Nokia Lumia 1020 Pre-order Promotion Announced

L-R: Chris Brown; Kelechi Amadi-Obi; Timi Dakolo; Fola Akinboro; Deborah Shepard & Layi Onafowokan at the event....

Global phone manufacturer, Nokia in partnership with Etisalat Nigeria and Etihad Airways, has announced a pre-order promo for its latest Windows smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 1020 which will be available in Nigeria as from October 2013.

A statement by the device manufacturing firm stated that the pre-order promotion announced at the TEDxLagos conference will take place from 10:20am of the 1^st of October 2013 to the 15^th of October 2013.

Nokia West Africa, General Manager, Chris Brown said the pre-order promo will give customers the opportunity to purchase the device online before it finally arrives in Nigeria in October.

Brown added that all customers who pre-order and pay for the device from Etisalat's website will be entitled to special discounts on airfares to several destinations on Etihad Airways.

According to Brown, “The Lumia 1020 is an improved version of the Nokia 808 smartphone launched in 2012. The Nokia Lumia 1020, running on Windows 8 operating system is the ultimate camera phone. It boasts a whopping 41-megapixel camera sensor combined with a Xenon flash, focus

Nokia Announced as Platinum Sponsor of DEMO Africa

Nokia has confirmed its participation and support once again as the platinum sponsor for this year’s DEMO Africa to be hosted in Nairobi in October, according to a release by the device manufacturers.

The newest addition to DEMO's Global Launch Program, DEMO Africa in its second year will provide the most innovative new and established companies from across Africa the opportunity to launch their products on stage at this high profile event.

“Nokia has a long and rich history on the African continent,” says Nick Imudia, managing director for Nokia West Africa. “Our core strength comes from our local presence, deep consumer understanding and the ability to ignite and enable the local innovation ecosystem. DEMO Africa is the perfect showcase for this innovation, and we are extremely proud of our association with this flagship event and with our ongoing support for local developers”.

Forty of Africa’s most innovative technology products will be launched at Demo Africa, including six from West Africa. Nigeria boasts four finalists: ChopUP from Bayo Puddicombe is a social platform that connects mobile device gamers across Africa and allows them to interact based on in-game achievements

SIM Box Fraud: Glo Ghana Given Ultimatum

*Dr. Mike Adenuga, Globacom chairman

Glo Ghana has been given a two-week ultimatum by the National Communications Authority to address or bring to book the perpetrators of its international SIM box fraud, according to latest reports by Biztechafrica.

Biztechafrica is reporting from Accra that the NCA warned that it would be forced to identify all these fraudsters and block all the numbers should Glo fail to comply with its directive.

It could be recalled that on the 23 of September this year, the National Communications Authority (NCA) said Glo Mobile Network was increasingly being used for international SIM box fraud in Ghana. Statistics from the NCA indicate that there has been a dramatic increase in fraudulent SIMs, from around 2,500 in January, 2013, to nearly 30,000 in August, 2013.

This has put Glo in the lead with the highest number of fraudulent bypass activities, terminating international call traffic on other mobile operators’ platforms, thereby causing huge financial

Ailing Blackberry Agrees to go Private in a $4.7B Deal

Smartphone maker BlackBerry has agreed to go private in a $4.7 billion deal led by its biggest shareholder, allowing the on-the-go email pioneer to regroup away from public scrutiny after years of falling fortunes and slumping market share, according to reports by Reuters.

The $9 a share tentative offer, from a consortium led by property and casualty insurer Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd, will set a floor for any counteroffers that might emerge for Blackberry, which has been on the block since August.

As an investor, Fairfax Chief Executive Prem Watsa is often described as the Canadian Warren Buffett because he also takes the long view.

Blackberry shares peaked above $148 in June 2008 when the company's devices were still the top choice for bankers, politicians and lawyers.

The stock, halted pending the announcement on Monday, closed below the offer price

Ekeh, Zinox Boss Calls For Another Look At Nigeria’s National Education Policy

L-R: Adesuwa Igho Orere, ED, Task Systems, Emomine Mukoro, 

MD-Buyright Africa Dotcom, Prof. David Adewunmi, President NCS, 

Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman Zinox Group, Stanley Okpaleke, MD,Task Systems, 

Emmanuel Onyeje, COO,  Zinox Group, & Funke Oduntan, ED, Task Systems 

Chairman of Zinox Group, Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh has warned that unless the Nigerian nation makes critical decisions that will bring about a break from the analogue past where all photography were still and in black and white, it may not be able to explore the opportunities offered by the digital era to excel as a nation.

According to Ekeh, “Nigeria today finds herself in times that are as difficult as 1969, the peak of the civil war, when nationalists and stakeholders in education came together in a bid to salvage the ship of state from the vicious grip of ethnicity, religious bigotry and corruption.

“The situation has been compounded by kidnapping, terrorism, our inability to fund education, and the inability of Nigerian graduates to fit into existing vacancies in the industry. There is a need for another look at the national policy on education by people compliant with 21st Century technology.”

Ekeh who was speaking during a courtesy visit by the new executive of the Nigeria Computer Society, NCS, led by Prof. David Adewunmi, noted that the new NCS President was assuming office at the right time, and urged him to focus on restructuring the country’s education sector, using the tools of information technology.

The Zinox boss further explained that with technology, the objectives of teaching and learning can be achieved at a lower cost with more competitive outcome, adding that electronic

MTN Hits 10,000 Base Station Milestone

*Mike Ikpoki, MTN Nigeria CEO

MTN Nigeria has rolled out a record 10,000 base stations across the country, reinforcing its position as the largest telecom network in Africa.

The additional base stations are expected to contribute to significant improvements to quality of service. They are a major component of the company’s infrastructure and they have direct impact on network capacity and the experience of customers.

MTN Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Michael Ikpoki, said the company is focused on three major areas, one of them being significant improvement of customer experience. He said that MTN would be building on a track record of aggressive investment in the network to ramp up capacity and ultimately improve service quality.

Ikpoki said MTN has led the industry in terms of rapid network rollout, adding that the company’s aggressive drive to significantly improve customer experience on the network in the last few months has led to record deployment of base stations across the country.

“In the last few months, we have ramped up our rollout. Last month we had a record rollout figure and we are currently rolling out up to 300 sites a month to make sure that we have enough capacity. We are getting more head-room, more dormant capacity in the network. That way, we can carry more traffic and give our customers a decent quality of service on a consistent basis. Indeed, there has been noticeable improvement and this will continue,” Ikpoki said.

The first indigenous CEO of MTN Nigeria noted that apart from crossing the 10,000 base station deployment mark, the company has also installed additional switching centres,

Report: Africa Enterprise Hardware Market Declines

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) enterprise hardware market, comprising servers and external storage, continues to stagnate, with year-on-year growth of just 2.8% recorded for Q2 2013, according to the latest insights from International Data Corporation (IDC).

Referencing its 'EMEA Quarterly Server and Disk Storage Systems Tracker', the research firm today announced that enterprise revenue in MEA totalled $663.4 million for the quarter, with infrastructure deals in the oil and gas, telecommunications, and banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) verticals accounting for much of that figure.

Continuing social and political unrest across much of the region acted as a severe inhibitor to enterprise investment, according to Zeeshan Gaya, research manager for systems and infrastructure solutions at IDC Middle East, Africa, and Turkey: "Ongoing instability in several parts of the Middle East and Africa region caused enterprise spending to slow down, while large projects within the government sector, traditionally one of the major investors in servers and storage, were put on hold."

The MEA region’s x86 server market witnessed a 5.2% year-on-year increase in

Incredible! Fewer Women Online Than Men- UN Study

A recent UN report shows that there are currently 200 million fewer women online than men, and the gap could grow to 350 million within the next three years if action is not taken.

According to a report released by the UN Broadband Commission Working Group on Broadband and Gender, around the world, women are coming online later and more slowly than men. Of the world’s 2.8 billion internet users, 1.3 billion are women, compared with 1.5 billion men.

While the gap between male and female users is relatively small in OECD nations, it widens rapidly in the developing world, where expensive, ‘high status’ ICTs like computers are often reserved for use by men. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, the report’s authors estimate that there is only half the number of women connected as men.

Worldwide, women are also on average 21 percent less likely to own a mobile phone – representing a mobile gender gap of 300 million, equating to USD 13 billion in potential

Airtel Calls for Speedy Implementation of National Broadband Plan

CEO/MD, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya and Governor of Osun State, 

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at the event in Lagos

Airtel Nigeria has thrown its full weight behind the immediate implementation of the recently approved National Broadband Plan (NNBP), saying speedy execution of the strategy document can contribute about N190bn to the country’s GDP in 2015.

Segun Ogunsanya, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria made this call today in Lagos, while speaking at the Nigerian Telecoms Development Lecture (NITDEL).

Ogunsanya said Airtel is committed to partnering with the Federal Government to deliver excellent broadband services and also develop the Nigerian economy.

He described the issuance of the Broadband Plan as a right step in the right direction and assured of Airtel’s deep commitment to partnering with the Government to implement the plan and facilitate Broadband realization for Nigeria, in support of the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government.

Beyond policy direction, Ogunsanya also called on the Government to focus on driving broadband adoption and utilization, noting that Government’s patronage of readily available local applications and solutions will be a great boost just as partnerships with telecoms operators, ICT players and development partners will also help drive utilization.

“As it concerns broadband adoption and utilization, there should be Government’s affirmative action targeting the delivery of social and public services over broadband. The zeal applied by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Federal Government in E-Payment and Cashless Policy initiatives should also be replicated in driving adoption and utilization by the populace,” he said.

Ogunsanya also noted that the implementation requires long-term commitment and significant

Etisalat Proffers Strategies For Quality of Service Improvement

Director, Network Engineering, Etisalat Nigeria, Temi Ogunbambi; 

Head Competition & Tariff,  NCC, Inatimi Spiff and Director, 

Government and Regulatory Affairs, Etisalat Nigeria, Ibrahim Dikko, 

at the Etisalat sponsored NigeriaCom 2013 held at Oriental Hotel, Lagos

Etisalat Nigeria had at this year’s NigeriaCom Conference and Exhibition, highlighted strategies for improving quality of service in the industry.

Speaking at the Conference held recently at Oriental Hotel, Lagos, the company’s Director Network Engineering, Temi Ogunbambi stated that Etisalat takes quality of service seriously and as such works tirelessly to ensure that this is maintained across the country, knowing that it is the only way customers can enjoy value for their money. 

In his contribution to a panel debate on the topic “Quality of Service on the Network: Challenges & Opportunities for Telecoms Operators in Nigeria,” Ogunbambi who was the keynote speaker on the first day of the conference said Nigeria

Digital Africa Partners CEA for CES 2014

*Dr. Evans Woherem
Chairman, Digital Africa Global Consult

Digital Africa Global Consult (DAGC), organisers of Digital Africa Conference & Exhibitions (DACE) have entered into partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association, CEA of the United States of America to mobilize African innovators and investors for the 2014 edition Consumer Electronics Show.

DACE is a flagship annual assembly of the leading companies and government agencies involved in promoting and developing the Information and Communication Technology(ICT) sector throughout Africa. The maiden edition of the annual conference and exhibitions took place at the prestigious Abuja NICON Luxury in April, this year.

Under the partnership with CEA, DAGC is additionally authorized to organize a delegation of qualified business professionals from Africa to CEA’s annual tradeshow, namely- the 2014 International CES to be held from January 7^th-9^th, 2014 in Las Vegas, USA. This will be the first time Africa will be exhibiting at the event.

In a letter to DAGC,CEA noted that “the International Consumer Electronics Show –CES, is the world’s largest annual trade show for the broad-based consumer electronics market. This premier event brings together consumer electronics product manufacturers and service suppliers with the highest concentration of buyers, press and decision-makers in the retail distribution channel.”

Signed by John T. Kelley, Director, International Programs of USA-based Consumer Electronics Association, the letter further noted that the purpose of the International CES is for industry affiliates to meet with manufacturers of consumer electronics products for potential business opportunities.

According to Kelley, “We value our relationship with Digital Africa and understand the value they bring by promoting CES within the African business community.”

While acknowledging the letter of partnership, Dr. Evans Woherem, chairman ofDAGC, expressed delight with the partnership and assured CEA of Digital Africa’s readiness to

BBM Available In Android From September 21

Blackberry Messenger, the iconic mobile social network will be live on Android and iPhone customers around the world from September 21, according to a statement by Blackberry.

Previously exclusive to BlackBerry smartphones, BBM will be available as a free download in Google Play and the App Store. Customers will also be able to download BBM by visiting www.BBM.com from their smartphone browser.

BBM gives you a private social network for active, real conversations. 

“BBM is a very engaging messaging service that is simple to use, easy to personalize and has an immediacy that is necessary for mobile communications,” said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President for BBM at BlackBerry.

He added, “With more than a billion Android, iOS, and BlackBerry smartphones

CWG Picks U.S. International Partner Awards

U.S. Consul General Lagos, Jeffrey J. Hawkins (L) presenting an
award plaque tothe Associate VP, CWG, Dayo Abegunde at the event...

Computer Warehouse Group has received the International award for outstanding achievement in supporting American-Nigerian trade. This was announced at the recent United States International partner Forum and Awards held in Lagos.

The U.S. International Partner Forum and Awards is an annual event organized by the United States Commercial Service (CS), the trade promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration with an objective to honour Nigerian business people who promote U.S. products and services and who have contributed significantly to the achievement of the goals and objectives of the U.S. Commercial Service Nigeria (CS Nigeria). 

CWG was identified as the foremost Information and Technology Company in Nigeria in the first award category at this year’s International Partner Award. It was confirmed that the founder and Group Chief Executive of CWG, Mr Austin Okere is one of the most proactive promoters of U.S. exports and commercial interests in Nigeria. He was one of the pioneers of the NUSA (Networking with the United States of America) program.

CWG being an aggregate ICT company enables businesses using the three facets of ICT; Hardware, communication and Software. Consequently, CWG has three divisions; CWL Systems, DCC Networks and ExpertEdge respectively handling the business needs of the

Dell Networking Introduces S6000 Data Centre Switching Platform

Michael Dell, CEO, Dell Group

Dell Networking has expanded its S-series portfolio with the new S6000, the industry’s highest-density 1RU 10/40GbE switching platform for highly-virtualized data centres.  

A fixed form factor design, the S6000 doubles the density and through-put while consuming up to 50 percent less power than previous generation top-of-rack switches.

Built-in advanced virtualization and automation features help customers scale larger virtual deployments in a smaller physical footprint, and helps solve the challenge of bridging virtualized and non-virtualized aspects of the infrastructure.

According to Tom Burns, vice president and general manager, Dell Networking, “Virtual environments are expanding while physical footprints remain constant, resulting in massive density increases in servers and storage. Networks need to keep up. That’s what inspired the S6000.”

“The S6000 platform can help customers unify virtualized and non-virtualized IT elements, providing a gateway to a software-defined enterprise,” he added

Bob Laliberte, senior analyst, Enterprise

Airtel Promotes Oladimeji, Anand Vice Presidents

.....Elevates 79 Others

Olusegun Ogunsanya, Airtel Nigeria CEO

In line with its corporate philosophy of remaining the employer of choice and empowering more Nigerians with leadership positions, Airtel Nigeria has elevated 81 employees, across its various business functions.

The promotions are a direct result of the company’s 2012/2013 Reward and Performance Evaluation Exercise, which ended in June.

Two employees were promoted Vice Presidents; three elevated from Senior Managers to General Managers, 32 promoted Senior Managers while 44 others were promoted to positions ranging from Senior Officer to Manager.

Top on the list of those promoted were Tayo Oladimeji, formerly General Manager, Revenue Assurance and Fraud Management, and Nitin Anand, who was formerly Head, New Products Development and 3G, who were both promoted Vice Presidents.

Speaking on the Reward and Performance Evaluation Exercise, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Olusegun Ogunsanya, said the company is committed to empowering Nigerian professionals and providing the right environment for employee development and career growth.

“Airtel Nigeria is committed to building the most admired company in Nigeria. We are passionate about creating an environment where hardwork, excellence and exceptional performance are recognized and rewarded. It is our corporate culture to celebrate and reward excellence and we will stop at nothing to ensure that exceptional Nigerians occupy leadership positions.

“Since Airtel acquired the operations of Zain in 2010, the company has promoted over 200 employees and more Nigerians have been empowered to take senior leadership roles. Indeed,

TD, OEM Partners Excite Enugu Market

Technology Distributions (TD) Limited has given the ICT market in Enugu a positive push towards structure, productivity and profit.

Determined to drive the ICT revolution in Enugu and ably supported by its OEM partners – Microsoft, IBM, Samsung, and Dell – TD recently organized a one-day resellers’ forum at which many of the problematic marketing issues in the market were resolved. The forum was preceded by visits to the shops of the resellers by TD and the partnering OEMs the day before.

Chioma Chimere, Managing Director, TD, who discussed the relevance of the channel at the forum said the channel as opposed to the grey market was the best assurance for genuine and original products direct from the manufacturers.

She explained that pricing in the channel is more affordable in real terms, short and long run, adding that the manufacturer’s warranty can only be delivered through the channel. She urged participants not to be carried away by the apparent cheap pricing of the fake products in the grey

Nokia: Going...Going...Going.....

....As Microsoft Acquires Nokia’s Mobile Phone Business

Just as the football world was stunned at Arsenal Football Club of England’s record signing of Metsu Ozil at transfer deadline day, the technology world woke up this morning to hear that Microsoft has agreed to acquire the mobile phone business of Nokia for EUR 3.79 billion. In addition it will pay EUR 1.65 billion to license Nokia's patents, bringing the total value of the deal to EUR 5.44 billion in cash. 

Nokia’s takeover follows its decision in early 2011 to adopt Microsoft's Windows software for its smartphones. Microsoft said the takeover will allow it to accelerate the growth in Windows and expand its share of the mobile phone market, through faster innovation, increased synergies, and unified branding and marketing. It will continue to license Windows Phone to third parties as well. 

Pending approval by Nokia's shareholders and regulators, the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014. Microsoft will finance the takeover from its existing cash. 

The acquisition includes all of Nokia's Devices and Services business, including the Mobile Phones and Smart Devices business units and their design teams, production facilities, sales and marketing activities, and related support functions. Approximately 32,000 employees are expected to transfer to Microsoft, including 4,700 people in Finland and 18,300 employees directly involved in manufacturing products worldwide. The operations generate around EUR 14.9 billion in revenues, or almost 50 percent of Nokia's sales for 2012. 

Microsoft will take over Nokia's long-term patent licensing agreement

Etisalat, Brimass Bring Brian Tracy to Lecture on Remarkable Leaders

L-R: COO, Brimass, Mr. Stephen Ojji; Leadership Expert and Business 

Coach, Mr. Brian Tracy; Head, Business Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, 

Mr. Bidemi Ladipo; and Head, High Value Event and Sponsorship, 

Etisalat Nigeria, Ms. Ebi Atawodi at the event

Etisalat Nigeria has in partnership with Brimass Limited hosted a section of entrepreneurs, executives, business owners and other decision makers to an interactive leadership seminar with Leadership Expert and Business Coach, Mr. Brian Tracy in Lagos.

L-R: Leadership Expert and Business Coach, Mr. Brian Tracy with Head, Business 

Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Bidemi Ladipo; and Head, High Value Event and 

Sponsorship, Etisalat Nigeria, Ms. Ebi Atawodi at the event 

The telecoms company said in a statement that this is a way of reiterating its support for the growth of emerging businesses as well as providing businesses with the right platform to communicate ideas and grow their business enterprise.

Tagged “The Remarkable Leaders’ Conclave with Brian Tracy” and with the theme- ‘The Making of Innovative Leaders: Winning Leadership Strategies for Building World Class Organizations and Societies’ was designed to expose delegates to Tracy’s best productivity secrets to help them maximize their leadership positions and ultimately produce excellent results in their businesses and other spheres of life.

The three part seminar which started with the Entrepreneurs’ Breakfast Conclave, followed by the Executives’ Lunch Conclave and climaxed with an exclusive Executives’ Dinner, delivered tips and keys for growing a successful business as well as the role of management in building effective leaders.

Dwelling on the seven responsibilities of a leader, Tracy, a top selling author of over 45 books said that an effective leader is one who can provide customer satisfaction and this can happen by offering innovative products and services. He added that businesses should continually seek better