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THE NATION THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2012
e-Business Video will generate 71% of Broadband infrastructure data traffic by 2016 to cost N600b, says Ovia M
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HE wireless infrastructure that would drive uptake of broadband services would be worth at least N600billion, Chairman of Visafone, Mr Jim Ovia, has said. Ovia said the rapid growth in the number of Internet users would lead to corresponding economic growth of the nation. This growth, according to him, would be made possible by expansion of broadband infrastructure. At the fourth anniversary celebration of Visafone in Lagos, , Ovia said: “Riding the waves of explosion of Internet and social networking, Nigeria is catching up with the global trends and has 46million Internet users as we speak. “The Internet users are estimated to grow to 70 million by 2015 and Nigeria would be using wireless broadband services worth N600billion. I believe the aggressive Internet penetration will lead to the economic growth of Nigeria and is the future.” As part of measures to contribute
to the nation’s development through broadband, Visafone has put plans in place to deepen penetration by expanding its voice and data networks. The company said it would invest billions of naira on mobile broadband infrastructure as well as deploy the Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology to keep the nation at par with global technology trends of a networked society. Ovia said that as the nation moves towards electronic payment, mobile broadband would be integral in delivering quality service to consumers. He said Visafone would play a leading role in this drive by introducing innovative solutions, infrastructure upgrade and affordable tablets and smartphones to support the initiative. He said: “Visafone is confident of delivering a superlative mobile broadband experience to customers and offer exciting times during the year as mobile money,
cash-less Nigeria and thrust on broadband penetration are slated to encompass our lives. “Visafone is challenge-ready to take leadership positions in all of these. I must add that going forward, enterprise business will be a key focus area for growth and Visafone shall aspire to pioneer innovative solutions in this segment. You will also find new and exciting devices launched in our network, including tablets and affordable smartphones.” To kick-start the drive, the company announced it is investing $20million to boost capacity of its broadband network in Lagos. To commemorate its celebrations, the Nigerian Communications Commission has declared the Telco, the nation’s number one network on the Quality of Service Key Performance Indicators among all mobile networks. Visafone emerged first in the defined Parameters of Service: CSSR (Call Set up Success Rate) TCHCon (Traffic Channel Congestion) and CCR (Call Completion Rate).
OBILE data traffic is expected to increase 18-fold over the next five years, tripling fixed data traffic by 2016, with video accounting for 71 per cent of all mobile data during the same period, according to a new forecast issued by networking firm, Cisco Systems in its Visual Networking Index. The forecast anticipates the number of mobile Web-connected devices would eclipse the number of people on earth. Cisco projects an annual run rate of 130 exabytes of mobile data traffic by 2016, a number equivalent to 33 billion DVDs, 4.3 quadrillion MP3 files or 813 quadrillion text messages. An exabyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to one quintillion bytes. The Middle East and Africa will experience the highest regional mobile data traffic growth rate, growing 36-fold between 2012 and 2016 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 104 per cent, according to the forecasts.
The forecast predicted that mobile cloud traffic would also increase, expanding 28-fold between 2011 and 2016 at a CAGR of 95 per cent. Mobile network connection speeds is also expected to surge in conjunction with consumer demand, increasing nine-fold during the forecast period. In a statement, Cisco Vice President, Products and Solutions Marketing, Suraj Shetty, said: “By 2016, 60 per cent of mobile users, that is about three billion people worldwide, will belong to the ‘Gigabyte Club,’ each generating more than one gigabyte of mobile data traffic per month. “By contrast, in 2011, only one-half per cent of mobile users qualified. This impressive growth in mobile traffic will be driven by more powerful devices, notably smartphones and tablets, using faster networks, such as 4G and WiFi, to access more applications, particularly data-intensive video.”
Ministry to hold forum on ICT policy
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HE Ministry of Communications Technology will hold a stakeholder’s forum on the draft Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policy on March 9, in Lagos. In a statement, the ministry said the draft policy has received suggestions, comments and inputs from industry groups, organisations and stakeholders both in Nigeria and abroad, since release in January. The forum is expected to provide a veritable platform for the ministry to engage stakeholders in robust discussions on the suggestions and comments on the policy. Minister of Communications Tech-
nology, Mrs Omobola Johnson said: ‘’We have had various policies covering the IT and the communications industry but the convergence of technologies and the industry have dictated the need for an integrated policy document, hence, the need to harmonise all the existing policies to reflect new realities.” She said the policy document was a “statement of intent” for the ministry, stressing that once there was an agreement, a country ICT master plan would be developed that will include an implementation plan with detailed implementation activities, timelines, milestones and funding requirements as well as funding options.
HP launches workstation
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P has introduced an all-in-one workstation with a 68.6 cm (27”) diagonal display. A workstation is a high-end computer designed for technical or scientific applications. The display of the new HP Z1 Workstation snaps open so users can easily swap out parts and make upgrades without any tools required. HP Workstation Category Manager, Fulvio Dona, explained that the HP Z1 combines a sleek industrial design with accelerated performance featuring Intel Xeon processors, NVIDIA Quadro graphics, support for more than one billion colours, as well as HP’s world-class reliability.
“The HP Z1 Workstation is built for computer-aided design, digital media, entertainment, architects, education and independent professionals. It provides blazingly fast rendering and performance, offers a full range of workstation-class graphics cards and processors and is tested and certified to work with today’s leading industry applications. “Whether it’s an engineer creating three dimensional components, an architect designing buildings, a videographer editing event footage or photographer finishing photo shots, the HP Z1 gives creative professionals the power they need to bring ideas to life faster.”
Embrace CSR, Telecom chiefs tell organisations
C •Mr Tomisin Fashina (left) and General Manager, Gboyega Adelowore, at a media briefing in Lagos.
Yookos set to challenge Facebook
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SOCIAL networking site which would be to Africa what Facebook is to America has been launched. The site, Yookos, according to the promoters, would rivet upon education, entertainment and interaction. The site, unveiled in Lagos, is raring to grab the hearts and minds of Africans at home and in Diaspora by offering a values-based platform that addresses African issues. It has users in Nigeria, United Kingdom, South Africa, United States, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Canada. Chief Executive Officer of Yookos, with six million users already, Mr Tomisin Fashina, said that there was a huge need for an African networking site that could help Africans interact, socialise, share information and access entertainment relevant to them, regardless of location. He said social media penetration remains low in many African countries because of the lack of local relevance, saying Yookos would play a vital role in breaking digital barriers, making the continent social
media-savvy and providing social relevance in a networked environment. “Our early experience suggests there’s a huge need for a quintessentially African social network that helps Africans interact, socialise, share information and access entertainment that is relevant to them, whether they’re in London, New York or a remote village in Nigeria. “For us, Africa’s challenges are its opportunities. Our emphasis is on social development. Our biggest challenge in the continent is illiteracy, and we’ll be looking to find ways to be part of the
‘Our early experience suggests there’s a huge need for a quintessentially African social network that helps Africans interact, socialise, share information and access entertainment that is relevant to them, whether they’re in London, New York or a remote village in Nigeria’
solution. We care about Africa and uplifting the people, whether that’s through giving students access to educational materials or putting families in contact with their loved ones on the other side of the world.” He explained that the site, which has multi-language support, was born as an online platform for Christ Embassy Head Pastor, Chris Oyakhilome, to share prayer points with believers. He said the site was expanded to reach out to all Africans, regardless of religion, politics, gender or locations when the potentials were discovered. Fashina stated that plans are in place to put the school certificate syllabuses and other study materials on the site to aid scholarship. He added that Yookos’ positioning as a values-based platform would be attractive to many Africans put off by more liberal Western platforms: “We don’t want pornography, foul language or violence. This is a place where people are comfortable to come and talk about everything from football to music in a comfortable environment,” he said.
HIEF Executive Officer of Etisalat, Mr Steven Evans, has urged organisations to embrace Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), saying if properly implemented, has potential to aid business growth, reduce risks as well as enhance business reputation. He assured that Etisalat would act as a catalyst in developing a CSR agenda for the socioeconomic de-
velopment of the nation. According to Evans, to give verve to the development of effective CSR in Nigeria, the company had set up a CSR Centre at the Lagos Business School of Pan-African University. He made this known in Lagos at the opening of a two-day international CSR conference, organised by the Telco in partnership with the institution.
Bharti Airtel unaware of Econet Wireless damages claim
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HARTI Airtel Ltd, the Indianbased parent company of Airtel Nigeria, has said it isn’t aware of a reported $3.1billion damages claim by Econet Wireless Ltd in a dispute over ownership of the India Telco’s Nigerian unit. The comments came after Nigerian media cited court documents to report that Econet Wireless has claimed damages from Bharti Airtel after a local court decision in late January. The court said Bharti’s purchase of the Nigeria unit--now called Airtel Nigeria-from Mobile Telecommunications Co. in 2010 was “null and void” because Econet wasn’t consulted on the deal. Econet officials couldn’t be reached for comment, but media reports cited the company as saying that its five per cent stake in the unit was unfairly cancelled when Zain took over the
Nigerian company in 2005. It also claimed that any subsequent change in ownership, including Bharti’s deal with Zain, should be declared null and void. The court upheld Econet’s claim, but Bharti has challenged the order. Bharti said that Econet’s comments are “grossly spurious and misleading.” Econet Wireless’s disputed five per cent stake in Airtel Nigeria hasn’t “been cancelled but has been set aside since 2006, pending final resolution of the ongoing litigation on this matter,” said Bharti, India’s largest and the world’s fifth-largest mobile phone company by subscribers. “The partial award has also not determined any damages,” it said, referring to the January court order, adding that it expects a hearing on its appeal shortly.