I wanted to be a Journalist, says President Goodluck Jonathan

President Jonathan  .......would have become a retired Journalist by now

By Prince Osuagwu

Nigeria’s President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday told a mammoth crowd that gathered to watch the debate of the Presidential candidates to the April 9, Presidential elections in Nigeria, that he actually wanted to be a journalist and perhaps, only have to change his mind when his first application at the then Nigerian Tide was turned down.
President Jonathan was reacting to a question by the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr Gbenga Adefaye on how he would enthrone more freedom and end the press harassment which has become a recurrent practice among successive governments in Nigeria.
According to him, “but nobody can say that I have harassed any journalist. In fact I am a friend of the media even though some write-ups are sometimes very bitter to swallow. What you do not know is that I like journalism and would have been a journalist. I could remember that my first application for job in those days was as a journalist in the then Nigerian Tide”
He however committed himself to giving assent to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill once it is brought before him, even as he also hinted of his plans to further heighten the campaign against corruption, by strengthening the institutions fighting corruption in Nigeria.
Dr Jonathan said that he would give more teeth to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
The debate where Jonathan made these comments, was organised by the Nigerian Election Debate Group (NEDG), for the presidential candidates of political parties contesting for Nigeria’s top job, come April 9 2011.
As a way of revitalizing the economic development of the country, Jonathan declared that his administration’s major focus would be on Agriculture. He explained that he would pursue his party’s the People’s Democratic Party PDP, policy on agriculture to achieve a situation where states will be encouraged to focus on two major crops, which they have better comparative advantage over other states of the federation.
He further stated that his administration will revisit the issue of dams, irrigations and power, due to harness their immense contributions to agriculture and economic development.

Phuthuma Nhleko resigns from MTN

Are you really going?...... Yes! my bags are packed

Nlekho... A fine gentleman leaves MTN

By Prince Osuagwu

It has been announced that Group President and CEO of MTN Group Mr Phuthuma Nhleko has resigned his position in MTN and all boards of the cellular network company.
Nhleko, has been with the company for the past ten years. His resignation means he has stepped down from the directorships of MTN Group Limited, MTN Dubai Limited, MTN South Africa, MTN Nigeria, Irancell and MTN Syria.
His resignation was announced to take effect from his last hours in office on March 31. Same date also marks his last day as Group President and CEO of MTN.
MTN Group Chairman Mr Cyril Ramaphosa and his Board of Directors thanked Mr Nhleko for his immense contribution to the growth of the company during the past ten years.
Mr Nhleko joined MTN in 2001 as Chairman, and was elevated to Group President and CEO a year later.
Nlekho who was born April 1960 in Johannesburg, has a lot of responsibilities entrusted to him as Directors of many companies, including Nedcor Investment Bank Ltd, which he assumed in 2002, Old Mutual Life Holdings (SA) Ltd, Old Mutual Life Assurance Company (South Africa) Limited
He was also chairman and one of the founding members of Worldwide African Investment Holdings, an investment holding company with interests in the petroleum, telecommunications and IT industries. Nhleko is also a director of Johnnic Holdings, Nedbank Group and Old Mutual SA.

M-PESA shakes hand with Western Union in 45 Countries

Typical M-PESA location in Kenya

One of Western Union stands

By Prince Osuagwu

Western Union has just  announced that consumers can now send money directly to the mobile wallets of M-PESA subscribers in Kenya, from 45 countries and territories in the world.
M-PESA, is a domestic mobile money transfer service in Kenya offered by Safaricom. It is said to have attracted more than 13.5 million customers since its launch in 2007.
The alliance becomes one of the first service of its kind in the world and also takes the expansion of the service to more than 80,000 Western Union Agent locations worldwide.
The partnership, follows the successful debut of the offering from Western Union Agent locations and the westernunion.com website in the U.K.
Meanwhile, the service is now available from more than 10  African countries, including: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia.
The service rides on Western Union’s worldwide network and trusted global hub for processing cross-border remittances.
Senior Vice President, Middle East and Africa, Western Union, Mr Jean Claude Farah, said that Western Union was pleased to extend its service to Safaricom and looked forward to adding additional functionality for M-PESA users in the near future.
The service will allow people to visit one of more than 80,000 Western Union Agent locations in 45 countries and territories across the globe and send funds, which would be delivered in minutes directly to the mobile wallets of M-PESA’s 13.5 million subscribers.
The service will likely be welcomed by thousands of Kenyans working abroad.  According to the Central Bank of Kenya, Kenyans living outside their home country sent US$642 million home in 2010 – up from the US$609 million sent home in 2009.
Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore said that, “Our customers are very proud of the revolutionary
M-PESA service, and this partnership sees us pushing new boundaries to continue to keep Kenya at the forefront of the mobile world. Through this partnership, our customers and their friends and families will benefit from affordable, faster and more convenient international remittances, and the money is available to use straightaway for any M-PESA transaction, or can be withdrawn as cash at any of our 24,000 Safaricom agents.”
Western Union offers the Mobile Money Transfer Service in the Philippines with Smart Communications and Globe Telecom; in Malaysia with Maxis; and in Canada with EnStream. Western Union also has agreements with other mobile operators and banks to introduce the service in the future.

Nokia Siemens grabs outsourcing job from Vodacom Tanzania

Nokia Siemens Headquarters

 

By Prince Osuagwu

Vodacom Tanzania may have seen Nokia Siemens Networks as a dependable ally in its quest to transform its network operations. The transformation itself, is meant to improve performance and give quality service to its nine million subscribers. 

That could account for why it has just outsourced the management, operation, and maintenance of its network to Nokia Siemens under a five-year managed services contract.  The contract would give Nokia Siemens the opportunity of extending its it strong presence in eastern Africa to manage, operate and maintain Vodacom’s network to reduce operating costs.  

In addition, the vendor will provide its energy solutions  with Managed Energy Services to reduce Vodacom’s energy consumption, improving efficiency.

An excited Vodacom Tanzania managing director, Dietlof Mare, explained that  “we are committed to providing a world-class customer experience, so we trust Nokia Siemens Networks with one of our most vital assets, our network, to help us realize greater network and operational efficiency. The deal will help us consolidate our strong position in a highly competitive market.”

This is even as the head of Global Services, Nokia Siemens Networks, Armando Almeida, added that  “this agreement is a key milestone in our engagement with Vodacom and shows our strong commitment to operators in Africa. “We will apply the experience we’ve gained in other emerging markets with our global best practice in network operations to help Vodacom achieve world-class network quality and operational efficiency. Our aim is to allow Vodacom to focus on its core business and deliver greater value to its shareholders.”

“We look forward to integrating Vodacom Tanzania operations team into our global services team. We are excited about the synergies and opportunities that will be created as we begin to work together,” added Almeida.

 Under the managed services contract, Nokia Siemens  will provide full network operations for Vodacom Tanzania . The vendor will take over complete responsibility for the existing Network Management Center and operations across the radio, transmission and core networks, as well as network planning and optimization. As part of the agreement, 124 Vodacom Tanzania employees will transfer to Nokia Siemens Networks.

As part of the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will deploy 338 hybrid energy solution sites to help Vodacom Tanzania enhance energy efficiency and reduce energy cost. The operator will also benefit from increased savings in operating costs by applying Nokia Siemens Network’s architecture design skills, and its proven managed service capabilities, such as first line maintenance and remote service delivery for site energy management. As part of the deal, Nokia Siemens Networks will also implement remote management of energy with its green energy control service designed to ensure optimal use of field resources. It includes monitoring of all energy sources as well as corrective and preventive site maintenance.

 

 

South Africa's Telecom market predictions in 2011 and lessons for Nigeria

iPad 2     ....raving up global market trends

The New NOKIA E7   .........the rave of the moment in smart phone technology

By Prince Osuagwu

2011 might become known as the year of the tablet computer, following the breakthrough success of Apple’s iPad launch in 2010. The tablet is set to outpace laptops and notebooks, becoming the most important communication tool in business and as the Managing Director of Alvarion Southern Africa and Nigeria, Mr Winston Smith reviews the expectations of South African telecom market in 2011, there seems to be a lesson in it for the Nigerian telecom landscape.
For Smith, being part of a global market, the South African telecommunications market is driven by technology and advancement, with new gadgets and technologies changing the industry almost overnight.
Therefore, looking ahead to the rest of 2011, some of the well know things will change and be replaced by newer technologies, while other existing telecommunications tools will expand and gain market share in the year ahead.
According to him, “during the course of the year we are likely to see data, fixed line operators and voice technologies all bundled with tablets. Currently limited to only supporting WIFI and 3G technology, tablets will soon be able to support multiple radio technologies including embedded WiMAX chips, 4G, and high speed radios. This will be the key to the tablets continued growth”.
With a mixture of facts on ground and a gaze in the crystal ball, Smith admitted that in the cellphone market, the variation between the different smartphones is becoming blurred, particularly, with players such as Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android, the Blackberry and a new offering from an alliance of Nokia and Microsoft are set to be released soon.
In his estimation, the Android, with its open operating system and multi vendor support looks to continue to outpace the others. The Android operating system, the way Smith sees it, has already seized 25% market share across the world and looks likely to grab market share from the likes of Nokia and BlackBerry smartphones in South Africa this year.
Wireless technologies such as 3G, high speed mobile, WiMAX, WiMAX enhanced and Long Term Evolution, LTE , are all set to grow in 2011, says Smith even as the various technologies are moving towards converging on each other to all become LTE or 4G.
Smith noted that just like in Nigeria the subscriber numbers and uptake of broadband for wireless users is much higher than in cabled options in South Africa, and this trend is set to continue during 2011.
However, one inhibitor to this growth is the regulatory environment in the country. There is still the need for a reviewing of, and an auctioning off of the frequency spectrum to new operators, enabling new entrants to participate in the mobile and fixed line environment.
This will allow new operators to supply their own infrastructure instead of selling that of existing operators and increasing competition in the industry. Timelines for this process are continually being extended and the process delayed. These continuing delays are the single biggest inhibitor to the growth and development of this industry at present.
Smith stressed that “traditional telecommunications technologies such as email are set to stay as one of the main tools used by organisations to stay in contact with people, but the location on which we access it is changing because the desktop is rapidly being replaced by mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers,” he explains.
Another area he predicted growth was on social networking tools. He said they were also set to increase their impact and spread within the telecommunications market, being used anywhere from HR and management, to personal contact tools. The likes of Linked In, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are all growing to be part of the tools used by organisations to contact people, hire staff, market their products and increase brand awareness.
This is even when connectivity options, providing larger amounts of data at faster speeds at a decreased price, are also going to increase in 2011. While connectivity options will become more affordable, consumers will choose to spend the same amount of money to get more data at faster speeds. He said that in South Africa, broadband technologies are currently capable of 10 megabits per second and above, however the majority of broadband users are still only experiencing 356 kilobits per second on ADSL connections. This gives Nigeria some food for thought.

Nokia's fight against counterfeit is not for loss of market share

Onwubiko........Nokia still on top despite counterfeit

By Prince Osuagwu

As part of measures to promote its new positioning as a solutions and internet company, Nokia Nigeria recently announced a promotion that gives free one month internet on the device to anyone that purchases its range of products, including the Nokia N8, C7, E5, C6 and E72.
Speaking to Nokia’s Head of marketing in charge of West Africa, Mr Reuben Onwubiko, he noted that Nokia had since moved away from being a mere device manufacturing company as evident in the value added solutions and services that its range of devices offer.

Sometime last year, Nokia flagged off anti-counterfeit campaign drawing many stakeholders into it. But for sometime now,  nothing seems to be heard about it. Has the counterfeiters overwhelmed you?
Nokia has not relented in the efforts. We will continue to fight the ills of counterfeiting genuine  products until the last counterfeiter is exterminated. However counterfeit of products is not limited to Nokia products, it is all over the ICT sector and even beyond. All kinds of products from pharmaceuticals to electronics are all suffering  that scourge. Why it looks as if this fight is Nokia’s, is because we like to be at the forefront of safeguarding the market we operate in.
We have been working in collaboration with government, market associations, and other interest group and the bottom line is to create a forum, where the  public would be educated on the tactics of counterfeiters.
For instance we are now flagging off a new campaign meant to nip this scourge in the bud. Apart from this promotion, there is also a campaign, where we deploy materials on how to identify originals of our products. We circulate it through Nokia dealers and merchants. We also have similar messages sent out via the radio and TV. We have also partnered with telecom operators, on codes that can help users of our phones identify originals. The code is hidden at the pad on the back or under the battery and all it takes a user is to text the IMEI number of the phone to 3321 and instantly a response confirming that it is an authentic Nokia phone or not would be received.
What makes the promotion attractive to your consumers?
Yes, the promo itself served to reward our loyal customers who make use of Nokia devices. we have put some very good prizes including a star prize of a brand new car, a Nokia phone and also the opportunity of traveling to Dubai on a trip for two.
You could get one month free internet access and to Nokia, this is very strategic and compelling for Nigerians in general. Nokia wants to connect another 1 billion people to the internet. This would be very useful especially now that unlucky innocent people are being arrested along with yahoo yahoo boys at cyber cafes.
At least lucky winners would be able to have their own phone that  have capacity to get on internet.
Can you tell us exactly how much counterfeit has eaten into your market share?
Everybody seems to face Nokia with this question when the issue of counterfeits is raised. Its not out of place though because we know that success is easy to be copied or emulated. There are more Nokia phones sold daily than any other phone in the world. But the counterfeit loss in itself is fake. If you can recall the container loads of fake drugs being burnt at the port and estimate the loss to the economy, to employment, tax to government, health hazards to the people, you can see that it is far from calculating it in naira and kobo.
The concern is just beyond the loss of market share to Nokia. So, what we are doing now is to preserve the interest of those that have come for the brand. I think that the market share loss might just be insignificant.
What are the specific things you think can hit at counterfeit so hard?
We believe that if there is no demand, there will be no supply. when people are aware of the danger  that they are paying for when they buy fake products, and that they can get original Nokia devices as low as they can get the counterfeited brands, they will no longer go for them. and the market share of such device will drop. What we need is high level of enlightenment and advocacy. If you go to any of our outlets, it does not cost you anything to get the information you need. we have hand bills and leaflets there for people to read with directional signs. All these were put in place to make sure that you make informed decisions not to patronize counterfeit devices but to patronize original ones.
What are your strategies to play above competition?
We are not blind to competition and that is why we will continue to break new grounds. For instance in the area of high earned phones, Nokia is more a challenger. We are humble enough to  acknowledge the things we see in the open market because if you put all the phones together, no manufacturer can sell up to five percent of the volume of Nokia phones in Nigeria or anywhere in the world.
But today, we have devices for the low income, the middle, and the high income, the same way we have not only significant individual player, but a collection of different players who are trying to compete. As a leader of the market, you don't look at the rear mirror, but at  the future and that is why Nokia is looking at the bigger markets. There is bigger gain out there than the little things people are trying to copy. We are trying to pursue the next billion people and people will automatically copy the things we do.
You decided to partner with Microsoft as  platform for your smart phones when Android is making all the waves. I don’t know why you took that decision?
If you look at the big picture, there is no operating system today that has more people in the world connected to it than the Microsoft Operating system. If you check properly, you will find out that in the future there is going to be a convergence on mobile applications.  Hand held devices are th future of technology in the world. people will watch TV, get their news, contact friends, do business via mobile handsets. A lot more people in the world today are already used to window systems and it will be easy for them to migrate from their desktop, lap top to  the mobile devices segments.
If we combine that strength of the amount of millions of people who are using the window operating systems, bring them to a company that will produce millions of devices going into the market, then you have a big partnership that will only give convenience to the general population.
The fact is that in the future mobile phone solution is going to be in the platform that people are familiar with and come to think of it, people start with what they know, if they want to experiment.
If you see the Nokia phone the keypad is like computer keyboard, the operating system is similar to the operating system they  are using. So, there is synergy. And it is that synergy that will make the market go forward.
You talked about connecting 1 billion people, is the company moving away from phone manufacturing to other things?
Well, the Nokia campaign has moved beyond just being a devices manufacturer. we are a solution company. that is why if you  look at an average Nokia phone, you will have OVi applications Microsoft exchange, communication, chat and so many more  solutions that are part of the experience of using the device. But to answer your question directly, we have partnership with operators, just as we have partnership with Microsoft, we also have with different operators around the world.
What we are now saying is that our very viable partners should use devices that are enabled. We have a trend of making durable, affordable and very capable devices that can reach the people through the network.
In specific terms, how much has Nokia made as a market share profits in the Nigerian market?
I can't give you the company information up to the share profit except what I can establish and what the evidence are verifiable. It has legal implications. However, I will tell you that Nokia  has an impressive market share and that is why we are on top.

NCC flags off SIM Registration in Abuja

By Prince Osuagwu

 

The Nigerian Communications Commission, will tomorrow in Abuja flag off the nationwide registration of existing SIM Cards in Nigeria estimated at more than 89 million. 

NCC EVC, Dr Juwah

SIMs.......must now identify owners

The flag off exercise to be performed by the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah, is a symbolic exercise indicating the Commission’s readiness to commence the registration of all existing SIM cards in the country over a period of six months after which no unregistered SIM card will be used in Nigeria. 

Mobile phone operators have been registering both new and old subscribers but as at the time of the commencement of the registration, the operators are reported to have registered only some 12 million subscribers leaving a huge gap to be filled by the Commission alongside the operators within the period. 

The uniqueness of the NCC implemented SIM registration is that all the lines owned by the subscribers can be registered at the same spot against the current practice whereby subscribers go from one operator to another to register their SIMs. The accredited registration companies are also expected to deploy staff across the nooks and crannies of the country during the period. 

Registration centres may not be available on all the designated spots across the country from the flag off date but are expected to grow in the course of the registration exercise. 

At the registration centres, subscribers will be required to provide any one of the following items of Identification:

 

(i)           National Identity Card; or,

(ii)          International Passport; or,

(iii)        Drivers License; or,

(iv)        Authentication letter with passport photographs signed by traditional ruler/community leader, in the case of rural areas.

 

Biometric information of subscribers like finger prints and digital photograph are to be taken and registration is free. 

The Commission has however warned that phone subscribers must provide truthful information about themselves as once this information is captured, it cannot be changed.

NCC gives telecom operators 2 wks ultimatum on quality of service

Dr. Ify Umenyi, DG, CPC. Dr. Eugene Juwah, EVC of NCC and Mr. Okechukwu Itanyi, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, during the visit of the CPC team to NCC.

By Prince Osuagwu

The Nigerian Communications Commission may wield the big stick in a short while, unless the telecom operators in Nigeria yield to its two weeks ultimatum to  dicongest their networks and up their services.

Executive Vice Chairman 0f the Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah  read the riot act  when the Director General of the Consumer Protection Council, Mrs. Ify Umenyi,visited his office. He said that quality of services issues have deteriorated in recent times, forcing the Commission to carry out tests which resulted in the discovery of congestion in the networks.

He however said that the ultimatum has become necessary as an interim solution during which the task force set up by the Commission finalizes its work and the operators would be compelled by law to do what they are expected to do. 

He noted that the Commission gave the directive after it carried out some tests on some 100 base stations out of which about 30 per cent of them were exorbitantly congested.

“We expect that within two weeks, they must be decongested. The ball is now in the court of the operators to carry out our instructions and if they fail, they will be penalized”, he said.

He said this problem has appeared intractable but that the Commission is working hard to find a lasting solution. He said this solution actually lies in the operators investing more in the networks within over certain period and we have to monitor these investments at some point.

He said the Commission will soon begin to publish the congestion levels on the networks as time goes on while we also stick to measurement and enforcement of the Key performance Indicators on the threshold for quality of service.

He however called for the patience of the subscribers, promising that though the issues of quality of services may not disappear overnight, something must be done to whittle down the deteriorating level is is fast getting.

Responding to the concerns raised by the DG of Consumer Protection Council, Mrs. Umenyi on the issue of tariffs, Dr. Juwah said that it was not long  the Commission lowered the interconnect rates but however admitted that it  was yet to reflect in what the consumers pay. 

He said the Commission was watching how this reduction trickles down to the consumer before embarking on another round of interconnection rate determination.

He said the Commission is delighted that the operators are now beginning to invest more in their networks as some of them have announced recently to have secured more funding for expansion of their services.

He responded to a number of concerns raised by Mrs. Umenyi, including a promise to begin the process for Number Portability in May this year, after the SIM Card registration which commences by end of the month has reached an appreciable stage as the Commission would desire to know the identity of those porting their numbers from one network to another.

Nigerian Entertainment industry loses one comic Gem, CD John

Late CD John

The Gulf 3 that CD John was driving in... Photo source:www.thenetng.com

By Prince Osuagwu

A fast rising Nigerian Comedian Chijioke John, popularly known as CD John was earlier today reported dead. The comedian cut into peoples heart with his unique style of mimicking Christian choruses and popular songs by presenting his personal account of how different Nigerian tribes would deliver the lyrics.
He was said to have died this morning at the St. Nicholas Hospital Lagos after sustaining degrees of head injuries from a ghastly motor accident on a Lagos motor road.
Close sources said the Comedian was returning from an event where he played the role of a Master of Ceremony, MC, when the sad incident occurred.
Accounts of the accident said the rising star whose birthday bash would have held this Sunday, 27 March 2011 was actually returning from singer Harrysong‘s album listening party in a convoy of three cars involving the Gulder Ultimate Search Season 7 winner, Kunle Oluwaremi.
Reports quoted Oluwaremi, as saying that CD John’s death was caused by a stationery black Toyota Corolla car suspected to be one of Lagos Governor, Babatunde Fashola‘s campaign vehicles.
The occupants of the car, were said to be busy at the time, pasting posters of the Lagos State Governor before the incident happened.
According to the GUS 7 winner, he was riding on his Explorer Jeep with one of his friends, who was actually on the wheel and CD John was trailing behind them with his Volkswagen Gulf 3 car. However, on getting to a certain point, they discovered very late that there was a Toyota car parked on the road. The driver of the jeep immediately swerved but unfortunately hit the rear side of the Toyota. Meanwhile, CD was coming behind in a top speed and uncontrollably ran into the Explorer Jeep seconds later, sustaining injuries and turning the car into a wreck
He, CD, was said to be driving in the company of his girlfriend named Ebere who was sitting next to him, and two other occupants, a young man and a lady, at the back seat of the car.
Incidentally, only CD died few hours after being rushed to the hospital while othr occupants of the car are still in the hospital, recuperating from injuries.
Reports said his girl friend, ‘Ebere had a deep cut on her forehead, which has been stitched and bruises on her body, while the other young lady identified as Joy had a fracture on her arm. But the young man was said to have sustained no injuries.
The comedian’s remains had already been moved to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) morgue in a convoy of his fellow fellow comedians, including Ali Baba, Gbenga Adeyinka the 1st, MC Abbey, Princess, Omo-Baba among others.

MTN makes list of top 10 global brands, ranks 199th among Global 500

MTN logo

 

By Prince Osuagwu

MTN blazed the trail again this week when it made the list in the top 10 most  valuable global brands, emergeing Africa’s most valuable brand and the only African global brand in the 2011 BrandFinance Global 500. 

BrandFinance Global 500 is one of the world’s most comprehensive brand value league table that ranks the most valuable brands across all major markets. 

On its 2011 league table, which was released this week, BrandFinance Global 500 ranks MTN at position 199 with an AAA rating denoting “extremely strong” brand. The next African brand on the table, Standard Bank, falls marginally outside the Global 500 ranking at position 510. 

MD of Brand Finance South Africa, Oliver Schmitz, said that "it is great to see a brand created in Africa competing in our table of the world’s 500 most valuable brands. MTN’s brand team should be applauded for their efforts in building such a valuable asset and should see themselves as trailblazers for other African brands,”   . 

MTN, with 141, 6 million subscribers, is the market leader in the majority of its 21 territories in which it operates, and enjoys iconic status across its vast footprint in Africa and the Middle East. This could be partly because the company has long highlighted the need to understand the underlying drivers of brand equity held by consumers.  

MTN’s efforts to understand consumers’ motivation, needs, aspirations, belief system and other values which are important in developing customer satisfaction, brand loyalty and sustainable success have been core to the brand’s promise and success. 

Schmitz added that “MTN has increased its market share as a result of leveraging its strong brand, rated AAA by Brand Finance, and improved propositions across key audiences. The brand perception was greatly supported by MTN's affiliation to the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” 

However, an elated MTN Group Marketing Executive, Jennifer Roberti said that “we are very proud to represent the best of Africa on BrandFinance’s Global 500 list. The ranking bears testament to MTN’s emerging market and marketing know-how and further demonstrates what we have long known to be true – that the developing markets are poised to compete on the world stage.” 

Although the top end of the Global 500 contains many household names brands that have existed for decades - IBM, Bank of America, HSBC - the world’s increasing dependence on the internet and technology is reflected by Google’s position at no. 1.

E7: See what Nokia turns Eseries into

Nokia E7

By Prince Osuagwu

There is the latest in Nokia’s business phone series, tagged the Eseries. It is the all new Nokia E7. Call it a smart business phone and what you may be probably saying is that this is a business phone with all smart features.
The Nokia E7 is coming off the heels of the Nokia N8, but raises the bar in terms of certain value adding features.  It comes with a  tilting 4” touch clear black display, full keyboard and a wide variety of  business applications from Ovi Store.
The Nokia E7 supports business applications from  Microsoft and IBM, as well as a wide range of entertainment and multimedia services and features.
No wonder, Nokia’s General Manager for West Africa, Mr. James Rutherfoord said that “whether you are an artist, entrepreneur, university student or aspiring world traveler, the Nokia E7 is the only smartphone you will need to get the world’s best mobile navigation and have an exciting messaging experience.”
The new smartphone serves different purposes for different people. For corporate users, it provides direct, secure and real-time access to the Microsoft Exchange server with Mail, allowing the user to connect to the corporate inbox, calendar, contacts, tasks and the corporate directory.
For the Enterprise, a considerable savings can be made moving their mobile messaging infrastructure from a middleware-based solution to a direct access solution that eliminates unnecessary administration, licensing and maintenance costs.   
It boasts of Office Communicator Mobile, developed by Microsoft to bring presence and corporate instant messaging. It offers drive or walk navigation in 80 countries.
Yet the Nokia E7 provides users easy access to 10 private email accounts from same view. it allows for easy creation, editing and sharing of office documents and view PDF files with Adobe reader.
The business smartphone, is expected to be available in the Nigerian market in the next couple of weeks.

ITU uses Thuraya satellite phones to facilitate recue operation in Japan

Toure

 

By Prince Osuagwu

As a way of proving that re-establishing communications is vital for search and rescue in tsunami-affected areas, the International Telecommunications Union, ITU has dispatched emergency telecommunications equipment to areas severely affected by the tsunami that struck the coastal areas of Japan following Friday’s devastating earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale. ITU has deployed 78 Thuraya satellite phones equipped with GPS to facilitate search and rescue efforts along with 13 Iridium satellite phones as well as 37 Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network terminals. An additional 30 Inmarsat terminals are also ready for dispatch. The equipment can be charged by car batteries and are also supplied with solar panels to enable operations during power outages. 

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré had communicated with the Government of Japan, expressing profound sorrow at the loss of life, injuries and human displacement as well as the extensive damage to property and infrastructure. With the deployment of emergency telecommunications equipment, Dr Touré said, “ITU is prepared to help the Government and people of Japan in every way possible in their hour of need and to deal with the colossal tragedy that has overwhelmed the country with unimaginable loss of life and property. I hope the deployment of emergency telecommunications equipment will assist the Government of Japan in search and rescue operations and re-establish vital communication links.”

Re-establishing communications is a critical tool particularly in the immediate aftermath of disasters to ensure timely intervention and support for the victims and to assist in rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

Motorola debuts with TLKR T8, says its ideal for Extreme Sports Action

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The amazing Motorola TLKR T8

By Prince Osuagwu

Knowing that rechargeable, hands-free, splash-proof walkie talkies make communicating in the great outdoors easy, Motorola Solutions has launched a new product,the TLKR T8 two-way radio popularly referred to as walkie talkie which it said was very Ideal for anyone enjoying outdoor activities.
According to Motorola, the product is perfect for skiers, snowboarders, mountain climbers and other extreme sports enthusiasts mainly for its ruggedized design, long range and impressive battery life.
The dual handsets, recharge conveniently from a twin charger pod and come complete with belt clips for easy carrying even as it is particularly aimed at the serious amateur,. With an LCD backlit display and 10 call tones, the TLKR T8 is designed for maximum ease of use, as well as providing unbeatable voice clarity and coverage whatever the surroundings.
Motorola said that the rechargeable NiMH batteries is for longer talk time, though normal AAA batteries can also be used to provide emergency power. It has eight channels, 121 codes to make the user always contactable.
The product also comes with hands-free mode, giving users the freedom of not taking gloves off to talk. It also has a LED torch, useful when it get dark. It has Vibrate alert to enable the user know when he is needed even when shooting down the slopes.
Interestingly, the TLKR T8 has Splash-proof to avoid snow slowing the user down. Besides, its up to 10 km range, making it the perfect communications device for mountain environments.
According to the Director for radio products, Motorola Solutions, EMEA, Mr Tim Clark, "the TLKR T8 is the latest addition to an impressive range of Motorola consumer two-way radios that suit all needs and budgets. The advanced design coupled with a ruggedized feature set makes the TLKR T8 the perfect choice for consumers looking for a walkie talkie that’s tough enough to stand up to serious outdoor usage.”

MTN Collates CSR footprints in book form

L-R:, Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah;  Chairman, MTN Nigeria Mr. Pascal Dozie; Director, MTN Foundation ,Mr. Dennis Okolo,; Chairman, MTN Foundation Ambassador Hamzat Ahmadu, and Mr. Tunde Folawiyo, Director, MTN Nigeria at the launch of MTN Foundation’s View Book in Lagos at the weekend.

By Prince Osuagwu

Perhaps MTN has been looking for an apt description of its CSR footprints. But at the weekend, it announced to all, that it has stumbled on the answers. It appeared to be a book account format it called The view book. As expected, MTN proudly described the book an apt, correct description of the organic linkage between lending a hand and extraordinary power of transformation.
The event which attracted the who is who in Nigerian business circle, government and private sector also had the eloquent Wale Goodluck who is the company's Corporate Services Executive in hand to give graphic expression of how MTN through its Foundation has given hope to the hopeless, in a bid show appreciation to a favourable business environment.
Goodluck as always did not disappoint.  He quickly explained to the gathering at Civic Centre Ozumba Mbadiwe, Lagos, that the unveiling of the foundation viewbook was MTN Nigeria’s philosophical belief that the long term success of its business is inextricably linked to the viability of the society in which it operates. Yet he hinted that besides being a vehicle of touching lives the foundation was also keen in supporting the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
According to him, since 2004 the board of MTN Nigeria has committed 1% of MTN’”s profit after tax, to the foundation and since then, the foundation's footprints have been established in all the states and the federal capital territory, with 292 projects sites in partnership with over 30 different project partners over the years. He said the MTN Foundation viewbook offers a glimpse into how the Foundation has changed to the better,  lives of many Nigerians.
MTN also informed the gathering that under the foundation’s project, 129,283 school students and 6,086 teachers in 62 public secondary schools across 15 states and FCT enjoy facilities ,which bridge the digital and knowledge divide, 4500 men and women across 28 states of the country has been empowered with a mobile phone, recharge cards, promotional materials as well as training on basic accounting principles and customer services, and over 1,154 HIV positive mothers and 1,229 babies have benefitted from the foundation’s prevention of mother to child transmission programme, while 260 people living with HIV have been successfully trained in various income generating skills.
For the company, the foundation has invested in excess of 1.7billion naira in various education portfolio, 2 billion expended under the health portfolio, 1billion invested under the economic empowerment portfolio, making the unveiling of the view book tagged “A hand and a Smile”  an artistic archive of powerful photography and strong images of how MTN Foundation has transformed quality of lives in Nigeria.

Report complaints to NCC if operators fail you, Juwah challenges Nigerian subscribers

Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, NCC, Dr. Okechukwu Itanyi, EVC of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, and Director, Consumer Affairs of NCC, Mrs. Mary Uduma at the Lagos parliament

By Prince Osuagwu

Rounding off  comments at the end of the 61st Telecom Consumer Parliament organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC in Lagos at the weekend, the Executive Vice Chairman of the  Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah, charged the Nigerian telecom subscribers to report complaints directly to the Commission whenever any operator refuses to satisfy their desires for effective service delivery.
 Juwah said this was the reason why the Commission now operates a second level customer care center which allows customers to call directly to the commission at no cost.
According to him, “because the customer is king, we at NCC will always ensure that you get value for whatever services you are paying for” he said in apparent response to complaints about poor level of customer care across all the networks.
He bemoaned the operators, charging them that  in a matter of days, March 15th precisely, the Consumer Rights Day would be celebrated but added that “while celebrating the consumers we should be mindful of their interests that we are all supposed to protect. Consumer interests cover the rights, privileges and obligations which should be given priority attention by the stakeholders”.
For Juwah, consumer rights which the Commission has passion to protect  included right to safety, right to choose, right to redress, right to be heard, right to consumer education, right to be informed, right to a healthy environment, and right to satisfaction of basic needs.
“The protection of consumer rights as listed above is not only the responsibility of the Commission but all the stakeholders including the consumers themselves.
“ While the Commission will continue to provide a conducive environment to all the stakeholders to enjoy their rights and benefits, it is necessary that we play our parts to ensure success in this endeavour”.
He urged the operators to take customer complaints seriously as the Commission will not hesitate to be on the side of the subscribers when they are right.
On the nationwide SIM card registration, to be embarked upon by the Commission, Dr. Juwah indicated that the hold on the implementation was deliberate to allow for the conclusion of the INEC registration, and that when the Commission begins SIM registration, enough awareness will be created using all available media of mass communications to achieve widespread awareness.
A panel discussion about the impending SIM card registration in Nigeria by the Commission, moderated by Dr. Idika Ochaa, an ICT expert, concluded that the registration is very vital to national and individual securities and urged subscribers to promptly present themselves for registration, without let or hindrance.

Starcomms appoints 2 new top executives

New COO, Logan Pather

New CFO, David Ordman

In a bid to strengthen its management in the highly competitive telecommunication industry, the board of Starcomms Plc, has approved the appointments of two new top management staff.
They are Logan Pather, chief operating officer and David Ordman as chief financial officer.
According to Starcomms, Pather has had a range of senior management positions spanning over 25 years in the telecommunication industry. An MBA holder, he had worked in several telecom companies in Africa.
A former managing director of Roamwave Africa, Pather who was responsible for 20 African countries is bringing with him a wealth of experience to add to the fortunes of Starcomms. He was also responsible for setting up the organization in South Africa.
His career is highlighted by a strong in-depth knowledge and exposure across all core business functions such as finance, sales, marketing, human resources and customer service operations.
Pather, who also holds a Diploma in Business Management, has worked in Nortel Southern Africa and Telecel  Zambia as managing director responsible for operational strategy and growth.
David Ordman, an engineer who also holds an MBA, is armed with a wealth of experience of over 18 years in various sectors in the world to bear on the fortunes of Starcomms.
A former finance director within the Economic City in Saudi Arabia, EMAAR, Ordman had the responsibility for all aspects of finance within the utilities and telecoms division of the company, delivering multi-utility solution within King Abdullah Economic city, a $2billion mega project.
Also in his previous work experience, he had worked as chief financial officer in United Utilities Plc of Estonia and Bulgaria as well as Millicom International of Pakistan.
An alumnus of the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, Ordman who studied Civil Engineering and trained with Price Waterhouse Cooper holds an Order of Merit from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. He got his MBA from the London Business School, United Kingdom and Columbia Business School, United States of America

Efficiency and cost to drive IT investments in CEMA — IDC

Manufacturers in the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, or the CEMA region, must increase their spending on technology if they expect to support critical business applications and quality improvements in 2011.
This was the predictions of the International Data Corporation, IDC  for the manufacturing sector in 2011. IDC also predicted that IT investments in the CEMA region are expected to increase from US$11.1 billion in 2009 to US$18.3 billion in 2014 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.5%.
For them, Africa is expected to show the steepest average annual growth, followed closely by Central and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
Research analyst for IDC Manufacturing Insights CEMA, Craig Simpson said that  "Manufacturers in CEMA will need to adapt quickly to adjust to global competitive pressures, emphasizing quality and value-added activities" .
He noted that "visibility across the entire product life-cycle will be crucial for manufacturers in the region, enabling enhanced decision-making capabilities, promoting greater transparency in supply chains and better responsiveness to demand change."
IDC Manufacturing Insights expects technology to be used by manufacturers to gain greater insight into customer behavior and demands. Technology will also be a key enabler in improving efficiency and productivity of manufacturing operations, as well as integration of supply chains.
However, Simpson added that "in more mature market segments, emerging technologies such as cloud-based applications, tablet PCs, and social media will begin to play a more significant role in making manufacturing enterprises more efficient".
The CEMA Manufacturing top 10 Predictions, 2011 discusses the top 10 predictions for manufacturers in the CEMA region in 2011 and are the trends which IDC Manufacturing Insights believes will have the biggest commercial impact on the CEMA manufacturing activities.

Broadband makes the difference, as the world reads aloud

2 Ghanaian students reading online real time with their peers abroad..... What a great experience broadband has enabled?

www.google.com, www.facebook.com


By Prince Osuagwu

As the world marked the second annual World Read Aloud Day, last week, Ericsson in conjunction with Airtel Ghana, exposed the power of broadband, enabling online, real time connection of students from three Ghanaian schools, to their counterparts in the USA, in a real life interactive reading exercise.
The three schools are Opoku Ware in Kumasi, Osu Home Junior High School and Boundary Road Cluster Junior High Schools in Accra, connected to Sidwell Friends School and Arts & Technology Academy (ATA) both in Washington D.C., Bronxville Public Schools in New York, and to New Village Academy, in California, USA.
The World Read Aloud Day is a day set aside to celebrate the power of words and stories and take action for global literacy. It was organized by a nonprofit organization, Litworld , headed by renowned literacy educator and advocate Pam Allyn.
The Read Aloud Day reached 35 countries and 40,000 participants in 2010 and this year’s celebration marks the expansion of the existing partnership between Ericsson and Airtel Ghana to Accra, with MCI and the City of Kumasi.
In 2010, Ericsson and Airtel Ghana had enabled Internet broadband connectivity to 18 junior and senior high schools in these areas as part of a MCI project to train teachers in the uses of technology and the Internet, using same for teaching the students science, math and IT.
During a 3-way video conversation, a collective story written by Sidwell Friends students and Opoku Ware students was shared alongside original stories from ATA student teams. Thereafter, they sang and danced and the students were then encouraged to discuss and ask each other questions. The questions centred on the importance of reading, how they liked to read aloud to their friends or what languages they speak and so on. The Washington students were very impressed at the number of languages spoken by the young Kumasi students.
Susan Blaustein, MCI Co-Director, who watched the live exchange from ATA, says: “the students were so excited to meet and speak with their peers in Ghana. They are already making plans for the next intercontinental Read Aloud Skype date, to be accompanied, by showing and teaching each other a local song and dance.
At Osu Home Junior High in Accra, and Bronxville Public Schools in New York, the Mayor of Accra and the Mayor of Bronxville read to children who then read to each other and enjoyed a cultural exchange.
For Alan Triggs, head of Ericsson Ghana, “it was a fantastic journey of discovery for the children, during which they made new friends of different cultures and explored life as children on another continent. For Ericsson this is part of our broader commitment to Connect to Learn, a global educational initiative promoting access to secondary education. The first schools connected are in Ghana, and it quickly becomes obvious to see what broadband and Internet can do for education in Africa.”

Zen Mobile phones hit Nigerian market

L-R Managing Director/C.E.O, BD Consult,Mr. Tola Bademosi,General
Manager ,Zen Africa ,Mr Girish Sharma and Mr.Lanre Adisa,Managing Director
NOAH'S ARK  displaying the Zen mobile brands at the launch in Lagos

 By Prince Osuagwu

 A seeming revolution happened in the Nigerian Mobile phone market  yesterday when an entirely new brand, at least in the Nigerian market, Zen Mobile, hit the high flying Nigerian mobile phone market with 6 new brand of phones, signaling that it was ready to fight for position with well known brands like Nokia, Sonny Ericsson, LG, Samsung among others.

The company said the phones have Quality, Trendy and are affordable.

General Manager, Zen Africa, Mr. Girish Sharma explained that Zen Mobile is in Nigeria to offer Nigerians best quality mobile phones at affordable prices.

According tohim, in the last one decade since the introduction of GSM in Nigeria ,Nigerians have been made to pay more for less as the cost of mobile phones are relatively too high and this is what Zen Mobile has come to address.

“Zen Mobile is here to offer Nigerians a double-edge advantage of quality Phones made with best technology which is comparable to any other leading brands in the world at unbelievably affordable prices” 

Review of the phones:

The 6 Zen Mobile phones series launched include the X 381 series basic with Dual SIM, Dual Standby with 1.5’’ TFT LCD screen, Micro SD slot up to 2 G.B,500 phonebook memory, Music/ Video player, FM Radio, Flight Mode, Touch light, 3.5mm Jack and GPRS.

The X410 series comes with a 30 day battery backup with key features like Dual SIM, Dual Standby with 1.8’’ TFT LCD screen, Micro SD slot up to 4 G.B,500 phonebook memory ,camera/video, Bluetooth , Music/ Video player, Wireless FM Radio, Flight Mode, Touch light, 3.5mm Jack.

The X430  basic with camera with key features like Dual SIM, Dual Standby with 1.8’’ TFT LCD screen, Micro SD slot up to 4 G.B,500 phonebook memory ,camera/video, Bluetooth , Music/ Video player, Wireless FM Radio, Flight Mode, Touch light, 3.5mm Jack and GPRS.

The M20 Multimedia with key features like Dual SIM, Dual Standby with 2.2’’ QVGA LCD screen, Micro SD slot up to 4 G.B, 1000 phonebook memory , 1.3 MP camera/video, Bluetooth , GPRS, WAP enable, Music/ Video player, Wireless FM Radio, Flight Mode, Touch light, 3.5mm Jack and Theft Tracker.

The Z66 Qwerty with key features like Dual SIM, Dual Standby with 2.2’’ TFT LCD screen, Qwerty keypad, Micro SD slot up to 4 G.B, 500 phonebook memory, camera/video, Bluetooth , GPRS, WAP enable, Music/ Video player, FM Radio, Flight Mode and 3.5mm Jack.

Z82 Qwerty with TV with key features like Dual SIM, Dual Standby with 2.4’’ QVGA LCD screen, Qwerty keypad, multi colour jog ball, Micro SD slot up to 4 G.B, 1000 phonebook memory, 2.0 MP camera/video, Bluetooth, GPRS, WAP enable, JAVA, Music/ Video player, FM Radio, Flight Mode, motion sensor, 3.5mm Jack Analog TV, Theft Tracker, Face book, Twitter, Nimbus, Messenger, Caller picture and Azaan Alarm.

Phone unique advantages:

Part of the unique advantages of the phones, according to Sharma, included that all the 6 series  offer dual SIM facility, 15 month warranty as well as unparallel battery span with the X410 series having a 30 days battery backup.

 Zen Mobile already boasts of 10 Services centres fully stocked with spare parts and manned by qualified and well trained technicians spread across the country for a start with a plan to have more. 

Zen Mobile is a member of the Tolaram group with its root in Singapore and in operation for the last 6 decades with an estimated  global revenue of US $ 920 million as at 2010.

The group has operational presence in 6 countries across 3 continents with over 5,000 human capital from 12 nationalities.

Glo slashes tariff with ‘No conditions’

Globacom's Chief Operating Officer, Mohamed Jameel, Globacom's Executive Director, Human Resources, Adewale Sangowawa, and Glo ambassador and Nollywood actress Monalisa Chinda at the launch in Lagos.

By Prince Osuagwu

Basking from the euphoria of over taking Airtel Nigeria in subscriber base according to NCC latest statistics, Second National Operator Globacom at the weekend gave its subscribers the opportunity of paying only 25 kobo per second for calls made to any network in Nigeria.
The unique selling point of this new introduction is that it is without any rental payments, hidden charges, or conditions.
Globacom said it made the  25 kobo per second charge a flat rate which applies for all local calls irrespective of which network is being called or time of day or which part of the country the call is originating from.
The new package also allows subscribers to call one Special Number at only 2 kobo per second. Interestingly, no daily or monthly rental is charged to enjoy the very cheap rate. The subscriber, however, has an option of registering 5 Glo numbers which he can call at 18 kobo per second. Again, registration is free and there is no rental charge.
In addition, Glo is also offering up to 20% bonus on recharges made by subscribers. N500 recharge attracts a 10% bonus credit, while N1000 recharge will give the customer 15% bonus air time. On the other hand, N5,000 recharge gives a 20% bonus credit to the customer.
Glo is also offering free night calls from 12 midnight to 5 a.m. Subscribers are expected to have used up to N200 air time in the previous week to qualify to make free night calls for the next 7 days.
Group Chief Operating Officer of Globacom, Mohamed Jameel, announced the offers at a press conference, Thursday in Lagos. He said the new tariff package was designed to offer subscribers real value for their money by ensuring that what they see is what they get, without any hidden charges or conditions that are often the subject of fine print and thereby positioning Glo as best value provider in the market.
According to him, “we are offering a new tariff plan that gives the customer maximum value. You are charged 25 kobo right from the first second to the last second. Competing tariffs either charge monthly daily rentals or charge higher for the first 60 seconds and drop the rates for subsequent seconds. When you do the calculations properly and add the rental payment or consider the charge for the first 60 seconds, you will realize such tariffs are indeed not as attractive as they are made to look.
“But with the new Glo offer, the subscriber gets a truthful and easy-to-understand payment plan.  For instance, while the Glo subscriber pays N15 for first minute of call made within and outside the network, other networks charge between N24 and N30 for calls within the network and between N30 and N36 for calls going outside the network,” Jameel noted.