Technology Times Newspaper

Monday, OCTOBER 8-14, 2012 WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF NIGERIAN ICT SECTOR N100

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Top5PhonesSamsung Galaxy Pocketleads Top 5 selling mobilephones in Nigeria

CDMA churn growsas Nigeria crosses105m linesRead more onwww. technologytimes.com.ng

Adenuga: ‘I didn't default inpayment for 2001 GSM licenceMike Adenuga jr, theChairman of GlobacomLimited, has said thatCommunication InvestmentsLimited(CIL),his investmentvehicleused to bid in the January 2001NigerianGSMLicenceAuctions, didnotdefault inmeetingdeadlinestipu-latedby government to the fourwin-ning bidders in the milestone dealthat was to profoundly redefine thetelecoms landscape in the country.Adenuga's decision to walk downmemory lane comes amid another

milestone for Globacom, his wholly-owned Second National Operator,which last August clocked nineadded to the complementarydistinc-tion for the telecoms magnate whowas awarded the nation's secondhighest honour, the GrandCommander of the Order of theNiger (GCON) medal for nationaleconomic development contribu-tions by President GoodluckJonathan.Globacom has grown to becomenumber two operator by subscriber

numbers even though it entered thetelecomsgametwoyearsbehindrivalMTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria andMtel, the moribund mobile phonebusinessofpioneernationaloperator,NITEL.In the keen 2001 GSM bids, CILwas pitted against Econet WirelessNigeria Ltd; United NetworksMobile Ltd; MTN NigeriaCommunications Ltd and MSI-CeltelNigeria Ltd,who all deposited$20million each to prequalify for theauction.

Adenuga again reopened the stick-ing point of the 2001 Nigerian GSMAuction that was generally regardedas free and fair during which thelicence earlier awarded CIL waswithdrawn by government overalleged late payments.The development was to set backAdenuga's entry into the competitivebut lucrative telecoms stakes bysome two years when he eventuallylaunched service using Globacom,the company under which he waseventually issued the multi-service

SNOlicence for$200million inwhatmarket analysts reckon was a con-cession to resolve theCILdebacle.The Globacom Chairman's tookexception to a newspaper colum-nist's view that, "Adenuga could notmuster the requisite licence feewith-in the stipulated timeof 14days."Speaking through Mike Jituboh,the Executive Director SpecialProject, Globacom, Adenuga, recol-

Nigerian Communica-tions Commission(NCC) has denied anewspaper report of allegedfrequency spectrum racket-eering by the current leader-ship of the telecoms industryregulatory agency.Reuben Muoka, Head,Media and Public Relations,NCC,denied that thecurrentboss of the regulatory agencyhas allegedly sold frequencyslots belonging to theNigeriaPolice to a private firm, OpenSkys.The telecoms regulator alsoabsolved its boss, EugeneJuwah of any wrongdoing inthe process of allocation ofthe frequency which it saidpreceded his July 2010resumption in office asExecutive Vice Chairman ofNCC.

According to a statementby the agency’s spokesman,there is also no truth to theallegation that NCC issued afrequency spectrum to SmileCommunications.Muoka adds, “Dr. EugeneJuwah, the CurrentExecutive Vice Chairman ofthe Commission, did not ini-tiate the allocation of theaforesaid frequencies, havingresumed in July 2010, whiletheprocessbegan since2009.Even after resumption at theNCC, Dr. Juwah has strictlyfollowed due process ofissuance of licences and fre-quencies.”According to him, “TheNigerian CommunicationsCommission has been inun-dated by calls from con-cernedcitizensover a story inthe

NCC denies frequencyracketeering

CAPDAN seeks Fashola’s support for Ikeja Computer Village

Computers and AlliedProducts DealersAssociation (CAP-DAN), the pressure group ofbusinesses operating in IkejaComputerVillage, Lagos, hascalled on the government ofBabatunde Fashola,Governor of Lagos State, tocomplement efforts at creat-ing a conducive businessenvironment in the nation’slargestmarket for technologyproducts and servicesbecauseofitsstrategicimpor-

tance to Nigeria’s ICT devel-opment.Specifically, CAPDAN isseeking the administration’ssupport to solve the securityand sanitation problemswithin the market environ-ment.Mac Eze, Vice-President ofCAPDAN, told TechnologyTimes in an exclusive inter-view that the Kick AgainstIndiscipline (KAI) squadunder the command of theLagos State Special Task

Force (Environmental Unit)andmenof theNigeriaPoliceForce recently jointly demol-ished the roadside shops atComputerVillage toenhancethe beauty, hygiene andcleanliness of the environ-ment."We want to see more ofthis in order to encouragegreater patronage in a cleanmarket,”Ezesaid,notingthatthe government’s effortstowards sustained businesspromotion creates employ-

ment and contributes to theoverall national economicgrowth.“Such clean-up exercisewas done some time backwhen the governmentcleared all the road-sideshopsandthepeopleaffectedwent to form the currentGSM Village in Ikeja. If theycan push the others also toMangoro side, there is amar-ket there that is under-

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Consolidating Nigeria’sposition on InternetgovernanceOmobola Johnson, Minister forCommunication Technology

Page 17 & 18

Babatunde Fashola, SAN, LagosState Governor

Continued on Page 16

Page 2 TECHNOLOGY TIMES Monday October 8-14 2012

nate in him losing his $20mil-lion bid deposit and also sethimbacktwoyears inenteringtheNigerian telecomsmarket.Jituboh,whoalsoledtheCILteam to the three-day GSMAuctions that opened January17, 2001 at the Nicon HiltonHotel in Abuja, says it wasimperative to set the recordstraight about the chain ofreactions that precipitated thecontroversialCILlicencedeba-cle.According to him, "A dayafter winning one of the threeGSM licences, a CIL team ledby Dr Adenuga headed forParis for negotiations withBNPParibas.Afterseveraldaysof protracted negotiations,agreements was reached onthe terms and conditions for aloan facility of $265million forpayingthebalanceof theGSMlicence. The deadline for mak-ing payments was 5pm of 9thFebruary2001andonthatfate-fuldayallwas set for a transferby swift instruction whenword came in from our col-leagues in Lagos that the fre-quency allocated to CIL wasthe same frequency that hadbeen allocated to and beingusedbyMotophone.Thelatterwas in court to challenge thegovernment's withdrawal ofthe frequency."According to the GlobacomDirector, the CIL team faced adebacle that neededquick anddecisive action in the light ofthe fact that its assigned fre-quency spectrum was underlitigation from Motophoneowned by the Chagouris andthe dilemma of meeting thestrict deadline for the provi-sional licence assigned byNCC, the telecoms regulatorthat auctioned the spectrum."With itsassignedfrequencyunder litigation and the dead-line for payment approaching,we had to decide whether ornot to pay the huge sum of$265 million and hope thatMotophone's litigation wouldnot end up ensnaring both themoneyandourambitiousplan,of establishing one of thebiggestandbest telecommuni-cations network in the world.

Withnotimelefttoresolvethematter with the governmentbefore making payment, wedecided to make paymentwith the condition that themoneyshouldbe releasedafterthe government gives CIL anindemnity to cover the possi-bility of Motophone winningits suit and retaining the liti-gious frequency", Jitubohsays.According to him,"Consequently payment of$265 million was made byBNP Paribas before the dead-linehouron9thFebruary2001directly to the designatedaccount at JP Morgan, NewYork,alongwiththeaforemen-tionedcondition."Jituboh says that chains ofevents were to follow in thewake of the payment and thesubsequent cancellation of theCIL licencewhichwerealso todovetail into the founding ofGlobacombyAdenuga."AsmostNigerianwill recall,the government rejected thecondition that was placed onthe payment and conditionthat was placed on the pay-ment and cancelled the CILlicence. The governmentrefused all entreaties and thefunds were ultimatelyreturned to BNP Paribas.

Eventuallywewon the bid forthe Second National CarrierLicence and launched Glomobile. Ironically the sameerstwhile litigious frequencywas given to Globacom alongwith the Indemnity that hadbeendeniedCIL!" he adds.The 2001 GSM Auctionsattracteda record$855millioninto government coffers underwhichthelicencesweresoldtothewinningbidders and a slotpre-allocated to the publicowned pioneer NationalOperator, the NigerianTelecommunications Limited(NITEL), at the time.Today, the GSM networksnow numbering five but withfour actively operational, con-tinue to ride the crest of themarket as they account for101,404,011 active lines out ofthe 105,239,815 active lines inNigeria at the end of August,this year.On the other hand, theirCDMA counterparts alsoofferingmobiletelephonyserv-icesaccountfor3,347,716activelineswhile fixed line and fixedwireless networks, a hugelyneglected segment of the mar-ket, account for only 488,088active lines within the sameperiod.

At the time the bids wereheld, Nigeria could only countsome 500,000 landline phonelines in operation out of acapacity of 700,000 lines andonly 30,000 analogue mobilephone lines.During theperiod, the short-term telecoms policy outlookwas that the country shouldattain 1.2 million mobile lineswithin twoyearsof the formu-lationof theNationalPolicyonTelecommunications in 1999.The SNO was mandated byits licence to provide aMinimumof100,000linescon-nected to subscribers12months after commerciallaunch; minimum of 750,000lines connected to subscribers36 months after commerciallaunch; minimum of 1,500,000lines connected to subscribers60 months after commerciallaunch andprovisions that thelicensee shall provide by 36months after commerciallaunchaminimumof 5%of itstotal lines connected to sub-scribers ineachofthegeopolit-ical zones in the FederalRepublic of Nigeria, amongotherobligations.Meanwhile, PresidentJonathan has commendedAdenuga for contributing to

economic growth in Nigerianoting that, “He worked veryhard to establish Globacomwhich today provides hun-dreds of thousands of jobs inNigeria, Ghana and BeninRepublic.Hehas established aformidable brand. His compa-ny also has footprints in Coted’Ivoire, Senegal and TheGambia.”Hemade thecommendationat the 2012 National HonoursAwards in Abuja whereAdenuga was decorated withthe Grand Commander of theOrder of the Niger (GCON)medal, theonly recipient inthe

ca tegory ,alongside 148 other eminentNigerianswhowerealsodeco-rated for outstanding servicesto thecountry.According to the President,“I encourageyou to sustain thetempo of performance and tore-dedicate yourself to theserviceofhumanity andGod.”The Globacom Chairmanwas also lauded by Goodluckas a major employer of labourwhen he adds that, “ChiefAdenuga has done a great dealfor the country through hisnumerous business concernswhich employ thousands ofNigerians.”

‘I didn't default in payment of 2001 GSM licence fee - Adenuga

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Mike Adenuga Jr, Chairman, Globacom

Monday October 8-14 2012 TECHNOLOGY TIMES Page 3


News

icrosoft is set to officiallylaunch Windows Phone8 in the Nigerian marketon Christmas Day, December 25,2012,withitspartners,devicemakers,HTC, Nokia and Samsung, tipped todebut the software maker’s updatedmobile operating system.Emmanuel Onyeje, GeneralManager, West and Central Africa,Microsoft, disclosed this yesterday inLagos to attendees at the Septemberedition of Developers Parapo, a net-working forum for the developercommunity organised by social inno-vation centre, Co-creation Hub(CcHUB)ofNigeria.Microsoft’s planned launch of themobile operating system eyes stakesinNigeria’stelecomsmarketcountingover 102 million active phone lineswith more than 90 per cent of thembeingmobilephones.OnyejesaysthatWindowsPhone8has clearly emerged as one of the topmobile platforms in the ecosystemand with its planned entry intoNigeria, it is hoped to unleash a newwaveof features forconsumers,devel-opers andbusinesses.He adds that the reason whyMicrosoft is taking its time to unveilnew products in Nigeria is to ensurelocal relevance for users before theyare launched into thecountry.“To support some value added,Microsoftissayinglet’stryandgettheNigerian system tobemore automat-ed andmore IT-focused. That’s whatwe’re trying to do with WindowsPhone 8 instead of just taking prod-ucts fromoutside anddumping themhere. Let’s add value with our localpartners and developers to make ourdevices really rich for Nigerians,” headds.According tohim, “WithMicrosoft

Phone 8, we are bringing in bankingapplications, entertainment applica-tions, lifestyle applications, gamingapplications andsomeother contentsthat we’re trying to work with ourpartners around.”HesaysthatwhenthedevicecomesintoNigeria, userswill see it asworkand play scenarios as consumers willbeabletobrowseanddownloadappswhile developers will also be able tosubmitapplicationsviaMicrosoftappstores to theglobalmarket.”Talking about the pricing of thephones, Onyeje says, “our partners,Nokia, Samsung, HTC, are going todeterminethepriceof thephonesandnot Microsoft. The partners deter-minethepricingstrategy.Thereisalsoan opportunity where the telcos likeMTN,Glo, Airtel, Etisalat and others

also have a strategy around thosehandsets. Our private partners andthe telcos are theoneswhowill reallydecide how they want to have theprice range in the end.”Also commenting on the newWindows 8, he added that every sin-gle part of the operating system wascompletely redesigned from end toend underscoring that Microsoftdesigned it to work on any platform,including mobile devices, high enddesktops, gaming laptops, personal-ized slates and tablets.“No matter what you want to useinteractively, mouse, keyboard, pen,youcanuseallthosethingstointeractwith PCor the device. On top of thatwe have also made sure that you cangetcontent fromtheAppStore.WiththeWindows8, findingcontentswill

notbedifficult,” he added.To address the Developers Pararoattendees’ curiosity about newMicrosoft products, Onyeje saidMicrosoft platform will allow devel-opers to easily build apps for bothWindows Phone 8 andWindows 8andport apps fromone to theother.“Our new vision in Microsoft is toprovideeverybusinessandeverybodyon the planet a cloud system,” headded.Talking about apps opportunity,Onyeje, who started programming at13, told theparticipants that there arelotsofopportunities increatingenter-priseapps,entertainmentandgamingapps, among others. According tohim, the world is turning to apps.Businesses, consumers, individualsare turning to apps to interact with

their customers and partners. Thereare huge opportunities for developersinNigeria to actuallywrite apps fromWindows 8 platform and sell theirservices globally.He told the community ofNigeriandevelopers’attendeesattheeventthat“businesses want to connect to con-sumerandifanappis thewaytocon-nect businesses to consumers, thenpeoplewill go for it. Don’t limit your-selfto169millionNigerians.Maketheapplicationsglobal.”Developers Parapo event takesplacemonthlyattheCcHubinLagos,Nigeria’s first open living lab. It is aplatform that brings togetherNigerianweb andmobile applicationdeveloperstonetwork,shareandgainknowledgerequiredtostartandgrowviablebusinesses.CcHub brings industry expertsfromNigeria and across theworld tothe event to share key insights thatwill grow the Nigerian applicationdevelopment ecosystem.

Microsoft plans Xmas Daylaunch of Windows Phone 8 in Nigeria

mobola Johnson,Minis-ter ofCommunicationsTechnology, has continued tomourn the gruesome murderofNassarawaStateUniversitypost-graduatestudent,thelateCynthia Osokogu, lured to aLagos hotel on July 22 andmurdered by her Facebookfriends.So also did the CommTechMinister commiserate withthefamilyofthehaplessvictimaswellasotherswhohavesuf-fered from abuse of the inter-net to perpetrate fraud andother criminal activities.However, as Johnson put itto participants at theNigerianInternet Governance Forumheld in Abuja this week, suchfew extreme aberrationsshouldnotblur thebigpictureabout the enormous benefitsthe internet imparts to theway the interconnectedworldlives, works, plays, learns,profits,governsandcommuni-

cates.“The government, privatesector and civil society haveresponsibilities in ensuringthat the beneficial uses of theinternet far outweigh itsmanipulations to causeharm,”theMinister told attendees atthe event.Moreover, she remindedthat the professionals, theInternet Governance Forumand other professionals’ deci-

sions have a major impact onthe deployment of technolo-gies,products,servicesandtheapplication of ICTs to solveproblems in the country.“In Nigeria, we care aboutour freedom to seek, receive,impart and use information,especially when it relates tothe creation, accumulationand dissemination of knowl-edge. Wealsocareabout inse-curity, (cyber)crime, piracy

andspamaswellasthesecuri-ty and stability of Internetinfrastructure. These caresoften find expression as com-peting concerns: it is theresponsibilityofallprofession-al fora to search for consensus,to be representative, allowingforviewsfromeachstakehold-er ‘community,’ aswell asneu-tral– that is, opentoallpartic-ipants, irrespectiveof theirori-gin”, she adds.

According to her, statisticsshow that an estimated 33percent of theworld’s populationcurrently use the internetincludingsome13.5percentofAfricans connected to theircounterparts on the globalcomputer network.Also, the rate at whichAfricans’ using internet isincreasing rapidly. For thedecade to 2011, the number ofAfricans who used the inter-net grew by almost 3,000 percent. For instance, as atDecember 2011, 45 millionNigerians used the internet atleast once, up from a mere200,000 at December, 2000,she adds.The CommTech Ministernotes that the internet hasbeenusedas amediumtoper-petrate heinous crimes anddistribute falsehoods but suchinfractions should not dimin-ish thebroad scope for its suc-cessful deployment for thebenefit ofmankind.

The rueful Johnson said toattendees at NIGF that,“Indeed, we mourn and com-miserate with the family ofCynthia Osokogu and allthose that have suffered at thehands of people that use theInternet for criminal activities.We all – government, the pri-vate sector and civil society –have responsibilities in ensur-ing that the beneficial uses ofthe Internet far outweigh itsmanipulations to causeharm.”

NewsCommTech Minister rues Cynthia’s Facebookmurder, canvasses beneficial use of Internet

Emmanuel Onyeje, General Manager, West andCentral Africa, Microsoft confirms the officialplanned launch ofWindows 8 phones in Nigeria onXmasDay

LateCynthiaOsokogu



espite impressivegrowth in theNigerian telecomsmarket and improvements inInternetpenetration, difficul-ties in shipping and pay-ments options have contin-ued to slow down thegrowth of online shopping inthe country, according to aresearch report.

Driven by growth in tele-coms and Internet usage,Nigeria and South Africa areAfrica’s most promisingeconomies with online shop-ping potential on the conti-nent, the “Africa Internet &B2C E-Commerce Report2012″ has reported.The “Africa Internet &B2C E-Commerce Report

2012″ by Hamburg-basedsecondary market researchfirm yStats takes a close lookat Internet use and B2C E-Commerce development onthe African continent. Inaddition to presenting dataon Internet and B2C E-Commerce for the entire con-tinent, facts and figuresabout 15 individual countries

of the African continent arecompiled.“Due to improved Internetaccessandagrowingnumberof online shops, the numberof credit cards also increasedin 2011. Furthermore, accord-ing to forecasts at least onethird of the population inNigeria is expected to havedirect Internet access by

2013. Although large onlineretailers such as Amazon,eBay and South Africanonline shop Kalahari selltheir products there, thereare still limitations when itcomes to shipping and pay-ment options”, the reportsays.Withmore than 40millionusers, Nigeria was theAfricannationwith the high-est number of Internet usersin December 2011, followedby Egypt and Morocco,according to the reportwhich notes that Internetpenetration was the highestin Morocco with almost 50per cent.“South Africa on the otherhand, was the country withthe most successful B2C E-Commerce platforms. In2011, various factors stillcurbed online retail on theentire continent, such as thelow Internet penetration andthe focus on cash transac-tions and personal relation-ships. Recently, however,mobile payment methodshave become increasinglypopular, promoting B2C E-Commerce growth in 2012″,

the study found.On the other hand, inSouth Africa, the share ofonline shoppers on the totalnumber of Internet users hascontinued to grow slowlybetween 2009 and 2011. In2011, a clear majority citedlower prices as a decisive fac-tor for making purchasesonline.According to the findingsof the study, Kenya was thefastestgrowing Internetmar-ket in Africa in 2011, due tolow mobile phone chargesand increasing broadbandcapacity. The number ofInternet users and their shareon the entire population con-tinuouslygrewbetween2010and 2011 by a low doubledigit percentage figure.At the same time, the num-ber of Internet connectionsand B2C E-Commerce rev-enue in Morocco grewbetween 2010 and 2011 byalmost three-quarters ac-cording to the study thatcitedonline shoppingmarketplayers like ShopAfrica53,Kalahari, Takealot, Vaimo,soleRebels, Bid-or-Buy andBKam.

Shipping, payments option hamperonline shopping growth in Nigeria

okia has partneredwith foremostsocial innovationcentre inNigeria,Co-creationHub (CcHUB), to promotean academy programmecalled ‘Nokia/CCHubGrowth Academy’ aimed ataccelerating top Nigerianmobile software companiesin growing their companiesto regional and internationallevels.Ten start-ups will berecruited into theprogrammethat culminates in a formallaunch of the mobile apps onthe Nokia store, the compa-nies announced, noting thatthe programme has launcheda search for start-ups withbrilliant ideas to addressmar-ket needs in finance, educa-tion, healthcare, agriculture,small business development,environment, inclusive tech-nology and entertainment.To participate, they musthave developed a workingprototype in Java ME(J2ME), have at least twocore members, including alead developer and be willingto commit two fullmonths todeveloping their idea on theprogramme.According to a statementby the duo, “Having success-fully completed a pilot, weinvite applications for thisfirst-of-its kind business

accelerator programme inAfrica dedicated to providingintensive continuous hands-on support to help early stagemobile technology start-upsto grow into high growthbusinesses and build worldclass mobile applications fortheNokia platform regionallyand globally.”Under the plan, the three-month intensive programmeruns in three parts ofCapacity Building, ProductDevelop-ment and Launch.Each start-up undergoeshands-on prototype develop-ment and structured trainingwith modules such as busi-ness model development,project implementation planand lean product develop-ment. Tailored technicaltraining and support will beprovidedbyFuturice, aglobaltraining organisation withexpertise in mobile applica-tions development and user-driven design, they said.During product develop-ment, each start-up is com-plemented with the best ofresources expected toinclude, one-on-one mentor-ship from experienced techentrepreneurs with a strongunderstanding of the Africanmarket; project implementa-tionplanandmarket researchsupport to ensure that solu-tions meet specific market

needs.The last phase of the pro-gramme is dedicated to prod-uct testing, pilot launch andvalueredesignbasedoninitialcustomer feedback. Each

start-up will also pitch at anopen Pitchfest to the widercommunity and investors aspart of the final productlaunch.Intending participantsshould visit www.growtha-cademy.orgtoapply forappli-

cations that close by 6pm onOctober 3, 2012, promoters ofthe programme said.According to Lagos-basedCcHub, the Nokia-CcHUBGrowth Academy is a first ofits kind business acceleratorprogramme inAfrica dedicat-

ed toproviding intensivecon-tinuous hands-on support tohelp approximately 30 earlystage mobile technologystart-ups grow into highgrowth businesses and buildworld class mobile applica-tions in 2012.

Nokia, CcHub connect to foster growthof Nigerian mobile software makersNews

Participants in a previous edition of Developers’ Parapomeeting organised by CcHub in Lagos. CcHUB, the foremost social innovation centre in Nigeria is promoting an academyprogramme called ‘Nokia/CCHubGrowth Academy’ to accelerate topNigerianmobile software companies in growing their companies to regional and international levelsPhotot: CcHub

Screenshot of online shopping service, Jumia: Despite the impressive growth in Internet access, shipping and payments options still pose obstacles to onlineshopping in Africa, according to the yStats report

Olubunmi Adeniyi

lobacom has launcheda new promotion thatoffers subscribers theopportunity to own a fleet of52-seater luxury buses,mini=buses, luxury taxis,among other cash prizes in anew customer reward schemebythemobilephonecompany.Called Made4Life, thepromo will reward over 1,500Glo subscribers with prizeswhich the operator says is thefirst of its kind in theNigeriantelecoms industry that is opento both its new and existingsubscribers on both the pre-paidandpostpaidplatforms.Announcing details of thepromotion at the press confer-ence in Lagos, Niyi Olukoya,acting Head of Marketing,who announced the promo-tion, saysthe firstprizewinnerwill go home with two 52-seater luxury buses, while thesecond prize will be won bythree subscribers who willeach go home with three 16-seaterminibuses.Nine lucky subscribers willwin the third prize which is afleet of 27 luxury taxis. Each ofthe winners will be presentedwith three taxis. The promo-tion isalsoofferingacashprizeof N100,000 for 1,500 winnersas fourth prize, the telecomscompanysays.

Glo Made4Life will run forthreemonths, fromSeptember24 toDecember 24, 2012,withwinners emerging through anelectronicdraw.Glo says the unique promowas conceived to reward sub-scribers in a unique way andempowerthemtobetheirownbossesbyfloatingatransporta-tioncompany.“We have since inceptionbeen at the fore-front ofrewarding customer loyalty.We have offered differentkinds of promotions andprizes. This time, we decided

togoa step furthernotonlybyoffering fantastic prizesunprecedentedintheindustry,but also by structuring theprizes in a way to empoweroursubscriberstobe ‘Madeforlife’, and become managers oftheir own businesses”, saysOlukoya.According to him, “With afleet of two 52-seater luxurybuses, three 16-seater minibusesor three luxury taxis, thewinner is afforded a rareopportunitytostartoffatrans-port company” in what thetelecoms compnay reckonswill create indirect employ-ment intheNigerianeconomy.To ensure that the winners

succeed in the transport busi-ness,heexplainedthatGlohadconcluded arrangements toprovide financial managementand wealth training for them.This, he noted, will providethem the skills to manage thebusiness.To qualify for the 16-seaterbuses, luxury taxis or theN100,000, the subscriber isexpected to recharge with aminimum of N200, while aminimum recharge of N3,000withinthepromotionperiodisrequired to stand a chance ofwinningthetwo52-seaterlux-urybusgrandprizes.


Glo Made4Life promo dangles luxuryautomobiles for subscribers

leading mobile phonebrandinAfrica,TECNOhas announced its part-nershipwith Etisalat, Nigeria’smost innovative network serv-iceprovider, to launchapromothat offers Etisalat subscribers40MBfreedatabundleonpur-chaseofaTECNOT608phonefrom September, this year toFebruary,nextyear.The partnership is an ongo-ing one intended to providecustomers with fast and reli-able data connectivity and a

range of affordable phones,with both companies statingthat they are set to offer otherjoint products within thesmartphone category. TECNOT3islikelytobethenextphoneincluded in their partnershipoffer.Chidi Okonkwo, DeputyGeneral Manager, TECNONigeria, explains that “current-ly, customers are longing forbetter internet experience andthis cooperation precisely

brings them what they want.Customers who buy TECNOT608 phones can enjoy anextraordinary internet experi-ence compared to most othermobile phones in the sameclass while they can enjoy theamazing free data at the sametime.”TECNO T608, the modelbeing offered for the promo, isthe first TECNOOpera phonespecially developed for fast,mobile internet experience,pre-loaded with the world’s

most popular mobile browser,Opera Mini and many otherdistinctive apps such asPalmchat, a phonebook-basedfreechatappandTECNOAppStoreT-ZONEonwhichuserscandownload lotsof freeapps.Wael Ammar, ChiefCommercial Officer, EtisalatNigeria, adds that the telecomsindustry has seen increaseddemand for data and smart-phones in recent times.“It is important for networkproviders and phonemanufac-turers to continue to collabo-rate and initiate products andservices to satisfy this need.Etisalat’s fast Easyblaze, 3.75Gbroadband service combinedwith these TECNO phones isyetanotherexampleofourcon-tinuous effort to bring our cus-tomers easyaccess to the inter-net.”According to the companies,“TECNO and Etisalat mustemphasise thatmarketcompe-tition has encouraged moremobilephonebrandsandoper-atorstoseeknewwaystomeetcustomers’ different needs andmaintaintheirmarketposition.While cooperation betweenmobilephonebrandsandoper-ators is currently the trend,such collaborations will notonly publicise their productsand increase sales, but willencourage an increased adop-tionofbroadbandservices.”

News

TECNO, Etisalat tie deal to offer40MB free data on T608

By Bolanle Abass

NiyiOlukoya,Ag.HeadofMarketing,Glo (left);TundeKaitell ofMarketingCommunicationsandTitilayoEbinisi,HeadofGloWorld, at the launchofGloMade4LifePromooffering subscribersof themobilephonecompany theopportunity towina fleet of 52-seater luxurybuses,minibuses, luxury taxis andcashprizes.

TECNOT608, themodelbeingoffered for thepromo, is the firstTECNOOperaphonespeciallydeveloped for fast,mobile internetexperience,pre-loadedwiththeworld’smostpopularmobilebrowser,OperaMini, thephonemakersays

By Bolanle Abass


News

TN Nigeria, theleading mobilephone by market

share plans to release theNano-SIM come October 5,this year in a move by theoperator to explore stakes inexpected subscriber uptakeof thenew iPhone5 launchedrecently into the handset anddevice market by US tech-nology company, Apple.Thenewnano-SIM is actu-

ally the fourth generation ofSubscriber Identity Module(SIM) card that has beenused since the introductionof GSM phones in the early1990s, the first three beingthe 1FF, Micro SIM or 2FF,and theMini SIMor the 3FF.The newNano-SIMwhich

is the only SIM compatiblewith the newly releasedApple iPhone 5 and othernew generation and futurephones has no different func-tionswith that of the currentMicro and Mini SIM cardsexcept the size.Announcing the planned

unveiling of the new SIM,MTN Nigeria says that, “theNanoSIM is 40% smaller

than micro SIM and about0.67mm thicker than MicroSIM made for the newiPhone 5 and other new gen-eration phones” adding thatthe NanoSIM will be avail-able at MTN Walk-in

Centres nationwide fromOctober 5, 2012.According to PC Advisor,

“This new nano-SIM cardmeasures just 12.3 x 8.8mm,and its thickness has alsobeen reduced fractionally,from 0.76mm of the 1FF, 2FFand 3FF cards, to 0.67mm.”

The release of the newNano-SIM by MTN willenable Nigerians purchaseand use the newly releasediPhone 5 inNigeria.According to the phone

maker, “when we envisionedthe new iPhone, we landedon a remarkably thin and

light design. But it’s nearlyimpossible to make a deviceso thin and so light withoutsacrificing features or per-formance.”Apple says the iPhone 5,

the thinnest, lightest, fastestiPhone ever, is the result ofplaying that balancing act

between achieving a lighterdevice that is still packedwith performance.“iPhone 5 is just 7.6 mil-

limeters thin. To make thathappen, Apple engineers hadto think small, componentbycomponent. They created anano-SIM card, which is 44percent smaller than amicro-SIM. They also developed aunique cellular solution foriPhone 5. The conventionalapproach to building LTEinto a world phone uses twochips—one for voice, one fordata.”According to Apple, “on

iPhone 5, both are on a singlechip. The intelligent,reversible Lightning connec-tor is 80 percent smaller thanthe 30-pin connector. The8MP iSight camera has evenmore features – like panora-ma and dynamic low-lightmode – yet it’s 25 per centsmaller.AndthenewA6chipis up to 2x faster than the A5chip but 22 per cent smaller.Even with so much inside,iPhone5 is 20per cent lighterand 18 per cent thinner thaniPhone 4S.”

MTN plans Nano-SIM launch to tap iPhone5 uptake among Nigerian smartphone users

MTNNigeria is taking a plunge into offering NanoSIMs into the local market in expectation of subscriber uptake of iPhone 5 launched recently into theglobal handset market by Apple Photo credit: Apple

By Bola Abbas

Labour honours Globacom for telecomsdevelopment in Nigeria

lobacom, the secondnational operator, hasbeen awarded the Labour

Legend Community Award by theFCT Council of the NigeriaLabour Congress (NLC) and alsoinducted into the 1st LabourLegend Hall of Fame by the coun-cil.Globacom received the honour

at an elaborate induction ceremo-ny organized by the FCT Councilin conjunction with AfricanLabour Watch Magazine atChelsea Hotel, Abuja, onMonday,October 1, this year coincidingwith the Nigerian IndependenceDay, the telecoms companyannounced in a statement.Organisers of the award say the

ceremony was held to recogniselabour leaders, labour-friendlyNigerians and organizations thathave made significant contribu-tions to the welfare and culture ofNigerian workers.In an earlier notification sent to

Globacom by Comrade OssaiIlome, Secretary of InductionCommittee, the NLCCouncil saidGlo was selected for the honourbecause of the company’s commit-ment to affordable services, spon-

sorship of Glo Heritage Series andthe country’s national footballteams, among other outstandingcontributions.Globacom pioneered per second

billing as its launch platform,

thereby reducing the cost ofmobile telephony services andestablishing the basis for wide-spread affordable telecoms servic-es across the country.The NLC Council says that

Globacom has lived up to itspromise of affordability, as a car-dinal point of good corporate citi-zenship.Globacom has also supported

community initiatives, especially

in the areas of sports develop-ment, poverty alleviation, job cre-ation, and youth empowerment,music, art and culture.Globacom commenced business

on August 29, 2003, with thelaunch of its GSM service in theFederal Capital Territory, Abuja.It was the major mobile phoneoperator using theGSM technolo-gy platform to launch operations,two years after other operatorshad rolled out.Glo has about 25 million sub-

scribers on its Nigerian networkand has covered all parts of thecountry and has also extended itsoperational footprints to theRepublic of Benin and Ghana.Globacom’s overall success in

service delivery and product inno-vation stems from its continueddeployment of latest technology,from 2.5G to 3G and 4G LTE. Thecompany is also revamping thenation’s fixed telephone serviceswith the launch of Glo Fixedwhile it addressed Africa’s band-width requirement by single-handed building an internationalsubmarine cable called Glo 1, thecompany says.SinaThumandiwire,Director, InternationalLabourOrganisation (ILO),WestAfrica (left), presents theLabourCrownAward toLorenzoGomez,

GloDivisionalDirector,Abuja at the ceremony

echnology Timeshas obtained acomprehensive list

of the 15-man Presidentialteam on broadband inau-gurated rec-ently byPresident GoodluckJonathan at thePresidential Villa in Abujato come up with plans toleverage benefits of high-speed internet services foreconomic growth inNigeria.According to the list,

the President’s BroadbandCom-mittee puts togethera rich mix of telecomsoperators, key industrythought leaders, privatesector players as well asinternational technologybusinesses and industrygroups.GSM industry big play-

ers like MTN Nigeria,Etisalat Nigeria as well assearch engine giant,Google are among a richmix of private sector play-ers in the banking andfinancial services sector aswell as ICT policymakersand administratorsincluding operator pres-sure group, the CDMADevelopment Group.The team includes

Ernest Ndukwe, the ex-Executive Vice Chairman,N i g e r i a nC o m m u n i c a t i o n sCommission (NCC), whois currently Chairman ofOpen Media Group, anICT consultancy based inAbuja, Federal CapitalTerritory, as one of thekey industry professionalson the broadband team.Under Ndukwe’s watch

as boss of NCC, Nigeriarecorded significantgrowth in the telephonysector during the mobilephone boom in what ana-lysts regard as the indus-try umpire’s policy con-sistency and transparentregulation of the sector.Also on the team is Jim

Ovia, Chairman, VisafoneCommunications and for-mer Group ManagingDirector of Zenith BankPlc, who is also a well-known ICT enthusiastwith passion for promot-ing technology innovationamong Nigerian youths.

Chief Technical Officerof MTN Nigeria, LyndaSaint Nwafor comes fromthe nation’s telecomsmarket leader with over40 million active connec-tions and owned by SouthAfrica’s MTN Group, willalso be on the team.So also is Junaid Dikko,

a Director with EtisalatNigeria, the number fourtelecoms operator by sub-scriber number owned byDubai, UAE-basedEtisalat Group, who willbe bringing to the teamhis regulatory expertise aswell as expertise in allied

financial services sector.Rasheed Adegoke, Chief

Information Officer, FirstBank of Nigeria, one of thekey banks in the country,is also on the team andexpected to provide per-spectives from the invest-ment community.Gbenga Sesan, currently

Executive Director, Para-digm Initiative Nigeria isalso a former ICT YouthAmbassador and a well-known Nigerian youthleader is part of the team.Sesan, who is well-knownfor promoting ICT fordevelopment issues, is

also a seasoned speaker atvarious local and interna-tional fora.Another key member of

the team is Juliet EhimuanChiazor, CountryManager; Google Nigeriaexpected to bring to thebroadband committee theexpertise of running thelocal operations of thesearch giant.Also, Stanley Jegede,

CEO of Phase 3 Telecoms,will bring to the team hisexperience in businessleadership of one of thebiggest players in provid-ing aerial optical fibre

transmission service thatalso maintains the largestprivate fibre optic net-work in Nigeria and theWest African sub-region.Also on the team is

Philip Chukwueke,Regional Director ofAfrica, CDMADevelopment Group(CDG), a trade associa-tion formed to foster theworldwide development,implementation and useof CDMA and other com-plementary wireless solu-tions with membershipincluding many of theworld’s leading service

providers and equipmentmanufacturers. The groupworks towards the devel-opment of advanced fea-tures and services, evolu-tion of standards, techni-cal education, advocacy,regulatory affairs, globalroaming and device avail-ability for the CDMAmobile telephony stan-dard.On the other hand, the

public sector draws rep-resentations from theMinistry ofCommunication Techno-logy, the supervisory min-istry of various ICT andallied government agen-cies; the NigerianC o m m u n i c a t i o n sCommission (NCC), thetelecoms regulatoryagency; some state ICTadministrations; theNational TechnologyDevelopment Agency, theIT implementing agencyof the FederalGovernment, among oth-ers.John Ayodele, who is

Director, Telecoms &Postal Services, Ministryof CommunicationTechnology, will be repre-senting the ICT supervi-sory ministry on the team.So also is Bala

Mohammed, who is alsoCommissioner of Science& Technology, KanoState and Kayode Jegede,SA to Ekiti StateGovernor onInfrastructure & ICT aswell as Joshua Atah,Head, ICT Projects,National UniversitiesCommission who are alsopart of the public sectorteam.The public sector team

also include Fidelis Onah,Assistant Director,Spectrum Management,N i g e r i a nC o m m u n i c a t i o n sCommission and VincentOlatunji, Deputy Director,Corporate Strategy &Research, NationalInformation TechnologyDevelopmentStory by TechnolgyTimes ReporterPhotography: BankoleDamilare


NewsMeet Nigeria’s broadbandroad map cartographers

Ernest Ndukwe , Chairman, Open Media Group Jim OviaChairman, Visafone Communications

Lynda Saint Nwafor, Chief Technical Officer, MTNCommunications

John Ayodele,Director, Telecoms & Postal Services, Ministry ofCommunication Technology


Nigerian banks plan to capture biometric information of customers

lans are underway byNigerian banks to collect bio-metric information of theircustomers for real-time and easieridentification of account holders inthe country.Biometric information uniquelydistinguishes one person fromanother and are used to establish arecord of and confirm an individ-ual’s identity with the most com-mon being photographs and finger-prints. Iris scans and voice recogni-tion are also other forms of biomet-ric information.Under the plan, the Bankers’Committee has invited reputable ITcompanies with requisite expertiseandexperience to setupabiometricverification system for customers ofall the 21 deposit money banks inthe country.The Bankers Committee is thepowerful group of chief executiveofficers of all the DMBs chaired bythe Governor of Central Bank, theapex bank that regulates the bank-

ing sector estimated to have morethan 44.5million customers at theend of last year.Applicants for the technologyproject must be legally-registeredcompanies in Nigeria, or their part-ners and must have executed simi-lar large scale biometric verificationcontracts worth N800 million

($5m) for clients covering five mil-lion persons, according to theBankers’ Committee thatannounced the deal.The proposed centralised plat-form would provide an online real-time database accessible by all theDMBs to enable them identify andauthenticate eachcustomerunique-

ly in their Know-Your-Customer(KYC) verification processes.The Bankers’ Committee requiresall applicants to submit their appli-cations byOctober 5, 2012.With the proposed project, thebanks inNigeriawill join the grow-ing list of public and private organi-sations that require individuals to

submit their biometric data for req-uisite databases.In February, last year, theIndependent National ElectoralCommission (INEC) registered67,764,327 voters nationwide cap-turing their biometric data.About fourmonths later,NationalCommunication Commission(NCC) followed up with supple-mentary registration of SubscriberIdentification Module (SIM) cardsby the private mobile phone net-works for the total number of userswhich currently stands at 103.43million active subscribers at lastJuly.Biometric verification systemscapture the unique biological fea-tures of any individual, such as fin-ger-print and by law all data cap-tured are warehoused by NationalIdentity Management Commission(NIMC), the government agencysays.According to NIMC, a secureidentity helps both citizens andbusinesses to reduce fraud, makefalse applications,minimise identitytheft, enhance commercial transac-Banner promoting the Cashless programme designed by the Central Bank to reduce carrying physical cash in the country at anevent by BusinessWorld Newspaper in Lagos. Banks expect that the proposed biometric database for customer identification willenhance confidence in the banking sector

By Bola Abbas

he vulnerabilities ofchildrenonline in thisera of Informationand CommunicationTechnologies (ICTs) preoccu-pied experts at a stakeholders’forum inLagos today.More so, because childrenknow more about ICT thantheirparentsandevensomeoftheir teachers. And whereasparents reserve the right todeterminewhat their childrenlearn or otherwise, the chil-drenhavemoved, inthewordsof an expert, from just-in-caselearning to just-in-time learn-ing.The first StakeholdersTech4D Forum organised byWomen in Technology inNigeria (WITIN) brought theexperts together to rubmindson the beneficial use of theInternet as contrastedwith itsdrawbacks under the theme,“ICT and ChildDevelopment.”Their conclusion was thatthe combined efforts of stake-holdersintheICTindustryarevery essential in addressingthe challenges of children’svulnerability online.Speaking at the forum,Eugene Juwah, ExecutiveVice-Chairman, NigerianCommunication Commission(NCC),dilatedonthedouble-edgedswordtheInternetis:hesaid that Internet has raisedthe issue of children’s vulnera-bility and it is very importantthat all stakeholders mount aconcerted effort to ensure thatthe cyberworld is a safe placefor children to learn.Juwah, represented byHenry Ikemadu, Head, PolicyEconomic Analysis, NCC,stated that the Internet is awonderful resource for pro-

viding information on educa-tion, research and entertain-ment. Contrarily, it has alsoexposed children and youngpeople tobullying, extremism,gambling, pornography andviolent games, among othervices.Fouryearsago,InternationalTelecommunication Union(ITU) launched the ChildOnline Protection (COP) ini-tiative, an internationalcollab-orative effort ledby ITUwith-in the framework of theunion’s Global CybersecurityAgenda.The COP initiative wasendorsed by UN Secretary-General, heads of states, min-isters and heads of interna-tional organisations aroundthe world. It aims at promot-ing global awareness aboutthe importance of child safety

in the online world, develop-ing practical tools to assistgovernments, industry andeducators and sharing experi-ences to ensure a safe andsecure online experience forchildren.As such, Juwah saidNigerian BroadcastingCommission (NBC), NCCand the industries they regu-late seek to work together inthis direction in the overallbest interest of the Nigerianchild.Indeed, in partnership withthe private sector, he saidNCCwoulddevelop the tech-nical capacity on nationalInternet content controlmechanisms as the nation’soverall Internetcontentgover-nance response and preven-tive strategy against the esca-lation of child abuse andexploitation, materials’ distri-bution and regulation of con-tent injurioustonationalsecu-

rity.Moreover, he added, thereshall be capacity building incollaboration with NigeriaUnion of Teachers in publicandprivateschools,sothatthecommission would come upwith a massive initiative onchildprotectiononline.Chris Uwaje, President,Institute of SoftwarePractitioners of Nigeria(ISPON), said that “theInternetisagoldenopportuni-ty for global competitiveness.So, all nations must take theglobal ICT revolution serious-ly.”Butheadvised inthetopic,“Future and Survivability ofNigerian Children,” that par-ents need to read more tocatch up in gapbecausewhentalking about Internet, chil-drenknowmore than thepar-ents.Corroborating this,Veronica Adeyemo, ActingDirector (IT Department),

Federal Ministry ofInformation, said ICT today issinequanonand fundamentalto development, includingchild development.Consequently, the desire ofparents, governments, educa-tion planners and developersis to introduce children to itearly in their developmentstage in life is understandable.We all know that parentsnaturally reserve the responsi-bility for the initial develop-ment and up-bringing of theirchildren.It is,therefore, imper-ative that parents have goodunderstanding of ICT and itsimportance or correlation toearly child development,”Adeyemo said.According to her, ICT is apotentially powerful tool forenhancing educational oppor-tunities to previously under-served constituencies, scat-tered and rural populationsand groups traditionally

excluded from education dueto cultural or social reasons.“ICT generally motivates chil-dren to learn. Therefore,achieving positive impact onlearning and developmentusing ICT depends to a largeextent on how it is deployedandused,” she adds.To guard against children’svulnerability, she advised thatparents should watch atten-tively anddiscreetlyhowtheirchildren spend their timeonline, what they do, whotheymeetandwhatiscurrent-ly theirmain interest.In his speech, ErnestNdukwe, formerEVCofNCCand current Chairman ofOpen Media was emphaticthat ICT is very essential tochildren and that the future ofmedia and technology lies inbetter integration of digitalexperiences with the realworld.Ndukwe noted that “thecombination of technologyand computer have beenknowntodeliver results inthewaywe live today.”Moreover,ICT remains imperative inplanning and development ofthenation’s economyand thatgrowth has been recorded inICT applicationswhile othersstill require urgent attention.Gerald Ilukwe, CEO,GalaxyBackbone,representedby Amara Nwankpa, Head,Marketing, Galaxy Backbone,said in the Internet age, theteacher is no longer the expertbecause there are multiplechannels of learning today.“Wehavemoved from just-in-case learning to just-in-timelearning,” Ilukwe adds. “ICThas the potential to transformthe capacity of a new genera-tion through education.”

Stakeholders canvass coalition to safeguardNigerian child against online vulnerability

The ITUChild Online Protection (COP) initiative was endorsed byUN Secretary-General, heads of states, ministers and heads of international organisa-tions around theworld. It aims at promoting global awareness about the importance of child safety in the online world, developing practical tools to assist

Olubunmi Adeniyi

NEWS


h e N i g e r i a nC o m m u n i c a t i o n sCommission (NCC) says it

is taking the campaign for inter-national investors to ITUTelecom World event in Dubaiholding October 14-12, this yearto attract more investors in gov-ernment’s push to deepen nation-al broadband deployment.NCC says that under the plat-

form of Nigeria@ ITU TelecomWorld 2012 it hopes to connectan influential mix of participantsdrawn from across the global ICTindustry along with Heads ofState and Government,Regulators, Innovators, DigitalEntrepreneurs, investors andmany more at the event organisedby the InternationalTelecommunication Union (ITU)Executive Vice Chairman NCC,Eugene Juwah says that due tothe success recorded at the lastyear’s conference ITU TelecomWorld 2011 in Geneva, NCC ishoping this year to pitch to inter-national investors from aroundthe world to explore investmentsopportunities in Nigeria.“Our outing last year was a

great success, we did concentratea lot on investment on broadbandin Nigeria, and we want to buildon our success of last year”, hesays in a video interview with

ITU TV ahead of the global event.According to the Nigerian tele-

coms regulator, “Africa has verylow penetration of broadband.Africa has done very well in voicetelephony but the penetration ofbroadband is low, and in manycases is below one per cent.”While Nigeria today has

recorded major strides in boost-ing voice telephony with the mar-ket counting over 100 millionactive phone connections, tele-coms administration have accord-ed priority to broadband as thenext phase of growth in thevibrant market. According toJuwah, “what I will like to tell theinvesting public is that they haveto encourage Africa, they have tocome to Africa.

They have to encourage govern-ment in Africa to develop policies,talk to stakeholders on broad-band and see how to elevate thepenetration of broadband in

Africa.”The NCC chief sees broadband

as a key platform for innovation,growth and development andnotes that, “major issue with gov-ernment in Africa is to enablecompetitiveness for their citizens,broadband does it very well, Ihope everybody knows about theinfluence of broadband if 10 percent increase in broadband pene-tration generates about 1.3 per-cent improvement in GDP.”He adds that broadband access

will help to improve competitive-ness, the economy of Africa anddevelop the world at large, whileadding that “I hope that this willcontribute a lot to this agendathat you are talking about.”To encourage among young

entrepreneurs in Africa, Juwahadds that, “the innovation centresin Africa are currently based inthe universities, so we must lookat a way of taking connectivity to

the universities. Right now theconnectivity to the universitiesare quite inadequate, so we musttake connectivity there and helpdevelop local content so that theresources we have in the universi-ties can be channeled towardsdeveloping local contents. In thisway, a lot of innovation will comeout of Africa.”Juwah adds that ITU Telecom

World is an event where thebywords are knowledge andaction, adding that it usually con-venes a high-quality, influentialmix of participants drawn fromacross the ICT industry alongwith heads of state and govern-ment, regulators, innovators, digi-tal entrepreneurs and many more.A dynamic series of conferences

will tackle core issues such asusing ICTs to create a new future,optimization of spectrumresources, innovation, develop-ment and the economic crisis,

convergence and transformationof the ICT value chain, the impactof social networks and more.NCC expects the eventwill also

focus on a number of varied andinnovative showcasing, sponsor-ship and hospitality options, andalso provide extensive opportuni-ties for networking and doingbusiness with top-level partici-pants.“We enjoin you to be part of

this global connecting event withNigeria at ITU Telecom World2012, and take the Nigeria ICTindustry to a greater height,” headds.

NEWS

Invest in Broadband Nigeria, NCC woosinvestors at ITU TelecomWorld 2012

EVC,NCC, Eugene Juwah.

“Our outing last yearwas a great success,wedid concentrate a lot on investment in broad-band inNigeria, andwewant to build on our

success of last year”


News

nalysis of the inflow of tech-nology into the country hasshown that the Services sec-

tor led in new technology acquisi-tionswith55.14per centof technolo-gy agreements registered with theNational Office for TechnologyAcquisition and Promotion(NOTAP).NOTAP, the government agencyresponsible for registration ofTechnology Transfer Agreementssaysthedealweresealedbybusiness-es that are leveraging technologyusage andacquisitions in the servicessector comprisesBanking, Insurance,Hotels as well as InformationTechnology sub-sectors.Majorsourcesof technology infloware Asia and Far East countries fol-lowed by Europe particularly, theUnited Kingdom. Indeed, withJapan, India, South Korea and Chinaascending as Asian comparativelycheaper technological powerhouses,it’s no wonder European countrieslikeGermany,FranceandUK,whichare favourite trading partners withhigh quality technology, fell to sec-ondposition, the government agencysays.NOTAP says that a total of 1,237

Technology agreements were regis-tered from 1999 to December 2010with the breakdown showing thatthe Services sector had the highestnumber with 570 agreements. Thiswas followed by the Solid MineralandChemical Sectorwith256 agree-ments. The Engineering sector fol-lows with 233 agreements and theAgro-Allied sector with 178 agree-ments.According to NOTAP, theincreased inflowof technology in theServices sectorwasmainly attributa-ble to the increase in the acquisitionof SoftwareAgreements as a result ofthe increasedawarenessandapplica-tion of IT in systems automation inthe country.NOTAPdrew these conclusions ina statement that evaluated its 2006data and underscored the usefulnessof its Computerised RegistryInformation System (CORIS), theWindows-based application systemwhich stores information from tech-nology agreements evaluated by thegovernment agency, retrieves anddisseminates it easily to interestedusers.

CORIS captures information ontechnology inflow into all sectors ofthe economy, types of registeredtechnology agreements, subjects offocus such as sources of technology,new investments/projects, financialsavings, among others, the agencysays.“The system provides for easyaccess to data on TechnologyAgreements for statistical and policyformulation purposes,” NOTAP saysnoting that, “it facilitates generationof reports on previous agreementsevaluated which are useful for refer-ence purposes when evaluating newagreements. It eliminates time-con-suming and cumbersome manualpreparation of Reports on technolo-gy agreements, amongothers.”In recognition of the importance ofsuch information to the economicandtechnologicaldevelopmentofthecountry, NOTAPpreparesQuarterlyReports on information stored in thesystem for purpose of disseminationto all interested end-users, the state-ment concluded.Umar Buba Bindir, DirectorGeneral, NOTAP, says that, “In thepresent era of globalisation and liber-alisation in the world economy, a

nation must be able to harness herideas, inventions, innovations andcreative works towards technologi-caladvancementandglobalcompeti-tiveness. To nurture national talents,Nigeria requires identification of herresearchers and inventors; creationofanenablingenvironmentandto initi-ate strategies to protect all the stake-holders and their creativeworks.”According to him, the FederalGovernment, recognisingthishadsetup the Ministry of Science andTechnology which has NOTAP asoneof its parastatals.NOTAP’s activities includeEvaluation/Registration ofTechnology Transfer Agreements;Promotion of Intellectual Property;Technology Advisory and SupportServices;CommercializationofR&DResults; Research Industry Linkage;Production of CompenduimManagement Information System;Publication of Project Profiles onR&DResults, amongothers.“It is my humble belief that,NOTAP, through its current andfuture activities, backed with dedi-cated and efficient personnel, ade-quate Government support andfunding, would take this country to

greater heights scientifically andtechnologically”, Bindir adds.

Services Sector dominates technologyimports into Nigeria with 55%, NOTAP saysBy Bola Abbas

NOTAP says it has recorded savings for the economy; the increased inflow of technology to the Services Sector was mainly attributable to the increase in the acquisition of Software Agreements as a result of the increasedawareness and application of IT in systems automation in the country.

Umar Buba Bindir, Director General,NOTAP, says that “In this present era ofglobalisation and liberalisation in theworld economy, a nation must be able toharness her ideas, inventions, innova-tions and creative works towards tech-nological advancement and global com-petitiveness. To nurture national talents,Nigeria requires identification of herresearchers and inventors.


NEWS

rutal attacks against bloggers,politically motivated surveil-lance, proactive manipulation ofwebcontent,andrestrictivelawsregu-lating speech online are among thediverse threats to internet freedomemerging over the past two years,according to a new study releasedtodaybyFreedomHouse.Despite these threats, Freedom ontheNet 2012: AGlobal Assessment ofInternet andDigitalMedia found thatincreased pushback by civil society,technology companies, and independ-ent courts resulted in several notablevictories.Sanja Kelly, Project Director forFreedom on the Net at FreedomHouse, says that, “The findings clearlyshow that threats to internet freedomarebecomingmorediverse.Asauthor-itarianrulersseethatblockedwebsitesandhigh-profilearrestsdrawlocalandinternational condemnation, they areturning to murkier—but no less dan-gerous—methods for controllingonlineconversations.”The battle over internet freedomcomesat a timewhennearly one thirdof theworld’s populationhasused theinternet.Governments are respondingto the increased influence of the newmedium by seeking to control onlineactivity, restricting the free flow ofinformation, and otherwise infringingon the rights of users. Themethods ofcontrol are becoming more sophisti-cated,andtacticspreviouslyevident inonly the most repressive environ-ments—suchasgovernmentsinstigat-ing deliberate connection disruptionsorhiringarmiesofpaidcommentatorstomanipulateonlinediscussions—areappearing inawider setof countries.Freedom on the Net 2012, whichidentifies key trends in internet free-dom in 47 countries, evaluates eachcountry based on barriers to access,limitsoncontent,andviolationsofuserrights.The study found that Estonia hadthegreatestdegreeof internet freedomamong the countries examined, whiletheUnitedStates rankedsecond. Iran,

Cuba, and China received the lowestscores in the analysis. Eleven othercountries received a ranking of NotFree, including Belarus, Saudi Arabia,Uzbekistan, and Thailand. A total of20of the47 countries examined expe-riencedanegativetrajectoryininternetfreedom since January 2011, withBahrain, Pakistan, and Ethiopia regis-tering thegreatestdeclines.Several downgrades, particularly inthe Middle East, reflected intensifiedcensorship, arrests, and violenceagainst bloggers as the authoritiessought to quell public calls for reform.InSaudiArabia,Ethiopia,Uzbekistan,and China, authorities imposed newrestrictionsafterobservingthekeyrolethat social media played in the upris-ings inEgyptandTunisia.At the same time, 14 countries regis-teredapositivetrajectory,withTunisiaand Burma experiencing the largestimprovements following dramaticpolitical openings. The remaininggains occurred almost exclusively indemocracies, highlighting the crucialimportance of broader institutions ofdemocratic governance in upholdinginternet freedom.Countries at Risk: As part of itsanalysis, Freedom House identified anumber of important countries thatare seen as particularly vulnerable todeteriorationinthecoming12months:Azerbaijan, Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan,Russia,Rwanda, andSriLanka.KeyTrends*Newlawsrestrictfreespeech:In19of the 47 countries examined, newlaws or directives have been passedsince January 2011 that either restrictonline speech, violate user privacy, orpunish individuals who post contentdeemedobjectionableorundesirable.* Bloggers and ordinary usersincreasingly face arrest for politicalspeech on the web: In 26 of the 47countries, including several democrat-ic states, at least one blogger or ICTuser was arrested for content postedonlineor sentvia textmessage.* Physical attacks against govern-ment critics are intensifying: In 19 of

the 47 countries assessed, a blogger orinternet user was tortured, disap-peared,beaten,orbrutally assaultedasa result of their online posts. In fivecountries,anactivistorcitizenjournal-istwaskilled inretribution forpostinginformation that exposed humanrightsabuses.* Paid commentators, hijackingattacksareproliferating:Thephenom-enon of paid pro-government com-mentators has spread over the pasttwoyears fromasmall set of countriesto 14 of the 47 countries examined.Meanwhile, government critics facedpoliticallymotivatedcyberattacksin19of thecountriescovered.*Surveillanceisincreasing,withfewchecks on abuse: In 12 of the 47 coun-tries examined, a new lawor directivedisproportionately enhanced surveil-lance or restricted user anonymity. Inauthoritarian countries, surveillanceoftentargetsgovernmentcritics,whilein middle-performing countries, safe-guards for user rights and oversightprocedures are lagging far behindgov-ernments’ technical capacities andlegalpowers, leadingtoabuse.* Citizen pushback is yieldingresults: A significant uptick in civicactivism related to internet freedom,alongside important court decisions,has produced notable victories in awide set of countries. Advocacy cam-paigns, mass demonstrations, websiteblackouts, and constitutional courtdecisions have resulted in censorshipplans being shelved, harmful legisla-tion being overturned, and jailedactivists being released. In 23 of the 47countries assessed, at least one suchvictoryoccurred.OtherSignificantCountryFindings:* China: China is home to theworld’s largest population of internetusers, but also themost advanced sys-temof controls—one thathasbecomeeven more restrictive. In 2011, theauthorities abducted dozens ofactivists and bloggers, holding themincommunicado for weeks and sen-tencing several to prison. The govern-mentalsotightenedcontrolsoverpop-

ular domestic microblogging plat-forms, pressuring key firms to morestringently censor political contentand to register their users’ real names.Meanwhile, China’s influence as anincubatorforsophisticatedrestrictionswas felt across theglobe,withgovern-ments such as Belarus, Uzbekistan,and Iran using China as a model fortheirownnewinternetcontrols.* Iran: The Iranian authorities usedmore nuanced tactics in a continuedcampaign against internet freedomthat began after disputed elections in2009. These tactics included: upgrad-ing content filtering technology, hack-ing digital certificates to undermineuser privacy, and moving closer toestablishing a National Internet.Iranian judicial authorities also metedout some of the harshest sentences inthe world for online activities, includ-ing imposing the death penalty onthreebloggersandITprofessionals.*Russia:The internet is the last rela-tively uncensored platform for publicdebate in Russia. However, sinceJanuary 2011, massive distributeddenial-of-service (DDoS) attacks andsmear campaigns to discredit onlineactivists have intensified. After onlinetools played a critical role in galvaniz-ing massive anti-government proteststhat began in December 2011, theKremlin signaled its intention to fur-thertightencontrolover internetcom-munications.* Pakistan: Disconcerting recentdevelopments in Pakistan include aban on encryption and virtual privatenetworks (VPNs), a death sentenceimposed for transmitting allegedlyblasphemouscontentviatextmessage,and a one-day block on all mobilephone networks in Balochistanprovince. Several other initiatives toincrease censorship—including aplantofiltertextmessagesbykeywordanda proposal to develop a nationwideinternet firewall—were officiallyshelved in response to civil societyadvocacy campaigns, although somesuspect that the government is stillworkingonthembehindcloseddoors.

*Egypt:TheSupremeCounciloftheArmed Forces (SCAF) maintainedmany of its predecessor’s tactics ofinternet control, while intensifyingothers. Mobile phones, the internet,and social media remained under vig-orous surveillance, bandwidth speedswere throttled during specific events,and SCAF-affiliated commentatorsmanipulated online discussions.Several activists and bloggers wereintimidated,beaten, shotat,or tried inmilitary courts for “insulting themili-tary power” or “disturbing socialpeace.” Despite recent elections, thefuturetrajectoryofinternetfreedominEgypt remains precarious and uncer-tain.*United States: Internet access inthe United States remains open andfairly free compared with the rest ofthe world. Courts have consistentlyheld that prohibitions against govern-ment regulation of speech apply tomaterialpublishedontheinternet,butthe government’s surveillance powersare cause for some concern. In early2012, campaigns by civil society andtechnology companies helped to haltpassage of the StopOnline PiracyAct(SOPA) and the Protect IP Act(PIPA),whichwerecriticizedfortheirpotentially negative effects on freespeech.*Azerbaijan: As the host of theInternet Governance Forum (IGF) inNovember 2012, the government ofAzerbaijan has been eager to promoteitselfasa leaderof ICTinnovation,buthas also slightly increased restrictionson internet freedom. Rather than sig-nificantly censoring online content,the government has employed tacticssuch as raiding cybercafes to gatherinformation on user identities, arrest-ing politically active netizens ontrumped-up charges, and harassingactivists and their familymembers. Inaworrisomedevelopment,theauthor-ities ramped up their surveillancecapabilities of mobile phones in early2012.

Governments grow increasingly repressiveonline as activists fight back, report says

Cross section of attendees at the Nigeria Broadband Forum hosted recently in Lagos by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to explore options for high-speed internet growth across NigeriaPhoto: Damilare Bankole


News

NEWSRIM spurs rare optimism withsurprising growth, new phoneesearch in Motionoffered investors a rayof hope on Tuesday,announcing an unexpectedincreaseinsubscribernumbersthat sent its shares up 5 per-cent as the company workedhard to drum up enthusiasmfor its crucial Blackberry due2013.Waterloo, Ontario-basedRIM, a pioneer in the smart-phone arena, has in past yearslost market share in NorthAmerica to Apple Inc andSamsung, whose more versa-tile and user-friendly devicestookoff.RIM is trying to reinvent itselfthrough a line of jazzed-upsmartphones that will run ontheBlackBerry10orBB10oper-ating system on which thecompanyhas staked its future.In an attempt to create a buzzaround the new devices, ChiefExecutive Thorsten Heinsgave a preview of the smart-phone and its features to itsdevelopers at a gathering onTuesdayinSanJose,California.Dressedinanoutfit fewSiliconValleyexecutives sport - agreypinstripedsuit -Heinssaid thecompany was fighting for itsfuture."There is new energy and anewfightingspirit inthiscom-pany," he said as he listed newfeatures from Internet brows-ing to multitasking betweenapplications.Heins said BlackBerry's sub-scriber base had risen to 80million in the quarter ended

September 1 from the 78 mil-lionitreportedearlierthisyear.The addition of subscriberssurprisedmanyonWallStreetand sparked a bounce in thecompany's share price. Mostanalysts had expected RIM tobegin losing subscribers in therecently ended quarter, for thefirst time in itshistory.In a presentation that lackedthe customary pizzazz ofmajor Silicon Valley events,

executives showed off some ofthe key features of the newphone like the browser, and'flow' and 'peek' features thatlet users access important fea-tures without leaving an openapplication.RIM has completely focusedon the launchof its new lineofrevamped devices in recentmonths,while itsagingline-upof smartphones in the markethave struggled to compete

against the recently launchediPhone 5 and a slew of newAndroiddevices.Itbadlyneedsahit.Thelaunchof BB10 has been delayed tonextyearfromthefinalquarterof this year, adecision thathadnotgonedownwellwithRIMshareholders.BlackBerry 10 isour most important launchever," he said.

Google Inc is set tobecome the biggestearner in U.S. display adsthis year, taking the No. 1rank away from FacebookInc and cementing its domi-nant presence in onlineadvertising. Google's risingclout in display ads - theboxeswith images and videofound on websites -- hascome on the back of growthin video advertising on itsYouTube subsidiary, as wellas mobile advertisingthrough Admob, a companyacquired by Google in 2009.This year, Google will claim15.4 percent of display addollars, or $2.31 billion, com-pared to Facebook's 14.4percent, or $2.16 billion,according to projections by

eMarketer, a digital adver-tising research firm. But itadded that publishers acrossthe board have been bruisedby weaker-than-expecteddisplay advertising demandthis year as large brandswithheld splurging on costlydigital campaigns. Top dis-play ad earners Google andFacebook were followed byYahoo Inc, Microsoft Corpand AOL Inc, which all haveadvertising networks acrosstheir digital content proper-ties. Facebook said thisweek that it would begindeveloping a mobile ad net-work that would allowadvertisers to target adsusing Facebook data acrossthe web and not justFacebook's website.

Google set to take Facebook'scrown in US display ads

ony Corp is relyingmore heavily on itsPlayStation 3 gameconsoles to make money forits game unit in the year toMarch, as weak sales ofhandhelds threaten toundermine a business thecompany's CEO is bankingon to help return his compa-ny to profit. Sony's newCEO, Kazuo Hirai, has saidgrowing sales in games, digi-tal cameras, smartphonesand tablets, along with newbusinesses such as medicalequipment, will help theconsumer electronics com-pany return to profit as itdraws back frommoney-los-ing TVs. "I think we will beprofitable this year," AndrewHouse, the executive incharge of Sony's gaming unittold Reuters in an interviewon the sidelines of the TokyoGame Show on Thursday."We have a growinginstalled base, growing con-nectivity of the PS3." Hedeclined to say whether hisdivision would improve onthe 29 billion yen ($371 mil-

lion) operating profit postedin the year ended March 31.On August 2, it cut its fore-cast for sales of Vita and PSPhandheld consoles this busi-ness year to 12 million from16 million. Sony's game unitis maintaining its target ofan 80 billion yen operatingprofit on sales of 1 trillionyen in the year to March2015, the timetable the firmhas set for the planned turn-around on which the CEOwill be judged. Investors areconcerned that Sony willstruggle to achieve a turn-around. It has alreadyslashed its earnings outlooksince Hirai took office inApril. After its first quarter itlowered its annual operatingprofit prediction to 130 bil-lion yen from 180 billion yen.In the previous twelvemonths it posted a loss of 67billion yen. The average esti-mate of 14 analysts surveyedby Thomson Reuters sincethen is for operating profit of110 billion for the 12 months.

eg Whitman has alaundry list ofthings to do at HP:Arrest a rapid decline in itspersonal computer unit, com-petebetteronenterpriseserv-ices, and figure out a strategyasmobiledeviceseat intoper-sonal computer sales.That leaves one still-brightspot in Hewlett-Packard'sbeaten-up portfolio - print-ing.The HP chief executive inpast months has punctuatedtalk about her years-longturnaroundplanwith sweep-inggoals suchasbattling IBMand Dell Inc on corporateservices and products, usingSilicon Valley buzzwordssuch as "cloud" and "social"and "big data." In the shortrun, however, its printers arebuying time for the CEO ofone year to turn around thesprawling company withover 300,000workers.Whitman on Wednesdaywill hostHP's annual presen-tation to investors in SanFrancisco, andWall Street iskeeping one eye on a divisionthat her predecessor onceconsidered spinning off.

Though it has lost some ofits shine, the unit still gener-atesclosetoa fifthof total rev-enue and 35 percent to 40percent ofHP's annual profit.Printing is "not as much aproblem as some of the otherbusinesses," said Shaw Wu,analystwith SterneAgee. "It'sstill a cash-cowbusiness. Theprofits havedeclinedbut they

are still very strong."Revenue from all of HP'smain business units fell in theJulyquarter,with thePCunitseeing a slide of 10 percent.Operating profit declined by28 percent in the PC group,the largest slide among HP'sdivisions, followed by a 22percent slide in services.Printing revenue declined

2.7 percent last quarter, butoperating profit increased by8 percent. The groupaccounted for $949million ofHP's $3.1 billion in operatingincome that quarter.Wu is expecting HP'sannual printing revenue todecline by about $1 billion to$25 billion this fiscal year,which ends inOctober.

HP's profitable printers tobuy Whitman timeSony game unit pegs profithope on PS3, handhelds weak

Hewlett Packard CEO and PresidentMegWhitman attends the Allen&CoMedia Conference in Sun Valley,Idaho July 12, 2012. Photo: Reuters

Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins discusses features of the Blackberry 10 during his keynote addressduring the Blackberry Jam Americas in San Jose, California September 25, 2012. Photo: Reuters


News

NEWS

Samsung allowed to sell GalaxyTab in U.S. as court lifts banU.S. court removed atemporary sales banagainst SamsungElectronics Co Ltd's GalaxyTab 10.1wonbyApple Inc in apatent dispute, allowing theSouth Korean company to sellthe product in the UnitedStates.While the Galaxy 10.1 is anolder model, the lifting of thebancouldstillhelpSamsunginthe run-up to the pivotal holi-dayshoppingseason."We are pleased with thecourt'sactiontoday,whichvin-dicates our position that therewasno infringementofApple'sdesign patent and that aninjunction was not called for,"Samsungsaid inastatement.Separately, Samsung filed amotion against Apple sayingthe iPhone 5 had infringed onsomeof thecompany'spatents.The world's top two smart-phone makers are locked inpatent disputes in 10 countriesas they vie to dominate thelucrativemarket.Thelegalfightbeganlastyearwhen Apple sued Samsung inmultiple countries, andSamsungcountersued.TheinjunctionontheGalaxytablet had been put in place

aheadofamonth-longtrialthatpitted the iPhone makeragainst Samsung in a closelywatchedlegalbattlethatendedin August with a victory forApple on many of its patentviolationclaims.However, the jury foundthatSamsung had not violated the

patent that was the basis forthe tablet injunction andSamsung argued the sales banshouldbe lifted.Thesolebasis fortheprelimi-naryinjunctionnolongerexistssince the jury found thatSamsung'sGalaxyTabhadnotviolatedApple'sD'889patent.

"The court does not agreewith Apple that Samsung'smotion for dissolution of theJune 26 preliminary injunctioncannot be fairly decided with-out resolvingApple's post-trialmotions," Judge LucyKoh saidinher ruling.

ocial media companyFacebook Inc reportedonThursday it reached the 1billion user mark last month,while Chief Executive MarkZuckerberg said itwouldkeeppursuing growth throughmobiledevices.TheNo. 1 social networkhasfaced a rough road since itsMay initial public offering.Investors and analysts havefretted over a sharp slowdownin revenue growth and ques-tioned how Facebook willmakemoneyfromusersaspeo-ple access its site on mobiledevices.Facebook shares have lostmore than 40 percent of theirvalue since the stock debutedat$38.Facebook, based in MenloPark,California,hit the1billionmilestone on September 14 at12:45 p.m. Pacific time, thecompany said on its website.This is up by 45 million userssince June.It said it had 600 millionmobile users, according to afact sheet the companyposted.In an interview on NBC's"Today" show broadcast onThursday, Zuckerberg wasaskedbyco-anchorMattLauerabouthow,with 1billionusers,the companywasn't "killing it,"bymakingmoney."I think it depends on yourdefinition of 'killing it.' I meanwe are making billions of dol-lars,"Zuckerbergsaid.Initslastearnings report, Facebook said

revenue increased by 32 per-cent to $1.18 billion in the sec-ondquarter.The 28-year-old CEO talkedabout the growth potentialfrom mobile users. "There's 5billionpeopleintheworldwhohave phones, so we should beabletoservemanymorepeopleand grow the user base there,"he said.In September, Zuckerbergsaidthecompany'snewmobileads were delivering betterresults for advertisers than itstraditional ads on personalcomputers.As for his own phone habits,he said he has several devices,

but recently had been using aniPhone 5 he received fromAppleCEOTimCook.Zuckerberg acknowledgedthat morale at the companycould be better but that its4,000 employees remainedfocused on building andimproving Facebook's prod-ucts."Weare obviously in a toughcycle now ... that doesn't helpmorale," he said.The 1 billion user count is upfrom the end of June, when ithad955million activemonthlyusers.Zuckerberg,ChiefOperatingOfficer Sheryl Sandberg and

board member MarcAndreessenhavebeencourtinginvestors this week withappearances on the CNBCbusinesschannelandonpanelsat a high-profile advertisingconference inNewYork. Italsounveiled a video toutingFacebook's connection withpeople across theworld.Facebook has rolled out aspateof initiativestospurmoregrowth, includinganewadver-tising platform and measure-mentmethodstoshowcompa-nies they are getting theirmoney'sworthwith Facebookads.

Facebook reaches one billionmonthly active users

Facebook Chief ExecutiveMark Zuckerberg gestures as he addresses students at theMoscow State University inMoscowOctober 2, 2012 Photo: Reuters

nternational BusinessMachines Corp willannounce on Wednesdaythat it will ramp up efforts tosell cloud computing servicesto midsize businesses, theWall Street Journal reportedonTuesday.The move by IBM, a bell-wether for the IT industrybecause of its global span andbreadthofbusinesses, isaimedat grabbingmarket share fromcompanies like Amazon.comInc and Salesforce.com Inc,which have been successful inthe mid-market, the papersaid.For Armonk,N.Y.-based IBM,midsize companies refer to

those with less than 1,000employees, the newspapersaid.The company's general man-ager in charge of small andmedium-sized businesses,Andy Monshaw, told theJournalthatthecheapercostofcloud computing will let thecompanyreachabiggerbaseofsmaller customers.Cloud computing is the deliv-ery of computing and storagecapacity that allows users to,for instance, rent servers andsoftware to store data over anetwork.IBM officials could not bereached for comment outsideregularU.S. businesshours.

arnes&Noble Inc's firsthigh-definition tablets,unveiled onWednesday, were wellreceived by analysts who saidthe devices keep the book-seller in the fight withAmazon.com Inc, Apple IncandGoogle Inc - fornow.The largest U.S. bookstorechain has staked its future onsuccess in the growing e-books industry in the face ofdeclining sales of physicalbooks that last year led to thebankruptcy of the Bordersbookstore chain.Barnes&Noble introduceda $199 7-inchNookHDtabletthatwill goupagainst similar,recentlylaunchedproductsbyGoogle and Amazon.com thisholiday season.The company also unveileda $269 9-inch Nook HD+tablet that will compete withtheApple iPad."Thedevicesareanimprove-ment in important ways overthepreviousgenerationsoftheNook, and they one-upAmazon in some areas,"Forrester Research analyst

Sarah Rotman Epps toldReuters.Whilethenewproductsarethinner and lighter than rivalsand followa fewmonths afterMicrosoft said itwould invest$605 million in Barnes &Noble's Nook e-reader andcollege business, the book-store chain still faces a daunt-ing task."Barnes & Noble is thesmallestplayertryingtodothesoftware and the hardwaredevelopment, and they don'thave the financial meansbeyond what Microsoft hasalready fronted them to keepup in the arms race," saidMorningstar analyst PeterWahlstrom.In many ways, Barnes &Noble, which operates nearly700stores,hasdefiedexpecta-tions. It beat Amazon to themarketplace with touch-screen devices and a colorreader in recent years, andwon plaudits from reviewersthis year for its glow-in-the-dark Nook that allows some-one to readwith the lights offso asnot todisturbothers.

Barnes & Noble launchesnew tablets in e-books fight

ModelsholdSamsungElectronics' newtablet 'GalaxyTab 10.1' as theypose forphotographsduring its launchceremonyatthe company'sheadquarters inSeoul July20, 2011 Photo:Reuters

Amanpassesbyan illuminated IBMlogoat theCeBITcomputer fair inHanoverFebruary27, 2011.Theworld's largest IT fairCeBITopens itsdoorsonMarch 1 and runs throughMarch5. Photo:Reuters

IBMaims forAmazon, Salesforce.com

withmidsize cloud plan:WSJ

The NOOK HD+ in an image courtesy of Barnes & Noble . Photo: Reuters


utilised, they can also go thereto form another GSM Village.Ifthesethingskeeponhappen-ingconstantly, thewholeplacewill be neat and the environ-mentwill be smooth and con-ducive for the running of busi-nesses,” he added.Ezeh, who condemned theinflux of grey, substandardproducts in the market,blamed miscreants and land-lords who take advantage ofroadside traders seeking busi-ness space in order to exploitthem.CAPDAN'snumbertwoman disclosed that the traderspay as low as N50,000 butmount display glasses on thestreets around the IkejaComputermarket.According to him, “Theycharged one man having hisshopasakioskontheroadsideN100,000; anotherpersonherepaid about N50,000 for put-ting showglasshere and that’sthe way they go round every-day to collect money fromthem."Meanwhile, some of theaffected roadside traders whospoke on condition ofanonymity appealed to thegovernment to provide analternative market for them,noting that displacing themwithout rehabilitating thematan alternative location woulddomoreharmthangood.On the relocation ofComputerVillage toKatanguaMarket, the CAPDAN execu-tive urged the government tocontinuously involve the asso-

ciation in the relocation of themarkettoanalternativespotin the state.According to him, “There is nowaytheywill force theven-dors to go therewithout com- pleting the place. But whatgovernment can do is to involveusmore inbuildingthenewmarket.”

CAPDAN, the umbrella group of businesses in Ikeja Computer Village which is seeking the assistance of the Lagos State government, has told Technology Times that activities of road-side traders continues to undermine patronage of its members Photo: Damilare Bankole

CAPDAN seeks Fashola’s support for conducive business in Ikeja Computer VillageContinue from Page 1

Leadership Newspaper ofThursday, October 4, 2012which alleged frequencyracketeering, with an insinu-ation that themanagementofthe commission has sold afrequency slot belonging tothe Nigerian police to a pri-vate firm,Open Skys.”Denying the report,Muokasays, “that the story in itsentirety lacks basic under-standing of frequency alloca-tion and its processesinvolved, resulting in unsub-stantiated information capa-ble of misleading the publicand industry stakeholders.”NCC says the frequencies

allocated to Open Skys andSmile Communications arein two separate frequencybandswhile due processwasfollowed in the allocationwhich started in 2009 forsimilar frequencies at thecommission.According to the regulator,“the frequencyspectrumallo-cated to the Police by thecommission is intact and hasnot inanywayaffectedbytheallocation.”NCC adds that the alloca-tion of frequency to OpenSkys followed due processand began in 2008 followinga Presidential directive to thecommission for allocation ofa portion in the 450MHz toNIGCOMSAT, the publicly-owned satellite services com-

pany.NCC adds that its Boardacceded to the request, “onthe condition that NIG-COMSAT, being a govern-ment agency, must seek pri-vate sector partnershipbefore qualifying for suchallocation. Upon complianceand submission of the nameof Open Skys, the companyapplied for the licence andfrequency in 2009.”According to Muoka, “Theuse of 450MHz for commer-cial telecommunications wasapproved by the NationalFrequency ManagementCouncil (NFMC) on Nov 5,2004. After this approval,occupants in this band, likethe Police, Shell PDC, Agip,Chevron, and some others,were relocated to specificportions of the band fromwhere they had indiscrimi-nately occupied. TheNigerian Police was specifi-callyon18thofOctober2005,approved to be moved to469.375 – 469.975 MHz /459.375 – 459.975 MHz ofthis spectrum. Open Skys, inwhich NIGCOMSAT hasinterest,was topaythepolicefor the relocation cost esti-mated at N350 million,which from our records, wascompliedwith.”He adds, “Open Skys wasthereafter invoiced for thesum of N1.141 billion, for 5years toenable there-farmingof the frequencywhile it paidthe sum of N892,455,010.60

as frequency fee destined forthe Federation Accountwhile the balance ofN247,544,989.40, lateradjusted to N350 million tocover the additional cost ofreplacement of the old radiosbelonging to the Police sincethey will not be attuned tothe new frequency spectrum,was paid.”NCC faulted the allegedclaim of racketeering by itsleadership on any frequencybelonging to the Police andallocationtoaprivatecompa-ny while noting that “theNigerian Police, Shell, AGIPand others still have alloca-tion on the different portionsof the 450MHzband.”Muoka maintains that allthe decisions on the matterwere taken by the Board ofNCCandall thedueprocess-es were followed while not-ing that it is the commissionthatalsodecideswhichof theavailable allocation processesas prescribed by the relevantlaws, are applied during anyallocation of frequencies.He adds that in the case ofSmile Communications Ltd,the company was in 2009awarded a Unified AccessService License (UASL) for a10-yearperiodthatexpiresonJune 30, 2019 alongside aPrivate Networks Link(PNL) and a spectrum in the850 MHz band for imple-mentation of the licenceshaving applied since 2008.According to NCC, the

company’s applications wereprocessed in line withSections 123 and33of theActand in compliance with ourlicensing procedures.According to the regulator,Smile Communications waslicensed to provide broad-band multimedia services onthe 850 MHz Band nation-wide and was assigned 15MHz spectrum based onTime Division Duplexing(TDD) in the 850MHz bandto provide wireless accessservices in 2009.“In March. 2010, SmileCommunications appealedthat their 15 MHz TimeDivision Duplexing, TDD,assignment to 10 MHzFrequency DivisionDuplexing (FDD). Whilethis application was under-going consideration, thecommission, first and fore-most, took a decision to allo-cate additional 5MHz fre-quency on the TDD as earlierrequested by SmileCommunications to ensureeffective use of the 15 MHzwhich it already had as thecurrent status of the 15MHzwould constitute a waste.The consideration of itsrequest,which impliedacon-version of the spectrum fromTDD to FDD for a lowervalue, is yet to be decided asthis would require time andcosts for re-farming all thefrequencies, and also toaccommodate many applica-tions that are being made for

its use due to the digital divi-dend opportunities,” addsMuokaNCC says further that itsUASL licence, SmileCommunications paidN320,250,000.00 on June 26,2009; for the PNL license, itpaid N46,830,000.00 onFebruary 26, 2009 and for itsSpectrum License with 10years validity from July 2009,it paidN2,154,600,000whichis for the FederationAccountand also paid N718,200,000for the additional 5MHz.“We have taken efforts toprovidedetails of these trans-actions to show clearly thatDr. Juwah has not evenresumed at the NCC whenthe process of the allocationsbegan.We alsomake bold tosay that all due processeswere taken in the allocationscontrary to the allegationscontained in the report”, addsthe agency’s spokesman.According to Muoka, “weadvise newsmen to alwaysseek clarifications from theCommission before going topress with sensitive informa-tion that are false but capableof misinforming the publicand casting the commissionand its management in badlight. The commissionrestates that in all its regula-tory activities, due processesare followed, just like in thecases reported by the news-paper.”

NCC denies racketeering in allocation of frequency slots to Open Skys,Smile Communications

Euguene Juwah, EVC/NCC


Monday October 8-14 2012 TECHNOLOGY TIMES PageClassifieds

he Samsung Galaxy Pocket,an entry-level Smartphonethat bundles the affordabilityedge, is the top-sellingmobilehand-set in Nigeria, according to theTechnology Times IntelligenceUnit that tracks the retail ecosys-tem to profile the Top 5 SellingMobile Phones in the country.Nigeria, ranked as Africa’s biggesttelecoms market with over 103.4million active lines and penetrationof 73.88 per cent at July, 2012, ishome to a vibrant marketplace forhandset makers pumping variousmodels frombasic featurephones tosophisticated smart phones tomeetthe needs of an increasingly trendyconsumer base.While Blackberry may not occu-py the top spot on the ranking,RIM’s trendy Smartphone remainsa favourite among Nigerian mobilephone users. Threemodels from theCanadian company, which is latelyrefocusing its local market growth,featured in theTop5 SellingMobilePhones ranking.

According to the mobile phonemarket retail ecosystem tracked byTechnology Times IntelligenceUnit, the market research divisionof Technology Times, within themonth of September, 2012,

Samsung led the Top 5 SellingMobile Phones ranking amonggrowing buyerswho prefer to be onthe technology cutting edge butbalance their desirewith conscious-ness of their pockets. That makesthe phone, currently sold below theN20,000 price tag, prudent buyers’

top choice.This is largely because featurephones are emerging in themarket-place packing features reflectingmarket needs like multiple-SIMphones. So far, none of the three-SIM models feature in the Top 5,but they are undoubtedly rising inprofile and it is no surprise that theNokia Asha 202, a dual-SIM hand-set, emerged on theTop 5 list, albeitat the bottom.The Nokia Asha 202, the numberfive selling mobile phone in Nigeriain September, 2012, features a dual-SIM, and is rising in profile amongbuyers despite the relative trendyBlackberry which is hot in the mar-ket thanks to its BBM Messengerservice which has triggered a ping-ing rave among Nigeria’s growingconnected user family.NokiaAsha202’s position reflectsthe growing consumers’ appetitefor mobile phones with dual SIMswhich are becoming commonplacein a market where phone users usemultiple SIMsbutnowsee theneedto carry fewer handsets.In a marketplace where multiplemobile phone lines are the norm,

Nokia’s response to reclaimingmar-ket share with dual-SIM handsetsshows market promises for theFinnish phone maker’s efforts toreclaim its shareof thehandsetmar-ket in Nigeria.The leader of the pack, theSamsungGalaxyPocket, is themar-ket’s favourite as it packs the pow-ers of a good Smartphone that doesnot punch a hole in the buyers’pockets at a pocket-friendly priceaveraging N18,500.Social media is the in-thing inAfrica’s most vibrant telecomsmar-ket currently counting over 102mil-lion active phone lines and mobilephone makers are mindful that it isnow cool to be linked to these coolsites from Facebook, Twitter andthe likes as shown by the Top 5SellingMobile Phones in Nigeria:Samsung Galaxy PocketThe Samsung Galaxy Pocket isone of the fastest-mover amongAndroid smart phones in themobile phone market space. Withits tiny form and Google’sSmartphone OS, the Galaxy Pocket

Computers Peripherals Innovation Applications Consumer Technology Phones

A shop displays different brands of handsets in Ikeja Computer Village: Growth in the telecomsmarket has boosted the growing demand for handsets and other mobile devices in Nigeria Photo: Damilare BankoleSamsung Galaxy Pocket leads Top5 Selling Mobile Phones in Nigeria

#1 SamsungGalaxyPocket

SamsungGalaxyPocket: theGalaxyPockethasbeenable tocapturea largenumberofusers inthelower budget Smartphone segment due largely because it is very pocket-friendly both in physicalappeal andaffordability.

ByBolaAbbas


Classifiedsmicro USB, 3.5mm headphoneconnection and sets a trend of beinga device that lets users with lowbudget savour the Smartphoneexperience.Blackberry Curve 4 (9360)The Blackberry Curve 9360(Curve 4, as popularly known) byResearch In Motion (RIM), hasagain connected very well with fansand lovers of the Curve series of theBlackberry range of smart phonesby emerging number 2 among the

Top 5 selling phones.The Curve series is one ofBlackberry’s most popular, afford-able (though hardly cheap), sleekand not-too-flashy device.However, Curve 4 has been updat-ed to give the Curve series morepunch among lovers of theSmartphone.Curve 4 is 11mm and 100gmsmeaning the phone is very slim,lightweight and sleek, also makingit the lightest Blackberry around atdimensions of 109mm x 60mm x11mm.An elegant, grey metal rim is at

the back and despite the smoothrear battery cover (Near FieldCommunication antenna on theunderside); grip is excellentbecause of a thin rubberized stripbetween the cover and the metalrim. The clunky side buttons of ear-lier Blackberry smart phones hasbeen replaced by small contouredrubberized fins (buttons) that arepart of the rubber casing.Curve 4 has a micro USB port forcharging and sync while the stan-dard 3.5mm audio out slot is on topwith a lock button. The keypad is

better than the older Curve seriesand in another welcome change, themicroSD card is swappable.The 9360 Curve comes with a2.44-inch, 480 x 360 pixel transmis-sible TFT LCD that is quite sharpdue to Blackberry 7 OS’ LiquidGraphics technology. The 800 MHz32-bit Marvell PXA940 is powerfulenough to ensure a smooth userexperience. The Curve comes with512 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM.The microSD/SDHC slot supportsup to 32 GB memory cards for addi-tional media storage. GPS and Wi-Fi support are included in theCurve 4.Blackberry Bold 5 (9900)

Even though this Smartphone hasbeen in the market for a while, theBlackberry Bold 9900 still contin-ues to be a trend-setter among othersmart phones in the mobile phonemarket. The Smartphone, which isamong those released when RIMwent down, can be said to haverevived the Blackberry market.The Bold 9900 looks like the Bold9000 from the front, but is thinner,slightly smaller. Being one of thethinnest Blackberry at 115 x 66 x10.5mm dimension, the Bold 5 looksgreat and very business-like. Itcomes in a brushed metal rim witha thin polished edge and under therear cover is the Near FieldCommunication (NFC) antenna.The rear had to be smooth carbonfibre, so there would be no signaldisruptions.Weighing in at 130gms, the Bold9900 is heavier and bigger than itsimmediate predecessor. Buttonpositioning is a bit different fromthe standard Blackberry style. Onthe right of the 9900, there are nowfour buttons compared to the previ-ous three. Three are media buttonswith a welcome Pause button in themiddle and the bottom one is a con-venience key that enables users per-sonalize to their preference.There is also a micro USB port forcharging and sync and a standard3.5mm audio out slot with a nicecontoured design. On the top, thereis a single lock button placed in thecentre and far easier to click thanthe top lock button on some earlierBlackberry smart phones.Bold 5 boasts of a 2.8-inch, 640 x480 pixel capacitive Touchscreenthat is incredibly sharp courtesy ofBlackberry 7 OS Liquid Graphicstechnology. The Touchscreen isvery precise and responsive and thetrackpad plus Touchscreen comboworks great.Although the Bold 5 is quiteexpensive, it sure gives users valuefor their money and shows classwithout going overboard.

Blackberry Curve 7 (9320)Research in Motion recentlylaunched the Curve 9320, whichhas some features that had not beenfound on Blackberry handsets(except 9220). These include a ded-icated BBM button and FM radiocapabilities.The new Blackberry Curve 9320Smartphone features all the coreBlackberry messaging and social-centric features that keep peopleconnected, and it offers global 3Gconnectivity backed by a long bat-tery life that allows 7 hours of talktime or up to 30 hours of FM radiolistening or music playback withheadphones. 3G connectivity is anaddition found on this handset,which the Blackberry Curve 9220did not feature.The new Social Feeds 2.0 app isalso pre-loaded on the Curve 7allowing users to post updates tomultiple social networks simulta-neously and capture updates fromnews sources (RSS), social appsand instant messaging apps, all in aconsolidated view.The Curve 7’s integrated cameraincludes a flash and supports videorecording, and pictures can betagged with their location due tothe Smartphone’s built-in GPS.The Blackberry Curve 9320comes with the new BlackBerry 7.1OS, which supports features, suchas Mobile Hotspot and Wi-Fi call-

ing where available. ParentalControls is a brand new, on-devicefeature that provides parents andguardians with simple options tohelp protect children by restrictingaccess to specific functions, featuresand applications.The new Curve could be said tobe relatively cheap with the newly-added features and the durability.And it comes in really handy forthose who love to have their radioon the move as well as socialites.Nokia Asha 202

A dual SIM-touch and typephone, the Nokia Asha 202 isdesigned for cost effective webbrowsing, social networking, gam-ing and entertainment. The NokiaAsha 202 is packed with a range offeatures and services, such as the EAgames pack and Nimbuzz chatclient.The Asha 202 aims to offer faster,richer and a more cost-efficient webexperience through the NokiaBrowser. And has got a lot in storeand very affordable for averagemobile phone users.Nokia’s Asha 202’s combinationof a traditional keypad with a 2.4-inch Touchscreen is ideal for mobilephone users seeking easy ways toconnect to the web and social net-

works to catch updates and multi-tasks, all on the go.Nokia Asha 202 features dualSIM with Easy Swap technologyand a dedicated SIM manager topersonalize the phone and save upto five SIM cards with unique infor-mation.The device comes with a 2megapixel camera, music player,FM radio, Nokia Browser, andBluetooth connectivity, and hasexpandable memory of up to 32GB.The Nokia Asha 202 comes infour colours to match users’ mood

and personality: black and gold, sil-ver white, dark grey and dark red.Display is 2.4 inch resistiveTouchscreen, which serves as thenavigation tool, Camera is 2 MP,with resolution of 1600 x 1200 pix-els which is not for high qualityrecording but still does well forbasic capturing.Nokia Asha 202�s internal mem-ory is 10MB and 16MB RAM mem-ory but it can be expandable up to32GB over microSD slot. The basicinternal memory is enough to makearchive of 20 dialed, 20 received and20 missed calls.Nokia Asha 202 has a battery ofonly 1020 mAh which is enough for5 hours of talk. Connection is possi-ble over USB, Bluetooth, GPRS andEDGE but there is no WiFi.

Blackberry Curve 4 (9360): Curve 4 has been updated to give the Curve series more punch amonglovers of the Smartphone.

#2 Blackberry Curve 4 (9360)1

#4: Blackberry Curve 7 (9320)

Blackberry Bold 5 (9900): Even though this Smartphone has been in the market for a while, theBlackberry Bold 9900 still continues to be a trend-setter among other smart phones in the mobilephone market.#3: Blackberry Bold 5 (9900)

#5: Nokia Asha 202

Blackberry Curve 7 (9320): The new Blackberry Curve 9320 Smartphone features all the coreBlackberry messaging and social-centric features that keep people connected, and it offers global3G connectivityNokia Asha 202: The Asha 202 aims to offer faster, richer and a more cost-efficient web experiencethrough the Nokia Browser. And has got a lot in store and very affordable for average mobile phoneusers.


ClassifiedsAll kinds of original

batteries, original

pouches,

original Blackberry

pouch, batteries,

chargers,

IPad, IPad pouch,

phone accessories,

IPod Mp3.

Tel; 08036227277 08056179080

SOUTHERN SIDE DESIGNSAddress:Shop Db 10 Gsm Plaza,12, Saka Tinubu, Vi, Lagos

Phones for sale

Communication con-sultant, sales and serv-ices of computers andphones, laptops andaccessories, generalassortments.

C AND O HOSSANA NIG LTD

Tel; 08023641234

Address: 12 , Saka Tinubu, Vi,Lagos

Computers for sale

UK used phones,

Nokia phones

(New), Techno

phones, software

setting and config-

uration on all types

of phones.

EJILINK COMMUNICATION

Tel: 07085355966, 08035844226

Address: :12, Saka Tinubu, Vi,Lagos.

Phones for sale

Good Proffessional AndAffordable Web DesignThat Will Put Your

Business Online And InThe Global Village.

Tel; 08023120471

Address:Suite B3/U, 12, SakaTinubu, Vi, Lagos.

Web hosting and Designing

: Dealers In All Kinds OfPhones And Accessories

INFOGREEN

Tel:08033047113

Address:Gsm Plaza, 12, Saka Tinubu,Vi, Lagos

Phones for saleLaptops, Uk UsedPhones, Accessories

And Repairs.

MCDONLYE LTD

Tel:08060347222

Address: : Gsm Plaza, 12, SakaTinubu, Vi, Lagos

Phones for sale

Sales Of Gsm Phones SuchAs Nokia, Samsung, Sony,Blackberry, Iphone, Techno,Itel, Accessories And

Laptops.

VISION TELECOMS

Tel: 08055557115, 08023536241

Address: Gsm Plaza, 12, Saka Tinubu,Vi, Lagos

Phones Accessories for sale

Dealers Of Various Types Of

Phones, Accessories And

Repair, Digital Cameras And

Accessories, Laptops

Chargers.

UZO COMMUNICATION NIG. ENTERPRISES

Tel:08055640294

Address: Gsm Plaza, 12, SakaTinubu, Vi, Lagos

Phones for sale

Phones, Accessories,

Cables For Laptops,

Computer

Accessories And

London Used Phones

GOD’S TIME COMMUNICATION

Tel:08027270062, 08035440900


Phones for sale

Dealers In All Kinds Of Phones

And Accessories, Computers,

Lcd’s And General Assortment.

KENNOMEJ RESOURCES LTD

Tel:08037431766, 08026395715

Address:Block Gsm Plaza, 12, SakaTinubu, Vi, Lagos

Phones for sale

Dealers In Internet

Configuration, Laptop,

Phone, Downloads Of

Various Apps.

OLINIQ

Tel:08024317472, 08063633266


EMAIL:[email protected]

Phones for sale: Dealers In Nokia,

Samsung, Blacberry,

Techno, Itel Phones

And Original

Accessories.

FORBTEX CONCEPTS SERVICES

Tel:08038315797, 08084954857

Address: Gsm Plaza, 12,Saka Tinubu, Vi, Lagos


iPads for sale

D.T. TELE


Repair Of Laptops,Computers, Ipad,Iphone, Blackberry,Htc, Galaxy Tab AndSamsung Galaxy.

Tel:08033158099


EMAIL:

[email protected]

Phones EngineerDealers In All Gsm

Phones And

Accessories Such

As Nokia,

Blackberry, Techno

And Samsung.

Tel:08033552507


EMAIL:

[email protected]

Phones for sale

Dealers In Phones,Accessories, ComputerAnd Accessories,Original BlackberryPhones, Ipads, Htc,Nokia And Techno

Phones.

Tel:08033026751, 08030606287

Address: Gsm Plaza, 12, SakaTinubu, Vi, LagosEmail: [email protected]

Phones for sale

Repairs, Unlock PhonesSuch As Blackberry,Iphones, Nokia, Ipad,Htc And Galaxy Tab.

Tel:08066660522, 08077737331

Address: Suite C8, Gsm Plaza, 12, SakaTinubu, Vi, Lagos

Email: [email protected]

Phones for saleSuppliers Of All KindsOf Spare Parts,Electronics AndElectrical,

Import/Exportn OfCommunication

Equipment And GeneralContractor.

Tel:08033293282, 08099744551

Address: Db 9, Gsm Plaza, 12,

Saka Tinubu, Vi, Lagos

Email;

ugophonicventures95@yaho

o.com

Phones for saleWe deal on London usedphones such as-Nokia,Samsung, SonyEricsson,LG, HTC, Blackberry, Ipad,I-phones, memory card.Alsowe deal on newwar-ranty phones such as-N o k i a ( 1 2 m n t h s ) ,Samsung(24mnths),LG(12mnths),Blackberry(12mnths), Tecno(13mnths).Quality is our watchword.

Tel:08066165720

Address: Block E shop 10 GSMVillage

Email; [email protected]

Phones for sale

Original and Londonused phones and

Accessories and newBlackberry charger, bat-teries, car charger,

screen protector, desk-top charger and all origi-nal phones chargers,USB covers e.t.c

Tel:08038947166, 08089324030

Address:BlockH,Shop6 ,G.S.MVillage,Ikeja


Phones for sale

Dealers in all kinds ofphones such as- Nokia,

Blackberry, Samsung, HTC,SonyEricsson, Tecno e.t.c

quality Guaranted

Tel:08023865872

Address: ShopDb4, GsmPlaza, 12, SakaTinubu, Vi, Lagos

Phones for sale

Sales Of Handset AllBlackberry Accessories,Laptop Charger, BluetoothAndAll Phone Accessories.

Tel:08037770685

Address: Suite A10, Gsm Plaza, 12,Saka Tinubu, Vi, Lagos

Phones for sale

We Sell

Blackberry,Nokia,

Samsung, Htc Phones

And Phone

Accessories, Including

Ipad, Iphone And

London Used Phones.

Tel: 08090655003

Address: Gsm Plaza, 12, Saka

Tinubu, Vi, Lagos

Phones for sale

We Deal In Blackberry,Nokia, Samsung, HtcPhones, Iphone, Ipad 2

And Ipad 3 AndAccessories Of AllPhones Types And

Chargers.

Tel:08035511543, 08091903610


Email:[email protected]

Phones for sale

We Sell Uk Used Phones Such

As Blackberry, Htc, Nokia, Ipad.

WeAlso Trade In.

Tel:07089530088

Address:Gsm Plaza, 12, Saka Tinubu, Vi,LagosEmail: [email protected]

Phones for sale

V.KENS SERVICES NIG. LTD JOSS COMMUNICATION COMPANY EVAROYAL GLOBAL RESOURCES

BLACK TECH COMMUNICATION COMPANY UGOPHONIC VENTURES DIVINE FAVOUR KLEEMS ENT

ANYI-BEST MOBILE COMMUNICATION SUNRISE COMMUNICATION YOMIFAD TELECONSULT ENT.

BIOZED INTERNATIONAL LTD YOULEAD COMMUNICATION DEDON TELECOMMS

Classifieds


ClassifiedsGSM Phones and

accessories informa-

tion Technologies

consultants and engi-

neering services

Tel:08036429660, 08182530119

Address:Onitsha Line N 1DGSM Village Along AgegeMotor Road Ikeja Lagos


Phones for sale

Dealers in any kind

of GSM Phones,

Nokia,Blackberry,

Tel:0812220044 & 07065615665

Address: Shop 1A Onisha lineGSM village


Phones for saleDealers in tokunbo fairly

used phones and lap-

tops of all brands

Tel:07034761601

Address: Shop A6 GSM village,Ikeja


Phones for sale

Phones, Cameras,Accessories, Memory

Card, Laptop.

Tel:08033010991

Address: Suite H7 GSM village IkejaLagos


Phones for sale

We sell phones such as

Nokia Tecno Blackberry

Phones and Samsung,

LG.

Tel:08023693769

Address: 1, Onitsha line GSMvillage Ikeja,B12 Oshodi market

AB 85, 95 Alaba international

market.

Email;[email protected]

m

Phones for saleWe deal on London usedphones such as-Nokia,Samsung, SonyEricsson,LG, HTC, Blackberry, Ipad,I-phones, memory card.Also we deal on new war-ranty phones such as-N o k i a ( 1 2 m n t h s ) ,Samsung(24mnths),LG(12mnths),Blackberry(12mnths), Tecno(13mnths).Quality is our watchword.

Tel:08066165720



Phones for sale




Tel:08038947166, 08089324030

Address:Block H, Shop 6 , G.S.M Village,Ikeja


Phones for saleDealers in all kinds ofphones such as- Nokia,

Blackberry, Samsung, HTC,SonyEricsson, Tecno e.t.cand All kinds of Laptops.We work with one year

warranty. Trusted and test-ed

Tel:08035623150, 08026436477

Address: Block E Shop 6 GSMVillage, Agege Motor Way, Lagos

Phones for sale

Original phones such asLondon used

phones,Samsung, Nokia,Erickson and new phones

Tel:07085665481

Address: Block I, shop 1, G.S.M VillageIkeja

Phones for sale

Dealers in all kinds of

phones, Computers,

Accessories, Auto

spare parts and

General Electronics

Tel: 08033506204, 08182669002,

Address:Block D, shop 14 G.S.MVillage Ikeja


Phones for sale Dealers in all kinds ofphones and Accessories@ cheaper and afford-

able price.

Tel:08077799972,08131119065

Address: Block D, shop 9, G.S.MVillage, Ikeja


Phones for sale

Dealers in all kinds of phones.The place where price meets

quality.

Tel:07088720566

Address: Block G, shop 4, G.S.MVillage, Ikeja

Phones for sale

ARMSTEL TECHNOGIES NIG EMIRATE COMUNICATION CLIFF LOGISTICS

PHYLUM COMMUNICATION S.M ODESUN NIG LTD DIVINE FAVOUR KLEEMS ENT

ANYI-BEST MOBILE COMMUNICATION INNOTHUNDERS ENGR & CO CHIBEST COMMUNICATIONS

B.HARYTEX COMMUNICATIONS C.O BRIGHT COMMUNICATIONS O & 2 COMMUNICATIONS


ClassifiedsGo to where the win-

ners go for all kinds of

phones, Blackberry and

accessories social

researches and consul-

tancy services. (Sales,

maintenance and

repair)

JOVARIN RESOURSES

Tel:08034039496, 07072019552BONLEN SYSTEM

Address: Block B, Suite 17, GSMVillage, Airport B/Stop Ikeja,

Lagos.


Phones for sale

Sales of phones and

laptops, Computer

Accessories and

Phone Accessories

D.P VENTURES

Tel:08067907781

Address: Shop 9 H Line GSMVillage Airport B/Stop, AgegeMotor Rd

Computers for saleA one stopsShopping Centre forall your mobilephones both new &fairly used.

OTHELSUN INTEGRATED

Tel:08036758712

Address: : Block i, Shop 2 GSMIkeja Village Airport B/stop Ikeja

Email: odogwuzo-

[email protected]

Phones for sale

Computers, Laptops,Networking, iphone andAccessories e.g. LaptopSpeakers, Ups, PrintersKeyboard, Laptop-Bags,Mouse, Flash drive,Memory-Cards.

Tel:08066229910, 07026373575

Address: Block B shop 15 GSMVillage Ikeja


Computers for saleDealers in all kinds ofKinds of GSM Headset

& Accessories,Importers & Exporters,

ManufacturesRepresentative andGeneral Merchandise.

VIAD INVESTMENT LIMITED

Tel:08034704774, 08033272128

Address:Block A Shop 3 GSM AirportB/Stop, Divine Plaza Computer Villagesuit 45, Pepple St., IkejaEmail:[email protected]

Phones for saleNew phones,London used

(Tokunbo) Blackberry,Nokia, HTC, Ericson,

Laptop, andBluetooth GSM

Accessories: Charger,Battery, Hand free,Memory Card

JUDEST NIG LIMITED

Tel:08033163571, 07031538809

Address: : Block 4 shop 3, IHLshopping mall GSM villageIkeja, Suite 17, Ola-Yemi StreetComputer Village Ikeja.Email:[email protected]

Phones for sale

Dealers in all kinds of originalphone accessories: Casings,Chargers, Batteries, MP3,Memory cards, Earphones,Bluetooth, Head phones,Screens (LCD) Tools, CarChargers, Leather case.Accessories an such as- IpadLeader case with Keyboard,Galaxy Leather Case withkeyboard, ScreenProtectors, Car MP3 etc.

SIRCON COMMUNICATION

Tel: 08020942160, 08166611118

Address: Block H, Shop ll GSMVillage Ikeja ,11 Otigba StreetComputer Village 2nd Floor Ikeja

Phones Accessories for sale Come and Experience the

difference in service, Quality

and comprehensive explana-

tion on every customer.

*Sales of GSM phones

*Accessories*Memory

Card*London Used

Phones*Homes & Office

Deliveries

DAAB SYSTEM GLOBAL LIMITED

Tel:08084474444, 08033903318.

Address: Block C Suite 17 GSMVillage Ikeja.


Phones for sale We sell mobilePhones & DigitalEquipment, Laptops,Memory Cards, PhoneAccessories. All prod-ucts come with war-rant and veryAffordable.

PLEASANT COMMUNICATIONS

Tel:08030779836

Address: : Block E, Shop3, GSMVillage, Airport, B/Stop Ikeja


Phones for sale

London used phones, laptop

and accessories. Basically

Blackberry (All Types) used

Nokia, Ericsson, L.G and

Samsung.

EBONY COMMUNICATION VENTURES

Tel:08033449742

Address:Block F Shop 12 GSM Village,Airport B/Stop Email: ndupunnam-

[email protected]

Phones for sale Dealer in all kind of

Phones,Blackberry,

Erickson,Nokia and gen-

eral merchant.

GOD GIFT COMMUNICATION

Tel:08066286002, 08175526994

Address: 2, Onitsha lineE m a i l :[email protected]

Phones for sale

iPhones, Blackberry,

Nokia, Samsung etc.

BERTEMEK COMMUNICATIONS

Tel:08023027597, 07030144714

Address: : Block 1 shop 6GSM Village Ikeja

iPads for sale

Monday October 8-14 2012 TECHNOLOGY TIMES Page 23ClassifiedsSales of New Phones

London use Phones

Blackberry Phone and

Accessories

Tel:08169893545, 08082263375

Address:Shop 9 Block B G.S.Mvillage Ikeja Lagos

Phones for saleDealers in laptop, com-puter sales, services

phones, accessories cam-eras, consultancy net-

working system importerand exporter

Tel:08033374031, 08029783278

Address: Shop Block B shop 3G.S.M village Agege motor road


Phones for sale We have brands like Nokia,Samsung, LG, Tecno, Hei,Bird, Motorola and the

likes. For high quality hand-set, we set the pace whileothers copy. A trial in ourIkeja outlet will convinceyou that we are best of all.

Tel:08030923054, 08081915496


[email protected]

Phones for sale

Dealers in all kinds ofBlackberry phones,Nokia, LG andAccessories.

Tel:08067541297

Address: Block E, shop 11,G.S.M Village Ikeja

Phones for sale

Nokia, Samsung, Tecno,and LG phone blackber-ry other China phones

Tel:08067939345

Address: Block F, Shop 4, G.S.MVillage, Ikeja

Email;[email protected].


Phones for sale Dealers in new phonesand London used

Blackberry, HTC, Nokia,Sony-Ericsson, I-phone,Laptop-HP, Dell e.t.c .Bluetooth. Also we sellPhone Accessories.

Tel:08033163571, 07031538809

Address: Suite 5, No 17,Ola-yent str.Computer Village Ikeja


Phones for sale

Phones Accessoriessuch as-Original phone

casing, batteries,chargers, memory

card, desktop chargers,hands free, fancypurse, screensaver,phone stand e.t.c

Tel:08037261722, 08021288282

Address: Block I, Shop 8, G.S.MVillage Ikeja

Phones for sale

Sales of phones andAccessories such asBlackberry, Nokia,

Samsung, Tecno, Itele.t.c. Also phones soldcome with one year

warranty.

Tel:08033568700, 08057001316

Address: Block I, shop 4, G.S.MVillage Ikeja


Phones for sale

Original phones such asLondon used Blackberry

phones, Nokia, LG and newphones

Tel:08023030201

Address:Block F, shop 1, G.S.MVillage Ikeja


Phones for sale

Blackberry

phones,iPhones, Nokia

phones and accessories

cameras etc

Tel: 08038385728

Address:GSM village Airport B/stop


Phones for sale We sell warranty and qual-ity phones we attend to

our customers politely, wedon’t quarrel with them ifthe phone they boughthas problem. Sales of

tokunbo and new black-berry, tecno, Nokia,

Samsung, LG and otherwarranty phones

Tel:08023085621, 08035682577

Address: Block D shop 11 G.S.M vil-lage, Ikeja Email: [email protected]

Phones for sale

All kinds of accessories, suchas Bluetooth, hand free,Blackberry chargers, NokiaCharges, Ipad Charges,

Pause, Beat by Dr. Dre ear-phones, Galaxy push xiii, andxii etc. Including all kinds ofphones and Tecno Phones.

Tel:08030583558

Address: Block D, shop8, IHL shop-ping mail GSM village

Phones for sale

MAC PEREZ SYSTEM LIMITED SUPER BASIC COMPUTER AND COMMS. BRIGHTANGEL COMMUNICATIONS

DIVINE INCREASE COMMUNICATON EVASON COMMUNICATION JUDE CHIZOBA ANYABOLU

FELIMARK INDUSTRIES LTD MICRO-DIGITS BENEVA COMMUNICATIONS

TOPSNE TELECOM STARDOM CONNECT CONCEPT LTD 2PAC COMMUNICATIONS


ClassifiedsSales and marketing of

all original phones with

one year warranty and

London used original

phone.

Tel:08037201684, 08028310134

Address: Block E, shop 1, G.S.MVillage, Ikeja,Block D, shop 12,G.S.M Village, Ikeja


Phones for sale

Dealers in telecomphones such as Nokia,Samsung, Tecno, andLG. Good quality withguarantee.

Tel:08060009557

Address:Block D, shop 10, G.S.M vil-lage, Ikeja


Phones for saleWe sell good qualityphones. One year warran-ty on item you purchase.

Tel:08060759283

Address:Block I, shop 9, G.S.MVillage, Ikeja


Phones for sale

Different kinds of phonesAccessories such asOriginal Car Mp3, flashdrive, memory card, bat-teries, handsfree, porchpurses, casing and

chargers. Also, we sellU.K used Blackberry.

Tel:08034237909

Address:Block C, shop 12, G.S.M VillageEmail:[email protected]

Phones for sale

Uk Used Phones, Samsung,Nokia, LG etc

Tel:08033343450

Address: Block D Shop 2 GsmVillage


Phones for sale

Dealers in new phonesand London used


Tel:07039475819

Address:Block D Shop 13 GsmVillage

Phones for sale

Dealers in all phonessuch as Blackberry,Nokia, Tecno etc.

Tel:08066165720

Address:Block E, shop 10, G.S.M VillageIkeja Lagos


Laptops for salePhones, Memory Card,laptop, Bluetooth, CarMp3, Mp3 & Mp4 1padMp3, Flash drive differ-ent type Led Reader

e.t.c

Tel:08065741152

Address: Block D Shop 14 GSMVillage airport road Ikeja Lagos

web address: www.micheal.com.ng

Phones for sale

Dealers in all kinds ofphones and accessories,mp3, flash drives, car

mp3, mp4, laptops, blue-tooth.

Tel:08065741152


Phones for sale

We sell Blackberry



Tel: 08037107307

Address:Block D Shop 15 Gsm Village

Phones for sale

ADST LTD is a recognize shopin terms of mobile business,where you can get your

dependable phones, with ourwarranty on the every phone

purchase.

Tel:08033186627

Address: 13b osbitelu Street computervillage


Phones for sale

Mechanical accessories suchas screen flex, tools, baterychareger, casing and differentkind of phones

Tel:08037716350,08038624329

Address: Block F, GSM Ikeja VillageAirport B/stop Ikeja

Phones for sale

BETTER-DAY COMMUNICATION ONE LOVE COMMUNICATIONS HIS GRACE COMMUNICATION

GLOBAL MAKO LTD CHIBCHYBU DIGITAL INVESTMENT BLESSED INFOTECH

OKOROGU CHINEDU ORJI MICHEAL OBINNA OBISON TECH NIG LTD

ELDER CHUCKS COMMUNICATIONS ADVANT DIGITAL SOLUTION TECH. SHALLOMS TECHNOLOGY COMM.


Classifieds

Tel:08033599134

Address: Block H Shop 4 ibileshopping mall, GSM Village


Phones and Accessories for sale

Sales of mobile phones,

Samsung, Nokia, LG and

communications.

SANDLINKS COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED

Tel:07031340105,08023256501

Address: Block D Shop 4 GSMVillage Ikeja


Phones for sale

Laptops sales, iPad, com-

puter accessories & main-

tenance, financing &

Warranty available.

BONYII TECHNOLOGIES LTD

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Consumer Technology

DESIGNhe iPhone 5 bringswith it a considerable re-design for theiPhone line. Measuring 7.6mm thick and weighing 112grams, it's20%lighterthantheiPhone4S.Available intwocolours,eitherblackorwhite,therearpanelsaredifferentoneach.

The white version has a raw alu-minium back plate, while theblack version has an anodisedblackfinishonitsrear.Thebiggestchange comeswith screen size. 4-inches diagonally, it now sits in ataller,widescreen ratio. It'll still fitcomfortable in one hand, butwillalsobebetter for viewing filmsonthan previous models. Madeentirely from aluminium andglass, it has a real premium feel toit.PROCESSORAnewiPhone, anewprocessor.The iPhone 5 comes equippedwith an A6 processor, which issaidtobe2timesasfastwithbothCPU and GPU processing.Shrinking down the transistorsize, it's smaller and more energyefficient too. Apps will load asmuch as 2 times faster using thenewchipset.*It's not yet clear how manycores the A6 chip uses, nor whomakes it. There's a strong chanceit's Samsung built, despite theongoing legal battles.STORAGEIt offers three different configu-rations when it comes to size.16GB, 32GB and 64GB iPhone,with pricing rising appropriately.It's a crafty tactic though, as those opting formore storage spacehave topopmoneydirectly intoApple's coffers, rather thanpick-ing up cheaper expandable storage elsewhere.With the iCloudback-up feature tooyou'vegot a little leewaywithwhich to storefiles remotely too, though extensive cloud storage throughApple

doesn't comecheaply. Storageoptionare identical to iphone4S.BATTERYLIFE225hoursofbattery lifeonstandbyarequoted for the iPhone5,with 8 hours 3G or LTE talk time, and 10 hours Wi-Fi usage.Though standby times have somehow been improved, it seemsyou're still going to need to charge the iPhone 5 at least once aday.*Noreal changeshere.CAMERAANDVIDEORECORDINGTheiPhone5seesApple's imagingsystemsagain improved,butnotbyagigantic step.Adynamic low-lightmode forbetternighttimeshooting isaddedtotheabove,with5-element lensandf/2.4aperture. There's also a panorama shooting mode natively builtinto the camera app for the first time, with a 360-degree shotresulting in a giant 28 megapixel image. The A6 chip allows forfaster photo capture too, aswell as a smart filter for better colourmatchingand reducednoise. Share Photo Streams allow you to share photos with pals,and receivemessagesonyour snaps too.But enough about what the phone looks like - the killer ques-tion ishowthe thing feels inhand.Andwe'll sum itupbysaying:smooth. It's a little slippery, and we were always worried wewoulddrop thedarned thing.But that's the only negative thing about the design (apart fromthelowweightinitially)asitsitsinthepalmnicelyandallowsyouto do it all with one hand, including hitting the top-mountedpower/lockbuttonwithease.That lock button is actually still loose, as it was on the iPhone4S, meaning when you shake the phone around you can hear itclicking away, which undoes a lot of the premium feel Apple isgoing for.Make no mistake, the iPhone 5 is one of the most beautifullycraftedphonesout there.PRICERANGE;16GB–529p ----N132, 250.0032GB--599p ----N149, 750.0064GB--699p ----N174, 750.00

iphone5

es, you can use your iPhone as a more than decent videocamera, but if you want to get better, more professionalresults,wrap it in anmCAMLITE.The mCAMLITE give you the weight and heft you need tostabilize yourhandswhile shooting.And because the pros don’t just use one standard lenswhenpushing for theperfect shot, thekit comeswith two37mminter-changeablelenses:awideangleforcapturingeverythingyouwantin the sceneandamacrowhenyouwant togetupClose andpersonal.Together, theygive you the chance togetshots that aredownright impossiblewith the iPhone’s lens.Since the best videos have sound, the mCAMLITE comeswith a 180-degree external microphone, allowing you to capturedirectional soundandreduceambientnoise.ThemCAMLITE’shousing isdesignedwithconsiderationofyour growth as an auteur. It has mounts on top and bottom foraccessoriesandtripods, andhasacoldshoeontop forproqualitymics and lights. They even offer a pair of action carts so you canslideyourcamalongtogetsmoothactionshots.Soasyougetbet-teranddemandmorefromyourcam,themCAMLITEcanoblige.At only $159.95 it’s the perfect starter kit for any visionaryfilmmaker (or photographer), to add to their portfolio withoutspendinga fortune.PRICE:$159.95 ---N25,592.00

PortablemCAMLITE TurnsYour iPhone intoaVersatileVideoCamera

Sony’sXperia TabletSheXperia Tablet S is considerably lessnotable, but that's probably a goodthing: this is a much better-looking

slate, handsome andminimalist with round-ed edges, a classy silver-and-black colorscheme, and a thin profile. The top edge rollsover into the back, giving it the look and feelof a folded-over magazine page— its grippytexture also makes it much more comfort-able to hold one-handed. Tablet S fold propthe device up at a nice typing-friendly angle.

It's a decent-lookingdevice. The 9.4-inchdisplay is surrounded by a big, glossy blackbezel, with a Sony logo placed above thescreen and to the left. Weirdly, the logolooks good there. It's just a quiet reminderthat you're using a Sony tablet. The 1.3-pound body is almost exactly the sameweight as the iPad, and at 8.9mm it's about asheet of paper thinner than Apple's latest

tablet. It feels like any other Android tabletto hold and use

There's some space on the XperiaTablet's edges created by the fold-over plas-tic flap, and that's where Sony hides most ofthe device's physical buttons. There's apower button and a volume rocker on theright side, and a headphone jack on the leftside above a hard-to-open, easy-to-breakflap that covers a full SD card slot. Havingthe full SD slot is pretty awesome—syncingany Android device with a computer is apain, and it's much easier to just throw adocument or movie onto a card and plug itinto the tablet. Sony uses a proprietarycharging port / dock connector. There aretwo cameras on the device, an 8-megapixelsensor on the back and a singlemegapixel onthe front.

Price: $399--- N63, 840.00


Consumer Technology

y Mophie, the JuicePack PowerstationPro is a large external

rechargeable battery for allmobile tech.The Powerstation Propacks a massive 6,000mAhcapacity enough to charge aflat iPhone nearly two anda half times over, andenough to watch a movieon a flat iPad which on thelong run means 36% bat-tery charge.The powerstationweights just over 200g andis 115mm long, 75mm wideand 30mm deep. And alsocomes with an impact and

splash-resistant casing thatmakes it quite rugged. Thebattery charger is IP65rated, and dust and partialwater resistant when itsports are closed.The MophiePowerstation Pro is com-patible with most of thepopular mobile devices,including all the AppleiPhones, iPad and iPods,and smartphones andtablets from Samsung,BlackBerry, HTC, LG,Motorola, etc.The bottom side housesboth a full-sized USB port

and micro USB port – eachprotected with a chunkyrubber cover. There’s a but-ton on one side, whichturns on the four batteryindicator lights.It comes with a microUSB cable for chargingwith a computer, and theUSB end could be plugedinto a wall power outletadapter, like with theiPhone or iPad.

he iHome's iD9 which isofficially called the iD9Portable App is a friendly

Rechargeable Speaker System foriPad/iPhone/iPod. It is an afford-able, portable, rechargeable stereo

speaker dock for iOS devices andiPods.The iHome iD9's body is made of

black and silver plastic that looksalmost like metal. The systemweighs 1.5kg and measures103.1x52.3x327.7mm. It works sim-ply by placing a dock-connector-equipped iOS device or iPod in theiD9's cradle.On the front of the iHome iD9unit are the volume buttons to theleft and a power button on theright, while it allows users to usetheir device volume controls. Thepower button illuminates whenthe iD9 is plugged in or poweredon, and when running off batterypower; a line of four LEDs to theleft of the button indicate the cur-rent battery level. On the back,there is a connection for theincluded power adapter, a 1/8-inch(3.5mm) auxiliary input for listen-ing to a non-dock-connectorsource, and a confusing switch.The Remote Switch, togglesbetween On and Auto modes. InOnmode, the iD9 always respondsto signals from iHome's optionalRz7 remote control. In Auto mode,the iD9 doesn't respond to the

remote if the iD9 is running off bat-tery power, this is to keep theremote from accidentally turningon the iD9.The iD9's internal battery packs2600mAh and lasts for about 4.5hours of reasonable-volume play-back. The iD9 charges usersdockeddevice if the speaker is con-nected to AC power, but notwhenthe iD9 is powered by its own bat-tery.The iD9 uses SRS TruBass soundenhancement, Reson8 speakerchambers, and digital sound pro-cessing to give themusic extra bassand clarity. The iD9's two speakerssit at either end of the iD9, facingout to the left and right, rather thanforward.

iHome iD9

herry, a Germanowned manufactur-erofcomputeracces-

sorieshasbeendevelopingandproducing keyboards since1967.TheKW6000istheirlat-est model, which embracesboth Bluetooth wireless tech-nologyandApple'sbest sellingiPad. With a slightly smallerfootprint than Apple's iMackeyboard, the KW 6000 isdesigned for those on themove.Although a painless process,after charging via the supplied

USBcable, thekeyboardneedsto be installed on the iPad. Asmall connect button on theback of the keyboard needs tobe held down briefly for thetwo to be introduced beforethe iPad asks for a Bluetoothconfirmation code to beentered.Theprocess takes lessthan a minute and has thepotential to save hours using arealkeyboard.The KW 6000 keyboardfeels responsive and comfort-able during extended use.

Battery life is quite good, andthekeyboardcanbe turnedoffwhen not in use. The CherryKW 6000 is built for iPadusers who need a little morefrom their tablets, especiallythose who wish to study orhavebusinessneeds. It reducesthe time consumingprocess oftypingwithone fingeronavir-tualkeyboard.

Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation ProCherry KW 6000 keyboard for iPad


Industry Insight

ata is king and numbers don’tlie.However,anyresearcherordata lover will tell you howhardit istohappenuponsomemuch-needed data in Nigeria. I’ve often hadtousemultipleprimarysources togetdata, which should already exist, forreportsandresearchworkaroundtheNigerian technology space.This explainswhy, for example, thenumber of Internet users inNigeria isstill a subject ofdebate.According to Wikipedia (quotingthe InternationalTelecommunications Union), thereare now 47,143,356 Internet users inNigeria. Many industry experts dis-agree, and the fact that there’s notrusted local source where such datacanbeverifieddoesn’t help.One would expect the NationalInformation TechnologyDevelopment Agency (NITDA),which now sits on more money thanit needs to host press conferences, tokeep such records but please don’tholdyourbreath.Now that the Minister ofCommunication Technology, MrsOmobola Johnson, whose ministrysupervises NITDA, has announcedplans for Nigeria’s Internet penetra-tion (e.g. growing broadband accessfromcurrent 7%to35%by2017), it ishoped thatNITDAwill be put underpressure to measure this. Whateverwe can’t measure can’t be improved,as it’dbedifficult to evenknowwhenwehavetrulymadeprogress–exceptwewanttocontinueplayingtheinac-curateguesstimategame.All hope isn’t lost for data inNigeria’s ICT sector though. TheNigerian CommunicationsCommission (NCC), another agencywithin the same Ministry ofCommunication Technology, keepsan impressive record of industry data

–frominvestmentstosubscribersandmore.Having worked with both NITDAand NCC in the past, I can giveNITDA free advice about somethingNCC does and they don’t – focus onnumbers. NCC has economists andresearchers who focus on gettingthesenumbersoutandNITDAcandothe same, if they want to. The formerexcuse used to be about money, butwith NITDA Act’s provision (signedinto law by the president as far backas April 24, 2007) for a NationalInformation TechnologyDevelopment Fund (NITDEF), let’shopeNITDAturns anew(good) leaf.NITDEFisatax-deductiblelevyof1%of profit before tax to be paid by tel-cos, ISPs, pension managers, banksand insurance companieswith annu-al turnover of N100 million andabove.Back to NCC and data, theJune 2012 data for telecom sub-scribers shows a continuation ofgrowth for GSM companies butdecline forCDMAserviceproviders–and near-death decline for Fixed(Wired/Wireless) serviceproviders.That’s why the announcement of amerger between Multi-Links, MTSand Starcomms didn’t come as a sur-prise to industry watchers. We wishCAPCOMall the bestwith the $200million fromcore investors.With a teledensity of 73.12, there isthe temptation to assume thatNigeria’s telecom sector will sooninchcloser to saturationbut that isn’tthe case. With a popular multiplephone ownership culture in Nigeria(a step thatwas taken tomakeup forthe poor quality of service fromproviders but has since gained statussymbol),therealteledensitywouldbebetter calculated per user – and notperSIMcard.Thankfully, the recently concluded

SIM registration exercise will throwuptheaccuratenumberofusers(tele-com subscribers) in Nigeria, and wecanhave amore realistic teledensity. Iwon’t be surprised if it’s closer to 40than thecurrent 73.12.FromtheJune2012datareleasedbyNCC on their website, Nigeria had136,041,999 connected and102,369,999 active (used in the last 3months) phone lines as at June 30,2012. Of these, there are 133,715,146connected mobile lines and 2,326,853connected Fixed lines. 101,855,094 or76.17% of the connected mobile linesare active while only 514,905 (or22.13%) of the connected Fixed linesare active. When you break mobiledown intoGSMandCDMA, it’s eas-ier to see that while 81.66% of GSMlinesareactive,only26.57%ofCDMAlines are active.Compared to the previous month(May 2012), month-on-monthgrowthforthevarioustelecomservic-esshowsatrendthatindustrywatch-ers have seen over the past fewmonths. Connected GSM lines grewby 1.29%, connected CDMA linesgrew by 0.91% and connected Fixed(Wired/Wireless) lines grew by0.07%.Thetotalnumberof telephonelines in Nigeria grew by 1.19% for theperiod.Thenumbers for active linespaintabetter picture: GSM grew by 0.78%month-on-month, CDMA recorded -4.75% (~5% drop is a whole lot; nopressures, CAPCOM), Fixed(Wired/Wireless) takes a -5.17% hitbut the total number of active phonelines inNigeria increasedby0.55% inJune 2012. GSM service providersincreased capacity by 4.37% whileCDMA and Fixed (Wired/Wireless)

didn’t bother.I took a good look at the industryplayers to see what market sharelooked like as at June 2012. For theFixed (Wired/Wireless) segment ofthe market, does it surprise you thatonly 58,750 Nigerians use NITELlines? Before you call NITEL theworst, note that some 80 people useWiTEL (pray, tell). Of the 16 Fixed(Wired/Wireless) service providers,Starcomms is the market segmentleaderwith 191,816 lines (37.25%mar-ketshare)eventhoughtheysufferedahuge decline of -26.19% betweenQuarter 1 (Q1) andQuarter 2 (Q2) of2012.Visaphone, which controls only5.21% of the market segment, and isonly 6th in terms of market share,recorded a much higher quarter-on-quarter growth with 4.72%. Theindustry segment bronze medalist,21st Century Technologies, with a13.75% market share grew by 0.96%within the same period. The newplayer, CAPCOM, now controls55.17%of theFixedmarket (basedonJune 2012 numbers) with 284,082active lines managed by the mergedStarcomms (industry segment #1),MultilinksTelkom(#2) andMTS IstCommunications (#7).In the CDMA segment of Nigeria’stelecom market, Visaphone rules(well,asatJune2012)withanimpres-sive 68.56% market share. However,they were not immune to industrydeclineasatendJune2012astheylost2.72% (quarter-on-quarter) of theiractive subscribers. Multilinks andStarcomms, now part of the newCAPCOM (which seeks to becomeNigeria’s biggest retail broadbandoperator) controlled 14.87% and13.44%, respectively, of the market.Starcommslost34.45%ofsubscribersbetween Q1 and Q2 2012 while

Multilinks lost22.7%.The4thplayer,Reliance Telecoms (Zoom) controlsonly 3.14% of the market and lostnone of their 111,077 subscribersbetweenQ1andQ22012.In the GSM corner of the Nigeriantelecom ring, MTN continues to leadwith43.93%market share (as at June2012) and they improved subscriberbase by 0.67% between Q1 and Q22012.Globacomgrewtheirnumberofsubscribersby5.47%duringthesameperiod and has a market share of22.36%. Airtel grew subscriber baseby 6.56% and is number 3 with20.16%. Though Etisalat holds only13.29%of themarket, their continuedstrong growth may worry earlierentrants. Between Q1 and Q2 2012,Etisalatrecordedanimpressive9.52%growth.TherearenotmanyNigeriansthathaveactiveMTELSIMs(258,520didasatJune2012),sotheonlyindus-try segment loss of -0.26% by MTELdoesn’t comeas a surprise.

Nigerian mid-year TelecomSector Report 2012

Director, ParadigmInitiativeNigeria,GbengaSesan:the June2012data for telecomsubscribers showsacontinuationof growth forGSMcompaniesbutdecline forCDMAserviceproviders–andnear-deathdecline forFixed (Wired/Wireless) serviceproviders.That’swhy theannouncementof amergerbetweenMulti-Links,MTSandStarcommsdidn’t comeas asurprise to industrywatchers.WewishCAPCOMall thebestwith the$200million fromcore investors.Photocredit: ElonUniversity

Gbenga SesanGSM Village in Ikeja, Lagos Photo: Damilare Bankole


Industry InsightCan electronic voting work forNigeria’s electoral reform?

he Independent NationalElectoral Commission (INEC)recentlyhintedatthepossibilityof introducing electronic voting(Punch August 4, 2012). INEC is aNigerian government institution. Forthat simple reason, wemust considerits actions and inactions aswell as theprojected consequences of bothwith-in the context of the Nigerian factor.Theoretically, electronic voting with-out any iota of doubt is a vital key tosolving a reasonable portion of theproblems associated with Nigeria’selections. From issue of transparencyto election induced violence orches-trated by thugs and their sponsors aswell as the roles of highly prejudicedelectoral umpires, electronic votingcan help force these typical maladiesinto the dustbin of history. However,tomake theseobjectives a reality, thatis, to take attaining the goals of theintroduction of electronic votingbeyond mere theory and make thempractical reality of the nation’s elec-toral space requires that certain basicconditions must be met. Essentially,the only way the new system of elec-tronic voting can achieve its intend-ment is if it is imbuedwithprotectiveguidance and self-governing trans-parency regime that cannot bebreached. How can this be achieved?Whatarethestepsthatmustbeputinplace?First I must dispel a popular mythagainstelectronicvoting, theassertionthat Nigeria is not ready or ripe forelectronicvoting.This is amythwith-out ‘street credence’ or empirical evi-dence.Therearetwocategoriesofpro-ponentsof thismyth.The first catego-ry ismade up of thosewho genuinelythinkNigeriansare sobackwardas tocomprehendtheuseofwhattheycon-sider super sophisticated technology.Those who belong to this group aresincere. The do not know. All theyneed is adequate education to make

themunderstandwhatelectronicvot-ingisandhowtheabsenceoforlackofcitizen sophistication is no barrier toitsuse.Oncetheyrealisethatelectron-ic voting is not as sophisticated as theubiquitous Sharp calculator or thepopular Nokia handsets and that wehave successfully conducted onlineregistration forWAEC examinationsfor over a decade aswell as the realitythat the staff that would attend toeach electronic station would do the‘difficult computing job’ (there isnone) rather than abandoning eacholdpersonorunsophisticatedvoter tohisorher fateonelectionday, youcanget thiscategory to ‘cooperate’.To secure the support of the secondcategoryofpeople ishowevernot thatsimple. This category is against elec-tronic voting solely because it wouldundermine and impede its traditionalcapabilityandmonopolyovertheelec-toralprocesses– its ability tomanipu-lateeachstepandoutcomes.Ofcoursenobody would admit that the reasonfor his protestation against electronicvotingisbecauseofahiddenagendatopreserve thestatus-quo.Something must be projected as anexcuse and the easiest excuse is that‘Nigerians are not ripe for electronicvoting’. There is nothing that can bedone to get this second category tosupport electronic voting. The reformmust be driven against its adherentspointblank!Thatsaid,Imustnowgobacktotheearlierquestionsborderingonhowwecan ensure thatwe attain the gains ofelectronicvotingratherthanintroduc-ing same only for it to become aweaponinthehandsofwouldbeelec-toralmanipulators.Yes,electronicvot-ing canbemanipulated! The very firststep INEC must take is to develop apolicy document and a legal frame-

work for theprotection andpreserva-tionof electronicvotingsystem.This frameworkwill enumerate thedos and don’ts of the entire process,protecttheidentity-relatedorprimarydata of individuals that would be inthe custody of the agency, itemize theprocedures for data validation ininstances of dispute by providing sci-entific and fool-proof guidelines andprocedures tobe followed incourtsortribunals during adjudication as wellas embed an unmatched regime oftransparency thatwouldconfer credi-bilityupontheelectoralprocessesandtheresultantdisputeresolutionphase.Imaginethe impact thiscouldhaveonelection litigation by reducing periodof judicial review fromseveralmonths(some took years) to a few hours ordays and the realisation by both peti-tioners and respondents that theprocesses involved in the adjudicationoftheirelectoraldisputeareofunques-tionableintegrity.Suchisthepotentialwhen the power of technology isproperly harnessed (readmore bymeathttp://tinyurl.com/c2pds7z).The aforementioned are minimumcritical requirements. Their absencewas responsible for the directionlessnature of INEC’s 2010/2011 electronicregistration exercise such that INEC’searlier promise of technology use as amajorenhanceroffreeandfairelectiononlyultimatelyplayedmarginalroleinthe success of the elections whereasthe public and the NationalAssembly’s tacit support for INEC’sN89billionbudgetwasbuilt around atechnology enhanced fool-proof elec-tronic register as the transformationalelixir required to get identity verifica-tion right for the voting age and per-manently ensure only real living peo-ple can vote and that only one legiti-mate vote cancome fromonegenuineperson for one particular candidateseekingonespecificpost.INEC would however do a better

job by developing this overall policyinstrument and legal framework inconjunction with stakeholders, sisterorganizations like the NationalInformation TechnologyDevelopment Agency (NITDA), theNigerian Identity ManagementAgency, the Ministry of Justice andrelated professional institutions liketheNigerianComputerSocietyaswellas therelevantdivisionof theNigerianSociety of Engineers. Because of mypeculiar experience as one of the pio-neers(Iusethatwordwithallsenseofmodesty) in the application of elec-tronic technology in managing enter-priseandlargepublicrecordusingfin-gerprint identification system inNigeria andwhounderstands thedis-tinctive ‘Nigerian factor’, I stronglyadvocate that for thepolicydocumenttoaccomplishits intendedobjective, itmust expressly support an independ-ent cross agency check and balanceroutine. It must also support inde-pendent people-driven regime oftransparency, transparency affirma-tion and monitoring. In essence thesystem must not only grant absoluteconfidence to all stakeholders (citi-zens, political parties, law enforce-ment agencies, election monitors etc)that it is absolutely reliable, effectiveand beyond manipulation, it mustbeenseen–andverifiablyso–thatit isdoing just that. In theory and in prac-tice, this isdoable.There is no doubt that electronicvotingwould bring amajor change totheexistingelectoralsystem.Anysuchchange must be matched by changesin the system aswell as the processesinvolved, hence the reason for thepol-icy stipulates and legal frameworkadvocated above. Also, in order toeliminatethechallengesoccasionedbyinadequate power supply and logis-tics, the new legal framework wouldbenefit immensely if the votingperiodisalteredfromthecurrentsingledayto

aperiodofabout30daystoaccommo-date early voting. You think thiswould encourage electoral malprac-tices? No, not if the systemic checksadvanced above are in place and defi-nitely not when people’s votes aretruly being matched to their finger-printminutiae! Thiswill also have themultiple benefits of reducing theneedfortoomanyvotingstations,introduc-ing permanent voting stations insecurelocationsandenablingINECtodrive political parties to utilize suchvotingstationsfortheconductoftheirprimaries thereby promoting realinternal democracy in thoseparties.Aleadership thatdoesnotwant toprof-it fromor implicitlyor tacitlypromoteelection manipulations wouldembrace this.*Ariyomo is a chattered engineer and thepioneer Coordinator of the Ondo StateInformation Technology DevelopmentCentre (SITDEC). He is currently a PolicyChairoftheNationalDevelopmentInitiativeNDi (an independent think-tank with focuson Nigeria). NDi Project can be accessed atwww.nd-i.org*Torespondtothiscolumnandask question from Tunji or make contribu-tion,[email protected]

President Goodluck Jonathan (in picture) votes at the last General Elections

‘Tunji Ariyomo

Tunji Ariyomo

iCircuit

EventsBrandingPromotionExposures

MobileMondayMoMo,MobileMonday is a global community ofmobile industry visionaries and developers.MoMo is organized inNigeria by a group of volunteers.MoMo is a platform for young developers tomeetwith the big players in the industry.MoMo organises its event every firstMonday of themonth toknow the latest trend in the industry and also share new ideals.

Ecosystem Director, MobileMonday, Mayowa Owolabi, Sales Director, Inmobi, Moses Kemibaro, Account Manager, Inmobi, Joel Rao and Integration and Development Manager,Nokia, James Fowe

CEO, Eskimi, Vytas Paukstys Bankole Oluwafemi, Blogger

Lange Ben and Pradil Marius

Oge Peters and Olaitan Towny

A cross section of participants at the event

Francis Ebuechi of MIH Internet Africa, Sales Director, Inmobi, Moses Kemibaro andAccount Manager, Inmobi, Joel Rao


With BankoleDamilare

[email protected]

Francis Onwumere of Proworks


iCircuitDevelopers ParapoAttheSeptembereditionof theDevelopersParapo, anetworking forumfor thedevelopercommunityorganisedbysocial innovationcentre,Co-creationHub(CcHUB),theeventattractedbigplayer in the industry including Microsoft andyoungdevelopers

Dele Akinsade of Microsoft, General Manager, West and Central Africa, Microsoft, Emmanuel Onyeje andCEO, CCHUB, Bosun Tijani

Shina Oyetesho, Wale Olokundana of WECA and Dele Akinsade of Microsoft

General Manager, West and Central Africa, Microsoft, EmmanuelOnyeje Adetoun Eleso of CCHUB

Cross section of developers at the event Cross section of developers at the event

Shina Oyetesho


Technology TimesMonday October 8-14 2012 Weekly Newspaper of Nigerian ICTSector N100

technologytimes.com.ng

Technology Times Newspaper (ISSN 2141-2790) is published weekly by Technology Times Media Limited (RC 788322). Office: 9, Olufunmilola Okikiolu Street, off Toyin Street, Ikeja,Lagos. Nigeria. Email: [email protected] Web: technologytimes.com.ng Phone: +234 1 8968161, 6820697 Editor: Shina Badaru

INTRODUCTIONhen one thinks aboutinventions that have radi-cally changed and now

define the development of humanity,the culmination of inventions that gaveus the Internet must surely sit amongthem. Alongside inventions such as thewheel,theplough,thesteamengineandelectricity,theInternethaschangedpar-adigms and redefined the developmentof the world both economically andsocially.The Internet increasingly informs

howwe live,work, learn, profit, governandcommunicate.What startedout asa predominantly academic network isbecoming the lifeblood of finance, com-merce and social relationships. Thirty-three percent of theworld’s populationcurrently use the Internet, including13.5% of people living in Africa. Whilethispercentage is low, therateatwhichit is growing is not. Between 2000 and2011,thenumberofAfricansthatusetheInternetgrewbyalmost3000%.Estimates are that as at December

2011, 45millionNigerians had used theInternet at least once– this is up fromamere200,000 in2000.“Governing”The InternetThe increasing availability of the

Internetandtherapidrateatwhichit isbeing adopted have been accompaniedby louder calls for international agree-ment on why, and how, it should bemanagedandgoverned.Duringthe firstphase of the World Summit on theInformation Society – the process thatgave rise to the Internet Governance

Forum, and as such the purpose of ourmeeting here – the world agreed that:“….the international management of theInternetshouldbemultilateral,transparentanddemocratic,withthefullinvolvementofgovern-ments, theprivatesector,civil societyandinter-nationalorganisations.“Itshouldensureanequitabledistributionofresources, facilitate access for all and ensure astable and secure functioning of the Internet,takingintoaccountmultilingualism.”It is my hope that your deliberations

willidentifyandarticulatetheareasthatneed to be addressed at a national levelto help ensure that our country attainsthese goals. It is my hope that yourdeliberations will also articulate howwe,asanation,cancontributemeaning-fully to the attainment of these samegoalsonaglobal level.Recent unfortunate events in our

country, inwhich the Internethasbeenusedasamediumtoperpetuateheinouscrimesanddistributefalsehoods,shouldnot diminish the broad scope your dis-cussions require/dictate.Indeed, we mourn and commiserate

with the family and (real) friends ofCynthia Osokogu and all those thathavesufferedatthehandsofpeoplethatuse the Internet, much as they use anyothermediumortool, forcriminalactiv-ities.Yet,weshouldalsorememberthatthe successful and continual protectionof our society requires that we have aholistic definition of governance, oneakin to that provided in the TunisAgenda as: “…the development and applica-tionbygovernments,theprivatesectorandcivilsociety,intheirrespectiveroles,ofsharedprinci-ples, norms, rules, decision-making procedures,and programmes that shape the evolution anduseoftheinternet.”Governanceshouldnot,therefore,necessarilybeequatedtobansandrestrictions.However, experiences now indicate

the need for strengthening the sense ofresponsibility among users of theInternet and bringing more traditional,“off-line”toolsofgovernanceinlinewithournewdigital “on-line” reality.This year’s Internet Governance

Forum, with its theme of InternetGovernanceforSustainableHuman,Economic

andSocialDevelopmentandsub-themesof:Internetgovernancefordevelopment(IG4D)Issues that are emerging in the use of theInternet,The management of critical internetresources,Security,opennessandprivacy,Accessanddiversity,andTheneedtotakestockoftheIGFtodateandponderthewayforwardreflecthowbroadyourdeliberationsneedtobe.LocalConcerns InAGlobalSpaceEven as you take your cue from the

organisation and structure of the globalevent,youareexpectedtobemindfulofour local circumstances. In Nigeria, wecare about the freedom to seek, receive,impart and use information especiallywhen it relates to thecreation, accumu-lation anddisseminationof knowledge.We also care about insecurity,(cyber)crime, piracy, privacy and spamaswellasthesecurityandstabilityoftheInternet infrastructure. These caresoftenfindexpressionascompetingcon-cerns; and it is the responsibility of a

forum such as this – with its strongfocus on multi-stakeholderism – tosearch for consensus; to be representa-tive by allowing for views from eachstakeholder “community”, as well asneutralandbeopentotheviewsofpar-ticipants irrespectiveof theirorigin.MahatmaGhandicautionedagainsta

society where rights existed withoutresponsibility.Weall–government,theprivate sector and civil society – haveresponsibilitiesinensuringthattheben-eficial uses of the Internet far outweighits manipulation to cause harm. Iencourage you, therefore, to rememberthatthedecisionsthataremadeingath-erings such as this and the GlobalInternet Governance Forum have amajor impact on the deployment oftechnologies,productsandservices,andtheapplicationof ICTs inoursociety.ConclusionWhileIwishyouasuccessfuldeliber-

ation, I challenge you all again to pro-duce useful outcomeswhichwill assistthe country in taking a leadingpositionat the Global Internet GovernanceForum later this year. Please permitmeto commend the organisers, NigerianCommunicationsCommission (NCC),National Information TechnologyDevelopment Agency (NITDA), andNigeria Internet RegistrationAssociation (NIRA), and other stake-holderscollaboratingwiththeMinistryof Communication Technology, fortheir patriotic commitment towardsensuring broad participation andengagement of cross-section of stake-holders. I can assure you that the min-istrywill articulatevarious submissionsemanating from this forum and putthemintouseduringmypresentationattheGlobal InternetGovernanceForuminBaku.

Minister forCommunica t ionT e c h n o l o g y ,Omobola Johnsonrefocuses the role ofthe NigerianInternet communityin how the globalcomputer networkshould be governedand managed

Consolidating Nigeria’s positionon Internet Governance

CommTech Minister, Omobola Johnson

Thirty-three percent of theworld’s population currentlyuse the Internet, including 13.5%of people living inAfrica.While this percentage is low, the rate atwhich it is growingis not. Between 2000 and2011, the number ofAfricans thatuse the Internet grewby almost 3,000%.

Monday, OCTOBER 8-14, 2012 WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF NIGERIAN ICT SECTOR N100

TechnologyTimestechnologytimes.com.ng

Top 100Websites in Nigeria1. facebook.com2. google.com3. google.com.ng4. yahoo.com5. youtube.com6. blogspot.com7. twitter.com8. mywebsearch.com9. nairaland.com10. linkedin.com

Top5PhonesSamsung Galaxy Pocketleads Top 5 selling mobilephones in Nigeria

CDMA churn growsas Nigeria crosses105m linesRead more onwww. technologytimes.com.ng

Adenuga: ‘I didn't default inpayment for 2001 GSM licenceMike Adenuga jr, theChairman of GlobacomLimited, has said thatCommunication InvestmentsLimited(CIL),his investmentvehicleused to bid in the January 2001NigerianGSMLicenceAuctions, didnotdefault inmeetingdeadlinestipu-latedby government to the fourwin-ning bidders in the milestone dealthat was to profoundly redefine thetelecoms landscape in the country.Adenuga's decision to walk downmemory lane comes amid another

milestone for Globacom, his wholly-owned Second National Operator,which last August clocked nineadded to the complementarydistinc-tion for the telecoms magnate whowas awarded the nation's secondhighest honour, the GrandCommander of the Order of theNiger (GCON) medal for nationaleconomic development contribu-tions by President GoodluckJonathan.Globacom has grown to becomenumber two operator by subscriber

numbers even though it entered thetelecomsgametwoyearsbehindrivalMTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria andMtel, the moribund mobile phonebusinessofpioneernationaloperator,NITEL.In the keen 2001 GSM bids, CILwas pitted against Econet WirelessNigeria Ltd; United NetworksMobile Ltd; MTN NigeriaCommunications Ltd and MSI-CeltelNigeria Ltd,who all deposited$20million each to prequalify for theauction.

Adenuga again reopened the stick-ing point of the 2001 Nigerian GSMAuction that was generally regardedas free and fair during which thelicence earlier awarded CIL waswithdrawn by government overalleged late payments.The development was to set backAdenuga's entry into the competitivebut lucrative telecoms stakes bysome two years when he eventuallylaunched service using Globacom,the company under which he waseventually issued the multi-service

SNOlicence for$200million inwhatmarket analysts reckon was a con-cession to resolve theCILdebacle.The Globacom Chairman's tookexception to a newspaper colum-nist's view that, "Adenuga could notmuster the requisite licence feewith-in the stipulated timeof 14days."Speaking through Mike Jituboh,the Executive Director SpecialProject, Globacom, Adenuga, recol-

Nigerian Communica-tions Commission(NCC) has denied anewspaper report of allegedfrequency spectrum racket-eering by the current leader-ship of the telecoms industryregulatory agency.Reuben Muoka, Head,Media and Public Relations,NCC,denied that thecurrentboss of the regulatory agencyhas allegedly sold frequencyslots belonging to theNigeriaPolice to a private firm, OpenSkys.The telecoms regulator alsoabsolved its boss, EugeneJuwah of any wrongdoing inthe process of allocation ofthe frequency which it saidpreceded his July 2010resumption in office asExecutive Vice Chairman ofNCC.

According to a statementby the agency’s spokesman,there is also no truth to theallegation that NCC issued afrequency spectrum to SmileCommunications.Muoka adds, “Dr. EugeneJuwah, the CurrentExecutive Vice Chairman ofthe Commission, did not ini-tiate the allocation of theaforesaid frequencies, havingresumed in July 2010, whiletheprocessbegan since2009.Even after resumption at theNCC, Dr. Juwah has strictlyfollowed due process ofissuance of licences and fre-quencies.”According to him, “TheNigerian CommunicationsCommission has been inun-dated by calls from con-cernedcitizensover a story inthe

NCC denies frequencyracketeering

CAPDAN seeks Fashola’s support for Ikeja Computer Village

Computers and AlliedProducts DealersAssociation (CAP-DAN), the pressure group ofbusinesses operating in IkejaComputerVillage, Lagos, hascalled on the government ofBabatunde Fashola,Governor of Lagos State, tocomplement efforts at creat-ing a conducive businessenvironment in the nation’slargestmarket for technologyproducts and servicesbecauseofitsstrategicimpor-

tance to Nigeria’s ICT devel-opment.Specifically, CAPDAN isseeking the administration’ssupport to solve the securityand sanitation problemswithin the market environ-ment.Mac Eze, Vice-President ofCAPDAN, told TechnologyTimes in an exclusive inter-view that the Kick AgainstIndiscipline (KAI) squadunder the command of theLagos State Special Task

Force (Environmental Unit)andmenof theNigeriaPoliceForce recently jointly demol-ished the roadside shops atComputerVillage toenhancethe beauty, hygiene andcleanliness of the environ-ment."We want to see more ofthis in order to encouragegreater patronage in a cleanmarket,”Ezesaid,notingthatthe government’s effortstowards sustained businesspromotion creates employ-

ment and contributes to theoverall national economicgrowth.“Such clean-up exercisewas done some time backwhen the governmentcleared all the road-sideshopsandthepeopleaffectedwent to form the currentGSM Village in Ikeja. If theycan push the others also toMangoro side, there is amar-ket there that is under-

continued on page 2

continued on page 16continued on page 2

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Consolidating Nigeria’sposition on InternetgovernanceOmobola Johnson, Minister forCommunication Technology

Page 17 & 18

Babatunde Fashola, SAN, LagosState Governor

Continued on Page 16


nate in him losing his $20mil-lion bid deposit and also sethimbacktwoyears inenteringtheNigerian telecomsmarket.Jituboh,whoalsoledtheCILteam to the three-day GSMAuctions that opened January17, 2001 at the Nicon HiltonHotel in Abuja, says it wasimperative to set the recordstraight about the chain ofreactions that precipitated thecontroversialCILlicencedeba-cle.According to him, "A dayafter winning one of the threeGSM licences, a CIL team ledby Dr Adenuga headed forParis for negotiations withBNPParibas.Afterseveraldaysof protracted negotiations,agreements was reached onthe terms and conditions for aloan facility of $265million forpayingthebalanceof theGSMlicence. The deadline for mak-ing payments was 5pm of 9thFebruary2001andonthatfate-fuldayallwas set for a transferby swift instruction whenword came in from our col-leagues in Lagos that the fre-quency allocated to CIL wasthe same frequency that hadbeen allocated to and beingusedbyMotophone.Thelatterwas in court to challenge thegovernment's withdrawal ofthe frequency."According to the GlobacomDirector, the CIL team faced adebacle that neededquick anddecisive action in the light ofthe fact that its assigned fre-quency spectrum was underlitigation from Motophoneowned by the Chagouris andthe dilemma of meeting thestrict deadline for the provi-sional licence assigned byNCC, the telecoms regulatorthat auctioned the spectrum."With itsassignedfrequencyunder litigation and the dead-line for payment approaching,we had to decide whether ornot to pay the huge sum of$265 million and hope thatMotophone's litigation wouldnot end up ensnaring both themoneyandourambitiousplan,of establishing one of thebiggestandbest telecommuni-cations network in the world.

Withnotimelefttoresolvethematter with the governmentbefore making payment, wedecided to make paymentwith the condition that themoneyshouldbe releasedafterthe government gives CIL anindemnity to cover the possi-bility of Motophone winningits suit and retaining the liti-gious frequency", Jitubohsays.According to him,"Consequently payment of$265 million was made byBNP Paribas before the dead-linehouron9thFebruary2001directly to the designatedaccount at JP Morgan, NewYork,alongwiththeaforemen-tionedcondition."Jituboh says that chains ofevents were to follow in thewake of the payment and thesubsequent cancellation of theCIL licencewhichwerealso todovetail into the founding ofGlobacombyAdenuga."AsmostNigerianwill recall,the government rejected thecondition that was placed onthe payment and conditionthat was placed on the pay-ment and cancelled the CILlicence. The governmentrefused all entreaties and thefunds were ultimatelyreturned to BNP Paribas.

Eventuallywewon the bid forthe Second National CarrierLicence and launched Glomobile. Ironically the sameerstwhile litigious frequencywas given to Globacom alongwith the Indemnity that hadbeendeniedCIL!" he adds.The 2001 GSM Auctionsattracteda record$855millioninto government coffers underwhichthelicencesweresoldtothewinningbidders and a slotpre-allocated to the publicowned pioneer NationalOperator, the NigerianTelecommunications Limited(NITEL), at the time.Today, the GSM networksnow numbering five but withfour actively operational, con-tinue to ride the crest of themarket as they account for101,404,011 active lines out ofthe 105,239,815 active lines inNigeria at the end of August,this year.On the other hand, theirCDMA counterparts alsoofferingmobiletelephonyserv-icesaccountfor3,347,716activelineswhile fixed line and fixedwireless networks, a hugelyneglected segment of the mar-ket, account for only 488,088active lines within the sameperiod.

At the time the bids wereheld, Nigeria could only countsome 500,000 landline phonelines in operation out of acapacity of 700,000 lines andonly 30,000 analogue mobilephone lines.During theperiod, the short-term telecoms policy outlookwas that the country shouldattain 1.2 million mobile lineswithin twoyearsof the formu-lationof theNationalPolicyonTelecommunications in 1999.The SNO was mandated byits licence to provide aMinimumof100,000linescon-nected to subscribers12months after commerciallaunch; minimum of 750,000lines connected to subscribers36 months after commerciallaunch; minimum of 1,500,000lines connected to subscribers60 months after commerciallaunch andprovisions that thelicensee shall provide by 36months after commerciallaunchaminimumof 5%of itstotal lines connected to sub-scribers ineachofthegeopolit-ical zones in the FederalRepublic of Nigeria, amongotherobligations.Meanwhile, PresidentJonathan has commendedAdenuga for contributing to

economic growth in Nigerianoting that, “He worked veryhard to establish Globacomwhich today provides hun-dreds of thousands of jobs inNigeria, Ghana and BeninRepublic.Hehas established aformidable brand. His compa-ny also has footprints in Coted’Ivoire, Senegal and TheGambia.”Hemade the commendationat the 2012 National HonoursAwards in Abuja whereAdenuga was decorated withthe Grand Commander of theOrder of the Niger (GCON)medal, theonlyrecipient in the

ca tegory ,alongside 148 other eminentNigerianswhowerealsodeco-rated for outstanding servicesto thecountry.According to the President,“I encourageyou to sustain thetempo of performance and tore-dedicate yourself to theserviceofhumanity andGod.”The Globacom Chairmanwas also lauded by Goodluckas a major employer of labourwhen he adds that, “ChiefAdenuga has done a great dealfor the country through hisnumerous business concernswhich employ thousands ofNigerians.”

‘I didn't default in payment of 2001 GSM licence fee - Adenuga

11. wikipedia.org12. vanguardngr.com13. gtbank.com14. babylon.com15. punchng.com16. blogger.com17. live.com18. vconnect.com19. jobberman.com20. lindaikeji.blogspot.com21. wordpress.com22. goal.com23. ultigame.com24. amazon.com25. jumia.com.ng26. naij.com27. bbc.co.uk28. ask.com29. thenationonlineng.net30. nnpcgroup.com31. avg.com32. badoo.com33. googleusercontent.com

34. microsoft.com35. saharareporters.com36. mocality.com.ng37. informationnigeria.org38. bellanaija.com39. bing.com40. profitclicking.com41. go.com42. about.com43. searchnu.com44. thisdaylive.com45. espn.go.com46. 192.10.10.1147. dealdey.com48. search-results.com49. addynamo.com50. sunnewsonline.com51. msn.com52. cnn.com53. ngrguardiannews.com54. wordpress.org55. adobe.com56. mtnonline.com

57. alibaba.com58. proshareng.com59. nigerianeye.com60. answers.com61. nigerianbestforum.com62. swiftng.com63. apple.com64. cnet.com65. hotnigerianjobs.com66. tribune.com.ng67. ehow.com68. dailypost.com.ng69. dailymail.co.uk70. tumblr.com71. conduit.com72. sturvs.com73. libertyreserve.com74. vconnectng.com75. techloy.com76. ladunliadi.blogspot.com77. olx.com.ng78. thenetng.com79. channelstv.com

80. businessdayonline.com81. doubleclick.com82. notjustok.com83. pinterest.com84. 4shared.com85. secureserver.net86. livescore.com87. speedbit.com88. hostgator.com89. gistmania.com90. godaddy.com91. talkofnaija.com92. twoo.com93. website-unavailable.com94. stackoverflow.com95. huffingtonpost.com96. aweber.com97. leadership.ng98. google.co.uk99. arsenal.com100. connectnigeria.com


Mike Adenuga Jr, Chairman, Globacom



News

icrosoft is set to officiallylaunch Windows Phone8 in the Nigerian marketon Christmas Day, December 25,2012,withitspartners,devicemakers,HTC, Nokia and Samsung, tipped todebut the software maker’s updatedmobile operating system.Emmanuel Onyeje, GeneralManager, West and Central Africa,Microsoft, disclosed this yesterday inLagos to attendees at the Septemberedition of Developers Parapo, a net-working forum for the developercommunity organised by social inno-vation centre, Co-creation Hub(CcHUB)ofNigeria.Microsoft’s planned launch of themobile operating system eyes stakesinNigeria’stelecomsmarketcountingover 102 million active phone lineswith more than 90 per cent of thembeingmobilephones.OnyejesaysthatWindowsPhone8has clearly emerged as one of the topmobile platforms in the ecosystemand with its planned entry intoNigeria, it is hoped to unleash a newwaveof features forconsumers,devel-opers andbusinesses.He adds that the reason whyMicrosoft is taking its time to unveilnew products in Nigeria is to ensurelocal relevance for users before theyare launched into thecountry.“To support some value added,Microsoftissayinglet’stryandgettheNigerian system tobemore automat-ed andmore IT-focused. That’s whatwe’re trying to do with WindowsPhone 8 instead of just taking prod-ucts fromoutside anddumping themhere. Let’s add value with our localpartners and developers to make ourdevices really rich for Nigerians,” headds.According tohim, “WithMicrosoft

Phone 8, we are bringing in bankingapplications, entertainment applica-tions, lifestyle applications, gamingapplications andsomeother contentsthat we’re trying to work with ourpartners around.”HesaysthatwhenthedevicecomesintoNigeria, userswill see it asworkand play scenarios as consumers willbeabletobrowseanddownloadappswhile developers will also be able tosubmitapplicationsviaMicrosoftappstores to theglobalmarket.”Talking about the pricing of thephones, Onyeje says, “our partners,Nokia, Samsung, HTC, are going todeterminethepriceof thephonesandnot Microsoft. The partners deter-minethepricingstrategy.Thereisalsoan opportunity where the telcos likeMTN,Glo, Airtel, Etisalat and others

also have a strategy around thosehandsets. Our private partners andthe telcos are theoneswhowill reallydecide how they want to have theprice range in the end.”Also commenting on the newWindows 8, he added that every sin-gle part of the operating system wascompletely redesigned from end toend underscoring that Microsoftdesigned it to work on any platform,including mobile devices, high enddesktops, gaming laptops, personal-ized slates and tablets.“No matter what you want to useinteractively, mouse, keyboard, pen,youcanuseallthosethingstointeractwith PCor the device. On top of thatwe have also made sure that you cangetcontent fromtheAppStore.WiththeWindows8, findingcontentswill

notbedifficult,” he added.To address the Developers Pararoattendees’ curiosity about newMicrosoft products, Onyeje saidMicrosoft platform will allow devel-opers to easily build apps for bothWindows Phone 8 andWindows 8andport apps fromone to theother.“Our new vision in Microsoft is toprovideeverybusinessandeverybodyon the planet a cloud system,” headded.Talking about apps opportunity,Onyeje, who started programming at13, told theparticipants that there arelotsofopportunities increatingenter-priseapps,entertainmentandgamingapps, among others. According tohim, the world is turning to apps.Businesses, consumers, individualsare turning to apps to interact with

their customers and partners. Thereare huge opportunities for developersinNigeria to actuallywrite apps fromWindows 8 platform and sell theirservices globally.He told the community ofNigeriandevelopers’attendeesattheeventthat“businesses want to connect to con-sumerandifanappis thewaytocon-nect businesses to consumers, thenpeoplewill go for it. Don’t limit your-selfto169millionNigerians.Maketheapplicationsglobal.”Developers Parapo event takesplacemonthlyattheCcHubinLagos,Nigeria’s first open living lab. It is aplatform that brings togetherNigerianweb andmobile applicationdeveloperstonetwork,shareandgainknowledgerequiredtostartandgrowviablebusinesses.CcHub brings industry expertsfromNigeria and across theworld tothe event to share key insights thatwill grow the Nigerian applicationdevelopment ecosystem.

Microsoft plans Xmas Daylaunch of Windows Phone 8 in Nigeria

mobola Johnson,Minis-ter ofCommunicationsTechnology, has continued tomourn the gruesome murderofNassarawaStateUniversitypost-graduatestudent,thelateCynthia Osokogu, lured to aLagos hotel on July 22 andmurdered by her Facebookfriends.So also did the CommTechMinister commiserate withthefamilyofthehaplessvictimaswellasotherswhohavesuf-fered from abuse of the inter-net to perpetrate fraud andother criminal activities.However, as Johnson put itto participants at theNigerianInternet Governance Forumheld in Abuja this week, suchfew extreme aberrationsshouldnotblur thebigpictureabout the enormous benefitsthe internet imparts to theway the interconnectedworldlives, works, plays, learns,profits,governsandcommuni-

cates.“The government, privatesector and civil society haveresponsibilities in ensuringthat the beneficial uses of theinternet far outweigh itsmanipulations to causeharm,”theMinister told attendees atthe event.Moreover, she remindedthat the professionals, theInternet Governance Forumand other professionals’ deci-

sions have a major impact onthe deployment of technolo-gies,products,servicesandtheapplication of ICTs to solveproblems in the country.“In Nigeria, we care aboutour freedom to seek, receive,impart and use information,especially when it relates tothe creation, accumulationand dissemination of knowl-edge. Wealsocareabout inse-curity, (cyber)crime, piracy

andspamaswellasthesecuri-ty and stability of Internetinfrastructure. These caresoften find expression as com-peting concerns: it is theresponsibilityofallprofession-al fora to search for consensus,to be representative, allowingforviewsfromeachstakehold-er ‘community,’ aswell asneu-tral– that is, opentoallpartic-ipants, irrespectiveof theirori-gin”, she adds.

According to her, statisticsshow that an estimated 33percent of theworld’s populationcurrently use the internetincludingsome13.5percentofAfricans connected to theircounterparts on the globalcomputer network.Also, the rate at whichAfricans’ using internet isincreasing rapidly. For thedecade to 2011, the number ofAfricans who used the inter-net grew by almost 3,000 percent. For instance, as atDecember 2011, 45 millionNigerians used the internet atleast once, up from a mere200,000 at December, 2000,she adds.The CommTech Ministernotes that the internet hasbeenusedas amediumtoper-petrate heinous crimes anddistribute falsehoods but suchinfractions should not dimin-ish thebroad scope for its suc-cessful deployment for thebenefit ofmankind.

The rueful Johnson said toattendees at NIGF that,“Indeed, we mourn and com-miserate with the family ofCynthia Osokogu and allthose that have suffered at thehands of people that use theInternet for criminal activities.We all – government, the pri-vate sector and civil society –have responsibilities in ensur-ing that the beneficial uses ofthe Internet far outweigh itsmanipulations to causeharm.”

NewsCommTech Minister rues Cynthia’s Facebookmurder, canvasses beneficial use of Internet

Emmanuel Onyeje, General Manager, West andCentral Africa, Microsoft confirms the officialplanned launch ofWindows 8 phones in Nigeria onXmasDay

LateCynthiaOsokogu



espite impressivegrowth in theNigerian telecomsmarket and improvements inInternetpenetration, difficul-ties in shipping and pay-ments options have contin-ued to slow down thegrowth of online shopping inthe country, according to aresearch report.

Driven by growth in tele-coms and Internet usage,Nigeria and South Africa areAfrica’s most promisingeconomies with online shop-ping potential on the conti-nent, the “Africa Internet &B2C E-Commerce Report2012″ has reported.The “Africa Internet &B2C E-Commerce Report

2012″ by Hamburg-basedsecondary market researchfirm yStats takes a close lookat Internet use and B2C E-Commerce development onthe African continent. Inaddition to presenting dataon Internet and B2C E-Commerce for the entire con-tinent, facts and figuresabout 15 individual countries

of the African continent arecompiled.“Due to improved Internetaccessandagrowingnumberof online shops, the numberof credit cards also increasedin 2011. Furthermore, accord-ing to forecasts at least onethird of the population inNigeria is expected to havedirect Internet access by

2013. Although large onlineretailers such as Amazon,eBay and South Africanonline shop Kalahari selltheir products there, thereare still limitations when itcomes to shipping and pay-ment options”, the reportsays.Withmore than 40millionusers, Nigeria was theAfricannationwith the high-est number of Internet usersin December 2011, followedby Egypt and Morocco,according to the reportwhich notes that Internetpenetration was the highestin Morocco with almost 50per cent.“South Africa on the otherhand, was the country withthe most successful B2C E-Commerce platforms. In2011, various factors stillcurbed online retail on theentire continent, such as thelow Internet penetration andthe focus on cash transac-tions and personal relation-ships. Recently, however,mobile payment methodshave become increasinglypopular, promoting B2C E-Commerce growth in 2012″,

the study found.On the other hand, inSouth Africa, the share ofonline shoppers on the totalnumber of Internet users hascontinued to grow slowlybetween 2009 and 2011. In2011, a clear majority citedlower prices as a decisive fac-tor for making purchasesonline.According to the findingsof the study, Kenya was thefastestgrowing Internetmar-ket in Africa in 2011, due tolow mobile phone chargesand increasing broadbandcapacity. The number ofInternet users and their shareon the entire population con-tinuouslygrewbetween2010and 2011 by a low doubledigit percentage figure.At the same time, the num-ber of Internet connectionsand B2C E-Commerce rev-enue in Morocco grewbetween 2010 and 2011 byalmost three-quarters ac-cording to the study thatcitedonline shoppingmarketplayers like ShopAfrica53,Kalahari, Takealot, Vaimo,soleRebels, Bid-or-Buy andBKam.

Shipping, payments option hamperonline shopping growth in Nigeria

okia has partneredwith foremostsocial innovationcentre inNigeria,Co-creationHub (CcHUB), to promotean academy programmecalled ‘Nokia/CCHubGrowth Academy’ aimed ataccelerating top Nigerianmobile software companiesin growing their companiesto regional and internationallevels.Ten start-ups will berecruited into theprogrammethat culminates in a formallaunch of the mobile apps onthe Nokia store, the compa-nies announced, noting thatthe programme has launcheda search for start-ups withbrilliant ideas to addressmar-ket needs in finance, educa-tion, healthcare, agriculture,small business development,environment, inclusive tech-nology and entertainment.To participate, they musthave developed a workingprototype in Java ME(J2ME), have at least twocore members, including alead developer and be willingto commit two fullmonths todeveloping their idea on theprogramme.According to a statementby the duo, “Having success-fully completed a pilot, weinvite applications for thisfirst-of-its kind business

accelerator programme inAfrica dedicated to providingintensive continuous hands-on support to help early stagemobile technology start-upsto grow into high growthbusinesses and build worldclass mobile applications fortheNokia platform regionallyand globally.”Under the plan, the three-month intensive programmeruns in three parts ofCapacity Building, ProductDevelop-ment and Launch.Each start-up undergoeshands-on prototype develop-ment and structured trainingwith modules such as busi-ness model development,project implementation planand lean product develop-ment. Tailored technicaltraining and support will beprovidedbyFuturice, aglobaltraining organisation withexpertise in mobile applica-tions development and user-driven design, they said.During product develop-ment, each start-up is com-plemented with the best ofresources expected toinclude, one-on-one mentor-ship from experienced techentrepreneurs with a strongunderstanding of the Africanmarket; project implementa-tionplanandmarket researchsupport to ensure that solu-tions meet specific market

needs.The last phase of the pro-gramme is dedicated to prod-uct testing, pilot launch andvalueredesignbasedoninitialcustomer feedback. Each

start-up will also pitch at anopen Pitchfest to the widercommunity and investors aspart of the final productlaunch.Intending participantsshould visit www.growtha-cademy.orgtoapply forappli-

cations that close by 6pm onOctober 3, 2012, promoters ofthe programme said.According to Lagos-basedCcHub, the Nokia-CcHUBGrowth Academy is a first ofits kind business acceleratorprogramme inAfrica dedicat-

ed toproviding intensive con-tinuous hands-on support tohelp approximately 30 earlystage mobile technologystart-ups grow into highgrowth businesses and buildworld class mobile applica-tions in 2012.

Nokia, CcHub connect to foster growthof Nigerian mobile software makersNews

Participants in a previous edition of Developers’ Parapomeeting organised by CcHub in Lagos. CcHUB, the foremost social innovation centre in Nigeria is promoting an academyprogramme called ‘Nokia/CCHubGrowth Academy’ to accelerate topNigerianmobile software companies in growing their companies to regional and international levelsPhotot: CcHub

Screenshot of online shopping service, Jumia: Despite the impressive growth in Internet access, shipping and payments options still pose obstacles to onlineshopping in Africa, according to the yStats report

Olubunmi Adeniyi

lobacom has launcheda new promotion thatoffers subscribers theopportunity to own a fleet of52-seater luxury buses,mini=buses, luxury taxis,among other cash prizes in anew customer reward schemebythemobilephonecompany.Called Made4Life, thepromo will reward over 1,500Glo subscribers with prizeswhich the operator says is thefirst of its kind in theNigeriantelecoms industry that is opento both its new and existingsubscribers on both the pre-paidandpostpaidplatforms.Announcing details of thepromotion at the press confer-ence in Lagos, Niyi Olukoya,acting Head of Marketing,who announced the promo-tion, saysthe firstprizewinnerwill go home with two 52-seater luxury buses, while thesecond prize will be won bythree subscribers who willeach go home with three 16-seaterminibuses.Nine lucky subscribers willwin the third prize which is afleet of 27 luxury taxis. Eachofthe winners will be presentedwith three taxis. The promo-tion isalsoofferingacashprizeof N100,000 for 1,500 winnersas fourth prize, the telecomscompanysays.

Glo Made4Life will run forthreemonths, fromSeptember24 toDecember 24, 2012,withwinners emerging through anelectronicdraw.Glo says the unique promowas conceived to reward sub-scribers in a unique way andempowerthemtobetheirownbossesbyfloatingatransporta-tioncompany.“We have since inceptionbeen at the fore-front ofrewarding customer loyalty.We have offered differentkinds of promotions andprizes. This time, we decided

togoa step furthernotonlybyoffering fantastic prizesunprecedentedinthe industry,but also by structuring theprizes in a way to empoweroursubscriberstobe ‘Madeforlife’, and become managers oftheir own businesses”, saysOlukoya.According to him, “With afleet of two 52-seater luxurybuses, three 16-seater minibusesor three luxury taxis, thewinner is afforded a rareopportunitytostartoffatrans-port company” in what thetelecoms compnay reckonswill create indirect employ-ment intheNigerianeconomy.To ensure that the winners

succeed in the transport busi-ness,heexplainedthatGlohadconcluded arrangements toprovide financial managementand wealth training for them.This, he noted, will providethem the skills to manage thebusiness.To qualify for the 16-seaterbuses, luxury taxis or theN100,000, the subscriber isexpected to recharge with aminimum of N200, while aminimum recharge of N3,000withinthepromotionperiodisrequired to stand a chance ofwinningthetwo52-seaterlux-urybusgrandprizes.


Glo Made4Life promo dangles luxuryautomobiles for subscribers

leading mobile phonebrandinAfrica,TECNOhas announced its part-nershipwith Etisalat, Nigeria’smost innovative network serv-iceprovider, to launchapromothat offers Etisalat subscribers40MBfreedatabundleonpur-chaseofaTECNOT608phonefrom September, this year toFebruary,nextyear.The partnership is an ongo-ing one intended to providecustomers with fast and reli-able data connectivity and a

range of affordable phones,with both companies statingthat they are set to offer otherjoint products within thesmartphone category. TECNOT3islikelytobethenextphoneincluded in their partnershipoffer.Chidi Okonkwo, DeputyGeneral Manager, TECNONigeria, explains that “current-ly, customers are longing forbetter internet experience andthis cooperation precisely

brings them what they want.Customers who buy TECNOT608 phones can enjoy anextraordinary internet experi-ence compared to most othermobile phones in the sameclass while they can enjoy theamazing free data at the sametime.”TECNO T608, the modelbeing offered for the promo, isthe first TECNOOpera phonespecially developed for fast,mobile internet experience,pre-loaded with the world’s

most popular mobile browser,Opera Mini and many otherdistinctive apps such asPalmchat, a phonebook-basedfreechatappandTECNOAppStoreT-ZONEonwhichuserscandownload lotsof freeapps.Wael Ammar, ChiefCommercial Officer, EtisalatNigeria, adds that the telecomsindustry has seen increaseddemand for data and smart-phones in recent times.“It is important for networkproviders and phonemanufac-turers to continue to collabo-rate and initiate products andservices to satisfy this need.Etisalat’s fast Easyblaze, 3.75Gbroadband service combinedwith these TECNO phones isyetanotherexampleofourcon-tinuous effort to bring our cus-tomers easyaccess to the inter-net.”According to the companies,“TECNO and Etisalat mustemphasise thatmarketcompe-tition has encouraged moremobilephonebrandsandoper-atorstoseeknewwaystomeetcustomers’ different needs andmaintaintheirmarketposition.While cooperation betweenmobilephonebrandsandoper-ators is currently the trend,such collaborations will notonly publicise their productsand increase sales, but willencourage an increased adop-tionofbroadbandservices.”

News

TECNO, Etisalat tie deal to offer40MB free data on T608

By Bolanle Abass

NiyiOlukoya,Ag.HeadofMarketing,Glo (left);TundeKaitell ofMarketingCommunicationsandTitilayoEbinisi,HeadofGloWorld, at the launchofGloMade4LifePromooffering subscribersof themobilephonecompany theopportunity towina fleet of 52-seater luxurybuses,minibuses, luxury taxis andcashprizes.

TECNOT608, themodelbeingoffered for thepromo, is the firstTECNOOperaphonespeciallydeveloped for fast,mobile internetexperience,pre-loadedwiththeworld’smostpopularmobilebrowser,OperaMini, thephonemakersays

By Bolanle Abass


News

TN Nigeria, theleading mobilephone by market

share plans to release theNano-SIM come October 5,this year in a move by theoperator to explore stakes inexpected subscriber uptakeof thenew iPhone5 launchedrecently into the handset anddevice market by US tech-nology company, Apple.Thenewnano-SIM is actu-

ally the fourth generation ofSubscriber Identity Module(SIM) card that has beenused since the introductionof GSM phones in the early1990s, the first three beingthe 1FF, Micro SIM or 2FF,and theMini SIMor the 3FF.The newNano-SIMwhich

is the only SIM compatiblewith the newly releasedApple iPhone 5 and othernew generation and futurephones has no different func-tionswith that of the currentMicro and Mini SIM cardsexcept the size.Announcing the planned

unveiling of the new SIM,MTN Nigeria says that, “theNanoSIM is 40% smaller

than micro SIM and about0.67mm thicker than MicroSIM made for the newiPhone 5 and other new gen-eration phones” adding thatthe NanoSIM will be avail-able at MTN Walk-in

Centres nationwide fromOctober 5, 2012.According to PC Advisor,

“This new nano-SIM cardmeasures just 12.3 x 8.8mm,and its thickness has alsobeen reduced fractionally,from 0.76mm of the 1FF, 2FFand 3FF cards, to 0.67mm.”

The release of the newNano-SIM by MTN willenable Nigerians purchaseand use the newly releasediPhone 5 inNigeria.According to the phone

maker, “when we envisionedthe new iPhone, we landedon a remarkably thin and

light design. But it’s nearlyimpossible to make a deviceso thin and so light withoutsacrificing features or per-formance.”Apple says the iPhone 5,

the thinnest, lightest, fastestiPhone ever, is the result ofplaying that balancing act

between achieving a lighterdevice that is still packedwith performance.“iPhone 5 is just 7.6 mil-

limeters thin. To make thathappen, Apple engineers hadto think small, componentbycomponent. They created anano-SIM card, which is 44percent smaller than amicro-SIM. They also developed aunique cellular solution foriPhone 5. The conventionalapproach to building LTEinto a world phone uses twochips—one for voice, one fordata.”According to Apple, “on

iPhone 5, both are on a singlechip. The intelligent,reversible Lightning connec-tor is 80 percent smaller thanthe 30-pin connector. The8MP iSight camera has evenmore features – like panora-ma and dynamic low-lightmode – yet it’s 25 per centsmaller.AndthenewA6chipis up to 2x faster than the A5chip but 22 per cent smaller.Even with so much inside,iPhone5 is 20per cent lighterand 18 per cent thinner thaniPhone 4S.”

MTN plans Nano-SIM launch to tap iPhone5 uptake among Nigerian smartphone users

MTNNigeria is taking a plunge into offering NanoSIMs into the local market in expectation of subscriber uptake of iPhone 5 launched recently into theglobal handset market by Apple Photo credit: Apple

By Bola Abbas

Labour honours Globacom for telecomsdevelopment in Nigeria

lobacom, the secondnational operator, hasbeen awarded the Labour

Legend Community Award by theFCT Council of the NigeriaLabour Congress (NLC) and alsoinducted into the 1st LabourLegend Hall of Fame by the coun-cil.Globacom received the honour

at an elaborate induction ceremo-ny organized by the FCT Councilin conjunction with AfricanLabour Watch Magazine atChelsea Hotel, Abuja, onMonday,October 1, this year coincidingwith the Nigerian IndependenceDay, the telecoms companyannounced in a statement.Organisers of the award say the

ceremony was held to recogniselabour leaders, labour-friendlyNigerians and organizations thathave made significant contribu-tions to the welfare and culture ofNigerian workers.In an earlier notification sent to

Globacom by Comrade OssaiIlome, Secretary of InductionCommittee, the NLCCouncil saidGlo was selected for the honourbecause of the company’s commit-ment to affordable services, spon-

sorship of Glo Heritage Series andthe country’s national footballteams, among other outstandingcontributions.Globacom pioneered per second

billing as its launch platform,

thereby reducing the cost ofmobile telephony services andestablishing the basis for wide-spread affordable telecoms servic-es across the country.The NLC Council says that

Globacom has lived up to itspromise of affordability, as a car-dinal point of good corporate citi-zenship.Globacom has also supported

community initiatives, especially

in the areas of sports develop-ment, poverty alleviation, job cre-ation, and youth empowerment,music, art and culture.Globacom commenced business

on August 29, 2003, with thelaunch of its GSM service in theFederal Capital Territory, Abuja.It was the major mobile phoneoperator using theGSM technolo-gy platform to launch operations,two years after other operatorshad rolled out.Glo has about 25 million sub-

scribers on its Nigerian networkand has covered all parts of thecountry and has also extended itsoperational footprints to theRepublic of Benin and Ghana.Globacom’s overall success in

service delivery and product inno-vation stems from its continueddeployment of latest technology,from 2.5G to 3G and 4G LTE. Thecompany is also revamping thenation’s fixed telephone serviceswith the launch of Glo Fixedwhile it addressed Africa’s band-width requirement by single-handed building an internationalsubmarine cable called Glo 1, thecompany says.SinaThumandiwire,Director, InternationalLabourOrganisation (ILO),WestAfrica (left), presents theLabourCrownAward toLorenzoGomez,

GloDivisionalDirector,Abuja at the ceremony

echnology Timeshas obtained acomprehensive list

of the 15-man Presidentialteam on broadband inau-gurated rec-ently byPresident GoodluckJonathan at thePresidential Villa in Abujato come up with plans toleverage benefits of high-speed internet services foreconomic growth inNigeria.According to the list,

the President’s BroadbandCom-mittee puts togethera rich mix of telecomsoperators, key industrythought leaders, privatesector players as well asinternational technologybusinesses and industrygroups.GSM industry big play-

ers like MTN Nigeria,Etisalat Nigeria as well assearch engine giant,Google are among a richmix of private sector play-ers in the banking andfinancial services sector aswell as ICT policymakersand administratorsincluding operator pres-sure group, the CDMADevelopment Group.The team includes

Ernest Ndukwe, the ex-Executive Vice Chairman,N i g e r i a nC o m m u n i c a t i o n sCommission (NCC), whois currently Chairman ofOpen Media Group, anICT consultancy based inAbuja, Federal CapitalTerritory, as one of thekey industry professionalson the broadband team.Under Ndukwe’s watch

as boss of NCC, Nigeriarecorded significantgrowth in the telephonysector during the mobilephone boom in what ana-lysts regard as the indus-try umpire’s policy con-sistency and transparentregulation of the sector.Also on the team is Jim

Ovia, Chairman, VisafoneCommunications and for-mer Group ManagingDirector of Zenith BankPlc, who is also a well-known ICT enthusiastwith passion for promot-ing technology innovationamong Nigerian youths.

Chief Technical Officerof MTN Nigeria, LyndaSaint Nwafor comes fromthe nation’s telecomsmarket leader with over40 million active connec-tions and owned by SouthAfrica’s MTN Group, willalso be on the team.So also is Junaid Dikko,

a Director with EtisalatNigeria, the number fourtelecoms operator by sub-scriber number owned byDubai, UAE-basedEtisalat Group, who willbe bringing to the teamhis regulatory expertise aswell as expertise in allied

financial services sector.Rasheed Adegoke, Chief

Information Officer, FirstBank of Nigeria, one of thekey banks in the country,is also on the team andexpected to provide per-spectives from the invest-ment community.Gbenga Sesan, currently

Executive Director, Para-digm Initiative Nigeria isalso a former ICT YouthAmbassador and a well-known Nigerian youthleader is part of the team.Sesan, who is well-knownfor promoting ICT fordevelopment issues, is

also a seasoned speaker atvarious local and interna-tional fora.Another key member of

the team is Juliet EhimuanChiazor, CountryManager; Google Nigeriaexpected to bring to thebroadband committee theexpertise of running thelocal operations of thesearch giant.Also, Stanley Jegede,

CEO of Phase 3 Telecoms,will bring to the team hisexperience in businessleadership of one of thebiggest players in provid-ing aerial optical fibre

transmission service thatalso maintains the largestprivate fibre optic net-work in Nigeria and theWest African sub-region.Also on the team is

Philip Chukwueke,Regional Director ofAfrica, CDMADevelopment Group(CDG), a trade associa-tion formed to foster theworldwide development,implementation and useof CDMA and other com-plementary wireless solu-tions with membershipincluding many of theworld’s leading service

providers and equipmentmanufacturers. The groupworks towards the devel-opment of advanced fea-tures and services, evolu-tion of standards, techni-cal education, advocacy,regulatory affairs, globalroaming and device avail-ability for the CDMAmobile telephony stan-dard.On the other hand, the

public sector draws rep-resentations from theMinistry ofCommunication Techno-logy, the supervisory min-istry of various ICT andallied government agen-cies; the NigerianC o m m u n i c a t i o n sCommission (NCC), thetelecoms regulatoryagency; some state ICTadministrations; theNational TechnologyDevelopment Agency, theIT implementing agencyof the FederalGovernment, among oth-ers.John Ayodele, who is

Director, Telecoms &Postal Services, Ministryof CommunicationTechnology, will be repre-senting the ICT supervi-sory ministry on the team.So also is Bala

Mohammed, who is alsoCommissioner of Science& Technology, KanoState and Kayode Jegede,SA to Ekiti StateGovernor onInfrastructure & ICT aswell as Joshua Atah,Head, ICT Projects,National UniversitiesCommission who are alsopart of the public sectorteam.The public sector team

also include Fidelis Onah,Assistant Director,Spectrum Management,N i g e r i a nC o m m u n i c a t i o n sCommission and VincentOlatunji, Deputy Director,Corporate Strategy &Research, NationalInformation TechnologyDevelopmentStory by TechnolgyTimes ReporterPhotography: BankoleDamilare


NewsMeet Nigeria’s broadbandroad map cartographers

Ernest Ndukwe , Chairman, Open Media Group Jim OviaChairman, Visafone Communications

Lynda Saint Nwafor, Chief Technical Officer, MTNCommunications

John Ayodele,Director, Telecoms & Postal Services, Ministry ofCommunication Technology


Nigerian banks plan to capture biometric information of customers

lans are underway byNigerian banks to collect bio-metric information of theircustomers for real-time and easieridentification of account holders inthe country.Biometric information uniquelydistinguishes one person fromanother and are used to establish arecord of and confirm an individ-ual’s identity with the most com-mon being photographs and finger-prints. Iris scans and voice recogni-tion are also other forms of biomet-ric information.Under the plan, the Bankers’Committee has invited reputable ITcompanies with requisite expertiseandexperience to setupabiometricverification system for customers ofall the 21 deposit money banks inthe country.The Bankers Committee is thepowerful group of chief executiveofficers of all the DMBs chaired bythe Governor of Central Bank, theapex bank that regulates the bank-

ing sector estimated to have morethan 44.5million customers at theend of last year.Applicants for the technologyproject must be legally-registeredcompanies in Nigeria, or their part-ners and must have executed simi-lar large scale biometric verificationcontracts worth N800 million

($5m) for clients covering five mil-lion persons, according to theBankers’ Committee thatannounced the deal.The proposed centralised plat-form would provide an online real-time database accessible by all theDMBs to enable them identify andauthenticate eachcustomerunique-

ly in their Know-Your-Customer(KYC) verification processes.The Bankers’ Committee requiresall applicants to submit their appli-cations byOctober 5, 2012.With the proposed project, thebanks inNigeriawill join the grow-ing list of public and private organi-sations that require individuals to

submit their biometric data for req-uisite databases.In February, last year, theIndependent National ElectoralCommission (INEC) registered67,764,327 voters nationwide cap-turing their biometric data.About fourmonths later,NationalCommunication Commission(NCC) followed up with supple-mentary registration of SubscriberIdentification Module (SIM) cardsby the private mobile phone net-works for the total number of userswhich currently stands at 103.43million active subscribers at lastJuly.Biometric verification systemscapture the unique biological fea-tures of any individual, such as fin-ger-print and by law all data cap-tured are warehoused by NationalIdentity Management Commission(NIMC), the government agencysays.According to NIMC, a secureidentity helps both citizens andbusinesses to reduce fraud, makefalse applications,minimise identitytheft, enhance commercial transac-Banner promoting the Cashless programme designed by the Central Bank to reduce carrying physical cash in the country at anevent by BusinessWorld Newspaper in Lagos. Banks expect that the proposed biometric database for customer identification willenhance confidence in the banking sector

By Bola Abbas

he vulnerabilities ofchildrenonline in thisera of Informationand CommunicationTechnologies (ICTs) preoccu-pied experts at a stakeholders’forum inLagos today.More so, because childrenknow more about ICT thantheirparentsandevensomeoftheir teachers. And whereasparents reserve the right todeterminewhat their childrenlearn or otherwise, the chil-drenhavemoved, inthewordsof an expert, from just-in-caselearning to just-in-time learn-ing.The first StakeholdersTech4D Forum organised byWomen in Technology inNigeria (WITIN) brought theexperts together to rubmindson the beneficial use of theInternet as contrastedwith itsdrawbacks under the theme,“ICT and ChildDevelopment.”Their conclusion was thatthe combined efforts of stake-holdersintheICTindustryarevery essential in addressingthe challenges of children’svulnerability online.Speaking at the forum,Eugene Juwah, ExecutiveVice-Chairman, NigerianCommunication Commission(NCC),dilatedonthedouble-edgedswordtheInternetis:hesaid that Internet has raisedthe issue of children’s vulnera-bility and it is very importantthat all stakeholders mount aconcerted effort to ensure thatthe cyberworld is a safe placefor children to learn.Juwah, represented byHenry Ikemadu, Head, PolicyEconomic Analysis, NCC,stated that the Internet is awonderful resource for pro-

viding information on educa-tion, research and entertain-ment. Contrarily, it has alsoexposed children and youngpeople tobullying, extremism,gambling, pornography andviolent games, among othervices.Fouryearsago,InternationalTelecommunication Union(ITU) launched the ChildOnline Protection (COP) ini-tiative, an internationalcollab-orative effort ledby ITUwith-in the framework of theunion’s Global CybersecurityAgenda.The COP initiative wasendorsed by UN Secretary-General, heads of states, min-isters and heads of interna-tional organisations aroundthe world. It aims at promot-ing global awareness aboutthe importance of child safety

in the online world, develop-ing practical tools to assistgovernments, industry andeducators and sharing experi-ences to ensure a safe andsecure online experience forchildren.As such, Juwah saidNigerian BroadcastingCommission (NBC), NCCand the industries they regu-late seek to work together inthis direction in the overallbest interest of the Nigerianchild.Indeed, in partnership withthe private sector, he saidNCCwoulddevelop the tech-nical capacity on nationalInternet content controlmechanisms as the nation’soverall Internetcontentgover-nance response and preven-tive strategy against the esca-lation of child abuse andexploitation, materials’ distri-bution and regulation of con-tent injurioustonationalsecu-

rity.Moreover, he added, thereshall be capacity building incollaboration with NigeriaUnion of Teachers in publicandprivateschools,sothatthecommission would come upwith a massive initiative onchildprotectiononline.Chris Uwaje, President,Institute of SoftwarePractitioners of Nigeria(ISPON), said that “theInternetisagoldenopportuni-ty for global competitiveness.So, all nations must take theglobal ICT revolution serious-ly.”Butheadvised inthe topic,“Future and Survivability ofNigerian Children,” that par-ents need to read more tocatch up in gapbecausewhentalking about Internet, chil-drenknowmore than thepar-ents.Corroborating this,Veronica Adeyemo, ActingDirector (IT Department),

Federal Ministry ofInformation, said ICT today issinequanonand fundamentalto development, includingchild development.Consequently, the desire ofparents, governments, educa-tion planners and developersis to introduce children to itearly in their developmentstage in life is understandable.We all know that parentsnaturally reserve the responsi-bility for the initial develop-ment and up-bringing of theirchildren.It is,therefore, imper-ative that parents have goodunderstanding of ICT and itsimportance or correlation toearly child development,”Adeyemo said.According to her, ICT is apotentially powerful tool forenhancing educational oppor-tunities to previously under-served constituencies, scat-tered and rural populationsand groups traditionally

excluded from education dueto cultural or social reasons.“ICT generally motivates chil-dren to learn. Therefore,achieving positive impact onlearning and developmentusing ICT depends to a largeextent on how it is deployedandused,” she adds.To guard against children’svulnerability, she advised thatparents should watch atten-tively anddiscreetlyhowtheirchildren spend their timeonline, what they do, whotheymeetandwhatiscurrent-ly theirmain interest.In his speech, ErnestNdukwe, formerEVCofNCCand current Chairman ofOpen Media was emphaticthat ICT is very essential tochildren and that the future ofmedia and technology lies inbetter integration of digitalexperiences with the realworld.Ndukwe noted that “thecombination of technologyand computer have beenknowntodeliver results inthewaywe live today.”Moreover,ICT remains imperative inplanning and development ofthenation’s economyand thatgrowth has been recorded inICT applicationswhile othersstill require urgent attention.Gerald Ilukwe, CEO,GalaxyBackbone,representedby Amara Nwankpa, Head,Marketing, Galaxy Backbone,said in the Internet age, theteacher is no longer the expertbecause there are multiplechannels of learning today.“Wehavemoved from just-in-case learning to just-in-timelearning,” Ilukwe adds. “ICThas the potential to transformthe capacity of a new genera-tion through education.”

Stakeholders canvass coalition to safeguardNigerian child against online vulnerability

The ITUChild Online Protection (COP) initiative was endorsed byUN Secretary-General, heads of states, ministers and heads of international organisa-tions around theworld. It aims at promoting global awareness about the importance of child safety in the online world, developing practical tools to assist

Olubunmi Adeniyi

NEWS


h e N i g e r i a nC o m m u n i c a t i o n sCommission (NCC) says it

is taking the campaign for inter-national investors to ITUTelecom World event in Dubaiholding October 14-12, this yearto attract more investors in gov-ernment’s push to deepen nation-al broadband deployment.NCC says that under the plat-

form of Nigeria@ ITU TelecomWorld 2012 it hopes to connectan influential mix of participantsdrawn from across the global ICTindustry along with Heads ofState and Government,Regulators, Innovators, DigitalEntrepreneurs, investors andmany more at the event organisedby the InternationalTelecommunication Union (ITU)Executive Vice Chairman NCC,Eugene Juwah says that due tothe success recorded at the lastyear’s conference ITU TelecomWorld 2011 in Geneva, NCC ishoping this year to pitch to inter-national investors from aroundthe world to explore investmentsopportunities in Nigeria.“Our outing last year was a

great success, we did concentratea lot on investment on broadbandin Nigeria, and we want to buildon our success of last year”, hesays in a video interview with

ITU TV ahead of the global event.According to the Nigerian tele-

coms regulator, “Africa has verylow penetration of broadband.Africa has done very well in voicetelephony but the penetration ofbroadband is low, and in manycases is below one per cent.”While Nigeria today has

recorded major strides in boost-ing voice telephony with the mar-ket counting over 100 millionactive phone connections, tele-coms administration have accord-ed priority to broadband as thenext phase of growth in thevibrant market. According toJuwah, “what I will like to tell theinvesting public is that they haveto encourage Africa, they have tocome to Africa.

They have to encourage govern-ment in Africa to develop policies,talk to stakeholders on broad-band and see how to elevate thepenetration of broadband in

Africa.”The NCC chief sees broadband

as a key platform for innovation,growth and development andnotes that, “major issue with gov-ernment in Africa is to enablecompetitiveness for their citizens,broadband does it very well, Ihope everybody knows about theinfluence of broadband if 10 percent increase in broadband pene-tration generates about 1.3 per-cent improvement in GDP.”He adds that broadband access

will help to improve competitive-ness, the economy of Africa anddevelop the world at large, whileadding that “I hope that this willcontribute a lot to this agendathat you are talking about.”To encourage among young

entrepreneurs in Africa, Juwahadds that, “the innovation centresin Africa are currently based inthe universities, so we must lookat a way of taking connectivity to

the universities. Right now theconnectivity to the universitiesare quite inadequate, so we musttake connectivity there and helpdevelop local content so that theresources we have in the universi-ties can be channeled towardsdeveloping local contents. In thisway, a lot of innovation will comeout of Africa.”Juwah adds that ITU Telecom

World is an event where thebywords are knowledge andaction, adding that it usually con-venes a high-quality, influentialmix of participants drawn fromacross the ICT industry alongwith heads of state and govern-ment, regulators, innovators, digi-tal entrepreneurs and many more.A dynamic series of conferences

will tackle core issues such asusing ICTs to create a new future,optimization of spectrumresources, innovation, develop-ment and the economic crisis,

convergence and transformationof the ICT value chain, the impactof social networks and more.NCC expects the eventwill also

focus on a number of varied andinnovative showcasing, sponsor-ship and hospitality options, andalso provide extensive opportuni-ties for networking and doingbusiness with top-level partici-pants.“We enjoin you to be part of

this global connecting event withNigeria at ITU Telecom World2012, and take the Nigeria ICTindustry to a greater height,” headds.

NEWS

Invest in Broadband Nigeria, NCC woosinvestors at ITU TelecomWorld 2012

EVC,NCC, Eugene Juwah.

“Our outing last yearwas a great success,wedid concentrate a lot on investment in broad-band inNigeria, andwewant to build on our

success of last year”


News

nalysis of the inflow of tech-nology into the country hasshown that the Services sec-

tor led in new technology acquisi-tionswith55.14per centof technolo-gy agreements registered with theNational Office for TechnologyAcquisition and Promotion(NOTAP).NOTAP, the government agencyresponsible for registration ofTechnology Transfer Agreementssaysthedealweresealedbybusiness-es that are leveraging technologyusage andacquisitions in the servicessector comprisesBanking, Insurance,Hotels as well as InformationTechnology sub-sectors.Majorsourcesof technology infloware Asia and Far East countries fol-lowed by Europe particularly, theUnited Kingdom. Indeed, withJapan, India, South Korea and Chinaascending as Asian comparativelycheaper technological powerhouses,it’s no wonder European countrieslikeGermany,FranceandUK,whichare favourite trading partners withhigh quality technology, fell to sec-ondposition, the government agencysays.NOTAP says that a total of 1,237

Technology agreements were regis-tered from 1999 to December 2010with the breakdown showing thatthe Services sector had the highestnumber with 570 agreements. Thiswas followed by the Solid MineralandChemical Sectorwith256 agree-ments. The Engineering sector fol-lows with 233 agreements and theAgro-Allied sector with 178 agree-ments.According to NOTAP, theincreased inflowof technology in theServices sectorwasmainly attributa-ble to the increase in the acquisitionof SoftwareAgreements as a result ofthe increasedawarenessandapplica-tion of IT in systems automation inthe country.NOTAPdrew these conclusions ina statement that evaluated its 2006data and underscored the usefulnessof its Computerised RegistryInformation System (CORIS), theWindows-based application systemwhich stores information from tech-nology agreements evaluated by thegovernment agency, retrieves anddisseminates it easily to interestedusers.

CORIS captures information ontechnology inflow into all sectors ofthe economy, types of registeredtechnology agreements, subjects offocus such as sources of technology,new investments/projects, financialsavings, among others, the agencysays.“The system provides for easyaccess to data on TechnologyAgreements for statistical and policyformulation purposes,” NOTAP saysnoting that, “it facilitates generationof reports on previous agreementsevaluated which are useful for refer-ence purposes when evaluating newagreements. It eliminates time-con-suming and cumbersome manualpreparation of Reports on technolo-gy agreements, amongothers.”In recognition of the importance ofsuch information to the economicandtechnologicaldevelopmentofthecountry, NOTAPpreparesQuarterlyReports on information stored in thesystem for purpose of disseminationto all interested end-users, the state-ment concluded.Umar Buba Bindir, DirectorGeneral, NOTAP, says that, “In thepresent era of globalisation and liber-alisation in the world economy, a

nation must be able to harness herideas, inventions, innovations andcreative works towards technologi-caladvancementandglobalcompeti-tiveness. To nurture national talents,Nigeria requires identification of herresearchers and inventors; creationofanenablingenvironmentandto initi-ate strategies to protect all the stake-holders and their creativeworks.”According to him, the FederalGovernment, recognisingthishadsetup the Ministry of Science andTechnology which has NOTAP asoneof its parastatals.NOTAP’s activities includeEvaluation/Registration ofTechnology Transfer Agreements;Promotion of Intellectual Property;Technology Advisory and SupportServices;CommercializationofR&DResults; Research Industry Linkage;Production of CompenduimManagement Information System;Publication of Project Profiles onR&DResults, amongothers.“It is my humble belief that,NOTAP, through its current andfuture activities, backed with dedi-cated and efficient personnel, ade-quate Government support andfunding, would take this country to

greater heights scientifically andtechnologically”, Bindir adds.

Services Sector dominates technologyimports into Nigeria with 55%, NOTAP saysBy Bola Abbas

NOTAP says it has recorded savings for the economy; the increased inflow of technology to the Services Sector was mainly attributable to the increase in the acquisition of Software Agreements as a result of the increasedawareness and application of IT in systems automation in the country.

Umar Buba Bindir, Director General,NOTAP, says that “In this present era ofglobalisation and liberalisation in theworld economy, a nation must be able toharness her ideas, inventions, innova-tions and creative works towards tech-nological advancement and global com-petitiveness. To nurture national talents,Nigeria requires identification of herresearchers and inventors.


NEWS

rutal attacks against bloggers,politically motivated surveil-lance, proactive manipulation ofwebcontent,andrestrictivelawsregu-lating speech online are among thediverse threats to internet freedomemerging over the past two years,according to a new study releasedtodaybyFreedomHouse.Despite these threats, Freedom ontheNet 2012: AGlobal Assessment ofInternet andDigitalMedia found thatincreased pushback by civil society,technology companies, and independ-ent courts resulted in several notablevictories.Sanja Kelly, Project Director forFreedom on the Net at FreedomHouse, says that, “The findings clearlyshow that threats to internet freedomarebecomingmorediverse.Asauthor-itarianrulersseethatblockedwebsitesandhigh-profilearrestsdrawlocalandinternational condemnation, they areturning to murkier—but no less dan-gerous—methods for controllingonlineconversations.”The battle over internet freedomcomesat a timewhennearly one thirdof theworld’s populationhasused theinternet.Governments are respondingto the increased influence of the newmedium by seeking to control onlineactivity, restricting the free flow ofinformation, and otherwise infringingon the rights of users. Themethods ofcontrol are becoming more sophisti-cated,andtacticspreviouslyevident inonly the most repressive environ-ments—suchasgovernmentsinstigat-ing deliberate connection disruptionsorhiringarmiesofpaidcommentatorstomanipulateonlinediscussions—areappearing inawider setof countries.Freedom on the Net 2012, whichidentifies key trends in internet free-dom in 47 countries, evaluates eachcountry based on barriers to access,limitsoncontent,andviolationsofuserrights.The study found that Estonia hadthegreatestdegreeof internet freedomamong the countries examined, whiletheUnitedStates ranked second. Iran,

Cuba, and China received the lowestscores in the analysis. Eleven othercountries received a ranking of NotFree, including Belarus, Saudi Arabia,Uzbekistan, and Thailand. A total of20of the47 countries examined expe-riencedanegativetrajectoryininternetfreedom since January 2011, withBahrain, Pakistan, and Ethiopia regis-tering thegreatestdeclines.Several downgrades, particularly inthe Middle East, reflected intensifiedcensorship, arrests, and violenceagainst bloggers as the authoritiessought to quell public calls for reform.InSaudiArabia,Ethiopia,Uzbekistan,and China, authorities imposed newrestrictionsafterobservingthekeyrolethat social media played in the upris-ings inEgyptandTunisia.At the same time, 14 countries regis-teredapositivetrajectory,withTunisiaand Burma experiencing the largestimprovements following dramaticpolitical openings. The remaininggains occurred almost exclusively indemocracies, highlighting the crucialimportance of broader institutions ofdemocratic governance in upholdinginternet freedom.Countries at Risk: As part of itsanalysis, Freedom House identified anumber of important countries thatare seen as particularly vulnerable todeteriorationinthecoming12months:Azerbaijan, Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan,Russia,Rwanda, andSriLanka.KeyTrends*Newlawsrestrictfreespeech:In19of the 47 countries examined, newlaws or directives have been passedsince January 2011 that either restrictonline speech, violate user privacy, orpunish individuals who post contentdeemedobjectionableorundesirable.* Bloggers and ordinary usersincreasingly face arrest for politicalspeech on the web: In 26 of the 47countries, including several democrat-ic states, at least one blogger or ICTuser was arrested for content postedonlineor sentvia textmessage.* Physical attacks against govern-ment critics are intensifying: In 19 of

the 47 countries assessed, a blogger orinternet user was tortured, disap-peared,beaten,orbrutallyassaultedasa result of their online posts. In fivecountries,anactivistorcitizenjournal-istwaskilled inretribution forpostinginformation that exposed humanrightsabuses.* Paid commentators, hijackingattacksareproliferating:Thephenom-enon of paid pro-government com-mentators has spread over the pasttwoyears fromasmall set of countriesto 14 of the 47 countries examined.Meanwhile, government critics facedpoliticallymotivatedcyberattacksin19of thecountriescovered.*Surveillanceisincreasing,withfewchecks on abuse: In 12 of the 47 coun-tries examined, a new lawor directivedisproportionately enhanced surveil-lance or restricted user anonymity. Inauthoritarian countries, surveillanceoftentargetsgovernmentcritics,whilein middle-performing countries, safe-guards for user rights and oversightprocedures are lagging far behindgov-ernments’ technical capacities andlegalpowers, leadingtoabuse.* Citizen pushback is yieldingresults: A significant uptick in civicactivism related to internet freedom,alongside important court decisions,has produced notable victories in awide set of countries. Advocacy cam-paigns, mass demonstrations, websiteblackouts, and constitutional courtdecisions have resulted in censorshipplans being shelved, harmful legisla-tion being overturned, and jailedactivists being released. In 23 of the 47countries assessed, at least one suchvictoryoccurred.OtherSignificantCountryFindings:* China: China is home to theworld’s largest population of internetusers, but also themost advanced sys-temof controls—one thathasbecomeeven more restrictive. In 2011, theauthorities abducted dozens ofactivists and bloggers, holding themincommunicado for weeks and sen-tencing several to prison. The govern-mentalsotightenedcontrolsoverpop-

ular domestic microblogging plat-forms, pressuring key firms to morestringently censor political contentand to register their users’ real names.Meanwhile, China’s influence as anincubatorforsophisticatedrestrictionswas felt across theglobe,withgovern-ments such as Belarus, Uzbekistan,and Iran using China as a model fortheirownnewinternetcontrols.* Iran: The Iranian authorities usedmore nuanced tactics in a continuedcampaign against internet freedomthat began after disputed elections in2009. These tactics included: upgrad-ing content filtering technology, hack-ing digital certificates to undermineuser privacy, and moving closer toestablishing a National Internet.Iranian judicial authorities also metedout some of the harshest sentences inthe world for online activities, includ-ing imposing the death penalty onthreebloggersandITprofessionals.*Russia:The internet is the last rela-tively uncensored platform for publicdebate in Russia. However, sinceJanuary 2011, massive distributeddenial-of-service (DDoS) attacks andsmear campaigns to discredit onlineactivists have intensified. After onlinetools played a critical role in galvaniz-ing massive anti-government proteststhat began in December 2011, theKremlin signaled its intention to fur-thertightencontrolover internetcom-munications.* Pakistan: Disconcerting recentdevelopments in Pakistan include aban on encryption and virtual privatenetworks (VPNs), a death sentenceimposed for transmitting allegedlyblasphemouscontentviatextmessage,and a one-day block on all mobilephone networks in Balochistanprovince. Several other initiatives toincrease censorship—including aplantofiltertextmessagesbykeywordanda proposal to develop a nationwideinternet firewall—were officiallyshelved in response to civil societyadvocacy campaigns, although somesuspect that the government is stillworkingonthembehindcloseddoors.

*Egypt:TheSupremeCounciloftheArmed Forces (SCAF) maintainedmany of its predecessor’s tactics ofinternet control, while intensifyingothers. Mobile phones, the internet,and social media remained under vig-orous surveillance, bandwidth speedswere throttled during specific events,and SCAF-affiliated commentatorsmanipulated online discussions.Several activists and bloggers wereintimidated,beaten, shotat,or tried inmilitary courts for “insulting themili-tary power” or “disturbing socialpeace.” Despite recent elections, thefuturetrajectoryofinternetfreedominEgypt remains precarious and uncer-tain.*United States: Internet access inthe United States remains open andfairly free compared with the rest ofthe world. Courts have consistentlyheld that prohibitions against govern-ment regulation of speech apply tomaterialpublishedontheinternet,butthe government’s surveillance powersare cause for some concern. In early2012, campaigns by civil society andtechnology companies helped to haltpassage of the StopOnline PiracyAct(SOPA) and the Protect IP Act(PIPA),whichwerecriticizedfortheirpotentially negative effects on freespeech.*Azerbaijan: As the host of theInternet Governance Forum (IGF) inNovember 2012, the government ofAzerbaijan has been eager to promoteitselfasa leaderof ICTinnovation,buthas also slightly increased restrictionson internet freedom. Rather than sig-nificantly censoring online content,the government has employed tacticssuch as raiding cybercafes to gatherinformation on user identities, arrest-ing politically active netizens ontrumped-up charges, and harassingactivists and their familymembers. Inaworrisomedevelopment,theauthor-ities ramped up their surveillancecapabilities of mobile phones in early2012.

Governments grow increasingly repressiveonline as activists fight back, report says

Cross section of attendees at the Nigeria Broadband Forum hosted recently in Lagos by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to explore options for high-speed internet growth across NigeriaPhoto: Damilare Bankole


News

NEWSRIM spurs rare optimism withsurprising growth, new phoneesearch in Motionoffered investors a rayof hope on Tuesday,announcing an unexpectedincreaseinsubscribernumbersthat sent its shares up 5 per-cent as the company workedhard to drum up enthusiasmfor its crucial Blackberry due2013.Waterloo, Ontario-basedRIM, a pioneer in the smart-phone arena, has in past yearslost market share in NorthAmerica to Apple Inc andSamsung, whose more versa-tile and user-friendly devicestookoff.RIM is trying to reinvent itselfthrough a line of jazzed-upsmartphones that will run ontheBlackBerry10orBB10oper-ating system on which thecompanyhas staked its future.In an attempt to create a buzzaround the new devices, ChiefExecutive Thorsten Heinsgave a preview of the smart-phone and its features to itsdevelopers at a gathering onTuesdayinSanJose,California.Dressedinanoutfit fewSiliconValleyexecutives sport - agreypinstripedsuit -Heinssaid thecompany was fighting for itsfuture."There is new energy and anewfightingspirit inthiscom-pany," he said as he listed newfeatures from Internet brows-ing to multitasking betweenapplications.Heins said BlackBerry's sub-scriber base had risen to 80million in the quarter ended

September 1 from the 78 mil-lionitreportedearlierthisyear.The addition of subscriberssurprisedmanyonWallStreetand sparked a bounce in thecompany's share price. Mostanalysts had expected RIM tobegin losing subscribers in therecently ended quarter, for thefirst time in itshistory.In a presentation that lackedthe customary pizzazz ofmajor Silicon Valley events,

executives showed off some ofthe key features of the newphone like the browser, and'flow' and 'peek' features thatlet users access important fea-tures without leaving an openapplication.RIM has completely focusedon the launchof its new lineofrevamped devices in recentmonths,while itsagingline-upof smartphones in the markethave struggled to compete

against the recently launchediPhone 5 and a slew of newAndroiddevices.Itbadlyneedsahit.Thelaunchof BB10 has been delayed tonextyearfromthefinalquarterof this year, adecision thathadnotgonedownwellwithRIMshareholders.BlackBerry 10 isour most important launchever," he said.

Google Inc is set tobecome the biggestearner in U.S. display adsthis year, taking the No. 1rank away from FacebookInc and cementing its domi-nant presence in onlineadvertising. Google's risingclout in display ads - theboxeswith images and videofound on websites -- hascome on the back of growthin video advertising on itsYouTube subsidiary, as wellas mobile advertisingthrough Admob, a companyacquired by Google in 2009.This year, Google will claim15.4 percent of display addollars, or $2.31 billion, com-pared to Facebook's 14.4percent, or $2.16 billion,according to projections by

eMarketer, a digital adver-tising research firm. But itadded that publishers acrossthe board have been bruisedby weaker-than-expecteddisplay advertising demandthis year as large brandswithheld splurging on costlydigital campaigns. Top dis-play ad earners Google andFacebook were followed byYahoo Inc, Microsoft Corpand AOL Inc, which all haveadvertising networks acrosstheir digital content proper-ties. Facebook said thisweek that it would begindeveloping a mobile ad net-work that would allowadvertisers to target adsusing Facebook data acrossthe web and not justFacebook's website.

Google set to take Facebook'scrown in US display ads

ony Corp is relyingmore heavily on itsPlayStation 3 gameconsoles to make money forits game unit in the year toMarch, as weak sales ofhandhelds threaten toundermine a business thecompany's CEO is bankingon to help return his compa-ny to profit. Sony's newCEO, Kazuo Hirai, has saidgrowing sales in games, digi-tal cameras, smartphonesand tablets, along with newbusinesses such as medicalequipment, will help theconsumer electronics com-pany return to profit as itdraws back frommoney-los-ing TVs. "I think we will beprofitable this year," AndrewHouse, the executive incharge of Sony's gaming unittold Reuters in an interviewon the sidelines of the TokyoGame Show on Thursday."We have a growinginstalled base, growing con-nectivity of the PS3." Hedeclined to say whether hisdivision would improve onthe 29 billion yen ($371 mil-

lion) operating profit postedin the year ended March 31.On August 2, it cut its fore-cast for sales of Vita and PSPhandheld consoles this busi-ness year to 12 million from16 million. Sony's game unitis maintaining its target ofan 80 billion yen operatingprofit on sales of 1 trillionyen in the year to March2015, the timetable the firmhas set for the planned turn-around on which the CEOwill be judged. Investors areconcerned that Sony willstruggle to achieve a turn-around. It has alreadyslashed its earnings outlooksince Hirai took office inApril. After its first quarter itlowered its annual operatingprofit prediction to 130 bil-lion yen from 180 billion yen.In the previous twelvemonths it posted a loss of 67billion yen. The average esti-mate of 14 analysts surveyedby Thomson Reuters sincethen is for operating profit of110 billion for the 12 months.

eg Whitman has alaundry list ofthings to do at HP:Arrest a rapid decline in itspersonal computerunit, com-petebetteronenterpriseserv-ices, and figure out a strategyasmobiledeviceseat intoper-sonal computer sales.That leaves one still-brightspot in Hewlett-Packard'sbeaten-up portfolio - print-ing.The HP chief executive inpast months has punctuatedtalk about her years-longturnaroundplanwith sweep-inggoals suchasbattling IBMand Dell Inc on corporateservices and products, usingSilicon Valley buzzwordssuch as "cloud" and "social"and "big data." In the shortrun, however, its printers arebuying time for the CEO ofone year to turn around thesprawling company withover 300,000workers.Whitman on Wednesdaywill hostHP's annual presen-tation to investors in SanFrancisco, andWall Street iskeeping one eye on a divisionthat her predecessor onceconsidered spinning off.

Though it has lost some ofits shine, the unit still gener-atesclosetoa fifthof total rev-enue and 35 percent to 40percent ofHP's annual profit.Printing is "not as much aproblem as some of the otherbusinesses," said Shaw Wu,analystwith SterneAgee. "It'sstill a cash-cowbusiness. Theprofits havedeclinedbut they

are still very strong."Revenue from all of HP'smain business units fell in theJulyquarter,with thePCunitseeing a slide of 10 percent.Operating profit declined by28 percent in the PC group,the largest slide among HP'sdivisions, followed by a 22percent slide in services.Printing revenue declined

2.7 percent last quarter, butoperating profit increased by8 percent. The groupaccounted for $949million ofHP's $3.1 billion in operatingincome that quarter.Wu is expecting HP'sannual printing revenue todecline by about $1 billion to$25 billion this fiscal year,which ends inOctober.

HP's profitable printers tobuy Whitman timeSony game unit pegs profithope on PS3, handhelds weak

Hewlett Packard CEO and PresidentMegWhitman attends the Allen&CoMedia Conference in Sun Valley,Idaho July 12, 2012. Photo: Reuters

Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins discusses features of the Blackberry 10 during his keynote addressduring the Blackberry Jam Americas in San Jose, California September 25, 2012. Photo: Reuters


News

NEWS

Samsung allowed to sell GalaxyTab in U.S. as court lifts banU.S. court removed atemporary sales banagainst SamsungElectronics Co Ltd's GalaxyTab 10.1wonbyApple Inc in apatent dispute, allowing theSouth Korean company to sellthe product in the UnitedStates.While the Galaxy 10.1 is anolder model, the lifting of thebancouldstillhelpSamsunginthe run-up to the pivotal holi-dayshoppingseason."We are pleased with thecourt'sactiontoday,whichvin-dicates our position that therewasno infringementofApple'sdesign patent and that aninjunction was not called for,"Samsungsaid inastatement.Separately, Samsung filed amotion against Apple sayingthe iPhone 5 had infringed onsomeof thecompany'spatents.The world's top two smart-phone makers are locked inpatent disputes in 10 countriesas they vie to dominate thelucrativemarket.Thelegalfightbeganlastyearwhen Apple sued Samsung inmultiple countries, andSamsungcountersued.TheinjunctionontheGalaxytablet had been put in place

aheadofamonth-longtrialthatpitted the iPhone makeragainst Samsung in a closelywatchedlegalbattlethatendedin August with a victory forApple on many of its patentviolationclaims.However, the jury foundthatSamsung had not violated the

patent that was the basis forthe tablet injunction andSamsung argued the sales banshouldbe lifted.Thesolebasis fortheprelimi-naryinjunctionnolongerexistssince the jury found thatSamsung'sGalaxyTabhadnotviolatedApple'sD'889patent.

"The court does not agreewith Apple that Samsung'smotion for dissolution of theJune 26 preliminary injunctioncannot be fairly decided with-out resolvingApple's post-trialmotions," Judge LucyKoh saidinher ruling.

ocial media companyFacebook Inc reportedonThursday it reached the 1billion user mark last month,while Chief Executive MarkZuckerberg said itwouldkeeppursuing growth throughmobiledevices.TheNo. 1 social networkhasfaced a rough road since itsMay initial public offering.Investors and analysts havefretted over a sharp slowdownin revenue growth and ques-tioned how Facebook willmakemoneyfromusersaspeo-ple access its site on mobiledevices.Facebook shares have lostmore than 40 percent of theirvalue since the stock debutedat$38.Facebook, based in MenloPark,California,hit the1billionmilestone on September 14 at12:45 p.m. Pacific time, thecompany said on its website.This is up by 45 million userssince June.It said it had 600 millionmobile users, according to afact sheet the companyposted.In an interview on NBC's"Today" show broadcast onThursday, Zuckerberg wasaskedbyco-anchorMattLauerabouthow,with 1billionusers,the companywasn't "killing it,"bymakingmoney."I think it depends on yourdefinition of 'killing it.' I meanwe are making billions of dol-lars,"Zuckerbergsaid.Initslastearnings report, Facebook said

revenue increased by 32 per-cent to $1.18 billion in the sec-ondquarter.The 28-year-old CEO talkedabout the growth potentialfrom mobile users. "There's 5billionpeopleintheworldwhohave phones, so we should beabletoservemanymorepeopleand grow the user base there,"he said.In September, Zuckerbergsaidthecompany'snewmobileads were delivering betterresults for advertisers than itstraditional ads on personalcomputers.As for his own phone habits,he said he has several devices,

but recently had been using aniPhone 5 he received fromAppleCEOTimCook.Zuckerberg acknowledgedthat morale at the companycould be better but that its4,000 employees remainedfocused on building andimproving Facebook's prod-ucts."Weare obviously in a toughcycle now ... that doesn't helpmorale," he said.The 1 billion user count is upfrom the end of June, when ithad955million activemonthlyusers.Zuckerberg,ChiefOperatingOfficer Sheryl Sandberg and

board member MarcAndreessenhavebeencourtinginvestors this week withappearances on the CNBCbusinesschannelandonpanelsat a high-profile advertisingconference inNewYork. Italsounveiled a video toutingFacebook's connection withpeople across theworld.Facebook has rolled out aspateof initiativestospurmoregrowth, includinganewadver-tising platform and measure-mentmethodstoshowcompa-nies they are getting theirmoney'sworthwith Facebookads.

Facebook reaches one billionmonthly active users

Facebook Chief ExecutiveMark Zuckerberg gestures as he addresses students at theMoscow State University inMoscowOctober 2, 2012 Photo: Reuters

nternational BusinessMachines Corp willannounce on Wednesdaythat it will ramp up efforts tosell cloud computing servicesto midsize businesses, theWall Street Journal reportedonTuesday.The move by IBM, a bell-wether for the IT industrybecause of its global span andbreadthofbusinesses, isaimedat grabbingmarket share fromcompanies like Amazon.comInc and Salesforce.com Inc,which have been successful inthe mid-market, the papersaid.For Armonk,N.Y.-based IBM,midsize companies refer to

those with less than 1,000employees, the newspapersaid.The company's general man-ager in charge of small andmedium-sized businesses,Andy Monshaw, told theJournalthatthecheapercostofcloud computing will let thecompanyreachabiggerbaseofsmaller customers.Cloud computing is the deliv-ery of computing and storagecapacity that allows users to,for instance, rent servers andsoftware to store data over anetwork.IBM officials could not bereached for comment outsideregularU.S. businesshours.

arnes&Noble Inc's firsthigh-definition tablets,unveiled onWednesday, were wellreceived by analysts who saidthe devices keep the book-seller in the fight withAmazon.com Inc, Apple IncandGoogle Inc - fornow.The largest U.S. bookstorechain has staked its future onsuccess in the growing e-books industry in the face ofdeclining sales of physicalbooks that last year led to thebankruptcy of the Bordersbookstore chain.Barnes&Noble introduceda $199 7-inchNookHDtabletthatwill goupagainst similar,recentlylaunchedproductsbyGoogle and Amazon.com thisholiday season.The company also unveileda $269 9-inch Nook HD+tablet that will compete withtheApple iPad."Thedevicesareanimprove-ment in important ways overthepreviousgenerationsoftheNook, and they one-upAmazon in some areas,"Forrester Research analyst

Sarah Rotman Epps toldReuters.While thenewproductsarethinner and lighter than rivalsand followa fewmonths afterMicrosoft said itwould invest$605 million in Barnes &Noble's Nook e-reader andcollege business, the book-store chain still faces a daunt-ing task."Barnes & Noble is thesmallestplayertryingtodothesoftware and the hardwaredevelopment, and they don'thave the financial meansbeyond what Microsoft hasalready fronted them to keepup in the arms race," saidMorningstar analyst PeterWahlstrom.In many ways, Barnes &Noble, which operates nearly700stores,hasdefiedexpecta-tions. It beat Amazon to themarketplace with touch-screen devices and a colorreader in recent years, andwon plaudits from reviewersthis year for its glow-in-the-dark Nook that allows some-one to readwith the lights offso asnot todisturbothers.

Barnes & Noble launchesnew tablets in e-books fight

ModelsholdSamsungElectronics' newtablet 'GalaxyTab 10.1' as theypose forphotographsduring its launchceremonyatthe company'sheadquarters inSeoul July20, 2011 Photo:Reuters

Amanpassesbyan illuminated IBMlogoat theCeBITcomputer fair inHanoverFebruary27, 2011.Theworld's largest IT fairCeBITopens itsdoorsonMarch 1 and runs throughMarch5. Photo:Reuters

IBMaims forAmazon, Salesforce.com

withmidsize cloud plan:WSJ

The NOOK HD+ in an image courtesy of Barnes & Noble . Photo: Reuters


utilised, they can also go thereto form another GSM Village.Ifthesethingskeeponhappen-ingconstantly, thewholeplacewill be neat and the environ-mentwill be smooth and con-ducive for the running of busi-nesses,” he added.Ezeh, who condemned theinflux of grey, substandardproducts in the market,blamed miscreants and land-lords who take advantage ofroadside traders seeking busi-ness space in order to exploitthem.CAPDAN'snumbertwoman disclosed that the traderspay as low as N50,000 butmount display glasses on thestreets around the IkejaComputermarket.According to him, “Theycharged one man having hisshopasakioskontheroadsideN100,000; anotherpersonherepaid about N50,000 for put-ting showglasshere and that’sthe way they go round every-day to collect money fromthem."Meanwhile, some of theaffected roadside traders whospoke on condition ofanonymity appealed to thegovernment to provide analternative market for them,noting that displacing themwithout rehabilitating thematan alternative location woulddomoreharmthangood.On the relocation ofComputerVillage toKatanguaMarket, the CAPDAN execu-tive urged the government tocontinuously involve the asso-

ciation in the relocation of themarkettoanalternativespotin the state.According to him, “There is nowaytheywill force theven-dors to go therewithout com- pleting the place. But whatgovernment can do is to involveusmore inbuildingthenewmarket.”

CAPDAN, the umbrella group of businesses in Ikeja Computer Village which is seeking the assistance of the Lagos State government, has told Technology Times that activities of road-side traders continues to undermine patronage of its members Photo: Damilare Bankole

CAPDAN seeks Fashola’s support for conducive business in Ikeja Computer VillageContinue from Page 1

Leadership Newspaper ofThursday, October 4, 2012which alleged frequencyracketeering, with an insinu-ation that themanagementofthe commission has sold afrequency slot belonging tothe Nigerian police to a pri-vate firm,Open Skys.”Denying the report,Muokasays, “that the story in itsentirety lacks basic under-standing of frequency alloca-tion and its processesinvolved, resulting in unsub-stantiated information capa-ble of misleading the publicand industry stakeholders.”NCC says the frequencies

allocated to Open Skys andSmile Communications arein two separate frequencybandswhile due processwasfollowed in the allocationwhich started in 2009 forsimilar frequencies at thecommission.According to the regulator,“the frequencyspectrumallo-cated to the Police by thecommission is intact and hasnot inanywayaffectedbytheallocation.”NCC adds that the alloca-tion of frequency to OpenSkys followed due processand began in 2008 followinga Presidential directive to thecommission for allocation ofa portion in the 450 MHz toNIGCOMSAT, the publicly-owned satellite services com-

pany.NCC adds that its Boardacceded to the request, “onthe condition that NIG-COMSAT, being a govern-ment agency, must seek pri-vate sector partnershipbefore qualifying for suchallocation. Upon complianceand submission of the nameof Open Skys, the companyapplied for the licence andfrequency in 2009.”According to Muoka, “Theuse of 450MHz for commer-cial telecommunications wasapproved by the NationalFrequency ManagementCouncil (NFMC) on Nov 5,2004. After this approval,occupants in this band, likethe Police, Shell PDC, Agip,Chevron, and some others,were relocated to specificportions of the band fromwhere they had indiscrimi-nately occupied. TheNigerian Police was specifi-callyon 18thofOctober2005,approved to be moved to469.375 – 469.975 MHz /459.375 – 459.975 MHz ofthis spectrum. Open Skys, inwhich NIGCOMSAT hasinterest,was topaythepolicefor the relocation cost esti-mated at N350 million,which from our records, wascompliedwith.”He adds, “Open Skys wasthereafter invoiced for thesum of N1.141 billion, for 5years toenable there-farmingof the frequencywhile it paidthe sum of N892,455,010.60

as frequency fee destined forthe Federation Accountwhile the balance ofN247,544,989.40, lateradjusted to N350 million tocover the additional cost ofreplacement of the old radiosbelonging to the Police sincethey will not be attuned tothe new frequency spectrum,was paid.”NCC faulted the allegedclaim of racketeering by itsleadership on any frequencybelonging to the Police andallocationtoaprivatecompa-ny while noting that “theNigerian Police, Shell, AGIPand others still have alloca-tion on the different portionsof the 450MHzband.”Muoka maintains that allthe decisions on the matterwere taken by the Board ofNCCandall thedueprocess-es were followed while not-ing that it is the commissionthatalsodecideswhichof theavailable allocation processesas prescribed by the relevantlaws, are applied during anyallocation of frequencies.He adds that in the case ofSmile Communications Ltd,the company was in 2009awarded a Unified AccessService License (UASL) for a10-yearperiodthatexpiresonJune 30, 2019 alongside aPrivate Networks Link(PNL) and a spectrum in the850 MHz band for imple-mentation of the licenceshaving applied since 2008.According to NCC, the

company’s applications wereprocessed in line withSections 123 and33of theActand in compliance with ourlicensing procedures.According to the regulator,Smile Communications waslicensed to provide broad-band multimedia services onthe 850 MHz Band nation-wide and was assigned 15MHz spectrum based onTime Division Duplexing(TDD) in the 850MHz bandto provide wireless accessservices in 2009.“In March. 2010, SmileCommunications appealedthat their 15 MHz TimeDivision Duplexing, TDD,assignment to 10 MHzFrequency DivisionDuplexing (FDD). Whilethis application was under-going consideration, thecommission, first and fore-most, took a decision to allo-cate additional 5MHz fre-quency on the TDD as earlierrequested by SmileCommunications to ensureeffective use of the 15 MHzwhich it already had as thecurrent status of the 15MHzwould constitute a waste.The consideration of itsrequest,which impliedacon-version of the spectrum fromTDD to FDD for a lowervalue, is yet to be decided asthis would require time andcosts for re-farming all thefrequencies, and also toaccommodate many applica-tions that are being made for

its use due to the digital divi-dend opportunities,” addsMuokaNCC says further that itsUASL licence, SmileCommunications paidN320,250,000.00 on June 26,2009; for the PNL license, itpaid N46,830,000.00 onFebruary 26, 2009 and for itsSpectrum License with 10years validity from July 2009,it paidN2,154,600,000whichis for the FederationAccountand also paid N718,200,000for the additional 5MHz.“We have taken efforts toprovidedetails of these trans-actions to show clearly thatDr. Juwah has not evenresumed at the NCC whenthe process of the allocationsbegan.We alsomake bold tosay that all due processeswere taken in the allocationscontrary to the allegationscontained in the report”, addsthe agency’s spokesman.According to Muoka, “weadvise newsmen to alwaysseek clarifications from theCommission before going topress with sensitive informa-tion that are false but capableof misinforming the publicand casting the commissionand its management in badlight. The commissionrestates that in all its regula-tory activities, due processesare followed, just like in thecases reported by the news-paper.”

NCC denies racketeering in allocation of frequency slots to Open Skys,Smile Communications

Euguene Juwah, EVC/NCC


Monday October 8-14 2012 TECHNOLOGY TIMES PageClassifieds

he Samsung Galaxy Pocket,an entry-level Smartphonethat bundles the affordabilityedge, is the top-sellingmobilehand-set in Nigeria, according to theTechnology Times IntelligenceUnit that tracks the retail ecosys-tem to profile the Top 5 SellingMobile Phones in the country.Nigeria, ranked as Africa’s biggesttelecoms market with over 103.4million active lines and penetrationof 73.88 per cent at July, 2012, ishome to a vibrant marketplace forhandset makers pumping variousmodels frombasic featurephones tosophisticated smart phones tomeetthe needs of an increasingly trendyconsumer base.While Blackberry may not occu-py the top spot on the ranking,RIM’s trendy Smartphone remainsa favourite among Nigerian mobilephone users. Threemodels from theCanadian company, which is latelyrefocusing its local market growth,featured in theTop5 SellingMobilePhones ranking.

According to the mobile phonemarket retail ecosystem tracked byTechnology Times IntelligenceUnit, the market research divisionof Technology Times, within themonth of September, 2012,

Samsung led the Top 5 SellingMobile Phones ranking amonggrowing buyerswho prefer to be onthe technology cutting edge butbalance their desirewith conscious-ness of their pockets. That makesthe phone, currently sold below theN20,000 price tag, prudent buyers’

top choice.This is largely because featurephones are emerging in themarket-place packing features reflectingmarket needs like multiple-SIMphones. So far, none of the three-SIM models feature in the Top 5,but they are undoubtedly rising inprofile and it is no surprise that theNokia Asha 202, a dual-SIM hand-set, emerged on theTop 5 list, albeitat the bottom.The Nokia Asha 202, the numberfive selling mobile phone in Nigeriain September, 2012, features a dual-SIM, and is rising in profile amongbuyers despite the relative trendyBlackberry which is hot in the mar-ket thanks to its BBM Messengerservice which has triggered a ping-ing rave among Nigeria’s growingconnected user family.NokiaAsha202’s position reflectsthe growing consumers’ appetitefor mobile phones with dual SIMswhich are becoming commonplacein a market where phone users usemultiple SIMsbutnowsee theneedto carry fewer handsets.In a marketplace where multiplemobile phone lines are the norm,

Nokia’s response to reclaimingmar-ket share with dual-SIM handsetsshows market promises for theFinnish phone maker’s efforts toreclaim its shareof thehandsetmar-ket in Nigeria.The leader of the pack, theSamsungGalaxyPocket, is themar-ket’s favourite as it packs the pow-ers of a good Smartphone that doesnot punch a hole in the buyers’pockets at a pocket-friendly priceaveraging N18,500.Social media is the in-thing inAfrica’s most vibrant telecomsmar-ket currently counting over 102mil-lion active phone lines and mobilephone makers are mindful that it isnow cool to be linked to these coolsites from Facebook, Twitter andthe likes as shown by the Top 5SellingMobile Phones in Nigeria:Samsung Galaxy PocketThe Samsung Galaxy Pocket isone of the fastest-mover amongAndroid smart phones in themobile phone market space. Withits tiny form and Google’sSmartphone OS, the Galaxy Pocket

Computers Peripherals Innovation Applications Consumer Technology Phones

A shop displays different brands of handsets in Ikeja Computer Village: Growth in the telecomsmarket has boosted the growing demand for handsets and other mobile devices in Nigeria Photo: Damilare BankoleSamsung Galaxy Pocket leads Top5 Selling Mobile Phones in Nigeria

#1 SamsungGalaxyPocket

SamsungGalaxyPocket: theGalaxyPockethasbeenable tocapturea largenumberofusers inthelower budget Smartphone segment due largely because it is very pocket-friendly both in physicalappeal andaffordability.

ByBolaAbbas


Classifiedsmicro USB, 3.5mm headphoneconnection and sets a trend of beinga device that lets users with lowbudget savour the Smartphoneexperience.Blackberry Curve 4 (9360)The Blackberry Curve 9360(Curve 4, as popularly known) byResearch In Motion (RIM), hasagain connected very well with fansand lovers of the Curve series of theBlackberry range of smart phonesby emerging number 2 among the

Top 5 selling phones.The Curve series is one ofBlackberry’s most popular, afford-able (though hardly cheap), sleekand not-too-flashy device.However, Curve 4 has been updat-ed to give the Curve series morepunch among lovers of theSmartphone.Curve 4 is 11mm and 100gmsmeaning the phone is very slim,lightweight and sleek, also makingit the lightest Blackberry around atdimensions of 109mm x 60mm x11mm.An elegant, grey metal rim is at

the back and despite the smoothrear battery cover (Near FieldCommunication antenna on theunderside); grip is excellentbecause of a thin rubberized stripbetween the cover and the metalrim. The clunky side buttons of ear-lier Blackberry smart phones hasbeen replaced by small contouredrubberized fins (buttons) that arepart of the rubber casing.Curve 4 has a micro USB port forcharging and sync while the stan-dard 3.5mm audio out slot is on topwith a lock button. The keypad is

better than the older Curve seriesand in another welcome change, themicroSD card is swappable.The 9360 Curve comes with a2.44-inch, 480 x 360 pixel transmis-sible TFT LCD that is quite sharpdue to Blackberry 7 OS’ LiquidGraphics technology. The 800 MHz32-bit Marvell PXA940 is powerfulenough to ensure a smooth userexperience. The Curve comes with512 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM.The microSD/SDHC slot supportsup to 32 GB memory cards for addi-tional media storage. GPS and Wi-Fi support are included in theCurve 4.Blackberry Bold 5 (9900)

Even though this Smartphone hasbeen in the market for a while, theBlackberry Bold 9900 still contin-ues to be a trend-setter among othersmart phones in the mobile phonemarket. The Smartphone, which isamong those released when RIMwent down, can be said to haverevived the Blackberry market.The Bold 9900 looks like the Bold9000 from the front, but is thinner,slightly smaller. Being one of thethinnest Blackberry at 115 x 66 x10.5mm dimension, the Bold 5 looksgreat and very business-like. Itcomes in a brushed metal rim witha thin polished edge and under therear cover is the Near FieldCommunication (NFC) antenna.The rear had to be smooth carbonfibre, so there would be no signaldisruptions.Weighing in at 130gms, the Bold9900 is heavier and bigger than itsimmediate predecessor. Buttonpositioning is a bit different fromthe standard Blackberry style. Onthe right of the 9900, there are nowfour buttons compared to the previ-ous three. Three are media buttonswith a welcome Pause button in themiddle and the bottom one is a con-venience key that enables users per-sonalize to their preference.There is also a micro USB port forcharging and sync and a standard3.5mm audio out slot with a nicecontoured design. On the top, thereis a single lock button placed in thecentre and far easier to click thanthe top lock button on some earlierBlackberry smart phones.Bold 5 boasts of a 2.8-inch, 640 x480 pixel capacitive Touchscreenthat is incredibly sharp courtesy ofBlackberry 7 OS Liquid Graphicstechnology. The Touchscreen isvery precise and responsive and thetrackpad plus Touchscreen comboworks great.Although the Bold 5 is quiteexpensive, it sure gives users valuefor their money and shows classwithout going overboard.

Blackberry Curve 7 (9320)Research in Motion recentlylaunched the Curve 9320, whichhas some features that had not beenfound on Blackberry handsets(except 9220). These include a ded-icated BBM button and FM radiocapabilities.The new Blackberry Curve 9320Smartphone features all the coreBlackberry messaging and social-centric features that keep peopleconnected, and it offers global 3Gconnectivity backed by a long bat-tery life that allows 7 hours of talktime or up to 30 hours of FM radiolistening or music playback withheadphones. 3G connectivity is anaddition found on this handset,which the Blackberry Curve 9220did not feature.The new Social Feeds 2.0 app isalso pre-loaded on the Curve 7allowing users to post updates tomultiple social networks simulta-neously and capture updates fromnews sources (RSS), social appsand instant messaging apps, all in aconsolidated view.The Curve 7’s integrated cameraincludes a flash and supports videorecording, and pictures can betagged with their location due tothe Smartphone’s built-in GPS.The Blackberry Curve 9320comes with the new BlackBerry 7.1OS, which supports features, suchas Mobile Hotspot and Wi-Fi call-

ing where available. ParentalControls is a brand new, on-devicefeature that provides parents andguardians with simple options tohelp protect children by restrictingaccess to specific functions, featuresand applications.The new Curve could be said tobe relatively cheap with the newly-added features and the durability.And it comes in really handy forthose who love to have their radioon the move as well as socialites.Nokia Asha 202

A dual SIM-touch and typephone, the Nokia Asha 202 isdesigned for cost effective webbrowsing, social networking, gam-ing and entertainment. The NokiaAsha 202 is packed with a range offeatures and services, such as the EAgames pack and Nimbuzz chatclient.The Asha 202 aims to offer faster,richer and a more cost-efficient webexperience through the NokiaBrowser. And has got a lot in storeand very affordable for averagemobile phone users.Nokia’s Asha 202’s combinationof a traditional keypad with a 2.4-inch Touchscreen is ideal for mobilephone users seeking easy ways toconnect to the web and social net-

works to catch updates and multi-tasks, all on the go.Nokia Asha 202 features dualSIM with Easy Swap technologyand a dedicated SIM manager topersonalize the phone and save upto five SIM cards with unique infor-mation.The device comes with a 2megapixel camera, music player,FM radio, Nokia Browser, andBluetooth connectivity, and hasexpandable memory of up to 32GB.The Nokia Asha 202 comes infour colours to match users’ mood

and personality: black and gold, sil-ver white, dark grey and dark red.Display is 2.4 inch resistiveTouchscreen, which serves as thenavigation tool, Camera is 2 MP,with resolution of 1600 x 1200 pix-els which is not for high qualityrecording but still does well forbasic capturing.Nokia Asha 202�s internal mem-ory is 10MB and 16MB RAM mem-ory but it can be expandable up to32GB over microSD slot. The basicinternal memory is enough to makearchive of 20 dialed, 20 received and20 missed calls.Nokia Asha 202 has a battery ofonly 1020 mAh which is enough for5 hours of talk. Connection is possi-ble over USB, Bluetooth, GPRS andEDGE but there is no WiFi.

Blackberry Curve 4 (9360): Curve 4 has been updated to give the Curve series more punch amonglovers of the Smartphone.

#2 Blackberry Curve 4 (9360)1

#4: Blackberry Curve 7 (9320)

Blackberry Bold 5 (9900): Even though this Smartphone has been in the market for a while, theBlackberry Bold 9900 still continues to be a trend-setter among other smart phones in the mobilephone market.#3: Blackberry Bold 5 (9900)

#5: Nokia Asha 202

Blackberry Curve 7 (9320): The new Blackberry Curve 9320 Smartphone features all the coreBlackberry messaging and social-centric features that keep people connected, and it offers global3G connectivityNokia Asha 202: The Asha 202 aims to offer faster, richer and a more cost-efficient web experiencethrough the Nokia Browser. And has got a lot in store and very affordable for average mobile phoneusers.


ClassifiedsAll kinds of original

batteries, original

pouches,

original Blackberry

pouch, batteries,

chargers,

IPad, IPad pouch,

phone accessories,

IPod Mp3.

Tel; 08036227277 08056179080

SOUTHERN SIDE DESIGNSAddress:Shop Db 10 Gsm Plaza,12, Saka Tinubu, Vi, Lagos

Phones for sale

Communication con-sultant, sales and serv-ices of computers andphones, laptops andaccessories, generalassortments.

C AND O HOSSANA NIG LTD

Tel; 08023641234

Address: 12 , Saka Tinubu, Vi,Lagos

Computers for sale

UK used phones,

Nokia phones

(New), Techno

phones, software

setting and config-

uration on all types

of phones.

EJILINK COMMUNICATION

Tel: 07085355966, 08035844226

Address: :12, Saka Tinubu, Vi,Lagos.

Phones for sale

Good Proffessional AndAffordable Web DesignThat Will Put Your

Business Online And InThe Global Village.

Tel; 08023120471

Address:Suite B3/U, 12, SakaTinubu, Vi, Lagos.

Web hosting and Designing

: Dealers In All Kinds OfPhones And Accessories

INFOGREEN

Tel:08033047113

Address:Gsm Plaza, 12, Saka Tinubu,Vi, Lagos

Phones for saleLaptops, Uk UsedPhones, Accessories

And Repairs.

MCDONLYE LTD

Tel:08060347222


Phones for sale

Sales Of Gsm Phones SuchAs Nokia, Samsung, Sony,Blackberry, Iphone, Techno,Itel, Accessories And

Laptops.

VISION TELECOMS

Tel: 08055557115, 08023536241

Address: Gsm Plaza, 12, Saka Tinubu,Vi, Lagos

Phones Accessories for sale

Dealers Of Various Types Of

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Repair, Digital Cameras And

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Chargers.

UZO COMMUNICATION NIG. ENTERPRISES

Tel:08055640294


Phones for sale

Phones, Accessories,

Cables For Laptops,

Computer

Accessories And

London Used Phones

GOD’S TIME COMMUNICATION

Tel:08027270062, 08035440900


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Dealers In All Kinds Of Phones

And Accessories, Computers,

Lcd’s And General Assortment.

KENNOMEJ RESOURCES LTD

Tel:08037431766, 08026395715

Address:Block Gsm Plaza, 12, SakaTinubu, Vi, Lagos

Phones for sale

Dealers In Internet

Configuration, Laptop,

Phone, Downloads Of

Various Apps.

OLINIQ

Tel:08024317472, 08063633266



Phones for sale: Dealers In Nokia,

Samsung, Blacberry,

Techno, Itel Phones

And Original

Accessories.

FORBTEX CONCEPTS SERVICES

Tel:08038315797, 08084954857

Address: Gsm Plaza, 12,Saka Tinubu, Vi, Lagos


iPads for sale

D.T. TELE


Repair Of Laptops,Computers, Ipad,Iphone, Blackberry,Htc, Galaxy Tab AndSamsung Galaxy.

Tel:08033158099


EMAIL:

[email protected]

Phones EngineerDealers In All Gsm

Phones And

Accessories Such

As Nokia,

Blackberry, Techno

And Samsung.

Tel:08033552507


EMAIL:

[email protected]

Phones for sale

Dealers In Phones,Accessories, ComputerAnd Accessories,Original BlackberryPhones, Ipads, Htc,Nokia And Techno

Phones.

Tel:08033026751, 08030606287

Address: Gsm Plaza, 12, SakaTinubu, Vi, LagosEmail: [email protected]

Phones for sale

Repairs, Unlock PhonesSuch As Blackberry,Iphones, Nokia, Ipad,Htc And Galaxy Tab.

Tel:08066660522, 08077737331

Address: Suite C8, Gsm Plaza, 12, SakaTinubu, Vi, Lagos


Phones for saleSuppliers Of All KindsOf Spare Parts,Electronics AndElectrical,

Import/Exportn OfCommunication

Equipment And GeneralContractor.

Tel:08033293282, 08099744551

Address: Db 9, Gsm Plaza, 12,

Saka Tinubu, Vi, Lagos

Email;

ugophonicventures95@yaho

o.com

Phones for saleWe deal on London usedphones such as-Nokia,Samsung, SonyEricsson,LG, HTC, Blackberry, Ipad,I-phones, memory card.Alsowe deal on newwar-ranty phones such as-N o k i a ( 1 2 m n t h s ) ,Samsung(24mnths),LG(12mnths),Blackberry(12mnths), Tecno(13mnths).Quality is our watchword.

Tel:08066165720



Phones for sale




Tel:08038947166, 08089324030

Address:BlockH,Shop6 ,G.S.MVillage,Ikeja


Phones for sale

Dealers in all kinds ofphones such as- Nokia,

Blackberry, Samsung, HTC,SonyEricsson, Tecno e.t.c

quality Guaranted

Tel:08023865872

Address: ShopDb4, GsmPlaza, 12, SakaTinubu, Vi, Lagos

Phones for sale

Sales Of Handset AllBlackberry Accessories,Laptop Charger, BluetoothAndAll Phone Accessories.

Tel:08037770685

Address: Suite A10, Gsm Plaza, 12,Saka Tinubu, Vi, Lagos

Phones for sale

We Sell

Blackberry,Nokia,

Samsung, Htc Phones

And Phone

Accessories, Including

Ipad, Iphone And

London Used Phones.

Tel: 08090655003

Address: Gsm Plaza, 12, Saka

Tinubu, Vi, Lagos

Phones for sale

We Deal In Blackberry,Nokia, Samsung, HtcPhones, Iphone, Ipad 2

And Ipad 3 AndAccessories Of AllPhones Types And

Chargers.

Tel:08035511543, 08091903610



Phones for sale

We Sell Uk Used Phones Such

As Blackberry, Htc, Nokia, Ipad.

WeAlso Trade In.

Tel:07089530088

Address:Gsm Plaza, 12, Saka Tinubu, Vi,LagosEmail: [email protected]

Phones for sale

To list your products free, visit classified.technologytimesng.com

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ClassifiedsGSM Phones and

accessories informa-

tion Technologies

consultants and engi-

neering services

Tel:08036429660, 08182530119

Address:Onitsha Line N 1DGSM Village Along AgegeMotor Road Ikeja Lagos


Phones for sale

Dealers in any kind

of GSM Phones,

Nokia,Blackberry,

Tel:0812220044 & 07065615665

Address: Shop 1A Onisha lineGSM village


Phones for saleDealers in tokunbo fairly

used phones and lap-

tops of all brands

Tel:07034761601

Address: Shop A6 GSM village,Ikeja


Phones for sale

Phones, Cameras,Accessories, Memory

Card, Laptop.

Tel:08033010991

Address: Suite H7 GSM village IkejaLagos


Phones for sale

We sell phones such as

Nokia Tecno Blackberry

Phones and Samsung,

LG.

Tel:08023693769

Address: 1, Onitsha line GSMvillage Ikeja,B12 Oshodi market

AB 85, 95 Alaba international

market.

Email;[email protected]

m

Phones for saleWe deal on London usedphones such as-Nokia,Samsung, SonyEricsson,LG, HTC, Blackberry, Ipad,I-phones, memory card.Also we deal on new war-ranty phones such as-N o k i a ( 1 2 m n t h s ) ,Samsung(24mnths),LG(12mnths),Blackberry(12mnths), Tecno(13mnths).Quality is our watchword.

Tel:08066165720



Phones for sale




Tel:08038947166, 08089324030

Address:Block H, Shop 6 , G.S.M Village,Ikeja


Phones for saleDealers in all kinds ofphones such as- Nokia,

Blackberry, Samsung, HTC,SonyEricsson, Tecno e.t.cand All kinds of Laptops.We work with one year

warranty. Trusted and test-ed

Tel:08035623150, 08026436477


Phones for sale

Original phones such asLondon used

phones,Samsung, Nokia,Erickson and new phones

Tel:07085665481


Phones for sale


phones, Computers,

Accessories, Auto

spare parts and

General Electronics

Tel: 08033506204, 08182669002,

Address:Block D, shop 14 G.S.MVillage Ikeja


Phones for sale Dealers in all kinds ofphones and Accessories@ cheaper and afford-

able price.

Tel:08077799972,08131119065

Address: Block D, shop 9, G.S.MVillage, Ikeja


Phones for sale

Dealers in all kinds of phones.The place where price meets

quality.

Tel:07088720566

Address: Block G, shop 4, G.S.MVillage, Ikeja

Phones for sale


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ners go for all kinds of

phones, Blackberry and

accessories social

researches and consul-

tancy services. (Sales,

maintenance and

repair)

JOVARIN RESOURSES

Tel:08034039496, 07072019552BONLEN SYSTEM

Address: Block B, Suite 17, GSMVillage, Airport B/Stop Ikeja,

Lagos.


Phones for sale

Sales of phones and

laptops, Computer

Accessories and

Phone Accessories

D.P VENTURES

Tel:08067907781

Address: Shop 9 H Line GSMVillage Airport B/Stop, AgegeMotor Rd

Computers for saleA one stopsShopping Centre forall your mobilephones both new &fairly used.

OTHELSUN INTEGRATED

Tel:08036758712

Address: : Block i, Shop 2 GSMIkeja Village Airport B/stop Ikeja

Email: odogwuzo-

[email protected]

Phones for sale

Computers, Laptops,Networking, iphone andAccessories e.g. LaptopSpeakers, Ups, PrintersKeyboard, Laptop-Bags,Mouse, Flash drive,Memory-Cards.

Tel:08066229910, 07026373575

Address: Block B shop 15 GSMVillage Ikeja


Computers for saleDealers in all kinds ofKinds of GSM Headset

& Accessories,Importers & Exporters,

ManufacturesRepresentative andGeneral Merchandise.

VIAD INVESTMENT LIMITED

Tel:08034704774, 08033272128

Address:Block A Shop 3 GSM AirportB/Stop, Divine Plaza Computer Villagesuit 45, Pepple St., IkejaEmail:[email protected]

Phones for saleNew phones,London used

(Tokunbo) Blackberry,Nokia, HTC, Ericson,

Laptop, andBluetooth GSM

Accessories: Charger,Battery, Hand free,Memory Card

JUDEST NIG LIMITED

Tel:08033163571, 07031538809

Address: : Block 4 shop 3, IHLshopping mall GSM villageIkeja, Suite 17, Ola-Yemi StreetComputer Village Ikeja.Email:[email protected]

Phones for sale

Dealers in all kinds of originalphone accessories: Casings,Chargers, Batteries, MP3,Memory cards, Earphones,Bluetooth, Head phones,Screens (LCD) Tools, CarChargers, Leather case.Accessories an such as- IpadLeader case with Keyboard,Galaxy Leather Case withkeyboard, ScreenProtectors, Car MP3 etc.

SIRCON COMMUNICATION

Tel: 08020942160, 08166611118

Address: Block H, Shop ll GSMVillage Ikeja ,11 Otigba StreetComputer Village 2nd Floor Ikeja

Phones Accessories for sale Come and Experience the

difference in service, Quality

and comprehensive explana-

tion on every customer.

*Sales of GSM phones

*Accessories*Memory

Card*London Used

Phones*Homes & Office

Deliveries

DAAB SYSTEM GLOBAL LIMITED

Tel:08084474444, 08033903318.

Address: Block C Suite 17 GSMVillage Ikeja.


Phones for sale We sell mobilePhones & DigitalEquipment, Laptops,Memory Cards, PhoneAccessories. All prod-ucts come with war-rant and veryAffordable.

PLEASANT COMMUNICATIONS

Tel:08030779836

Address: : Block E, Shop3, GSMVillage, Airport, B/Stop Ikeja


Phones for sale

London used phones, laptop

and accessories. Basically

Blackberry (All Types) used

Nokia, Ericsson, L.G and

Samsung.

EBONY COMMUNICATION VENTURES

Tel:08033449742

Address:Block F Shop 12 GSM Village,Airport B/Stop Email: ndupunnam-

[email protected]

Phones for sale Dealer in all kind of

Phones,Blackberry,

Erickson,Nokia and gen-

eral merchant.

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Tel:08066286002, 08175526994

Address: 2, Onitsha lineE m a i l :[email protected]

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iPhones, Blackberry,

Nokia, Samsung etc.

BERTEMEK COMMUNICATIONS

Tel:08023027597, 07030144714

Address: : Block 1 shop 6GSM Village Ikeja

iPads for sale

Monday October 8-14 2012 TECHNOLOGY TIMES Page 23ClassifiedsSales of New Phones

London use Phones

Blackberry Phone and

Accessories

Tel:08169893545, 08082263375

Address:Shop 9 Block B G.S.Mvillage Ikeja Lagos

Phones for saleDealers in laptop, com-puter sales, services

phones, accessories cam-eras, consultancy net-

working system importerand exporter

Tel:08033374031, 08029783278

Address: Shop Block B shop 3G.S.M village Agege motor road


Phones for sale We have brands like Nokia,Samsung, LG, Tecno, Hei,Bird, Motorola and the

likes. For high quality hand-set, we set the pace whileothers copy. A trial in ourIkeja outlet will convinceyou that we are best of all.

Tel:08030923054, 08081915496


[email protected]

Phones for sale

Dealers in all kinds ofBlackberry phones,Nokia, LG andAccessories.

Tel:08067541297

Address: Block E, shop 11,G.S.M Village Ikeja

Phones for sale

Nokia, Samsung, Tecno,and LG phone blackber-ry other China phones

Tel:08067939345

Address: Block F, Shop 4, G.S.MVillage, Ikeja

Email;[email protected].


Phones for sale Dealers in new phonesand London used


Tel:08033163571, 07031538809

Address: Suite 5, No 17,Ola-yent str.Computer Village Ikeja


Phones for sale

Phones Accessoriessuch as-Original phone

casing, batteries,chargers, memory

card, desktop chargers,hands free, fancypurse, screensaver,phone stand e.t.c

Tel:08037261722, 08021288282

Address: Block I, Shop 8, G.S.MVillage Ikeja

Phones for sale

Sales of phones andAccessories such asBlackberry, Nokia,

Samsung, Tecno, Itele.t.c. Also phones soldcome with one year

warranty.

Tel:08033568700, 08057001316

Address: Block I, shop 4, G.S.MVillage Ikeja


Phones for sale

Original phones such asLondon used Blackberry

phones, Nokia, LG and newphones

Tel:08023030201

Address:Block F, shop 1, G.S.MVillage Ikeja


Phones for sale

Blackberry



cameras etc

Tel: 08038385728

Address:GSM village Airport B/stop


Phones for sale We sell warranty and qual-ity phones we attend to

our customers politely, wedon’t quarrel with them ifthe phone they boughthas problem. Sales of

tokunbo and new black-berry, tecno, Nokia,

Samsung, LG and otherwarranty phones

Tel:08023085621, 08035682577

Address: Block D shop 11 G.S.M vil-lage, Ikeja Email: [email protected]

Phones for sale

All kinds of accessories, suchas Bluetooth, hand free,Blackberry chargers, NokiaCharges, Ipad Charges,

Pause, Beat by Dr. Dre ear-phones, Galaxy push xiii, andxii etc. Including all kinds ofphones and Tecno Phones.

Tel:08030583558

Address: Block D, shop8, IHL shop-ping mail GSM village

Phones for sale


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ClassifiedsSales and marketing of

all original phones with

one year warranty and

London used original

phone.

Tel:08037201684, 08028310134

Address: Block E, shop 1, G.S.MVillage, Ikeja,Block D, shop 12,G.S.M Village, Ikeja


Phones for sale

Dealers in telecomphones such as Nokia,Samsung, Tecno, andLG. Good quality withguarantee.

Tel:08060009557

Address:Block D, shop 10, G.S.M vil-lage, Ikeja


Phones for saleWe sell good qualityphones. One year warran-ty on item you purchase.

Tel:08060759283

Address:Block I, shop 9, G.S.MVillage, Ikeja


Phones for sale

Different kinds of phonesAccessories such asOriginal Car Mp3, flashdrive, memory card, bat-teries, handsfree, porchpurses, casing and

chargers. Also, we sellU.K used Blackberry.

Tel:08034237909

Address:Block C, shop 12, G.S.M VillageEmail:[email protected]

Phones for sale

Uk Used Phones, Samsung,Nokia, LG etc

Tel:08033343450

Address: Block D Shop 2 GsmVillage


Phones for sale

Dealers in new phonesand London used


Tel:07039475819


Phones for sale

Dealers in all phonessuch as Blackberry,Nokia, Tecno etc.

Tel:08066165720

Address:Block E, shop 10, G.S.M VillageIkeja Lagos


Laptops for salePhones, Memory Card,laptop, Bluetooth, CarMp3, Mp3 & Mp4 1padMp3, Flash drive differ-ent type Led Reader

e.t.c

Tel:08065741152

Address: Block D Shop 14 GSMVillage airport road Ikeja Lagos

web address: www.micheal.com.ng

Phones for sale

Dealers in all kinds ofphones and accessories,mp3, flash drives, car

mp3, mp4, laptops, blue-tooth.

Tel:08065741152


Phones for sale

We sell Blackberry



Tel: 08037107307

Address:Block D Shop 15 Gsm Village

Phones for sale

ADST LTD is a recognize shopin terms of mobile business,where you can get your

dependable phones, with ourwarranty on the every phone

purchase.

Tel:08033186627

Address: 13b osbitelu Street computervillage


Phones for sale

Mechanical accessories suchas screen flex, tools, baterychareger, casing and differentkind of phones

Tel:08037716350,08038624329

Address: Block F, GSM Ikeja VillageAirport B/stop Ikeja

Phones for sale


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ELDER CHUCKS COMMUNICATIONS ADVANT DIGITAL SOLUTION TECH. SHALLOMS TECHNOLOGY COMM.


Classifieds

Tel:08033599134

Address: Block H Shop 4 ibileshopping mall, GSM Village


Phones and Accessories for sale

Sales of mobile phones,

Samsung, Nokia, LG and

communications.

SANDLINKS COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED

Tel:07031340105,08023256501

Address: Block D Shop 4 GSMVillage Ikeja


Phones for sale

Laptops sales, iPad, com-

puter accessories & main-

tenance, financing &

Warranty available.

BONYII TECHNOLOGIES LTD

Tel:08037509178, 0813960128

Address: Block 1 Shop 5 GSMVillage Ikeja Airport Bus-stop 1Idowu lane shop 19 GroundFloor (Elizabeth Plaza) computerVillage


Laptops for sale

New phones. Nokia,Samsung, iPhones,

Blackberry, Motorola, LG,all with one year Warrantyand Samsung with two

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Address:Block H Shop GSM villageAirport B/stop Ikeja Lagos

Phones for sale

A home of phones whereyour choice is beyond yourimagination. Patronize usand we’ll give you the

best.

Tel:08066373972



Phones for sale Nokia phones: N200, N202,N303, N302, N300, N2-02,

N103, N100, N101, N110, C2-05, N500 & N700.

Samsung phones: Galaxy Note,Galaxy 10.1, Galaxy Note II,Chat E222+, Galaxy 5512,Chat3222, E2152, E1182,E1055 and Galaxy5111.

Tel: 08133416194

Address:GSM Village (Shop A1)

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All kinds of original batteries,

original pouch, original

Blackberry pouch, batteries,

chargers, screen protector.

iPad, iPad pouch, phones

accessories, iPod mp3.

Tel:07084801536

Address: GSM Village, AirportB/stop, Ikeja, Lagos.

iPads for sale

Import, supplies & sales of allkinds of Nokia, Samsung, LG,Tecno, Blackberry & all China

phones.

Tel:08036394242, 08029332555

Address: Block C Shop 4, GSM VillageIkeja, Block D1 31 Olugbeda marketegbeda


Phones for sale

Dealers in all brands oforiginal phones andaccessories, also in allkinds of phone batteriesand geared towards

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All kinds of phones,

Nokia,LG, Samsung,

Android Blackberry

and accessories

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Address: Block H Shop 1& 18GSM Village

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phones and acces-

sories

Tel:08029487302, 08024270619

Address: Block B Shop 4, GSMvillage, IKeja, Lagos

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Dealers in all kinds ofphones and accessories,also deal in solar panelsand routers.

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Address: Block H Shop 4, GSMvillage, Airport B/stop, Ikeja,Lagos

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Dealers In Kinds Of

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Ikeja Lagos

iPads for sale


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Consumer Technology

DESIGNhe iPhone 5 bringswith it a considerable re-design for theiPhone line. Measuring 7.6mm thick and weighing 112grams, it's20%lighterthantheiPhone4S.Available intwocolours,eitherblackorwhite,therearpanelsaredifferentoneach.

The white version has a raw alu-minium back plate, while theblack version has an anodisedblackfinishonitsrear.Thebiggestchange comeswith screen size. 4-inches diagonally, it now sits in ataller,widescreen ratio. It'll still fitcomfortable in one hand, butwillalsobebetter for viewing filmsonthan previous models. Madeentirely from aluminium andglass, it has a real premium feel toit.PROCESSORAnewiPhone, anewprocessor.The iPhone 5 comes equippedwith an A6 processor, which issaidtobe2timesasfastwithbothCPU and GPU processing.Shrinking down the transistorsize, it's smaller and more energyefficient too. Apps will load asmuch as 2 times faster using thenewchipset.*It's not yet clear how manycores the A6 chip uses, nor whomakes it. There's a strong chanceit's Samsung built, despite theongoing legal battles.STORAGEIt offers three different configu-rations when it comes to size.16GB, 32GB and 64GB iPhone,with pricing rising appropriately.It's a crafty tactic though, as those opting formore storage spacehave topopmoneydirectly intoApple's coffers, rather thanpick-ing up cheaper expandable storage elsewhere.With the iCloudback-up feature tooyou'vegot a little leewaywithwhich to storefiles remotely too, though extensive cloud storage throughApple

doesn't comecheaply. Storageoptionare identical to iphone4S.BATTERYLIFE225hoursofbattery lifeonstandbyarequoted for the iPhone5,with 8 hours 3G or LTE talk time, and 10 hours Wi-Fi usage.Though standby times have somehow been improved, it seemsyou're still going to need to charge the iPhone 5 at least once aday.*Noreal changeshere.CAMERAANDVIDEORECORDINGTheiPhone5seesApple's imagingsystemsagain improved,butnotbyagigantic step.Adynamic low-lightmode forbetternighttimeshooting isaddedtotheabove,with5-element lensandf/2.4aperture. There's also a panorama shooting mode natively builtinto the camera app for the first time, with a 360-degree shotresulting in a giant 28 megapixel image. The A6 chip allows forfaster photo capture too, aswell as a smart filter for better colourmatchingand reducednoise. Share Photo Streams allow you to share photos with pals,and receivemessagesonyour snaps too.But enough about what the phone looks like - the killer ques-tion ishowthe thing feels inhand.Andwe'll sum itupbysaying:smooth. It's a little slippery, and we were always worried wewoulddrop thedarned thing.But that's the only negative thing about the design (apart fromthelowweightinitially)asitsitsinthepalmnicelyandallowsyouto do it all with one hand, including hitting the top-mountedpower/lockbuttonwithease.That lock button is actually still loose, as it was on the iPhone4S, meaning when you shake the phone around you can hear itclicking away, which undoes a lot of the premium feel Apple isgoing for.Make no mistake, the iPhone 5 is one of the most beautifullycraftedphonesout there.PRICERANGE;16GB–529p ----N132, 250.0032GB--599p ----N149, 750.0064GB--699p ----N174, 750.00

iphone5

es, you can use your iPhone as a more than decent videocamera, but if you want to get better, more professionalresults,wrap it in anmCAMLITE.The mCAMLITE give you the weight and heft you need tostabilize yourhandswhile shooting.And because the pros don’t just use one standard lenswhenpushing for theperfect shot, thekit comeswith two37mminter-changeablelenses:awideangleforcapturingeverythingyouwantin the sceneandamacrowhenyouwant togetupClose andpersonal.Together, theygive you the chance togetshots that aredownright impossiblewith the iPhone’s lens.Since the best videos have sound, the mCAMLITE comeswith a 180-degree external microphone, allowing you to capturedirectional soundand reduceambientnoise.ThemCAMLITE’shousing isdesignedwithconsiderationofyour growth as an auteur. It has mounts on top and bottom foraccessoriesandtripods, andhasacoldshoeontop forproqualitymics and lights. They even offer a pair of action carts so you canslideyourcamalongtogetsmoothactionshots.Soasyougetbet-teranddemandmorefromyourcam,themCAMLITEcanoblige.At only $159.95 it’s the perfect starter kit for any visionaryfilmmaker (or photographer), to add to their portfolio withoutspendinga fortune.PRICE:$159.95 ---N25,592.00

PortablemCAMLITE TurnsYour iPhone intoaVersatileVideoCamera

Sony’sXperia TabletSheXperia Tablet S is considerably lessnotable, but that's probably a goodthing: this is a much better-looking

slate, handsome andminimalist with round-ed edges, a classy silver-and-black colorscheme, and a thin profile. The top edge rollsover into the back, giving it the look and feelof a folded-over magazine page— its grippytexture also makes it much more comfort-able to hold one-handed. Tablet S fold propthe device up at a nice typing-friendly angle.

It's a decent-lookingdevice. The 9.4-inchdisplay is surrounded by a big, glossy blackbezel, with a Sony logo placed above thescreen and to the left. Weirdly, the logolooks good there. It's just a quiet reminderthat you're using a Sony tablet. The 1.3-pound body is almost exactly the sameweight as the iPad, and at 8.9mm it's about asheet of paper thinner than Apple's latest

tablet. It feels like any other Android tabletto hold and use

There's some space on the XperiaTablet's edges created by the fold-over plas-tic flap, and that's where Sony hides most ofthe device's physical buttons. There's apower button and a volume rocker on theright side, and a headphone jack on the leftside above a hard-to-open, easy-to-breakflap that covers a full SD card slot. Havingthe full SD slot is pretty awesome—syncingany Android device with a computer is apain, and it's much easier to just throw adocument or movie onto a card and plug itinto the tablet. Sony uses a proprietarycharging port / dock connector. There aretwo cameras on the device, an 8-megapixelsensor on the back and a singlemegapixel onthe front.

Price: $399--- N63, 840.00


Consumer Technology

y Mophie, the JuicePack PowerstationPro is a large external

rechargeable battery for allmobile tech.The Powerstation Propacks a massive 6,000mAhcapacity enough to charge aflat iPhone nearly two anda half times over, andenough to watch a movieon a flat iPad which on thelong run means 36% bat-tery charge.The powerstationweights just over 200g andis 115mm long, 75mm wideand 30mm deep. And alsocomes with an impact and

splash-resistant casing thatmakes it quite rugged. Thebattery charger is IP65rated, and dust and partialwater resistant when itsports are closed.The MophiePowerstation Pro is com-patible with most of thepopular mobile devices,including all the AppleiPhones, iPad and iPods,and smartphones andtablets from Samsung,BlackBerry, HTC, LG,Motorola, etc.The bottom side housesboth a full-sized USB port

and micro USB port – eachprotected with a chunkyrubber cover. There’s a but-ton on one side, whichturns on the four batteryindicator lights.It comes with a microUSB cable for chargingwith a computer, and theUSB end could be plugedinto a wall power outletadapter, like with theiPhone or iPad.

he iHome's iD9 which isofficially called the iD9Portable App is a friendly

Rechargeable Speaker System foriPad/iPhone/iPod. It is an afford-able, portable, rechargeable stereo

speaker dock for iOS devices andiPods.The iHome iD9's body is made of

black and silver plastic that looksalmost like metal. The systemweighs 1.5kg and measures103.1x52.3x327.7mm. It works sim-ply by placing a dock-connector-equipped iOS device or iPod in theiD9's cradle.On the front of the iHome iD9unit are the volume buttons to theleft and a power button on theright, while it allows users to usetheir device volume controls. Thepower button illuminates whenthe iD9 is plugged in or poweredon, and when running off batterypower; a line of four LEDs to theleft of the button indicate the cur-rent battery level. On the back,there is a connection for theincluded power adapter, a 1/8-inch(3.5mm) auxiliary input for listen-ing to a non-dock-connectorsource, and a confusing switch.The Remote Switch, togglesbetween On and Auto modes. InOnmode, the iD9 always respondsto signals from iHome's optionalRz7 remote control. In Auto mode,the iD9 doesn't respond to the

remote if the iD9 is running off bat-tery power, this is to keep theremote from accidentally turningon the iD9.The iD9's internal battery packs2600mAh and lasts for about 4.5hours of reasonable-volume play-back. The iD9 charges usersdockeddevice if the speaker is con-nected to AC power, but notwhenthe iD9 is powered by its own bat-tery.The iD9 uses SRS TruBass soundenhancement, Reson8 speakerchambers, and digital sound pro-cessing to give themusic extra bassand clarity. The iD9's two speakerssit at either end of the iD9, facingout to the left and right, rather thanforward.

iHome iD9

herry, a Germanowned manufactur-erofcomputeracces-

sorieshasbeendevelopingandproducing keyboards since1967.TheKW6000istheirlat-est model, which embracesboth Bluetooth wireless tech-nologyandApple'sbest sellingiPad. With a slightly smallerfootprint than Apple's iMackeyboard, the KW 6000 isdesigned for those on themove.Although a painless process,after charging via the supplied

USBcable, thekeyboardneedsto be installed on the iPad. Asmall connect button on theback of the keyboard needs tobe held down briefly for thetwo to be introduced beforethe iPad asks for a Bluetoothconfirmation code to beentered.Theprocess takes lessthan a minute and has thepotential to save hours using arealkeyboard.The KW 6000 keyboardfeels responsive and comfort-able during extended use.

Battery life is quite good, andthekeyboardcanbe turnedoffwhen not in use. The CherryKW 6000 is built for iPadusers who need a little morefrom their tablets, especiallythose who wish to study orhavebusinessneeds. It reducesthe time consumingprocess oftypingwithone fingeronavir-tualkeyboard.

Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation ProCherry KW 6000 keyboard for iPad


Industry Insight

ata is king and numbers don’tlie.However,anyresearcherordata lover will tell you howhardit istohappenuponsomemuch-needed data in Nigeria. I’ve often hadtousemultipleprimarysources togetdata, which should already exist, forreportsandresearchworkaroundtheNigerian technology space.This explainswhy, for example, thenumber of Internet users inNigeria isstill a subject ofdebate.According to Wikipedia (quotingthe InternationalTelecommunications Union), thereare now 47,143,356 Internet users inNigeria. Many industry experts dis-agree, and the fact that there’s notrusted local source where such datacanbeverifieddoesn’t help.One would expect the NationalInformation TechnologyDevelopment Agency (NITDA),which now sits on more money thanit needs to host press conferences, tokeep such records but please don’tholdyourbreath.Now that the Minister ofCommunication Technology, MrsOmobola Johnson, whose ministrysupervises NITDA, has announcedplans for Nigeria’s Internet penetra-tion (e.g. growing broadband accessfromcurrent 7%to35%by2017), it ishoped thatNITDAwill be put underpressure to measure this. Whateverwe can’t measure can’t be improved,as it’dbedifficult to evenknowwhenwehavetrulymadeprogress–exceptwewanttocontinueplayingtheinac-curateguesstimategame.All hope isn’t lost for data inNigeria’s ICT sector though. TheNigerian CommunicationsCommission (NCC), another agencywithin the same Ministry ofCommunication Technology, keepsan impressive record of industry data

–frominvestmentstosubscribersandmore.Having worked with both NITDAand NCC in the past, I can giveNITDA free advice about somethingNCC does and they don’t – focus onnumbers. NCC has economists andresearchers who focus on gettingthesenumbersoutandNITDAcandothe same, if they want to. The formerexcuse used to be about money, butwith NITDA Act’s provision (signedinto law by the president as far backas April 24, 2007) for a NationalInformation TechnologyDevelopment Fund (NITDEF), let’shopeNITDAturns anew(good) leaf.NITDEFisatax-deductiblelevyof1%of profit before tax to be paid by tel-cos, ISPs, pension managers, banksand insurance companieswith annu-al turnover of N100 million andabove.Back to NCC and data, theJune 2012 data for telecom sub-scribers shows a continuation ofgrowth for GSM companies butdecline forCDMAserviceproviders–and near-death decline for Fixed(Wired/Wireless) serviceproviders.That’s why the announcement of amerger between Multi-Links, MTSand Starcomms didn’t come as a sur-prise to industry watchers. We wishCAPCOMall the bestwith the $200million fromcore investors.With a teledensity of 73.12, there isthe temptation to assume thatNigeria’s telecom sector will sooninchcloser to saturationbut that isn’tthe case. With a popular multiplephone ownership culture in Nigeria(a step thatwas taken tomakeup forthe poor quality of service fromproviders but has since gained statussymbol),therealteledensitywouldbebetter calculated per user – and notperSIMcard.Thankfully, the recently concluded

SIM registration exercise will throwuptheaccuratenumberofusers(tele-com subscribers) in Nigeria, and wecanhave amore realistic teledensity. Iwon’t be surprised if it’s closer to 40than thecurrent 73.12.FromtheJune2012datareleasedbyNCC on their website, Nigeria had136,041,999 connected and102,369,999 active (used in the last 3months) phone lines as at June 30,2012. Of these, there are 133,715,146connected mobile lines and 2,326,853connected Fixed lines. 101,855,094 or76.17% of the connected mobile linesare active while only 514,905 (or22.13%) of the connected Fixed linesare active. When you break mobiledown intoGSMandCDMA, it’s eas-ier to see that while 81.66% of GSMlinesareactive,only26.57%ofCDMAlines are active.Compared to the previous month(May 2012), month-on-monthgrowthforthevarioustelecomservic-esshowsatrendthatindustrywatch-ers have seen over the past fewmonths. Connected GSM lines grewby 1.29%, connected CDMA linesgrew by 0.91% and connected Fixed(Wired/Wireless) lines grew by0.07%.Thetotalnumberof telephonelines in Nigeria grew by 1.19% for theperiod.Thenumbers for active linespaintabetter picture: GSM grew by 0.78%month-on-month, CDMA recorded -4.75% (~5% drop is a whole lot; nopressures, CAPCOM), Fixed(Wired/Wireless) takes a -5.17% hitbut the total number of active phonelines inNigeria increasedby0.55% inJune 2012. GSM service providersincreased capacity by 4.37% whileCDMA and Fixed (Wired/Wireless)

didn’t bother.I took a good look at the industryplayers to see what market sharelooked like as at June 2012. For theFixed (Wired/Wireless) segment ofthe market, does it surprise you thatonly 58,750 Nigerians use NITELlines? Before you call NITEL theworst, note that some 80 people useWiTEL (pray, tell). Of the 16 Fixed(Wired/Wireless) service providers,Starcomms is the market segmentleaderwith 191,816 lines (37.25%mar-ketshare)eventhoughtheysufferedahuge decline of -26.19% betweenQuarter 1 (Q1) andQuarter 2 (Q2) of2012.Visaphone, which controls only5.21% of the market segment, and isonly 6th in terms of market share,recorded a much higher quarter-on-quarter growth with 4.72%. Theindustry segment bronze medalist,21st Century Technologies, with a13.75% market share grew by 0.96%within the same period. The newplayer, CAPCOM, now controls55.17%of theFixedmarket (basedonJune 2012 numbers) with 284,082active lines managed by the mergedStarcomms (industry segment #1),MultilinksTelkom(#2) andMTS IstCommunications (#7).In the CDMA segment of Nigeria’stelecom market, Visaphone rules(well,asatJune2012)withanimpres-sive 68.56% market share. However,they were not immune to industrydeclineasatendJune2012astheylost2.72% (quarter-on-quarter) of theiractive subscribers. Multilinks andStarcomms, now part of the newCAPCOM (which seeks to becomeNigeria’s biggest retail broadbandoperator) controlled 14.87% and13.44%, respectively, of the market.Starcommslost34.45%ofsubscribersbetween Q1 and Q2 2012 while

Multilinks lost22.7%.The4thplayer,Reliance Telecoms (Zoom) controlsonly 3.14% of the market and lostnone of their 111,077 subscribersbetweenQ1andQ22012.In the GSM corner of the Nigeriantelecom ring, MTN continues to leadwith43.93%market share (as at June2012) and they improved subscriberbase by 0.67% between Q1 and Q22012.Globacomgrewtheirnumberofsubscribersby5.47%duringthesameperiod and has a market share of22.36%. Airtel grew subscriber baseby 6.56% and is number 3 with20.16%. Though Etisalat holds only13.29%of themarket, their continuedstrong growth may worry earlierentrants. Between Q1 and Q2 2012,Etisalatrecordedanimpressive9.52%growth.TherearenotmanyNigeriansthathaveactiveMTELSIMs(258,520didasatJune2012),sotheonlyindus-try segment loss of -0.26% by MTELdoesn’t comeas a surprise.

Nigerian mid-year TelecomSector Report 2012

Director, ParadigmInitiativeNigeria,GbengaSesan:the June2012data for telecomsubscribers showsacontinuationof growth forGSMcompaniesbutdecline forCDMAserviceproviders–andnear-deathdecline forFixed (Wired/Wireless) serviceproviders.That’swhy theannouncementof amergerbetweenMulti-Links,MTSandStarcommsdidn’t comeas asurprise to industrywatchers.WewishCAPCOMall thebestwith the$200million fromcore investors.Photocredit: ElonUniversity

Gbenga SesanGSM Village in Ikeja, Lagos Photo: Damilare Bankole


Industry InsightCan electronic voting work forNigeria’s electoral reform?

he Independent NationalElectoral Commission (INEC)recentlyhintedatthepossibilityof introducing electronic voting(Punch August 4, 2012). INEC is aNigerian government institution. Forthat simple reason, wemust considerits actions and inactions aswell as theprojected consequences of bothwith-in the context of the Nigerian factor.Theoretically, electronic voting with-out any iota of doubt is a vital key tosolving a reasonable portion of theproblems associated with Nigeria’selections. From issue of transparencyto election induced violence orches-trated by thugs and their sponsors aswell as the roles of highly prejudicedelectoral umpires, electronic votingcan help force these typical maladiesinto the dustbin of history. However,tomake theseobjectives a reality, thatis, to take attaining the goals of theintroduction of electronic votingbeyond mere theory and make thempractical reality of the nation’s elec-toral space requires that certain basicconditions must be met. Essentially,the only way the new system of elec-tronic voting can achieve its intend-ment is if it is imbuedwithprotectiveguidance and self-governing trans-parency regime that cannot bebreached. How can this be achieved?Whatarethestepsthatmustbeputinplace?First I must dispel a popular mythagainstelectronicvoting, theassertionthat Nigeria is not ready or ripe forelectronicvoting.This is amythwith-out ‘street credence’ or empirical evi-dence.Therearetwocategoriesofpro-ponentsof thismyth.The first catego-ry ismade up of thosewho genuinelythinkNigeriansare sobackwardas tocomprehendtheuseofwhattheycon-sider super sophisticated technology.Those who belong to this group aresincere. The do not know. All theyneed is adequate education to make

themunderstandwhatelectronicvot-ingisandhowtheabsenceoforlackofcitizen sophistication is no barrier toitsuse.Oncetheyrealisethatelectron-ic voting is not as sophisticated as theubiquitous Sharp calculator or thepopular Nokia handsets and that wehave successfully conducted onlineregistration forWAEC examinationsfor over a decade aswell as the realitythat the staff that would attend toeach electronic station would do the‘difficult computing job’ (there isnone) rather than abandoning eacholdpersonorunsophisticatedvoter tohisorher fateonelectionday, youcanget thiscategory to ‘cooperate’.To secure the support of the secondcategoryofpeople ishowevernot thatsimple. This category is against elec-tronic voting solely because it wouldundermine and impede its traditionalcapabilityandmonopolyovertheelec-toralprocesses– its ability tomanipu-lateeachstepandoutcomes.Ofcoursenobody would admit that the reasonfor his protestation against electronicvotingisbecauseofahiddenagendatopreserve thestatus-quo.Something must be projected as anexcuse and the easiest excuse is that‘Nigerians are not ripe for electronicvoting’. There is nothing that can bedone to get this second category tosupport electronic voting. The reformmust be driven against its adherentspointblank!Thatsaid,Imustnowgobacktotheearlierquestionsborderingonhowwecan ensure thatwe attain the gains ofelectronicvotingratherthanintroduc-ing same only for it to become aweaponinthehandsofwouldbeelec-toralmanipulators.Yes,electronicvot-ing canbemanipulated! The very firststep INEC must take is to develop apolicy document and a legal frame-

work for theprotection andpreserva-tionof electronicvotingsystem.This frameworkwill enumerate thedos and don’ts of the entire process,protecttheidentity-relatedorprimarydata of individuals that would be inthe custody of the agency, itemize theprocedures for data validation ininstances of dispute by providing sci-entific and fool-proof guidelines andprocedures tobe followed incourtsortribunals during adjudication as wellas embed an unmatched regime oftransparency thatwouldconfer credi-bilityupontheelectoralprocessesandtheresultantdisputeresolutionphase.Imaginethe impact thiscouldhaveonelection litigation by reducing periodof judicial review fromseveralmonths(some took years) to a few hours ordays and the realisation by both peti-tioners and respondents that theprocesses involved in the adjudicationoftheirelectoraldisputeareofunques-tionableintegrity.Suchisthepotentialwhen the power of technology isproperly harnessed (readmore bymeathttp://tinyurl.com/c2pds7z).The aforementioned are minimumcritical requirements. Their absencewas responsible for the directionlessnature of INEC’s 2010/2011 electronicregistration exercise such that INEC’searlier promise of technology use as amajorenhanceroffreeandfairelectiononlyultimatelyplayedmarginalroleinthe success of the elections whereasthe public and the NationalAssembly’s tacit support for INEC’sN89billionbudgetwasbuilt around atechnology enhanced fool-proof elec-tronic register as the transformationalelixir required to get identity verifica-tion right for the voting age and per-manently ensure only real living peo-ple can vote and that only one legiti-mate vote cancome fromonegenuineperson for one particular candidateseekingonespecificpost.INEC would however do a better

job by developing this overall policyinstrument and legal framework inconjunction with stakeholders, sisterorganizations like the NationalInformation TechnologyDevelopment Agency (NITDA), theNigerian Identity ManagementAgency, the Ministry of Justice andrelated professional institutions liketheNigerianComputerSocietyaswellas therelevantdivisionof theNigerianSociety of Engineers. Because of mypeculiar experience as one of the pio-neers(Iusethatwordwithallsenseofmodesty) in the application of elec-tronic technology in managing enter-priseandlargepublicrecordusingfin-gerprint identification system inNigeria andwhounderstands thedis-tinctive ‘Nigerian factor’, I stronglyadvocate that for thepolicydocumenttoaccomplishits intendedobjective, itmust expressly support an independ-ent cross agency check and balanceroutine. It must also support inde-pendent people-driven regime oftransparency, transparency affirma-tion and monitoring. In essence thesystem must not only grant absoluteconfidence to all stakeholders (citi-zens, political parties, law enforce-ment agencies, election monitors etc)that it is absolutely reliable, effectiveand beyond manipulation, it mustbeenseen–andverifiablyso–thatit isdoing just that. In theory and in prac-tice, this isdoable.There is no doubt that electronicvotingwould bring amajor change totheexistingelectoralsystem.Anysuchchange must be matched by changesin the system aswell as the processesinvolved, hence the reason for thepol-icy stipulates and legal frameworkadvocated above. Also, in order toeliminatethechallengesoccasionedbyinadequate power supply and logis-tics, the new legal framework wouldbenefit immensely if the votingperiodisalteredfromthecurrentsingledayto

aperiodofabout30daystoaccommo-date early voting. You think thiswould encourage electoral malprac-tices? No, not if the systemic checksadvanced above are in place and defi-nitely not when people’s votes aretruly being matched to their finger-printminutiae! Thiswill also have themultiple benefits of reducing theneedfortoomanyvotingstations,introduc-ing permanent voting stations insecurelocationsandenablingINECtodrive political parties to utilize suchvotingstationsfortheconductoftheirprimaries thereby promoting realinternal democracy in thoseparties.Aleadership thatdoesnotwant toprof-it fromor implicitlyor tacitlypromoteelection manipulations wouldembrace this.*Ariyomo is a chattered engineer and thepioneer Coordinator of the Ondo StateInformation Technology DevelopmentCentre (SITDEC). He is currently a PolicyChairoftheNationalDevelopmentInitiativeNDi (an independent think-tank with focuson Nigeria). NDi Project can be accessed atwww.nd-i.org*Torespondtothiscolumnandask question from Tunji or make contribu-tion,[email protected]

President Goodluck Jonathan (in picture) votes at the last General Elections

‘Tunji Ariyomo

Tunji Ariyomo

iCircuit

EventsBrandingPromotionExposures

MobileMondayMoMo,MobileMonday is a global community ofmobile industry visionaries and developers.MoMo is organized inNigeria by a group of volunteers.MoMo is a platform for young developers tomeetwith the big players in the industry.MoMo organises its event every firstMonday of themonth toknow the latest trend in the industry and also share new ideals.

Ecosystem Director, MobileMonday, Mayowa Owolabi, Sales Director, Inmobi, Moses Kemibaro, Account Manager, Inmobi, Joel Rao and Integration and Development Manager,Nokia, James Fowe

CEO, Eskimi, Vytas Paukstys Bankole Oluwafemi, Blogger

Lange Ben and Pradil Marius

Oge Peters and Olaitan Towny

A cross section of participants at the event

Francis Ebuechi of MIH Internet Africa, Sales Director, Inmobi, Moses Kemibaro andAccount Manager, Inmobi, Joel Rao


With BankoleDamilare

[email protected]

Francis Onwumere of Proworks


iCircuitDevelopers ParapoAttheSeptembereditionof theDevelopersParapo, anetworking forumfor thedevelopercommunityorganisedbysocial innovationcentre,Co-creationHub(CcHUB),theeventattractedbigplayer in the industry including Microsoft andyoungdevelopers

Dele Akinsade of Microsoft, General Manager, West and Central Africa, Microsoft, Emmanuel Onyeje andCEO, CCHUB, Bosun Tijani

Shina Oyetesho, Wale Olokundana of WECA and Dele Akinsade of Microsoft

General Manager, West and Central Africa, Microsoft, EmmanuelOnyeje Adetoun Eleso of CCHUB


Shina Oyetesho


Technology TimesMonday October 8-14 2012 Weekly Newspaper of Nigerian ICTSector N100

technologytimes.com.ng

Technology Times Newspaper (ISSN 2141-2790) is published weekly by Technology Times Media Limited (RC 788322). Office: 9, Olufunmilola Okikiolu Street, off Toyin Street, Ikeja,Lagos. Nigeria. Email: [email protected] Web: technologytimes.com.ng Phone: +234 1 8968161, 6820697 Editor: Shina Badaru

INTRODUCTIONhen one thinks aboutinventions that have radi-cally changed and now

define the development of humanity,the culmination of inventions that gaveus the Internet must surely sit amongthem. Alongside inventions such as thewheel,theplough,thesteamengineandelectricity,theInternethaschangedpar-adigms and redefined the developmentof the world both economically andsocially.The Internet increasingly informs

howwe live,work, learn, profit, governandcommunicate.What startedout asa predominantly academic network isbecoming the lifeblood of finance, com-merce and social relationships. Thirty-three percent of theworld’s populationcurrently use the Internet, including13.5% of people living in Africa. Whilethispercentage is low, therateatwhichit is growing is not. Between 2000 and2011,thenumberofAfricansthatusetheInternetgrewbyalmost3000%.Estimates are that as at December

2011, 45millionNigerians had used theInternet at least once– this is up fromamere200,000 in2000.“Governing”The InternetThe increasing availability of the

Internetandtherapidrateatwhichit isbeing adopted have been accompaniedby louder calls for international agree-ment on why, and how, it should bemanagedandgoverned.Duringthe firstphase of the World Summit on theInformation Society – the process thatgave rise to the Internet Governance

Forum, and as such the purpose of ourmeeting here – the world agreed that:“….the international management of theInternetshouldbemultilateral,transparentanddemocratic,withthefullinvolvementofgovern-ments, theprivatesector,civil societyandinter-nationalorganisations.“Itshouldensureanequitabledistributionofresources, facilitate access for all and ensure astable and secure functioning of the Internet,takingintoaccountmultilingualism.”It is my hope that your deliberations

willidentifyandarticulatetheareasthatneed to be addressed at a national levelto help ensure that our country attainsthese goals. It is my hope that yourdeliberations will also articulate howwe,asanation,cancontributemeaning-fully to the attainment of these samegoalsonaglobal level.Recent unfortunate events in our

country, inwhich the Internethasbeenusedasamediumtoperpetuateheinouscrimesanddistributefalsehoods,shouldnot diminish the broad scope your dis-cussions require/dictate.Indeed, we mourn and commiserate

with the family and (real) friends ofCynthia Osokogu and all those thathavesufferedatthehandsofpeoplethatuse the Internet, much as they use anyothermediumortool, forcriminalactiv-ities.Yet,weshouldalsorememberthatthe successful and continual protectionof our society requires that we have aholistic definition of governance, oneakin to that provided in the TunisAgenda as: “…the development and applica-tionbygovernments,theprivatesectorandcivilsociety,intheirrespectiveroles,ofsharedprinci-ples, norms, rules, decision-making procedures,and programmes that shape the evolution anduseoftheinternet.”Governanceshouldnot,therefore,necessarilybeequatedtobansandrestrictions.However, experiences now indicate

the need for strengthening the sense ofresponsibility among users of theInternet and bringing more traditional,“off-line”toolsofgovernanceinlinewithournewdigital “on-line” reality.This year’s Internet Governance

Forum, with its theme of InternetGovernanceforSustainableHuman,Economic

andSocialDevelopmentandsub-themesof:Internetgovernancefordevelopment(IG4D)Issues that are emerging in the use of theInternet,The management of critical internetresources,Security,opennessandprivacy,Accessanddiversity,andTheneedtotakestockoftheIGFtodateandponderthewayforwardreflecthowbroadyourdeliberationsneedtobe.LocalConcerns InAGlobalSpaceEven as you take your cue from the

organisation and structure of the globalevent,youareexpectedtobemindfulofour local circumstances. In Nigeria, wecare about the freedom to seek, receive,impart and use information especiallywhen it relates to thecreation, accumu-lation anddisseminationof knowledge.We also care about insecurity,(cyber)crime, piracy, privacy and spamaswellasthesecurityandstabilityoftheInternet infrastructure. These caresoftenfindexpressionascompetingcon-cerns; and it is the responsibility of a

forum such as this – with its strongfocus on multi-stakeholderism – tosearch for consensus; to be representa-tive by allowing for views from eachstakeholder “community”, as well asneutralandbeopentotheviewsofpar-ticipants irrespectiveof theirorigin.MahatmaGhandicautionedagainsta

society where rights existed withoutresponsibility.Weall–government,theprivate sector and civil society – haveresponsibilitiesinensuringthattheben-eficial uses of the Internet far outweighits manipulation to cause harm. Iencourage you, therefore, to rememberthatthedecisionsthataremadeingath-erings such as this and the GlobalInternet Governance Forum have amajor impact on the deployment oftechnologies,productsandservices,andtheapplicationof ICTs inoursociety.ConclusionWhileIwishyouasuccessfuldeliber-

ation, I challenge you all again to pro-duce useful outcomeswhichwill assistthe country in taking a leadingpositionat the Global Internet GovernanceForum later this year. Please permitmeto commend the organisers, NigerianCommunicationsCommission (NCC),National Information TechnologyDevelopment Agency (NITDA), andNigeria Internet RegistrationAssociation (NIRA), and other stake-holderscollaboratingwiththeMinistryof Communication Technology, fortheir patriotic commitment towardsensuring broad participation andengagement of cross-section of stake-holders. I can assure you that the min-istrywill articulatevarious submissionsemanating from this forum and putthemintouseduringmypresentationattheGlobal InternetGovernanceForuminBaku.

Minister forCommunica t ionT e c h n o l o g y ,Omobola Johnsonrefocuses the role ofthe NigerianInternet communityin how the globalcomputer networkshould be governedand managed

Consolidating Nigeria’s positionon Internet Governance

CommTech Minister, Omobola Johnson

Thirty-three percent of theworld’s population currentlyuse the Internet, including 13.5%of people living inAfrica.While this percentage is low, the rate atwhich it is growingis not. Between 2000 and2011, the number ofAfricans thatuse the Internet grewby almost 3,000%.

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