Tiwa Savage, Yanyan, OAP Chinedu and others Join MTN visits to Down Syndrome Foundation Surulere Lagos.- PHOTOS

MTN and her brand ambassadors on a visit to the Down Syndrome Foundation in Surulere Lagos as part of activites marking World Down Syndrome Day 2016.
 

MTN share Price Plunges after Shock Profit Warning

TELECOMMUNICATIONS group MTN closed 18% lower on Friday, its worst one-day collapse since August 1998, following a shock profit warning.

 

The company said it expected its basic headline earnings to December last year to be 20% lower than the corresponding previous period, largely because of struggles faced by its Nigerian operations, which contribute 37% of group sales.

MTN’s Nigerian operations have had a torrid time, with the company losing millions of customers, and talks with the Nigerian authorities still unresolved over a disputed $3.9bn fine for failing to disconnect unregistered SIM-card users.

However, MTN said that the profit warning did not include the penalty.

Altech Autopage will not Meet Shutdown Date

Altech Autopage has pushed back its planned shutdown date, which was originally anticipated for the end of this month.

 

 

On Friday, the Competition Tribunal approved the sale of the mobile service provider’s subscriber base to MTN, Vodacom and Cell C, subject to conditions pertaining to affected staff.

The approval, though, came after delays hit the regulation process amid a challenge by Altech Autopage’s largest customer, Saicom Holdings, in December.

FG insists MTN must pay N1.04trn fine

 

The Minister of Communications Technology, Adebayo Shittu yesterday said that government’s position on the out of court settlement sought by MTN on the N1.04 trillion fine over non-disconnection of improperly registered subscribers, is that the operators should pay the fine first. Shittu, while addressing newsmen in Lagos yesterday said the MTN violated extant laws, accepted responsibility and also wrote a letter of apology promising to be a responsible corporate citizen.

MTN hires ex-US attorney general over Nigerian fine

The MTN Group has hired a former top United States law enforcement official to help challenge the N1.04tn fine imposed by the Nigerian Communications Commission for failing to disconnect unregistered subscribers, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

NCC, MTN: Court orders Parties to Maintain Status Quo

LAGOS — A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, ordered parties to maintain status quo, following a mareva injunction by the Attorney General of the Federation, seeking to bar MTN Nigeria  from emptying its accounts in 21 commercial banks in Nigeria.

Trial judge, Justice Idris Mohammed, ordered parties to maintain status quo ante bellum pending the determination of the suit and adjourned till January 22, 2016 for hearing.

 

“An order is hereby made directing the parties cited herein to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending further hearing,” the judge said.

The AGF, has sought “an order of mareva injunction restraining the aforementioned banks from releasing, further releasing any funds, making sale, transfer or payment of any monies or dealing in any manner whatsoever with any and all monies maintained by the plaintiff/respondent (MTN) or its agents, privies, subsidiaries, sister companies or the like in the aforestated banks that will alter, decline or reduce the amount of the first defendant’s/applicant’s fine against the plaintiff/respondent in the sum of N1,040,000,000,000 which has remained wholly unsatisfied, pending the determination of the motion on notice.”

MTN Group to Acquire Nigerian Internet Provider

MTN Group agreed to buy internet provider Visafone Communications of Nigeria to expand in Africa’s biggest economy even as the South African company awaits a local court ruling on a record $3.9bn fine in its biggest market.

MTN

The acquisition will ensure that "Nigerians experience a boost in the quality of broadband internet services" and data speeds, MTN Nigeria executive Amina Oyagbola said on Friday without disclosing terms.
MTN said in a statement that Visafone offered voice and online services in Nigeria.

NCC tells court, Dismiss MTN’s case- N1.04tn fine

The Nigerian Communications Commission has urged the Federal High Court in Lagos to dismiss or decline hearing the suit filed by MTN Nigeria Communications Limited to challenge the N1.04tn fine imposed on it by the commission.

 

NCC had imposed the N1.04tn fine on MTN for its failure to disconnect its unregistered subscribers in line with the commission’s directive.

But not pleased with the sanction, the telecommunications company had approached a Federal High Court in Lagos seeking an order quashing the fine.

MTN had urged the court to determine whether NCC could act pursuant to Section 70 of the NCC Act to impose a fine on it without breaching the provisions of sections 1 (3), 4 and 6 of the 1999 Constitution.

Nigerian watchdog insists MTN pay $3.9bn fine by year-end

ABUJA — Cellphone operator MTN will have to pay a $3.9bn fine imposed by Nigeria for failing to disconnect users with unregistered SIM cards by December 31, a source in the Nigerian telecommunications regulator said on Wednesday.

 

Nigeria’s telecoms regulator had cut the fine from an initial $5.2bn after weeks of lobbying by Africa’s biggest mobile phone company to get it reduced.

"Appropriate action will be taken", should MTN fail to meet the deadline, the source said, asking not to be named and giving no further details.

MTN said this month it would challenge the decision in court.

MTN N1.4trn fine: FG calls MTN’s bluff, says Dec 31 deadline subsists

LAGOS — The Federal Government, yesterday, said it would neither be cowed nor threatened by MTN’s court action against the N1.4trn fine which was later reduced to N780 billion, insisting that the telecommunications company risks another fine if it fails to pay on deadline.

Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, made the statement yesterday in reaction to the suit instituted by the telecom operator at a Lagos High Court, weekend.

MTN takes fight over Nigerian fine to court

MTN on Thursday said it was taking the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to court over a $3.9bn fine imposed on the group for the alleged breach of rules on SIM-card registrations.
 
Its shares soared 6.31% to close at R138.20 on the JSE.
MTN was initially fined $5.2bn for not disconnecting 5.1-million unregistered subscribers as requested by the NCC. The fine has since been reduced and was due to be paid at the end of this month.

NCC: Why we reduced MTN’s N1.04trn fine

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has defended its action to reduce the N1.04 trillion fine on MTN Nigeria to N780 billion, saying it acted in the interest of the stability of the telecom sector.

The commission said it weighed all pros and cons and arrived at a decision it considered favourable to all concerned.

Director public Affairs of the NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo

Director public Affairs of the NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo, said that after considering the operator’s admission of guilt, huge investment in the country, the large subscriber base and Nigeria being its largest market, the decision to arrive at the reduction was not too difficult.

According to Ojobo, “MTN wrote the commission, acknowledged

 that there has been an infraction and are now pleading for leniency . In the past we have also had people plead for leniency on their sanctions. At that time, of course the NCC board has not been constituted, no Minister, the authority of the president was required for such a decision to be taken in the absence of the minister, and so the commission had to notify the presidency.

MTN’s Nigeria fine increased again, to $3.9bn

THE Nigerian fine that precipitated a management shakeup at MTN has been increased again, to $3.9bn from the $3.4bn the company was told on Thursday it would have to pay by month-end.

 

MTN said on Friday that the latest amount was set out in a letter from the Nigerian Communications Commission late on Thursday, which superseded Wednesday’s letter that had reduced the original $5.2bn fine to $3.4bn.

Benefits of MTN vehicle tracking solution.

 

1. Economical Drive System helps to reduce fuel consumption by over speed tracking, measurement of engine idling, route improvement, dispatching and proper periodic maintenance. 

MTN has already paid millions in Nigerian fines, with more expected

APART from facing a $5.2bn fine in Nigeria, mobile network MTN has this year already paid millions of rand in other penalties, according to regulators.

 

MTN announced in October that it has been fined $5.2bn by the Nigerian Communications Commission for failing to disconnect up to 5-million unregistered SIM cards in that country.
The mobile network is in talks with the regulator about the mega fine, which has been described as the world’s largest by Denmark-based Strand Consult. MTN is Nigeria's biggest mobile network with more than 60-million subscribers.

MTN says it will not have to meet Monday’s fine deadline

MTN Nigeria will not have to meet Monday’s deadline to pay a $5.2bn fine imposed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The cautionary statement was necessary‚ the company said‚ as shareholders had been advised in previous Sens announcements "that the company would update shareholders on all material developments on this matter".

MTN CEO Sifiso Dabengwa resigns in wake of $5.2bn Nigerian fine

Beleaguered cellphone giant MTN’s CEO, Sifiso Dabengwa, has resigned with immediate effect, the company said on Monday.

 
MTN Nigeria was recently fined $5.2bn by the Nigerian Communications Commission for failing to deactivate 5.1-million unregistered SIM cards on its network.

NCC Slammed N1.4trn, fine too heavy to bear – MTN

Three days after Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC slammed a N1.4 trillion penalty on MTN Nigeria for failure to disconnect customers with unregistered SIM cards, Parent company MTN group has cried out that the fine was too extreme, even as it continues to engage the regulator on how to resolve the issue.

MTN Group noted with dismay that Nigerian Communications Commission refused to listen to its plea to reconsider its stand on the penalty slammed on its Nigerian arm last week.

According to a report, MTN Nigeria spokeswoman, Chineze Gbenga-Oluwatoye, had said in an e-mailed response, that “recommendations were put forward with respect to the non-commensurable nature of the fine but the Nigerian Communications Commission did not accept recommendations that the fine of 200,000 Naira ($1,005) per SIM was too heavy.”

MTN subscriber has fallen to $62.5m

SHARES in MTN dropped more than 12%, the worst fall in more than 10 years — wiping off R44bn of the company’s market value — after the Nigerian regulator fined it $5.2bn for alleged breach of SIM cards registration rules.
The shares closed at R167, giving the company a market capitalisation of R308bn, down from R352bn before news of the fine filtered through.
According to reports, MTN failed to disconnect customers with unregistered SIM cards.
The group said the fine by the Abuja-based Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) related to "the timing" of the disconnection. The NCC requires mobile network operators to register all customers in a bid to curb crime.
SA has a similar law.

Last week MTN said its total subscriber numbers in Nigeria had fallen to 62.5-million because of the 5.1-million customers that were disconnected during the registration process. Of those, 3.4-million had since been reconnected.

Make use of that Cloud Hanging over your head

The time is right for small businesses to take advantage of cloud services

​ Large organisations have been reaping the rewards of cloud services for several years already but the specific benefits for small business, especially in the developing economies of Africa, have been harder to prove. 

 

Now, as the marketplace of cloud vendors and service providers matures and market leaders and trusted brands begin to emerge, it becomes easier for CTIs and IT managers of SMEs to make enlightened decisions about improving business operations using the best available solutions. 
There are three main benefits SMEs gain by moving to the cloud.