ntel kicks off commercial roll out in Lagos, Abuja

ITRealms:

… PH coming up in May

Latest entrant into the Nigeria’s telecommunication sector as the fifth Mobile Network Operator (MNO), the ntel, has kicked off commercial roll out of its activities on acclaimed most advanced Fourth Generation (4G) cum Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, reports ITRealms.

Confirming this, the chief executive officer (CEO) of ntel, Mr. Kamar Abass, informed ITRealms at a media launch in Lagos Friday that he was delighted.

“On behalf of the staff and directors of NatCom, this eighth day of April 2016, we start commercial activities on our newly commissioned 4G/LTE-Advanced network,” he declared.

This commencement of its phased and paced commercial operations, Abass said comes with bumper offers for early bird pioneers and data users.

“The first 100,000 to redeem and activate their ntel SIMs will get free on-net calls for life while data subscribers will get 3 months unlimited data usage on select bundles,” Abass disclosed.

Very earliest customers, he said, would be able to buy and use these services in clusters, across Lagos and Abuja from sales outlets and agents featuring the network bright new brand name: ntel.

ITRealms notes that ntel’s commencement of commercial operations is the culmination of their journey from acquiring the old NiTel/MTel assets to the delivery of successive milestones underlining their growing operating capability on their new fixed and mobile network infrastructure.

With the formal commencement, ITRealms gathered that commercial services will be available on ntel’s 4G/LTE-Advanced network across key site clusters in Lagos and Abuja. While coverage in Port Harcourt will follow during May, along with expanded coverage in Lagos and Abuja, and subsequently to other states, across multiple geo-political zones, during the second half of 2016.

The company, ITRealms further reports, said their 4G/LTE-Advanced technology built on the 900/1800MHz spectrum will deliver an unbeatable and game-changing customer experience of high-speed Internet access up to 230 Mega Bytes per second (Mbps), the fastest available in Nigeria today thus enabling a world of full mobile broadband experiences that will transform both lives and livelihoods.

Equally, Abass, a strong advocate of 4G/LTE, said his team is passionate at ntel about the power of broadband to boost productivity and, thereby, transform lives,

“We expect to see this happen as ntel helps to accelerate the ongoing migration, from existing 2G and 3G services, to genuinely high-speed Mobile Broadband on 4G/LTE-Advanced,” Abass submitted.

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
Pix: CEO, Abass with his team.

Nigerians rush to reserve ntel numbers

ITRealms:

It has been a rush-hour for reservation of the ntel numbers as Nigerians besiege the advanced fourth-generation (4G) cum Long Term Evolution (LTE) network since Tuesday 8, 2016, reports ITRealms.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of ntel, Mr. Kamar Abass, ITRealms gathered had informed that under the terms of campaign, the first batch of subscribers (hundreds of thousands) to reserve their numbers on the network, and subsequently SIM-activate after launch, will be recognized as ‘Pioneers’ on Nigeria’s newest mobile network marking them out as among the first to reap the company’s promise of abundant broadband on it’s pure-play Advanced 4G/LTE network.

Abass noted that “ntel is a proudly Nigerian company that is fully committed to empowering Nigerians through a technologically advanced pure-play 4G/LTE network. We are offering Pioneer status to the first batch of subscribers on our network. Those who reserve their numbers, and subsequently SIM-activate with us, will be the vanguard of a select corps of privileged subscribers.”

ITRealms reports that the number reservation campaign runs until 08/04/16 has witnessed millions of visitors to ntel’s website with overwhelming traffic and has been trending lately on social media; offering prospective subscribers the opportunity to pick and reserve up to 5 numbers of their choice, provided they register in time, to become ntel pioneers.

Ntel, ITRealms recalls made its first Voice over LTE call in Lagos on Thursday, February 25, 2016, is positioned to lead the way as Nigeria’s most advanced 4G/LTE network at a critical moment of transition.

“We are entering a vibrant and exciting market with four established players but hopes to make a mark quickly with our full commercial launch of high-definition voice, video and high-speed Internet Access services over Advanced 4G/LTE. ntel’s network is built on the 900/1800 Mhz which is recognized as the most widely used frequencies for the deployment of 4G/LTE technology,” Abass declared.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) 
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Intel unveils innovative mobile system on chips, LTE Solution

ITRealms:

Intel Corporation has unveiled an innovative mobile system on chips, just as it listed partners on its Long Term Evolution (LTE) solution, reports ITRealms.

This is coming as Intel also announced collaborations with Ericsson, Samsung, others as part of broad effort spanning Silicon, devices, security and networking solutions.

Intel Corporation CEO, Brian Krzanich disclosed to a ITRealms that a series of mobile platforms including the company’s new low-cost system-on-chip (SoC) for phones, phablets and tablets, a global LTE solution, innovative personal computing experiences, and a range of customers for mobile device and network infrastructure offerings.

This, he said, include the Intel Atom x3 processor series, Intel’s first integrated communications SoC solution for the growing value and entry device markets, and the five-mode Intel XMM 7360 LTE Advanced solution, designed for performance and worldwide coverage.

Krzanich highlighted joint efforts with Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and Huawei to address the demand for new telecommunications, cloud and data center services, improve network efficiencies, and accelerate the industry’s move toward a software-defined infrastructure.

Also he reiterated that Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge users will have the latest anti-malware solution from McAfee VirusScan Mobile technology built into and activated on their devices. “The evolution of the mobile landscape and growth of smart, connected devices has led to increased demand for more connectivity and real-time, protected data on those devices,” said Krzanich. “All of these factors are driving a transformation of the network to accelerate the delivery of new personal computing experiences, services and capabilities in a safe and secure manner. Intel is one of the only companies in the world that can provide solutions end-to-end for the full spectrum of mobility.”

 
Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE
ITREALMS ... delivering news for ICT4D

Ghanaian Surfline goes life with first 4G LTE

ITRealms:

The Ghanaian Surfline Communications has officially launched the nation’s first Forth-Generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) service, reports ITRealms.

This is coming with about 300 cell sites deployed by Surfline which tends to pronounce the network as the largest single LTE deployment on the continent.

In their commitment to bring international standards to Ghana, Surfline has raised the bar on both existing and new operators in the country. From their sophisticated experiential stores and 24/7-call centre to their impressive technology partners and plans for nationwide expansion, Surfline has arrived.

Surfline’s Founder and Executive Chairman, John Taylor, was reported as investing in excess of $100 million to launch the network in Accra and Tema.

“Across the world, people are enjoying super-fast Internet speeds powered by 4G LTE. Surfline is proud to bring this technology into Ghana for the first time and for Ghanaians to experience the difference it brings” he said. 

Stressing that Surfline will open the economy to new jobs and industries in technology, like application development, while also helping other sectors, such as banking, retail and energy, to do business more efficiently.

In order to create a world-class network, Surfline selected last year Alcatel-Lucent to set-up and deploy its industry-leading 4G LTE ultra high-speed mobile roadband product capabilities that include: LTE Radio Access Network, Evolved Packet Core and Professional services to install, optimize, maintain and manage the LTE network.

Daniel Jaeger, Vice-President of Alcatel-Lucent in Africa said: "Alcatel-Lucent is proud to be Surfline's partner in developing and launching its 4G LTE wireless broadband network in Ghana. This network has been built from scratch and based on best-in-class technology to deliver much higher speed than previous deployed technologies. 

Remmy Nweke:

ITREALMS ... delivering news for ICT4D