Ntel Unveils Rollout Plan, Begins Commercial Sales of 0804 Lines April 8

Ntel, the newest entrant into the telecommunications space, has unveiled plans for the first phase rollout of its commercial services to the public.

 

Its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kamar Abass, while announcing the rollout plan in Lagos yesterday, said ntel would begin the first phase rollout with the commercial sales of its 0804 mobile line on April 8 in Lagos and Abuja.

South African Spotlight is on private sector to stabilise SOEs

THE private sector’s role in stabilising the economy was highlighted in Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s budget speech.

 

The budget and President Jacob Zuma’s state of the nation address last month provide useful indications of where to start looking for opportunities.
Gordhan stated in "energy, transport, telecommunication and urban development, there are many opportunities for joint public and private investment and facilities management". He also focused on "appropriate" private sector participation in the financial uplift of several state-owned entities (SOEs). Gordhan spoke of three key priorities in the restructuring of SOEs: entities that are no longer necessary should be "phased out"; SOEs with overlapping mandates should be rationalised and potential private sector minority interest investment in such rationalised SOEs should be explored; and "co-funding partnerships" with the private sector should be considered to bring in private sector investment. "Phasing out" entities that are no longer relevant to the "development agenda" could see the disposal of noncore assets as the government looks to unlock value in the process.

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.

Intel Announced, 6th Gen Intel Core Processor

Intel Corporation has introduced the 6th Generation Intel Core processor family, the company’s best ever processor.  The 6th Generation Intel Core processor delivers enhanced performance and new immersive experiences at the lowest power levels ever and also supports the broadest range of device designs – from the ultra-mobile computer stick, to 2 in 1s and huge high-definition All-in-One desktops, to new mobile workstations, effectively marking a turning point in people’s relationship with computers.

 
Built on the new Skylake microarchitecture on Intel’s leading 14nm manufacturing process technology, 6th Gen Intel Core processors deliver up to two and a half times better performance, triple the battery life, and graphics that are 30 times better than the standard, delivering  seamless a gaming and video experiences. They can also be half the size and weight of older computers, have faster wake up time, and battery life that lasts virtually all day.

Etisalat, Africa’s IHS in Nigeria tower sale/leaseback deal

The Nigerian affiliate of Etisalat has completed the transfer of 555 telecom towers to Africa’s IHS, the second tranche of a sale and leaseback deal announced last year, the Gulf’s biggest telecommunications operator said on Monday. 

 

etisalat

The deal, for which no financial value was given, is part of Etisalat’s strategy to improve the quality of its network and to accelerate the roll-out of 2G, 3G and 4G coverage in Nigeria, Etisalat said in a statement.

Airtel subscriber base in Nigeria rises to 30 Million

Airtel Network, the world’s third largest telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Africa and Asia, today announced a significant milestone in its African odyssey when it acquired its 30th million customer in Nigeria. 
In acquiring 30 million subscribers in Africa’s most populous nation, the company ,has hit another milestone of achieving a 20 percent market penetration in the country.

MTN South Africa Group report 10.3% fall Profit

MTN Group has reported a 10.3 percent fall in half-year profit on Wednesday, hit by handset supply disruptions in its mainstay South African market following a seven-week long strike.

 

MTN, which operates in several African countries, including Nigeria, said diluted headline earnings per share (EPS) were 654 cents in the six months to the end of June compared with 727 cents a year earlier.

Etisalat, Airtel Emerge Biggest Gainers of Number Porting Scheme

The Nigerian affiliate of Etisalat, the Gulf’s biggest telecoms operator, and India’s Bharti Airtel, have again emerged the biggest beneficiaries of the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) scheme introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) two years ago to address the issue of poor Quality of Service (QoS) by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), according to data from NCC.

The introduction of the scheme allows holders of Nigeria’s over 183 million active mobile lines to retain their phone numbers when changing from one operator to another due to poor services without losing their numbers.

MTN Zambia launches 21 days of Y’ello care

MTN Zambia’s support to education in Zambia is holistic as we take a multi-sectoral approach, says chief executive officer Abdul Ismail.

Intercellular Stages comeback move as Telto Group Acquires stakes

Intercellular, one of Nigeria’s  Private Telephony  (PTO) licencees is staging a major comeback, particularly in the burgeoning data segment of the highly competitive telecommunications market, following recent indications that Telto Group, a Middle East investment conglomerate, has secured a 70 percent stake in the company.

Vodacom boosts businesses with cloud services infrastructure

 

Vodacom Business Nigeria has received another award, adding

 ICT Infrastructure Provider of the Year (Data Centre) to its list of accolades. Vodacom Business Nigeria recently won the Cloud Services Provider of the Year and ICT Infrastructure Provider of the Year (Data Centre) award at the BoICT Award 2015.

Skills shortage weighs down ICTs contribution to economic growth

Following the dramatic rise in the adoption of Information Communications Technology (ICT) by individuals, businesses and government, Nigeria is facing an unprecedented shortage of skilled professionals required to support such massive infrastructure deployment.

Industry observers are of the view that the current skills gap could hinder the sector’s contribution to economic growth, considering efforts by government to diversify the economy from oil.

They attribute the skills shortage to poor training in universities and other higher institutions of learning, lack of exposure to high-tech equipment, outdated curriculum, low awareness of latest ICT trends, and the  slowness of the youth to pursue industry training and certifications. 

Technology start-ups Success Creates fresh Impetus for New Investments

The success of a string of technology start-ups in Nigeria is creating fresh impetus for further investments in digitally-enabled businesses as more foreign venture capitalists (VC), private equity firms, and global technology companies position themselves to take advantage of the nation’s imminent internet boom. Online retailer, Jumia, has received $200 million in funding, and it operates in eight countries.

NCC backs new spectrum to drive better customer broadband experience

Riding on the back of the proposed auction of fresh frequency in the 2.6GHz spectrum band, the quality of consumer experience in broadband service delivery is expected to witness a big boost in the shape of faster data speeds, lower prices and better network coverage, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

 

The commission had earlier announced the resumption of 2.6GHz spectrum auction. The auction was suspended due to administrative hitches, which required the industry regulator to eject illegal occupants of the spectrum ahead of the auction.The telecommunications regulator says it is already opening up different lines of discussions with operators and relevant stakeholders, with a view to developing an amended framework for the 2.6 GHz spectrum auction expected to take place this year.