Globacom introduces 5hr free calls, N5 SMS

Remmy Nweke

Globacom, the second national operator (SNO) has hit competitors below the belt with its latest introduction of avalanche of new incentives on its network including five hours free calls, N5 Short Messaging Service (SMS), ‘validity for life’ for subscribers and about 10 per cent discount on every N1000 recharge card loaded on the network.

This is coming as the calls to Glo customer care lines are now free, just as the telco has reached 9.5 million subscriber base.

Chief Operating Officer (COO), Globacom, Mr. Mohammed Jameel disclosed this to newsmen in Lagos, saying that the bottom line is that this year is the year of customers as king on the network.

“This is a very great occasion to declare customers as always a winner,” he said.

Pointing out that as the industry improves and subscribers too grow that telecommunications companies have the onus to pass the gains to consumers and that is why Globacom is recognising its subscribers as such.

Top on the latest incentives and value added services on the network is the introduction of five-hour free calls on the network, N5 SMS also on the network, while the SMS across networks remained N15.

Mr. Jameel also said that Glo now offers five hour between the hours of 12 midnight and 5am beginning from yesterday, October 5, 2006.

In a related development Globacom has introduced two new products; Glo Classic Plus and EasyTalk.

According to the Head, Consumer Marketing at Globacom, Mr. Chris Ehimen, under the Glo Classic Plus package, subscribers could now make calls within the network for 48 kobo per second at the peak hours and 40 kobo per second at off peak period.

He also said that calls under this package across the networks attracts 70 kobo per second for both off peak and peak periods, just as subscribers would enjoy 40 per cent off call charges to four Glo numbers of friends and family.

On the EasyTalk, Mr. Ehimen explained that it has the lowest call rate in the country today, as it offers subscribers “an unmatched tariff options.”

Glo to Glo, he said, under the EasyTalk, attracts a monthly rental fee of N399 in order to enable subscribers to enjoy the low call rate of 33 kobo per second for off peak calls within the Glo network and 42 kobo per second for peak period calls within the Glo network.

“Calls to other networks attract 67 kobo per second for both peak and off peak periods” he said, stressing that subscribers gets another 10 per cent bonus on every call made to four registered numbers of family and friends.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

ICT agenda for politicians

Features of the week:

As the political terrain hits up, stakeholders are yearning for an Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-inspired agenda come 2007, reports REMMY NWEKE.

In a few months to come, Nigerians will be heading to the pools to elect another set of political office holders for the next four years, that is, till 2011.

Stakeholders in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector are of the opinion that it is high time political office seekers came up with what they called an ICT agenda for the nation.

Till date there is no known agenda based on ICT that is being propagated by the political class, except for the likes of Prof. Pat Utomi’s Restoration Group (RG) that has been canvassing for infrastructural investment to spur industrialization anchored on technology.

This, some industry observers said cannot be distanced from investment in ICT backbone, of which Prof. Utomi is conversant with as a renowned teacher, entrepreneur and social engineer.

Power supply and ICT
For the General Manager, VGC Communications Limited, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, emphasis should be on development of telecommunications infrastructure, principally in the rural areas and precisely on how to make access to the Internet available and affordable.

Mr. Adebayo also said that operators should be encouraged to provide services in the rural areas by availing them location dependent incentives, such as relief pioneer status and facilities that would make it attractive to deploy services to rural Nigeria.

“If Internet is made available in the rural areas, it would discourage rural urban migration, as well as emphasis on providing equal level of services in rural areas as it obtains in the urban centres,” he said.

Government, the VGC boss said, could sponsor Internet services in rural schools both at the primary and secondary levels, stressing also that government should provide internet services in community centres.

This, he noted would encourage electronic learning (eLearning) and discourage people from coming to overstretch the facilities in the already crowded cities.

As said by him, joint efforts should be made to provide steady electricity supply, insisting that as long as there is no regular power supply no matter what effort is made in providing ICT facilities in rural areas, “non-steady power supply challenges will continue to pose a setback for ICT development in rural Nigeria.”

He further advised that there should be no mid-term solution to it, but rather long term solution, saying “Power supply and ICT development should be taken side by side, because, ICT development depends on steady power supply.”

Employment through ICT
President, Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) and chief executive, PiNet Informatics Limited, Mr. Lanre Ajayi, solicited focus on people with the belief that every politician should see people as the fulcrum of their activities before setting a political agenda.

“I will like to observe that the critical demand of the people today is employment, especially for the young ones. One can also observe that ICT presents a tremendous opportunity for creating jobs for our teeming population,” he said.

He empirical said that it is not difficult to conclude that political agenda in the next dispensation should focus on how to make ICT a platform for creating jobs.

And in doing this, “we should be looking at making Nigeria an attractive location for business process outsourcing, so that our young graduates can benefit from the billions of outsourcing opportunities around the world,” he asserted.

Mr. Ajayi also said, government needs to create an enabling environment by not hitting up the system with political allegations and vendetta.

Equally the populace should be empowered so as to increase their capacity of being self-reliant through partnership with the private sector and civil societies.

He cited an instance of an initiative in which the government must show interest like in the NIG’s Internet-for-Jobs (I4J) project.

Aspirants
As the campaign for 2007 general election hoots up, professionals should adhere to the calls by concerned professionals recently that specialists should embrace politics in order to change the tide of the game previously known as ‘dirty game’.

Also as postulated by an industry analyst, one cannot stay in doors and be complaining of dirt in his vicinity and until the dirt is cleaned properly, it cannot be said to have been cleaned.

Put more succinctly, if professionals such as software developers perform marvelously without equivalent enabling law, which in this democratic dispensation depends on legislators for instance; to be leverage upon and make money for the country and themselves, developers’ efforts would be in vain.

Therefore, the onus is now on the nation’s ICT stakeholders to make out time for politics to bring the expected change that would benefit both the industry and the nation at large.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

MTN Group raises stake in Nigeria subsidiary by 6.98

Remmy Nweke

Telecommunications giant, MTN Group, has raised its stake in its subsidiary, MTN Nigeria Communications Limited by acquiring 6.98 shares from its minority holding.

Thus elevating its shareholding in MTN Nigeria to 81.87 per cent from initial 74.89 per cent, just as the telco said it would provide the subsidiary additional fund to boost its operations in Nigeria.

Chief executive and President MTN Group, Mr. Phuthuma Nhleko, made this disclosed in a press statement made available to Highway Africa News Agency (HANA) said that this brings the total purchase consideration of US$348.9 million, about N44310.3, would be funded through a cash payment of US$287.8 million.

This, he said would translate to an issue of 6,093,463 ordinary shares in MTN, even as the purchase would be affected via MTN’s wholly-owned subsidiary, MTN International.

He noted that it would bring the MTN Group’s shareholding in MTN Nigeria to 81.87 per cent.
The acquisition as said by him, would make easy the realisation of the group’s investment in Nigeria.

“The acquisition will enable the minority shareholders to realise a portion of their investment in MTN Nigeria,” he declared.

Pointing out that the acquisition is part of a process to facilitate a broader spectrum of Nigerians to participate in the performance of MTN Nigeria.

It would recalled that MTN Nigeria launched operations in 2001 and is the leading Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) operator in the country, with a subscriber base of 9.6 million as at June 30, 2006.

MTN Nigeria’s GSM network comprises over 2,336 base stations and an extensive transmission infrastructure, providing access to approximately 73 per cent of Nigeria’s population.

On the other hand, MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications group that commenced operations in 1994 and has its presence in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East.

Also, MTN Group is listed on the J’burg Stock Exchange (JSE) Securities Exchange.

The group as at June 30, 2006, recorded more than 31 million subscribers across its operations, including those of the newly acquired Investcom LLC, even as it is expected to launch commercial operations in Iran before the end of this year, subsequent upon the successful purchase of a 49 per cent shareholding in Irancell.

MTN Group operations include Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia. The acquisition of Investcom adds the following countries of operation to MTN’s portfolio – Afghanistan, Benin, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Liberia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

GSM is not fastest growing business in Nigeria – Aniagwu

Remmy Nweke

NOTWITHSTANDING the unprecedented growth recorded in the telecommunications sector in the country, based on the evolution of the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), it is yet to surpass the growth of religion.

Parish priest, St. Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja, Rt. Rev. Monsignor John K.A. Aniagwu, said that religion is the fastest growing business and not GSM, in the country as at today.

Delivering a paper as a guest speaker at the annual St. Jude’s Catholic Church, Mafoluku, Oshodi-Lagos, on a ‘Day for the Nation’ in a paper titled “A Nation of God’s People,” the priest said, that a recent survey by a clergy in Lagos State only, showed that in the Mushin suburb, he counted 56 churches in a street.

“Religion is the fastest growing business and not GSM,” he asserted.

Explaining further, he said, that the trend was because religion is a risk-free business unlike crime, which is risky.

Msgr Aniagwu, also said that Nigerians are religious but not godly.

Nigerians, he said, see religion as a tool or means that could be used or manipulated to meet their private needs.

Religion, the priest said, is acknowledging the reality of God.

“We expect God to serve us rather than serving God,” he said.

Throwing more light on the proliferation of churches, he said, that was why focus has been on financial break-through.

He described the setting up of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as an act of God and prayed that the commission should be able to cleanse the nation of bad eggs before the next general election in 2007.

“EFCC is an accident, the people who established it did not know it would turn out this way,” Rev. Aniagwu said, stressing that it was actually as a result of prayers by churches in the country “Against bribery and corruption.”

Recalling the prayer for Nigeria in distress by the church in 1993 that resulted in the peaceful resolution of the then political impasse owing to the annulment of the 1993 general election, which was rated as the fairest and freest election Nigeria ever had. Nigerians, he further said, are religious but not God-fearing, this he attributed to poverty and ignorance.

“Poverty and ignorance of what religion clearly means” he declared.

He also proffered some solutions saying that there should be enlightenment and education of the populace.

“We must cultivate the culture that rewards only virtue,” he advocated.

Nigerians, he said, need to be reminded of the flimsiness of life on earth, wondering the sanity of Nigerians who go about acquiring wealth that could last for generations to come, despite the fact that man’s days on earth are numbered.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

NIG commences webmaster certification

... Amana donates domain name

Remmy Nweke

THe nation’s flagship on the Internet, Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) has advanced plans to commence webmasters’ certification in the country.

This is coming as Director of IceCool Contracts Limited, Mr. Destiny Amana, has donated www.webmasters.org, a domain name he registered few years ago to NIG.

President, NIG, Mr. Lanre Ajayi who informed this at the end of the monthly committee chairmen’s forum of the group in Lagos, for September, said that it would stimulate competency among the Nigerian webmasters.

In addition, he said, it would enable corporate organisations to ensure updating of their websites as regularly as possible in the country.

NIG, he said, has merged its webmasters certification committee with training committee to boost their potential results.

Mr. Ajayi further said that every organisation needs a web-master to handle updating of the online information regularly.

He enlightened that the certification would involve two sessions, namely the orientation and defence before certification could take place.

He called for joint efforts on web-master certification project of the group, stressing that the test should involve designing of websites and hosting it.

“But if you don’t have to host it, it could be put in a CD,” he said, highlighting that the initiative is “A kind of project of test for those wishing to be professional web masters,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Amana of Icecool Contracts Limited, who donated a domain name to NIG, said it was imperative to give support to efforts of the current leadership of NIG to enable Nigerians leverage the most on benefits of Internet.

It could be recalled that recently NIG promised to transform its website into what its president, Mr. Ajayi, described as most visited website in the country.

He also indicated that the group’s committee chairmen’s forum is intended to streamline their programmes towards achieving this mileage with local content.

He said this was one of the reasons for reconstructing the website since he assumed office last December, in order to give it a face lift.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

ZTE handsets for Globacom

Remmy Nweke

CHINESE telecommunications equipment manufacturer, ZTE Corporation, may produce specific mobile handsets for the Second National Operator (SNO) Globacom, otherwise known as branded phones.

This plan may have received green light from both sides following a top management meeting held weekend between the telecom giants.

The meeting held at the headquarters of Globacom, the Mike Adenuga Towers (MAT), Victoria Island Lagos, our sources gathered, was led by the newly appointed chief representative and Managing Director of ZTE Nigeria, Mr. Liu Shuqing and the chief operating officer (COO) of Globacom, Mr. Mohammed Jameel.

It was also gathered that ZTE was desirous of partnering with Globacom, especially as both firms were industry leaders from the developing world and from highly populous nations.

The team from ZTE also discussed with Glo management on the possibility of collaboration in the areas of equipment manufacturing and mobile handsets supply, our source informed.

Mr. Liu was quoted as lauding Globacom, saying his team was in the country to explore opportunities for cooperation with the Nigerian firms of which Glo topped the agenda.

He said the fast rollout pace of the network and its sophisticated technology was impressive and gave credence to the SNO leadership in the nation’s telecom industry.

Additionally, it was gathered that ZTE was seeking to provide fibre optic network backbone for the National Carrier among other business options.

Responding, Globacom’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Mohamed Jameel, said the SNO is open to discussions and willing to partner with the Chinese firm.

He also said that the company was always willing to associate with leaders. Jameel recalled that Globacom had through sheer ingenuity and innovation worked its way to the top in just three years of operation.

“We began by being the only operator in Africa to launch operations on the 2.5G network, offering Nigerians, for the first time, the convergence of voice, data and multimedia technologies,” he said.

This, he said, has not only made life easier for subscribers but has helped to stimulate the economic and social development of the country, especially with the launch of Blackberry, a revolutionary tool that has placed Nigeria on the same pedestal as the technologically advanced countries of the world.

It would be recalled that Globacom began operation in August 2003 and has since recorded over 8 million subscribers nationwide with massive investment in infrastructure also made countrywide.

On the other hand, ZTE team later presented souvenirs and gifts to Globacom to mark the network’s third anniversary.

Founded in 1985, ZTE Corporation is China ‘s largest listed telecoms manufacturer with shares publicly traded on both the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Non-responsive customer services

Market intelligence:

Remmy Nweke

These days an issue that has refused to be eliminated literally among the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector operators, has been the inability of them to respond to customers need, mostly on inquiries as at and when due through their customer relations management personnel.

One of the customers of a telecom operator, who gave his name as Mazi Okechukwu, was not simply furious, as he complained of his network operator’s inability to respond to his needs of sorting out a scratched off recharge card Personal Identification Numbers (PIN).

According to him, in the past two days, he was unable to connect to the customer care lines of his operator, even though he would pay for assessing the customer care lines, yet he did not get through.

Though distinct but related to Okechukwu’s problem was Ms Edith’s who said that she was lucky enough to get in touch with her telecom operator via the customer care line on data issues, after about 15 minutes on the customer line waiting.

She explained that initially it was not getting through until five minutes had gone, then followed by series of advertisements on the Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

The IVR took 10 minutes to roll out the telco’s adverts in phases before eventually a live voice came up, the specialist promised to return her call, after noting her complaints, which is yet to be received several days after.

What is actually happening to the customer care specialists in the telecom sector needs re-examination of their orientation so as to bring about change in the system.

As noted by one of them, it is easier to be said than done that customers are the kings of every business.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Winners laud MTN on Who wants to be a millionaire

Remmy Nweke

TWO winners of “Who wants to be a millionaire?” television show, sponsored by the telecom giant, MTN Nigeria Communications, Messrs Ohwode Igho Dickson and Avarabe Gabriel, have lauded the programme.

The duo who spoke to Champion Infotel exclusively in a telephone conversation described the programme as truly a hot seat, which has prevailed on them to take knowledge and education more seriously, just as they won N250,000 and N120,000 respectively.

Mr. Dickson, who is a civil engineer with a multinational firm based in Port Harcourt, said that being on the hot seat of Who wants to be a millionaire is worth it, because “it’s really a hot seat.”

Saying that he did not realise the meaning until he got there himself, noting that one fascinating factor was that despite how knowledgeable one may be, it would be exciting to be challenged.

“It is actually a hot seat and when you get there and the way questions were asked makes it even more exciting because if you’re not careful, you would be confused,” he told our correspondent.

He also revealed that it takes maturity to discover that the questions asked are really current affairs.

In addition, he rated the programme very high saying it is quite impressive due to the way he and his family members who joined him to the show were treated at the end of the day.

“Initially, I played three times before I was informed that I was on a waiting list,” he said.
Pointing out that his invitation to Lagos was also extended to two other friends or family members, even as their transportation was borne by the organisers.

He stressed that except for those who play by being on the hot seat, family members were given N5,000 each, plus other gifts, for their fare.

Mr. Dickson further said that those who participated and did not win were compensated with about N20,000 as well as the accompanying gifts, whereas those who made it by winning went home with what they have won apart from other gifts that was showered on them.

On what he learnt afterwards, Mr. Dickson informed that it is very encouraging it is happening in the Nigerian soil, observing that in developed nations like the United States, “every week people make money via lottery and related programmes.”

Although he went to Who wants to be a millionaire to grab the N10m at stake, he was not disappointed with the N250,000 he won, saying it is good to aspire for the ultimate.

“It’s very, very educative and the questions can be anything which even makes the hot seat very hot,” he declared.

He enjoined corporate organisations in the country to emulate MTN Nigeria so as to encourage Nigerians to benefit from such initiatives, just as he regretted not playing before now.

“More corporate organisations should encourage such programme to make more millionaire in Nigeria, possibly every week,” he said.

Equally speaking after emerging winner of N120,000 at the television show, an Akure-based accountant, Mr. Avarobe Gabriel confirmed to our correspondent that literally, the hot seat was “very hot”.

This, he adduced to the tension that would overwhelmed contestants as soon as the questions start to come from the moderator, Mr. Charles Edoho but the realty is that some of the questions you may be familiar with and some entirely out of the blues.

He rated the programme as ok, saying that there is room for improvement for the organisers to always do better.

On how he felt after winning, Mr. Avarobe said, the attempt to participate was the first time he was taking part in such an event and of course, he was happy and expressed thanks to God for the outcome.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

Task named Preferred Partner

Remmy Nweke

Leading Information Technology (IT) solution provider, Task Systems Limited, has been named the Hewlett Packard (HP) Preferred Partner at the just concluded partners’ conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Disclosing this to newsmen, the Managing Director, Task Systems, Mr. Dave Ibelegbu, said that the announcement is a consolidation of the firm’s position on the continent and by extension the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

“The nomination was in recognition of the rising profile of Task Systems Limited as the fastest growing and highest revenue earner among HP’s partners across Africa, including South Africa and Egypt,” he affirmed.

Mr. Ibelegbu also said that Task’s reliable IT solutions provider’s image on the continent is another positive face for the understanding of Nigeria abroad.

Pointing out that Task’s commitment to international quality standards in service delivery has attracted the respect of the whole of Africa.

Mr Ibelegbu informed that in particular, the HP family was proud to associate with Task.

He quoted the General Manager, SPO-HP Africa, Mr. Foad Afialal and Senior Vice President, Jos Brenkel, as lauding Task Systems for its commitment, loyalty, and support for HP solutions in most blue chip organizations in the country.

Mr. Brenkel while commenting, assured management of Task System that as strong HP Preferred Partners with peculiar character, loyalty and dependable specialization, will be differentiated and rewarded accordingly in the areas of marketing, training, and end user value provisioning.

This, Mr. Ibelegbu said, that the intention was to equip such Preferred Partners to continue to provide unparalleled services to all users of HP solutions be it in Africa or Europe.

It would be recalled that Task, which won the HP’s 2005 Best Performance Awards for growth and revenue in the preferred partner programme, has also been appointed by HP as a computing systems specialist, a status, Mr. Ibelegbu said, would enable Task to acquire high-level skills to implement enterprise solutions on behalf of HP.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

ImperialNet makes a debut, says ‘no hidden cost’

Remmy Nweke

FIXED Wireless Access (FWA) operator, Imperial Telecommunications Limited, has introduced bundled broadband wireless Internet access, ImperialNet, assuring that there is no hidden cost after the start off payment of N69.999.

Managing Director, Imperial Telecomms, Mr. Olugbenga Obadara, while speaking to newsmen in Lagos, said that ImperialNet is a bundled package that comprises telephone and fax offering.
He also said that the product is targeted at enterprises, small and home offices as well as school and individual residences.

“ImperialNet, a broadband technology application offers Internet in speed rage of 64 kilo bytes (Kb), 128 kb, 512 kb, 1 mega bytes (mb) or even 2.3 mega bytes (mb) as a function of subscriber’s specification,” he said.

According to him, it also comes with the Subscriber Terminal (ST) with preferred configuration, including the Service Interface Unit (SIU) having two data ports and two voice ports, which are both telephone and fax.

Mr. Obadara also said that ordinarily ImperialNet does not require mast because it uses line of site, except for where customers cannot reach accessible point.

Imperial Telecomms, he said, has plan to avail customers installations payment option, which could be spread between three and six months.

He equally said, that the telco is deploying C band instead of Ku band, for its Internet, stressing that C band is more reliable, just as they have 24-by-7 days customer support services.

Mr. Obadara further said that there is no hidden cost even as the telco would endeavour to remain competitive in the market.

ImperialNet, he noted, has a recharge denomination of N500 and N1000 for now, declaring, “we’re working to become the best Private Telephone Operator.”

He pointed out that Imperial Telecom is duly licensed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), revealing, “No firm can become an Internet Service Provider (ISP) without licensing because it require frequency allocation outside the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band or even invest about N1 billion.”

Accompanied by head, sales and marketing, Mr. Adeniyi Adegboye, financial controller, Mr. Jimmy Fred Akinmuyisitan and head, business development and strategies at the firm, Mr. Segun Abolarin, the managing director, noted that deployment would be achieved within 72 hours as soon as the confirmation of site survey is completed.

ImperialNet, he said, delivers high quality services where existing networks cannot support data or other premium services.

“Thus guaranteeing simultaneous delivery of voice and data for bundled services,” he declared.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D