The Chairman, Zenith Bank Plc, who is
also the founder Jim Ovia Foundation, Mr. Jim Ovia, wednesday attributed
the lack of efficient broadband required for speedy telecommunications
service as one of the reasons Visafone was sold to South African
telecommunications firm, MTN.
He did not however disclose how much the outfit was sold to MTN.
Speaking at the Digital Africa
conference and exhibition 2016 organised by Digital Africa Global
Consult in Abuja, Ovia stressed that without adequate technology
infrastructure to power constant connectivity, Internet of Things (IoTs)
would be difficult to achieve.
He said: “We have a lot of devices some
of which will be dead equipment. Connectivity is very important and
without it, internet of things or internet of everything cannot take
place. I wouldn’t say that connectivity is the most important thing, but
it is extremely very important.
“In some of this connectivity you need
it by way of broadband or by way of fibre optics to give you the
broadband or may be a wireless. Or may be the spectrum of between
700-800 MGHz that gives you the broadband speed that you need today, and
so you can now understand why Visafone eventually sold its network to
MTN.”
According to him, the reason there were
so many complaints was because of the resource availability that
Visafone had, which had to do with the broadband, he added.
He said policymakers must ensure that
Nigeria is not left behind in the technological development of the
future, adding that during the great industrial revolution, Africa was
left behind.
Ovia added that the present technology
that enables economy to flourish is so pervasive that nobody can be
restricted as students can now have access to information like their
counterparts in South Africa, Russia and other places in the world.
In his remark, the Minister of
Communications Technology, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, who was represented by
the Director of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Mrs.
Moni Udorh, said the administration would not fail in using ICT to drive
the economy.
The minister said: “We have been doing
everything possible in this direction. If we continue on this path, ICT
should be contributing between 20 and 30 percent to the country’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) in few years’ time. We will strive to make it
happen.”
On government’s plan to establish an ICT
University, he said: “We also have plans to create ICT-focused
university. We have discovered that many of the youths lack requisite
skills to compete in the international market. The university will
bridge the skills gap.”
While making his contribution, the
Chairman of Digital Africa Consult, Mr. Evans Woherem, said since
inception of the annual event in 2013, global ICT experts have been
provided a platform in the annual event to highlight the avalanche of
challenges inhibiting Africa’s efforts at embracing evolving
technologies and proffer solutions on how to get out of this digital
doldrums.
He said: “The conference provides access
to a captive audience eager to understand where the consumer ecosystem
currently is, and where the opportunities lie. Also, it is an important
platform to network, share knowledge on the latest developments in the
technology ecosystem, do business, and sign deals.”
According to him, the 2016 edition has
as its theme accelerating Africa’s Development through Internet of
Everything (IoE). He added that suddenly, the Internet of Things or
Internet of Everything has become the revolutionary technology trend in
the world today.
Dele Ogbodo in Abuja
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