Ibezim flags off GEFAS mobile tech hub, expands free Solution WiFi access - ITREALMS

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The Geeks & Founders Alliance for Soludo (GEFAS) has taken another bold step in supporting Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s vision of a smart, connected Anambra with the official launch of its Mobile Tech Hub- a custom-built bus bringing free WiFi directly to the people.

Fully equipped with high-speed internet, voice and data services, and backup power, the GEFAS Mobile Tech Hub can connect up to 3,000 people at rallies, campaign grounds, and public spaces: expanding the Solution WiFi initiative already live at over 26 locations across Anambra.

Nokia unveils in-home WiFi solution‌

ITREALMS:

Nokia has introduced several enhancements to its in-home Wi-Fi solution that maximize Wi-Fi performance and simplify network management, reports ITRealms.

The new Wi-Fi solution, ITRealms gathered, expands Nokia's portfolio with meshed Wi-Fi gateways and beacons, delivering a new Wi-Fi Home Portal for service providers, introduces a mobile application for users and provides new software functions and analytics that improve network intelligence.

Whole-home Wi-Fi networks are increasingly being strained by the growing number of connected devices and signal interference that comes from appliances like microwaves, creating an influx of help desk calls by users frustrated with their Wi-Fi performance. With more than 30 percent of calls related to poor in-home connectivity, service providers are increasingly challenged with troubleshooting issues that are often the result of third-party Wi-Fi solutions. With limited network visibility into the home, this can lead to lengthy trial and error procedures or expensive visits to diagnose issues.

Nokia's in-home Wi-Fi solution overcomes these challenges with several new enhancements that improve the user experience and significantly reduce the time and complexity for service providers to solve network problems. These include:

Extended portfolio with meshed Wi-Fi solutions that include a wide array of premium, flagship and entry level Gateways and Beacons - Wi-Fi access points that consumers can install throughout the home to create an intelligent mesh, extend coverage and boost performance. Beacons quickly guide each device to the nearest or fastest access point, and ensure an optimal path through the network.

Software enhancements from Nokia to quickly upgrade selected existing gateways in the field to support meshed Wi-Fi networking capabilities.  

       

Wi-Fi Home Portal for Service Providers - Providing a single screen, holistic view of a user's in-home Wi-Fi network, allowing service providers to effectively manage devices, quickly identify and resolve issues or upsell new services - such as broadband capacity or additional beacons - to improve network performance.

New software and embedded analytic functions that compile insights on the network, devices and interference sources to automatically self-heal and optimize the Wi-Fi experience.

This includes algorithms that automate band and channel steering to improve overall performance and create full in-home coverage with seamless roaming capabilities without service interruption.

End-user mobile application - Delivering an intuitive, simple interface that provides a visual representation of the Wi-Fi network including a heat map to easily locate and manage dead zones and identify the right place to add new access points to fill coverage gaps. Customers can also quickly access device lists and management capabilities to create guest networks. 

The application gives users access to a wide array of self-install, network care and troubleshooting capabilities.

Federico Guillén, president of Nokia's Fixed Networks business group, said: "For many users, the concept of Wi-Fi and broadband access are synonymous, putting many service providers on the front line of customer complaints if Wi-Fi performance is impacted.  

Depending on the tools available to service providers, this can become either a business challenge or an opportunity. Nokia's enhanced in-home Wi-Fi solution is unique in that it addresses the customer need for a better Wi-Fi experience while providing service providers with the tools and visibility they need to quickly resolve issues, enhance customer loyalty and create additional revenue-generating opportunities."

Nenye Dom/GEE

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Swift unveils free wifi, Red Cheetah @MMA2

ITRealms:

Swift Network has unveiled a free Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) code named Red Cheetah at the Murtala Mohammed Airport terminal 2 (MMA2), reports ITRealms.

Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Chuma Okoye disclosed this to ITRealms, saying the first deployment of the Red Cheetah service went live Wednesday at MMA2.

He said, Red Cheetah is a free broadband Wi-Fi service being piloted by Swift Network for esteemed customers and the traveling public. 

Red Cheetah, Okoye said, will be completely free of charge to the subscriber and will have no download limits.

“It will require no modem to be accessed in public spaces and can be accessed via any Wi-Fi-enabled device like smartphones, tablets, laptops, et cetera,” he assured.

According to him, Red Cheetah is supported by some corporate sponsors to keep Nigerians connected to the fastest and highest quality broadband access that will enable them to continue to achieve more, wherever they are.

“Subscribers to this service will periodically be required to view advertisement messages from the various sponsors who have made this service free,” he said.

Okoye, therefore encouraged customers to share the good news with their family members, friends and associates who use this terminal to login via into the "Red Cheeta" signal, complete the simple registration process and get online in seconds.

“Other locations are already being planned and will be communicated to you as they become available,” he said.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Afrique Telecom partner Eutelsat, Wikimédia offer free access French Wikipedia

ITRealms:

The trio of Afrique Telecom is partnering with Eutelsat and Wikimedia France to offer free access to French language Wikipedia in Sub-Saharan Africa via Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), reports ITRealms.

This ITRealms also gathered the trio would progressively deploy Internet solutions over Sub-Saharan Africa in combination with Eutelsat’s satellite capacity. 

“Its “TamTam” service extends access to the Internet in rural areas using Wi-Fi hotspots for collective access,” a press statement made available to ITRealms revealed, stressing that it would be used to offer free access to French-language Wikipedia content for many thousands of users. 

This initiative, starting in French-speaking Africa, supports Wikimédia France’s strategy to promote free access to educational content, in particular through Wikipedia.

In order to offer free, unlimited access, Afrique Telecom has developed a server located at “TamTam” hotspots that would locally host French-language Wikipedia content. The content would be updated regularly via a satellite link provided by Eutelsat.

Equally, ITRealms reports that Afrique Telecom’s ambition is to roll-out “TamTam” between 4000 and 8000 hotspots in the next two years, while Eutelsat has agreed to finance servers hosted by the first 1,000 hotspots as a springboard that will further measure the impact of the service.

The Wikimedia movement has made a priority of improving accessibility and content creation on Wikipedia for so-called “Southern” countries. There is still a large gap between Northern and Southern countries in terms of the number of readers and contributors to Wikimedia platforms as well as content on Southern countries. French-speaking Africa is a priority action area for the Wikimédia France Foundation, as a complement to its Afripédia project.

Uj Dominic/GEE with additional report from APO

 

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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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Glo partners FAAN on Wi-Fi at 22 airports nationwide

ITRealms:

 

Globacom, the Nigeria's national telecom carrier, has the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to launch a nationwide Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) across 22 airports, reports ITRealms.

With this development, passengers and other users of the airports will now be able to connect wirelessly to the internet through their smart phones, tablets, laptops and other smart devices. 

The facility was formally commissioned by senior government officials led by the Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Aviation, Hajia Binta Adamu Bello, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Aviation, Captain Victor Iriobe,  top Globacom, the Managing Directors of FAAN and National Airspace Management Agency, the Rector of Nigeria College of Aviation Technology  and other dignitaries at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja on Monday.

Globacom’s Coordinator, Business Solutions, Mr. Ike Oraekwuotu, said Globacom was "delighted to bring Nigeria up to speed with one of the best trends in the aviation industry worldwide by introducing ultra high speed Wi-Fi data experience for travellers and other users of our airports, beginning with Nigeria’s flagship airport, the MMIA."‎

According to Oraekwuotu, the facility, which will be available at both the domestic and the international wings of key airports across the country, has been made possible due to the great vision and passion demonstrated by the Ministry of Aviation and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) working diligently with Globacom.

Globacom's Regional Chief Marketing Officer, Ashok Israni, explained all passengers using the airport irrespective of the network they are on will be able to connect to the facility. They will subsequently be directed to a subscription page where they will be able to buy a Wi-Fi data plan through three options.

The options, according to him, include using an existing data plan the subscriber has with Globacom, or by recharging their line through a Glo recharge card available at the Glo kiosks at the airport, or by paying for the WIFI plan through a credit card.

“Whichever option a subscriber goes for, they are ushered into a world of reliable, ultra-fast internet so that they can keep in touch with their relatives, friends, colleagues and associates regardless of whether they are connected to a mobile network or not,” he said.

According to him, users can access the Internet at the speed of as much as 100 megabits per second anywhere around the MMIA, including the Departure, Arrival, and Executive Lounges, Ticketing and Waiting Areas as well as Passengers Welcoming lobby.

He said the service will be available in 22 airports nationwide soon.

 

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Nigeria: Mobile broadband over riding Fixed broadband - Jejdling

ITRealms

Ericsson Consumer Lab in a new survey report contained in its 2015 consumer insight summary report 'Internet Goes Mobile', has discovered that out of the total number of people that use mobile broadband, more than 95 per cent of Nigerians are more at ease with the mobile broadband services, as it provides easy access on their Smartphone’s, across devices such as laptops, mobile phones and tablets, than the fixed broadband services from wireless fidelity (WiFi) technology, ITRealms reports.

Confirming the report, Head of Region Sub-Saharan Africa at Ericsson, Fredrik Jejdling said the findings would enable service providers to begin to consider expanding their internet broadband capacities, towards mobile broadband, so as to meet up with the increase in demand for mobile broadband that is expected.

He added that, “More Nigerians are beginning to use the mobile broadband services more than ever before, to upload and download contents and information, through the social media, while on the move.”

The study highlights the underlying desires of telecoms consumers, as well as their perceptions of current telecoms operations and services.

ITRealms gathered that in achieving this, it made use of data compiled through a total of 1,653 one-on-one interviews with Nigerians between the ages of 15 to 59 years, with a research sample representing 30 million people between social classes in metropolitan areas, which represent about 40 percent of Nigeria’s urban population.

It further revealed that 56 per cent of mobile phone users are satisfied with data speed and voice connection quality, while over 50 per cent of those who switch between fixed and mobile broadband, do so due to changing locations or the availability of connections.

To enable internet service providers meet up with the expected rise in the demand for mobile broadband services, ITRealms gathered that stake holders in the ICT sector has called on the government to act fast to increase broadband deployment in all nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

Daniel Nsolibe/Ed, Ops.

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