ICANN58 kicks off in Denmark with 2500 participants

ITRealms:

The 58th public meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) took off in Copenhagen, Denmark, has attracted more than 2500 registered participants, reports ITRealms.

The meeting, hosted by the Danish Business Authority and the Danish Internet Forum, is being held six months after the IANA Stewardship Transition, a milestone in the history of ICANN’s multistakeholder community. Stakeholders from around the world, including people from businesses, governments, academia, and civil society, have convened in Denmark to discuss various topics such as the next steps after the IANA Stewardship Transition, enhancements to ICANN’s accountability and the new generic top level domain (gTLD) programme.

At the opening ceremony, Denmark’s Minister of Culture, Mette Bock, commented on the IANA Stewardship Transition and ICANN’s multistakeholder model, stating “The IANA Stewardship Transition only happened because the whole ICANN community, and that is you, was able to work together and to develop proposals that received a very broad support. It was, indeed, a masterpiece and showcase for how the multistakeholder model can function and deliver sustainable results.”

Chairman of DIFO and DK-Hostmaster, Professor Henrik Udsen, also commented on the importance of this model. “Like ICANN, DIFO is based on a multistakeholder model, ensuring that all interest of the Danish Internet society is represented in the continuing efforts to make the .dk zone attractive and security,” said Udsen. “We believe that this multistakeholder model both at a national and international level is a vital component in creating robust solutions to the many challenges we face.”

ICANN’s President and CEO, Göran Marby, stressed the importance of diversity with respect to the future Internet users, saying “To be able to support the next generation of Internet users, we need to be diverse enough to understand the nodes going forward.”

ICANN Board Chair, Dr. Stephen Crocker, remarked on the importance of working together globally to maintain the Internet. “We're all different parts of one entity united by a common purpose to help maintain an amazing global network of networks,” said Crocker. “If we do our mission well, we will facilitate communication and the flow of information around the globe, but the only way that we can do that is if we work together and the work that we do together is framed by compassion and respect.”

At the ceremony, ICANN’s Chief Technology Officer David Conrad announced the launch of a test bed for the upcoming Key Signing Key (KSK) Rollover. “On 11 October 2017, relatively soon, we are going to be changing the root key signing key. Before that time, DNS operators, who have enabled DNSSEC validation, must update their configurations. So what we're announcing today is a test bed for DNS operators to determine the readiness to support automatic updates.”

ICANN is in the process of performing a Root Zone DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) Key Signing Key (KSK) rollover. The KSK is used to cryptographically sign the Zone Signing Key (ZSK), which is used by the Root Zone Maintainer to DNSSEC-sign the root zone of the Internet's DNS. Maintaining an up-to-date KSK is essential to ensuring DNSSEC-signed domain names continue to validate following the rollover. Internet service providers, enterprise network operators and others who operate DNSSEC validation must update their systems with the public part of the new key signing key.

Nonye Dom/GEE

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Etisalat receives EMS certification on ISO 14001:2004

ITRealms:

Telecommunications operator, Etisalat Nigeria has received the prestigious International Organization for Standardization (ISO)14001:2004 Environmental Management System (EMS) certification, reports ITRealms.

The certification, ITRealms gathered heralds Etisalat as the first telecommunication company in Nigeria to successfully implement the ISO 14001:2004 standard.  

Also, the certification, ITRealms reports, was awarded to Etisalat Nigeria by Bureau Veritas, a global leader in testing, inspection and certification, is conferred on organisations that establish and run an environmental management system of the highest standards.

Confirming this, the Managing Director, Bureau Veritas Nigeria, Mr. Sebastiano Fruciano, while presenting the certificate to the Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Matthew Willsher, in Lagos, commended the telco for surpassing the set standards for the industry.

“We wish to congratulate Etisalat Nigeria on achieving this great feat. We commend you for establishing and operating one of the best environmental management systems in the country, at least the best among telecommunications operators,” Fruciano said.

Willsher thanked Bureau Veritas for recognising the commitment of Etisalat Nigeria to sustainable development, environmental protection and strict compliance with existing regulations.

“The successful incorporation of ISO 14001: 2004 EMS into our business operations is a confirmation of our continuous commitment to excellence and regulatory compliance. This international certification has again affirmed the leadership role we play in the industry. We strive to be the best in everything we do, from product innovation to service delivery and compliance with all relevant regulations and we will continue on this path,” he said.

Head, Environmental Compliance and Public Relations, Oluseyi Osunsedo, said Etisalat as a socially responsible organisation takes compliance, stakeholder interest and best practice very seriously.

“We have voluntarily set the highest standards of performance for ourselves and our business partners to ensure sustainability is interwoven into business decisions. The result of this is that every aspect of our operations does not only comply with our internal operational policies, but all operations meet and where possible, exceed the local regulatory requirements as well as conform to international best practice,” she said.

Osunsedo further said that, indeed Etisalat is the first operator in Nigeria and possibly in Africa to get certified to the ISO standard for environmental management.

“This goes to show that Etisalat is doing many things right particularly in terms of proactive management of environmental concerns. The recent ISO certification is an independent validation that we are operating our business in such a way that prevents negative impacts on our operational environment,” she said.

Chuks Egbune/GEE 

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Pix: L-R: Managing Director, Sebastiano Fruciano; System Certification Manager, Adenike Akinbote, both of Bureau Veritas Nigeria presenting the ISO 14001:2004 EMS Certificate to the Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher in company of Head, Environmental Compliance and Public Relations, Etisalat Nigeria, Oluseyi Osunsedo.

Africa tablet market declines in global trend

ITRealms:

African Information and Communication Technology (ICT) market seems to be feeling the impact of Nigeria’s economic recession as the continent is witnessing a decline in tablet market based on global trend, reports ITRealms.

Senior research analyst for client devices at the International Data Corporation (IDC) for the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Nakul Dogra, gave this indication at the weekend, saying that the Middle East and Africa (MEA) tablet market declined 24.2 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in the final quarter of 2016 to total 3.07 million units.

The global Information Technology (IT) research and consulting services firm's Middle East and Africa Quarterly Tablet Tracker shows that for 2016 as a whole, tablet shipments in MEA declined 14.7 per cent Y-o-Y to total 13.8 million units, which is in line with global tablet market's 15.6 per cent decline over the same period.

"Tasks that were previously performed on tablets are increasingly moving to bigger-screen smartphones, so tablets are becoming redundant in the consumer ecosystem of gadgets. Indeed, consumers are now investing more time and money into smartphones than tablets, which has led to a slowdown of tablet markets around the world, not just here in MEA. That said, there are still countries in Africa that harbor scope for further tablet penetration," Dogra said.

In terms of vendor rankings, Samsung continued to lead the MEA tablet market in Q4 2016 with unit share of 17.6%, despite experiencing a significant decline in shipments of -28.0% on the previous quarter and -43.6% on the corresponding period of 2015. Lenovo remained in second place, increasing its share to 10.8% from 9.9% in Q4 2015. Apple climbed into third spot, capturing 8.7% share despite suffering a -41.2% Y-on-Y decline in shipments.

UAE-based vendor i-Life rose to fourth in the rankings with a market share of 7.4%, spurred by the popularity of its low-cost offerings. Huawei's shipments fell -39.6% Y-on-Y in Q4 2016 to account for market share of just 5.1%, a considerable drop from its 13.5% share in the previous quarter.

"With the lack of any noteworthy innovation taking place in much of the tablet space, there is little reason for the majority of consumers to upgrade to newer-generation tablets," says Fouad Rafiq Charakla, senior research manager for client devices at IDC MEA. "This is prolonging the refreshment cycle for tablets in the region and causing an inevitable slowdown in the market," Dogra said.

Taking the above factors into account, IDC's tablet market forecast has been revised downwards. IDC now expects the market to decline -8.1% Y-on-Y in 2017 to total 12.76 million units. The longer-term forecast has also been revised downwards, with IDC now expecting the market to decline at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -0.2% over the 2016–2021 period to total 13.64 million units in 2021.

"e-Tailers are expected to grow strongly in the coming years. Increasingly, local retailers are investing more in the online channel. Also, newer players are expected to enter the market in the coming year, which is going to further intensify competition in the online retail segment. The above factors, coupled with aggressive pricing, will further drive the growth of the e-tailer segment, with IDC expecting that by the year 2021, 12% of tablets will be sold through e-tailers in the MEA region," Dogra concluded.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Internet Governance: Creating Opportunities for All Nigerians

WinningEssaySeries@ITRealms:

1.0 Introduction

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) defined Internet Governance as “the development and application by Governments, the private sector, and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programs that shape the evolution and use of the Internet.’’¹

Fake certificate allegation against DG NTDC is false says group

ITRealms:

An Abuja-based civil society group, the Justice and Equity Alliance, has raised alarm over an alleged certificate discrepancy against the Acting Director General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation(NTDC), Mrs Mariel Rae-Omoh, describing the development as "character assassination" reports ITRealms.

National Coordinator, Justice and Equity Alliance, Mallam Garba Imam, said in a public statement available to ITRealms said, the group’s investigation in the last one week confirmed that the agency head duly attended a tertiary institution in Italy under a Federal Government scholarship in 1980 alongside other Nigerians to bag Higher National Diploma in Tourism and Hotel Administration.

"The translation of the certification was officially done and the Italian consulate attested to the genuineness of both the school and the certificate. The said school still exists in Italy and the records of scholarship approval are still available at the Lagos office of the Federal Ministry of Education,” Imam said.

The group also explained that from there the DG "proceeded to serve the nation under NYSC as well as bagging her Master’s degree in the same field in Nigeria. It is false to allege that a graduate who studied  under federal scholarship  has no certificate."

Imam pointed out that the false allegation being peddling by rumour mongers, implies that the Federal Government sent so many Nigerians to an Italian school that does not exist.

The group insisted that at the Italian consulate during investigation, the consular officer also attended the same school while another lady said she enjoyed the scholarship in 1970.

"We call on the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to get its facts right instead of acting on rumours and innuendoes. Mrs Omoh is too cool and responsible to be involved in any unwholesome activities. Her appointment was done after due vetting and changing the decision of Mr President under false pretext is a threat to the change agenda," the group maintained.

However, they commended Mrs Omoh for her reform efforts since her appointment, warning that agents of backwardness are behind the false accusation, urging the Minister of Information to be careful of enemies of government lurking around the corridors of powers.

ITRealms recalls that Mrs. Mariel Rae-Omoh was appointed as the new Acting Director General NTDC in January 2017. She took over from the former acting DG Boniface Ebuka, who was first appointed into the position following the removal of, Mrs. Sally Uwechue – Mbanefo by the Federal Government.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE 

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Complaint about ICANN’s new complaints office

Commentary@ITRealms:  

ICANN executives that this new process would be relevant and responsive to those prior URS complaints, we were willing to wait and see who was appointed as the new Complaints Officer and how the process would work. 

We presumed that the hire for this new post would be an ICANN outsider, in order to eliminate any prior relationships or internal culture acclimatization that might create a perception or reality of bias; and that the individual would have a strong background in handling corporate accountability and effectively resolving complaints arising from within and outside an organization.

That announcement was made today –

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today announced that Krista Papac, Director of Registry Services and Engagement for ICANN’s Global Domains Division, has been named as ICANN’s Complaints Officer.

We have serious concerns about this choice — and they have nothing to do with Ms. Papac, for whom we have the highest personal and professional regard.

But how can any individual who has worked for years within ICANN’s GDD be expected to cast prior experience and relationships aside to thoroughly and dispassionately investigate a complaint brought against GDD actions generally, or those of a specific member of the GDD staff?

More specifically, in regard to ICA’s longstanding complaint about imposition of URS through the RA renewal process, Ms. Papac was the principal GDD staff contact for all five of the RAs which we have objected to. So how can she be expected to objectively deal with a complaint about ICANN actions for which she had primary responsibility? In effect, we’d be asking her to investigate her own official actions.

Again, ICA is awaiting full information about the new complaints process and the available relief it may afford before deciding whether to test it. But given Ms. Papac’s primary responsibility for the very official actions we’d be complaining about, it seems like we would be compelled to ask her to recuse herself from handling the complaint. Whether she would, and who ICANN might then select to handle the complaint, are unanswered questions to be resolved down the road.

Regardless of the answers, today’s development reiterates the need for the Work Stream II Accountability process to recommend modifications that significantly enhance the powers of an independent ICANN Ombudsman reporting directly to the Board.

It seemed clear to us that ICANN should have sought a disinterested person with a strong and demonstrated background in effective corporate responsibility to handle this important new post. That it instead selected an ICANN insider seems like a major unforced error. And 

that’s our complaint of the day.

By Philip Corwin contributed this from ICA.

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US deports Nigerians: I was handcuffed, locked in a cell for four days at US airport – Victim

ITRealms:

 At least, two Nigerians with valid visas, who were denied entry into the United States have alleged that they were humiliated and dehumanised by the US immigration and border protection officials at the Los Angeles International Airport and the Abu Dhabi Airport in the United Arab Emirates.

The victims, Femi Olaniyi and Popoola Olayemi, the latter having travelled to the US with his pregnant wife and two children, said their two-year multiple entry visas were revoked without any explanation before they were sent back to Nigeria by the US authorities.

READ: Avoid travel to US, FG advises Nigerians

Olaniyi, a real estate businessman, said he obtained his visa from the US Consulate in Lagos on December 23, 2016, adding that he had planned for a holiday in the US with his wife.

He explained that his spouse, a police officer, could not make the trip due to her official schedule.

According to him, he had planned to spend some days in California and visit a family in Indianapolis, stating that he had a hotel reservation, about $300 cash and $3,000 on his visa gold.

He said he left Lagos on a Turkish Airline on February 21, 2017 and on getting to the Los Angeles Airport, an immigration officer demanded his reason for visiting America which he explained.

He added that the officer also took his phone and travel documents, noting that he later captured his biometric data.

Olaniyi stated, “He demanded my phone which I gave to him. He went inside an office with the telephone and documents and later checked my luggage. He asked about my family which I told him.

“He later said he wanted my biometrics. He then asked me to sign some documents, but as I attempted to read them, he got angry and he handcuffed me and locked me in a cold cell, but after some minutes, I banged on the door and told him that the cell was too cold for me, so he moved me to another cell.

“I was in that cell for four days before he released me and sent me back to Nigeria. I arrived on February 21 and was locked in the cell and released on February 25, when I was placed on a plane back to Nigeria. Up till now, I don’t know the offence I committed that warranted my being treated like a criminal.”

The businessman stated that he had visited other countries and had never suffered such humiliation, adding that he was humiliated by the US immigration officer.

“I have travelled to other countries and have never experienced this kind of treatment. I told them to charge me to court but they said no, that I was not entitled to court hearing.

“They revoked my visa and banned me from visiting the US for five years. This was written on my passport, for an offence I know nothing about. My visa was to expire next year,” Olaniyi stated.

The father of three called on the Federal Government to raise the issue with the US government, stressing that the nation could not afford to gloss over the incident.

‘What Abike (Dabiri-Erewa) said is true, I am a living witness. This incident cost me close to a million naira and we are not even talking of the damage done to my reputation through the revocation of my visa and the five-year ban on me,” he said.

Olaniyi added, “If I take my passport to any embassy, they would think l committed a terrible offence. They detained and treated me like a criminal. The Federal Government should address this issue. It is very unfortunate.”

Olayemi, who was visiting Florida with his pregnant wife and two children, also had a sorry tale to narrate as he was sent back by  US officials at the Abu Dhabi airport where he was to board a connecting flight to New York.

The banker stated that the immigration officials initially said the $8,000 he had on him was not sufficient for him and his family.

After convincing them that he had friends who could raise money for him if the need arose, Olayemi explained that the officials asked him to go back home and return to the US after his wife might have had her baby.

He said, “The officer appeared to dial a number on his telephone, though I am not sure he talked to anyone, he said we didn’t make a hotel reservation but I showed him the hotel confirmation code. I showed them the printout, but he said he had called the hotel and they said there was no reservation.

“He then insisted that I should re-book my hotel accommodation but there was no telephone service at the airport. I couldn’t make phone calls. My children were crying. Nobody attended to us. We were kept there for over two hours. He harassed me and then gave my wife a form to fill.

“Later, they showed me a form, containing passengers they cleared, saying some declared $15,000 and others $20,000. He said this was a lesson for me and that next time I’m visiting the US, I should fly directly to New York and not stop over.

“He later gave me a questionnaire to fill, but the form has only one answer to every question, so you can’t tick ‘no’ to any question even if the answer is no. So, I was forced to tick ‘yes’ to all the questions: that I did not go with enough money; that I did not make hotel reservation, and so on.”

Olayemi further said, “My passport was seized and that of my wife. After some hours, they handed us over to Etihad Airline crew and we were asked to sit down somewhere. Nobody attended to us for about an hour or two. The children were shivering and they had to sleep on a blanket on the floor.

“I later met their overall boss, who gave us tickets for lunch and dinner, they didn’t even tell us they were taking us back to Nigeria. It was when I got to Lagos that I saw that my visa had been cancelled.

“The immigration officer was telling my wife to go home and have her baby and that she should come to the US after having her baby.”

Asked how he was able to confirm that the officers were Americans, the banker identified one of them as a US citizen of Nigerian parentage.

“They are US border protection agents. One of them is a black American with an Igbo name, Ogbonnaya,” he stated, adding that another Nigerian was also denied entry to the US “on account of his luggage.”

Reacting to the statement by the Federal Government that no Nigerian was denied entry to the US, Olayemi said angrily, “I’m sorry to say, but the man (foreign affairs minister) didn’t know what he was saying. He ought to investigate first before addressing a press conference. They just wanted to sweep the issue under the carpet, but this is not fair or right.”

He said the failed trip cost him over N1.3m in air ticket alone.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyema, had, on Tuesday, refuted the advice of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, that Nigerians, wishing to visit the US should suspend their trips until the Donald Trump administration clarified its restriction on visits to the US.

Dabiri-Erewa had said the US border officials had denied several Nigerians entry into the US and deported the victims even when the visitors had valid visas.

Onyema, who did not explain his effort to investigate the deportation of the Nigerians, called on Nigerians to travel to the US as they wished, saying no Nigerian had been denied entry to the country.

* 

Adelani Adepegba, Abuja, Courtesy: PUNCH Contact: editor@punchng.com

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Etisalat-Bank saga: ALTON requests telecom equipment inclusion in CBN 60% forex allocation

ITRealms:

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has requested the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to ensure the fast tracking engagement with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to include Telecommunications Equipment and Invisibles among the list of items to benefit from the 60 per cent foreign exchange (FOREX) by banks in the country, reports ITRealms.

ALTON, the umbrella body of licensed telecommunications operators in the country, through its Chairman, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo gave this charge in reaction to the threat by some three bank consortium to take-over one of its own, Etisalat Nigeria over inability to service loan facility worth N541bn secured in 2015, saying that inclusion of telecommunications equipment and invisible in the sector in the allocation guidelines, would ensure the continued provision of world class telecommunications services to the consumers.

While commending NCC and CBN recent steps, ALTON said that lack of exemption of telecommunications equipment and services from items to be accorded priority in the allocation of forex by the banks has adversely impacted the industry.

ALTON in a four-page plea, noted that current forex regime will have devastating impact on telecommunications sector, specifically will increase operating cost, prevail an unfavourable credit terms, delay implementation of network enhancement and improvement initiatives, and affect the national broadband plan to name a few.

“Telecommunications equipment is plant and machinery,” Adebayo declared, pointing out that telecommunications service providers are similar to manufacturing firms and deserve to be treated in the same manner. 

“The core network equipment and other auxiliary equipment procured for providing Voice and Data Services are equivalent to plant and machinery acquired by the manufacturing firms for the production of goods and services in the country,” he argued.

Currently, he said that some of the plants and machinery often procured and imported into the country by telecom operators include Radio Frequency (RF) Coverage Equipment (BTS, BSC, Node B, RNC); Core Equipment (MSC, Media Gateway, RMC, CCN, EMM, Packet Core, MPLS Nodes, etc); Transmission Equipment (Microwave, Optical Fibre, RF Planning Tools); Customer Contact Equipment (SIM Cards); and Network Tools (Planning tools, Monitoring tools) among others.

ALTON, therefore, maintained that subsequently the aforementioned equipment are integrated to form a network to provide services of voice, data, Short messaging service, Value Added Service (VAS), enterprise solutions and leased lines, which are finished goods in the telecommunications sector. 

Chuks Egbune/GEE 

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