serving as committee members are still being sought. Potential panel members need not originate directly from ICANN structures, but should have a deep understanding of and concern for the work being undertaken by ICANN, and an ability to think strategically, globally, and creatively about the challenges inherent in the ICANN Strategy Panels’ mandate.

Interested individuals were encouraged to send their resume/CV to the email addresses affiliated with each of the specialty areas by 29 July 2013. Members will be selected by ICANN’s President and CEO, in coordination with each ICANN Strategy Panel Chair.

Responding on behalf of the panels, its overall chairman, Dr. Quaynor commended ICANN leadership for choosing them and promised they would do their best in order to move ICANN forward.

Key deliverables:

DigitalSENSE Business News gathered that each committee has key deliverables and for the Strategy Panel on Identifier Technology Innovation chaired by Paul V. Mockapetris, it includes engaging with the ICANN community and public on technology matters; develop a technology roadmap for DNS and other identifiers; and provide a technology roadmap for ICANN technical and security operations, including best practice recommendations and reference systems.

For the Strategy Panel on ICANN’s Role in the Internet Organizations’ Ecosystem chaired by Vinton G. Cerf, the key deliverables comprise to facilitate review of the assumptions, linkages and frameworks that underlie ICANN’s responsibilities in the current Internet ecosystem; seek insights on ways to maintain and enhance ICANN’s stewardship in an evolving ecosystem; and cultivate thought leadership on ways in which ICANN can serve a complex set of Internet constituencies.

The Strategy Panel on ICANN Multistakeholder Innovation to be chaired by Beth Simone Noveck, DigitalSENSE Business News gathered has its deliverables to examine how Internet policy related to unique identifiers might be best managed in the future; propose new models for broad, inclusive engagement, consensus-based policymaking and institutional structures to support such enhanced functions; and design processes, tools and platforms that enable the global ICANN community to engage in these new forms of participatory decision-making.

The overall chair, Dr. Nii Quaynor would preside over the strategy panel on the public responsibility framework, propose ICANN’s role and five-year strategic objectives and milestones for promoting the global public interest vis-à-vis ICANN’s mission and core values and for building out the base of internationally diverse, knowledgeable and engaged ICANN stakeholders, especially within the developing world; propose a framework for implementation of ICANN’s role, objectives and milestones for promoting the global public interest, building capacity within the ICANN community, and increasing the base of internationally diverse, knowledgeable and engaged ICANN stakeholders; and provide advice on programs and initiatives that help achieve the above objectives.

Although the chair of the Strategy Panel on the Role of ICANN in the Future of Internet Governance is yet to be determined has as its key deliverables to provide a set of guiding principles to ensure the successful evolution of ICANN’s transnational multistakeholder model in cooperation with national and international bodies; propose a roadmap for evolving and globalizing ICANN’s role in the Internet governance ecosystem in consultation with global players; and in coordination with the many other global players and ICANN stakeholders, propose a framework for implementation of ICANN’s role, objectives and milestones in global Internet governance.

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MasterCard, UBA partner on 'All About U' card

Technology-driven company in the global payments industry, MasterCard has partnered United Bank for Africa (UBA) to launch the first ever personalized debit card in Nigeria,  dubbed the UBA “All About U” Card.

DigitalSENSE Business News gathered that this exclusive MasterCard card could be customized with elements such as images, colors and more.

The launch of the product with UBA is seen as in harmony with MasterCard’s vision to advance a cashless society in Nigeria where consumers enjoy the security and convenience of electronic payments.

Vice President and Area Business Head for MasterCard in West Africa, Ms Omokehinde Ojomuyide, told DigitalSENSE Business News that by using the design software which seamlessly integrates with the bank’s card management system, the newly launched card perfectly blends UBA’s branding elements with the customers’ creative imagination, making them a ‘partner-in-design,’ while creating a sense of loyalty and enhancing affinity.

“Nigeria is steadily embracing a cashless society and MasterCard is fully committed to creating avenues through which consumers are reminded of the value and benefits of electronic payments such as safety and convenience,” she said, stressing that UBA’s “All About U” card signals the arrival of payment options and platforms that incorporate the preferences of consumers across different segments and we are pleased to partner with UBA to make this a reality.

Head, Cards at UBA, Mr. Adedeji Olowe said that the bank has partnered with MasterCard to deploy its state-of-art security and convenient customized debit card solutions to transform the bank’s e-payment transactions.

“We know that one size does not fit all, so we constantly innovate to help customers choose services that meet their unique needs. This platform enables customers to design their cards in the comfort of their homes and later collect MasterCard secured code at their UBA branch. This code is verified before any transaction is completed,” he said.

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12 Sins of Mobile Operators in Nigeria in 12 years

How time flies, just 12 years ago, the telecommunications subscribers cum consumers have groaned in pains as a result of poor quality service of the telecommunications operating companies, so says the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS).

According to NATCOMS president, Deolu Ogunbanjo, in a 12 Sins of Mobile Operators in Nigeria as listed in his letter to the operators through the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) seeking compensation, he justified their demands, arguing that the N5000 per subscriber as compensation for poor quality of service in the next 12 years, should be free to be used across networks.

Some of the sins of mobile operators based on deficiencies, he told ITRealms, include:

"1. Dialing a number between 5-10 times before getting connected /not-connected

2. Dialing several times and still getting a ‘call failed’ message.

3. Moving from one place to the other in search of network signal before receiving or making calls

4. When you dial and eventually connected, you will be a lucky subscriber if both caller and recipient can hear each other without voice-breaks. Often times, the caller /recipient may hear the recipient /caller, while the caller /recipient cannot hear. Yet this incomplete call is paid for.

5. Sometimes when both of you are connected and you can hear each other, after talking for few minutes, one of you will not hear the other again. The call has been terminated by one of the networks.

6. When you have tried to call through voice to no avail, you want to try the SMS (Text Massage) alternative. After typing your SMS and trying to send, it may not sail through, even after several trials as it gives the usual ‘message sending failed’ on the screen. You must keep trying even if it takes 15-30 minutes before a successful attempt.

7. When your Text Message (SMS) is successfully sent, and the message is not delivered, the Subscriber is still charged.

8. When your mobile-phone credit gets exhausted and you try to recharge in order to make an urgent call, you may not be able to recharge no matter how many times you try at that particular time.

9. Sometimes, when you successfully recharge your phone either for voice calls or data /internet browsing and the network operator mistakenly remove Subscriber’s credit, and thereafter, Subscriber complains through operator’s customer care line or goes physically to operator’s customer care office, they deliberately keep posting Subscribers and not actually resolving the complaint. And in view of the small amounts usually involved, the Subscriber does not seek for compensation, even when he tries, the customer-care officer is trained to tell stories that will eventually frustrate the Subscriber.

10. When trying to complain to customer-care of a network problem or over-scratched recharge card with some pin numbers not showing, they will either direct you to their website or keep you waiting for between 30 minutes to 1-hour. If you are lucky to get attention and you are eventually attended to, it takes 3-6 months before crediting the subscriber, after taking the details.

11. When the Subscriber complains through network operator’s customer care line, he /she will be told that it will be resolved in few numbers of days to no avail. Even when the Subscriber physically goes to the Customer Care Centre of the network operator, it is also promises of resolution to no avail. Only 1 or 2 of every 100 cases are resolved satisfactorily.

12. When the operators run their promotions for profit motives, they deliberately congest the network to the detriment of good service quality which affects Subscribers."

Therefore, Ogunbanjo insisted that Nigerian telecom subscribers deserve to be compensated.

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