Vodacom wants network operators to collaborate on improved QoS - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Commercial Director, Vodacom Business Nigeria, Solomon Ogufere has highlighted the need for businesses to begin to focus on new collaborative strategies to help deliver more efficient services for users, reports ITREALMS.

In his keynote presentation at the NigeriaCom 2018 Conference and Exhibition organised by Informa Telecoms Group, which took place at the Grand Ball Room of the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, he said, paramount issue of late is collaboration in order to achieve optimum quality of service for the end user.

The event broadly themed, “Leading Economic Resurgence through ICT Innovation", provided an excellent opportunity for various stakeholders within the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) space to deliberate on pertinent issues facing the sector today.

“With the increase in internet penetration around the world, the rise of Internet of Things (IoT) and new enabling technologies permeating every facet of business and life, there is an urgent need for swift development within the ICT industry and this can only be achieved through a paradigm shift.”

He said: “The shift must begin first from our approach towards collaboration, moving from opportunistic pseudo collaboration to symbiotic collaboration that leads to efficiency in service delivery, improved quality and a better all-round experience for the customer.”

As the rest of the world enters into the fourth industrial revolution, Africa as a Continent still lags behind in digitization efforts when compared to Europe, the United States and even Asia, showing that there is yet more ground to cover as it pertains to technological development and this cannot be achieved unilaterally.

Ogufere also noted: “The secret to solving the collaboration conundrum is to create a culture of collaboration which requires constant interaction. Industry leaders must move away from ownership mentality by creating avenues for collaboration at every point within the ecosystem and encouraging new entrants with specific expertise into the market.”

In conclusion, he said: “Collaboration is fundamental for sustained development across industries. As such, collaboration can be said to be the ultimate key ingredient for the development of the economy across all industries. Therefore, being the driving force of all development across the world, this collaboration must begin with technology.”

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Pix: L-R: Managing Director Telecom Advisory Services, Ambrose Nwadike; Chairman NCC, Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye and Commercial Director Vodacom Business Nigeria, Solomon Ogufere at the Nigeriacom conference and exhibition in Lagos.

Vodacom says digitization to create more sustainable Nigeria - ITREALMS Online

ITREALMS:

Vodacom Business Nigeria has declared that digitization could create more sustainable Nigeria, reports ITRealms.

According to a press statement made available to ITRealms, quoted the acting Executive Head of Operations, Vodacom Business Nigeria, Olumide Idowu as noting that the country is one of the fastest developing countries in the world and the most populous nation in the Sub-Sahara Africa continent.

Matching population growth with infrastructural development, he said, has become an issue of great concern across the country, stressing that finding solutions to this growing concern, was the focus of the discourse at the recently concluded Information Communications Technology and Telecommunications (ICTEL) Expo, 2018 organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

The event which recently took place at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island brought together various stakeholders within the Information Communications Technology (ICT) industry to deliberate on ways to increase efficiency in the country through digitization. 

“Leaders around the world are committed to smart city building as they attempt to chart the course towards the development of their cities in order to meet social, economic, and environmental challenges,” he said. 

Idowu noted that Nigeria is at a pivotal moment in its technological revolution and the current lack of infrastructure provides a ready springboard for the utilization of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to create a smarter and a more efficient nation. By using IoT technology, which is commercially available today, a host of intelligently connected services such as efficient healthcare in rural communities become possible a reality.” 

In the last year, Vodacom Business Nigeria, in collaboration with some State Governments, made significant strides in the development of smart solutions for problems facing rural communities within the State. In the area of healthcare, a solution was deployed to help increase the availability of essential medication by monitoring drug stock levels, improving the delivery of healthcare for citizens who access public health services. In education, Vodacom has also launched a mobile school management solution which provides real-time visibility of all management activities at schools. 

The solution has been deployed to over 4000 public schools in Nigeria. While, in the area of agriculture, our connected farmer solution provides a platform for connecting various stakeholders within the agricultural ecosystem to create better accountability and efficiency within the industry. Other solutions such as payment solutions, backup solutions, energy, utility and security solutions are just a few examples of smart solutions available within the Nigerian context. Idowu stated: “The significance of digitization cannot be overstated in creating a smarter, more efficient and more sustainable economic environment in Nigeria. The sooner the shift to a digitalized system happens, the faster the nation can build a competitive advantage on the global stage and she can begin to reap the social, economic and environmental benefits that are sure to follow.”

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Vodacom supports next generation ICT girls

ITREALMS:

The Vodacom Business Nigeria has organized a one-day industrial visit for female students from Grace High School, Gbagada and Lagoon Secondary School, Lekki as part of planned activities for the celebration of the recently concluded 7^th Edition of the International Girls in ICT Day, reports ITRealms.

Female students from the schools participated at the celebration where they won the Coding and STEM quiz competitions, respectively.

The International Girls in ICT Day Celebration was organized by e-Business Life Communication Limited, publishers of e-Business Life Magazine at the Oriental Hotel in Lekki, was part of a global campaign that seeks to encourage young girls to consider ICT as a profession and to contribute their quota to the growth of the industry in Nigeria while also actualizing self-development.

International Girls’ in ICT Day is an initiative launched through the Information Technology University (ITU) with the idea of creating a global environment that will empower and encourage girls and young women to consider careers in the ICT field. With the number of school girls opting to study technology-related disciplines in decline in most countries worldwide, ITU has committed itself towards championing the mindset change required to open the minds of young women to the role a career in tech can play in creating exciting, far-reaching opportunities for women.

In fulfilment of goal five of its Sustainable Development Goals, Vodacom Business has created various empowerment programs such as the Women in Leadership Programme aimed at creating leadership and personal capacity in women across all employee levels; the #ConnectedSheCan campaign, a socially driven campaign aimed at celebrating the accomplishments of women within the Vodacom Business Nigeria workforce; and the youth empowerment program, the ‘Power to You’ project under the umbrella of which the Girls in ICT Day is activated, to enable both girls and technology companies to reap the benefits of greater female participation in the ICT sector.

Speaking at this year’s Girls in ICT Day, Vodacom Business Nigeria’s Senior Manager for Product Development, Funke Atanda said: “Vodacom is committed to accelerating the change needed to create relevant opportunities for women through the use of ICT.”

“By supporting ICT skills acquisition for young girls, bringing them into our organizations and opening their minds to new technologies that exist and continue to develop, we are able to encourage more girls to choose courses in the ICT sector. This will help increase the number of women in the ICT sector in the near future,” Atanda said.

Moreover, Atanda alluded that “Initiatives like the ITU Girls in ICT Day would go a long way towards encouraging this change, thus strengthening the sector while continuing to improve social and economic progression in the country.”

By providing donations, training and support to ICT driven programs, Vodacom Business Nigeria is accelerating the removal of barriers for girls and women in the ICT industry.

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Vodacom Business Nigeria scoops three accolades @Beacon of ICT Awards'18

ITREALMS:

The 2018 Beacon of ICT (BoICT) Awards, ended weekend with Vodacom Business Nigeria scooping three accolades at the event, reports ITRealms.

These awards, ITRealms gathered, included Vodacom coming top as the Enterprise Solutions Provider of the Year, an award conferred on the company consistently since 2013; Internet of Things (IoT) Focused Company, owing to its pioneering and visionary endeavors in this area in the past two years, whereas the third award was for Enterprise Broadband Services Provider of the year.

ITRealms also reports that BoICT awards is a merit based celebration organised by Nigeria’s leading technology publication, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, which aims to recognise outstanding contributions to the growth and development of ICT in Nigeria. 

This year, ITRealms reports that estimated two million readers of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek voted in different categories and Vodacom emerging as the clear winners in the three categories; Enterprise Solutions Provider of the Year, Internet of Things Focused Company and Enterprise Broadband Services Provider of the Year, a new category introduced this year.

Speaking at the Beacon of ICT Award Ceremony, which took place in Lagos at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island recently, Managing Director for Vodacom Business Nigeria, Lanre Kolade said winning these three awards elicits two very distinct emotions, namely pride and humility. 

"Pride in the achievements of our dynamic and tenacious team over the years, and humility because we would be nowhere without our customers who continue to trust us to meet their total communications needs and keep them connected 24/7,” Kolade said.

In addition, he said, these awards were an affirmation of Vodacom's diligence and commitment to delivering the highest quality enterprise-grade total communications solutions in the industry. 

"We assure our customers that we will not relent in our pursuit of innovative technological solutions that accelerate business growth and profitability, with unwavering determination to turn their challenges into solutions,” Kolade maintained.

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Pix: L-R: Oluseyi Olanrewaju, Finance Director, Vodacom Business Nigeria; Solomon Ogufere, Commercial Director, Vodacom Business Nigeria; Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, Chairman, Open Media; Kolawole Fayemi, Executive Head - Legal, Regulatory & Compliance, Vodacom Business Nigeria

Kirusa, Vodacom unveil InstaVoice Channels

ITRealms:

The global telecom and social media solutions provider, Kirusa, has unveiled InstaVoice Channels with Vodacom, the leading telecom carrier in Lesotho, reports ITRealms.

The InstaVoice Channels service, ITRealms gathered, incorporates Celeb and Sports content, as one of the top 3 revenue generating VAS services in Africa supporting multiple carriers. The channels platform has over 11 million followers, 14+ Football clubs, and more than 150 celebrities.

Also, ITRealms reports that the Celeb content service, offered as a part of InstaVoice Channels, brings celebrities and their fans together.

Vodacom Lesotho Communications Manager, Mpho Brown, in a press statement made available to ITRealms noted that by using the voice blogging feature, celebrities express their emotions and share their joyous and challenging moments on a regular basis; the voice messages are delivered instantly to the fans, creating a “Voice Twitter” like experience.  This service is also available over an App which makes the service experience better for smartphone users.

“With the launch of this content service, Vodacom subscribers can receive voice updates from popular figures in Lesotho like- Motivational Speaker Mary Bosiu, Comedian Bofilha Neko, Hip-hop prodigies Skebza D and Dollaman,” Brown said.

Brown pointed out that distinguished Orator, Mary Bosiu had expressed her eagerness to begin interacting with her fans. She says, “It is delightful to join a great forum that seeks to forge transparent communication between fans and celebrities. I am eager to start sharing my ideas with followers on a larger, more empowering scale.”

The Sports content service, Brown said, is another component of the unique InstaVoice Channels platform that provides daily soccer updates, such as team news, pre and post-match analysis, quotes from team players and managers. Users can follow all English Premiere League Clubs, along with UEFA and La Liga. One can get alerts on football news, players, matches, goals, penalties and much more.

“Kirusa’s InstaVoice Channels is a unique forum that seeks to both connect fans, celebrities, and sports clubs together, through voice. The service strikes the right chord with Vodacom’s spirit, and we hope that our endeavor meets every user’s expectations,” Brown said.

The founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Kirusa, Dr. Inderpal Singh Mumick was also quoted as saying, “After attaining remarkable success across Sub-Saharan Africa, we are introducing InstaVoice Channels in Lesotho. I hope that Vodacom users in Lesotho will find great value in InstaVoice offerings.”

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Int’l Girls in ICT 2017: Vodacom partners eBusinessLife

ITRealms:

Vodacom Business Nigeria has thrown its weight behind the commeration of the International Girls in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) 2017 being organized by eBusinessLife in Lagos, reports ITRealms.

The event which is on its sixth edition, ITRealms reports is gathering steam as key stakeholders in the industry have lined up to partner with eBusiness Life Limited in its bid to create awareness among young girls on the need to take up careers in ICT.

A press statement made available to ITRealms by the chief executive officer of eBusiness Life Communication, Mrs. Ufuoma Emuophedaro, said that Vodacom Business Nigeria, one of the major partners in the previous editions of the event has indicated their interest to be part of this year’s campaign.

She also said, this year's event, scheduled to hold in Lagos on Tuesday May 23, 2017 at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, marks the 6th edition since eBusiness Life joined the annual campaign in 2012; an initiative of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) geared at sensitizing young girls and encouraging them to take up ICT as a career.

The Marketing Manager at Vodacom Business Nigeria, Anne Ihugba, was quoted as saying that Vodacom’s support is borne out of the quest to ensure that the Nigerian girl child is presented with all options available in shaping her career and ensuring that the profession of ICT is demystified among females.

Vodacom, she said, has consistently been engaged in the development of human capital and in contributing positively to the community in which it operates through various initiatives.

“The partnership with eBusinessLife is one of such vehicles that will help the operator achieve its goals,” she said.

Ihugba further said that at Vodacom, one of the business principles is contributing to communities in which the company operates, so this event is one of the many avenues, they believe, fulfils part of this obligation.

“Based on this, we are happy to inform you that we will partner with your organization this year as a sponsor,” she said, stressing that the winning school will be invited to a one day Field Trip to Vodacom Business Nigeria to learn about new technologies and how they can contribute to the development of Nigeria using these technologies.

According to the Mrs. Emuophedaro, the need to sensitise young girls is premised on the fact that the society has unconsciously relegated the female gender and delegated careers in technical fields, especially in ICT, to their male counterparts.

Effort, she said, should be made to introduce young girls to career opportunities in technical fields in both the public and private sectors to help them have a wider range of options and contribute their quota in the industry and in the development of the economy.

She stated that the International Girls in ICT Day workshop and attending campaign will further open up opportunities for girls in ICT sector.

As part of the 2017 event, there will be students’ training on basic robotics and graphic design competition between female students from select secondary schools, roundtable discussions, interactive and motivational talk from renowned women ICT professionals, among others.

The event will also form a platform for participating companies to network and find areas of complementarity.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Vodacom 'Power to You Project’ lifts FSTC with free WiFi, generating set

ITRealms

The ‘Power to You Project,’ a brainchild of Vodacom has donated free Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) and a 220KVA generating set to the  Federal Science and Technology College (FSTC), Yaba Lagos, reports ITRealms.
 

Power to You Project, ITRealms gathered aims at supporting public and private schools in Nigeria by ensuring that students and teachers have access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and new telecommunication technologies.
 

The Managing Director, Vodacom Business Nigeria, Mr Guy Clarke, in a press statement made available to ITRealms noted that Internet penetration in Nigeria is still low, especially in public schools.
 

"With the ‘Power to You Project’, we aim to bridge the digital divide that exists in communities and schools without access to ICT,” he said.
 

The project, he also said is part of Vodacom’s resolve to reduce the digital divide in communities and schools that lack access to ICT in the country.

Cyriacus Nnaji/ GEE

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