Airtel’s Big Family Offers Customers Bigger Features

*Rajan Swaroop, Airtel Nigeria CEO

Airtel Nigeria customers can now have an opportunity of enjoying additional benefits from one of the company’s most pocket friendly packages, Airtel Big Family, with the announcement of the introduction of an enriched offer, Airtel Big Family Xtra

A statement signed by Emmanuel Otokhine, Head of Public Relations at Airtel Nigeria stated that in addition to 15 Kobo per Second (15K/Sec) on net tariff that is available on the Airtel Big Family package, customers will have the benefit of making free on-net mid-night calls daily, get 40 free SMS and receive free data worth 4MB between 12.30am and 4.30am.

Customers on the package are required to make one minute of local call between 8am and 12midnight to enjoy the free midnight calls, SMS and data offer.

The statement quoted the Airtel Nigeria’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director, Deepak Srivastava as saying that the Airtel Big Family Xtra offer will continue to give Airtel customers the unique benefits of making calls to all on-net numbers at 15kobo per second and 30 Kobo per second to other networks after the first minute call of the day at 60 Kobo per second.

Sidmach Technologies Develops e-Registration System for JAMB

L – R: Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Executive Governor, Edo State, Mrs. Yemi Keri, Executive Director ICT, Edo State, Dele Akinsade, Technology Lead, Akin Akinwolere, Account Technology Strategist, Public Sector and Dan Ogbonna, Depth Segment Marketing Manager, all of Microsoft Anglophone West Africa at the 2^nd Edo State Technology Day which held recently

An e-Registration System has been designed by Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited, a Microsoft Gold Partner, for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The system will enable candidates register online for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The process also allows for seamless registration, more efficient record keeping and elimination of the trauma associated with manual registration, as well as prevalent exam malpractices resulting from poor monitoring.
Primarily built on the Microsoft Visual Studio.Net and the SQL Server 2008 platforms, this engine captures candidates’ bio-data, UTME Subjects, First and Second choices of Institution and Course, O/Level subjects and grades, Examination Town, passport photograph and biometric (fingerprint) data.
The system also provides step by step instructions on how to fill the form online, offering a simplified online brochure, which provides candidates with a variety of courses and institutions to choose from, taking into consideration their preferred catchment areas. In addition, the system provides information to JAMB on the candidates for the UTME, as well as reports to JAMB for the management of the examination.
“The implementation of the project began with the capturing and validation of information, for the 1.49 million candidates who sat for the 2011 UTME. The captured information was stored in a Microsoft SQL Server database which ensured trusted, productive, and intelligent data platform that provided excellent encryption which guarded against tampering,” said Mike Olajide, Managing Director of Sidmach Technologies,
Olajide further explained that the project included the provision of 3,200 Fingerprint Scanners and HP mini laptops, running Microsoft Windows 7 for the verification and attendance marking of candidates for the UTME. The Verification system according to him was also

FCT, Intel Deploy ICT Tools To Boost Healthcare Services

*Sen. Bala Mohammed, FCT Minister

Chip giants, Intel has said that the introduction of the Mailafiya Health Programme conceived to address the health services delivery needs of the remote, poor communities as well as to fast-track progress on millennium development goals 4, 5, and 6, through increased health delivery by 270 per cent to underserved communities, is showcasing the positive impact that ICT can make on improving healthcare delivery.

David McCarron, Director of Healthcare, EMEA, Intel Corporation who stated this at the Pan African Health Summit held in Abuja last Thursday, said the technological giant is working in partnership with the FCT administration to boost the rural health care services within the territory and across Nigeria.

He said that in an attempt to address some of the challenges facing the FCT healthcare, Intel Corporation, as part of its corporate social responsibility decided to take healthcare to the communities through mobile health (mHealth) and telemedicine,

Airtel Partners Nokia In Dual SIM Bundle Package

Airtel Nigeria and mobile phone giant, Nokia have jointly introduced into the Nigerian market, the first ever Nokia dual SIM device, the X1-01, bundled exclusively with Airtel SIM cards.

The Airtel and Nokia offer will enable consumers in the country enjoy one of Nokia’s latest phones, the X1-01 dual SIM model and Airtel Nigeria’s innovative, affordable,  and value–rich telecom solutions.

A statement by Emmanuel Otokhine, Head of Public Relations in Airtel Nigeria said in line with the terms of the Airtel/Nokia bundle offer, customers who purchase Nokia X1-01 handset will get N250 bonus airtime for every N400 cumulative airtime recharge monthly for six months. The customers will also get as many as 20 free SMS monthly.

The subscribers will enjoy the 20 free SMS for life so long as they recharge with a minimum of N100 every month. 

The statement quoted the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of Airtel Nigeria, Deepak Srivastava as saying at the event that “the partnership between

Visafone Excites Customers With OMH Android Dual SIM Smartphone

*Sailesh Iyer, Visafone CEO

Visafone, one of Nigeria’s leading telecom operators has launched the Motorola XT 800 and ZTE R750 dual SIM touch screen smart phones which operate on the Android Operating System. The launch makes Visafone the first CDMA operator in Africa to roll out these devices.
In a statement signed by the Head, Corporate Communications, Mr. Joseph Ushigiale, the launch of the phone was said to have been widely received with appreciable excitement having recorded over 600 unit sales just within one week of the official launch.
Android, the fastest selling growing mobile operating system in the U.S, UK and Europe, is an open-source mobile Google operating system with over 300,000 applications stored in the android market. The device grants access to emails on the go, mobile office (word, excel, power point) applications and others.
A report released recently by a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital business analytics, comScore MobiLense, showed that Android OS is currently leading other smart phones with a 38.1 per cent share of the market while Blackberry OS has 24.7 per cent share of the market.
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Visafone, Sailesh Iyer, said at the launch of the android phones that "We are excited to be the first mobile operator to launch the Android dual SIM OMH touch screen phone into the African market. This further empowers corporate organizations and

UK Riots: Hackers Attack Blackberry Over Police Help

By ROMMY IMAH (with Agency reports)

A hacker group has attacked Blackberry's website after the company said it would assist police investigating riots in the UK according to reports by the BBC.

The group known as Team Poison defaced the official Blackberry blog, posting a message that threatened the firm with retaliation if it handed user data to authorities.

Blackberry's instant messaging service is believed to have been used by some looters to plan their movements.

The firm has promised to co-operate with police and the Home Office.

Team Poison said in the statement that it did not condone innocent people or small businesses being attacked in the riots but added: “We are all for the rioters that are engaging in attacks on the police and government.”

The group argued that if Blackberry gave subscriber information to police, it could lead to the wrong people being targeted.

According to Team Poison, “Innocent members of the public who were at the wrong place at the wrong time and owned a Blackberry will get charged for no reason at all”. It threatened to release employee information, including names, addresses and phone numbers of Blackberry staff.

The BBC reports that UK laws mean police can request data from individuals’ mobile phones when that information relates to criminal activity.

The procedure is governed by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

Customers Salute Glo 1 Submarine Cable Quality

Customers on the Glo 1 international submarine cable have described as impressive the services they have so far received since they signed on to the network. 

Representatives of some of Glo 1’s clients including Netcom Africa, Cable and Wireless and Hyperia Limited who made the commendation at a facility tour of Glo 1 landing station at Lekki, Lagos recently noted that the infrastructure deployed by the network was world class and restated their belief that they made the right choice by opting for Glo 1.

Group Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of Netcom Africa, Yen Choi, said “I am delighted with the sophisticated technology deployed by Glo. I am hugely impressed with the facility I have seen here today, it is simply world class. I remember the days it was difficult to make long distance telephone calls, but with Glo 1, has come much faster and more robust connectivity for voice, data and video.”

Choi observed that Glo 1 was not just about state-of-the-art infrastructure, “but also about speed and reliability which translate to much more efficiency and cost-effective business activity”.

Deputy Managing Director of Hyperia, George Opara,