Airtel, Cross River Govt. Boost Telecom Access In Rural Areas

Secretary to the Cross River State Government, Barr. Fidelis Ugbo (left); Regional Operating Director, South Region, Airtel Nigeria, Godfrey Efeurhobo (3^rd from left); Special Assistant, Investment & Promotion, Gerald Aga; a beneficiary of Airtel/CRS Government Empowerment Programme, Omang Adie; and Director General of Micro Finance and Enterprise Development Agency (MEDA), Ignatius Atsu, at the event...

Leading telecommunications service provider, Airtel Nigeria has launched a new initiative to enhance access to telecommunication products and services in Cross River State. This is coming barely a month after it signed a landmark agreement with the Cross River State Government.

Code named Project Sunny, the initiative is designed to strengthen distribution structures in the state through the supply of motor bikes and other incentives to local entrepreneurs to enable them provide access to telecommunications products and services as well as act as customer touch-points.

Airtel said the project will ultimately result in enhanced customer satisfaction, filling of distribution gaps, improved network quality arising from greater feedback and quicker problem resolution and greater economic well being of the areas.

At the launch of the programme in Calabar, the State Capital, motor bikes, helmet, megaphones, parasols, and SIM registration machines were presented by Airtel to the beneficiaries. 

The Cross Rivers State government, which is participating through the Micro-finance and Enterprise Development Agency (MEDA), an agency of the State that is responsible for rural empowerment and development, made available N50,000.00 (fifty thousand naira) for each of them to buy stock.

Speaking at the launch of the programme in Calabar, the State capital, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria, Rajan Swaroop, who was represented by the Regional Operations Director (South Region), Godfrey Efeurhobo, expressed the company’s delight to be associated with the government of the State in its quest to lift the rural economy and enhance the quality of life generally.

Swaroop added that the partnership with Micro Finance and Enterprise Development Agency (MEDA) is in line with the new economic vision of the Nigerian government to empower investors and entrepreneurs and ultimately create more jobs for Nigerians.  

According to him, “this is one in the series of many initiatives that Airtel is embarking on to demonstrate its commitment to its recent Memorandum of Understanding with the state government.

The launch of Project Sunny comes a month after Airtel Nigeria and the Cross Rivers State Government signed a landmark agreement for the provision of integrated telecommunications services and for a collaboration that will support the government in various areas of development.

At the occasion, Airtel Nigeria’s management and the Government of Cross Rivers State re-stated their commitment to work together in a transformation agenda that will take Cross River State to the next level.

NCC Chairman Joins Campaign on SIM Registration

...Agency Warns Operators Against Disconnection of Lines

*L-r: Dr. Atoyebi, Assistant Director, Consumer Affairs, Mr. Reuben Muoka, Head, Media and Public Relations, Chairman of NCC, Mr. Peter Igoh, and Mrs. Mary Uduma, Director, Consumer Affairs listening to consumers at the Markudi Outreach Programme

Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Mr. Peter Igoh, has joined the concerted efforts of the Commission to ensure that phone subscribers register their SIM cards before the expiration of the registration deadline on September 28, 2011.
Leading a team of NCC officials to Harvest FM in Markurdi, Benue State capital, where he was hosted to a live phone-in special segment on radio station, Igoh requested all subscribers in Benue State, and indeed the country, to ensure that their SIM cards are registered.
Igoh, who listed the benefits of SIM card registration to include assisting security agencies to fight crimes for the benefit of the lives and properties of Nigerians, and to ensure a robust and secure citizen data for the country said the Commission is currently working together with the National Identity management Commission to manage this critical information.
He announced the centres housing the NCC SIM registration agents in Benue State, including ones which he personally visited and urged the citizens to come out to do their civic responsibilities, noting that the reason why the Commission appointed SIM registration agents was to ensure that citizens in the interior areas of the country, including localities in Benue State, are not denied the opportunity offered by the registration as the agents are equipped to travel to all the nooks and crannies of the country.
The NCC chairman also took the campaign to the Benue State University, Markudi, where the Commission hosted subscribers to the bimonthly Consumer Outreach Programme. He noted at the programme that the Commission was monitoring the SIM Card Registration

Visafone Customers Laud Quality Service

.......Company Plans 200 New Retail Outlets

Subscribers of Visafone, leading CDMA operator in Nigeria, drawn from across the Lagos sales area have endorsed the quality data and voice services deployed by the telecoms company.
The endorsement is coming on the heels of plans by the company to deploy additional 200 new retail outlets across the six geopolitical zones of the country to bring its services nearer to the people.
One of the subscribers, Modupe Makinde said “I am passionate about Visafone and I have more than three lines and have been recommending every of your products to my friends and family. Please keep up the good work.”
She however appealed to the company to open more retail outlets especially in rural areas to cater to the needs of subscribers who live in far flung and rural communities.
Another subscriber, Martins Anietie said “I’m particularly thrilled by the speed of the data bundle deployed by Visafone. It’s fast and reliable and I know this because of the kind of work I do, using the Internet and Visafone has never failed me for once. It’s highly recommended.”
Visafone managing director, Sailesh Iyer who spoke at the forum which held at the Civic Centre in Lagos recently said about 200 new retail shops are to be opened

Cybercrime War: Microsoft, Paradigm Initiative Get World Bank Support

*L-R: Shina Oyetosho, Developer and Platform Evangelism Lead, Ugochukwu Nwosu, Citizenship and PiL Project Manager, both of Microsoft Nigeria, ‘Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria and Dele Oladokun, Communications Associate, World Bank Nigeria, at the press briefing....

By ROMMY IMAH  

Available data today estimates that the global economy loses more than US$200billion annually in direct and related damages to cybercrime. Consequently, global peace and security is under serious threat. The effect of this is more evident in developing nations of the world like Nigeria where there is currently no defined legislation against cybercrime.

Only last year, a report by the Internet Crime Complaint Centre named Nigeria as number three in the world and Africa’s number one in cybercrime rankings. What this meant was that Nigeria had the highest number of cybercrime incidents after the United States of America and the United Kingdom. More than one year after, this infamous ranking has not changed.

The country’s position in the global cybercrime rankings is seemingly worsened by the boost in her telecommunications activities in the last ten years, a consequence of the coming of the Global System for Mobile communications, GSM in the country in 2001. More people now have access to the Internet through traditional Internet provisioning and mobile applications.

This era witnessed an upsurge in the activities of the popular Yahoo, Yahoo Boys, codenamed 419 because of their advanced fee fraud exploits. Indeed, they have now moved beyond this level, getting into the more spiritually sophisticated Yahoo Plus. That is to say that even as government is slowly battling this menace, the perpetrators are busy devising more sophisticated means of carrying out their nefarious activities.

Last year, at the conference of African leaders held in Abuja, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes through its representative, Dagmar Thomas said there was need to get both the Nigerian government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to back the fight

Nokia Offers Free Java Training For App Developers

*James Rutherfood, Nokia W/Africa MD

Nokia, the world‘s leading manufacturer of mobile devices has announced a free three-day training workshop for local application developers in Lagos commencing on the 29th to 31st August, 2011 to give an overview of Java Me, review the exciting opportunities offered by Nokia’s Ovi Store, and cover Mobile Java programming essentials as well as mobile application development with Qt Quick.

Teemu Kiijarvi, Head, Ecosystem & Developer Experience said at the monthly Mobile Monday (MoMo) meeting held in Lagos that the three-day training is targeted at developers who already have knowledge of Java but may be new to Java on Nokia mobile phones. “Interested participants should know at least Java basics like working with Java projects in the Netbeans IDE before entering the course.” Teemu said.

Tony Torp, a senior lecturer of software engineering at Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Finland, who heads mobile systems education and runs the smartphone lab of the University, is the facilitator of the training.

Torp is acclaimed to have a strong software development background in the industry since the very first Symbian based smartphone projects in Nokia.

Olumide Balogun, Product & Services Manager, Nokia West Africa added further that the training course module is developed to get participants up to speed with creating, developing and publishing Java and Qt application for Nokia devices. “The training will expose participants to Java training, Nokia SDK for Java, Nokia Ovi Suite and Qt training and Qt SDK 1.1.2.”

Interested individuals are to fill the registration form on http://www.developer.nokia.com/Events/invitation/qttraininglagos and should note that applicants will be selected on first-come, first-served basis. Only selected participants will get a confirmation.

Some participants at the monthly Mobile Monday (MoMo) meeting looked forward to the training as they were not part of the first phase of training held earlier in the year.

Glo Lights Up Nsukka With Laffta Fest

*A popular comedian, Basketmouth performing at the event

It was a night to remember as dignitaries from all walks of life came together last Sunday in the Nsukka, Enugu state to savour a night of unlimited fun when the trail blazing network, Globacom berthed in the University City with its acclaimed entertainment package, Laffta Fest. It was a night which will continue to resonate in the minds of the mammoth crowd that witnessed the show, and indeed the entire residents of the hilly community and its environs for a long time to come. 

In the all night show which held at the prestigious Millipat Hotel, Nsukka the ecstatic crowd were treated to an unforgettable flow of music, comedy and latest dance steps by some of the best acts in the Nigerian entertainment industry.  

There was Terry ‘’G’’, the new kid on the block and a delightful watch on stage. There were also Flavour, Africa Rapper No 1 and the effervescent Edris Abdulkareem,

Dimension Data West Africa Wins Microsoft Award

From left t- right: Ms. Anne Greenwald, Global Business Development Director for Microsoft Solutions, Dimension Data; Mr. Richard Tooth -   Global Business Development Director for Voice, Microsoft; Mr. Kirk Gregersen, Director of Lync (Unified Communications) Business Group (Redmond), Microsoft and Mr. Jide Agbaje, General Manager for Microsoft Solution, Dimension Data West Africa chatting at the recently concluded Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington, USA where Dimension Data Nigeria won the award for Voice Partner (Unified Communications) Partner of FY11

Dimension Data Nigeria has announced that it has won an award as the 2011 Microsoft Voice Partner for Unified Communications in the Middle East and Africa region. The award was presented at the recently concluded Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington, USA.

In a press release recently made available to onlinerommy.blogspot.com, Mrs. Olayinka Edmond of the Media Unit of the company quoted Mr Jide Agabje, Dimension Data’s General Manager for Microsoft Solutions as saying that the award was a well-deserved crown for the team who have all worked extremely hard.

“This is a great win for the team. The voice category is an important one for us because voice communications is such an integral part of business communications. What this says to us is that we have been able to positively impact the way in which our clients in Nigeria and West Africa communicate and that makes us very proud.”

Once every year, Microsoft recognises and celebrates partners who have demonstrated deep commitment and expertise to various solution areas and Dimension data have consecutively won the award in the Voice and Unified Communications category for three years.

Microsoft Lync 2010 is a Unified Communications (UC) enterprise software solution suite that has proved popular in the wake of the global recession as businesses consistently seek to reduce capital and operational expenditure, while still retaining their competitive edge. UC combines instant messaging, audio, video conferencing, web conferencing, enhanced presence, voicemail, email, telephony etc. into one product that offers an integrated user experience.

“As businesses continue to look at ways of cutting their costs, UC offers a tried and tested model of ensuring that staff output is optimised at the lowest possible costs. UC takes productivity beyond the four walls of the office and allows organisations and their employees to be productive for longer,” Agbaje concluded.

Microsoft had in a statement commended Dimension Data for professional and expertise dominance as testified to by clients in the Middle East and Africa region.