Airtel Africa reports strong growth in customer base, data usage despite currency headwinds - ITREALMS

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The Airtel Africa plc has recorded strong growth in customer base and data usage despite currency headwinds, reports ITREALMS.

These indications was contained in the financial results for the year ended March 31, 2025, available to ITREALMS, which demonstrated robust operational growth despite the impact of currency devaluations across its markets.

PHCs: Lagos SAT visits Epe facilities, Vice-Chairman urges people on usage - ITREALMS

A wake-up call has been made to the community dwellers in Epe axis of Lagos State, to frequent the health facilities in their domain like the Primary Health Centres (PHC) established to solely provide health services delivery to them, reports ITREALMS.

This call was made by the Vice Chairman, Epe Local Government Area (LGA), Hon. Sikiru Adeniyi Owolomoshe while receiving the State Advocacy Team (SAT) in his office on Monday.

LASG: Improving pedestrian bridges to boost usage - ITREALMS

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Last month, February 2024, the Lagos State Government (LASG) issued a warning to residents against crossing any highway in the geographical area where there is a pedestrian bridges, insisting its an offence and defaulters will be arrested and prosecuted.

Reiterating this on his official X handle, the Lagos State Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Philip Wahab, advised residents to use pedestrian bridges.

Lagosians explore Google maps to improve road usage - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

A 2017 study listed the 150 least to most stressed out cities in the world. With Stuttgart in Germany nabbing first spot as the least stressed city to live and work in, Lagos came in at 148 (just two spots ahead of the most stressed city - Iraq) which will be no surprise to daily commuters on Lagos streets.

There were obviously factors other than traffic playing a role in defining this list but lack of space and cramped environments, including high traffic areas, featured high on the list of reasons people are stressed out in cities like Lagos.

Traffic is a challenge, no doubt about it, but there are tools available for Lagos road users to use to help smooth their journeys and make life a little easier.

Do the most with your travel time using Google Maps:

Lagos traffic may seem like an insurmountable, unavoidable, stressful part of the workday, over which it may seem you have no control. The truth is, there are several ways you can use technology to reclaim a few hours every day or make good use of your time on the road.

· First and foremost, how real is the traffic situation?: Who says you have to hit the road at 07h30 or 17h00 sharp? With just one tap, you have access to information like ETAs, live traffic updates and quickest routes to familiar places – like home, work and the gym. This will help you decide whether you should join the fray or stick around, head off to the gym or make a stop to buy the milk you know is needed at home.

· Know before you go: If gym is an alternative to traffic for you but queues aren’t, try using Google’s “Popular Times” feature. This is accessible through Search and Maps and will help you decide how to better use your time. If the gym’s too busy and filled with other traffic dodgers, for example, you can choose to see how busy things look at your local mall or the library or the supermarket.

· Share your ETA and location: Sitting in traffic on your way to work and your boss keeps asking for updates? Use the Share Trip Progress functionality in Google Maps to share your journey with them, via Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger or even email. Once they open your shared link in Maps, they’ll be able to track your progress with ease. In much the same way, you can share an actual estimated time of arrival at home with your family, keeping their minds at ease on those “extra trafficky” days.

· Driving in cars with kids: If it’s your turn to drop the kids off at school, and you have an Android device, why not use Google’s Bolo app to use their time in traffic wisely? Bolo is a speech-based reading app that helps kids learn how to read in English - your kids can read out loud with the app, which “listens” to them while offering encouragement and feedback to help improve their reading skills. Bolo operates offline so there can be no “poor coverage” excuses!

· Mixed Transit options coming soon: People, in general, are quick learners and those faced with traffic on a daily basis will often find ways to shorten or ease this process. For some, this means mixed options when it comes to transport. You could drive or cycle to a taxi/bus station, taxi/bus or rideshare from there and then walk the last few metres to work. Google has announced its Mixed Transit feature, which will be coming to your phone soon and promises to help commuters plot their mixed transit options out every day - choosing the fastest option available.

*Nenye Dom/Editor

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Six tips to reduce mobile data usage

For many, the smartphone’s utility has assumed such remarkable proportions that it is now being relied on as a first-hand source of news, information, entertainment and a fitting tool for retaining a handle on our increasingly interconnected world.

Considering the multiple applications on which data is expended on a smartphone and with data connection rates still comparatively pricey in Nigeria; most smartphone owners are constantly in a perpetual fix on how to manage this most important resource in order to avoid missing out on the latest information.

In view of the foregoing, the Research/Development Unit of Yudala – Nigeria’s fastest growing composite e-commerce outfit – shares simple tips on how to reduce your device’s data consumption.

1.Use Wi-Fi whenever possible and for sharing large files: Your smartphone or other mobile device has Wi-Fi capability.  You can use this reduce your data consumption in your home, office or other locations by connecting to available wireless network(s). You can also tweak your settings for automatic connection to a secure Wi-Fi network when you arrive at home or the office. Once connected, your phone’s cellular data can be turned off and conserved.

Wi-Fi also comes in handy when you are downloading or sharing large files. Heavy files can quickly eat in to your smartphone’s data. Same applies to automatic application updates. To reduce your data usage, these heavy consumptions should be done when connected to a secure Wi-Fi network.

2.Set up a data usage limit/alerts: Most Android smartphones come equipped with an in-built data monitor. This functionality, which can be accessed in your phone’s settings tab, can help you keep an eye on your data consumption. The beauty of this feature is that through it, you can see how much data is being consumed by each of the apps on your smartphone, thus identifying the ones you need to keep a strict eye on. For other devices such as Apple’s IOS, you may see how much data has been consumed in total but may need to install an app to ascertain data consumption per app.  

With this information, you can set up data usage limits/alerts to manage your usage. Also, heavy data-consuming apps can have their data access curtailed or you can choose which ones to uninstall.

3.Stick to the mobile versions of websites: While using your smartphone data for browsing, you can save a lot of megabytes if you avoid using websites’ apps for platforms such as YouTube, Facebook; that favourite sport site or gossip blog by using the mobile site instead. To do this, simply access the mobile version of a website by typing www.m. before the sitename when launching the browser. Furthermore, some websites often ask to re-direct the user to its Desktop version. To avoid burning through your data, simply decline and stick to the mobile version.

4.Manage or disable push notifications: Push notifications refer to data automatically sent to your phone without user interaction.  For those who are constantly active on multiple social networks, this may dramatically affect data consumption as the various notifications from your social media channels –  Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc., pour in. While some of these notifications, such as work-related emails, can be necessary; others may not be so crucial. To keep your data lasting for longer, ensure you disable push notifications, automatic app updates and other such notices when you don’t need them.

5.Compress your data: There are a number of apps that can help compress data on your smartphone and other devices. Some of them have the capability to go as far as extending your data plan. Google’s Chrome browser, for example, has a feature that can help reduce your data consumption significantly. According to Google, this option can save you about 50% in data by routing all your web browsing through Google’s servers which takes the data, compresses it, optimizes it for the smaller screen and sends it back to your device. This option can be activated in the Settings tab and can help prevent you from running out of data all the time.

6.Apply caution when streaming: Content streaming is responsible for much of data consumption. HD video streaming, for instance, can drain a sizeable amount of your device’s data within an hour. Same applies to audio/music streaming or spending time looking through some of the high quality images or GIF files seen on Instagram and other social media channels. In order to conserve your data usage, caution should be applied when it comes to content streaming.

While it is absolutely impossible to totally avoid the entertaining fare that comes with streaming, there are smart ways to do this without burning through your data. One of this is by storing music, videos and other multimedia content on your smartphone. Video quality can also be set at lower rates and resolution reduced for sites such as YouTube when streaming.

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Signal Alliance, Microsoft partner NIA on cloud adoption

ITRealms:

Signal Alliance and Microsoft Nigeria are collaborating with the Nigerian Insurance Association (NIA) to promote cloud technology adoption and information Technology (IT)-driven insurance solutions for the robust development, with limited free usage offer, reports ITRealms.

In a recent joint workshop with NIA, ITRealms gathered the parties agreed to develop technology solutions that will enhance the practice of Insurance in the country as it was attended by some big players including participants from NEM Insurance, IEI, FBN Insurance, and Cornerstone Insurance among others.

Speaking on the workshop, Signal Alliance (SA) Enterprise Solutions Development Lead, Mr Anthony Nwankwo said their  vast knowledge in deploying technology in the Nigeria financial services sector and global experience of SA partner Microsoft have been made available to enable this sector operate more efficiently.

“Thereby giving workers and customers a whole new experience,” he said.

Nwankwo also said the fact that Cloud is the way to go for the insurance companies because it will enable them to achieve economies of scale – increase volume output or productivity with fewer people; Reduce spending on technology infrastructure through pay-as-you-go model (weekly, quarterly or yearly).

In addition, he said cloud offers insurance companies options to streamline  their processes and enable them to get more work done in less time with less people; Capital cost reduction. They don’t need to spend additional money on hardware, software or licensing fees; Mobility and Improve accessibility. It will enable their workers to have access anytime, anywhere; Keep to budget and monitor projects more effectively; and Minimize licensing new software. Stretch and grow without the need to buy expensive software licenses or programs.

For Audu Dunni Oladokun, NIA Chairman Education Sub-Committee, “The knowledge shared at this roundtable has shown us how trending technologies can transform insurance businesses in Nigeria.”

The forum noted that there was need to automate the process of design and approval by incorporating secured digital signatures in a holistic manner that will ensure speed, convenience and mobile access.

 Ola Williams of Microsoft expressed Microsoft readiness through Signal Alliance to see to the success of the effort of any insurance company that wants to fast track cloud technology adoption in a bid to be more productive and efficient in their operations.

At the roundtable, various technologies and solutions for insurance business were discussed. It includes; Customer Relationship Management, Business Intelligence, Data Analysis, Cloud Computing, Mobility, Software development and Unified Communications.

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Pix: Mrs Adanma Onuegbu, CEO of Signal Alliance