Vanguard

Dame Jonathan partners ITU-IMPACT on online child, youth security

On May 15, 2013 by Caleb Ayansina

First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan weekend expressed willingness to partner with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Multilateral Partnership against Cyber Threats (IMPACT) to promote online safety of children and youths around the world.

Dame Jonathan stated this when she received her letter of appointment as ITU’s Global Child Online Protection (COP) Champion in Abuja, and noted that children and youths are the top users of internet globally.

In a statement made available by media assistant, Ayo Osinlu, she described as commendable the determination of ITU-IMPACT to protect innocent children and youths around the world from exposure to various forms of online abuses such as pornography, radicalization, trafficking and bullying.

Dame Jonathan lamented that despite the unique advantages of advancements in ICT, unscrupulous elements still exploit it towards compromising the safety and security of children and youths for pecuniary benefits.

The First Lady expressed her satisfaction at the plan of ITU-IMPACT to build a partnership of various sectors of the global community, particularly among the 193 member nations of ITU, for the purpose of developing strategies for the control of access to and use of the internet to ward off cyber threats for children and youths. She appealed to parents and guardians, especially mothers, to make it a duty to show greater interest in monitoring and controlling the engagements of their children on the internet.

Presenting the letter to the First Lady, chairman of IMPACT, Datuk Noor Amin said Dame Jonathan’s progressive leadership role and her humanitarian services singled her out to be “the ideal candidate to help ITU-IMPACT in its mission to push for COP awareness and the need for national online protection framework to protect the young and innocent.”

Also speaking, Director of ITU’s Telecom Development Bureau, Mr. Brahima Sanou noted that the “COP framework has become a crucial necessity to create a safe environment for our children, while they are on the net”, therefore, they believed in the ability of Dame Jonathan “to spread the message and push for reforms not only in the African region but across the globe.”

Vanguard 12 investors to provide seed funds for tech start-ups On May 15, 2013 by Emeka Aginam

No fewer than twelve individual investors under the umbrella of the Lagos Angels Network, (LAN) are to provide seed funds for start-up entrepreneurs in the technology industry.

The individual investors boosted by LAN will include some captains of the IT industry, Angel Champion Tomi Davies, MD/CEO, TechnoVision Communications, Dotun Sulaiman, MD, Dortune Venture Capital Limited, Chinedu Okpareke, CFO, OandO Supply & Distribution, Andrew Nwani, MD, Dataflex, Fatumata Soukouna, MD/CEO SSL Consulting, Funke Opeke, CEO, Main One Cable, Demola Aladekomo, MD, Chams plc, Samuel Nwanze, CEO, HH Capital, Wole Lawani, Partner, Hyve Ltd, and Damola Adegbite, Contracts Manager, Chevron Corp.

Others include, Femi Adewunmi, Head, Procurement & Contracts, Notore Chemical Industries Ltd and Adekalu Balogun, MD, Kyautae Integrated Ventures Limited.

Each of these Angles, it was gathered has committed to supporting Lagos start-ups to grow their businesses by providing cash funding and mentoring time to the entrepreneural teams leading the Nigerian technology start-ups.

Although there is limit to their investment, the 14 members of LAN and the 6 others on the awaiting list are expected to commit at least one million naira each year for five years to the investment pool.

The project, like the Lagos Innovation Hotspots Map, Silicon Lagoon, i-HQ and others is backed by Innovate Lagos, the Lagos Innovation Advisory Council which was launched by Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, in September 2011.

It would be recalled that over100 start-ups had applied to compete for the LAN seed funding with 16 being shortlisted and only seven finally being selected to pitch their start-ups to the Angels at an event held at the DBI Lagos campus last week.

Tomi Davies of TechnoVision who spoke at the inaugural pitch event said:

“We don’t just invest cash. We are also investing our time to ensure that they succeed. We are going to guide the teams and make our networks available to them to enable them grow in the knowledge economy. The aim is to grow tech entrepreneurship in the country”, he explained.

Vanguard FG Okays local software, BrainFriend for schools On May 15, 2013 by Emeka Aginam

Promotion of local content in software development has received a major boost as the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) has endorsed the BrainFriend e-learning and examination preparatory software from CINFORES as a tool for the enhancement of teaching and learning methods in Nigerian schools.

CINFORES Limited is an indigenous software provider, which had over the years developed various educational solutions including the much talked about eCampus and electronic scholarship management information system.

The endorsement of BrainFriend software, which heralds the beginning of new era of local content development for education using ICT was achieved after due assessment by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, (NERDC).

NCC Boss, Juwah and Minister of CommTech, Johnson

This milestone attained by CINFORES Limited, proves the commitment of indigenous software developers towards improving the education sector through the use of information technology (IT).

The Manager, Business Development, CINFORES Limited, Mrs Jachi Briggs in a press conference at the week told IT Journalists that the endorsement was a landmark feat that certifies the software as an e-learning and examination preparatory tool, which should be adopted by schools, institutions, exam bodies and instructors across the country.

She said that the endorsement by the ministry is a public authentication that proves the software attained the requisites for a standard e-learning tool suitable for the development of the education sector.

Similarly, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has also approved and certified the software.

This is in line with the agency’s policy to test and ensure the quality of locally developed software, in a bid to make them meet the required global standards. For the agency, the benefit of promoting indigenous software such as Cinfores BrainFriend is another avenue to diversify the Nation’s economy and enhance the scope of outsourcing in the industry.

The software which is computer based, contains questions, answers with explanations modeled after national examinations and screening tests, such as POST UTME, UTME, SSCE, NECO recruitment and scholarship tests. It is an e-learning tool that guarantees excellent result when used consistently by students or teachers.

Already, the 2013 version of the software which features over 50,000 questions, answers and explanations covers over 40 subjects; over 15,000 theorems, formula and definitions, now includes technical drawing, computer science, food and nutrition, more flexible career counseling guide and lots more. It is also now available for mobile devices running on android with IOS and Windows Mobile version to be released by the end of Q2 2013.

All these accompanied with the new and exciting BrainFriend Mobile store promises to be the one-stop-shop for the revolution of education in Nigeria through ICT.

Before now, the Nigerian Union of Teachers, (NUT), Lagos State chapter and the Cross Rivers State government in partnership with IT&C networks have deployed the Cinfores Brainfriend software for teachers in the respective states and many more states are gearing up to follow suit.

Vanguard FG to train 700 N-Delta youths in ICT, others On May 16, 2013 by Chris Ochayi

OTUOKE—Determined to confront the high rate of joblessness in the Niger Delta region, the Federal Government has concluded arrangements to train over 700 youths in various fields of endeavour at the skill acquisition centre in Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The Federal Government is also collaborating with an Irish company with a view to training 200 of the youths in assembling of I-pad and other telephone accessories and offers them automatic employment.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, while on a tour of the N3.4 billion Otuoke Skill Acquisition Centre, said construction works at the centre would be completed by June and the campus put to use in July, 2013.

Orubebe said: “This centre is going to train our youths in oil and gas, maritime studies and information and communications technology, ICT. A company is also coming here to train our youths in assembling of I-pad and telephones.”

The company, he said was working with GSM providers, MTN, Etisalat, Airtel, and Glo, adding, “200 of the youths will automatically be employed by the company. I just come back from Ireland. I went there for a meeting with the company owners and that also is on course. We are going to start the programme in this campus.”

Daily Trust

Cell phone service cut in Borno, Yobe Published on Friday, 17 May 2013

Written by Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar (Yola), Hamza Idris, Yahaya Ibrahim (Maiduguri), Hamisu Kabir

Matazu (Damaturu) & Zakariyya Adaramola (Abuja)

A convoy of military vehicles heading out of

Abuja as thousands of troops deploy to Borno,

Yobe and Adamawa states where state of

emergency has been declared

. Curfew imposed on Adamawa

. House-to-house search in Maiduguri

. US warns FG on use of excessive force

Mobile phone service was turned off yesterday in Borno and Yobe, stifling social life and

business activities in two of the three states affected by the proclamation of state of emergency

on Tuesday.

Daily Trust’s correspondents reported that services of all the GSM networks—Airtel, MTN, Glo

and Etisalat—were unavailable since early morning yesterday, obviously turned off as part of the

military operation aimed at ridding the areas of insurgents.

There was no official statement on why the cell phone services were turned off, but insurgents

were believed to have used mobile phones to remotely detonate bombs in the past.

Fighter jets and thousands of troops have been deployed to Borno and Yobe, as well as to

Adamawa State which is also under emergency rule, to try to dislodge insurgents whose uprising

caused the death of thousands since 2009.

“I think the cell phone service cut was taken in order to give way for soldiers to launch

unhindered onslaught on suspects in targeted areas,” a Maiduguri resident said.

Cell phone service disruption is not new to some parts of northern Borno, as many towns in

Gubio and Monguno local government areas have been without service since last year when

insurgents destroyed cell towers there.

But for the first time, southern Borno including Biu, Hawul and Bayo local government areas

have been affected following yesterday’s cut of mobile phone services.

Grema Babagoni, who came into Maiduguri from Biu, said the cell phone service shut down

affected social and economic lives of the people.

Motorists who came to Maiduguri from the border towns of Gamboru Ngala and Marte said

Cameroonian authorities also turned off telecommunication signals that reach those

communities.

“We relied on Cameroon (for network services) for a very long period of time but we woke up

today (yesterday) and found out that all the signals are gone,” a motorist said.

Bus drivers who came to Damaturu motor park from various locations in Yobe State also told

our correspondent that GSM services were turned off across the 17 local government areas.

Malam Samaila Sule, a bus driver from Gaidam, said he noticed the service failure around 3am

when he intended calling home to know the condition of his sick child. “I was worried when I

discovered the shutting down of GSM services, because I left my child terribly ill,” he said.

Some recharge card sellers in Maiduguri said their source of livelihood has been affected and so

most of them were forced to remain at home. “This is a big problem as I have not sold a single

recharge card since morning,” Mohammed Gobir said.

But internet facilities not reliant on cell phone companies were running yesterday in the two

states.

Telecoms operators told Daily Trust they were aware of the services cut but declined to say if

this was caused by military activities. Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecoms

Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr Gbenga Adebayo, said members of the organisation were

working on the problem.

An official at telephony regulator Nigerian Communications Commission confirmed to our

reporter that military operations led to the cutting off of cell phone services.

But spokesman for the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, Brigadier General Chris Olukolade,

denied this.

“You should know that even before now there were difficulties in telephone services in the area

because the insurgents have destroyed several telecommunication facilities. As soon as you leave

Maiduguri, you will be experiencing network problems until you get to Chad,” he said.

Curfew in Adamawa

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army yesterday imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Adamawa State

following the presidential declaration of the state of emergency.

It is the first major change witnessed in the state since the declaration of the state of emergency

on Tuesday.

A statement signed by the army public relations officer in Yola Lt. Jaaru Mohammed Nuhu said

the decision followed the imposition of the state of emergency in the state and neighbouring

Borno and Yobe.

The full statement reads: “Sequel to the Presidential Declaration of a State of Emergency in

Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States by the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed

Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, a 6pm to

6am curfew has been imposed on Adamawa State with effect from 16 May 2013. All law abiding

citizens are advised to abide by the curfew”.

Lt. Nuhu later told Daily Trust that even before declaration of the state of emergency, the army

has been actively involved in security operation in the state, and that the same operation would

just continue.

There has not been any visible change in troops’ deployment in Yola yet since the declaration of

the state of emergency.

At the 23 Brigade headquarters in Yola, our correspondent did not see any obvious increase of

troops.

The army spokesman declined to say whether some have been sent to other parts of the state

after the declaration. He said troops’ movement has been going on in the state even before the

declaration.

In the state capital, Yola, people are still going about their businesses as usual, but many

expressed worries over the imposition of the curfew, saying it was unnecessary.

House-to-house search in Maiduguri

In Maiduguri, residents said security operatives have stepped up house- to-house search

throughout Wednesday night and yesterday.

Baba Musa of Kula Gumna area said soldiers had surrounded the area in the early hours of

yesterday and searched houses. Similar activities took place in Tashar Gwoza, Lawan Bukar,

Mairi, Gomari airport and Bulunkutu areas, Daily Trust learnt.

Travellers coming into Maiduguri had to pass through thorough screening at Jimtilo, the main

entrance for motorists from Abuja, Kano, Kaduna and southern part of Nigeria.

Vehicles had to wait for hours in gridlocks along the Bauchi-Maiduguri road before they got

screened.

A bus driver who took off from Bauchi around 6am yesterday said it took him over ten hours to

get to Maiduguri, a journey that would normally have lasted about five hours.

“This is a new phase of difficulty for us. All the passengers in my vehicle were asked to go out

from the vehicle at the entrance of Potiskum, Damaturu and Maiduguri. They were asked to

identify themselves while their luggage was searched,” he said.

But the Yobe State capital Damaturu remained calm, even though the cell phone service cut has

caused hardship for the people.

Elsewhere, the sight of troops scared locals, said Malam Baa Aji Geidam who came to Damaturu

from Gaidam. “The soldiers were staying calm in their camp, and did not harass anybody,” he

said.

Meanwhile, the United States yesterday reiterated its call on Nigerian authorities to avoid high-

handedness in the military operation against insurgents.

At a daily briefing in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, acting deputy spokesman of the State

Department, Mr. Patrick Ventrell, said: “Nigeria’s security forces must protect civilians in any

security response in a way that respects human rights and the rule of law…. we have made clear

to the Nigerian government that its heavy-handed response to insecurity in northern Nigeria and

the failure to address human rights violations will potentially affect our ability to provide

security assistance going forward. So we’ve made that message clear to the Nigerians.”

Daily Trust

Don’t toy with our BB, users tell NCC On May 17, 2013 by Winifred Imonluamen

The news just went viral last week that the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, was planning to shut down Blackberry services. Although the NCC almost immediately denied the rumour, Blackberry users in the country are still nursing fears that their cherished service may go under the knife of the regulator. Most of them still insist that there is no smoke without fire.

Majority of them who expressed their opinions through pinging messages said that although the ban happened in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, there is no ground for its success in Nigeria.

Miss Morayo Adebayo – a student: Why would anybody ever think of it! Banning Blackberry? It’s not reasonable in anyway. But I know the way things go in Nigeria, there is no smoke without fire but the truth is that the device has done a lot of good than harm.

The advantages include cheaper way of people to get in touch with friends and family without actually calling them. It has easy access to the internet reducing the risk of going to the cyber cafe or carrying laptops about. Bank transactions and so many things can be done on the Black Berry. Abeg, they should leave our BB alone!

Banning of Black Berry for security reasons is like closing banks because of fraudsters or arm robbers. Rather than this retrogressive step, NCC should put more resources on security and cyber police to tackle the problems of crime and offences related to Black Berry.

Mr. Innocent Onoja: If NCC feels banning of Black Berry is the only way to handle the security challenges facing the country, I have nothing against them. But they should also consider the impact of information in every civilized country like Nigeria through the social networks. Today Facebook and Black Berry Messenger are the most crucial services that enable people to effectively communicate with one another and even find old friends

Dr. Lucy Omizebga : The plan to ban Black Berry is oppressive, communist and not fair to we the citizens who are Black Berry users. I hope it is all rumours because we are not there yet. So to shut the little that is giving us hope would be counter productive

Mr. Oye Obaitan: I just heard of the rumour and I still believe it is rumour. I think that the best way Nigeria be thinking of security measures, is to first arrest the Boko haram insurgence and not to remove the small joy we are now deriving. When we are thinking of banning BB, what about Facebook, WatsApp, twitter and others”

However, NCC, through its Director Public Affairs, Mr Tony Ojobo, had declared that there was no substance in the rumour. “the attention of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been drawn to an information making rounds that the NCC had at a meeting this morning agreed with CEOs of telecommunications networks to shutdown Blackberry Services in order to deny Nigerians the use of that very important social network.The Management hereby states categorically that there was never such a meeting held, nor was there ever a resolution to shut down Blackberry services. The Public is please advised to disregard such information” he added.

Guardian

NCC links boom in telecoms sector to robust policies,

4000 subscribers port in two days Sunday, 19 May 2013 by Adeyemi Adepetun

FORIEGN and local investments into the booming telecommunications sector in Nigeria are duly protected by existing telecoms laws, which have remained the strength of the sector in the past 12 years of its liberalization, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said.

The Nigerian Communication Act 2003, which defines how telecommunications works in a win-win both for the country and the investors, has been a major source of the industry success.

Indeed, the telecommunications sector can presently boast of over $25 billion Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).

Meanwhile, the NCC also informed that about two days after the launch of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in Nigeria, 4000 subscribers ported from one network to another.

The commission has restated its commitment to bringing to an end the N6.1 billion Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) registrations by June 30, urging all service operators to round up the process.

The commission’ s executives gave these hints at different fora both in Abuja and Lagos at the weekend.

In Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, attributed the vibrancy of the industry to the enabling operating environment provided by the NCC Act.

Juwah, who constantly seeks more investment into the sector, said “The power of the Nigerian Communications Act guarantees a safe market for investors that they can indeed bring their money into Nigeria and be sure that the law is there to protect their investment.”

According to him, the NCC also demonstrated this as it recently signed an agreement with Canada to protect the Nigerian-bound Canada’s investment within Nigeria.

The last official industry data showed that active mobile subscriptions in Nigeria has grown to over 116 million while teledensity has grown over 80 per cent in the last 12 years.

Also with just over 47 million Nigerians online, with less than 10 per cent of them having access to ‘broadband’, studies has shown that developing broadband market in Nigeria also holds great potential to investors.

In spite of the growth, the NCC boss said the Act has helped the Commission to maintain a firm grip on the industry, coming down hard on operators when the need arises.

He said, “The strength of the Act is why the NCC is excited about the roadmap ahead,” saying the roadmap includes various frequency auctions that will come up between 2013 and 2015.

According to him, “Such a roadmap includes the creation of a huge broadband market in Nigeria, the effect of which can touch every life in the country. Broadband technology will enable Nigerians enjoy data services by opening up new vista of competition in the industry.”

He added that the broadband regime, which the country is entering, would create a new excitement in the industry; ensure availability of quality products and services as well as the protection of the subscribers.

In Lagos at the eWorld Forum 2013, the NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Tony Ojobo, who confirmed the porting figures said the number has increased since then. He said by the end of the first month, the commission would come out with an official figure of those who indeed ported.

Ojobo, who confirmed that there have serious shortfalls in the quality of service within the last one month said: “We have got few complaints about drop in the quality of service in the last few days.”

But you are also aware that we just lifted the ban on promos. So we are monitoring all that to know what the challenge really is. By the end of the month, we are going to carry out a test on all the networks to know how they have measured up with the KPIs. You will agree with me that the competition in the industry has been heightened by the launch of MNP. So, the operators now know that they must work hard to retain their customers because more customers means more revenue and vice versa.”

Ojobo restated the commission’s resolve to bar every unregistered SIMs by June 30, saying that operators should round up the exercise before then, as that will bring the over two years exercise to an end in the country.

Punch Windows phone overtakes BlackBerry in Q1 shipments May 20, 2013 by Stanley Opara

Smartphone

Android and iOS, the number one and number two ranked smartphone respectively, operating systems worldwide, accounted for 92.3 per cent of all smartphone shipments during the first quarter of 2013 as Windows Phone crept past BlackBerry for third place.

According to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Android smartphone vendors and Apple shipped a total of 199.5 million units worldwide during Q1 2013, up by 59.1 per cent from the 125.4 million units shipped during Q1 2012.

“Underpinning the worldwide smartphone market is the constantly shifting operating system landscape,” Research Manager with IDC’s Mobile Phone team, Mr. Ramon Llamas, said in a statement.

“Android and iOS accounted for more than the lion’s share of Smartphones in the first quarter, but a closer examination of the other platforms reveals turnaround and demand for alternatives. Windows Phone has benefited from Nokia’s participation, and BlackBerry’s new BB10 devices have already hit a million units shipped in its first quarter of availability,” he added.

The senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Mr. Kevin Restivo, said, “Windows phone claiming the third spot is a first and helps validate the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia.

“Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alternative to Android or iOS.”

Android remains the leader in the smartphone operating system market, increasing its market share despite the seasonality working against the entire smartphone market in the first quarter.

Samsung was once again the clear leader among all Android smartphone vendors, commanding 41.1 per cent market share, according to the report.

Following Samsung was a long list of vendors with single-digit market share, and an even longer list of vendors with market share less than one per cent.

The intra-Android competition has not stifled companies from keeping Android as the cornerstone of their respective smartphone strategies, but has upped the ante to innovate proprietary experiences.

Apple iOS marked its largest ever first quarter volume on the strength of its iPhone shipment volumes, yet the operating system posted a year-over-year decline in market share and lower year-over-year shipment growth than the overall market.

Although demand remains strong worldwide, the iOS experience has remained largely the same since the first iPhone debuted in 2007. That appears ready to change as online rumors and speculation predict a massive overhaul of the user interface when iOS 7 debuts.

Windows Phone posted the largest year-over-year gain among the leading operating systems, more than doubling its size from a year ago.

Nokia was largely responsible for driving these volumes higher, accounting for 79 per cent of all Windows phone shipments during the quarter.

Since Nokia began shipping Windows phone devices, the company has shipped a total of 20.3 million units and grown the footprint worldwide to include address multiple market segments.

Meanwhile, other vendors continue to offer Windows phone devices, but mainly as an alternative to their signature Android devices. Still, the gains made by Windows Phone demonstrate both end-user demand and OEM support.

BlackBerry realised double-digit declines from a year ago, but this masks the progress that the company has made since then.

In its first quarter of availability, BlackBerry formally introduced and shipped more than a million units running on its new BB10 platform, a significant breakthrough for the company. At the same time, BlackBerry still relied on its BB7 Smartphones for the majority of its shipment volume, which, due to their lower prices, were well received within key markets.

Punch Samsung captures 95% of global Android smartphone profits May 20, 2013 by Agency Reporter

The latest research from Strategy Analytics said global Android smartphone profits reached $5bn in total during the first quarter of 2013.

Samsung dominated and captured an impressive 95 per cent share of all Android smartphone profits.

Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, Mr. Neil Shah, said, “We estimate the global Android smartphone industry generated total operating profits of $5.3bn during Q1 2013.

The Android platform accounted for 43 per cent share of the entire smartphone industry’s operating profits, which reached $12.5bn worldwide in the first quarter of this year.”

Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, Mr. Woody Oh, added, “We estimate Samsung’s Android smartphone shipments generated $5.1bn of operating profit worldwide in Q1 2013. Samsung captured a huge 95 per cent share of all Android smartphone industry profits.

“An efficient supply chain, sleek products and crisp marketing have been among the main drivers of Samsung’s impressive profitability. LG followed in second place and took three per cent global profit share. LG delivered a small profit during the quarter, but it currently lacks the volume scale needed to match Samsung’s outsized profits.”

The Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, Mr. Neil Mawston, also said, “Samsung is, for now, the undisputed king of the global Android smartphone industry. We believe Samsung generates more revenue and profit from the Android platform than Google does.

“Samsung has strong market power and it may use this position to influence the future direction of the Android ecosystem. For example, Samsung could request first or exclusive updates of new software from Android before rival hardware vendors.”

Thisday NCC Moves to Harmonise Emergency Numbers 20 May 2013

NCC By Emma Okonji

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said it is poised to harmonise pockets of emergency numbers that currently exist among government agencies and telecommunication operators across the country.

Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, dropped the hint at the eWorld Technology Forum in Lagos at the weekend.

According to Juwah the move became necessary in order to further strengthen the drive for road safety, using technology tools.

“One critical effort of the commission in the direction of improving road safety is the current deployment of Emergency Communication Centres (ECC) in all the state capitals and Abuja. This is a nationwide system that will utilise the universal 112 code for telephone users to reach all emergency service like the Police, Fire Service Commission, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Ambulance Services, among others,” Juwah said.

Ojobo, who was represented by the Director, Public Affairs of NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, however explained that the plan would be focused on harmonising all existing emergency centres in all state capitals, as well as all existing emergency numbers from various agencies, such that Nigerians would be familiar with only one emergency number that would link all emergency centres in the country.

According to him, Nigerians may not remember the different emergency numbers of different agencies like the Police, FRSC, Fire Service Commission, among others when they find themselves in a distress situation, like road accidents, fire outbreak, collapsed building, among others and they needed to make instant distress call.

For instance, Fire Service Commission has its emergency number different from FRSC and the Police. When people are under tensed situation, and have need to make distress calls, they tend to forget the number that will address the situation. But NCC has planned it in such a way that it would harmonise all existing emergency numbers with different agencies, such that Nigerians could dial only 112 for any kinds of distress calls, be it road accident, fire outbreak, armed robbery, collapsed building, among others.

According to Ojobo, NCC, in collaboration with the federal government, has built two emergency centres in Minna in Niger State, and Awka in Anambra State. The two centres, which are ready for commissioning, will serve as pilot centres to receive all emergency calls from a single code of 112, and staff at the centres will immediately re-direct the distress call to the appropriate channel and to the nearest location to the scene of the incident, for prompt rescue action. While the Awka Centre will handle calls from West, Eastern and Southern parts of the country, the Mina Centre will handle calls from the Middle Belt, North Central and other Northern parts of the country.

Ojobo said the idea would help improve road safety and save lives and property that are exposed to unexpected dangers.

He however said the challenge would be on the management of the harmonised centres. According to him, in developed countries where it is currently practised, telecoms regulators and operators are not directly involved in the management, but explained that NCC would continue to manage the centres in Nigeria, until government is able to create an agency that has the capacity to manage the centres.

Vanguard ‘Why NCC should prioritize dominant-

operator regulation’ On May 22, 2013 by Prince Osuagwu

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, penultimate week, opened the telecom

industry up for another debate when it released the operators’ market status and declared two,

MTN and Globacom, as dominant players in different categories.

Since that declaration which came almost immediately it flagged off the Mobile Number

Portability, MNP, in the country, several opinions have been raised by subscribers who charged

the regulator to prioritize the regulation or risk having the sector fall back to the NITEL days of

monopoly.

However, this is not the first time the commission is making attempt at stabilizing competition in

the telecom market. In 2010, it attempted such exercise but it produced no positive result. But in

June 2012, the NCC embarked upon what it described as the “Study of the Assessment of the

Level of Competition in the Nigerian telecommunications industry.”

The broad market segments considered in the survey included Voice (Mobile and Fixed), Data

(Mobile and Fixed), Upstream and Downstream. According to the findings, there are no

dominant operators yet in the fixed mobile, fixed data and downstream market segments.

For voice data, MTN, which had about 47.4 million subscribers (about 43.57 per cent market

share), as at December last year, was declared the dominant operator. The network, which

commenced operation at the launch of the GSM liberalisation in 2001, was also announced as

joint dominant operator in the upstream segment. The other network so declared was Glo, which

launched its services in 2003 and had about 24.1 million subscribers (about 22.15 per cent) as at

December 2012.

Going by its findings, NCC declared that there are concerns in the two market segments. For

mobile voice, it states that the segment is not “effectively competitive.” Fundamentally, NCC

expressed worry about the “wide differential (of about 300 per cent) between on-net and off net

calls.” It goes further to warn that “this is indicative of the likely establishment of a calling hub

for MTN subscribers.”

The regulatory agency also stated that the dominant operator in the mobile voice market should,

among others requirements, collapse on-net and off-net retail tariffs immediately.

This is where an Aba based telecoms lawyer, Chibuzor Ogii said the regulator should assert its

authority if it were serious to balance the market. “NCC should be serious when it makes

pronouncements. It is one thing to appear as to the public as if it is working and another to prove

that it is genuinely protecting the interest of the market. For instance, the dominant operator in

the voice segment is yet to comply with the NCC directive.

Its booster weekly prepaid charge, for instance, offers on net calls at 10 kobo per second, while

subscribers are charged 150 per cent more – 25 kobo per second – for calls to other networks. At

30 kobo per second for calls from the second minute till the rest of the day, its Super Saver off-

net call rates appear exploitative. There is a huge difference of 200 per cent as it charged 10 kobo

per second for on-net calls” he said.

The lawyer who was in Lagos at the weekend enumerated to this reporter that “other operators

like Globacom, pitches its Talk-Free pre-paid package, on-net calls cost at 15 kobo per second

and 18 kobo per second for off-net calls. SMS charges are the same N4 irrespective of whether

the message is sent to within or outside the network.

On Glo Hi-Flier and G-BAM Hi 5ive, subscribers enjoy same 18 kobo per second charge to any

network within Nigeria. But Glo is also guilty of exploitation as it charged 10 kobo per second

for on-line calls on Glo Gista but 30 kobo per second for off-net calls, while Glo 1derful rates for

voice calls are 15 kobo per second for on-net calls and 25 kobo off-net.

“Airtel has 2good Classic and Airtel Club 10, among other packages. For the former, voice calls

have a flat rate of 18 kobo per second for calls to all national destinations, irrespective of the

network. Airtel Club 10 requires subscribers to register 10 Airtel lines of family, friends or

associates which would then enable calls to be made at 8.34 kobo per second. Calls to other

Airtel numbers on this package cost 20 kobo per second on-net and 30 kobo per second off-net.

“Etisalat has Easy starter, among its several packages. Calls to all networks cost 50 kobo per

second, while Home zone calls are charged at 40 kobo per second whether on-net or off-net. On

Easycliq, calls within the network at peak period cost 40 kobo per second and a minimal increase

to 50 kobo per second for off-net calls”.

For him, “having commenced the Dominant Operator policy since May 1, the NCC is expected

to have ensured compliance with the new regime, particularly in the area of pricing”.

Incidentally, in his recent announcement, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo

assured that the regulatory agency would deploy all necessary procedures to ensure that both

companies did not use their dominant positions in the industry to stifle competition.

Vanguard Revisiting NCC’s draft wiretap regulation On May 22, 2013

RECENTLY, a draft piece of regulation by the telecommunications regulator, Nigerian

Communications Commission, titled Draft Lawful Interception of Communications Regulations

has become the focus of attention.

Taken with an allegation that the Federal Government has engaged a foreign firm in a $40

million contract to monitor electronic communication here, we can no longer carry on as if it is

business as usual. In fact, business is no longer as usual given the spate of security challenges

that the nation is currently grappling with.

To this end, the draft regulation, which some people are already calling the Big Brother law

should command the attention of all and sundry until all issues germaine are satisfactorily

resolved.

Dr Eugene Juwah, EVC, NCC

In introducing the regulation on its website, the NCC states under “Scope and Objectives of the

Regulations” that “these Regulations are made to provide a legal and regulatory framework for

the lawful interception of Communications in Nigeria, the collection and disclosure of

intercepted Communications.

Further, the draft says “these Regulations shall….provide the legal and regulatory framework for

the lawful interception of Communications in Nigeria and to put into effect the provisions of

Sections 146 and 147 of the Act (the Nigerian Communications Act).

Section 147 of the Nigerian Communications Act states:

“The Commission may determine that a licensee or class of licensee shall implement the

capability to allow authorised interception of communications and such determination may

specify the technical requirements for authorised interception capability.”

As ICT percolates every sector of the economy and citizenry, crimes are being committed using

electronic devices, particularly mobile telephones and computers. In attempting to solve some of

these crimes, law enforcement agencies have found call records of targeted individuals in their

cases useful, and obtained them to speed up investigations. In many cases, these have not been

done with warrants from competent courts.

Section 4 of the draft regulation allows interception of communications without a warrant. I posit

that will be injurious to the primacy and privacy of communications among individuals.

Again, the draft regulation says in Section 7 that “a warrant shall be granted for an initial period

of three months or such lesser period as the Judge may determine based on the circumstances of

the application made before the Judge and shall cease to have effect at the end of the period

stipulated in the Warrant unless renewed.”

This is dangerous, as information accumulated over three months may not be germaine to the

initial case but form grounds for a fresh case. This cannot be overlooked in a polity like ours,

where public institutions are prone to misuse and abuse by elected officials in pursuit of political

objectives.

Provisions of Part IV of the regulations are particularly alarming, as it directs all operators in the

country “to install interception capabilities that allow or permit the interception of

Communications.” Taken together with other provisions in Section 6, 14, 19, and others, this

means that our communications are on record, and can be pulled out at anytime against anybody

for any purpose. But then, who bears the cost of these?

My own take on the draft regulation is that it should be a legislative issue, subject to all the

processes of public hearings and debates. Since the law allocates responsibilities to various

entities, it should be the outcome of a legal process by a competent legislative house. Nothing

less will serve our purpose.

Vanguard Mixed reactions greet draft wiretap law at

forum in Lagos On May 22, 2013 by Emeka Aginam

Last week in Lagos when stakeholders in the Nigerian telecoms industry gathered to discuss the

draft lawful interception of communications regulations, leading voices contended that except

the policy as recently released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), passes

through a legislative process, Nigeria may not get the expected results.

It would be recalled that the NCC recently came up with the Draft Lawful Interception of

Communications Regulation, which provides the legal and regulatory framework for the lawful

interception of communications in Nigeria, and to put into effect the provisions of Section 70 of

the Nigerian Communications Act.

It’s illegal

Although the President of Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON),

Engr. Lanre Ajayi agreed that it is a regulatory issue, the former FCT minister, Mallam Nasir

Ahmad El-Rufai who faulted the draft policy told the gathering that lawful interception of

communications regulations should go through legislative process.

“Listening to other people’s conversations was therefore not only objectionable but a crime in

common law jurisdictions like Nigeria. So why does our government want to listen to our

telephone conversations? Why has the Federal Government committed between $40-$61 million

off-budget to monitor our emails, instant messaging and social media activities?

NCC Boss, Juwah and Minister of CommTech, Johnson

“From the foregoing, it is not only unlawful for the government to invade the privacy of citizens

by intercepting letters, phone conversations or emails, but a constitutional violation and therefore

an impeachable offence.

“However if the National Assembly enacts “any law that is reasonably justifiable in the interest

of defence, etc, then the interception may be lawful. The question that follows is whether NCA

2003 is one such law.

“As one of the fathers of the NCA 2003, I can say without any fear of contradiction that it was

only meant to deregulate the telecommunications sector and no more. It was not designed or

drafted to abridge the fundamental rights of Nigerians entrenched in the 1999 Constitution, and

there is nowhere in the law except one of the ‘emergency provisions’ in section 148(1)c that

intercepting communications was envisaged.

“The regulations have no commencement date. The title of the draft regulations contain no year

of coming into effect. Many of us know that the unlawful interception of communications have

been going on for years,” he explained.

Ajayi disagrees

But Engr. Ajayi who disagreed with Rufai said that regulatory process in the lawful interception

of communications regulations was proper.

“Countries throughout the world have adopted legislative and regulatory requirements for

providers of public and private communication services (service providers) to design and

implement their networks to support authorized electronic surveillance explicitly.

“The lawyers (members of Nigeria Bar Association) are challenged to determine the legality of

operation of Lawful Intervention Devices by Law Enforcement agencies when the regulation to

guide the usage is still a draft” the ATCON President said.

Key concerns

With the policy lacking enabling law, the President of Association of Licensed

Telecommunication Association of Nigeria, ALTON, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo said that given that

the right to privacy is a constitutionally protected right, it is critical that a properly enacted Bill

of the National Assembly be enacted to guide implementation of the lawful interception.

“In trying to fill the gap, the NCC’s draft regulations has sought to impose obligations on parties

who are not ordinarily subject to its jurisdiction, such as judges and law enforcement agencies.

“The right of law enforcement agencies to secure access to communications in the national

interest must be balanced against the equally important need to protect individual freedoms. The

requisite legal framework must provide sufficient safeguards against abuse and opportunities for

redress. There must also be very clear supervisory and reporting provisions.

“It is critical that network operators who implement interception in the national interest should

be protected against civil and criminal liability in very clear and specific terms.

Operators’ worries

For the Director of Regulatory & Government Affairs, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Osondu Nwokoro, the

publication of these draft regulations by the NCC was an open admission by the security

agencies that have been invading our privacy and constitutional rights without any legal basis.

While raising concern on the cost implications on the operators, he said that , “Subject to some

of the suggested amendments to the content of the draft, the NCC should properly submit it as a

bill for enactment by the National Assembly. That in my opinion is the only way to have an

appropriate legal and regulatory framework,” he said.

More good than evil

Speaking further on the issue, Femi Adesina, Deputy Managing Director/Deputy Editor-in-Chief,

of the Sun Newspapers, who is also President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, said:

“Without prejudice to what legal experts would say, I personally believe that the draft regulation

on lawful interception has more strengths than weaknesses, and will do more good than evil.

While any law, however benign, can be manipulated and used for negative ends, the LI can also

help in stemming the tide of violent crimes like kidnapping, terrorism, and other anti-social acts.

There are also enough provisions in the regulation to protect the citizenry, and give access to

redress against unlawful acts.

“Most countries of the world have LI, and are living with it. The countries are even the better for

it, and I therefore believe that this is a legislation that should be encouraged, after relevant

stakeholders have dotted the Is and crossed the Ts” he explained.

Vanguard Use InfoTech to tackle insecurity, NCS urges

FG On May 22, 2013 by Emeka Aginam

Unless information technology, education, employment creation were given urgent attention in

governance, the fight against terrorism and other acts of insecurity may be long-drawn, the

President of Nigerian Computer Society, NCS, Sir. Demola Aladekomo has warned.

The NCS President disclosed this last week in Lagos during a press conference to announce the

2013 edition of NCS International Conference slated to hold in Osun State next July. Aladekomo

noted that e-government and national security as the theme of this year’s conference was borne

out of the need to highlight the relevance of IT to governance and national security to ensure

real, all-inclusive development and transformation of governance through IT, while overcoming

the menace of insecurity bedevilling the nation.

According to him, if terrorists who are basically the youths were gainfully engaged through IT,

the situation can be better managed.

“Let us engage the jobless youth population. There is no better time than now. Let us build IT

parks around the nation where youths can be engaged. Let us empower the youths with IT tools

and knowledge which will go a long a long way in preparing them for the global market.

“You will agree with me that the recent declaration of State of Emergency in three states in the

country by the President, due to insecurity challenges in those states made this theme all the

more compelling.”

“One way to describe e-government is the application of ICT to strengthen governance — the

use of ICTs in the operations and performance improvement of public sector organisations. It

also means the use of ICT to achieve better stakeholders’ engagement.

“When carefully designed and diligently implemented, e-government tackles the problems of

poverty, disease, unemployment and hunger. E-government strategies that work facilitate both

public sector and private sector development.

“The protection of life and property is the major function and responsibility of any government.

All over the world, no nation is excluded from the challenges of insecurity. Murder, armed

robbery, terrorism, cultism and other crimes abound despite the best efforts of security and law

enforcement agencies.

“A more proactive IT-led approach to combating this menace is needed in a country like ours. It

is our considered view that no organisation is better suited than the NCS to chart the way

forward in this regard.

“NCS has diligently over the past few months canvassed the use of ICT towards resolving the

issues of security in our Country. We call on the Federal government to engage NCS towards

contributing in resolving this massive issue. Once this is done youth empowerment and

employment will follow” he explained.

It would be recalled that annually, the conference addresses critical national and global IT issues

and concerns, attracting practitioners, decision makers, policy makers and professionals from

Nigeria and all over the World.

The conference is the largest annual assembly of high-level IT stakeholders from business,

industry, education, government and social communities in Nigeria. It is the key networking and

professional event for advancing Information Technology for development and promoting the

interests of IT stakeholders in the country.

Vanguard Invest in technology for national development,

Dragnet MD On May 22, 2013 by EMEKA AGINAM

The Managing Director, Dragnet Solutions, one of the Nigeria’s leading people based screening

and Computer Based Testing(CBT) solutions, Mr. Robert Ikazoboh has with optimism that

national development can be achieved if the government invest in technology.

Ikazoboh in a media parley held last week in Lagos said though government has done well with

respect to deploying technology to advance national development, more still needs to be done in

order to sustain the pace of development.

“First we must give kudos to the government of the day because the authorities seem to realize

the importance of technology. For example, if we look at the National Identification Number

(NIN) project being championed by the National Identification Management Commission

(NIMC), it is largely technology driven because the process will rely on biometrics.

“And then we have the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board adopting the Computer Based

Testing in this year’s examination which is a first in its history. All of this is good but we believe

that we can still do more because technology offers us so much,” he said.

Other areas, according to him that the government can deploy technology for better performance

will include the education sector and the recruitment process in the public sector.

“Government should consider adopting E-recruitment especially in the Ministries, Departments

and Agencies (MDAs). If we had deployed E-recruitment, we probably wouldn’t have had the

recent controversies that trailed the recruitment process in MDAs. Dragnet Solutions has always

maintained that the process is better, faster and most importantly, more credible than the manual

mode of recruitment.” he said.

In the education sector, the Dragnet boss urged the government to adopt computer based testing

in educational institutions across the country.

“I’ve said it before that JAMB deserves commendation for adopting the CBT exams. But we

shouldn’t just stop there. We are in the technology age and we must begin to familiarize our

students with the concept of ICT. The best way to do this is to introduce CBT in our schools

especially the secondary and tertiary institutions. Don’t forget that the process also has its

advantages because it is more efficient and credible. With CBT, issues like mercenaries will be a

thing of the past and it is going to reduce examination malpractice to the barest minimum,” he

said.

Punch

Protecting your mail account May 22, 2013 by nytimes.com

E-mail security is an ongoing issue, but there are basic precautions you can take to help keep your account safer from intruders, viruses and other malicious scenarios.

To start, make sure your computer’s operating system, security software and e-mail/Web browser program have all the latest updates and security patches installed.

Skipping simple or easy-to-remember passwords in favour of more complex creations made up of letters, numbers and symbols can help thwart those trying to guess your password. Microsoft’s site has a guide to creating strong passwords and a program that evaluates password strength.

If your e-mail provider offers it, take advantage of “two-step authentication,” which adds an extra layer of security to your e-mail account, usually by requiring you to enter a code sent to your mobile phone whenever you sign into the account on a different computer.

The major mail providers all offer such verification services, including Google’s Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Microsoft’s Outlook.com.

Time-honoured safety practices, like ignoring messages asking for personal information and not clicking links in messages (unless you know the sender and the link is obviously to an entertainment or news site) are also advised. You should also avoid entering your e-mail name and password on public computers or networks.

If someone does get control of your account and you need to verify your identity with your e-mail provider, be prepared to supply plenty of information. In addition to correctly answering the security questions you may have set up when you created the account, you might have to list things like the subjects of recent messages, the e-mail addresses of regular correspondents and other details that only you personally would know.

–nytimes.com

Daily Trust Etisalat signs $1.2bn loan deal with 13 banks Published on Wednesday, 22 May 2013 by Kayode Ekundayo, Lagos

Chief Financial Officer, Etisalat, Andrew Kemp; Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Mr. Phillips Oduoza; Managing Director, Etisalat, Mr. Steve Evans; Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje and Managing Director, Zenith Bank, Godwin Emefiele

The Emerging Markets Telecommunications

Services Ltd (EMTS), trading under the name of Etisalat Nigeria has signed a $1.2 billion medium

term syndicated loan facility with 13 Nigerian banks.

The facility includes both Naira and US dollar tranches from a consortium of Nigerian banks,

namely: Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank, United Bank of Africa, Fidelity Bank,

Access Bank, Ecobank, Keystone Bank, First City Monument Bank, FSDH Merchant Bank,

Mainstreet Bank, Stanbic IBTC Bank and Union Bank.

The company, according to EMTS chairman, Hakeem Bello-Osagie, plans to use the proceeds to

refinance the existing commercial medium term debt of $650 million and continue its network

rollout across Nigeria.

The company would also continue the release of innovative products and services to its over

fifteen million subscribers.

Speaking about this key transaction, Bello-Osagie, highlighted that the loan is another key step

in the company’s development.

He said: “Etisalat Nigeria has grown from strength to strength, reaching 15 million subscribers

earlier this year. This loan is a testament to the robust strategy of the company and the faith of

the banking community.

“It will serve to further boost the company and the telecommunications sector. It is important

to also note the enabling environment created by the federal and state governments of Nigeria

as well as the National Communications Commission. In this process, Etisalat Nigeria has

benefited from the experience and support of its pioneer shareholders; Etisalat Group,

Mubadala and Myacynth.

Commenting on the transaction, Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Steven Evans,

expressed delight with the continued support and confidence shown by so many banking

partners.

“They have shown great faith in the company since launched and we view that as a sign of their

endorsement of Etisalat Nigeria’s strategy and execution capabilities. We aim to continue to

focus on our network expansion, our investment in 3G, as well as ensuring we offer the

uncompromising network quality and customer service our subscribers have come to expect

from us,” he said.

Vanguard FG to receive first set of software developers for incubation On May 21, 2013 by EMEKA AGINAM By next week, the Federal Government is expected to receive the first batch of software developers that would undergo one year training at the Lagos Incubation Centre.

Accenture Consulting, the Project Management Office (PMO), that is handling the ongoing selection process of software developer, has disclosed that 10 teams would emerge at the end of the exercise, after which they would be handed over to the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, who would present them at the Lagos Incubation Centre for one-year training.

It would be recalled that the Minister had early this year, launched the Techlaunchpad initiative that seeks to groom software developers and make their products marketable and acceptable within and outside Nigeria.

Senior Project Manager for Techlaunchpad, Mr. Adebayo Ibrahim who confirmed the ongoing selection exercise, said “10 Teams will be selected and sent to the Lagos incubation centre for one year where they will receive training on practical skills on how to further develop and improve on their application software.

He said that the selection exercise, which commenced last week, is expected to end this week after which the presentation will be done next week.

The training programme is the idea of Techlaunchpad, an initiative of the Federal Government, with a joint sponsorship between the Federal Government and the private sector.

The first batch training is for software developers who have applications for the Oil & Gas and the Financial Institutions in Nigeria.

The two sectors are co-sponsoring the training with the federal government, and providing mentorship for the developers.

At the incubation centre, each team will have one Chief Information Officer (CIO) of banks and Oil & Gas companies that will be providing mentorship to them all through the one year incubation period.

It is expected that at the end of one year incubation, the developers would be able to come up with applications that will drive the Oil & Gas and the Financial Sectors of the Nigerian economy and could be exported to other countries to address similar situation.

Total Automation Concept Limited, one of the teams that shared their views said their software, called the Production Resource Planner (PRP) was designed for Oil and Gas operations to address Well Testing, Metre Proving, Daily Production, Daily Production Received, Utilised Gas, Flared Gas, Daily System Start-ups and Daily Activity Reports in the Oil and Gas sector.

“It helps indigenous Oil and Gas companies in generating data for their daily calculations and operations and it is cost effective. It is an alternative to foreign software that is currently running in most multinational companies in Nigeria,” the team said.

Vanguard MainOne rebrands to pure communications services provider On May 21, 2013 by PRINCE OSUAGWU

Cable Company, Main One, has rebranded itself as Main One. The rebranding marks the conclusion of the company’s evolution from a submarine cable company to a full-fledged communications services provider, poised to play a greater role in providing a wide bouquet of data center and connectivity services across Africa.

With its repositioning, Main One is asserting its increased capability not only to provide wholesale capacity, and to offer a wider range of products and services to cater to the needs of its customers but also to stake its claim on its share of the sub-Saharan telecommunications market which is billed by analysts to grow at a 10% annual compounded rate to a size of $69b by 2016.

Already within three years of operation, the company has established a reputation as a preferred provider of wholesale capacity and Internet services to Service Providers and Enterprises in the region. In addition, the company has extended its reach of services both organically and through partnerships within Nigeria and Ghana into the neighboring West African countries of Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso. In addition, the company recently established an office to service Francophone West Africa in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Unveiling its new corporate identity at the International Telecoms Week 2013 taking place in Chicago, Main One’s Chief Executive Officer, Funke Opeke, explained that the rebrand was carried out to better reflect the company’s focus and direction.

“Main One has been at the forefront of driving broadband penetration across West Africa since our inception. In order to achieve our vision of improving access to broadband services across the sub region, we have taken decisive action to continue to invest in our terrestrial network in multiple countries, increased our product and service offerings beyond basic connectivity, and formed strategic partnerships with various operators to enhance our portfolio of services. We are excited about the future prospects in our market and look forward to launching the new brand identity to symbolize the tremendous opportunity ahead of us to transform the broadband landscape in West Africa.”, she said.

Punch ICT skills, critical to development – NITDA boss May 21, 2013 by Stanley Opara

Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, Prof. Cleopas Angaye

The Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, Prof. Cleopas Angaye, has said possession of Information and Communications Technology skills is a critical need for the much desired national transformation.

This, he said, cut across personal, institutional and societal levels.

Angaye stated this in Lagos at a breakfast forum of the School of Media and Communication, Pan African University, where he was the guest speaker.

He stressed that employment opportunities and job security could be guaranteed nationwide with the acquisition of necessary ICT skills if all Nigerians played their individual roles. NITDA, he said, was playing its own role in the nation’s transformation agenda and quest for job creation.

Speaking on the topic, ‘The role of ICT in the transformation agenda and job creation’, the NITDA DG said that the institute remained committed to ensuring that Nigerians in all walks of life acquired ICT skills, as a way of informing and empowering them.

“In a globalised world, so many things are done via the Internet today. In health and agriculture for instance, you can use the internet to communicate disasters, sensitise and warn against diseases, and, through E-agriculture, you can pass necessary information to farmers and other stakeholders,” Angaye said.

In fulfillment of NITDA’s mandate, he disclosed that over 400 Rural Information Technological Centres had been established nationwide “because rural development is critical”. Each centre, he added, was equipped with a generator, 20 personal computers, and a computer server, to ensure the training of 20 people at a time.

“Last month alone, 12 of such RITC’s were set up in Ogun State in a single day”, he disclosed.

Sustainability of the initiative, he said, remained a challenge because of the energy crisis in the country, he stated.

He said in most of the communities, there were no power supply, and no diesel to power the generators, adding, “And even when we resorted to solar, it was still difficult because of regular power surge, since solar is connected to the national grid.”

Angaye also regretted that many communities were not buying into the initiative, which had made the agency to shift attention to institutions in the capacity building initiative.

Reeling out figures on how jobs had been created by NITDA, Angaye said, “It is difficult to specifically tell you how many jobs NITDA has been created over the years. How do you quantify training and its multiplier effects? In Ogun State as earlier mentioned, we graduated 180 students and 200 matriculated in a single day.

“Besides the RITCs, I know that we have trained and empowered over 700 people with ICT skills, many of who are not only employed or are employers, but some of them are also training others.

“Besides, we give research grants free of charge on different areas of IT development to applicants who are deemed qualified for such. And we have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cross Rivers State Government for an ICT park.”

Punch NCC seeks more investment in telecoms industry May 21, 2013 by Stanley Opara

Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah

The Nigerian Communications Commission has called for more foreign and local investments in the country’s telecoms sector, assuring that investors are duly protected by existing telecoms laws.

The Commission said the Communication Act 2003, which defines how telecommunications business works in Nigeria, is a win-win platform for both the country and the investors.

The Executive Vice-Chairman, NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, in a statement by the NCC on Monday, said the Act had been a major source of the industry’s success, and had remained the strength of the sector in the past 12 years of its liberalisation.

The NCA, which legal experts have also lauded as one of the most progressive laws in the country, gives the regulator absolute power, devoid of government or other external interferences to regulate the industry according to the best global practices as enshrined by the International Telecommunications Union and other regional telecoms regulatory bodies.

Juwah, the statement added, had been consistent in hinging the success of the industry on the existence of enabling laws, which guaranteed investors’ protection.

Juwah, who had constantly sought for more investments in the sector, said, “The power of the Nigerian Communications Act guarantees a safe market for investors. They can, indeed, bring their money into Nigeria and be sure that the law is there to protect their investments.”

Part of this, the Commission said, was the reason why it signed an agreement with Canada to protect Canada’s investment in Nigeria.

The last official industry data showed that active mobile subscriptions in Nigeria had grown to over 116 million while teledensity had grown by over 80 per cent in the last 12 years.

Also with just over 47 million Nigerians online, with less than 10 per cent of them having access to Broadband Internet, studies has shown that developing broadband market in Nigeria also holds great potential to investors.

In spite of the growth, the NCC boss said the Act had helped the Commission to maintain a firm grip on the industry, coming down hard on operators when the need arises.

He said, “The strength of the Act is why the NCC is excited about the roadmap ahead. The roadmap includes various frequency auctions that will come up between 2013 and 2015.”

Juwah added, “Such a roadmap includes the creation of a huge broadband market in Nigeria, the effect of which can touch every life in the country. Broadband technology will enable Nigerians enjoy data services by opening up new vista of competition in the industry.”

He said the broadband regime, which the country was entering, would create a new excitement in the industry, ensure availability of quality products and services, as well as foster protection of subscribers.

“This is why at every forum,, we try to pass a single message to both local and foreign investors, which is for them to come and invest in Nigeria, where the law adequately protects them,” the NCC boss said.

A recent Pyramid Research study had shown that Nigeria continued to be a budding investment destination, with current Foreign Direct Investment estimated by the regulator at about $25bn as at mid last year.

With a growing large population and favourable policies in the NCA, aimed at properly regulating the industry, the Pyramid study hinted that for 2013 and beyond, Nigeria would remain a good telecoms market for investors looking for where to put their money for maximal returns.

Punch ASUS introduces Fonepad to aid digital communication May 21, 2013 by Agency Reporter

Global notebook vendor, ASUS, is building on the success and critical acclaim of its Android Transformer tablets and PadFone Smartphones, to unveil Fonepad, which is a new range of devices that complement these two existing product ranges.

The firm said in a review that its aim was to always provide choice for its customers. The Fonepad perfectly continues ASUS’ ‘Design Thinking’ philosophy by making products that adapt to consumers’ needs.

The Fonepad’s target audience, it said, was budget-conscious consumers that would demand quality convergence product on Intel’s technology.

“It is primarily a seven-inch tablet with cellular data connectivity, but it also features full voice calling and SMS capabilities, allowing it to replace your smartphone. The focus is on staying connected and consuming content on the move, while occasionally making phone calls, likely via a Bluetooth headset (those who frequently drive, for example),” it added.

Studies have shown that users are increasingly spending less time making calls and more time on using their hand-held devices to browse the Internet, and according to ASUS, given that the seven-inch form factor is extremely popular and readily portable, the Fonepad is an ideal device for those who prefer to text rather than talk.

The ASUS Fonepad opens up a new product category of tablets with phone functionality, and it is the ultimate convergence solution in an affordable package, it said.

The Fonepad is the world’s first seven-inch Intel Lexington tablet. It features the Intel Atom Z Series SoC with 1GB of memory, a HD (1280×720) IPS display, microSD card expandability and the Android 4.1.2 ‘Jelly Bean’ Operating System.

“It’s incredible affordability and powerful-enough specification is ideal for mainstream customers, who aren’t considering expensive LTE contracts or cutting edge Smartphones,” the firm said.

“It has a built-in full phone and cellular data function; a stylish anodised aluminium design; a 7-inch HD IPS panel with 178 degree view angle; aicroSD card slot for up to 32GB of expanded storage; two optimally placed microphones – one in the top to analyse ambient noise, and one in the bottom that records voice and ambient,” it added.

Placed further apart than a standard smartphone, the Fonepad provides even more accurate ambient noise reduction, with a large 4,270mAh battery offering 9.5 hours of video and over 30 hours of talk-time, the firm explained.

Punch

Poor patronage of indigenous technologies worries Obasanjo

May 21, 2013 by Stanley Opara

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has decried the low level of patronage for locally produced or assembled technologies, saying there is the need for more collaboration among stakeholders.

Obasanjo, who spoke in Lagos during his tour of Omatek Ventures, makers of Omatek Computers and solar panels, said he was impressed by the attempts of local manufacturers at

producing quality products, adding that such attempts would only impact positively on the economy if the products were patronised.

He also advised local manufacturers to collaborate with players in the outside world to develop better, cheaper and contemporary products.

Obasanjo said if Nigeria must become an economic bloc, it must encourage patronage of indigenous products.

The former president admitted that there had been a dearth of local content initiatives in all the sectors of the economy, but explained that such initiatives were needed to drive growth in the nation’s Information and Communications Technology sector, among others.

He urged local manufacturers in the country to also start exporting their products abroad, and solicited support for those making efforts in that direction.

The former president, who also advised Nigerian banks to sustain support for indigenous manufacturers, said, “I will never stop fighting the banks because if they are doing what they ought to be doing for economic growth, the economy should have grown better than this. If banks will succeed, they must realise that they have to make producers succeed as well.

“This is because the money realised is still coming back to them. However, they have improved. The consolidation has made them stronger, approachable and adventurous. But they still need to help business to grow.

In her remark, the Managing Director of Omatek, Mrs. Florence Seriki, said Omatek Ventures started operations after the 2003 Small and Medium Scale Enterprises policies initiated by the President Obasanjo government.

Seriki pleaded with the former president to help in the fight for the patronage of locally-made products in the country, adding that the firm had extended its reach to Ghana, where it also had a factory.

The Chairman, Omatek Ventures, Dr. Timothy Farinre, in his address, thanked the former president for honouring the company, promising that the company would not relent in upholding the local content initiative.

Punch Nokia introduces two Lumia phones to Nigeria May 21, 2013 by Agency Reporter

Nokia logo

Nokia’s new Windows 8 phone- Lumia 520 and Lumia 720 have been unveiled in Nigeria.

A blend of premium style and innovation for a socially active crowd, the Nokia Lumia 720 features a high end camera experience, while the Nokia Lumia 520 is the most affordable Nokia Lumia to date, the firm.

The new Nokia Lumia Smartphones, unveiled in partnership with Airtel Nigeria and Microsoft Nigeria, come with a free 500 Megabytes data plan for the first 6 months on the Airtel network when customers recharge with N1,000.

“The adoption of Smartphones is growing rapidly in Nigeria,” the Managing Director for Nokia West and Central Africa, Mr. Nick Imudia, said.

“This growth is being driven largely by the affordable smartphone segment, and we are pleased to add the Nokia Lumia 520 to our range, bringing signature Lumia experiences to new price points and consumers,” he added.

Both devices offer many of the same digital camera lenses as the flagship Lumia 920, as well as maps and navigation, and super sensitive touch screens for an immersive smartphone experience.

Nokia and Microsoft continue to build the Windows Phone ecosystem and, available exclusively for these two Smartphones, is the “Apps 4Afrika” collection within the Apps Highlight in the Windows Phone Store, bringing even more locally relevant content. Consumers can also enjoy the best local apps such as Jandus Radio, Soundcity and Konga.

Speaking on this development, the Country Manager Microsoft Anglophone West Africa, Mr. Emmanuel Onyeje, said, “Microsoft is confident that the Lumia range from Nokia, including the Lumia 520 and 720 being unveiled today, provide excellent value for African consumers and will support both companies’ ambitious growth plans for the continent.

“We recently made a commitment through the 4Afrika Initiative to deliver tens of millions of smart devices into the hands of Africans in the coming years, and every new Windows Phone that becomes available further enables us to deliver on that commitment.”

Punch

Former Nokia employees show off first Jolla smartphone

May 21, 2013 by Agency Reporter

Finland based smartphone start-up, Jolla, has started taking pre-orders of its first handset, based on its own Sailfish Operating System.

The company was founded by a number of former Nokia employees who had worked on the Linux based MeeGo OS that was dropped by Nokia when it switched to Windows Phone, according to cellular-news.com.

The LTE based 4.5” touch screen smartphone is powered by a dual-core processor, comes with an 8 megapixel camera and 16GB on internal memory.

Although based on its own operating system, the smartphone will be compatible with Android apps, which should reassure buyers that they won’t be left with an app-less device if developers decide not to support the OS.

The smartphone will go on sale later this year and retail for $510.

The company recently named a new Chief Executive Officer as it moves from the start-up phase to being a full manufacturer of mobile phones.

Sunnews Why Nigeria telecoms investment is booming –Juwah, NCC boss May 21, 2013 by BISI OLALEYE

The major reason why foreign and local investments continue to boom is not unconnected to the telecommunications laws protecting it. According to the Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, this has remained the strength of the sector in the past 12 years of its liberalisation.

The Nigerian Communication Act 2003, which defines how telecommunications works in a win-win both for the country and the investors, has been a major source of the industry success.

The NCA, which legal experts have also lauded as one of the most progressive laws in the country, gives the regulator absolute power, devoid of government or other external interferences to regulate the industry according to the best global practices as enshrined by the International Telecommunications Union and other regional telecoms regulatory bodies.

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Canada-Nigeria Investment Conference in Toronto and within the country, Juwah had been consistent in hinging the success of the industry to the existence of enabling laws which guarantee investors’ protection.

According to Juwah, the power of the Nigerian Communications Act guarantees a safe market for investors that they can indeed bring their money into Nigeria and be sure that the law is there to protect their investment.” The NCC also demonstrated as it recently signed an agreement with Canada to protect the Nigerian-bound Canada’s investment within Nigeria.

Industry experts say drawing strength from the Act, the industry has witnessed year on year growth. The last official industry data showed that active mobile subscriptions in Nigeria has grown to over 116 million while teledensity has grown over 80 per cent in the last 12 years.

Also with over 47 million Nigerians online, with less than 10 per cent of them having access to ‘broadband’, studies has shown that developing broadband market in Nigeria also holds great potential to investors.

In spite of the growth, the NCC boss said the Act has helped the Commission to maintain a firm grip on the industry, coming down hard on operators when the need arises. “The strength of the Act is why the NCC is excited about the roadmap ahead,” saying the roadmap includes various frequency auctions that will come up between 2013 and 2015.

According to him, such a roadmap includes the creation of a huge broadband market in Nigeria, the effect of which can touch every life in the country.

Broadband technology will enable Nigerians enjoy data services by opening up new vista of competition in the industry.

He added that the broadband regime, which the country is entering, will create a new excitement in the industry; ensure availability of quality products and services as well as the protection of the subscribers. A recent Pyramid Research study has shown that Nigeria continues to be a budding investment destination for Nigeria, which current Foreign Direct Investment estimated by the regulator at about $25 billion as at mid-last year.

With a growing large population and a favourably policies created by the policies with the NCA to properly regulate the industry, the Pyramid study hinted that for 2013 and beyond, Nigeria will remain a good telecoms market for investors looking for where to put their money for maximal results.

Sunnews

The deadline for SIM Card registration May 21, 2013

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recently announced that all unregistered telephone subscribers will be cut off from the nation’s telecommunications networks from June 30, this year.

According to the NCC Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo, the decision to bar unregistered Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards from telecom services at the expiration of the deadline is the outcome of a meeting between the regulatory agency and telecommunications operators.

He explained that the deadline offers a window of opportunity to subscribers who have not registered their SIM cards to do so or be cut off at the end of June.

The NCC also pointed out that the total number of telephone subscribers in the country would be made known after the cut off date. Besides this deadline, the telecoms regulatory agency

has also barred all unregistered SIM cards from migrating from one network to another in the recently introduced Mobile Number Portability programme.

If the disconnection is carried out as planned, about 19.16 million mobile telephone subscribers who were not registered during the national SIM card registration exercise, which kicked off across the country on February 28, 2011, may be disconnected from their respective networks at the end of next month. About 80 percent of mobile telephone users were reportedly registered during that exercise, leaving a balance of 20 percent of the nation’s active subscriber base that failed to register.

The NCC decision to disconnect all unregistered phone users across the country is good and should be supported by all the stakeholders in the industry. We commend the regulatory agency for giving subscribers who have not registered their SIM cards sufficient time to do so.

Those who neglect to register their SIM cards by the new June 30 deadline will have nobody but themselves to blame if they are cut off from the network in the country. However, let NCC be serious about the plan to disconnect all unregistered mobile telephone subscribers who fail to comply with the deadline. We say this bearing in mind the security implication of having unregistered telephone users in the country.

Criminality has been exacerbated across the country by unscrupulous elements who use unregistered mobile phone lines for untoward activities. Unregistered SIMs have been used at different stages of criminal activities such as bombing, kidnapping, armed robbery and murder. Therefore, this deadline should be enforced.

There should be no need for its extension as the regulatory agency has given the affected subscribers ample time to comply with this directive. Besides the deadline, the NCC should also address the poor quality of services rendered by practically all the telephone network operators in the country.

Call drops, over billing and charges for text messages that were not delivered are some of the problems facing telephony in the country. For so long, the regulatory agency has treated telecom service providers with kid gloves.

It is high time the NCC wielded the big stick. It should whip all service providers into line. They ought to be made to improve their services, generally. Regrettably, NCC has not used its power of sanction over the network operators effectively. All offending operators should be sanctioned appropriately.

The NCC should wake up and regulate the industry effectively and efficiently. Nigerians will be saddled with poor telephone services for as long as the agency is slack in enforcing its mandate. All the same, let all owners of unregistered SIM cards avail themselves of this grace period and register before the June 30 deadline.

Vanguard ‘Why NCC should prioritize dominant-

operator regulation’ On May 22, 2013 by Prince Osuagwu

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, penultimate week, opened the telecom

industry up for another debate when it released the operators’ market status and declared two,

MTN and Globacom, as dominant players in different categories.

Since that declaration which came almost immediately it flagged off the Mobile Number

Portability, MNP, in the country, several opinions have been raised by subscribers who charged

the regulator to prioritize the regulation or risk having the sector fall back to the NITEL days of

monopoly.

However, this is not the first time the commission is making attempt at stabilizing competition in

the telecom market. In 2010, it attempted such exercise but it produced no positive result. But in

June 2012, the NCC embarked upon what it described as the “Study of the Assessment of the

Level of Competition in the Nigerian telecommunications industry.”

The broad market segments considered in the survey included Voice (Mobile and Fixed), Data

(Mobile and Fixed), Upstream and Downstream. According to the findings, there are no

dominant operators yet in the fixed mobile, fixed data and downstream market segments.

For voice data, MTN, which had about 47.4 million subscribers (about 43.57 per cent market

share), as at December last year, was declared the dominant operator. The network, which

commenced operation at the launch of the GSM liberalisation in 2001, was also announced as

joint dominant operator in the upstream segment. The other network so declared was Glo, which

launched its services in 2003 and had about 24.1 million subscribers (about 22.15 per cent) as at

December 2012.

Going by its findings, NCC declared that there are concerns in the two market segments. For

mobile voice, it states that the segment is not “effectively competitive.” Fundamentally, NCC

expressed worry about the “wide differential (of about 300 per cent) between on-net and off net

calls.” It goes further to warn that “this is indicative of the likely establishment of a calling hub

for MTN subscribers.”

The regulatory agency also stated that the dominant operator in the mobile voice market should,

among others requirements, collapse on-net and off-net retail tariffs immediately.

This is where an Aba based telecoms lawyer, Chibuzor Ogii said the regulator should assert its

authority if it were serious to balance the market. “NCC should be serious when it makes

pronouncements. It is one thing to appear as to the public as if it is working and another to prove

that it is genuinely protecting the interest of the market. For instance, the dominant operator in

the voice segment is yet to comply with the NCC directive.

Its booster weekly prepaid charge, for instance, offers on net calls at 10 kobo per second, while

subscribers are charged 150 per cent more – 25 kobo per second – for calls to other networks. At

30 kobo per second for calls from the second minute till the rest of the day, its Super Saver off-

net call rates appear exploitative. There is a huge difference of 200 per cent as it charged 10 kobo

per second for on-net calls” he said.

The lawyer who was in Lagos at the weekend enumerated to this reporter that “other operators

like Globacom, pitches its Talk-Free pre-paid package, on-net calls cost at 15 kobo per second

and 18 kobo per second for off-net calls. SMS charges are the same N4 irrespective of whether

the message is sent to within or outside the network.

On Glo Hi-Flier and G-BAM Hi 5ive, subscribers enjoy same 18 kobo per second charge to any

network within Nigeria. But Glo is also guilty of exploitation as it charged 10 kobo per second

for on-line calls on Glo Gista but 30 kobo per second for off-net calls, while Glo 1derful rates for

voice calls are 15 kobo per second for on-net calls and 25 kobo off-net.

“Airtel has 2good Classic and Airtel Club 10, among other packages. For the former, voice calls

have a flat rate of 18 kobo per second for calls to all national destinations, irrespective of the

network. Airtel Club 10 requires subscribers to register 10 Airtel lines of family, friends or

associates which would then enable calls to be made at 8.34 kobo per second. Calls to other

Airtel numbers on this package cost 20 kobo per second on-net and 30 kobo per second off-net.

“Etisalat has Easy starter, among its several packages. Calls to all networks cost 50 kobo per

second, while Home zone calls are charged at 40 kobo per second whether on-net or off-net. On

Easycliq, calls within the network at peak period cost 40 kobo per second and a minimal increase

to 50 kobo per second for off-net calls”.

For him, “having commenced the Dominant Operator policy since May 1, the NCC is expected

to have ensured compliance with the new regime, particularly in the area of pricing”.

Incidentally, in his recent announcement, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo

assured that the regulatory agency would deploy all necessary procedures to ensure that both

companies did not use their dominant positions in the industry to stifle competition.

Vanguard Revisiting NCC’s draft wiretap regulation On May 22, 2013

RECENTLY, a draft piece of regulation by the telecommunications regulator, Nigerian

Communications Commission, titled Draft Lawful Interception of Communications Regulations

has become the focus of attention.

Taken with an allegation that the Federal Government has engaged a foreign firm in a $40

million contract to monitor electronic communication here, we can no longer carry on as if it is

business as usual. In fact, business is no longer as usual given the spate of security challenges

that the nation is currently grappling with.

To this end, the draft regulation, which some people are already calling the Big Brother law

should command the attention of all and sundry until all issues germaine are satisfactorily

resolved.

Dr Eugene Juwah, EVC, NCC

In introducing the regulation on its website, the NCC states under “Scope and Objectives of the

Regulations” that “these Regulations are made to provide a legal and regulatory framework for

the lawful interception of Communications in Nigeria, the collection and disclosure of

intercepted Communications.

Further, the draft says “these Regulations shall….provide the legal and regulatory framework for

the lawful interception of Communications in Nigeria and to put into effect the provisions of

Sections 146 and 147 of the Act (the Nigerian Communications Act).

Section 147 of the Nigerian Communications Act states:

“The Commission may determine that a licensee or class of licensee shall implement the

capability to allow authorised interception of communications and such determination may

specify the technical requirements for authorised interception capability.”

As ICT percolates every sector of the economy and citizenry, crimes are being committed using

electronic devices, particularly mobile telephones and computers. In attempting to solve some of

these crimes, law enforcement agencies have found call records of targeted individuals in their

cases useful, and obtained them to speed up investigations. In many cases, these have not been

done with warrants from competent courts.

Section 4 of the draft regulation allows interception of communications without a warrant. I posit

that will be injurious to the primacy and privacy of communications among individuals.

Again, the draft regulation says in Section 7 that “a warrant shall be granted for an initial period

of three months or such lesser period as the Judge may determine based on the circumstances of

the application made before the Judge and shall cease to have effect at the end of the period

stipulated in the Warrant unless renewed.”

This is dangerous, as information accumulated over three months may not be germaine to the

initial case but form grounds for a fresh case. This cannot be overlooked in a polity like ours,

where public institutions are prone to misuse and abuse by elected officials in pursuit of political

objectives.

Provisions of Part IV of the regulations are particularly alarming, as it directs all operators in the

country “to install interception capabilities that allow or permit the interception of

Communications.” Taken together with other provisions in Section 6, 14, 19, and others, this

means that our communications are on record, and can be pulled out at anytime against anybody

for any purpose. But then, who bears the cost of these?

My own take on the draft regulation is that it should be a legislative issue, subject to all the

processes of public hearings and debates. Since the law allocates responsibilities to various

entities, it should be the outcome of a legal process by a competent legislative house. Nothing

less will serve our purpose.

Vanguard Mixed reactions greet draft wiretap law at

forum in Lagos On May 22, 2013 by Emeka Aginam

Last week in Lagos when stakeholders in the Nigerian telecoms industry gathered to discuss the

draft lawful interception of communications regulations, leading voices contended that except

the policy as recently released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), passes

through a legislative process, Nigeria may not get the expected results.

It would be recalled that the NCC recently came up with the Draft Lawful Interception of

Communications Regulation, which provides the legal and regulatory framework for the lawful

interception of communications in Nigeria, and to put into effect the provisions of Section 70 of

the Nigerian Communications Act.

It’s illegal

Although the President of Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON),

Engr. Lanre Ajayi agreed that it is a regulatory issue, the former FCT minister, Mallam Nasir

Ahmad El-Rufai who faulted the draft policy told the gathering that lawful interception of

communications regulations should go through legislative process.

“Listening to other people’s conversations was therefore not only objectionable but a crime in

common law jurisdictions like Nigeria. So why does our government want to listen to our

telephone conversations? Why has the Federal Government committed between $40-$61 million

off-budget to monitor our emails, instant messaging and social media activities?

NCC Boss, Juwah and Minister of CommTech, Johnson

“From the foregoing, it is not only unlawful for the government to invade the privacy of citizens

by intercepting letters, phone conversations or emails, but a constitutional violation and therefore

an impeachable offence.

“However if the National Assembly enacts “any law that is reasonably justifiable in the interest

of defence, etc, then the interception may be lawful. The question that follows is whether NCA

2003 is one such law.

“As one of the fathers of the NCA 2003, I can say without any fear of contradiction that it was

only meant to deregulate the telecommunications sector and no more. It was not designed or

drafted to abridge the fundamental rights of Nigerians entrenched in the 1999 Constitution, and

there is nowhere in the law except one of the ‘emergency provisions’ in section 148(1)c that

intercepting communications was envisaged.

“The regulations have no commencement date. The title of the draft regulations contain no year

of coming into effect. Many of us know that the unlawful interception of communications have

been going on for years,” he explained.

Ajayi disagrees

But Engr. Ajayi who disagreed with Rufai said that regulatory process in the lawful interception

of communications regulations was proper.

“Countries throughout the world have adopted legislative and regulatory requirements for

providers of public and private communication services (service providers) to design and

implement their networks to support authorized electronic surveillance explicitly.

“The lawyers (members of Nigeria Bar Association) are challenged to determine the legality of

operation of Lawful Intervention Devices by Law Enforcement agencies when the regulation to

guide the usage is still a draft” the ATCON President said.

Key concerns

With the policy lacking enabling law, the President of Association of Licensed

Telecommunication Association of Nigeria, ALTON, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo said that given that

the right to privacy is a constitutionally protected right, it is critical that a properly enacted Bill

of the National Assembly be enacted to guide implementation of the lawful interception.

“In trying to fill the gap, the NCC’s draft regulations has sought to impose obligations on parties

who are not ordinarily subject to its jurisdiction, such as judges and law enforcement agencies.

“The right of law enforcement agencies to secure access to communications in the national

interest must be balanced against the equally important need to protect individual freedoms. The

requisite legal framework must provide sufficient safeguards against abuse and opportunities for

redress. There must also be very clear supervisory and reporting provisions.

“It is critical that network operators who implement interception in the national interest should

be protected against civil and criminal liability in very clear and specific terms.

Operators’ worries

For the Director of Regulatory & Government Affairs, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Osondu Nwokoro, the

publication of these draft regulations by the NCC was an open admission by the security

agencies that have been invading our privacy and constitutional rights without any legal basis.

While raising concern on the cost implications on the operators, he said that , “Subject to some

of the suggested amendments to the content of the draft, the NCC should properly submit it as a

bill for enactment by the National Assembly. That in my opinion is the only way to have an

appropriate legal and regulatory framework,” he said.

More good than evil

Speaking further on the issue, Femi Adesina, Deputy Managing Director/Deputy Editor-in-Chief,

of the Sun Newspapers, who is also President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, said:

“Without prejudice to what legal experts would say, I personally believe that the draft regulation

on lawful interception has more strengths than weaknesses, and will do more good than evil.

While any law, however benign, can be manipulated and used for negative ends, the LI can also

help in stemming the tide of violent crimes like kidnapping, terrorism, and other anti-social acts.

There are also enough provisions in the regulation to protect the citizenry, and give access to

redress against unlawful acts.

“Most countries of the world have LI, and are living with it. The countries are even the better for

it, and I therefore believe that this is a legislation that should be encouraged, after relevant

stakeholders have dotted the Is and crossed the Ts” he explained.

Vanguard Use InfoTech to tackle insecurity, NCS urges

FG On May 22, 2013 by Emeka Aginam

Unless information technology, education, employment creation were given urgent attention in

governance, the fight against terrorism and other acts of insecurity may be long-drawn, the

President of Nigerian Computer Society, NCS, Sir. Demola Aladekomo has warned.

The NCS President disclosed this last week in Lagos during a press conference to announce the

2013 edition of NCS International Conference slated to hold in Osun State next July. Aladekomo

noted that e-government and national security as the theme of this year’s conference was borne

out of the need to highlight the relevance of IT to governance and national security to ensure

real, all-inclusive development and transformation of governance through IT, while overcoming

the menace of insecurity bedevilling the nation.

According to him, if terrorists who are basically the youths were gainfully engaged through IT,

the situation can be better managed.

“Let us engage the jobless youth population. There is no better time than now. Let us build IT

parks around the nation where youths can be engaged. Let us empower the youths with IT tools

and knowledge which will go a long a long way in preparing them for the global market.

“You will agree with me that the recent declaration of State of Emergency in three states in the

country by the President, due to insecurity challenges in those states made this theme all the

more compelling.”

“One way to describe e-government is the application of ICT to strengthen governance — the

use of ICTs in the operations and performance improvement of public sector organisations. It

also means the use of ICT to achieve better stakeholders’ engagement.

“When carefully designed and diligently implemented, e-government tackles the problems of

poverty, disease, unemployment and hunger. E-government strategies that work facilitate both

public sector and private sector development.

“The protection of life and property is the major function and responsibility of any government.

All over the world, no nation is excluded from the challenges of insecurity. Murder, armed

robbery, terrorism, cultism and other crimes abound despite the best efforts of security and law

enforcement agencies.

“A more proactive IT-led approach to combating this menace is needed in a country like ours. It

is our considered view that no organisation is better suited than the NCS to chart the way

forward in this regard.

“NCS has diligently over the past few months canvassed the use of ICT towards resolving the

issues of security in our Country. We call on the Federal government to engage NCS towards

contributing in resolving this massive issue. Once this is done youth empowerment and

employment will follow” he explained.

It would be recalled that annually, the conference addresses critical national and global IT issues

and concerns, attracting practitioners, decision makers, policy makers and professionals from

Nigeria and all over the World.

The conference is the largest annual assembly of high-level IT stakeholders from business,

industry, education, government and social communities in Nigeria. It is the key networking and

professional event for advancing Information Technology for development and promoting the

interests of IT stakeholders in the country.

Vanguard Invest in technology for national development,

Dragnet MD On May 22, 2013 by EMEKA AGINAM

The Managing Director, Dragnet Solutions, one of the Nigeria’s leading people based screening

and Computer Based Testing(CBT) solutions, Mr. Robert Ikazoboh has with optimism that

national development can be achieved if the government invest in technology.

Ikazoboh in a media parley held last week in Lagos said though government has done well with

respect to deploying technology to advance national development, more still needs to be done in

order to sustain the pace of development.

“First we must give kudos to the government of the day because the authorities seem to realize

the importance of technology. For example, if we look at the National Identification Number

(NIN) project being championed by the National Identification Management Commission

(NIMC), it is largely technology driven because the process will rely on biometrics.

“And then we have the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board adopting the Computer Based

Testing in this year’s examination which is a first in its history. All of this is good but we believe

that we can still do more because technology offers us so much,” he said.

Other areas, according to him that the government can deploy technology for better performance

will include the education sector and the recruitment process in the public sector.

“Government should consider adopting E-recruitment especially in the Ministries, Departments

and Agencies (MDAs). If we had deployed E-recruitment, we probably wouldn’t have had the

recent controversies that trailed the recruitment process in MDAs. Dragnet Solutions has always

maintained that the process is better, faster and most importantly, more credible than the manual

mode of recruitment.” he said.

In the education sector, the Dragnet boss urged the government to adopt computer based testing

in educational institutions across the country.

“I’ve said it before that JAMB deserves commendation for adopting the CBT exams. But we

shouldn’t just stop there. We are in the technology age and we must begin to familiarize our

students with the concept of ICT. The best way to do this is to introduce CBT in our schools

especially the secondary and tertiary institutions. Don’t forget that the process also has its

advantages because it is more efficient and credible. With CBT, issues like mercenaries will be a

thing of the past and it is going to reduce examination malpractice to the barest minimum,” he

said.

Punch

Protecting your mail account May 22, 2013 by nytimes.com

E-mail security is an ongoing issue, but there are basic precautions you can take to help keep your account safer from intruders, viruses and other malicious scenarios.

To start, make sure your computer’s operating system, security software and e-mail/Web browser program have all the latest updates and security patches installed.

Skipping simple or easy-to-remember passwords in favour of more complex creations made up of letters, numbers and symbols can help thwart those trying to guess your password.

Microsoft’s site has a guide to creating strong passwords and a program that evaluates password strength.

If your e-mail provider offers it, take advantage of “two-step authentication,” which adds an extra layer of security to your e-mail account, usually by requiring you to enter a code sent to your mobile phone whenever you sign into the account on a different computer.

The major mail providers all offer such verification services, including Google’s Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Microsoft’s Outlook.com.

Time-honoured safety practices, like ignoring messages asking for personal information and not clicking links in messages (unless you know the sender and the link is obviously to an entertainment or news site) are also advised. You should also avoid entering your e-mail name and password on public computers or networks.

If someone does get control of your account and you need to verify your identity with your e-mail provider, be prepared to supply plenty of information. In addition to correctly answering the security questions you may have set up when you created the account, you might have to list things like the subjects of recent messages, the e-mail addresses of regular correspondents and other details that only you personally would know.

–nytimes.com

Daily Trust Etisalat signs $1.2bn loan deal with 13 banks Published on Wednesday, 22 May 2013 by Kayode Ekundayo, Lagos

Chief Financial Officer, Etisalat, Andrew Kemp; Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Mr. Phillips Oduoza; Managing Director, Etisalat, Mr. Steve Evans; Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje and Managing Director, Zenith Bank, Godwin Emefiele

The Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Ltd (EMTS), trading under the name of

Etisalat Nigeria has signed a $1.2 billion medium term syndicated loan facility with 13 Nigerian

banks.

The facility includes both Naira and US dollar tranches from a consortium of Nigerian banks,

namely: Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank, United Bank of Africa, Fidelity Bank,

Access Bank, Ecobank, Keystone Bank, First City Monument Bank, FSDH Merchant Bank,

Mainstreet Bank, Stanbic IBTC Bank and Union Bank.

The company, according to EMTS chairman, Hakeem Bello-Osagie, plans to use the proceeds to

refinance the existing commercial medium term debt of $650 million and continue its network

rollout across Nigeria.

The company would also continue the release of innovative products and services to its over

fifteen million subscribers.

Speaking about this key transaction, Bello-Osagie, highlighted that the loan is another key step

in the company’s development.

He said: “Etisalat Nigeria has grown from strength to strength, reaching 15 million subscribers

earlier this year. This loan is a testament to the robust strategy of the company and the faith of

the banking community.

“It will serve to further boost the company and the telecommunications sector. It is important

to also note the enabling environment created by the federal and state governments of Nigeria

as well as the National Communications Commission. In this process, Etisalat Nigeria has

benefited from the experience and support of its pioneer shareholders; Etisalat Group,

Mubadala and Myacynth.

Commenting on the transaction, Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Steven Evans,

expressed delight with the continued support and confidence shown by so many banking

partners.

“They have shown great faith in the company since launched and we view that as a sign of their

endorsement of Etisalat Nigeria’s strategy and execution capabilities. We aim to continue to

focus on our network expansion, our investment in 3G, as well as ensuring we offer the

uncompromising network quality and customer service our subscribers have come to expect

from us,” he said.