Heirs Holdings invests heavily in Planet Labs 'doves' technology -| DSBNews

The pan-African proprietary investment company founded by Tony O. Elumelu, has invested heavily an undisclosed sum in a United States (US) start-up, Planet Labs’ innovative satellite manufacturing technology.

Heirs Holdings invests heavily in Planet Labs 'doves' technology -| DSBNews ... Making SENSE of digital revolution!

AWT launches TETRA PIM analyzer: S1L TETRA MK2

ITRealms:

The AWT Global founded by AceWavetech has launched a new Passive Inter-modulation (PIM) analyzer for Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) and Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) tagged S1L TETRA MK2 Series, reports ITRealms.

TETRA, formerly known as Trans-European Trunked Radio is a professional mobile radio and two-way transceiver, popularly known as a walkie talkie.

ITRealms gathered that TETRA was specifically designed for use by government agencies, emergency services namely the police forces, fire departments, ambulance; for public safety networks, rail transportation staff for train radios, transport services and the military.

While the UHF is a designate of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 Mega Hertz (MHz) and 3 Gega Hertz (GHz).

President, AWT, Mr. Wolfgang Damm disclosed to ITRealms that the new PIM analyzers were designed for measuring TETRA and UHF networks in the 400 MHz frequency range.

“They come with a wide variety of test modes for different tasks including, field measurement mode, analyzer, multi PIM display, Rx sweep, PIM vs. time and single carrier mode for insertion loss (IL) and coverage measurements,” he said.

On the Distance-to-PIM option, he said, it has been embedded in the system, reconnecting antennas is not required, although lower frequencies have higher wavelengths, which demand larger sized components.

According to him, AWT’s engineers have managed to embed the complete system, including options into a compact and convenient single-body enclosure.

“TETRA or Terrestrial Trunked RAdio is used globally by many public safety organizations, such as police, fire departments, border patrol, cost guard and many more. It is mandatory that these networks work perfectly. The issue is here not just about a nuisance with low data transfer or dropped calls. Problematic emergency networks may cause people getting hurt and even lives are at stake,” Damm said, stressing  that TETRA utilizes sophisticated modulation schemes, thereby increasing data transmission rates, but this makes it unfortunately also more suceptibility to interferences.

Aa said by him, TETRA channel frequency configuration may cause cross band intermodulation problems, yet both issues make the PIM testing of networks paramount.

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Pix: S1L TETRA MK2 analyzers

CWG’s Tier-3 data center debuts in Lagos, unveils future direction

DigitalSENSE Business News:

Pan African Information and Communication Technology multinational, the Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) plc, recently launched a Tier-3 ultra-modern data center in Lagos, just as the company unveiled its future direction, classified as CWG2.0, reports DigitalSENSE Business News.

The Group Chief Executive Officer, CWG plc, Mr. Austin Okere, told DigitalSENSE Business News at the event which saw to the unveiling of CWG 2.0 direction, revealed that the state of the art data center, located at Lekki phase 1, was specifically built for CWG’s cloud computing business, which has excess capacity to enterprises, especially banks for use as a disaster recovery data centre on a co-location basis, alongside growing online companies such as Jumia and Konga to avail themselves of the facility.

According to him, CWG’s data center has been equipped with what he described as N+1 power and environmental management infrastructure, with generate capacity of 0.7MVA. Stressing that this would ensure incoming main power is conditioned and available at all times, in addition to redundant and modular 250KVA Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). Even as the UPS functions as bull-mark against power surges and blowout.

Okere speaking specially on CWG 2.0 noted that having majorly completed the pillars for Information Technology as a Service (ITaaS) strategy, by creating a platform for rapid Pan African growth and repositioning service model to cater to the new cloud computing mind-set, CWG is on target to achieve the objectives of being the the number 1 IT utility enabler on the continent.

By launching three cloud services in Nigeria, namely the MTN SaaS for Microfinance banks in conjunction with MTN Nigeria, the Diamond Yello Account bringing Financial inclusion to the 55 million MTN Mobile subscribers in partnership with MTN and Diamond Bank, and the CWG SMERP, which is a vertically modular Enterprise Resource Planning application for Micro, Small and Medium scale enterprises (MSME); which could be used on a subscription basis by hotels, hospitals, spare-parts dealers, and farmers among others.

“We consider the refocusing of our business into a subscription based model as a dual advantage play. In addition to being a more sustaining strategy, it maximizes our social impact investing on the economy of Africa, and helps to create jobs by empowering entrepreneurs. This in essence defines the new CWG plc, which we have christened CWG 2.0” he declared.

Okere also explained that MSMEs are regarded as the engine of economic growth, which statistically shows that there are 17m+ MSMEs in Nigeria.

“This compares overwhelmingly with the 260 listed companies on the stock exchange. Without accurate business records, they are unable to generate the accounting reports that banks and financial organizations can depend on to provide financing. Without credit, they are unable to grow their businesses aggressively,” he said, pointing out that CWG SMERP could provide these organizations with a strong foundation for growth and sustainability and also provide these firms the opportunity to exploit the internet to access a bigger market.

“The substantial cost of utilizing ICT is a big barrier for these firms to take advantage of ICT to grow their businesses,” Okere said.

On the explosive impact of MSME on the economy, Mr. Okere asserted, “… Do you that by just employing only one additional staff each, the 17m MSME would have created 17million jobs?’

He to DigitalSENSE Business News that present setup by CWG requires payment only on a subscription basis which completely removes the CAPEX requirements of ICT usage, adding that for effective nationwide coverage, CWG will use a franchise model to enable smaller IT firms and consultancies to assist the MSMEs as business support organizations, and by so doing spur a secondary growth in IT MSMEs which will create thousands of additional jobs.

Remmy Nweke

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Pix; Ndukwe cutting take of the data center (2) Ndukwe, Okere and Lanre Ajayi at the event.

Unitel, Ericsson demo first LTE-Advanced in Africa

ITRealms:

In effort at showcasing its advanced technology, Ericsson has partnered Angolan leading mobile operator, Unitel to demo on the first Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-Advanced) in Africa, reports ITRealms.

The demonstration, ITRealms gathered is the first Africa’s data transmission on combined 

1800MHz and 900MHz spectrum bands on a commercial network on the continent.

Vice President, Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa, Magnus Mchunguzi, confirmed this to ITRealms, saying that by using LTE, operators could increase their network capacity and enhance the mobile broadband user experience, enabling up to 1Gbps data rates in the future.

“This demo places Unitel on the very limited list of operators in the world to demonstrate LTE-A in a live network using a commercial terminal. We are very proud to have partnered with Unitel in this achievement, further extending our long-standing relationship with Unitel,” Mchunguzi said.

Stressing that LTE advanced technology helps Unitel to match its spectrum assets, while enabling higher data speeds to increase network capacity and enhance end-user experience.

For the first time in Africa, Ericsson, together with Angola’s leading telecommunications provider Unitel, has successfully demonstrated LTE Advanced (LTE-A) Carrier Aggregation technology. The demonstration was done on both 1800MHz and 900MHz spectrum bands on a commercial network, using a commercial terminal, and took place on December 18, when Unitel transferred data across its live network in Luanda, Angola, carrying commercial traffic.

LTE Carrier Aggregation is the next step in the evolution of high-speed mobile broadband services, enabling operators to make the most of their existing spectrum assets by combining multiple spectrum bands to enable higher mobile broadband download speeds.

Amilcar Safeca, Deputy CEO of Unitel, said they will always innovate to enhance the customer experience. 

"With the global leap toward higher data access speeds for sophisticated video and mobility services; we are enhancing our network to ensure we continually provide high-quality services to our high-demanding subscriber base. With this demo, we are well on the way to launching the most advanced mobile network in Angola and perhaps Africa in the near future. We are working with Ericsson to make this happen,” Safeca said.

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UN names 55-man MAG for IGF’14, gets ready for Istanbul

ITRealms:

The United Nations (UN) has unveiled the new membership of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) of the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) for this year, 2014, reports ITRealms.

This is coming as the next IGF has been scheduled to take place in Istanbul, Turkey between September 2 and 5, 2014.

ITRealms gathered that a total of 55 members, 18 among them new, have been appointed, whereas 37 were incumbents. 

The Advisory Group members are from all stakeholder groups and all regions, representing governments, the private sector, civil society and technical community.

ITRealms reports that all Advisory Group members serve in their personal capacity, but are expected to have extensive linkages with their respective stakeholder groups. 

The main task of the Advisory Group is to provide advice on the preparations for the next meeting of the Internet Governance Forum, which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 2 to 5 September, this year.

Also, ITRealms reports that representatives of previous host countries and relevant intergovernmental, international and regional organizations are also invited to attend Advisory Group meetings.

ITRealms recalls that the Internet Governance Forum is an outcome of the Tunis phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, which took place in 2005. 

In the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, Governments asked the Secretary-General to convene a “new forum for policy dialogue” to discuss issues related to key elements of Internet governance and set out the Forum’s mandate.

Further, ITRealms notes that the Forum’s past eight meetings took place in Athens, Greece, in 2006; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2007; Hyderabad, India, in 2008; Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in 2009; Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2010; Nairobi, Kenya in 2011; Baku, Azerbaijan in 2012; and Bali, Indonesia in 2013.

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Pix: UN Scribe: Ban Ki-Moon

Digital Direct set to expand to Abuja, PH, Awka

ITRealms:

An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) retail and consulting company, the Digital Direct has said its presence would soon be felt at some notable cities across the country, reports ITRealms.

Confirming this to ITRealms, Managing Director, Digital Direct, Mr. Tolu Ijogun, said the company whose retail model outlet is located in Lekki Phase 1 in Lagos, has plans to commence   expansion in 2014 in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Rivers State and Awka capital of Anambra State.

According to him, the new branches would bear the hallmarks of the Digital Direct outlet in what he described as breath-taking showroom with best prices for the latest technology/computing products, capacity for high volume transactions, grade A after sales support and a technology training center assured,

Ijogun said that the expansion programme was triggered by the success of the Digital Direct Experience store in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, judged not just from the outstanding financial performance, but also from the testimonies of satisfaction by clients.

He further stated that the new branches would continue with the tradition of triggering an encounter between the consumer and the technology of renowned Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) globally and locally with HP, Microsoft, Samsung, Dell, Zinox, Toshiba, Lenovo, Canon, Huawei, Cisco, and Dlink to name  a few.

He assured that, as in Lagos, there will be OEM presence in the new branches to cater for all technical and product enquiries, backed by highly skilled and efficient workforce to ensure maximum client satisfaction and service delivery.

In addition, each branch would have a training facility capable of training between 1-50 people on all Hardware and Software products under the Digital Direct portfolio.

Pointing out to ITRealms that Digital Direct offers a flexible payment plan for staff of corporate organizations and NGOs, with minimal interest rates to accommodate the cost of funds and would be bringing this and other Value Added Services (VAS) to all customers and corporate organizations in Abuja, Port Harcourt and Awka.

He emphasised that Digital Direct has a team of young Nigerian professionals from the United Kingdom; supported by leading international and local OEMs and ICT distributors, which aims at being the most trusted and No.1 choice for ICT hardware and solutions in Nigeria.

Remmy Nweke

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Pix: Managing Director, Digital Direct, Mr. Tolu Ijogun

TMC says 3rd Cyber Nigeria Forum holds May’14

DigitalSENSE Business News:

The Tribe Media Company (TMC) and organizers of Cyber Nigeria Forum (CNF), has disclosed that come May 23, the third edition of the forum will take place.

The President and chief executive officer (CEO), Tribe Media Company, Dr. Bayero Agabi, made this disclosure to DigitalSENSE Business News, saying that the event which debut in 2009 held bi-annually since inception, and remains the only Internet event in the country bringing together relevant stakeholders across Nigeria and beyond to examine the benefits of the internet.

He also told DigitalSENSE Business News that the forum assesses the Internet's contribution to Nigeria’s economy, and discussions focus on enterprise, creativity, innovation and consumption.

He noted that although the Internet's impact on global growth is rising rapidly and is a haven of economic activity, ranging from millions of daily online transactions to advertising, communications and smartphone downloads little is known about how the web in its entirety contributes to economic growth, productivity, and job creation. 

“Cyber Nigeria Forum has become the preeminent Nigerian Internet event where entrepreneurs, CEOs of internet solution companies, investors, government and the youth gain deep insights into the Economics of the cyberspace, network, analyse, policies and regulations and new business relationships.

The 2014 Forum, he said offers a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the impact of Internet related businesses and innovations on Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and growth, drawing inference from global statistics, while also considering the most relevant tools governments and businesses could deploy to get the most benefit from the digital transformation.

Agabi told DigitalSENSE Business News that CNF 2014 will provide a platform for service providers to share their innovative edge; how they are able to follow global technological trends in offering services that boost enterprises and improve government services in areas such as e-commerce, e-health, e-banking, cloud service, big data the internet of things among other.

The event will hold alongside the Africa Information Society Merit Awards (AISMA) - an award instituted in 2009 to honour consistent and profound contributions to the continent’s knowledge economy.

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ICANN Strategy Panel invites participation on 2-day webinar

ITRealms:

The Strategy Panel of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has invited stakeholders to join the ICANN's Role in the Internet Governance Ecosystem on Monday, 13 January 2014 or on Wednesday, 15 January 2014, reports ITRealms.

The webinar, ITRealms also reports is mainly for an update and interactive discussion.

“As it prepares to offer its advice to the ICANN President and CEO, the Strategy Panel wishes to walk you through the work it has undertaken and to seek your input on the preliminary set of conclusions it has reached,” ICANN staff revealed to ITRealms.

The webinar, ITRealms gathered would also be the opportunity for stakeholders to ask questions. ITRealms recalls that as an advisory in nature, ICANN Strategy Panels serve as an integral part of a framework for cross-community dialogue on strategic matters.

Also, ITRealms notes that the panel designed to concentrate on critical strategic areas identified by the community, board, and staff, the work of Strategy Panels will inform a new, overarching vision and five-year strategic plan.

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Pix: ICANN chairman, Dr. Crooker

Working Group proposes alternative internet

ITRealms:

A council working group of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) has proposed some requirements for improvement of the existing Internet, as alternative to having an all-inclusive innovative internet, reports ITRealms.

A joint contribution made to the group by Saudi Arabia and Syria available to ITRealms stated that the proposals apply to a new, alternate internet to support development of the technology, protocols, and governance required for a new, alternate internet optimized for international applications and for WSIS principles, including innovation, competition, and investment.

To prepare guidelines, the group said, from the perspective of Internet-related public policy issues, regarding those characteristics require a new, alternate internet.

And to leverage on the experience and expertise of the ITU and to recommend that the ITU leads the coordination effort on development activities of a new, alternate internet.

In addition, ITRealms reports that instructing the ITU Secretariat to study those activities already underway in support of a new, alternate internet, both within and exterior to the ITU, and provide a summary of those activities.

Further, ITRealms gathered from the working group position is to establish a coordinated effort among ITU-T, ITU-D, and relevant UN organizations regarding international agreements and treaties required for a new, alternate internet optimized for international applications.

Experts argued that the memo from the group dated 2009 may have been overtaken by events although its important to revisit consistently the issue of alternative internet.

Ayo Omidele/GEE

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Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde goes to CNN African Voices

DigitalSENSE Art & Fashion:

  

Beginning from Friday, January 10 through Tuesday, January 14, Nigerian screen goddess, Mrs. Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde would feature on CNN African Voices to share her upbringing, road to stardom, fame and her passion for activism, reports DigitalSENSE Art & Fashion.

The actress who doubles as a singer, television personality and philanthropist, would feature on CNN African Voices, for the half-hour programme to underscore her Africanness.

The session anchored by CNN correspondent, Vladimir Duthiers, would host Omotola alias ‘Omosexy’ as she dwells on life, career achievements, passion for activism and future plans. 

Omotola. A Nollywood icon in the Nigerian entertainment industry is also a United Nations (UN) ambassador and activist with Amnesty International.

DigitalSENSE Art & Fashion reports that in 2012, Omotola was awarded the Black Entertainment Film Fashion Television and Arts (BEFFTA) Icon, a special honorary award, in recognition of her contribution to the film industry in Africa, Europe and globally. 

“I've reached a point in my life where I’ve realised I have to leave something. I have to have a legacy. I decided I will be an activist for Africa. My experience with the UN and other humanitarian organisations inspired me to want to speak out and say more and there's so much you can just say with words. This was my motivation for singing,” she said. 

Omotola is the first Nollywood act with her own reality TV show known as “Omotola: The Real Me”. She was also named one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in the annual Time 100 List in 2013.

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