This year’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World 2009, slated to hold in Geneva between October 5-9, will include a global leadership summit to address the role of Information and Communications Technology (ICTs) in economic recovery from the worldwide crisis and stimulating future investment and growth.
The ITU Telecom board of directors, which met in Barcelona last week, gave their full support to ITU to play a catalyzing role in shaping the agenda for global economic recovery and development.
The board, which includes key industry leaders, emphasized the role of the digital economy in reviving the broader global economy.
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, ITU, Mr. Sanjay Acharya, said in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online that the leaders expected at the forum will express their confidence in ITU for steering ITU Telecom World 2009, in the right direction, the Directors also agreed that ITU Telecom World will be held in Geneva in 2011 to mark its 40th anniversary.
ITU Telecom World 2009, he said, is the leading global ICT showcase that brings together Heads of State, Ministers, industry leaders and regulators for the high-level summit, cutting-edge forum and a dynamic exhibition.
“Such a high-level gathering from across governments and industry will create a unique public-private networking platform on a global scale to brainstorm strategies aimed at paving the way to economic recovery and development,” he said.
UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon has confirmed his attendance.
“It is vital that we use opportunities such as ITU Telecom World 2009 for a frank debate on the way forward for the ICT industry that will translate challenges into real and workable solutions,” Mr Ki-moon said.
Information and communication technologies, he noted, are increasingly critical for global development and human well-being, as such, UN must not allow today’s economic downturn to slow progress in providing widespread access to these essential tools.
In his part, the ITU Secretary-General, Dr. Hamadoun Touré said, the forthcoming ITU Telecom World 2009 will be the right time to bring together all the key players in government and the ICT industry.
“We will be in a better position to assess the effects on industry and establish both how to resuscitate those sectors that need it as well as to focus on how ICTs can be a catalyst for recovery,” he said.
ICT sector, Toure pointed out, has been the powerhouse of the global economy in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), stressing that investment in ICTs makes as much sense now as it did in building the physical infrastructure of roads and railways during the great depression of the 1930s.
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Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Speakeezee unveils Mi handsets
Authorised distributor of Mi brand of handsets in the country, the Private Networks Nigeria Limited (PNN) has unveil is latest in stock Mi mobiles at all Speakeezee stores nationwide.
A press statement endorsed by the Manager, Corporate Communications, at PNN, Ms Cynthia Nwagboniwe, quoted the chief executive of Mi, Alpesh Patel, as saying that the brand offers the urban youth users of cell phone in Africa a snap up with “ Mi” range of Quality Affordable handsets.
Hence the brand was last month introduced into Nigeria via its nationwide authorised distributor, Private Networks Nigeria Limited (PNN).
Patel recalled that Mi was launched in April 2008 as a secured African network operator and leading distribution deals in 10 markets. “Mi – Fones” are officially available in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Mauritius, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to name a few,” Patel said.
According to Patel, Mi was the only handset manufacturer in the world to release a Mi – Obama phone (limited Edition) made exclusively for the Kenyan market.
“This particular exercise which was done for fun, got the world talking about “Mi” with endless articles and blogs from the cellular tech world. (Google: Mi-Obama Phone). Mi’s record market penetration is expected to be high in Nigeria because of the brands clever positioning. We provide the emerging market consumer a range of reliable good looking products at affordable prices with the key focus being on variety,” Patel.
With this entrance, Patel further said that Nigerian consumers could find the Mi range of funky handsets at all Speakeezee retail stores.
“The Mi phone product range is an arsenal of slick, status affirming phone models boosted by the flagship Mi Metalix range. All of the Mi products are available in the market at well under N13,000.00,” the ceo said.
In addition, Patel went on to say they were extremely proud and honoured to have Speakeezee carry its range in their prime retail stores.
“The Mi handsets will be available exclusively at Speakeezee outlets first and our Nigerian distributor, PNN, will thereafter appoint other retailers and dealers nationwide,” Patel explained, stressing that having Speakeezee as valued retail partner enables Mi to deliver affordable warrantied handsets directly to the end consumer.
The available range at Speakeezee, he said, boasts of the worlds slimmest Dual SIM GPRS WAP handset – Mi 8801, the Mi210F with an internal FM antenna enabling users to share their music with their friends and the Mi300F with a VGA camera, available in RoseGold for the she or Chrome for he.
Recently, PNN announced the completion of Phase 1 roll out of Speakeezee outlets in Lagos - Ikeja, Surulere, Victoria Island; Jos, Ado-Ekiti, Kano, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Asaba and Benin, with 25 new outlets spread in phase 2.
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A press statement endorsed by the Manager, Corporate Communications, at PNN, Ms Cynthia Nwagboniwe, quoted the chief executive of Mi, Alpesh Patel, as saying that the brand offers the urban youth users of cell phone in Africa a snap up with “ Mi” range of Quality Affordable handsets.
Hence the brand was last month introduced into Nigeria via its nationwide authorised distributor, Private Networks Nigeria Limited (PNN).
Patel recalled that Mi was launched in April 2008 as a secured African network operator and leading distribution deals in 10 markets. “Mi – Fones” are officially available in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Mauritius, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to name a few,” Patel said.
According to Patel, Mi was the only handset manufacturer in the world to release a Mi – Obama phone (limited Edition) made exclusively for the Kenyan market.
“This particular exercise which was done for fun, got the world talking about “Mi” with endless articles and blogs from the cellular tech world. (Google: Mi-Obama Phone). Mi’s record market penetration is expected to be high in Nigeria because of the brands clever positioning. We provide the emerging market consumer a range of reliable good looking products at affordable prices with the key focus being on variety,” Patel.
With this entrance, Patel further said that Nigerian consumers could find the Mi range of funky handsets at all Speakeezee retail stores.
“The Mi phone product range is an arsenal of slick, status affirming phone models boosted by the flagship Mi Metalix range. All of the Mi products are available in the market at well under N13,000.00,” the ceo said.
In addition, Patel went on to say they were extremely proud and honoured to have Speakeezee carry its range in their prime retail stores.
“The Mi handsets will be available exclusively at Speakeezee outlets first and our Nigerian distributor, PNN, will thereafter appoint other retailers and dealers nationwide,” Patel explained, stressing that having Speakeezee as valued retail partner enables Mi to deliver affordable warrantied handsets directly to the end consumer.
The available range at Speakeezee, he said, boasts of the worlds slimmest Dual SIM GPRS WAP handset – Mi 8801, the Mi210F with an internal FM antenna enabling users to share their music with their friends and the Mi300F with a VGA camera, available in RoseGold for the she or Chrome for he.
Recently, PNN announced the completion of Phase 1 roll out of Speakeezee outlets in Lagos - Ikeja, Surulere, Victoria Island; Jos, Ado-Ekiti, Kano, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Asaba and Benin, with 25 new outlets spread in phase 2.
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
ICANN publishes plans to improve Internet
A draft of master plan by the Internet global coordinator, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Number (ICANN) to improve institutional confidence on the network of networks has been published.
ITRealms Online sources informed that the publication was as a result of a lengthy community consultation to improve institutional confidence in ICANN modus operandi, which is intended to dominate discussions at the on-going Mexico City meeting, due to end on Friday.
The draft implementation plan for improving institutional confidence was produced by the President’s Strategy Committee and follows extensive research, analysis, deliberation and consultation with the global Internet community.
Following two public comment periods, public sessions at the Paris and Cairo ICANN meetings, and a further five regional consultations in Montevideo, Christchurch, Geneva, Washington DC and Dakar, the Implementation Plan contains 18 detailed recommendations and accompanying materials that respond to community requests for more detailed information about internationalization.
The Implementation Plan complements a number of other documents produced by the President’s Strategy Committee (PSC) over the past three years.
ITRealms Online investigations revealed that the recommendations include to maintain ICANN’s headquarters in the United States, to review whether an additional legal presence outside the United States would be advantageous to the organization, to strengthen government involvement in ICANN and work with the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) to facilitate effective consideration of its advice, to improve the summary and analysis of public comments, and to set up a committee of independent experts to propose further Board accountability mechanisms.
Further, ICANN said the draft Implementation Plan will be publicly discussed at a workshop and public fora during the ICANN meeting in Mexico City (1-6 March 2009).
“It will be the subject of a further online public consultation after the Mexico City meeting,” our source said.
ITRealms Online recalls that the PSC’s role is to give advice to the President and the Board on strategic issues facing ICANN and since 2006, the PSC’s focus has been on ICANN’s legal status and identity, and regional presence.
The idea for this consultation was announced by ICANN’s chairman, Mr. Peter Dengate Thrush, on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at the United States Government’s Department of Commerce Midterm Review of the review the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) between it and ICANN in his address to the session.
However, the first public comment period on Improving Institutional Confidence was carried out between June and September 2008.
This followed a review of the public input from the Midterm Review and building on two years’ work by the President’s Strategy Committee itself, three documents were published to begin community discussion at the ICANN Paris meeting in June 2008.
These documents were the first versions of a Transition Action Plan, outlining what ICANN hopes to address and how an Improving Institutional Confidence in ICANN document, which outlines the main points of discussion in greater detail, and an how to act as supplementary and explanatory guide to the other two documents.
A public comment period began in June 2008 with a two-hour session at the Paris ICANN meeting on Monday 22 June, 2008. Online comments were received until August 2008, and PSC members and ICANN staff shared information and led discussions at a series of public meetings around the world. Whereas the Transition Action Plan and
‘Improving Institutional Confidence’ were revised in line with comments received and the evaluations and discussions of the PSC.
While the second public comment period lasted on Improving Institutional Confidence between September and October 2008.
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
ITRealms Online sources informed that the publication was as a result of a lengthy community consultation to improve institutional confidence in ICANN modus operandi, which is intended to dominate discussions at the on-going Mexico City meeting, due to end on Friday.
The draft implementation plan for improving institutional confidence was produced by the President’s Strategy Committee and follows extensive research, analysis, deliberation and consultation with the global Internet community.
Following two public comment periods, public sessions at the Paris and Cairo ICANN meetings, and a further five regional consultations in Montevideo, Christchurch, Geneva, Washington DC and Dakar, the Implementation Plan contains 18 detailed recommendations and accompanying materials that respond to community requests for more detailed information about internationalization.
The Implementation Plan complements a number of other documents produced by the President’s Strategy Committee (PSC) over the past three years.
ITRealms Online investigations revealed that the recommendations include to maintain ICANN’s headquarters in the United States, to review whether an additional legal presence outside the United States would be advantageous to the organization, to strengthen government involvement in ICANN and work with the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) to facilitate effective consideration of its advice, to improve the summary and analysis of public comments, and to set up a committee of independent experts to propose further Board accountability mechanisms.
Further, ICANN said the draft Implementation Plan will be publicly discussed at a workshop and public fora during the ICANN meeting in Mexico City (1-6 March 2009).
“It will be the subject of a further online public consultation after the Mexico City meeting,” our source said.
ITRealms Online recalls that the PSC’s role is to give advice to the President and the Board on strategic issues facing ICANN and since 2006, the PSC’s focus has been on ICANN’s legal status and identity, and regional presence.
The idea for this consultation was announced by ICANN’s chairman, Mr. Peter Dengate Thrush, on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at the United States Government’s Department of Commerce Midterm Review of the review the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) between it and ICANN in his address to the session.
However, the first public comment period on Improving Institutional Confidence was carried out between June and September 2008.
This followed a review of the public input from the Midterm Review and building on two years’ work by the President’s Strategy Committee itself, three documents were published to begin community discussion at the ICANN Paris meeting in June 2008.
These documents were the first versions of a Transition Action Plan, outlining what ICANN hopes to address and how an Improving Institutional Confidence in ICANN document, which outlines the main points of discussion in greater detail, and an how to act as supplementary and explanatory guide to the other two documents.
A public comment period began in June 2008 with a two-hour session at the Paris ICANN meeting on Monday 22 June, 2008. Online comments were received until August 2008, and PSC members and ICANN staff shared information and led discussions at a series of public meetings around the world. Whereas the Transition Action Plan and
‘Improving Institutional Confidence’ were revised in line with comments received and the evaluations and discussions of the PSC.
While the second public comment period lasted on Improving Institutional Confidence between September and October 2008.
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
Cortado develops iPhone solutions
Leader in mobile applications, Cortado, has introduced a preview version of its innovative business solutions for Apple iPhone at this year’s CeBIT holding in Hannover, Germany.
The Public Relations Manager, Cortado, Ms. Anna Schwartzkopf, told ITRealms Online that the mobile solutions converts the iPhone to a business phone.
By providing the smartphone with classic Personal Computer (PC) functions, she said, the solutions allow business users to effectively utilize the performance potential of the iPhone, just as a variety of the new solutions will become available within the next six months. She said that Cortado’s Exchange Hosting, a solution optimized for mobile devices, already offers an efficient and cost-effective communication solution for iPhones used by entrepreneurs, freelancers and small to medium-sized businesses. Cortado, therefore, announces that it will also be offering its standard business solutions for the Apple iPhone.
“This means iPhone features will be augmented by classic PC functions such as printing, faxing, access to corporate networks, scanning and copying, database access and much more,” she said.
On the advantages of Cortado solutions, she said, are evident and include that the iPhone serves as a laptop substitute even more frequently, work processes are optimized, costs are reduced, and productivity is increased.
The Business Director, Cortado Services, Dirk Löwenberg, was quoted as saying that within the next six months, they intend to make available these offerings.
“We will be offering a series of business applications through the Apple AppStore, and are expecting to have the ‘Cortado Corporate Server for the iPhone’ ready by summer,” Dirk said, stressing that at the moment, the iPhone is developing into the second most important platform, just after BlackBerry smartphones.
A video offers a first overview over the numerous possibilities of the iPhone as business smartphone at Cortado stand through CeBIT 2009.
Cortado, is an independently acting division, combines proven expertise in mobile communications technology with over 10 years of experience in building, and globally marketing, enterprise solutions.
The firm offers complete independence from location-bound workplaces and computer-based communication methods.
It increases productivity by extending the corporate network and desktop through the smartphone, giving users access to vital information while mobile. Users can access and save files from a network, as well as print and fax documents directly from his or her smartphone.
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
The Public Relations Manager, Cortado, Ms. Anna Schwartzkopf, told ITRealms Online that the mobile solutions converts the iPhone to a business phone.
By providing the smartphone with classic Personal Computer (PC) functions, she said, the solutions allow business users to effectively utilize the performance potential of the iPhone, just as a variety of the new solutions will become available within the next six months. She said that Cortado’s Exchange Hosting, a solution optimized for mobile devices, already offers an efficient and cost-effective communication solution for iPhones used by entrepreneurs, freelancers and small to medium-sized businesses. Cortado, therefore, announces that it will also be offering its standard business solutions for the Apple iPhone.
“This means iPhone features will be augmented by classic PC functions such as printing, faxing, access to corporate networks, scanning and copying, database access and much more,” she said.
On the advantages of Cortado solutions, she said, are evident and include that the iPhone serves as a laptop substitute even more frequently, work processes are optimized, costs are reduced, and productivity is increased.
The Business Director, Cortado Services, Dirk Löwenberg, was quoted as saying that within the next six months, they intend to make available these offerings.
“We will be offering a series of business applications through the Apple AppStore, and are expecting to have the ‘Cortado Corporate Server for the iPhone’ ready by summer,” Dirk said, stressing that at the moment, the iPhone is developing into the second most important platform, just after BlackBerry smartphones.
A video offers a first overview over the numerous possibilities of the iPhone as business smartphone at Cortado stand through CeBIT 2009.
Cortado, is an independently acting division, combines proven expertise in mobile communications technology with over 10 years of experience in building, and globally marketing, enterprise solutions.
The firm offers complete independence from location-bound workplaces and computer-based communication methods.
It increases productivity by extending the corporate network and desktop through the smartphone, giving users access to vital information while mobile. Users can access and save files from a network, as well as print and fax documents directly from his or her smartphone.
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
IPDC bureau votes $2m for media projects
The Bureau of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), concluded its 53rd annual meeting by voting a total of $1,95 million US dollars to support 63 new media development projects in developing countries.
This, IPDC said, would facilitate evaluations of the media sector of selected pilot countries using the Media Development Indicators.
The meeting which held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, from 23 to 25 February 2009, was attended by over 25 countries.
A press statement from UNESCO office in Paris, stated that in the selection process, the bureau was guided by the programme’s three main priorities: promoting freedom of expression and media pluralism; developing community media; and professional capacity building.
While contributing to these priorities, the projects approval took on various shapes and forms from a project aimed at transforming Afghanistan’s top printed newspaper into a national newspaper to support for a safety training course for media professionals in the Gaza Strip; from a community radio capacity-building project in the Comoé National Park in Côte d’Ivoire to support for the publication of a bilingual monthly newspaper in favour of the Kichwa Indians community in Ecuador.
Also, the Bureau decided to allocate funds for carrying out assessments of the media landscape in selected pilot countries using the Media Development Indicators endorsed by the Intergovernmental Council of the IPDC last year.
Presided by Mr Walter Fust, the Bureau has a high degree of representativeness and legitimacy due to its geographical composition.
Media experts and observers also attended the meeting. The next meeting of the Bureau is expected to take place from 24 to 26 February 2010, while the next Council session is scheduled for 24-26 March 2010.
IPDC’s mission is to support the development of print and electronic media in developing countries by mobilizing funds, through voluntary contributions to the Special Account. The beneficiaries are key local actors seeking to expand opportunities for free and pluralistic media in their countries.
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This, IPDC said, would facilitate evaluations of the media sector of selected pilot countries using the Media Development Indicators.
The meeting which held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, from 23 to 25 February 2009, was attended by over 25 countries.
A press statement from UNESCO office in Paris, stated that in the selection process, the bureau was guided by the programme’s three main priorities: promoting freedom of expression and media pluralism; developing community media; and professional capacity building.
While contributing to these priorities, the projects approval took on various shapes and forms from a project aimed at transforming Afghanistan’s top printed newspaper into a national newspaper to support for a safety training course for media professionals in the Gaza Strip; from a community radio capacity-building project in the Comoé National Park in Côte d’Ivoire to support for the publication of a bilingual monthly newspaper in favour of the Kichwa Indians community in Ecuador.
Also, the Bureau decided to allocate funds for carrying out assessments of the media landscape in selected pilot countries using the Media Development Indicators endorsed by the Intergovernmental Council of the IPDC last year.
Presided by Mr Walter Fust, the Bureau has a high degree of representativeness and legitimacy due to its geographical composition.
Media experts and observers also attended the meeting. The next meeting of the Bureau is expected to take place from 24 to 26 February 2010, while the next Council session is scheduled for 24-26 March 2010.
IPDC’s mission is to support the development of print and electronic media in developing countries by mobilizing funds, through voluntary contributions to the Special Account. The beneficiaries are key local actors seeking to expand opportunities for free and pluralistic media in their countries.
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
ATU regulators strive for better QoS
Africa’s telecommunications regulators may have decided to stop mobile phone companies from increasing their subscriber base except if they improve on their quality of service (QoS) according to the Africa Telecommunications Union (ATU), reports ComputerWorld.
Many African countries have operators that increase subscribers and do not upgrade their networks, leading to a high percentage of dropped calls, low call completion rates and poor quality of service, said Akossi Akossi, secretary general of the Africa Telecommunications Union.
“If regulators enforced the provisions in the operator licenses and Service Level Agreements the situation in Africa would be different,” said Akossi. “Operators just continue selling services and attracting more numbers without investing in network upgrades.”
Akossi pointed to the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), which has published a directive threatening to withdraw licenses issued to the country’s four mobile phone operators unless call completion rates and the call set up success rate are improved to 90 percent, the number of dropped calls reduced to 2 percent and the blocked-call rate reduced to 10 percent.
The directive gave Zain, Safaricom, Orange and Econet Wireless up to three years to improve their service quality or have their operating licences withdrawn.
In the notice issued to operators and published in the Kenya Gazette, CCK is seeking to crack the whip on errant operators that offer services punctuated by network congestion, low ratios on completed calls, low call success rates, poor speech quality, persistent call blocks, poor signal strength and quality even in urban areas.
“Other countries should follow the example of Nigeria and Ghana, who directed the operators not to sell any SIM cards unless they demonstrated network upgrades to support the new subscriber base; that is the only way to guarantee quality,” Akossi said.
James Rege, chairman of Kenya’s Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Communication, said “The CCK is just lazy; this directive should have been given a long time age.”
“Operators should not be allowed to compromise network quality over profits; making cheaper calls should not mean poor quality services,” added Rege, who is the legislator for Karachuonyo.
Last year, the government of Rwanda imposed fines on continental operator MTN for poor-quality services. In Uganda, MTN was forced to reimburse clients for unsatisfactory services.
To meet new challenges and growing subscriber numbers, MTN has committed 8 billion South African rand (US$800 million) in capital expenditure to upgrade and expand its networks in the South and East Africa region, said Yvonne Manzi Makolo, senior manager, sales and marketing department at MTN.
In Rwanda, where the regulator has been more strict, MTN Rwanda invested $70 million in the network and rolled out 311 base stations. MTN Uganda has implemented capacity upgrades of $300 million over the last three years to ensure that issues such as network quality and capacity are kept at acceptable levels.
“These investments notwithstanding, problems such as downtime caused by power failures and theft and damages to our fiber network, which occur during construction have continued to create problems,” said Makolo. “The company has invested in backup routes to protect the fiber network and re--routing calls in case of network failure.”
To ensure that confrontations with consumers and regulators do not re-occur, Makolo said MTN budgets for continuous frequency plans to improve voice quality and remove interference to the network.
“Given the growth of mobile phones in Africa, the operators are investing heavily but the investment is lesser compared to the number of subscribers,” concluded Akossi.
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Many African countries have operators that increase subscribers and do not upgrade their networks, leading to a high percentage of dropped calls, low call completion rates and poor quality of service, said Akossi Akossi, secretary general of the Africa Telecommunications Union.
“If regulators enforced the provisions in the operator licenses and Service Level Agreements the situation in Africa would be different,” said Akossi. “Operators just continue selling services and attracting more numbers without investing in network upgrades.”
Akossi pointed to the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), which has published a directive threatening to withdraw licenses issued to the country’s four mobile phone operators unless call completion rates and the call set up success rate are improved to 90 percent, the number of dropped calls reduced to 2 percent and the blocked-call rate reduced to 10 percent.
The directive gave Zain, Safaricom, Orange and Econet Wireless up to three years to improve their service quality or have their operating licences withdrawn.
In the notice issued to operators and published in the Kenya Gazette, CCK is seeking to crack the whip on errant operators that offer services punctuated by network congestion, low ratios on completed calls, low call success rates, poor speech quality, persistent call blocks, poor signal strength and quality even in urban areas.
“Other countries should follow the example of Nigeria and Ghana, who directed the operators not to sell any SIM cards unless they demonstrated network upgrades to support the new subscriber base; that is the only way to guarantee quality,” Akossi said.
James Rege, chairman of Kenya’s Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Communication, said “The CCK is just lazy; this directive should have been given a long time age.”
“Operators should not be allowed to compromise network quality over profits; making cheaper calls should not mean poor quality services,” added Rege, who is the legislator for Karachuonyo.
Last year, the government of Rwanda imposed fines on continental operator MTN for poor-quality services. In Uganda, MTN was forced to reimburse clients for unsatisfactory services.
To meet new challenges and growing subscriber numbers, MTN has committed 8 billion South African rand (US$800 million) in capital expenditure to upgrade and expand its networks in the South and East Africa region, said Yvonne Manzi Makolo, senior manager, sales and marketing department at MTN.
In Rwanda, where the regulator has been more strict, MTN Rwanda invested $70 million in the network and rolled out 311 base stations. MTN Uganda has implemented capacity upgrades of $300 million over the last three years to ensure that issues such as network quality and capacity are kept at acceptable levels.
“These investments notwithstanding, problems such as downtime caused by power failures and theft and damages to our fiber network, which occur during construction have continued to create problems,” said Makolo. “The company has invested in backup routes to protect the fiber network and re--routing calls in case of network failure.”
To ensure that confrontations with consumers and regulators do not re-occur, Makolo said MTN budgets for continuous frequency plans to improve voice quality and remove interference to the network.
“Given the growth of mobile phones in Africa, the operators are investing heavily but the investment is lesser compared to the number of subscribers,” concluded Akossi.
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
Monday, March 02, 2009
Visafone introduces midnight calls
Nigeria’s leading Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operators, Visafone Communications Limited, has introduced midnight calls on the network, tagged Visa Chill.
According to Mr. Tolu Ogunlesi of Corporate Communications, Visafone, this is another way for operator to further appreciate its customers nationwide.
He explained that Visa Chill is a new package that offers Visafone subscribers the opportunity to make free midnight calls between the hours of 12am and 4.30am every day.
“Visa Chill is the latest in an impressive list of ‘firsts’ that the company has rolled out since inception,” he said, stressing that by being the first CDMA operator to launch free midnight calls for its subscribers, Visafone has once again demonstrated the pioneering spirit that has consistently drawn praise and accolades from analysts and industry experts over the last 12 months of its operation.
Ogunlesi also said that to migrate to Visa Chill, all subscribers have to do is dial a short code (*444*116#).
“An SMS confirmation will be received if the migration is successful. Subscribers are expected to use a minimum of N60 daily in order to be able to enjoy the free midnight calls,” he declared.
Additionally, he said, with Visa Chill the company has also unveiled a brand new promo, ‘Visafone Fortunes,’ coming in less than two months after the grand finale of its widely acclaimed ’12 cars in 12 weeks’ bonanza.
The promo, he said, will run for eight weeks, that is, from February 17 through April 17, 2009.
During this period, he said, “100 subscribers will stand the chance to win N100,000 each and there will be four draws during that period, at which the winners will be selected.”
Existing subscribers, Ogunlesi said, would need to recharge a minimum of N500.00 in a week to qualify for the draws, while new subscribers need only to buy and activate a new Visafone handset and line.
ITRealms Online recalls that Visafone launched commercial operations on February 22, 2008 in 12 states and over 100 cities.
“We have since grown in coverage area to 22 states and over 170 cities in the last 12 months in fulfillment of its promise to provide Nigerians with a veritable ‘passport to reach the world,’” he said.
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
According to Mr. Tolu Ogunlesi of Corporate Communications, Visafone, this is another way for operator to further appreciate its customers nationwide.
He explained that Visa Chill is a new package that offers Visafone subscribers the opportunity to make free midnight calls between the hours of 12am and 4.30am every day.
“Visa Chill is the latest in an impressive list of ‘firsts’ that the company has rolled out since inception,” he said, stressing that by being the first CDMA operator to launch free midnight calls for its subscribers, Visafone has once again demonstrated the pioneering spirit that has consistently drawn praise and accolades from analysts and industry experts over the last 12 months of its operation.
Ogunlesi also said that to migrate to Visa Chill, all subscribers have to do is dial a short code (*444*116#).
“An SMS confirmation will be received if the migration is successful. Subscribers are expected to use a minimum of N60 daily in order to be able to enjoy the free midnight calls,” he declared.
Additionally, he said, with Visa Chill the company has also unveiled a brand new promo, ‘Visafone Fortunes,’ coming in less than two months after the grand finale of its widely acclaimed ’12 cars in 12 weeks’ bonanza.
The promo, he said, will run for eight weeks, that is, from February 17 through April 17, 2009.
During this period, he said, “100 subscribers will stand the chance to win N100,000 each and there will be four draws during that period, at which the winners will be selected.”
Existing subscribers, Ogunlesi said, would need to recharge a minimum of N500.00 in a week to qualify for the draws, while new subscribers need only to buy and activate a new Visafone handset and line.
ITRealms Online recalls that Visafone launched commercial operations on February 22, 2008 in 12 states and over 100 cities.
“We have since grown in coverage area to 22 states and over 170 cities in the last 12 months in fulfillment of its promise to provide Nigerians with a veritable ‘passport to reach the world,’” he said.
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
Senate commends Etisalat on innovative services
Upper house of the National Assembly (NA), the Senate has commended the fifth Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Etisalat Nigeria, for rolling out innovative services in the country.
This commendation was made through the chairman, Senate Committee on Communication, Senator Sylvester Anyanwu, who led the committee members on facility tour of Etisalat data centres in Lagos, on Friday, last weekend.
Addressing newsmen at the conclusion of the facility tour, Senator Anyanwu said, despite that Etisalat came in late in the Nigeria’s GSM market, the operator is on the right track.
“I believe that Etisalat is on the right track with its new set of innovative services,” he asserted, stressing that his committee is excited with the telco’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, mostly because it focuses on education.
He also charged operators in the country to be more proactive in introducing innovative services that would engender growth of data rather than mere voice.
Anyanwu noted that his team has been briefed by the management of Etisalat led by the chief executive officer, Mr. Steven Evans.
“We have heard them (Etisalat) and we intend to go back and see what could be done at all levels of government to ensure that the likes of double taxation is stopped,” he said.
Pointing out that if Nigerians and communities want services to improve, “we must provide sites for them (operators) to erect their base stations.”
Nigerians, he said, have roles to play and called on the states and local governments to find a way of eschewing double taxation.
Etisalat, Senator Anyanwu, noted, is now running its operations on about 40 per cent public power supply, which further reduce the cost of operations.
He outlined power and security as amounting to about 30 per cent of total cost of service delivery in the telecommunications sector in the country.
Nigeria, he said, has to do a lot of catch up so as to meet up the rest of the world because innovative products are being introduced almost on daily basis.
In his earlier comment, the chief executive officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Steven Evans, said his company has a very bright future in the country although it came late in the market, noting that Etisalat has 16 operations, which are mainly in the Middle East and Africa.
He further commended the employees of the company for being steadfast, saying that they are the reason for the current growth of the company, even as they intend to roll out to cover more localities nationwide within the shortest possible time, but is building infrastructure extensively.
Evans applauded the Senate Committee for making the visit to Etisalat, while hoping that a better future await Nigerians.
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This commendation was made through the chairman, Senate Committee on Communication, Senator Sylvester Anyanwu, who led the committee members on facility tour of Etisalat data centres in Lagos, on Friday, last weekend.
Addressing newsmen at the conclusion of the facility tour, Senator Anyanwu said, despite that Etisalat came in late in the Nigeria’s GSM market, the operator is on the right track.
“I believe that Etisalat is on the right track with its new set of innovative services,” he asserted, stressing that his committee is excited with the telco’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, mostly because it focuses on education.
He also charged operators in the country to be more proactive in introducing innovative services that would engender growth of data rather than mere voice.
Anyanwu noted that his team has been briefed by the management of Etisalat led by the chief executive officer, Mr. Steven Evans.
“We have heard them (Etisalat) and we intend to go back and see what could be done at all levels of government to ensure that the likes of double taxation is stopped,” he said.
Pointing out that if Nigerians and communities want services to improve, “we must provide sites for them (operators) to erect their base stations.”
Nigerians, he said, have roles to play and called on the states and local governments to find a way of eschewing double taxation.
Etisalat, Senator Anyanwu, noted, is now running its operations on about 40 per cent public power supply, which further reduce the cost of operations.
He outlined power and security as amounting to about 30 per cent of total cost of service delivery in the telecommunications sector in the country.
Nigeria, he said, has to do a lot of catch up so as to meet up the rest of the world because innovative products are being introduced almost on daily basis.
In his earlier comment, the chief executive officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Steven Evans, said his company has a very bright future in the country although it came late in the market, noting that Etisalat has 16 operations, which are mainly in the Middle East and Africa.
He further commended the employees of the company for being steadfast, saying that they are the reason for the current growth of the company, even as they intend to roll out to cover more localities nationwide within the shortest possible time, but is building infrastructure extensively.
Evans applauded the Senate Committee for making the visit to Etisalat, while hoping that a better future await Nigerians.
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
Google joins force with EC against Internet Explorer
Web search giant, Google incorporated has indicated interest to be joined in the anti-trust case instituted against Microsoft Corporation before the European Commission.
Google officials said that it has already solicited for a ‘third party’ in the European proceedings, which will entitle it to receive access to confidential documents in the case and the ability to voice objections.
Vice President at Google for product management, Mr. Sundar Pichai, said the company’s rationale in Google blog that they believe the browser market is still largely uncompetitive, thus hindering innovation.
“Google believes that the browser market is still largely uncompetitive, which holds back innovation for users. This is because Internet Explorer (IE) is tied to Microsoft’s dominant computer operating system, giving it an unfair advantage over other browsers”, he stated.
Also, he compared desktop-market situation with the mobile market, where IE is not tied to the dominant operating system.
Microsoft’s browser, he, therefore, said, has a much lower usage.
“ The value of competition for users is clear: tabbed browsing, faster downloads, private browsing features and more,” he further state.
As said by Pichai, the request follows the Commission’s recent decision to grant third-party access to Mozilla, the organisation behind the popular Firefox browser.
Mitchell Baker, Mozilla’s chairman, voiced concern is similar to Google’s in that tying IE to the Windows operating system harms competition for web browsers and reduces consumer choice.
ITRealms Online recalls that the Commission had formally notified Microsoft mid-January concerning objections to the bundling of the Internet Explorer browser with the Windows operating system.
The Commission’s decision, which initially stemmed from a complaint filed by rival browser-maker Opera, gave Microsoft two months to respond to the allegations, and also opened the case up to third-party involvement.
Microsoft’s share of the browser market has been declining steadily during the past year, largely due to Firefox’s growing popularity.
For instance, in January, IE controlled 67.55 per cent of the global browser market share, a drop of more than seven per cent points in a year, according to web metrics company Net Applications, even as Firefox gained more than three per cent points to 21.53 per cent.
Apple’s Safari rounds out the top three with 8.29 per cent of the browser market. Google’s Chrome browser, launched in September 2008, has 1.12 per cent of the market share, while it reportedly overtook Opera in November last year.
Opera’s share of the market share at the press time was estimated at 0.7 per cent.
This is not the first time Google and Microsoft have locked horns on antitrust issues. In 2006, the search giant expressed concern over Microsoft embedding web-search functionality into its Vista operating system. Microsoft ultimately agreed to make changes to the desktop search feature to head off a further antitrust battle with United States (US) regulators.
Google also opposed Microsoft’s failed bid to acquire Yahoo, saying it raised “troubling questions”.
Microsoft recently opposed Google’s proposed ad-sharing deal with Yahoo, which Google ultimately abandoned in the face of anti-trust scrutiny.
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Google officials said that it has already solicited for a ‘third party’ in the European proceedings, which will entitle it to receive access to confidential documents in the case and the ability to voice objections.
Vice President at Google for product management, Mr. Sundar Pichai, said the company’s rationale in Google blog that they believe the browser market is still largely uncompetitive, thus hindering innovation.
“Google believes that the browser market is still largely uncompetitive, which holds back innovation for users. This is because Internet Explorer (IE) is tied to Microsoft’s dominant computer operating system, giving it an unfair advantage over other browsers”, he stated.
Also, he compared desktop-market situation with the mobile market, where IE is not tied to the dominant operating system.
Microsoft’s browser, he, therefore, said, has a much lower usage.
“ The value of competition for users is clear: tabbed browsing, faster downloads, private browsing features and more,” he further state.
As said by Pichai, the request follows the Commission’s recent decision to grant third-party access to Mozilla, the organisation behind the popular Firefox browser.
Mitchell Baker, Mozilla’s chairman, voiced concern is similar to Google’s in that tying IE to the Windows operating system harms competition for web browsers and reduces consumer choice.
ITRealms Online recalls that the Commission had formally notified Microsoft mid-January concerning objections to the bundling of the Internet Explorer browser with the Windows operating system.
The Commission’s decision, which initially stemmed from a complaint filed by rival browser-maker Opera, gave Microsoft two months to respond to the allegations, and also opened the case up to third-party involvement.
Microsoft’s share of the browser market has been declining steadily during the past year, largely due to Firefox’s growing popularity.
For instance, in January, IE controlled 67.55 per cent of the global browser market share, a drop of more than seven per cent points in a year, according to web metrics company Net Applications, even as Firefox gained more than three per cent points to 21.53 per cent.
Apple’s Safari rounds out the top three with 8.29 per cent of the browser market. Google’s Chrome browser, launched in September 2008, has 1.12 per cent of the market share, while it reportedly overtook Opera in November last year.
Opera’s share of the market share at the press time was estimated at 0.7 per cent.
This is not the first time Google and Microsoft have locked horns on antitrust issues. In 2006, the search giant expressed concern over Microsoft embedding web-search functionality into its Vista operating system. Microsoft ultimately agreed to make changes to the desktop search feature to head off a further antitrust battle with United States (US) regulators.
Google also opposed Microsoft’s failed bid to acquire Yahoo, saying it raised “troubling questions”.
Microsoft recently opposed Google’s proposed ad-sharing deal with Yahoo, which Google ultimately abandoned in the face of anti-trust scrutiny.
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Willtek debuts cross-platform mobile testers
German information and communications technology company, Willtek Communications, has unveiled a cross-platform ease software mobile phone testing applications.
Marketing Communications officer, Willtek Communications GmbH, Achim Grolman, said in a press statement made available to Champion Infotel that the firm’s Lector and Scriptor have the capability to now support six terminal testers.
Announcing this development, Grolman that its 7310 Lector and Scriptor family of test automation products now supports all of its six mobile phone testers for all current cellular standards.
Service centers, Grolman said, could easily operate different instruments with common test automation software, thereby reducing the number of tools and simplifying upgrade planning and service centre expansion programmes.
Recalling that until recently, software products for mobile phone testing automation covered just one instrument at once.
“As an industry-first feature, Lector and Scriptor produce the same test protocol format for all instruments. The built-in test scripts and procedures support Willtek’s 2201 ProLock, the 3100 Mobile Fault Finder, the 4100, 4200 and 4300 series of Mobile Service Testers, and the high-end 4400 Mobile Phone Tester Series,” Grolman explained.
Accordingly, the entry-level 7311 Lector Basic, included with all Willtek test instruments, controls the instrument from a Windows computer and outputs a Pass/Fail statement along with measurement results.
In addition, the marketing communications manager, said, Lector test and report capabilities are available with 7312 Lector Enhanced, and 7315 Scriptor provides a test script editor for test engineers to develop and maintain their own custom test scripts.
“Lector and Scriptor support the prevailing wireless technologies: GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, HSDPA, CDMA2000 and EVDO. Generic and manufacturer-specific test scripts are included with Lector and Scriptor,” Grolman said.
The Product manager, Matthias Schuster was quoted as saying that test systems based on Willtek’s Lector simplify service centre operation and increase their efficiency.
“Lector-based test systems are straightforward to install, with minimal effort to get handset testing underway. With the optional coupling factor database, handset data can be updated automatically over the Internet so that these systems are easy to maintain,” he said.
Schuster noted that the optional database of coupling factors is a unique Lector feature. It offers the coupling values for precision measurements over Willtek’s 4916 Antenna Coupler for a wide range of phone models.
“The database is updated regularly with the with latest phone models and can be downloaded automatically or on request,” he said.
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
Marketing Communications officer, Willtek Communications GmbH, Achim Grolman, said in a press statement made available to Champion Infotel that the firm’s Lector and Scriptor have the capability to now support six terminal testers.
Announcing this development, Grolman that its 7310 Lector and Scriptor family of test automation products now supports all of its six mobile phone testers for all current cellular standards.
Service centers, Grolman said, could easily operate different instruments with common test automation software, thereby reducing the number of tools and simplifying upgrade planning and service centre expansion programmes.
Recalling that until recently, software products for mobile phone testing automation covered just one instrument at once.
“As an industry-first feature, Lector and Scriptor produce the same test protocol format for all instruments. The built-in test scripts and procedures support Willtek’s 2201 ProLock, the 3100 Mobile Fault Finder, the 4100, 4200 and 4300 series of Mobile Service Testers, and the high-end 4400 Mobile Phone Tester Series,” Grolman explained.
Accordingly, the entry-level 7311 Lector Basic, included with all Willtek test instruments, controls the instrument from a Windows computer and outputs a Pass/Fail statement along with measurement results.
In addition, the marketing communications manager, said, Lector test and report capabilities are available with 7312 Lector Enhanced, and 7315 Scriptor provides a test script editor for test engineers to develop and maintain their own custom test scripts.
“Lector and Scriptor support the prevailing wireless technologies: GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, HSDPA, CDMA2000 and EVDO. Generic and manufacturer-specific test scripts are included with Lector and Scriptor,” Grolman said.
The Product manager, Matthias Schuster was quoted as saying that test systems based on Willtek’s Lector simplify service centre operation and increase their efficiency.
“Lector-based test systems are straightforward to install, with minimal effort to get handset testing underway. With the optional coupling factor database, handset data can be updated automatically over the Internet so that these systems are easy to maintain,” he said.
Schuster noted that the optional database of coupling factors is a unique Lector feature. It offers the coupling values for precision measurements over Willtek’s 4916 Antenna Coupler for a wide range of phone models.
“The database is updated regularly with the with latest phone models and can be downloaded automatically or on request,” he said.
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
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