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Editions 171 - 200

CYBERSCHUULNEWS 200

Clearing House for Telecom Firms Emerges
Nigeria's first clearing house for telecoms operators has been commissioned. Interconnect Clearing House Nigeria Limited, an innovation in this parts, is set to help put an end to the various interconnection and bill-settlement crises that have characterized the telecoms sector of the economy for years now.

The company will monitor all traffic between operators and help reconcile accounts for settlement on a monthly cycle. Six Interconnect Exchange licenses were known to have been issued by NCC and two are already on the way to playing in the field.

NITEL: Continues service roll out; Investors jostle
As the six companies short listed to compete for the purchase of 51% stock of the carrier jostle for the juicy offer, NITEL continues to roll out its services around the country.

Alongside its fixed wireless lines, NITEL's IP-wholesale service and its dialup Internet services are hot cakes in the market. In a strategic move to rebuild interest in its dialup service, NITEL has fixed tariff at N3.25 per minute during peak periods.

National ID Card for e-commerce?
The Federal Government is proposing to transform the country's National ID card into an e-commerce tool. In an innovative thrust to empower Nigerians, the government has raised two committees to work out the technicalities for achieving this objective.

Nigerians wake up to blogging
Years ago, only writers and pressmen published anything. But with the advent of the Internet came an amazing potential for anyone to publish virtually anything that catches his or her fancy for next to nothing - but on the Net. Blogging is the name. Online publishing is the game.

While blogging has been going on around the world for quite a while, the practice is fast catching on her in Nigeria with various blogs springing up. Usually, these blogs are maintained by intelligent young Nigerians. Some of them are just general blogs with posts on the author's personal life, while others narrow down to specific issues such as mobile phones, relationships, and financial intelligence.

If you have something worthwhile to say, now you have a platform that knows little or no restrictions. Blog!

Nigerians in Diaspora Pick Development Challenge
The recent Abuja conference on forging partnerships with and among Nigerians in the Diaspora as a component of bridging the digital and scientific divides rose with Nigerian scientists who live abroad bracing to take up the challenge of reversing perceived downward trends in national development. A 21-point communiqué, which emerged out of the conference picks on several issues most of which are not entirely singing new tunes. In particular, the papers presented by Nigerians who live abroad point to the need for many of the authors to seek better touch with home as many of them were proposing solution to problems which have since been solved or which no longer exist.

Ironically many Nigerian ‘Diasporans’ have made more fundamental contributions in their individual capacities than they collectively diagnosed at the talkshop. More than 400 delegates participated in the Conference. A quarter of that figure might have come home for the epoc meeting.

Hopefully future editions of the Conference, which appears to have been decreed by President Obasanjo’s expressed opinion to include July 25 as annual Diaspora Day, will have better focus.

The Limits of Deregulation
In the following essay which is culled from THIS DAY, Tayo Ajakaiye [ taykaye@yahoo.com ] a leading writer of telecommunications discusses the disadvantages of concentrating too many licenses in the hands of a few individuals

Since the beginning of the present deregulation in the telecommunications sector of the Nigerian economy, it has been all applause. The Nigerian Communications Commission has enjoyed the praise. The Ministry of Communications has savoured the glory. The federal government has taken the credit.

Along the line, Nigerians have found life a bit easier. Telecom access has made life easier. Fewer Nigerians still, and foreigners too, have been making millions and millions.
In all these, not many people are looking critically at our deregulation process. Like who gets what licence. In Nigeria today, many people rush to the NCC to get licence. It is only after getting the licence that they sit down to decide what to do with the licence. The NCC does not have problems giving anybody the licence required. The Commission's chief executive, Ernest Ndukwe had always stated that at NCC they expected the applicants as businessmen to do their feasibility studies before applying for licences. Many of them do not. So, they hang the licences in their offices after getting them and forfeiting the licence fees. A few others waste some more millions before deciding that they have bought the wrong product. Once upon a time, the NCC insists on a foreign technical partner before granting a licence. They did for the GSM people. But not anymore.

It was this policy that partly accounted for the successful launch of GSM services in Nigeria. Since this requirement was stopped by the NCC, more licences have ended up in the cooler than those operated.

Take the FWA licences for instance, a more experienced foreign technical partner may have been able to advise some of the licence winners from going ahead to procure those licences they so excitedly won but so regretfully abandon. Out of the list of 22, only about two and a half have launched service. Even Oduatel with all the millions expended have not made success of its licence. It had to buy a CDMA licence long after that. A technical partner may have spotted the uselessness of its FWA licence in the first instance.
Were the NCC to do a licence audit today, it would realise that there are so many licences out there lying idle.

Since the time it has been awarded a fixed wireless licence, NITEL has not operated that licence once. It won't operate it till next year when the unified licence regime takes off.
An operator who spoke with THISDAY Tuesday observed that it might be okay issuing licences the way NCC does since the Commission wont be in a position to know which of the applicants were unserious. He however insisted that there should be a regular audit of licences so that those who have nothing on the ground to show for the length of time they have being in possession of their licences should be withdrawn and the licences re-awarded to other serious operators. In any case, what happens to the kind of rollout conditions given the GSM operators?

The new concern in the industry today is the seeming willingness of the authorities in allowing the same set of people who operate core telecom services to provide telecom support services. The same telecom operator wants to provide interconnect services and manufacture recharge cards. Soon, he would also set up a company to manufacture SIM cards.

If this is allowed, an MTN, for example, could as well establish a recharge card manufacturing plant in Nigeria. It has the money. It could then establish a company and fund it to provide interconnect service. MTN would then also register another company and get it ready to take advantage of such a time when the government would place a ban on the importation of SIM cards. How would that sound?
That is why there should be a limit to deregulation.

There is something called specialisation. Let there be specialisation in the telecom industry. Core telecom operators should be asked to face core service provisioning. Value-added service providers and support services providers should also be approved to provide such services. It goes beyond the issue of expertise. For that would be the next argument: that if it is the same set of shareholders that have the capability to provide the next service, they should be allowed. There is nothing extraordinary in a value added services that others cannot provide.

If there is telecom boom in Nigeria, the benefits should not be enjoyed by only a few people. Let the boom spread. It doesn't make sense making the same set of people millionaires and billionaires. Or what is empowerment all about? Properly defined, it shouldn't be for just a few. But definitions do change, when greed sets in. Don't they?

EDUCATION FOR ALL (EFA) IN NIGERIA
BY YEAR 2015?: “E-LEARNING IS THE ANSWER”.[3]
A contribution to CYBERSCHUULNEWS by Adejare Amoo
..contd from CYBERSCHUULSHOUT 25
ADVANTAGES OF E-LEARNING
Cost Effectiveness
It has been discovered that traditional training and education, as organized at present by both the public and private sectors, is less cost effective. It is established that about 40% of the training cost is currently spent on travels and transportation, accommodation and lodging, and other non-training related expenses either on the trainer or on the trainees. E-learning technology has cut off such cost. It makes it possible to train so many people within the same budget through effective cost control. While the employees’ performance is enhanced, their productivity consistently improves, resulting in global national productivity and economic growth.

Flexibility Of Implementation Of Training Programmes
This technology provides flexibility of implementation of training programmes to cover individual needs while at work, home or play. It provides for a speedy implementation of training programmes. Training programme application is democratized such that the trainees can work at their own pace , time and place. The courses include technical training relating to the workers’ activities, foreign language training, and knowledge acquisition training. A real time performance evaluation and assessment is attained. Currently, the traditional training involves much of mobility of personnel causing disruption of work flow. The time for such training is fixed. E-learning technology provides for learning any where and at any time, such that the training can be customized to suit the trainees, the trainer and the employers, which includes the government. Trainers prepare and control their course contents without much external specialist intervention. It simplifies the development of courses with possible input from all stakeholders.

The World As A Single E-Classroom
Through virtual technology, the world is currently being reduced to a single classroom Training values are maximized through customization, flexibility, personal coaching, regular tracking, and course accreditation as well as certification by the universities. It provides for all ages, colour, creed, and gender worldwide. This technology has the advantage of interactive solutions. The wealth of benefits associated with it include exciting, active learning environment, self confidence, real time evaluation, personalised test and self assessment, immediate feedback, no paper marking, multimedia application, customized course control, accurate statistics on students’, trainers’ and platform activities, more effective communication, efficient travel cost reduction, robust technological support, simple, fast and complete training, and modular forms.

Corporate Optimization Of Human Performance Through E-Learning
Technology Application
The ethical objectives of corporate bodies today is to know more, do more and spend less through their work force at all levels. This can only be achieved through the optimization of human performance in all their business processes. They need to tie learning directly to core business activities. This is possible only through e-learning technology which provides for wider audience outreach. The stakeholders are trained online, covering the employees, shareholders, suppliers, customers, host communities, and government agencies among others. The technology provides for corporate application which includes corporate induction programmes with virtual interviews and platforms. Animated and dynamic 3D words and imageries could be used to launch new range of products while CD’s are used to disseminate information and educational instructions. Training programmes cover all aspects of the organization.

Extending e-learning technology application to all stakeholders is a competitive strategy with achievable advantage. Extensible and configurable e-learning technology application enables organizations to personalise the user interface at the levels of function, location, site, organization, responsibility, and user. The technology enables organizations to share unified information across the company to facilitate smarter decisions with better information while promoting effective and efficient scheduling and resource management..

Effective Learning Management System
...to be continued

Engr. Adejare AMOO ceemind@excite.com is a Lagos based Energy and IT Education Consultant .

RE: TODAY'S MOBILE EXECUTIVES
Prof. Augustine odinma raised a number of points in CYBERSCHUULNEWS 250705-198 with respect to an earlier contribution I made [TODAY'S MOBILE EXECUTIVES ] and a report of a mobile data survey conducted on my site www.gosmartmobile.com

Indeed the professor is 100% correct when he wrote that "GPRS can be charged as a flat rate as well and it is not necessarily true that CDMA charges are flat. That depends on who is doing the charges or the operator's method of billing. The charges are a billing issue and a technology issue. Whether the operator is a GSM or CDMA operator that does not determine whether it should be flat rate or not".

Unfortunately, the reality on ground is that the majority of CDMA networks around the world and all of them here in Nigeria chose (whether by a deliberate consensus or by simply going with the Joneses) to bill a flat monthly rate.

In a similar vein, the majority of GPRS networks around the world, again including Nigeria, also for whatever reasons chose to bill per data transferred.

My tips were given with these existing realities in view. In the end, that's all it boils down to with the man on the street: the realities on ground. There was no point giving tips based on what can be rather than what is.

Prof. Odinma also wrote concerning the results of the survey on data tariffs, "If you had a national CDMA operator in Nigeria, the operator is likely to charge the N42 or so that other operators charge per minute... I do agree with assertion that the GSM services are over priced in Nigeria, but you do not have a national CDMA operator in Nigeria to compare with".

I quote from the report he refers to:

"In a recent survey by GoSmartMobile.com, 90% of respondents on GSM networks also say that GSM data services are over-priced and that they would be willing to cross over to a CDMA network offering better data tariffs. While CDMA subscribers were firm in their conviction that they preferred their network's data charges to those of GSM networks, they also indicated that they were still not very comfortable with the tariffs".

For the records, the survey in question was about mobile data services, and specifically a comparison between data services based on CDMA and GPRS platforms. Prof. Odinma seems to have missed this vital point. Were the survey had been about a comparison between GSM and CDMA voice, the Professor's position would be water-tight.

Having said that, I respect, commend and appreciate Prof. Odinma's efforts at bringing further clarity to the issues in question for the benefit of all


CYBERSCHUULNEWS 199
ICT SOLUTIONS: HOW AFFORDABLE IS AFFORDABLE?

Almost on a daily basis, the media is flushed with one advert or the other offering "affordable" Information and Communications Technology services and solutions. The increase in interest in ICT is a welcome development, as is the initiative of enterprising individuals and businesses who are rising up to the challenge of providing these much-needed services.

What can be a little amusing is how often those services tagged "affordable" are not quite as pocket-friendly as they have been touted.

Take the PC and internet access. These two are vital to the successful implementation of ICT in today's world. The average "affordable" basic Pentium 233 PC in the market costs around N40,000. In a country where over 80% of the population earn well below N10,000 monthly, the affordability of the PC is suspect.

The most affordable internet access solutions are arguably those offered by PTOs and advanced GSM networks. But even these can be afforded by only a tiny section of the population. The cheapest internet access plan on any of the PTOs costs N3,000 per month. Again, a not-so-affordable fee to a majority of the populace.

Several factors are responsible for this "restricted affordability". On the list are: epileptic power supply, alongside other inadequate infrastructure; high government taxes; steep interest rates on loans; and a couple other factors. At the bottom of the list will be found the lack of foresight by service providers.

Many times, ICT is a game of numbers. There are situations where providers can drop their fees/tariffs in order to amass a critical mass of subscribers or users that will generate the kind of profitability that will see the providers smiling to the banks.

Whatever the arguments, it is obvious that the high-end of the ICT market is well saturated. Those service providers who want to create new sources of revenue will need to find innovative ways of harnessing the untapped potentials of the lower end of the market by introducing real affordability in the pricing of their services.

Reform of US Telecom Act now real, Nigeria's reform stalled
Going by recent maneuvers in the US Senate, the push to further deregulate the U.S. telecommunications market may soon sail through. It has been long awaited that the new bill which shall replace the 1966 Act will strip some of the current federal and state rules for the delivery of voice, video and data services. Analysts say it is expected to further level the playing field between telephone, cable and satellite companies while opening the door for the delivery of emerging broadband services. Arrowhead of the reform bill, Senator John Ensign, believes "Technology is moving forward but current laws are not."

In Nigeria, the lower house was where the murmuring was first heard that the new and relatively popular National Communications Act 2003 was to be reviewed. That was almost as soon as the current assembly came into life but the proponents now appear quiet over the issue especially as they detoured into combing the 'Pentascope' deal.

Hacker Stops Spammers
An Israeli hacker who got tired of the unsolicited mails from the Israeli National Institute of standards decided to put an end to the endless SPAM that was flooding his mailbox and hacked into the server where the email database was stored. He then proceeded to delete data, including access usernames and passwords to the database. The cheeky fellow finally also changed the database’s administrative password, locking out the very owners!

That's one hacker who put his skills to interesting use, isn't it?

Boost for Nigerian Software Developers
In a concerted effort at developing local content creation in ICT, software programmers and writers are being given due recognition and support under the Nigeria Software Development Initiative, a programme that seeks to lift the software development industry in Nigeria. Part of the objectives of NSDI is to ensure compliance with documentation and standards, as well as generate greater demand for the services of Nigerians in software development market.

meanwhile
NITDA'S DG ANNOUNCES VISION
Prof. Cleopas Angaye, Director-General of Nigeria's National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, has been speaking about his vision for the IT Industry in Nigeria. He says there would be deliberate priority attention to standards and regulations, software development, and development of domestic and external markets. He also reeled out a list of populist objectives which are usual components of government policy statements. These include the development of State IT Policies, acceleration of e-government, interconnection of networks [didn't say which networks] and a facilitation of rural IT penetration and popularization[ boy, some big words there!!]. He also said the Agency would facilitate the establishment of Information Technology Access centers in all the 774 local government areas of the country. Whaoh!!!


Portable 3G Internet Access Service debuts
An ICT firm, Netcom, has launched a portable Internet access service on a 3G platform in Nigeria. The service will allow subscribers to connect to the Internet anywhere within the Netcom network. Named MyNetcom, this 3G service is being rolled out with limited service coverage in Lagos, and will be extended over time.

States in ICT Development drive
More than 25 states in Nigeria said they have been building structures and motivating their citizens in the applications of ICT. Six of them Osun, Plateau, Oyo, Kano, Kaduna and Delta were at the recent eNigeria Summit in Abuja where they all reported notable degrees of success in their IT development efforts. Others who have also been reported to be doing a few things in this regard include Ogun, Lagos, and Akwa Ibom States.

V-Mobile declares Sim Pack Free
'....Dear customer, from 1 August, Sim Packs will cost N0.00. You pay N500, you activate and get N500 FREE airtime. That's value, because its all about you.....Vmobile, 31 July-2005, 09:35:21...'



CYBERSCHUULNEWS 198
AT STARCOMMS: SMET OUT; BURKE IN
After an excellent 3-year term at Starcomms, Mr Dirk Smet has resigned his appointment as CEO of Nigeria's foremost Private Telephone Operator (PTO). he joined Starcomms in 2002 at the company's humble beginning and successfully turned around its fortunes skywards. Today Starcomms is head and shoulder above other PTOs with an active subscriber base of about 145,000.

He is being replaced by Mr Graham Burke who has been designated Chief Operating Officer (COO). Burke has very rich experience with telecoms operators in Asia, the middle East and Africa. In Africa specifically, he has consulted for Intercellular, another PTO and is coming in on the eve of Starcomm's rollout of services in oil rich Port Harcourt.

ICT TOOLS HELP POLICE
The British police are making progress in their investigations of the recent bombings in London with the aid of ICT tools. Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at strategic locations around the city recorded footages that the police are currently reviewing. Already, a number of suspects have been identified and are being hunted.

A major demonstration of how 3G CDMA technology can be used to provide real-time surveillance of the society is being accomplished in South Africa by a company called Cueincident, and has helped bring down crime by 80% in the Johannesburg Central Business District (CBD). With the help of surveillance cameras linked to a central monitoring station by CDMA technology, the police are able to provide amazing quick response to criminal activities. This has drastically reduced crime in the area.

E-COMMERCE TAKING OFF IN NIGERIA?
Finally, true e-commerce seems to be finding its roots in Nigeria. First, it was the laudable attempts of a few innovative banks and organisations at providing e-payment services to Nigerians. The off-shoots of those efforts include: Valucard, SmartCard, FlashMe Cash and some others. However, these where limited in many ways. ValuCard depended on physically carrying a card. FlashMe Cash was a little bit more e , in the sense that you could pay remotely. however, its limitations lay in the fact that it was operated on only one bank.

Sometime last year, SmartPay (one of the apostles of e-payment solutions in the country) also introduced Naira2u, an online service that enables Nigerians to make remote payments. The service was welcomed by those who had longed for an e-payment solution that would open them up to the international market with enthusiasm. Naira2u met this need, as all e-payment solutions before it where strictly limited to transactions within Nigeria.

Then came news that MasterCard and VISA were showing interest in Nigeria. At about the same time, GloMobile announced a mobile-commerce service, Glo m-banking, run in conjunction with InterSwitch and all the banks operating on that platform. More universality! But Glo m-banking is yet to allow for true e-commerce, as the ability to pay 3rd parties is yet to be launched.

While we await that, MasterCard is finally live and active in Nigeria, with at least 4 banks issuing real, universally-accepted cards. Blazing the trail was Ecobank, and then followed by Standard Trust, and Zenith. Cards from each of these institutions are already being used by individuals across the country, making payments online and also when on trips abroad. It is expected that more banks will join the fray in providing not only MasterCard but also VISA and other global payment solutions in the months ahead.

Finally, e-commerce in the real sense of the word is beginning to flourish here.

Needed: A New Approach to Customer Support 2

In the first part of this article, Yomi Adegboye examined the role of Customer Support as provided by telcos in the emerging data era that Nigeria is witnessing. In this follow-up by popular demand, he further drives on the need for operators to do more in the area of Customer Care.

I was approached online by a gentleman last week. He had purchased a top-range smartphone, the Sony Ericsson P910i in order to be able to take advantage of certain services as advertised by his network operator. As such one of the first things he did was to take a trip to his operator's customer care centre to have his new gadget configured for GPRS usage. However he was in for a shocker. He was told by the representatives who attended to him at the Opebi centre he visited that the P910i was not a PDA and so would not work on their GPRS network. His protests of disbelief achieved nothing, as one after another representative affirmed that under no conditions could the P910i be used for full GPRS Internet access on the network.

It was a real nightmare to him, but it sounded like a comedy as he narrated the story to me. I found it difficult to believe my ears. To put things in perspective, I had used a Sony Ericsson P800, an older and less-sophisticated device, in the manner he had been told was impossible for over 6 months last year.

Anyway, I fixed an appointment with him and we met a few days later at a restaurant around Ikeja. I had the phone fully configured under 5 minutes and he was browsing full websites (not WAP), downloading his office mails via the built-in mail client and downloading applications for his phone, all via GPRS Internet.

In near disbelief, he asked, "Is that all to it?"

That scenario has been repeated many times over in the last few years across different networks, irrespective of platform.

Most subscribers may never get the opportunity to have a discussion with the public relations officers of network operators. But they do interact with Customer Care (CC) staff everyday. As such, it is imperative that CC staff represent the company well. That is where adequate training comes in. CC staff must be trained and re-trained as much as technical and PR staff are. Network operators owe this to the teeming subscribers who put down their hard-earned money to pay for services the operators have advertised.

On the part of CC staff as individuals, personal interest must be developed in what they do. For example, anyone can mention the name of almost any mobile handset and I can tell them off the bat whether it is GPRS, EDGE or 3G-enabled. That's the result of personal interest. I have called my network's customer care line a couple of times and mentioned my handset to them (I use an average of 7 different handsets a year, by the way), and the staff have to place me on hold to find out whether or not the phone I named was GPRS-enabled or had certain functionality.

I spoke with a CCS once and she asked to know what notebook PC I used my Nokia 9500 communicator with for GPRS Internet service. I told her that I used it as a standalone device, and in amazement in her voice she asked to know how that was possible. This was not just the general Customer Care unit. She belonged to a specialized unit handling GPRS issues, yet had no idea.

The fast-growing level of competition in the industry will result in a scenario where reliable customer support is everything. The operators that can provide that will stand tall. Already, some subscribers are learning the art of voting with their money, especially seeing that it costs next to nothing to get activated on any rival network these days.
Contributed by 'Yomi Adegboye, CEO of DomainStandard Networks; editor of GoSmartMobile and a valued friend of CYBERSCHUULNEWS

RIGHT OF REPLY
RE: TODAY'S MOBILE EXECUTIVES
Nice tips from Yomi Adegboye [CYBERSCHUULNEWS 170705-197]. But, the item 2 is not necessarily true. GPRS can be charged as a flat rate as well and it is not necessarily true that CDMA charges are flat. That depends on who is doing the charges or the operator's method of billing. The charges are a billing issue and a technology issue. Whether the operator is a GSM or CDMA operator that does not determine whether it should be flat rate or not. I noticed that I read (browed) something earlier on this issue which suggests that most of the customers could move to CDMA because of the cost ... That is a misrepresentation!

I found it, the conclusions of the survey. Find it below:
"In a recent survey by GoSmartMobile.com, 90% of respondents on GSM networks also say that GSM data services are over-priced and that they would be willing to cross over to a CDMA network offering better data tariffs. While CDMA subscribers were firm in their conviction that they preferred their network's data charges to those of GSM networks, they also indicated that they were still not very comfortable with the tariffs"
The billing is not a function of the technology. I can still recall all the hypes about data charges few years ago and it had nothing to do with technology. In fact, it was a GSM operator in the US who first offered a flat rate charge. That was why I said that the technology is being confused to the way an operator chose to charge for data or calls. If you had a national CDMA operator in Nigeria, the operator is likely to charge the N42 or so that other operators charge per minute.

I do agree with assertion that the GSM services are over priced in Nigeria, but you do not have a national CDMA operator in Nigeria to compare with. The survey would have given the respodees the impression that CDMA tarrifs are better and hence that conclusion. But, that is predicated on false premise!

Augustine Odinma
aodinma@yahoo.com

EDUCATION FOR ALL (EFA) IN NIGERIA
BY YEAR 2015?: “E-LEARNING IS THE ANSWER”.
A contribution to CYBERSCHUULNEWS by Adejare Amoo
INTRODUCTION
“Education For All (EFA)” forms part of the “Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s)” set for African countries to be accomplished by year 2015. E-learning technology enables one to acquire complete knowledge, education and professional competence, using information and communications technology facilities, without traveling out of one’s place of living or work. Through the worldwide embrace of e-learning technology, access to knowledge now remains permanently available in the office and other work places, institutions of learning at all levels and the home.
E-learning involves mixed training, integrating the online teaching, with the sharing of the available time between the teacher (trainer) and the students (trainees). It could be conducted through the in-house intranet or the open internet, apart from the movable storage training devices, such as diskette, flash drive and compact discs (CD), as complements. Though long established in the 18th century, in principle, as learning by correspondence, it is a newly developed learning (training) technology for multi-locational institutions and organizations, both in the public and private sectors.
This presentation is therefore made to highlight the importance of the e-learning technology as the only tool to make the “Education For All (EFA)” of the African “Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s)” a reality in Nigeria, even before the target year 2015.

THE E-LEARN EXPO PARIS 2005
The E-learn Expo Paris 2005 was held on 25th and 26th January, 2005 in the prestigious Palais des Congres in Paris, France. It was the fifth in the series of annual conferences with exhibitions held in Europe and Asia so far. The slogan for the expo was identified as “see more, learn more, know more.” This can be associated with the popular saying about Paris but modified by this author to read “see Paris and learn”. However, on a more serious note, the theme for this year’s event was most appropriately quoted as “e-learning for all.” Sewabeats, a Swiss-based organization which specialises in running traditional African drums sessions, colourfully activated both the opening and closing ceremonies. They showed that, when managed properly, drumming as a group activity, and most especially African drumming, is an insightful and beneficial vehicle of learning.

Participants
There were about 100 different e-learning companies, about 300 conference delegates, about 5,000 visitors to the exhibitions and about 40 sponsors. Participants came from as many as about 50 different countries from all the continents of the world. Some of the sponsors for this year’s event included Oracle, Thomas-Netg, Macromedia, HyperOffice, Global English, Sanako, Eifel, SchoolMaster and Questionmark, among others.

Mr. Sam Juwe, Executive Director of Computers and Allied Products Nigeria Limited, supported by Hitachi France, packaged the event for the Nigerian delegates. Given that e-learning technology application is at its infancy stage in Nigeria compared to Europe, Asia and other developed nations, the response to the call for participation by the Nigerians was quite functional and impressive. The nine-member (9) Nigerian delegates included National Electric Power Authority - NEPA (2), National University Commission - NUC (1), Ministry of Science & Technology (1), University of Nigeria Nsukka - UNN (1), Plateau State Commissioner for Education (1), Digital Bridge Institute (1), private sector (2 which include this author).

Contents Of The Expo
The exhibitions covered the platform for e-learning inputs which include hardware and software. These are for managing e-learning technology application from students’ course selection, registration for courses, courses delivery, tests and quiz, correction and grading, quality assurance and others. In the application, provision is made for payments and other financial transactions and management. The support materials such as interactive e-learning CD, multimedia material presentation, e-zines and e-books were on display.
The interactive lecture sessions were really educative. The emphasis was on “life-long and life-wide education” as the cardinal objective of e-learning. Development and promotion of formal certificate related education and training, language training, corporate training, vocational and apprenticeship training, and training to solve problems associated with end-of-career inactivity were brought to limelight.
The expo demonstrated that e-learning provides for people of all ages, race, creed, and gender, making it possible for them to learn any where and at any time.

APPLICATIONS OF E-LEARNING IN EUROPE
Mass Development of the Citizens
The exhibitions and lectures showed that, at present in the developed countries , e-learning technology has been used to develop their citizens at all levels. Primarily, e-learning was applied to enhance formal education from the nursery to primary and through secondary schools up to university level. It covered various subjects with more emphasis on foreign languages. English has been recognized as the universal lingua franca and it has been given a prominent recognition and attention under e-learning scheme. Practical experience of e-learning application to education in most European countries such as Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and United Kingdom among others, were cited. Facilities used were demonstrated to the participants.

Government - Private Sector Partnership Initiative in France
The experience from the French initiative whereby the private sector has been involved in their e-learning technology policy delivery was shared with the participants The participants were informed that since 1971 the French government made it mandatory for companies to train their employees throughout their career. This has been stretched further by the Law no. 2004-391 of 4th May 2004 (DIF – Droit Individuel a la Formation), which provides for individual’s right to training for life. The law provides for companies with more than 50 employees to spend 3% of their payroll on training. It also provides for each employer to give 20 hours of training annually to each employee as a right, regardless of their categories. Such training could be outside the place and time of work. This mandatory 20-hour period of training could be accumulated over a period of six years. There is also a provision which makes e-learning a valid item in the tax deduction law on employee training. In 2000, France was reported to have spent 21.65 billion Euros (about 4 trillion naira) on vocational and apprenticeship education, representing 1.55% of their GDP. This excludes investment expenditure. Out of this national expenditure, the private sector companies spent 9.3 billion Euros (about 1.8 trillion naira) which is about 45%. For the previous ten years, the companies’ expenditure for this purpose had been increasing by 4% per annum and leading the public sector by 12.5% annually.. Both the employers and the employees are complying with this new law to the advantage of all the stakeholders. With the implementation of this law, employees’ performance is enhanced, while productivity consistently improves, resulting in increase in multi-dimensional national productivity and growth for France.

France Applies E-Learning Technology To Prepare The Citizens For Post Active Life
Realising that the nation’s sportsmen and women had no adequate time to develop their intellect during their youthful active national and international sport programmes, the French government has produced e-learning programmes for their sportsmen and women, while in active life. The objective is to make them more productive at the end of their sports career. This has been well acclaimed by their sportsmen and women. The French government has extended this e-learning programme to their armed forces and police, custom and other field work personnel. The objective is to promote their career progressively and provide for their life after loyal and dedicated active service to their nation.

Private Sector Corporate E-Learning Technology Application
Most organizations in the developed countries currently use e-learning technology to disseminate information, educate and train all their stakeholders on-line. These beneficiaries include the employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, host communities, government agencies personnel and others. The e-learning programmes use text, imagery and narration to explain the huge range and functionality of the companies’ products and services, as well as their missions, visions and values. They also provide their staff with desktop reference on many human resources and career development topics. For example, Nestle has invested a fortune on their Corporate Induction e-learning programme. It covers a virtual library with images and videos of the company’s product advertisements over the years, while major sections are devoted to the organisation’s culture, core values and behaviours. Numerous (editable) links are provided to the company’s intranet pages and to the web sites of associate companies. The company has designed the programme to serve both as an upbeat welcome and as a continuing source of useful information, education and training to the entire world. Similarly Dnata, a sister company to Emirate Airlines has produced a 2-hour module on ‘Ramp Safety’ covering topics such as personal safety equipment, lifting techniques, dealing with fires and working safely around aircrafts. The programme is produced in well animated Macromedia Flash in six languages with all content held externally. Experiences and case studies from Air France, La Poste, the Naval Forces, Fire Services, and Mega-Plaza Shopping Complex were shared with the participants.

E-Learning Technology Application To E-Governance
Examples of various initiatives taken by most governments of the developed countries to inform, educate and train their citizens at all levels on government policies, using e-learning technology, were highlighted during the lecture sessions and exhibitions.


ADVANTAGES OF E-LEARNING
Cost Effectiveness
It has been discovered that traditional training and education, as organized at present by both the public and private sectors, is less cost effective. It is established that about 40% of the training cost is currently spent on travels and transportation, accommodation and lodging, and other non-training related expenses either on the trainer or on the trainees. E-learning technology has cut off such cost. It makes it possible to train so many people within the same budget through effective cost control. While the employees’ performance is enhanced, their productivity consistently improves, resulting in global national productivity and economic growth.

Flexibility Of Implementation Of Training Programmes
This technology provides flexibility of implementation of training programmes to cover individual needs while at work, home or play. It provides for a speedy implementation of training programmes. Training programme application is democratized such that the trainees can work at their own pace , time and place. The courses include technical training relating to the workers’ activities, foreign language training, and knowledge acquisition training. A real time performance evaluation and assessment is attained. Currently, the traditional training involves much of mobility of personnel causing disruption of work flow. The time for such training is fixed. E-learning technology provides for learning any where and at any time, such that the training can be customized to suit the trainees, the trainer and the employers, which includes the government. Trainers prepare and control their course contents without much external specialist intervention. It simplifies the development of courses with possible input from all stakeholders.

The World As A Single E-Classroom
Through virtual technology, the world is currently being reduced to a single classroom Training values are maximized through customization, flexibility, personal coaching, regular tracking, and course accreditation as well as certification by the universities. It provides for all ages, colour, creed, and gender worldwide. This technology has the advantage of interactive solutions. The wealth of benefits associated with it include exciting, active learning environment, self confidence, real time evaluation, personalised test and self assessment, immediate feedback, no paper marking, multimedia application, customized course control, accurate statistics on students’, trainers’ and platform activities, more effective communication, efficient travel cost reduction, robust technological support, simple, fast and complete training, and modular forms.

Corporate Optimization Of Human Performance Through E-Learning Technology Application
The ethical objectives of corporate bodies today is to know more, do more and spend less through their work force at all levels. This can only be achieved through the optimization of human performance in all their business processes. They need to tie learning directly to core business activities. This is possible only through e-learning technology which provides for wider audience outreach. The stakeholders are trained online, covering the employees, shareholders, suppliers, customers, host communities, and government agencies among others. The technology provides for corporate application which includes corporate induction programmes with virtual interviews and platforms. Animated and dynamic 3D words and imageries could be used to launch new range of products while CD’s are used to disseminate information and educational instructions. Training programmes cover all aspects of the organization. Extending e-learning technology application to all stakeholders is a competitive strategy with achievable advantage. Extensible and configurable e-learning technology application enables organizations to personalise the user interface at the levels of function, location, site, organization, responsibility, and user. The technology enables organizations to share unified information across the company to facilitate smarter decisions with better information while promoting effective and efficient scheduling and resource management..

Effective Learning Management System
With online continuum, it is established that people remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, 50% of what they hear and see, 70% of what they say and write, while they remember 90% of what they do. Hence, since e-learning technology involves “doing”, through interactive multimedia environment, all the gates of learning are utilized, making the student (trainee) achieve more than 90% of his learning task. The e-learning platform structure covers the student, the tutor, and the administrator. With this structure, competency management is established by setting objectives to cater for competency inadequacy, corrective course, path, assessment, and record keeping. Learning path is agreed through catalogue, learner defined, and tutor (manager) defined. The programme content is efficiently managed for reuse, applying unified catalogue through tracks and multiple ways. Simultaneously, single course with a set of learning objectives can be offered in multiple ways, languages, places, and times. Assessment of the learner and the curriculum can help to validate and tailor the material to merge more effectively to those company goals and objectives.

E-Learning Technology Application To Develop Rural Communities
Building and adequate equipment of e-centers in the rural community will bring public information, education and training to the grass root. Some people express the fear that there would be inadequate power supply to drive the e-learning project to success in the rural areas. The national power supply system has been reorganized with more fund made available to improve its service delivery performance. Since this system can not cover all the crannies of Nigeria in its power delivery programme to meet the e-learning technology requirements, alternative sources of energy, through renewable sources of energy, have to be developed to provide power for e-learning projects implementation.

Life More Abundant For Teachers
The fear that teachers might lose their job is baseless. The teachers will be trained and retrained in information and communication technology, while the teaching profession will be modernized. With appropriate remuneration policy and practice, more people will be motivated to join and embrace teaching as its traditional noble profession.

Urban Migration Reduction
Urban migration will be reduced , since courses relevant to the locality could be developed for professional, vocational and apprenticeship competence. For example, aquaculture courses could be designed for the marine environment, land related agricultural programmes can be designed for the landlocked inhabitants, while diversified textile making technologies could be introduced in cotton growing area. Vocational and apprenticeship institutions graduates will be encouraged to be self employed.

CHALLENGES OF E-LEARNING
It has been identified that much as e-learning technology is full of promises to all stakeholders, it has its own inherent challenges. The platform evolution, in terms of hardware and software development technology, frequently changes with time and will require adequate monitoring and updating by all stakeholders. The course contents have to be adequately controlled to meet the required norms and standards as well as the stakeholders’ aspirations. Teachers and trainers themselves have to be trained and retrained regularly in the application of e-learning technology. Appropriate and functional infrastructures have to be provided to support the application of e-learning technology. These include computer hardware, software as well as adequate and regular power supply among others. Above all, funding is one of the scarce resources which has to be sourced and made available for e-learning projects to be successfully delivered. All the stakeholders in the traditional learning management system have to accept the need for a change to complement their effort and gainfully improve their productivity. The targeted beneficiaries must voluntarily make themselves available to absorb the new e-learning technology.

THE FUTURE OF E-LEARNING APPLICATION IN NIGERIA
Continuity Of E-Learning With Prosperous Future
The future of e-learning to cover all facet of learning activity has been identified. Apart from its positive contribution to the formal learning environment, it has been emphasized that the demand for e-learning will continue to increase. Since learning stops at death, e-learning is the only provider of “education for life”. E-learning technology is an apparent cash cow for investors. E-learning carries a prosperous future for all through platform development, course content development, programming, multimedia application, and other job creation opportunities. It is private sector investment friendly.

E-Learning Technology Application Solves Inadequate Supply Of Education Delivery
For Nigeria, the prospective e-learning application covers the formal education sector, embracing nursery, primary, and secondary schools, polytechnics and universities as well as the vocational and apprenticeship educational institutions. Professor Jubril Aminu, one time Minister of Education in Nigeria , recently asserted on a TV interview (vide NTA 7th March, 2005) that the demand for education in Nigeria is much in excess of supply. He suggested the adoption of modern technology as part of the possible solutions. Definitely, e-learning technology is what the professor could be considering as the answer to solving such under-supply of education delivery. Some universities have already installed computer centers on their campuses. Microsoft has initiated action in this direction by providing some secondary schools with facilities for computer education. Other companies should take a queue form this. Some state governors such as Jigawa, Ogun and Lagos have taken the initiative in this direction. Lagos State Government has computerized about 140 secondary schools. Some non-governmental and voluntary organizations such as Rotary Club as well as some individuals have also embarked on establishment of computer centers in their communities. More are required.

E-Learning Technology Application As Panacea To Distance Leaning Projects
The recently inaugurated open university is a prospective beneficiary of e-learning technology. The multi-campus law schools provide positive venue for e-learning application. This technology is the best solution for the nomadic education system. The recent provision of radio facilities to assist in the Normadic education delivery in Kano state by the Japaneese Agency is laudable, but it has only 20% efficiency as established above, e-learning infrastructure will assist more. This e-learning technology is what the educationally disadvantaged communities should embrace to accelerate their sincere effort to fulfill the nation’s “Education For All” (EFA) by 2015 policy. Inadequate public enlightenment and relevant education from the government and the multinational investors form part of the challenges confronting the vibrant and energetic youths of most host communities in Nigeria. Both the government agencies at all levels and the multinational investors, as well as other employers of all categories, can individually and/or collectively build e-learning centers in these communities both for information dissemination, with feedback, as well as education and training. All the tertiary levels of government in Nigeria should spend about 50% of their portion of the surplus petro - dollar on e-learning project in their communities. This will successfully deliver the poverty alleviation programmes, with physical evidence to the populace.

E-Learning Technology Applied To Health And Social Work Delivery Programmes
Reduction of child mortality rate, improvement of maternal health, and combating of HIV/AIDS, malaria, polio, tuberculusis, cerebral meningitis and other killer diseases are the health related areas in the African “Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s)” to be achieved by 2015. HIV/AIDS and malaria have been identified as diseases of mass destruction with very little cure possibilities. The two most important stages for the development of these diseases are the infection and transmission. Infection may be through individuals’ act of commission or omission, while transmission is through mass action. While the cure for these diseases is limited, their prevention is the most desired and most readily available to informed citizens. These preventive actions require adequate information, training and education for the populace. This is where e-learning technology comes into play. Through the animated text and imageries as well as its interactive display, this technology provides the most efficient and effective tool of mass instruction to inform, train and educate citizens on the development and the prevention of these diseases of mass destruction.

Social vices have been identified as one of the ills of the Nigerian society, though it has been found not to be peculiar to the country. Such undesirable activities include human trafficking, child labour, fraud, social insecurity, corruption, unsafe behaviours, ethnic and religious intolerance, social injustice etc. Voluntary and non-profit as well as non-governmental organizations have taken the bull by the horn to complement the various actions by the governments at all levels, to reduce and even eradicate these vices. With e-learning technology application, most of these vices will be reduced and/or eradicated more effectively within a short while. E-learning simultaneously promotes individual self-sacrifice and collective interests along with development of globalization culture. Thus, only one peaceful virtual world will emerge, which is one of the key objectives of e-learning technology.

E-Learning Technology Is Local Content Friendly
E-learning technology is about 90% local content guaranteed in Nigeria. The required hardware could be sourced locally from such companies as Zinox, Omatek, Chams, and others. While Zinox has successfully launched its “Computerise Nigeria Initiative” through its personal computer (PC) use promotion, Omatek has just launched its e-Youth Initiative programme. This e-Youth Initiative programme is spread into e-School Initiative, e-Home Initiative, e-Teacher Initiative and e-Youth Fun Initiative. All these are e-learning initiatives covering all stakeholders and which Omatek will possibly extend to e-Office, e-Farm, e-Factory and other e-Work Space Initiative in future. The main thrust of Omatek’s Initiatives is to partner with other stakeholders in Nigeria to make computer systems available to an increasing number of Nigerian youths anywhere and at any time, thus providing the required platform for e-learning. Access to internet has evolved from the initial telephone dial-up technology to VSAT with companies such as Accellon, Danisat, Junisat, and some others as pioneers. The VSAT is a big asset to e-learning technology and should be used to its maximum advantage. Internet Service Providers (ISP) will have a herculean task in meeting the demand for their quality services with e-learning evolution in Nigeria. Such service providers include Linkserve, Cyberspace, 21st Century Technology, Spacenet, Atmosphere and others. E-learning technology involves software programming, using various tools such as HTML, C++, Java, Visual Basic and other programming languages, duly enhanced with Multimedia software such as Flash, Activex, etc. The Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) and the National Software Development Initiative (NSDI) are on site to provide the much required software for e-learning in Nigeria. Above all, the recently launched SAT-3 satellite by the Federal Government of Nigeria is targeted at facilitating e-learning culture propagation.

E-Learning Technology Contents Development
Learning support materials are abundant in Nigeria but have to be sourced, analysed and developed for their suitability for e-learning development. These will include photographs, video clips, music, and others. The trained teachers, who will also be computer literate are at hand to partner with the programmers to provide this service. Mr Jim Ovia, President of Institute of Software Producers of Nigeria (ISPON), recently affirmed to President Obasanjo that the nation could generate half a trillion naira equivalent annually from exportation of software developed locally. Such software development revenue could be realized more from e-learning projects. Cyberschuul.com is an indigenous private sector sponsored website that provides training on line with courses approved by the Nigerian Society of Engineers. The website also provides facilities to enable their visitors take external international professional as well as vocational training and examinations online. Indirectly, this website has already commenced the “education–for–life campaign” since most of the international examinations are progressive in stages and could be taken anywhere and at anytime. In the recent past the constraint to e-learning came with the dollar as the only currency for financial transaction on the internet. This has been resolved whereby payment could be made through the internet either using the Nigerian currency (Naira) or hard currency. This fact is evidenced by Cyberschuul.com which accepts payment in naira currency online. Some Nigerian banks have formed a company called Interwatch to promote payment online using smart cards. All the above confirm that the contents required for promotion of e-learning at all stages and levels in Nigeria are here with us, while the initiative and the opportunities await optimum application.

More Judicious Management Of Financial Resources
The huge sum of money currently being disbursed on physical infrastructure such as buildings, furniture, exercise books, text and reference books, vehicles, electric generators and others will be more judiciously spent on promoting e-learning projects through the development and purchase of hardware and software as well as support materials such as e-books, e-journals, etc. It has been reported that in 2004, about 400 billion pages of books and other copy-righted works were infringed upon by users through photo-copying globally. It was further reported that Nigerians made 4 billion pages of such photocopying (10% WOW!!!!). At the rate of 5 naira per page when there is public power supply and 10 naira per page when electric generator is used, this translates to 5 to 10 billion naira per annum as additional cost of education delivery in Nigeria. With e-learning technology application, such cost is removed and saved for more productive purposes.

Alternative Renewable Power Supply For E-Learning Technology Services Delivery
Alternative sources of energy such as solar, wind, coal, mini-hydro and mini-thermal plants will be developed to power the e-learning centres and equipments in the rural areas. This facility could be extended to the inhabitants to make life more comfortable and abundant for them. Such new energy source initiative will generate viable technology–backed employment for technicians. This view is supported by the recent widely reported initiative from Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Siminu Turaki, whereby the Jigawa Alternative Energy Fund (a local NGO) partnered with Solar Energy Light Fund (a US-based NGO) and supported by USAID (United States Agency for International Development), pioneered solar projects in some communities in Jigawa state. The project has improved the life of some 7,500 rural homes through electricity generated from solar technology. This renewable alternative energy now replaces local power supply in the communities, lighting up schools, hospitals, commercial centres and religious buildings. In these communities, the village primary schools have at least two classrooms illuminated per school, Teachers are reported to be using the solar energy electricity to organize adult education in the communities and also to assist the students in doing their home works. The schools have been provided with computers which will be linked to the internet provided by the state government. This will open the communities to the rest of the world for healthcare, education and commerce. It is the foundation for e-learning. Kudos to Governor Turaki who has taken the fundamental bold step to alleviate poverty in his domain through e-learning infrastructure powered by solar energy.

E-Commerce And Tourism Opportunities
The e-commerce aspect of this technology is awaiting exploitation whereby products and services could be sold online. Computerport.com has taken the initiative to sell computers and accessories online. More private investors should brace up and grab the opportunities and challenges offered by this lucrative e-learning technology, as their own contribution to our national development. The initiative taken by the current administration in Nigeria to develop and promote tourism is commendable. Such exercise requires a wealth of information, education and training for the tourists, the tourism agents personnel and the host community. South Africa plans for 7 million visitors to their country in 2005 with one million expected from Nigeria. This translates to 100 billion naira expenditure for 2005 by Nigerians at a cost 100, 000 naira per visitor for travels plus about one week stay in South Africa. With efficient and effective e-learning technology application, Nigeria can generate greater revenue from tourism.

Government – Private Sector Partnership Initiative
The Federal Government could join in the French government initiative by enacting a law similar to the French DIF Law no. 2004-391 of 4th May, 2004 whereby the employers will be requested to spend a certain percentage of their turnover, profit before or after tax, or payroll on the training of their employees and possibly their host communities, through e-learning technology, with a tax relief advantage to these employers. Possibly, the absence of such law in Nigeria could explain why the private sector was not adequately represented in the Nigerian delegates to E-Learn Expo 2005 in France. The current political reform in progress, provides the much awaited opportunity available to enact such law, since it will promote information and communication technology and knowledge acquisition to the much desired level in the country. The beneficiaries will be better equipped for better productivity and self empowerment through self employment. This will promote self actualization and better standard of living. Definitely, e-learning technology application provides one of the most efficient and effective means of poverty eradication nationwide.

CONCLUSION
E-learning cost reduction advantage covers big implementation and organization flexibility, time optimization, big flexibility for the trainee to follow his own schedule and programmme, availability without time or venue constraints, individualization of learning path, communication between the tutor (trainer) and the student (trainee), and simplicity as well as convenience of utilization. E-learning technology can be applied in both the formal and informal learning setup of the nation’s education system and at all levels. This technology is age, colour, creed, and gender friendly.

The prospective beneficiaries of e-learning have to take up the inherent benefits and challenges and make themselves more available to acquire maximum knowledge and professional competence through this all embracing technology. The various ministries of education should establish e-learning departments to monitor, control and enforce government rules and regulations on e-learning application in the institutions of learning. The private sector has a lot to contribute to the development and application of this new technology, while the benefits are there for them in abundance. The services of e- experts should be retained for appropriate implementation of e-learning projects both in the institutions of learning and work places. The decision to adopt distance learning policy through e-learning technology is, above all, to adopt a solution which permits a rapid, effective and efficient return on investment both in cash and in kind, with its numerous advantages.

Meanwhile, the current set objective in the developed countries is “Education-For-Life”, since most of them have attained the 100% literacy level. The EFA Commission in Nigeria headed by the indefatigable Special Adviser to the President and the Minister of State for Education, Dr.(Mrs) Amina J. Ibrahim will have success stories for the rest of the world at their annual meetings through UNESCO, if and only if the various governments, through the ministries of education and in partnership with the private sector, adopt this e-learning technology in all its ramifications. E-learning technology is the only tool currently available to promote education democracy i.e. “the education of the people by the people and for the people” in Africa in general and in Nigeria in particular. I take this opportunity to congratulate the EFA Commission and all their sponsor organizations for a very successful outing during their recently concluded “EFA WEEK 2005”. However, for Nigeria to be counted among the nations that achieve “EDUCATION FOR ALL (EFA)”, however basic, by year 2015 and even before, “E-LEARNING IS THE ANSWER”.

Engr. Adejare AMOO ceemind@excite.com is a Lagos based Energy and IT Education Consultant .



CYBERSCHUULNEWS 197
Final Report:
WSIS Regional Preparatory Meeting 5-7 July 2005 (Abuja, Nigeria)

1 Introduction
The Africa Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 2006 World Telecommunication Development Conference was organized by the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Abuja, from 5 to 7 July 2005, at the kind invitation of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The aim of the meeting was to examine the evolution of ICTs in the Africa region, take stock of the progress made in implementing the Istanbul Action Plan, recommend possible adjustments corresponding to the region's priorities and identify regional initiatives for submission to the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) to be held from 7 to 15 March 2006 in Doha, Qatar.
This report gives an account of the work and results of the meeting.

2 Opening ceremony
The ceremony took place under the chairmanship of H.E. Chief Cornelius O. ADEBAYO, Minister of Communications of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was accompanied by H.E. Chief Chukwuemeka Chikelu, Minister of Information and National Orientation, H.E. Professor Turner Isoun, Minister of Science and Technology, Senator Baba Tella, Chairman of the Senate Communications Committee, Engineer Ernest Ndukwe, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr Hamadoun Touré, Director of ITU-BDT, and Mr Brahima Sanou, Head of the ITU Regional Office for Africa.
In his address, Mr Hamadoun Touré, the Director of BDT, thanked the Government and people of Nigeria for having invited ITU and its members from the African continent to meet in Abuja for the purpose of sharing and coordinating their priorities in regard to the themes and methods they wished to see ITU's Development Sector implementing during the next development period (2007?2010).
His Excellency the Minister of Communications, after welcoming the delegates on behalf of the Nigerian Government, underlined the importance of the meeting, which constituted an ideal platform from which to identify the main problems facing the countries of the Africa region with a view to reducing the digital divide. It was his wish that the conclusions of the meeting should result in recommendations reflecting the aspirations of African peoples and shaping, in the latters' interests, the decisions to be taken by WTDC-06.

3 Agenda
The agenda as adopted by the meeting is contained in Annex 2.

4 Participants
The meeting was attended by .208 participants, of which there were 175 delegates from 43 countries, by 25 ITU-D Sector Members and observers and 8 subregional and regional organizations. The list of participants is contained in Annex 3.

5 Bureau of the meeting
In accordance with ITU tradition, it was the host country that chaired the meeting.
His Excellency Chief Cornelius O. Adebayo was elected Chairman. The participants elected the following countries to serve as vice-chairmen: Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mali and Tanzania.

6 Preliminary statements by countries
Before announcing the commencement of work, the Chairman invited those delegations wishing to make a preliminary statement to take the floor. Statements were made by the following countries:
Cape Verde, Tanzania, Uganda, Botswana, Gabon, Cameroon, South Africa, Burkina Faso and Ghana.

7 Implementation of the Action Plans
7.1 Implementation of the Istanbul Action Plan adopted by WTDC-02
The BDT secretariat introduced Document 6, containing a general overview of ITU activities relating to implementation of the Istanbul Action Plan (IsAP). The introduction comprised:
• a general overview of the telecommunication sector;
• the implementation status of the IsAP for the period 2003-2005, particularly in regard to:
– the six programmes;
– the initiatives and activities;
– the resolutions;
– financial execution.
The Director of BDT explained that the report was a "mid-term" one since the Bureau was currently in the third year of implementation.
The participants congratulated BDT on the quality of the work accomplished and urged it to continue in that direction.

7.2 ITU contributions to achievement of the WSIS objectives

7.2.1 Presentation by BDT
The BDT secretariat introduced Document 3, relating to its contribution to achieving the objectives of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The document highlighted ITU's contributions towards achieving the WSIS objectives, in particular:
– Through the implementation of Resolution 30 (Istanbul, 2002), ITU-D had regularly initiated and participated in regional events designed to prepare players for participation in WSIS.
– Implementation of the Istanbul Action Plan (IsAP) had contributed to the establishment of an infrastructure for the information society, particularly in regard to mobile services, Internet and broadband.
– The active participation of BDT in the first phase of WSIS, held in Geneva in December 2003, through the signature of partnership arrangements with international financial institutions, private companies, governments, training institutions, etc.
In addition, attention was drawn to the important link that exists between the action lines of the WSIS Action Plan and those of WTDC-02.

7.2.2 Country contributions:
1 Senegal
Senegal presented a contribution covering the following aspects:
a) ITU's contribution to achieving the WSIS objectives
ITU's contribution to achieving the WSIS objectives should essentially focus on two avenues:
i) assisting countries in the elaboration of national strategies and appropriate policies for the development of ICT;
ii) assisting countries in the elaboration of national e-strategies and e-applications.
ITU must play a central role in the implementation of the WSIS Action Plan, particularly in regard to the developing countries, through increased assistance in the definition, elaboration and implementation of national strategies for the development of telecommunications and ICT (definition of a general framework, training and upgrading workshops, fundraising, provision of experts, etc.).

BDT should likewise bring forth its expertise in regard to:
• the identification of structure-building community projects and programmes to facilitate low-cost access to ICTs;
• participation in the digital solidarity fund, by exercising its role as a catalyst.
b) ITU's role and position in the mechanics of WSIS implementation
ITU, as the organizer of the Summit and Chairman of HLSOC, has fully proven that it has the competence and experience to carry through the work of follow-up and implementation.

ITU should be responsible for overall coordination of the various action lines, while each major thematic action line should be supervised and coordinated by an international organization from the United Nations system (WHO, UNESCO, FAO, ITU,).

Senegal therefore strongly supports a strengthening of the role to be played by ITU in the follow-up and coordination of the WSIS Action Plan.

2 Uganda
a) ITU's contribution to achievement of the WSIS objectives
Uganda considers ITU to have played a major role in the coordination of and preparations for the first and second phases of WSIS. It therefore sees it as logical that the preparation of the Doha Action Plan should take account of the WSIS Action Plan as approved in Geneva during Phase 1, together with any amendments or modifications arising from the Tunis Summit.
b) ITU's role and position in the United Nations system
Bearing in mind ITU's role as mentioned above and its capacity in the ICT sector, Uganda considers it desirable that ITU should be designated as the United Nations lead agency for coordinating and following up the actions necessary in order to implement the WSIS Action Plans.

7.2.3 Discussions and adoption of a resolution
The above statements were followed by a number of interventions, in the course of which the delegates unanimously:
• congratulated BDT on its well-documented presentation and the multifaceted assistance provided to countries, while at the same time calling on it to accord special significance to the areas of e-health, the regulation of voice over IP, and the management of scarce resources;
• congratulated and supported Senegal and Uganda on their important contributions;
• endorsed the proposals made in the contributions by Senegal and Uganda to the effect that ITU be entrusted with the roles specified therein;
• decided to adopt a resolution (see Annex 4) urging ITU Member States from the African region to promote these decisions during Precom-3 and on the occasion of the Summit in Tunis, and requesting the ITU Secretary General to transmit the spirit of the resolution to the forthcoming ITU Council meeting;
• emphasized the importance of the Doha Action Plan for strengthening the WSIS objectives.

The Director of BDT thanked the countries for their recognition of the role that ITU plays in the preparation and coordination of the WSIS actions.

On the question of development prospects, delegates acknowledged that the issues raised in the report by the BDT secretariat called for in-depth consideration within the framework of a plenipotentiary conference.

8 ICT development trends: constraints and prospects
The BDT secretariat presented Document 5(Rev.1) concerning telecommunication and ICT markets and trends in Africa, which emphasized the following topics in particular:

• market structure;
• fixed-line networks;
• the main characteristics of the mobile communication sector in Africa;
• constraints on the development of the Internet, particularly the low level of penetration of broadband technology, fixed telephone service and ADSL service.

The meeting took note of the report with interest.

9 Working topics and other matters to be included in BDT programmes and activities
The objective was to give participants an opportunity to review the programmes and activities defined as forming the framework for elaborating ITU?D's various four-year action plans. To that end, Document 2 and Information Document INF/3 were presented by the BDT secretariat. Those documents recalled the structure of the action plan approved in Istanbul, consisting of programmes, activities and initiatives, and invited members to propose any adjustments that might be necessary for the next cycle.

The contributions from Ethiopia (Document 7), Mali (Document 8), Senegal (Document 9), Uganda (Document 10), Malawi (Document 11) and Guinea (Document 14) on the matters in question were presented.

The delegates took note of the presentations and expressed their support overall for the existing programmes, while stressing the importance of adjustments being made as the region's needs evolve.

10 Presentation of regional initiatives and BDT lines of action
On the basis of the contributions by the Member States and Sector Members and the statement by the ministerial symposium (Abuja, 4 July 2005), the BDT secretariat presented a table containing a classification of all the regional initiatives distributed among four categories, namely infrastructure, environment, capacity building and partnerships.

In all, 40 proposals were presented.

An ad hoc committee was appointed to analyse the contributions, sort them into groups and suggest the regional initiatives having high priority. That committee, chaired by Mr Patrick Masambu (Uganda), presented its conclusions to the plenary, which approved them. The table below summarizes the regional initiatives that were agreed upon:

References to DT/5(Rev.1) Regional initiatives Focal point Beneficiary countries Enabling environment Infrastructure Capacity Building Cooperation and partnerships
2, 19 Strengthening and harmonizing Regulatory Frameworks X
3, 30 Regional Telecommunication market observatory X
4 Regional roaming initiative X X
5, 10, 16, 17, 20 Development of ICT enabling policies, strategies and action plans both at Regional and National levels X X
6, 24 Introduction of digital technologies especially for broadcasting X
7 Promotion of the development of broadband infrastructure in Africa, including the development of a sub regional connectivity backbone X
8, 13, 31, 32 Strengthen the Centre of Excellence project and expand it into a Network of Excellence, as well as reinforce the Sub-Regional Maintenance centres X
1, 11, 12, 18 Formulation/review of new or existing policies aiming at fostering sustainable investment in rural areas, promoting private/public partnerships X
21 Establishment of a part time regional ICT Think Tank X
26 East African Submarine Cable System project X
27 NEPAD e-schools project X X
28 Establishment and interconnection of national internet exchange points X
29 RASCOM project X
33 COMTEL project X
36 Creation of a Centre of Excellence for Portuguese speaking countries X
37 SADC Region Information Infrastructure (SRII) Project X
38 e-Post Africa Project X
39 African Telecommunications Numbering Space X
40 ICT Project for Youth and Women X X

11 Study groups
Document 9 was presented once again by Senegal, with reference to the section on the work of the study groups. It recommended that ITU?D Study Groups 1 and 2 be retained, inasmuch as they responded to members' needs and took proper account of the developing countries' issues and concerns.

Several countries took the floor to underscore the need for greater awareness on the part of Member States with a view to their participation in the work of the study groups.

The meeting decided to support the principle of the revision of Resolution 9.

12 Consideration of resolutions and recommendations of the Istanbul Action Plan
Senegal proposed that Resolutions 5, 11, 13, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 29 and 30 adopted in Istanbul be retained (see Document 9).
The proposal was supported, with the clarification that the resolutions in question could be adapted or reworked if need be, prior to being presented to WTDC?06.

13 Strategic development issues
Nigeria presented Document 12, which asked BDT to continue to give priority to initiatives relating to young people and gender issues, with a view to facilitating access to ICTs for the people in question. It also stressed the importance of continuing to promote partnerships with the private sector in order to maximize the implementation of ICT projects in developing countries.

14 Regional presence
Mali (Document 8), Senegal (Document 9) and Uganda (Document 10) presented contributions concerned with strengthening the regional presence of ITU so as to make it more effective in carrying out its mission, particularly in the area of development. The meeting supported these proposals.

15 Miscellaneous
Several delegations announced information about future events that were to take place in their countries.
Gambia informed the meeting of the results of the work of the African Civil Society Forum, in order that BDT might take that information into account in its future activities.

The participants thank the host country and its authorities for their excellent organization of the meeting and their wonderful hospitality. They especially thanked H. E. Philippe Mvouo the Minister of Post and Telecommunication responsible for new Technology for Information of Congo for his valuable contribution whilst chairing the meeting.

REGIONAL LICENCEES TARGET NATIONAL MARKET
Telecoms operators issued regional licencees are also looking to get a larger bite of the telecoms cake from next year. This is all in a bid to take advantage of the Unified Licencing Scheme being proposed to take off early 2006.

Whereas inadequate funding has been a problem faced by most PTOs, it is heartening to find that there are a few that are kicking hard to step up to the plate. Already, there are talks of mergers and acquisitions in the sector, and experts say that Nigeria will end up with fewer but much capable PTOs by the time the dust is cleared.

MTN PROPOSES 3G NETWORK
Only a few weeks ago, MTN announced that it was testing GPRS (2.5) capabilities on its network with a view to completing the tests within 3 months, the GSM operator has come up to say that it will build a UMTS (3G) network next year. This brings to two (2) the number of GSM operators looking to deploy 3G in the country. Mtel had earlier announced that it planned to set up a 3G network.

GPRS is an advanced data service that is made possible by simply enhancing the basic 2nd Generation GSM network on ground, and as such is referred to as a 2.5G platform. UMTS, however, is a 3rd Generation technology that requires the deployment of a parallel network to the existing.

GSM TARIFFS TOO HIGH, SAY SUBSCRIBERS
Mobile subscribers in Nigeria are still convinced that the current charges for both voice and data by GSM operators are too high. In a country where the majority of citizens earn well below N5,000 per month, it does not seem reasonable to expect individuals to expend a minimum of N3,000 monthly on servicing their phones.

GSM voice tariffs on prepaid hover around 80kobo per second (N48 per minute), and with operator-imposed validity periods, subscribers are compelled to spend more money to enjoy basic communications. But it does not end with voice services only.

In a recent survey by GoSmartMobile.com, 90% of respondents on GSM networks also say that GSM data services are over-priced and that they would be willing to cross over to a CDMA network offering better data tariffs. While CDMA subscribers were firm in their conviction that they preferred their network's data charges to those of GSM networks, they also indicated that they were still not very comfortable with the tariffs.

Telecoms analysts are generally of the opinion that CDMA networks' prevailing tariffs give them an excellent opportunity to turn their lots around by attracting the mass market when the proposed Unified licencing Scheme takes off.

ARE YOU TODAY'S MOBILE EXECUTIVE?

Setting Up for Mobile Data
by
Yomi Adegboye

If you are a Road Warrior, you will need to run some kind of mobile office so you stay productive where you spend a lot of your time - on the road. Here are a few tips for setting up your mobile office:

1. Evaluate your peculiar hardware needs
Do you settle for a smartphone, a PDA-phone combo, or a laptop-phone combo? It all depends on your needs. If you have no need for complex programmes like graphics editors and the like, you may not need to lug a laptop around. Are you simply in need of a convenient way to access your mails on the go? Maybe all you need is a Symbian, Windows or Palm-based smartphone. Then, again, there are smartphones and there are smartphones. Not all will meet your peculiar needs. If you do a lot of text input on the go, you might want to have a look at the Communicator series with full QWERTY keyboards.

2. What data platform?
There has been a lot of noise about GPRS, and rightly so. But what a lot of people do not know is that GPRS can be expensive! Oh, yes. If you move a lot of large files, say you download music, games and all that regularly, you may want to keep away from GPRS and take a look at some of the mobile internet plans from CDMA networks. Usually on the CDMA networks, all you pay is a flat monthly rate and you can download (and upload) heaven and earth!

3. Your location and mobility
Well, of course there is no point signing up for a data plan with a provider that has poor network service at your location. Plus, it is equally useless using a provider that is unavailable at the various locations you frequent.

Bottomline: Do your research. Ask questions, forget sentiments, and make workable choices.


CYBERSCHUULNEWS 196
Leveraging on ICT
All over the world, individuals, organisations and nations have turned their lots around through the application of Information and Communications Technology. In recent times, there has been a deluge of new technologies into Nigeria, opening a new vista of opportunities for the innovative minds. VSAT, CDMA 200 1x, GSM, and much more.

Never before has Nigerians had so many options for staying in touch with the world. Never before has there been as many opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) - the real drivers of the economy - to play catch-up and become more vibrant.

Granted, the appalling infrastructure of our environment places daunting obstacles before every enterpreneur, but the opportunities stand out nevertheless. We submit that unreliable power supply is the single greatest impediment to ICT and its applications in the country. Any nation desiring to move forward with the rest of the world cannot afford to play around with power supply. That is why we urge the Federal Government to deal decisively with this hydra-headed monster that has kept many a dreams down.

MTEL BUILDS 3G GSM NETWORK; MTN TEST-RUNS 2.5G
M-tel, Nigeria's premier mobileservices provider, has announced that it will build a 3G network in the next few months. The operator's ambitious plans also include expanding its subscriber base from the present 1.2 million to 6 million, as it adds an extra 1,500 base stations to its infrastructure.

MTN, the only GSM network left on the 2G platform, also announced recently that it was testing GPRS capabilities on its network. MTN Nigeria currently has a subscriber base of 6 million lines.

ZENITH JOINS MASTERCARD TRAIN
Coming on the heels of Ecobank and Standard Trust Bank, Zenith Bank is also introducing MasterCard services in the country.

Nigerians had over the years suffered inability to make purchases online and remotely because of the lack of credit/debit card services in the country. That may have changed dramatically in the last few months as they can now obtain international debit/credit cards in their own names for use.

INTERNET AND MOBILITY CONVERGENCE: KEY TO SURVIVAL OF OPERATORS
As the telecoms sector of the country evolves in dynamism and delivery of services, Mr. Dirk Smet, CEO of Starcomms says that the operators that will survive are those with proven implementation of technologies that feature the marriage of internet and mobility.

In the last few months, there has been a rise in the awareness and uptake of both fixed and mobile data services in the country. Analysts argue that the relatively lower entry cost of mobile data is a strong deciding factor for people. In agreement with Mr Smet's assertions, CEO of DomainStandard Networks and mobile office consultant Yomi Adegboye, is of the opinion that people are beginning to wake up to the advantages of being able to be connected and work anywhere, anytime.

Mr Adegboye says that the unique situation on ground in the country makes mobile data more promising than fixed access. He lists entry and operating costs, power supply, and increased productivity as "factors that will continue to drive the increasing uptake of mobile data". He foresees a situation where subscriber base will be relegated to 2nd place in determining profitability, as mobile data subscription begin to result in higher Average Revenue Per User (ARPU).

AFRICAN YOUTHS ARGUE FOR THE DISABLED
Youths of Africa who were hosted by their Nigerian counterparts ended their pre-WSIS meeting in Abuja last week by prevailing on African Governments to compel telecommunication operators in the continent to offer minimum employment places to people with disability. They noted that Nigeria which has such a provision in its laws has has not been implementing it.

Troubleshooting Interconnection:
may debts not lead to deaths.

When our Institute [THE EXECUTIVE CYBERSCHUUL] commenced the Enhanced Induction Training early in 2003, interconnection of networks was one subject to which part of the content was devoted. The syllabus envisaged that interconnect issue in all its ramifications: the technical, the commercial and the regulatory dimensions would be taught to our trainees.

That program eventually converted to Advanced Telecommunications Course and the place of Networks and Their Interconnection was deliberately pushed up another notch. The most interesting part; the technical, was to be thought not as in academics but as in business. Trainees were to relate Networks as big computers, which they really are, and see that they exist essentially to connect one phone user, anywhere to another, anywhere. They would be made to see the topologies of interconnections and be reminded of the versed academic treatment of the subject way back in school and then put all these onto a traffic analysis platform to appreciate how its aggregate topology could make a deference in quality of service, tariff, customer satisfaction, debts, its management, buy-overs, take-overs, death etc etc.

The commercial, potentially the most popular and possibly that which operators are likely to devote more attention than the others was also to be treated using Nigeria as the subject market for class analysis.

The regulatory, a very exciting matter, was also to look at the existing and emerging policies, the actions and inactions of the regulator and how the prevailing policies, reaction speed and good governance in its operations and in the system could and would affect the entirety of service delivery.

By October of 2004 all our three courses, namely: Telecommunications for non-engineers, Basic Telecommunications, and Advanced Telecommunications were all to devote various degrees of attention to Interconnections. The audience would dictate where emphasis of treatment of each of the sub-topics would be placed.

A session of Advanced Telecommunications Course, which held about November 2004, ended forecasting that by June 2005, using the kind of data we were playing around with, two PTO’s might have gone under. Indeed by June 2005, no PTO had gone under but a few had defaulted in payment of salaries for upwards of six months while interconnect debts had forced some players in the industry to adopt arbitrariness in getting their bills settled. We used all those facts and forecasts as news and their review in several editions of CYBERSCHUULNEWS.

In particular we criticised arbitrariness and argued that respect for the Regulator, good governance on the part of all concerned, and general discipline in the industry was a better modus operandi.

June 2005 the loud murmurings in the industry had turned to uneasy noise and it needed one additional arbitrariness for everybody to go burst.

EFCC supplied that inertia. The report was that the Commission’s goons picked up a few CEO’s of PTO’s and drilled them on their indebtedness, especially to NITEL. Everybody got jolted asking whether debts resulting from mutual business agreement had suddenly become a crime. But who would question EFCC?

Julde Mashi, CEO of NITEL, swore he never formally brought his indebtedness woes to the attention of EFCC. He said it to the press and also repeated it to his fellow CEO’s and players when NCC hosted and industry stakeholders mini-summit on the subject. That meeting coincided with one session of our Advanced Telecommunications Training and we released participants in the afternoon of June 28 to enable them spread into the meeting and listen to industry players discuss the issues.

Apart from NITEL’s CEO who used the chance to bare his mind on that and a few other issues, the meeting also held many things in stock for the future and it was good the regulator held it. Operators on the platform of ALTON. Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, had parleyed earlier and they had chosen to present a common front which, practically, did not produce a solution but something similar to begging the issues. Naturally, one would say!

The GSM guys who have tried, so far unsuccessfully, to form a cartel, virtually dissociated themselves from the ALTON’s position and asked for quick unconditional payment. The underdogs, those PTO’s who actually owe huge amounts to several bigger players, and who in such circumstances should have shouted loudest, kept mum leaving ALTON to talk for them.

The regulator’s team supervised the summit. Big guy Ernest Ndukwe expressed worries but looked quite confident. He opened the discussion, listened and ended up giving all players some time to resolve the issues. Using body talk as forecast indicator, we should not be surprised if the regulator comes up with a ruling before long.

Interconnect Exchange upstarts [six were licensed in 2004]; represented by two such licensees, seized the chance to make the only new presentation. One said their facility would be a one-stop solution to the impasse and he asked that they be given a chance. His submission, which he hinged on commercial guarantee was truly rubbished by another contributor who cautioned that the vocabulary of Clearing House should be used with caution. Clearing house as in business relationships or interconnect carriers as in traffic movement? The two are not the same and one-stop solution was not next-door by the implication of what was presented.

At the end of it all, analysts who reviewed the meeting almost concluded that the regulator may well come up with an insistence on provision of adequate guarantee as part of interconnect relationship and push for a modified topology which the introduction of the interconnect carriers promise.

[The analysis was contributed to CYBERSCHUULNEWS by Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu, a Lagos based telecommunications engineer]



CYBERSCHUULNEWS 195
DEBT; DISCONNECT; SANCTION; NOW 'ARREST'!
Nigeria's bubbling telecom industry which almost went asleep as a result of interconnect debts suddenly jerked into a boiling point last week with the news that CEO's of a few Telcos were visited by men of the EFCC. EFCC is Nigeria's anti-graft Agency known appropriately as Economic and Financial Crime Commission. The story which went round was that NITEL must have made an appeal [to do what?] to the Commission which probably went into action. It was not known which criminal aspects of the debts the Commission must have pursued. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC has announced a brisk plan to moderate an industrywide discussion on the interconnect debt impasse so it could announce a game plan in due course. Tuesday, June 28, at Golden Gate restaurant in Ikoyi, Lagos will be the meeting point. Time: 2.00pm
EXPERTS PUSH FOR LOCALIZATION OF ICT

African localisation experts met in Casablanca in a workshop organised by the Kabissa NGO under IDRC funding, in collaboration with the Technopark centre.

The event benefited from contributions from the Moroccan Minister for Information Technology, the Canadian Ambassador and experts from other continents. After three days of work, the participants in the meeting reached the following conclusions:

Limiting people to the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in a foreign language tends to exacerbate the digital divide; makes ICT adoption long, difficult, and expensive; and impoverishes local culture.
Localisation makes ICT more accessible to everybody, including users from rural areas and young students, reinforcing the importance of our culture and helping us preserve our identity.
Localisation of ICT into indigenous African languages is therefore key to rapid and fair development in Africa.
For localisation to succeed and have its maximum impact in society, collaboration among governments, civil society, educators, linguists, computer professionals, standards organisations and donor agencies is necessary.
The participants further commited themselves to promoting this vision and working towards social development in Africa through ICT localisation. Participants at the events included Nigeria's Tunde Adegbola of ALT-I, Mrs Comfort Kanzaka of Fantsuam Foundation and Uchenna Agbim of IgboNLinuz.



SURVEY ON SUBSCRIBER PERCEPTION OF MOBILE DATA
GoSmartMobile, an online resource providing news, reviews, useful information and comments on mobile data technology in Nigeria, is carrying out a survey on mobile data tariffs and hopes to have a report ready for public consumption shortly. Among other things, the study seeks to measure what tariffs subscribers are willing to pay for access to the internet on/via their mobiles and current uptake and use of mobile data by subscribers, as well as gauge customer's willingness to switch networks based on data services and pricing. You can participate in this survey here.



NEW D-G NAMED FOR NITDA
Prof. Cleopas Angayen has been named as the new Director- General of the National Information Technology Development Agency to fill the vacancy created by the death of the agency's pioneer Chief Executive, Prof. Gabriel Ajayi in December last year.

He holds academic degrees in mathematics, physics, and computer science. Among other professional affiliations, he is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautic and of Astronautics, the Nigerian Computer Society, and holds several patents in the areas of software development and communications technology.

He was Director of Software Development at the agency until his elevation.



VMOBILE JOINS GLOMOBILE, MTEL ON GPRS PLATFORM
Vmobile (formerly ECONET WIRELESS) has quietly switched on its GPRS-based services. In an update of its website, Vmobile discloses that they are offering access to the internet and corporate intranet, as well as email, and mobile data synchronization over GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), a 2.5G standard. This makes Vmobile the 3rd of the 4 GSM operators in Nigeria to activate GPRS on its network.

Trailblazer GloMobile set the pace when months after launch it began offering Multi-media messaging, WAP and full internet access on a GPRS platform. Before then, all GSM operators in the country had run 2G networks and offered just Circuit Switched Data, a slow dial-up standard. Mtel followed suit just a little over a month ago. This leaves MTN as the only GSM network on the old 2G platform, but there are indications that Nigeria's largest GSM network is already being upgraded to offer some form of advanced data services.

At the time of writing however, neither Vmobile nor Mtel has officially announced tariffs for their GPRS services.

OSOFISAN NOW PRESIDENT OF CPN
The 8th international conference and annual general meeting of the Nigeria Computer Society, NCS, which held in Port Harcourt from June 14 through 17, 2005, produced a new President/Chairman for the Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN). She is Dr. Mrs. Adenike Osofisan an academic and Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management and Fellow Nigerian Computer Society. She takes over from Dr Gabriel Obi, a highly regarded tactician of the professional body and becomes the first female to occupy the position of President of the Council which was first inaugurated in 1995.

A CASE FOR THE WORTH OF ICT PROFESSIONALS
Telecommunications and ICT specialists have been advised to place values on themselves and reject the low estimation which society is attempting to place on them.

A Lagos based telecommunications engineer, Mr Titi Omo-Ettu told the Lagos State University community’s Gateway Initiative last week that the chances are very high in developing economies to undervalue the skills of otherwise valuable professionals and that counts as one reason why technological progress is slow in such economies.

Mr. Omo-Ettu said that while democratic politics may be the most acceptable in leadership selection it does not necessarily throw up the best materials for leadership positions. He expressed worries about how the on-going National Political Reform Conference dissolved its reform work into 19 committees, none of which includes a Committee on Reform of Science and Technology development strategy, let alone Information and Communications Technology, ICT. He listed the 19 committees of the NPRC as Reform Committees on:

The Economy
Human Rights & Social Security
National Security
Social Infrastructure For National Development
Models & Structures Of Government
Power Sharing Reforms
Revenue Allocation And Fiscal Federalism
Legislature
The Executive
Traditional Institutions And Culture Reforms
.Public Service
Judiciary And Legal Reforms
Political Parties And The Electoral Process
Environment And Natural Resources Reforms
Civil Society, Labor, Trade Union And National Media Reforms
Local Government Reforms
Foreign Policy, International Development Policy Reforms
New Sustainable Democratic Order
Anticorruption Reforms
Mr Omo-Ettu wondered which of the existing Committees would review say a memo on reform in Science and technology development. He confessed that the recent memorandum which the ICT G-22, an international team of Nigerian ICT professionals, to which he belongs and which contributed a memo to the Conference, did not do the memo because it had any faith in the Conference but because ‘we shall say what we should say - even to the devil’. He urged young ICT professionals to train hard, acquire impeccable world class skills and dictate their terms within the polity, noting however that ‘to whom much is given, much more is expected’. He asked Nigerian youths not to follow the path of current political reform conferees whose only objective is to share the booty of what they are incapable of producing.

Needed: A New Approach to Customer Support

A vital part of any business venture is customer care, also referred to in various circles as after-sales support. The idea is that while almost anyone can sell a product and then take the next bus out of town, effective customer support can make a world of a difference in the operations of any organisation, especially telecoms operations.

The challenges of providing effective customer support become even more daunting as we see an increse of uptake in data services. Here are a few real-life scenarios:

Scene 1: A small business enterprise purchases a Multilinks line for voice and internet services. Voice works fine but internet does not. After a couple of trips with the phone box to Multilinks, customer support assures that their engineers have been notified and will pay a visit to the subscriber's location to sort things out. Two (2) years down the road and several calls later, the engineers are yet to show up. And the subscriber's problems are yet to be solved.

Scene 2: A young man has signed up for full internet access via GPRS on the same network. He has put in all settings, yet the service does not work. From the error message his Sony Ericsson P800 is giving (Service not activated), it is clear that GloMobile is yet to do something at their end. After weeks of calling customer care without succour, he is finally asked to come over to their office half-way across the city of Lagos from his location.

Insisting that the trip was not necessary to resolve the issue, he is told that was the only thing to do. So he drives down, and after customer care has taken a look at the settings on his phone, they comment that everything was in order and then
take another look at their systems. It is then it is discovered that the young man's line had not been activated on the "switch". Another unnecessary and wasteful trip that would have been avoided if Customer Care was in better shape.

Scene 3: A young lady takes a handset to the nearest MTN Friendship Centre to have it configured for WAP. She is told that the server was down and so the handset could not be configured. She was asked to return at a later date. In less than an hour she narrates the story to a friend, who promptly takes the handset, inputs the settings and starts browsing with it. Whether or not the server was actually down had nothing to do with configuring WAP on a phone, and Customer Care did not know that.

Scene 4: Wale calls Customer Care on Vmobile to enquire whether it was true that the network now had a GPRS service. The representative replies in the affirmative and proceeds to tell Wale to send a specified text to a dedicated number to receive the service configuration OTA (Over-the-air). Wale sends the text and is surprised to discover that the settings sent to him are for plain old Circuit-switched data, a slow dial-up protocol. Customer Care apparently did not know the difference between Circuit Switched Data and GPRS.

Scene 5: DK purchases one of the newer Sendo phones for use on GloMobile. Customer Care informs him that the handset cannot work on its GPRS network. Wondering why, since it was not locked to another network and was both WAP and GPRS-enabled, DK stumbles on to http://www.gosmartmobile.com where he finds WAP settings for his network. He puts in the settings, - and months after he is still browsing.

Okay. Enough examples. All scenarios above are real events. None were made up. Of course, there are more, but what's the use going on and on?

The question we should be asking include:

How much training do Customer Care representatives get?
Did these guys apply for those jobs just to put some money in their pockets every month or do they really have an interest in what they do?
We may not have all the answers straight up, but we do know that what we observe in subscribers' interaction with Customer Care officers on our networks leaves much to be desired. These operators should stop caring about us in word alone. They may need to cut down on those ad budgets and put more funds in ensuring that the customer gets the kind of support he deserves.

Contributed by 'Yomi Adegboye, editor of GoSmartMobile and a valued friend of CYBERSCHUULNEWS

KNOW YOUR CPN

The Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) was established by Decree No 49, 1993; with the objective to advance the knowledge of Computer Science and the use of computational machinery and techniques related thereto. The council has the responsibility to control and supervise the profession, and is to perform the following duties:

(1) To determine what standards of knowledge and skills that are to be attained by persons seeking to be members of the profession and improving those standards from time to time as circumstances may permit;

(2) To secure in accordance with provisions of the Decree, the establishment and maintenance of a register of persons seeking to be registered under the Decree to practice the profession and the publication from time to time, of the list of those persons.

(3) To perform any other functions conferred on it by the Decree.

In respect of (3), other functions conferred on the Council include, inter alia:

(a) To accredit institutions for the purpose of offering courses approved by council as meeting standards set by council.

(b) To approve courses or programme of courses deemed by Council to meet its standards, and which are designed to confer on persons successfully completing them sufficient knowledge and skills for admission into the profession.

(c) To supervise instructions in institutions accredited by the Council.

(d) To conduct professional examinations and award certificates thereof.

(e) To conduct and maintain a library comprising of books and publications for the promotion and advancement of the knowledge of the profession.

(f) To encourage research into Computer Science, allied subjects, and computational machinery to the extent that Council may from time to time, consider necessary.

(g) To receive each year from the person in charge of each University or other institution of higher learning in Nigerian having a faculty by whatever name called, at which there is held a course(s) of training Computer Science or Computer Technology for persons who are seeking to become registered under the Decree, a list of names and such other particulars as the Council may specify, of all persons who attended any such courses at the institution at any time during the last preceding year.

(h) To set standards of behaviour for members of the profession and ensure compliance therewith, discipline erring members, including removing their names from the register, if in the opinion of Council the offence of such members warrant it.

The Decree makes it illegal for any person (individual or corporate) who is not registered by Council and does not hold a valid current license:

. To engage himself in the practice of computing and hold himself out to the public as a member of the professions; or

. To render professional service or assistance in or about matters of principles or detail relating to the use of computational machinery and the techniques related thereto;

. To render any other service, within the regulations made by the council, with the approval of the secretary; be designated as service constituting practice as a registered member of the profession.

. It is equally illegal for any person (individual or corporate) to hire such a person or employ his services.

The council was inaugurated on Friday, March 31st, 1995.


CYBERSCHUULNEWS 194
STARCOMMS, OTHERS GET READY FOR NEW TELECOMS REGIME
Nigeria's leading PTO, Starcomms says it is fully prepared to take full advantage of the proposed unified licensing regime expected to come into force next year. Starcomms runs advanced voice, data, fax and internet services over both fixed wireless and mobile platforms, and has continued to be innovative in packaging its services.

There are indications that other national and regional PTOs, as well as the GSM operators, are also strategising in order to stay relevant after the post-exclusivity period given to the latter.

Industry analysts already predict that GSM voice and data rates will crash, as PTOs leverage the capabilities of CDMA in delivering a wide range of services. They point to India, where a similar move has led to that country having the world's lowest mobile tariffs.

This development is certainly what the average Nigerian on the streets has prayed for over the years. Subscribers stand to benefit immensely, as not only will they be able to talk with more convenience, but will also have affordable internet/data services at their fingertips. Invariably, it is expected that this will also boost Nigeria's internet penetration and ultimately boost economic performance.

On the part of the telecoms operators, we see an opportunity for them to increase revenue through excellent service delivery and create stronger customer loyalty to their brands. At the end of the day, it is sure to be a win-win situation.

OAU TO OFFER NetTeL@AFRICA COURSES

The Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, has announced that it will run two courses: Master of Science in ICT Policy and Regulations and Postgraduate Diploma in ICT Policy and Regulations under the netTel@Africa sponsored programs.

In recognition of the need for capacity building in telecommunications policy and regulations, the Telecommunications Regulations of Southern Africa (TRASA) was prompted to forge a collaborative alliance among regulators, operators, and academic institutions for the purposes of instituting training at the postgraduate level in ICT policy and regulation. That initiative of TRASA led to the institution of NetTel@Africa, continent-wide network of some seven Southern African Universities, four US Universities, a number of regulatory bodies in the US and Southern Africa, with funding and resource support from CTO, DFID, SIDA, ITU, and the NTIA. The network which has expanded to accommodate universities from other parts of Africa, including four Universities in Nigeria is pioneered in Nigeria by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC. Obafemi Awolowo University is one of the four pioneering universities in Nigeria to partner in the network.

The Program aims to train local talents towards expertise in the policy, regulatory, managerial, legal, and technical aspects of ICT and to produce manpower able to engage in research at the highest levels of the frontiers of knowledge in all aspects of ICT policy and regulation, and consequently keep abreast of developments in technology, and global and regional standards and procedures.

For more information: paina@oauife.edu.ng
Email Anywhere, Anytime

If your work schedule keeps you out of the office a lot, you don't have to miss out on your urgent mails anymore.

Simply purchase any mobile phone with an email client built-in. Working very much after the same lines Outlook/outlook Express on your PC does, your phone's built-in email client will help you stay on top of your messages anywhere and anytime.

If you are on a CDMA platform, ask your operator for a phone with this capability and subscribe to an internet access plan of your choice. On GSM, subscribe to your network's data services, either GPRS or CSD.

Ditch Yahoo!, Hotmail and other Web-based emails, and go get a free POP3 email account from providers like SwissInfo or HotPOP. Better still, use your corporate email address.

Now, you are ready, simply configure your phone's email client with your POP email details and you can always grab your email anywhere you are, provided your network operator covers the area.

contributed by 'Yomi Adegboye, editor of GoSmartMobile and a valued friend of CYBERSCHUULNEWS

W.A.S.P.
WASP stands for 'Wireless Application Service Provider'. A WASP could be a provider of music or video clips, etc. for the wireless operator customers. Football News via your mobile phones, is an example of such applications. CNN breaking News sent to some mobile subscribers who subscribe for that service is another application example. Note that wireless could be a mobile operator or fixed wireless operator. WASP is concerned with value added services for wireless users. WASP billing system is no different from any other billing system for telecom operators; you may get charged for the size of what you downloaded or there may be a standard charge for having that value added services. It really depends on the wireless operator and how it wants to charge for a particular service.

contributed by Augustine Chiedu Odinma Telecom/Internet Consultant and a valued friend of CYBERSCHUULNEWS



CYBERSCHUULNEWS 193
HOUSE RULES ON INVESTIGATORS' FINDINGS ON PENTASCOPE
The Lower House recently reviewed a report of the House Committee on Communications, which investigated the Pentascope Management Contract of NITEL.

The report shoots down the core-investor approach to NITEL's privatization and suggests that the company [51% of the company really] should not be sold for less than the IILL price of US$1.317Billion. It appropriates blame to BPE and its consultants and advisers for the major defects in the failed contract and suggests finding answers to seven critical questions which it posed.

Most worrisome of the investigators' findings may be the letter of confirmation of an agreement on technical support which Pentascope claimed was between it and KPN[Netherlands] and on which the management contract was purported to have been largely based. The letter was found to have been a forgery, through and thorough.

The Lower House evoked very harsh sanctions on all those found culpable and asks that money be recovered from the consultants who did shoddy jobs.

The report, apart from coming as a good reference document for students of management, is probably a good footnote for those who write history as the subject under reference is a bad case of an insulting fraud. Harsh sanctions, of course, are known in these parts to be mere pronouncements which serve the immediate need to soothe agitated nerves.

TALKING GETS CHEAPER... AND CHEAPER
All over the world, it continues to get cheaper to talk.

The most recent sensation has been SKYPE, a VoIP service that allows subscribers to make calls to regular phone lines for next to nothing. On the home front, VOIP has helped drive down the costs of calls, especially international calls. Quite a number of operators now deploy the technology for carrying both international and long-distance calls.

But that seems to be just the tip of the iceberg. Already, a major PTO has deployed a mobile internet access service that in addition to regular Web browsing allows the subscriber to make calls for - you guessed right - next to nothing. All the subscriber needs is a PC card-enabled laptop/PC, a headset and the network's wireless PC card.

Events in other parts of the world indicate that the same feat will soon be commonplace on GPRS and EDGE networks. The world is fast moving into the era of completely unified communications and Nigeria, it seems, is catching up fast. This has been in part possible because of the reforms instituted by the NCC in the last couple of years.

AGENDA SET FOR NEPA, WOBBLING COMMENCES
Going by newspaper reports, Mrs. Irene Chigbue, boss at Bureau for Public Enterprises, BPE, has announced an agenda for the appointment of a Regulator for the emerging energy sector. She says the appointment would be in place by December 2005. Analysts are worried stiff how come it became one and the same thing to privatize and to also appoint the sector regulator. Looks like BPE is taking off on the usual cruise to nowhere again going by its antecedent.

Not much of Chigbue’s profile is known to analysts beyond the record of her zigzag postings in the hands of her former bosses at BPE, so forecasts are difficult to make of her game-plan. If the woman has views of her own however, it is yet to manifest.

The energy sector is fundamentally different and more difficult to sort out than the telecom sector. Indeed industry activists in telecommunications sector were all working to have a better NITEL so they could sell better. In the energy sector industry activists would rather see NEPA fail so they could continue selling their generators. If Chigbue does not know this, she may just have to. Why should she be bugged down with regulation when she is not done with privatization? Her predecessor spent all his time fighting the shadow of his own predecessor who also spent all time fighting everybody in sight as if privatization is nothing but warfare. Good war it would have been if the flight did not land us at Pentascope Airport.

In 2001, BPE had acted as if NCC did not exist until the Commission showed in a newspaper advert that it was in charge of regulation and not BPE. Lest our telecom story would have been different. Somebody should call BPE to order this time around. We do not deserve to be in darkness for ever.

Hello friends.
I have received some e-mails in the last few days claiming to have identified some unusual activities in my e-mail and PayPal accounts, and advising me that access to my account has been limited as a result. The e-mail then proceeds to ask me to click a link in the e-mail, in order to update my account.

This link DOES NOT take you to PayPal or eBay, but rather to another site, and if you were to make the mistake of clicking it (I didn't), it will run a program which will, at best, present you a form that will ask you for your account information, including your PayPal/eBay password, etc. Worse, it could install a program on your computer which will steal your data, or worse still, scramble your data and demand a ransom to unscramble them.

If you don't have a PayPal or eBay account, you obviously know that the e-mail is a scam, and hopefully you will ignore it and delete it. If you have a eBay / PayPal account, go through the normal way of accessing your account, and DO NOT CLICK THE LINK IN THE E-MAIL! Whatever you do, forward the e-mail to your ISP (usually at support@your-isp-name.com), and ask them to track it down, so that the originating ISP can shut down the offending e-mail account, or track down the owner and hand them over to law enforcement agencies.

I hope this has been useful.

Muyiwa

Muyiwa is a valued friend of CYBERSCHUULNEWS and he contributed the above from muyiwataiwo@tetovastics.com


CYBERSCHUULNEWS 192
CONSUMERS/GSM OPERATORS SET FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF OPEN BATTLE
Going by a recent late-May 2005 opinion poll, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has received tremendous support and goodwill from telephone consumers as it is set to push ahead with a plan to allow fixed wireless access (FWA) providers to migrate to mobile services if they possess the technology. Many of them do.

The radical move has not gone down well with GSM operators whose charges have been six times higher and whose services are generally regarded as poor by consumers. Industry analysts believe that the NCC's move is capable of reducing overall telephone tariff which GSM providers hate to hear. It may also set a new competition agenda as the Fixed wireless operators appear to care more for their subscribers than GSM operators who possess the advantage of spread and subscriber base.

While hiding their main motive, GSM operators are arguing that the new legislation could discourage investment in a sector that is already under-funded and may further weaken the industry, which it claims is already blighted by outdated facilities and high taxes.

Of course the argument is bunkum and Nigerians know it.

VODACOM COMES AGAIN
In business, there are never permanent friends nor enemies. What is permanent is motive. Profit motive. South Africa’s Vodacom which made several overtures to the Nigerian market, each time turning its nose against it, and for various reasons, was recently in a photo finish with Virgin Mobile of UK to buy into VeeNetwork [Operating as Vmobile]. There is no doubt that Veenetwork has improved its showing in the Nigerian market and the published intension of NCC not to grant new mobile licenses come February 2006, favours concerted buy-in’s and buy-over’s. Chances are that Vodacom acquires 56% of Veenetwork while state governments [Akwa-Ibom, Delta and Lagos] which bought shares when the Nigerian Company started off in 2001 as Econet Wireles Nigeria, may release all their shares for others to pick up.

UNILAG COMMENCES NetTel COURSES @ POST GRADUATE
The University of Lagos has invited applications from qualified and interested candidates for admission into the NetTel@Africa M. Sc. and PGD courses to start running in July 2005.

Information about NetTel@Africa, a continent-wide network for capacity building and knowledge exchange in ICT policy and regulations can be obtained from the network's website www.nettelafrica.org

The overall goal of the NetTel@Africa is to make the provision of ICT more efficient and ubiquitous to the citizens of targeted countries. Achievement of the goal will require improved policy and regulatory reform and increased private sector investment in ICT (telecommunications sector). To this end, NetTel@Africa seeks to strengthen the capabilities of policy making and regulatory bodies, private sector operators, consumer advocacy groups and academic institutions that can assist with sustained capacity building in the ICT sector.

The Center to Bridge the Digital Divide (CBDD) works in partnership with the Leland Initiative and the Regional Center for Southern Africa of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). As an associate of Internews under DOTGOV, CBDD serves as a catalyst to mobilize the ideas, efforts, and resources of the public sector, corporate America, the higher education community, telecommunications associations and other knowledge resource partners to reach shared goals and objectives. Additional resource partners include, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), DFID (U.K.), Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the UNDP Asia Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP) and the Telecommunications Research Project, Centre for Asian Studies, University of Hong Kong.

For more information mowete@hotmail.com

HOUSE RULES ON INVESTIGATORS' FINDINGS
ON PENTASCOPE
The Lower House recently reviewed a report of the House Committee on Communications, which investigated the Pentascope Management Contract of NITEL.

The report shoots down the core-investor approach to NITEL's privatization and suggests that the company [51% of the company really] should not be sold for less than the IILL price of US$1.317Billion. It appropriates blame to BPE and its consultants and advisers for the major defects in the failed contract and suggests finding answers to seven critical questions which it posed.

Most worrisome of the investigators' findings may be the letter of confirmation of an agreement on technical support which Pentascope claimed was between it and KPN[Netherlands] and on which the management contract was purported to have been largely based. The letter was found to have been a forgery, through and thorough.

The Lower House evoked very harsh sanctions on all those found culpable and asks that money be recovered from the consultants who did shoddy jobs.

The report, apart from coming as a good reference document for students of management, is probably a good footnote for those who write history as the subject under reference is a bad case of an insulting fraud. Harsh sanctions, of course, are known in these parts to be mere pronouncements which serve the immediate need to soothe agitated nerves.

Telecom Investment market & NITEL Privatisation
By Augustine Chiedu Odinma

One of the reasons that militated against NITEL privatisation was that the investment market was very unfriendly. Indeed, this was the reason advanced by BPE for not finding an operator to be interested in the privatisation process in 2002. There is currently unprecedented enthusiasm from many quarters with regards to the fact that many operators have applied as core investors for NITEL privatisation. I have heard people say that this is because the investment market have changed or improved. We examined this assertion by using a key indicator, stock price to see how the markets are performing. Our analyses show that the Telecom market has not necessarily improved, but tends to be stable.

Has the Investment Market Improved?

In Table 1, it can be observed that the stock prices fell sharply in 2001 after the Dot Com or Telecom Bust. Observe that in 2002 that the stock price of the five highest ranked operators in the world fell to between $15 and $40. In Table 2, we observe that from January 2003 up until March 3, 2005, the same stock of the same operators still hovers between $15 and $40. In other words there is no significant improvement in the investment market, other than that in Table 2, we can see that for each the operators their respective since 2002 seem to be close to each other, thereby suggestine some level of stability in the prices for the last two years.

Table 1: Stock Prices of the Five Top Operators (2000 –2002)
DATE
NTT
VERIZON
SBC
BT

1-Mar-00
77.66
57.12
39.98
181.97

1-Aug-01
22.37
48.85
40.13
62.61

1-May-02
22.6
43
34.29
40.79


Table 2: Stock Prices for Five Top Operators (2003 – 2005)

DATE
NTT
VERIZON
SBC
BT

May-03
18.06
34.58
25.46
32.09

Feb-04
23.28
36.86
24.01
33.66

Feb-05
21.67
35.97
24.06
40.27


Specifically, in the Table 1, BT, the giant operator in EU fell from about $181 in 2000 to about $40 by May of 2002. But up until March 3, 2005 when this sample was taken, BT stock was still about $40 as can be seen in Figure 2 and Table 2. NTT, the most formidable operator in Japan and in Asia fell from about $78 in 2000 to $23 in 2002, and since that time to March 2003, the stock of NTT hover around $18 and $23. Similarly, Verizon and SBC, the US top operators fell from $57 to $43 and from $40 to $34 respectively from 2000 to 2002. As at March 3, 2005, Verizon and SBC are trading at about $36 and $24 respectively, which are much less than the 2002 values. Thus, one can safely infer that there seem to be stability in the telecom stock market, but not necessarily improved, so also is the investment market.

In conclusion, since the investment market cannot be demonstrated to have changed significantly, the current enthusiasm and comments that many operators are showing interest as a result of improvements in the investment market is misplaced and must be carefully examined. The interest shown to my mind is based on the fact that most of the operators felt that NITEL would probably be sold for a very devalued price. I stand corrected, but if NITEL is sold for a price less than what IILL could not pay, then my assessment of why some of the operators have shown interest stands. We must always remember, particularly those charged with privatisation must always remember that NITEL is a national treasure.

Prof. Augustine Chiedu Odinma is a Telecom/Internet Technologies Consultant. He can be reached on aodinma@yahoo.com



CYBERSCHUULNEWS 191
CHEAPER PHONES IN 10 MONTHS
Cheaper mobile phone services may become the lot of Nigerians in ten months time when the recent expression of intention by NCC to allow current CDMA telcos to migrate to mobile services would have become a reality. This is the view of four consultant-analysts who recently diagnosed the Nigerian telecom industry in a midnight forum facilitated by THE EXECUTIVE CYBERSCHUUL in Abuja. The experts, 2 Nigerians, a Ghanaian and a South African were in Abuja for the recent ICT Africa Investment Summit and they were cornered for a synthesis of the Nigerian telecom industry. The group commended the various initiatives of NCC, which, apart from forging a healthy industry, is also noted for its loyalty to Nigerian consumers without hurting its fairness to service providers. The group sees NCC's moves as capable of keeping the per-second charge of mobile service to not more than 26 Kobo, come February 2006.

On the recent dislocation of senior executives within the industry, it was the consensus that the sack of the highest paid Nigerian in MTN is a minus for the industry. Details of the sack were not exactly known but it was nonetheless a bad omen for development regardless that some of the experts concerned are, strictly speaking, expatriates in their country.

No significantly high opinion was made of Nigeria's recent dive for a Chinese funded rural telephony scheme under a $200 million investment which was the meat of an MOU signed recently in Beijing between Nigeria and Huawei. The group considers Nigeria as capable of developing with her resources without going into such mortgages. Why should a country sign such an MOU? What are private companies available in the industry to do?

On the worries about antitrust behaviour within the industry, the group feels that it is a normal fallout in any emerging market. No fuss about Nigeria's case because 'the umpire is right on top of the issues' and it is there to put all players under the command of its whistle".

THE NEW DATA-DRIVEN ECONOMY AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
It is obvious that telecoms in Nigeria is undergoing a major shift as consumers are demanding for not just plain voice services but also internet/data services. In recent times there has been a spirited drive by PTOs and GSM operators to provide data services to customers as more people begin to appreciate the value of data.

At first it was the PTOs, migrating their systems to the robust CDMA 1x 2000 platform. Of recent, the GSM operators have stepped to the plate with GPRS services.

Without doubt, this is a welcome development, as the implication is that we will see greater internet penetration in the country. However, the salient question is, are the operators delivering on their claims or this is just another marketing-driven gimmick? Do these services deliver the goods and are there effective channels for customer support?

For example, the CEO of a fast growing consulting firm reports that he signed up for internet/fax services on XPT, but had to terminate the service some months down the road after it began to consistently fail to deliver.

An ICT firm has a similar story to tell about Multi-Links internet services. After working fine for a few months, the connection simply failed to work any longer. The CEO of the company says that Multi-Links kept billing them for a services that wasn't working. After a number of fruitless calls to Multi-Links the company simply gave up the phone box.

In a more recent instance, an ICT consultant who uses GloMobile's GPRS internet services says that GPRS service suddenly went dead at his location over four weeks ago. According to him, he has made several calls to GloMobile customer care and inspite of this, the service is still non-functional at his location.

Customer Support
It is instructive to note that in all cited cases - as in others - speaking with a customer care representative brought no results. In many instances, customer care representatives do not even quite understand the problems the subscribers are reporting, further complicating an already difficult situation.

It is expected that the NCC will begin to pay more attention to putting structures in place to prevent cunsumers from being defrauded by operators who make claims they do not deliver on. The Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Mr Ernest Ndukwe put it right when at a recent Telecoms Consumer Parliament, he said, "Operators are engaged in marketing-driven competition, but the truth of the matter is that the company that will win at the end of the day is the one that will offer quality service and customer satisfaction efficiently and consistently".

Meanwhile, a poll commissioned by Netonomy, a UK-based organisation reveals that customers are no longer content with speaking with a company representative on phone but now expect to be able to manage their telephone account - top up airtime, modify tariff, and analyse their bill - online by themselves.

A statement by the Executive Vice-President of Netonomy says, "It seems... self-service will now become the primary channel for customer sales and service".

For operators keen on generating revenue from value-added services such as Web and WAP, the survey indicates that implementing self-service facilities will make a significant difference in customer service and satisfaction.

This should provide further food for thought for Nigerian telecoms operators, as most of them do not even have a channel for customers to interact with them online.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to the fact that telcos may need to invest more in delivering on the services they advertise, on training support staff, on implementing effective and customer-friendly support systems, and spend a lesser share of their budget on marketing and publicity, as the case seems to be at the moment.

THE LIFE I USED TO DREAM OF
by Yomi Adegboye
It is a bright Wednesday afternoon, and here I am at my favourite eatery in Lagos. I am enjoying a quiet meal all by myself - and I am really taking my time at it. Under normal circumstances, I should be in a hurry to get back to the office, but I am not.

In the last 30 minutes I have been sitting here, I have published webpages, responded to customer support issues via e-mail, managed webhosting accounts, executed secure online transactions, made some posts on my favourite online discussion forums and kept in touch with friends via Yahoo Messenger.

No, my favourite eatery does not have an Internet Cafe section. I am taking advantage of my mobile network's GPRS service. I know of others who use a laptop and phone connection to do those things I have listed, but I consider a laptop cumbersome, so I use my Nokia 9500 Communicator as a stand-alone device. But I digress.

The point is, I was able to do this only in my dreams a few years ago, as there were no networks offering mobile data services. Now, it is a different story. I expect that in another 6 months, more networks - GSM and CDMA - will roll out similar data services enabling more and more Nigerians to stay connected to the world wherever and whenever - and at a comfortable price (how could I have forgotten that bit?).

My network's GPRS service is not [yet] as reliable as I would want it to be (for example, I barely ever get a smooth connection at my office, and it recently stopped working at my residence), but at least it works at my favourite eatery...

Ah... This is the life - the life I used to dream of.

'Yomi Adegboye is editor of GoSmartMobile.com, a site that provides useful information about mobile data technology in Nigeria , industry news, as well as reviews of phones, and mobile data services.



CYBERSCHUULNEWS 190
CONFAB GETS MEMORANDUM ON ICT AS REFORM TOOL
A memorandum, which draws attention of the on-going National Political Reform Conference to the need to reform Nigeria's InfoTech infrastructure along with a reform of Nigeria's political structure was submitted to the Confab secretariat in Abuja last week. It is produced by a group of 22 Nigerians, accomplished ICT pro's, interrelated related in cyberspace and whose normal residence scatter across 3 continents.

The 2,212 word memorandum invites attention of the conferees to also examine key challenges and proffer functional ICT intervention and constructive sectoral engagement in science & technology, infotech infrastructure, education & health, governance & legislation, industry & commerce, research & development, public-private partnership, global competitiveness, and rural community development as an instrument of socio-political reform in Nigeria.

For a full-length of the memorandum, please take the link to
http://www.nigerianmuse.com/important_documents/ict_g22_memo_to_nprc.htm

NITEL SPREADS IP
The Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd made good the promise to present its Wholesale IP services to the Nigerian market via a launch in Lagos during the week, two weeks after a similar show in Abuja. A ride on its SAT 3 investment, a fundamentally strong 3-tier POP and 8-ring self healing fibre optic architecture, a consciousness of its strong institutional capacity and the prospects of a body undergoing fundamental transformation appear to the basis, BPE permitting, for which high hopes in its professed network optimization are placed.

The First National Operator may, after all, be the provider to watch in these days when it appears there is a rebirth and a promise for high quality, cost effective widespread of access to the internet.

FRONT BURNER ISSUES:
'ANTI-COMPETITION' PRACTICES
The academics of anti-competition practices and its implication for the telecommunications sector was discussed, at ATCON's one day seminar on the subject at the weekend. Top lawyers from several telcos except from a few, notably the National Operators, were present at the seminar.

Conscious of its central responsibility to its members, ATCON says it is anxious that the stresses which have begun to manifest in the industry are better discussed at such seminar levels than to allow it to be a subject for consumer adjudication.

There is no doubt stresses have begun to manifest in interrelationship of all players arising largely from a lack of uniform interpretation of agreements. Unarguably at the center of strained interrelationships is the SNO which is slugging it out virtually on all fronts: with NITEL on 'SAT 3', with the Regulator on 'flagrant disobedience', with other telcos on 'unilateral disconnection' and with itself on 'tariff imposition'.

the reach is amazing CYBERSCHUULNEWS : NOW YOUR REACH-OUT PLATFORM
Limited advert places are now available in CYBERSCHUULNEWS and the following gives a guide to using them.


NEWSreview
CONFAB GETS MEMORANDUM ON ICT AS REFORM TOOL
A memorandum, which draws attention of the on-going National Political Reform Conference to the need to reform Nigeria's InfoTech infrastructure along with a reform of Nigeria's political structure was submitted to the Confab secretariat in Abuja last week. It is produced by a group of 22 Nigerians, accomplished ICT pro's, interrelated related in cyberspace and whose normal residence scatter across 3 continents.

The 2,212 word memorandum invites attention of the conferees to also examine key challenges and proffer functional ICT intervention and constructive sectoral engagement in science & technology, infotech infrastructure, education & health, governance & legislation, industry & commerce, research & development, public-private partnership, global competitiveness, and rural community development as an instrument of socio-political reform in Nigeria.

For a full-length of the memorandum, please take the link to
http://www.nigerianmuse.com/important_documents/ict_g22_memo_to_nprc.htm

NITEL SPREADS IP
The Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd made good the promise to present its Wholesale IP services to the Nigerian market via a launch in Lagos during the week, two weeks after a similar show in Abuja. A ride on its SAT 3 investment, a fundamentally strong 3-tier POP and 8-ring self healing fibre optic architecture, a consciousness of its strong institutional capacity and the prospects of a body undergoing fundamental transformation appear to the basis, BPE permitting, for which high hopes in its professed network optimization are placed.

The First National Operator may, after all, be the provider to watch in these days when it appears there is a rebirth and a promise for high quality, cost effective widespread of access to the internet.

FRONT BURNER ISSUES:
'ANTI-COMPETITION' PRACTICES
The academics of anti-competition practices and its implication for the telecommunications sector was discussed, at ATCON's one day seminar on the subject at the weekend. Top lawyers from several telcos except from a few, notably the National Operators, were present at the seminar.

Conscious of its central responsibility to its members, ATCON says it is anxious that the stresses which have begun to manifest in the industry are better discussed at such seminar levels than to allow it to be a subject for consumer adjudication.

There is no doubt stresses have begun to manifest in interrelationship of all players arising largely from a lack of uniform interpretation of agreements. Unarguably at the center of strained interrelationships is the SNO which is slugging it out virtually on all fronts: with NITEL on 'SAT 3', with the Regulator on 'flagrant disobedience', with other telcos on 'unilateral disconnection' and with itself on 'tariff imposition'.

NEW TECHNOLOGY/PRODUCT
CITY-WIDE WIMAX DEBUTS IN BRIGHTON
The first fully developed and operational wireless broadband service in the UK, code named The Brighton Metranet, using the next-generation WiMAX technology was launched last week in Brighton.
The Metranet is a massive wireless broadband infrastructure that covers around 90 per cent of the city, providing high-speed internet access to students and schools in the area, thus giving it out as more of an experiment than of a business investment.

ACCESS, INTERNET ACCESS PLEASE!!!
Incumbent IT Youth Ambassador, Mr Edward Popoola, 23, whose passion for ICT applications has made him a wonder to watch in his implementation of the CYBERSCHUUL's youth development program recently circulated a record of his pains and gains of internet access not only in the course of discharging his community focused responsibilities but also his own unique way of finding mental relaxation. He went for trading his PC for Internet Access and explains why, how and whither in the following essay written by him.
Ambassador Trades PC for Access
By Edward Popoola
me@edwardpopoola.com www.edwardpopoola.com

In a world where information and knowledge drive the economy, where the relevance of countries - and its peoples - is measured, not by how much concrete wealth they have, but by how much relevant information they could use to aid development. One cannot rule out the importance of the Internet as a medium for Information creation and dissemination. The Internet has come a long way and people the world over are today leveraging on its power to connect with other people that have access to it - for the purpose of knowledge sharing. The importance of the Internet cannot be overemphasized in our contemporary world.

The Internet is however expensive in Nigeria. Access costing close to $1 per hour is relatively expensive taking into consideration the "per capita" income of the country. The cost implication is more pronounced when you have to constantly keep in touch through emails, when you hold online meetings as a substitute to physical meetings, and when you have online content to manage and keep up to date. Summing all that up could cost up to an average of $10 per week!

Sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good. As much as accessing the Internet is taking a good chunk of my finances and the effect telling on my expenses, I find it hard to seperate myself from this newly found love. Its a place where my career intersects with my service to the young people of my country as Nigeria's Information Technology Youth Ambassador. I find it difficult to convince my parents on why I spend so much of their hard earned money on the Internet and not on food or clothes. As a matter of fact, an explanation will do more harm then good - especially having understood that they attended school when the "black and white" television was the most popular representation of telecommunications.

I have been living like this for the past two years, prefering to spend my money on Internet access rather than on food, clothes or girls! I like what I do and I love when I don't have to explain the reason to anyone. However, the more I work on the Internet - building others and myself for the knowledge economy - the more there is to do and I thought of a way of solving my problem of access. I couldn't continue the way I used to, otherwise, I would wake up one day to discover that I am bankrupt… I needed a quick and fast alternative.

I sat down to think about my problem and how best I could solve it. My mind after wandering far and near came and settled like dew on my computer system. That was my first PC and I have been using it for the past 3 years. No upgrade, nothing new! It has however been serving me diligently except for the occasional noise from the hard disk before its eventual "pack up". For 3 months, I had not been using my computer and had been relying on my friends' PCs - and the Internet. It was lying idle while the market value kept depreciating. The only alternative was either to fix the hard disk or to sell it off and add some money for a new and better one.

Then came the idea. In order to save my system from complete deterioration and loss of its market value, the best and wise alternative was to trade the system for Internet time! Actually it was the cafe owner that first suggested this idea. I compared the value of the system with my paying an average of $10 per week for Access. I thought I needed access more than my computer system in the short and long run. This was not because I would not be using one, but because I could still depend on my friend's. It sounded reasonable then when I sealed the deal that brought me unlimited Internet access in place of my computer system. This was at a privately-owned cybercafe in my school.

The good news is that I can now spend more time on the Internet - as much as I want, without any financial commitment. But the bad news is that while I save money for a new laptop, I now fall among the millions of Nigerian youths who do not own a computer system to themselves.CYBERSCHUULNEWS 189


CYBERSCHUULNEWS 189
NIGERIA GETS RENEWED WORLD ATTENTION
Few hours after it published NITEL's wholesale IP services, CYBERSCHUULNEWS received not a few international references of note on the details of the services, spread, and the investment potentials. Investment is about availability of information and the First National Operator may have turned the heat on to correct past marketing deficiencies which sincere due diligence would have revealed to whoever cared to find out. Funding for the FNO's 8-ring fibre structure and return of a stalled construction of the SNO's trans-Nigeria fibre network may be all what will reassure investors that Nigeria's network is truly on its way up.

ATCON PROFESSIONALISES ITS SECRETARIAT
The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, has restructured its secretariat.
Kola Olayebi-Edward, the Association's spokesman announced recently that Abieyuwa Igbinovia [Mrs], a barrister, ex-NCC, now heads the secretariat as Executive Secretary while ATCON's erstwhile pointman, Godwin Morgan now takes charge of Strategic Marketing. In tow is a lineup of technical talkshows.
It is not unusual for Nigerian trade associations to get jerked into a flurry of activities inspired by the need to confront immediate common enemies. The association has been sponsored by one of its own to put Anti-trust and anti-competition practices on the front burner by hearing out top lawyers and industry eggheads at an April 29 talkshop on the subject.

Be Prepared for Cyberterrorism
Computerworld: Companies must prepare for terrorism in all aspects of their businesses, experts say, and the threat of cyberterrorism should be taken particularly seriously. Networked systems are vulnerable because of their accessibility by way of the Internet, the ready availability of malicious tools, the increased exposure of globalized infrastructures and the interdependence of systems, which multiplies the consequences of an attack. Companies should prepare incident management and business continuity plans to guard against the loss and disruption of data, confidentiality, system integrity and the disruption or denial of availability


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SNO GETS NCC'S SANCTION
FINE OF N34MILLION SLAMMED ON GLOBACOM
The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has sunk teeth into Globacom's skin for playing foul on interconnection.

For some time, there had been loud murmuring within the industry especially among service providers which consider themselves small that the Second National Operator was evoking disconnection sanction of its own without going through the due process.

Matters reached a head in November 2004 when ATCON, the umbrella body of telecommunications companies which operate in Nigeria, complained openly through its President, Charles Joseph, that NCC was standing by observing Globacoms misdemeanor in this regard.

In matters like this, going through due process is the law and it is now clear the regulator must have spent time doing just that while various insinuations filled the air. The most silly version is the argument that glo's promoter being from Mr President's state is above the law.
NCC must have had enough of the SNO's flagrant disrespect to its rules and directives as it imposed a fine totaling N34million against Globacom on March 7, 2005. Little fine alright, but it is symbolic.

“At the expense of repetition, the Commission wishes to stress that the issue of unilateral disconnection of operators without its approval is expressly prohibited by law. A situation where an operator does not only unilaterally disconnect other operators but also refuses to heed a Direction from the Regulator to reconnect them is inimical to the growth of the industry and must be discouraged”, That's what NCC said to justify its sanction on Globacom.

It is not unusual for telcos that feel conscious of their 'big' size to do various things which amount to intimidation of their competitors, consumers or even, sometimes, the regulator. They have a field day in regimes where the regulator is ignorant, corrupt, timid or all of the above. Such overbearing however gets curtailed where the regulator is vigilant, professional and responsive. Nigeria could not have had a better situation.

In the past, NITEL, later MTN, played such ostrich when it got into their head that they were big. It takes a regulatory bite to cut them to size.

Remember 1995, a new MD was announced for NITEL on NTA's seven o'clock news on a Friday evening. Monday morning 9.00am, the MD resumed at NITEL's head office and called a management meeting for 11.00am. By 12Noon several links of the only fledging value-added provider, which brought consumers into NITEL's network, had been yanked off. Such arrogance continued until the First National Operator found itself trailing behind other networks in the game of numbers. Today, mute is the word from that end, even before Pentascope finally came to diminish NITEL's stature further.

In 2003, it took one-day of subscribers stay-off mobile services for Mobile service providers to realize that customers could also bite. Although that did not reduce MTN's arrogance and disrespect to the directives of the regulator, it took the coming of Globacom and its show of size for the south African firm to come round softer these days. It recently announced a latter-day compliance with the regulator's directive that it should credit customers who were made to pay N100 migration fee into per-second billing against the regulator's directive on the matter. It is a different matter if infact it has done so in real terms beyond newspaper adverts.

It is not surprising that the SNO is at it acting out its size today. In due course, telcos, both big and small, will realise that all networks are important and it makes better sense to respect the referee's whistle on this field of play.

NCC's maiden sanction on the SNO may well be the timely signal to all concerned that if the regulator can bite light, it can bite deep.

UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL ALLIANCE:
A Quick Overview and Call for Participation
by 'Gbenga Sesan

In a proposal dated 22 November 2004 and submitted to the World Summit in the Information Society's Task Force on Financial Mechanisms for Information and Communication Technologies for Development, the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) discussed existing financial mechanisms -- which are able to provide financial resources for infrastructure development in highlighted instances.

The proposal argued that the voluntary Digital Solidarity Fund's exact role in financing ICT is unclear. APC also went ahead to state that:

"Many developing countries are hindered in their access to the global economy by the inadequate state of their ICT backbone infrastructure in a new global context, where the global economy runs on global information networks. There is a compelling argument that the extension of network infrastructure in developing countries is a global public good that benefits everyone because of the value of network externalities. The value of the global information network increases in value as more national networks and individual users are added. It is not simply a matter of ICT access being increased within developing countries but also a matter of increased access to the markets of developing countries and of developing country access to global markets.

"In developed countries, it has been estimated that during the telecoms boom of the 1990s, around $150 billion was spent building unnecessary telecoms networks in America and another $50 billion elsewhere. Building ICT networks in the developing world will not cost anything like these figures. A recent DFID study has shown that building regional ICT infrastructure backbone networks in Africa will cost between $500-1000milion. This is eminently achievable."

In detailing the core of its proposal, the APC stated that, "what is needed is not a new fund but a mechanism for mobilizing new financial resources to achieve a finite goal - the extension of ICT backbone networks in the developing world, where risk and reward are uncertain. What is required is the deployment of sufficient public finance to provide incentives for the private sector to engage in public-private partnerships to build the required infrastructure. At the same time, a mechanism for providing incentives to developing country governments to create enabling policy environments for the use of the infrastructure in a non-discriminatory and cost-effective manner is also needed."

APC argued that the World Summit on the Information Society's Declaration and Plan of Action provides a new context for such a body to be established because it recognizes the role of four constituencies that are integral to the successful building of the Global Information Society: governments, the private sector, civil society and international institutions. The proposal stated that, "the Association for Progressive Communications proposes the establishment of a multi-stakeholder body, a Global ICT Infrastructure Alliance to undertake the tasks mentioned ..." APC also stated that a, "global ICT Infrastructure Alliance will be able to achieve greater collaboration between public and private sector entities in a non-competitive framework, which is not possible through FDI or most public-private partnerships".

Five months after the proposal was made, it appears that the attention of the world is being drawn in the direction of the proposed Global Alliance. In a draft paper titled, "Principles/elements for the establishment of a Global Alliance for ICT and Development" and dated April 1 2005, stakeholders have been invited to "provide their inputs, comments, suggestions and ideas for the further development of these initial elements that will be taken up at the open consultations in Dublin to be held on 13 April 2005 that will be held in conjunction with the Eighth meeting of the United Nations ICT Task Force". The paper also expresses a very strong linkage between the Millennium Summit + 5 and the World Summit on the Information Society. The Alliance would meet the need and demand for an inclusive global forum and platform for policy dialogue and consensus-building; facilitate the creation and inter-linkage of networks; will not have an operational role; and will catalyze innovative, forward-looking multi-stakeholder partnerships across the spectrum of ICT4D policy.

The Alliance would function under the patronage and leadership of the Secretary-General of the United Nations but will maintain administrative, budgetary and thematic autonomy with support for establishment of the Alliance (including the start-up phase which is being spearheaded by the United Nations). The Working Document reveals that "the Alliance would comprise a General Forum, Executive Board, and Secretariat. Members of the Executive Board would be elected for a period of 1-2 years by the General Forum with a view to a balanced representation of all key stakeholders, with rotating leadership and membership of the Executive Board. The Alliance would have a ten-year term through 2015 and it would be great for stakeholders (governments, civil society, private sector, international organisations, etc) to note the timeline for preparation, establishment and launch of the Global Alliance, as quoted below (all dates are for the year 2005).

29 March: Principles submitted to Task Force Bureau
1 April: Principles submitted to Task Force Members
6 April: Principles posted on the Task Force open website for comment
15 April: Meeting of the ICT Task Force adopts:
o the key elements of the principles of the Alliance
o the timeline for its establishment
o the remit and composition of a balanced and representative multi-stakeholder "start-up" group that would lead the process of further
consultations aimed at ensuring broad buy-in and support for the concept, and of the finalization of the Alliance charter
Mid-May : Proposal submitted to the Secretary-General for approval of the key elements, as well as the establishment of the "start-up" group
13 September: The UN ICT Task Force organizes a high-level multi-stakeholder round table immediately prior to the MS+5 at the United Nations in
New York. The establishment of the Alliance will be announced in the course of the round table
14-16 November : The Alliance is formally launched at a special side event during the Tunis phase of WSIS

Your participation could help define the success-rate of the alliance and the eventual gain for the global Information Society -- especially those who are presently underserved.
References:
(1) Global Alliance Principles (Working Document)
(2) Global ICT Infrastructure Alliance proposal (Association for Progressive Communications)
[Mr 'Gbenga Sesan, pioneer Nigeria's IT Youth Ambassador can be reached on me@gbengasesan.com website www.gbengasesan.com ]



CYBERSCHUULNEWS 187
GLOBAL FAIRS /IT & TELECOM DIGEST
TO SYNERGISE
Global Fairs T-T Messe has entered into partnership with IT & Telecom Digest as media Partner to host ICTe in May 2005.
Global Fairs T-T Messe is an ICT Media and Events agency from Osnabrück, Germany while IT & Telecom Digest is Nigeria's authoritative monthly magazine devoted to Telecommunications and ICT. Global Fairs T-T Messe has been involved in organising CeBIT, the world's biggest ICT show while IT & Telecom Digest is known to have pioneered several media initiatives within the telecom industry especially the Nigerian Information Technology and Telecom, NITTA, Awards. With a modest beginning in 2000, IT & Telecom Digest magazine has, unarguably, via 40 editions, taken Nigeria to a clearly new height in specialised magazine journalism.

TECHNOLOGYTIMES NEWSPAPER DEBUTS
@ CTO 2005
Technology Times, Nigeria's first Internet news portal on ICT, will commence its print edition at the CTO 2005, May 16, 2005. The free daily newspaper will report the five day CTO trade show which theme is "Using Technology to Foster a Productive Domestic Economic Environment".

The news portal which went online in July 2004 and has attracted a wide audience is the initiative of Nigeria's Shina Badaru, a truly focused, award-winning journalist who has traversed a few high flying newsmedia including This Day, Business Day, National Interest, Daily Independent, etc.

The news really is that the forthcoming newspaper will be the precursor to the weekly Technology Times newspaper due for launch in July 2005 when ICT reporting in Nigeria would have taken a sure turn into the revolution lane.

CYBERSCHUULNEWS HITS IT BIG
CYBERSCHUULNEWS is in a different world of its own. The e-bulletin which started as an in-house e-journal for alumni of THE EXECUTIVE CYBERSCHUUL, debuted in October 2001 with 86 subscribers, opened up eventually to attract wider audience and ended up splitting into 3 e-bulletins, each focused 120 degrees from the other. The publications focus on Telecom-ICT news with a bent for facilitating telecommunication education and investment in the Telecom sector and have witnessed a rise in average daily subscription from 30 in recent past to to 37 now. Today, 20,058 Telecom/ICT pro's, executives and enthusiasts in all continents read it weekly. In March alone 881 new subscribers, the highest number ever in one month, signed on and the Institute's alumni have indicated the desire to maintain a link-column in one of the publications.

MTS' SUBSCRIBERS GET INCENTIVES
MTSFirstWireless in an apparent celebration of several accolades and awards it has received in recent time has announced a massive slash in the price of high-end phones, including camera and slider phones, which are now offered at less than 50 per cent of the previous prices.

What is more, subscribers who were unable to recharge their accounts within validity periods on the MTS First Wireless network have received blanket waivers just as amounts remaining on the subscriber's account when they enter into the Reserve Period regime will now be added up to their credits when they recharge their accounts.

Mr. Azuka Ndulewe, MTS Marketing Manager who announced these incentives also said subscribers on the MTS First Wireless network could now accumulate up to maximum of 360 days active validity if they recharge their accounts appropriately, as against the former active validity regime in which subscribers can only accumulate a maximum validity period of 180 days at any given time.

Mr. Ndulewe said in addition to the blanket waivers on thousands of subscriber lines that have ordinarily lost their validity to continue enjoying the services, the regime of sweeping of subscriber's account, a measure introduced to check abuse of absolute no access charge in the company's network, have also been waived. Henceforth, amounts remaining on the subscriber's account when they enter into the Reserve Period regime will now be added up to their credits when they recharge their accounts.

Amazing! Is n't it?

GLO GLOWS
Glomobile, Nigeria's leading telecommunications network's mobile wing has been announcing new services at dizzying speed. With little time to digest the rush of information coming from there, it will take a while to report them accurately. We shall in due course.

NSE CHARGES ENGINEERS TO LEARN TELECOM FOR BUSINESS
Vice President for professional development of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, Engr. Nkechi Isigwe on April 5, 2005 asked engineers to use their knowledge to build business rather than mastering technology for its own sake. She was addressing a team of 12 telecommunication engineers, from seven companies, who had just completed a two-weeks training at THE CYBERSCHUUL under the NSE-CYBERSCHUUL symbiosis for professional development of telecom engineers. Coordinator of the program Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu told the graduating engineers that CYBERSCHUUL's former Enhanced Induction Training for Telecom Engineers has transformed to the Advanced Telecommunications Training under the recent partnership of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and THE EXECUTIVE CYBERSCHUUL He said subjects such as Base Station Engineering, VoIP Technology and Applications and a one-day industry tour of telecommunications Base Station infrastructure around Lagos are new additions to the program which would even enjoy new add-on's in the next editions. All the trainees reported that the program added new skills and knowledge to their content and given the opportunity, they would come again to train at the CYBERSCHUUL.


PRIVITISATION HEADACHE
Privatization of NITEL is generating high decibels of headache even at a time when it is being reported that fresh interest to buy into the Nigeria's First National Operator are being shown from several quarters. The latest shift in the proposed date of the long awaited exercise from first quarter to 3rd quarter is generating new worries. If BPE has a clue to this nagging issue, it is yet to show it.

But NITEL has to be privatized. Sorry, but it has to.

POWER LINE NOW CARRY BROADBAND
BPL, Broad Band Powerline, the technology that allows high-speed Internet services via the electric power outlet, is starting to gain serious interest among consumers and potential providers in the Western hemisphere. Obviously a big opportunity for electric utilities to snatch Internet provider business from cable, telcos and other companies, but the problems are also daunting. A planned synergy between Nigeria's NEPA and south Africa's ESKOM produced an allocated license to NEPSKOM in 2002 for a power line carriage of broadband in Nigeria but the license had to be withdrawn in 2004 by NCC when the initiative appeared not flying. A few guys in NEPA still tell you though that 'the dream is not dead'.

AOL goes VoIP
Everybody is doing VoIP these days. America Online launched its highly anticipated VoIP service last Thursday April 7.

ICANN ENDORSES AFRiNIC
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has now granted full recognition to the African Network Information Centre (AfriNIC) as the fifth Regional Internet Registry to allocate numbering resources for Africa.

The subject of full recognition for Afrinic what topical at the recent Accra meeting on WSIS where an interest group devoted time to the issue.

ICANN also announced last Thursday April 8 that it has designated two new sponsored Top-Level Domains (sTLDs): .jobs and .travel to be the unique identifiers of players in the human resource and the travel trade sectors.
Nigeria recently adopted the Name of NiRA, Nigeria Internet Registration Association in Lagos when Internet stakeholders met to agree on formation of an NGO to administer the .ng Top level Domain [tlD]. A 9-member Board of Trustees was immediately appointed at the meeting to Register the adopted name, establish a secretariat, source seed funding and commence operation of the NGO.

Analysts however believe that the NGO will modify its appointed composition of the BoT to make it truly reflect a non-governmental organization as the BoT is currently made of more government representatives than those from the private sector.



CYBERSCHUULNEWS 186
MICROSOFT BRINGS TV TO PALM
For $20 a year, Microsoft Corp. now offers a paid service that enables people download certain TV shows to portable devices such as media players and advanced cell phones. The product was launched last Friday. The content include sports highlights, shows from Fox Sports, news and business headlines from MSNBC.com
To hit at the content, users log on to a Web site using a traditional laptop or desktop computer. Then, they can download the shows from the computer to the portable device.

CTO OFFERS ASSISTANCE TO ASIAN COUNTRIES
ON USING ICTs TO REDUCE HUMAN LOSS IN DISASTERS
The Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation (CTO), has offered to
Asian and Pacific countries the organisation's technical assistance in helping to minimise the impact of natural disasters in the region through the more effective use of ICTs. Although the details are still sketchy, the point really is that all continents may need this assistance as the disasters are hardly confined to Asia these days.

The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) is an international development partnership between Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth governments, businesses and civil society organisations focused on information and communication technologies (ICT) and
development. The CTO supports the international community's efforts to bridge the digital divide and promote social and economic development, by delivering to developing countries unique knowledge-sharing programmes in the use of ICTs in the specific areas of telecommunications, IT, broadcasting and the Internet. Recently, the CTO has significantly reviewed its mandate to reflect and respond more fully to today's global development challenge as set in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Today, our mission is to offer the highest quality programmes for capacity development, knowledge-sharing and information services, expand and diversify partnerships between governments, businesses and other organisations to reduce global poverty and fulfil the global development agenda for ICT in the key sectors of food and agriculture, education, health, e-government and e-commerce. The CTO also facilitates the
successful development of telecommunications and other businesses to support social and economic development objectives of governments and civil society.


CYBERSCHUULNESW 185
NIGERIA INTERNET STAKEHOLDERS ADOPT NiRA
Resolution of the .ng imbroglio moved up a notch last week when the stakeholders met in Lagos and ratified the name NiRA [for Nigeria Internet Registration Association] for the NGO which will manage the affairs. Although attendance at the meeting was thin, it took a sagacious handling by the distinguished Prof. I S Diso, who chaired the proceeding, to make a meaningful meeting.

The initial suggestion of Nigeria Internet Registration Authority was modified to Nigeria Internet Registration Association to respect Nigeria's restriction of the word 'Authority' to government entities. A few stakeholders argued in favour of the more popular 'xxNIC type of nomenclature around the world but they almost forgot that Internet Registration Authority is also commonplace across the world.[ eg Canada and IANA itself ]
The initial move to constitute the 22 members representing Internet interest groups as Board of Trustees, BoT, was modified when all the 'HighTable' members only were constituted into the BoT. The BoT now has as members :

Chris Nwannenna Dr.] NCS
Emmanuel Ekuwem [Dr.] NIG
Gabriel Obi [Dr.] CPN
Ibrahim Sehu Diso [Prof.] Kano Sate Government
Ibukun Odusote [Mrs.] Fed Min of Information
Mary Uduma [Mrs.] NCC
Moses Ubaru,[Dr.] NITDA
Tajudeen Oyawoye [Mr.] Presidency
Titi Omo-Ettu [Engr.] NSE

It is understood that that the BoT will drive the young NGO to register the adopted name, establish a secretariat, produce a constitution, raise initial funding and register a Domain Name for the organization. The first meeting of the Board is slated for April 6 in Lagos. Chances are that the BoT's membership may increase to 12 to enable the private sector membership slightly dominate government appointees and to enable ISPAN, Internet Services Providers Association of Nigeria, have a nominee on the Board. It just makes sense to do so.

MORE INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) and the International Telecommunication Users Group (INTUG) have agreed to collaborate on a number of critical issues as part of the organisations' aim to develop multi-stakeholder partnerships that will extend their efforts in the development of telecommunications and ICTs especially with regards to consumer broadband and Internet access in developing countries as well as in less obvious areas such as communications and disaster prevention.

INTUG is a non-profit association of national telecommunications user associations. It was founded in 1974 to act as a single voice for users of telecommunications. Currently, the Group represents 21 national users associations and has, as Associate Members, large corporations using telecommunications services worldwide. With the new agreement with the CTO, the Group will have access to some 50 governments around the world.
On the other hand The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) is an international development partnership between Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth governments, businesses and civil society organisations focused on information and communication technologies (ICT) and development.

Please stay tuned to CYBERSCHUULNEWS for more on the profile of the two collaborating organisations,

HUAWEI MAKES WIDER MOVES
One hell of a big move!. Huawei Technologies, unarguably biggest Chinese telecom equipment vendor which is making an impressive showing in the Nigerian market is also pressing on to get alliances in the west especially with Nortel. May be with lucent too.
Huawei has remained notable ever since it appeared in Jo'burg in 1998 ITU EXPO when it made initial contacts with Nigeria.

With a rare combination of shrewdness and aggressive marketing, Huawei is not only relying on its strong political links in Nigeria but also on its technology and pricing edge over equivalent brands. It is also promising several attractive carrots which Nigerian officials need tact to handle.

Huawei's 3G wireless equipment promises over $15billion by 2007 to overseas markets. It did $2.2billion to overseas market in 2004 alone and it may have doubled that by end June 2005. At home in China, Huawei does everything big.

"Creating an equitable Information Society: Time for Action"
By ITU

World Telecommunication Day 2005 marks two important anniversaries for ITU. It will be 140 years since we began helping the world communicate. From the birth of the telegraph, through radio and television broadcasting to satellite communications and the Internet, the work of ITU has helped harness the power of science and technology to fulfill a basic human need for communication. However, 20 years ago, we realized that not all people were sharing in the social and economic benefits that telecommunications creates. In 1985 ITU released the landmark Maitland Report, known as the ‘Missing Link’, which was the first to clearly identify the digital divide. Since its publication, ITU has been working in earnest to bring the benefits of ICT to all of humanity.

In 2003, ITU held the first ever World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva. The first phase of the Summit resulted in 175 countries endorsing a Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action that embrace the idea of universal and affordable access to ICTs. The second phase of the Summit, to be held this November in Tunis, will measure the progress we have made in fulfilling the specific objectives of the Geneva phase and will call on all stakeholders to transform the political will expressed at the first phase into long-term commitments. To help focus the world’s attention on the importance of this mission, ITU members have selected the theme Creating an Equitable Information Society: Time for Action.

Looking ahead to Tunis, the true test of an engaged, empowered and equitable Information Society will be the extent to which today's powerful knowledge-based communications tools are able to connect different peoples across geographic, knowledge and information divides, especially in the most impoverished countries. The time for action is now.


CYBERSCHULLNEWS 184
NITDA, STAKEHOLDERS SET FOR NiRA
Going by popular web chats, the indications are that stakeholders in the Nigerian Internet community who will assemble at MUSON Centre, Lagos on Wednesday March 23 are set to face the major business of establishing the long awaited NGO which will administer the .ng top level Domain. Strategists of several professional groups have filled the web with information which suggest that the usually brilliant but hardly helpful posturing, and an unnecessary dissipation of energy on discussing the good and the bad of NITDA may give way to forging for a three-point agenda on March 23. Chances are that the NGO's name [Nigeria Internet Registration Agency, NiRA, is the most touted of the three names being suggested] will be adopted, it body will be formally established and election will hold to appoint its pioneer executives.

NITDA may soon be reporting to Mr. President that it has accomplished its one year old mandate of midwifing an NGO.

TALKED ABOUT THE GLOBAL VILLAGE?
ITS NOW GETTING SMALLER AS
INMARSAT LAUNCHES NEW SATELLITE

March 11, 2005, Inmarsat successfully launched its first Inmarsat-4 (I-4) satellite on board an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The launch was carried out by International Launch Services

Think of one of the biggest Ekene Dili Chukwu buses or better still the London double-decker bus and weighing about six tons, the I-4 will deliver a 3G-compatible broadband data service to mobile users. The satellite is 60 times more powerful, and has 20 times more capacity than its predecessors, the Inmarsat-3 satellites.

The satellite will now undergo a complex series of post-launch tests and manoeuvres before being fully deployed in geostationary orbit, 36,000km above the Indian Ocean at 64 degrees east. The satellite footprint will cover Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent, most of Asia Pacific, and Western Australia. What remains of the world, you may ask me!.

What's more, Inmarsat plans to launch a second I-4 satellite in the third quarter of 2005, which will be located over the Atlantic Ocean at 53 degrees west and provide service for the Americas. The two I-4 satellites will then cover 85 per cent of the world's land mass.

When the two satellites are fully operational, currently expected in the fourth quarter of 2005, Inmarsat intends to launch its new Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service.

BGAN is an IP and circuit-switched service that will offer voice telephony and a sophisticated range of high-bandwidth services, including Internet access, videoconferencing, LAN and other services, at speeds of up to 432kbit/s.

Inmarsat's I-4 satellites are built by EADS Astrium and are part of an eight-year, US$1.5 billion development of Inmarsat's next-generation satellite network.



ESSAY
Telecoms in Nigeria: An Expert's Assessment
Our meeting this Friday evening had been pre-arranged by phone. Before our two-phone-call contact, our only communication had been via email and the periodical analytical reports on telecoms across Africa, which he churns out. The gentleman who sauntered into the hotel lobby was much different from what I'd mentally expected. Indeed so young did he look that my first question was "how old are you?" 32, he replied. And to my mild surprise that he is black and not white, he replied that it was something he was used to. Many people think I'm white, until they meet me. He is not a black South African either. "I'm from Cameroon", he said. He studied international business, starting off in France and ending the course at a Tennessee University in the United States.

The name Guy Zibi, would not ordinarily ring a bell to people outside of the telecom industry. But for those in telecom industry analysis, regulation and investment, it is a name they are all familiar with, in connection with telecoms in Africa. Zibi has been able to amass for himself a reputation as a foremost analytical resource on telecommunications in Africa.

Zibi's global acclaim at an age when many of his age-mates who were unlucky to have schooled in Nigeria are busy modifying the dates of birth on their CVs in desperate bids to clinch elusive jobs, smacks of the opportunities which western education lays bare. In many ways it is a reminder to the waste to which Nigeria is putting millions of its young people via its very dysfunctional tertiary educational system.

Zibi, erstwhile research director for the international telecom analyst organization, Pyramid Research is now director for Pyramid's Europe, Middle East and Africa Region, a job that gives him oversight of the company's operations in several countries.

Pyramid Research is today, perhaps the most authoritative source of information on telecommunications in Africa and indeed emerging markets globally. But this didn't happen by accident, says Zibi. Pyramid has always had a strong focus on emerging markets. The organization had taken a keen interest in Nigeria, way before the dawn of what is now known as the Nigerian telecommunications revolution, such that by the time the revolution began in 2001, Pyramid already had deep insight and information to guide its analysis of the industry.

The initial issues with telecom in Nigeria, Zibi said, were very fundamental ones. First was, when would the market open up? The next question was the regulatory environment. Was it conducive to telecom operations? And third was the level of risk that would necessarily attend investment in this sector.

He was not surprised at the amounts ($285million) that were paid for mobile licenses. Meditel of Morocco (a subsidiary of Telefonica of Spain) actually paid a billion dollars for its license in Morocco. (Meditel came in as a second entrant). What was however surprising, was that not many foreign players were keen to contest for the licenses at the time. "Any serious player investing in Africa should have Nigeria as part of its strategy. Nigeria has a combination of volume and rapid growth". Strong demand and a very potent upper class, are among Nigeria's big attractions, he added. The tremendous pace of growth in the telecom sector in the last three to four years, therefore is not surprising, given the equally massive potential of the Nigerian market. Vodacom, he says will have to find a way into Nigeria. If they do not, his speculation is that in two to three years, MTN may infact become twice as big as Vodacom.

Could the mobile phone companies have succeeded so well in Nigeria on account of their tariffs which have been criticized as being too high? "Pricing is relative", he said. "From a consumer standpoint, the concerns are understandable". From a telecom operator standpoint, however, "the cost of airtime has not appeared outlandish in any way, given the operating conditions in the country."

What was clear from the beginning was that tariffs were not going to be sustainable in the long term, Zibi explained further. At launch, mobile phone companies have access to the wealthiest customer base. In addition, because of the constraints of balancing network capacity with subscriber demand, tariffs are usually such as to help manage uptake by networks. So tariffs within year one and year two of launch are usually artificial and do not necessarily reflect what the price levels would be in the future. It is when the networks get to the fourth and fifth years of operation that it becomes possible to discern the actual price levels.

Profit margins by operators also go down with time. He would be surprised if four years down the line, operators in Nigeria maintained their profit margins.

Nigeria has done very well in the area of telecom regulation, Zibi asserted. Five years ago, Nigeria fared low on all critical indices of regulatory environment appraisal. There was little or no independence for the regulator, who in turn had very scant credibility with the industry and the public at large. Thirdly the regulator's activities couldn't have been said to be transparent, while decision making could not have been said to be robust and timely. The four indices of independence, credibility, transparency and decision making efficiency, Zibi said, are the guage by which operators and investors assess the regulator.

The Nigerian Communications Commission has improved substantially on all these indices over the last five years, with the additional enactment of a telecommunications act in 2003, he added.

One of his missions in Nigeria was to present a paper at a symposium at e-NNOVATE 2005, an expo on innovation and value added services in the telecom and technology sectors, which was to hold on February 3 and 4, but will now take place on March 21 and 22. What are his views on the value added services industry?

Mobile value added services, he says are often overlooked in Africa, because voice is very much at the core of demand. And this is the case in most markets, but even more so in Africa. Pyramid's view, however, he says is that "there is a very strong potential for value added services in Nigeria", and for good reason. One, the user base in Nigeria is relatively more sophisticated in terms of the combination of sophistication of use of the mobile phone service, the type of services that consumers like and huge potential of Nigeria's oil and gas and banking sectors.

This strong potential of value added services is still much unexploited, on account of focus by mobile phone companies on voice and capacity building. But not having value added services as part of a robust medium- to long-term marketing strategy would be shortsighted of any operator, he explained. Emphasis will remain on voice for now, because of strong demand. However, soon when ARPU (average revenue per user, a telecom index that averages the revenues that operators amass on their networks) begins to steeply decline then it will be a signal to give more focus to value added services.

"Operators cannot afford to ignore value added services as part of their intrinsic strategy. If you accept the fact that the Nigerian user base is sophisticated, then you must prime yourself to this reality. The middle and upper markets are very ripe for value added services".

And focus on value added services pays, he says. In the Phillipines, whose user base is just about as sophisticated as Nigeria's for instance, operators are already generating up to 40% of revenues from value added services.

Are there any specific value added service applications which in his view could do very well in Nigeria? Value added service applications he says, tend to be country specific. What has worked magic in one country may not necessarily work the same magic in another, because there are often several socio-economic elements at play in determining success. What is most important is the creativity of operators in evolving and promoting applications that are of demonstrable benefit to consumers.

In Kenya he says, there was a "killer application" that enabled market women compare prices of goods in real time (killer application in telecoms refers to a very successful application, SMS for instance). Women could see the practical value of being able to compare the prices at which merchandise was sold at different markets before setting out for any particular market, and they adopted this value added service readily. The market for value added services will come with the right application.

What is his prognosis of Nigeria's telecom industry? Traditionally, he says, operators with the strongest financial muscle have always performed best. Funding is therefore going to be key. The operator with the strongest financial muscle to take care of its growth and withstand competition stands the best chance of leading the industry in the years to come. Market saturation is still a few years away. So operator strategy will soon shift from customer acquisition focus to one of customer loyalty and retention. This will be the true test of competitiveness and obviously "we will find that some operators are better at optimizing than others".

What are the prospects of another round of GSM licensing in 2006, given that the market already has four players? By 2006, the real industry profitability should become clearer, and this will determine the feasibility of another licensing. An additional license, however, will make the market even more competitive than it currently is.

The Pyramid Group for which Zibi works has its origins in Boston, USA, where it is headquartered and offices in London, Miami and Hong Kong. It is from London that Zibi oversees the Europe, Middle East and Africa Region of which he is in charge. Founded in 1986, it was acquired by the Economist Intelligence Unit of London's Economist Group in 1998. The EIU decided recently to focus on its core area of expertise, which is economics and this informed their decision to discontinue ownership of Pyramid. Today, he says, the relationship of Pyramid with The Economist is one of shared expertise. The intellectual resources at The Economist help to support Pyramid and vice versa. Pyramid is now owned by the Monitor Group, an American consulting firm. Its 50 analysts around the globe, concern themselves with only one subject: telecommunications.

But Pyramid lays claim to being the pre-eminent resource on telecoms in emerging markets. How come it doesn't have an office anywhere in Africa for instance? It is more optimal to cover the Europe, Middle East and Africa Region from London in terms of proximity to the client base of Pyramid Research, and very importantly availability of resources, says Zibi.

The Nigerian telecom industry will continue to generate keen interest among investors and analysts for many years to come on account, among other things, of the sheer potential which the market portends, he concluded.

[The above essay was done for CYBERSCHUULNEWS by Calixthus Okoruwa (an employee of XLR8 Consultancy)]



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NSE RAISES THE BAR ON TRAINING OF ENGINEERS
Going by the level of discussion going on between the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, and THE EXECUTIVE CYBERSCHUUL, the stake of training and re-training Nigerian engineers in telecommunications and IT related disciplines has been raised to higher levels. The Association has gone into collaboration with the Lagos based training institute and appointed Chairman of The CYBERSCHUUL, himself a Fellow of the association as coordinator for several training programmes designed to upgrade the training of engineers for the challenges ahead. The collaboration is seen as Value-Added to the existing and improving environment in the Nigerian telecommunications sector.

NITDA ASSURES STAKEHOLDERS.
MARCH 23 MEETING CONFIRMED
After a messy moment when Nigerian Internet enthusiasts went on rampage on the Internet, NITDA administrators have confirmed that the stakeholders meeting scheduled for March 23 at MUSON Centre, Lagos will go ahead to appoint an NGO as contained in President Obasanjo's directive on the subject. NITDA's acting D-G, Moses Ubaru had initiated negotiation with the present foreign Technical Point of Contact of the .ng top-level domain prodding him to continue the job even at a fee. Several stakeholders especially those in the Diaspora would not hear of it and short of calling for Ubaru's head, they made him to denounce the move. NITDA during the week also posted the following reassuring words on the Internet.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
WSIS PREP COM 2 GHANA: NACOSS POSITION
By OLUGBOJI Tolulope
National Secretary General, NACOSS

Introduction:
The presence of the Nigerian Association of Computer Science Students, NACOSS, at the just concluded Africa Preparatory conference of the United Nations World summit on the information society held at Ghana, and led by her able National President Olusegun Cyrus Olutayo, has brought to the fore some pertinent issues of interest to those who have a concern for the sustainable development of Nigeria as a nation in what has come to be defined as the evolving information society.

Building an inclusive information society through access was the defined focus of the conference, and this adequately so as it describes the emerging focus of the trend the information society is taking: that the use of technology is not a goal in itself but just a means to an end, this end being equal access to the benefits of development through wealth creation, health, good standards of living amongst other things. It is to this use that information Technology is being targeted at.

It is important to therefore say, at this juncture, that the battles that we have been fighting as a nation still remain, although the terrain has changed. It is the understanding we have of this terrain that will prepare us adequately as a nation to face the challenges of tomorrow. For the emerging professionals especially, this understanding, and the preparation to face future challenges have to be addressed and addressing it is the first and most necessary step that we believe Nigeria as a nation must take to ensure sustainable development through ICTs.

The Student Challenge:
Students must be prepared for the future as they are going to be playing an active role in the national life of the society. They will be taking up positions of leadership as mangers, engineers, technologists and scientists. It is they that will provide the intellectual capital that will guarantee the viability of the nation's economy, use the emerging technologies and respond to global trends and demands in order to provide a qualitative level of life for future populations.

However, in Nigerian universities today, going by the current state of affairs, the level of use and even of awareness to these global trends is minimal and in some cases non existent. Particularly so, the quality of the education expressed in the present curriculum is not competitive enough to cope with the demands of the immediate society, industry and the nation as a whole, neither does it prepare the future professional to cope with the challenges in terms of the need for e - governance, e - administration, electronic commerce and many more imperatives that the future demands.

In order to correct this state of affairs and ensure global competitiveness of Nigerian graduates, we believe the following have to be addressed as an issue of National emergency:

o Overhaul of the antiquated modes of teaching and a review of the relevance and quality of learning expressed in the curriculum of study in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
o Enhancement of the quality of staff, and their awareness to global trends through the use of current technologies and technology exchange visits of international training organisations
o Vigorous National campaigns and definition of policies that promote grassroots development as a priority. This policies then translated into visible actions and used as a means of ICT evangelism, and promoting the understanding of the benefits of the same to national growth and development.
o A renewed drive at sponsorship of youth initiatives and activities that will promote intelligent discourse, encourage deliberation on the challenges they face. E.g. issues of national reform, privatisation, NEEDS [National Economic Empowerment and development], globalization, amongst other things.

The operating philosophy we reason is this: the level of our future success can only be guaranteed by the level of our preparedness and commitment to realising our goals. We believe that the nation can achieve a state of development with its human capacity, and that all that is needed is planning and activity that represents this desire.

Building A New Future, Today
Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa, rich in resource, both human and material, possessing potential for growth and development, if only she leverages on the opportunities available in this third technology wave: Information and Communication technology.

The Nigerian Association of computer science students, is the umbrella body of the all computer science students in Nigeria, with membership more than 80, 000 students, and forming the future base of Nigeria's IT elite. We believe and are committed to this vision of promoting an era of knowledge and skills, and call all stakeholders of those who believe in the new Nigeria to come on board, join hands to help build a student population that will enable Nigeria to realise this vision.

Today might not represent our present hopes, but with clear goals, conscious effort and a courageous disposition a new tomorrow is an inevitable destination.

VoIP ISSUES
Intro to Essay. With Nigeria's recent pronouncement on liberalization of VoIP applications, the third and unarguably Africa's most important market's position is now known coming after South Africa and Kenya which had earlier announced rulings on the subject. Nigeria's own version of liberalization is clearly different from others but it came unsung because where she stood on the issue had never really been in doubt. Others were actually shifting position but Nigeria is formalising its own position.

Incumbents, especially in developing economies, have a way of making their governments yield to placing a ban on VoIP to save them from collapse. But not in Nigeria. Except during the military when the rulers of the day were the major beneficiary of NITEL's fortunes, the incumbent since 1999 did not get a listening from government on its bodytalk in asking for a ban. What NITEL did was to go ahead, sluggishly you may say, and face the reality of the day. That is, to exploit Internet applications. While we admit that the Pentascope detour was a monumental disaster, we cannot take it away from those folks that they put NITEL on the path of facing the reality of investing in IP rather than waiting for government big stick to pamper them to survival. Those who may want to shoot down that accolade for the Dutchmen have to ask, 'in whose interest?'

While some administrations go ahead to issue licenses which seek to permit VoIP usage, what Nigeria said is that it is regulating services and not technology. Their lies the difference. It is one thing to say it, it is another to do it.

But the war is not over. In the following essay, which is excerpted from Balancing Act Issue No 246, and part of which was used in the previous week the incursion of SKYPE into Africa is discussed. It is written by Mapara Syed and Russell Southwood.

SKYPE: THE PROGRAMME THAT WILL EAT
THE LUNCH OF AFRICAN TELCOS
Over the past year and a half, Skype's popularity has exploded with over 25 million users currently signed up for the service worldwide. By 2008 that number is expected to dramatically increase to between 140 and 245 million. Most of Skype's adherents use it for personal calls although a growing number of them are also using it to make calls for work. In addition, Skype have secured a number of high profile deals highlighting their product's increasing appeal. Recently, Motorola joined Skype Technologies to co-market connectivity options for Skype's growing base, an alliance designed to advance mobile internet telephony, while consumers will soon be able to purchase Skype-enabled PCs from retailers thanks to a new agreement between the VoIP provider and Xandros, which will bundle Skype with its Xandros Desktop Operating System.

So what is Skype? As a VoIP service Skype technology converts phone conversations into packets of data, which are then transmitted down the self-same wires used to surf the web. Subscribers to broadband internet services, which allow a quicker transfer of information and data, can use Skype to link their machines together and talk to each other using a microphone and speakers. Skype users can also send instant messages if voice fails.

What attracts users to Skype is that essentially it enables 'free speech' over the internet by offering software to be downloaded, for free, that allows unlimited worldwide voice calling, for free. What is the catch?, I hear you say. Apparently, no catch. The differentiation between Skype and other providers of VoIP services is that it utilises P2P software, which was first widely deployed and popularised by file-sharing applications such as KaZaA and Napster. With this innovative technology, Skype have been able to virtually eliminate costs associated with traditional client-server networks, as P2P networks scale indefinitely without increasing search time and without the need for costly centralised resources.

Therefore, Skype can afford to offer free global telephony and enable people to communicate with each other more flexibly and more cost-effectively. So how is the company making money? It is connecting computers to telephones via its SkypeOut service, offering calls to landlines and mobile phones at low rates. To some of the most popular destinations Skype have one unified rate, the SkypeOut Global Rate, which is 1.7 Euro Cent (approximately 2 US cents per minute). Unless it is specifically mentioned, the SkypeOut Global Rate is only for calling regular landline telephones. Calls to mobile phones are more expensive. Other destinations have individual rates but with Skype what matters is where you are calling to not where you are calling from.

The advantages of using Skype are not only that it can significantly reduce your phone bill but it is also simple to install regardless of your PC environment. Skype facilitates a user-built global phone directory accessible to all users and is equipped with the language editor, which allows users to easily select their language of choice by translating Skype into their own language. Skype also works behind most firewalls and gateways with no special configuration needed and without providing new security risks. Security is also enhanced as Skype encrypts all calls and instant messages end-to-end for unrivalled privacy.

Yet, the feature that Skype boasts about the most (besides the service being free) is that it has raised the call completion rate and offers superior quality calling for broadband users - it is also available to dial-up users - to levels exceeding that of the standard telephony system. We asked a number of Skype users to comment on the quality of calls made using Skype to African countries and around the world.

South African-based Peter Benjamin of OKN, a local knowledge-sharing project is an enthusiast:" " It's basically a very good service. I frequently call from South Africa to Senegal, Zimbabwe and Zambia using it. It's wonderful. It's really the only way to manage an Africa-wide project without expensive, low-quality telephone calls. The connection to Zimbabwe is actually better than making a phone call. If I make a telephone call to Harare, the call usually drops 10-15 minutes into the conversation. Obviously quality depends on connectivity and to get the best quality you need a leased line, adsl or a VSAT connection. If you're using a dial-up connection, it's entirely dependent on the quality of the phone network. Conference calls fall apart in Africa and are enormously expensive. Skype makes that kind of communication possible."



CYBERSCHUULNEWS 182
VoIP ISSUES
Intro to Essay. With Nigeria's recent pronouncement of intension on liberalization of VoIP applications, the third and unarguably Africa's most important market's position is now known coming after South Africa and Kenya which had earlier announced rulings on the subject. Nigeria's own version of liberalization is clearly different from others but it came unsung because the attitude to where she stood on the issue had never really been in doubt. Others were actually shifting position but Nigeria is formalising its own.

Incumbents, especially in developing economies, have a way of making their governments yield to placing a ban on VoIP to save them from collapse. But not in Nigeria. Except during the military when the rulers of the day were the major beneficiary of NITEL's fortunes, the incumbent since 1999 did not get a listening from government on its bodytalk in asking for a ban. What NITEL did was to go ahead, sluggishly you may say, and face the reality of the day. That is, to exploit Internet applications. While we admit that the Pentascope detour was a monumental disaster, we cannot take it away from those folks that they put NITEL on the path of facing the reality of investing in IP rather than waiting for government big stick to pamper them to survival. Those who may want to shoot down that accolade for the Dutchmen have to ask, 'in whose interest?'

While some administrations go ahead to issue licenses which seek to permit VoIP usage, what Nigeria said is that it is regulating services and not technology. Their lies the difference. It is one thing to say it, it is another to do it.And nigeria seems to have done it.
But the war is not over. In the following essay which is excerpted from Balancing Act Issue No 246, the case is made that incumbents in Africa either fall in or they fallout.
VOIP wars -
Skype hits Africa and Telkom Kenya disconnects Sema cards

Legal VoIP services are now becoming available in Kenya and South Africa. Their existence can only speed up the collapse of over-priced international services. If wholesale minutes are available for US1 cent a minute what is the justification for charging USD1 a minute? So now real competition is beginning and it will put the telco incumbents under pressure. This week's top story from Kenya shows the near-bankrupt Telkom Kenya trying all its old tricks and disconnecting its service competitors. It has not yet understood the new world it's in. It needs to provide equal access to all users if it is not to find itself challenged as a monopoly while there are currently no alternatives. The sensible business strategy would be to stop trying to be a service provider and seek to be the primary infrastructure provider. It could trade the 80-90% of service market income (which will be lost under the new competition rules) for the majority of service users paying it a proportion of revenues for access to its infrastructure.

Meanwhile the water keeps rising around Africa's telco incumbents. A recent consultation document from the Kenya regulator CCK suggested making use of PCs to make phone calls legal. The number of users across the continent already doing this is not massive but they are likely to be those that make a significant proportion of international calls. Therefore the steady spread of the Skype VoIP service is an incumbent nightmare that dare not speak its name. As various ISPs are already doing in Europe (for example, yahoo.fr), Skype is offering international phone calls for just the cost of your connection to other Skype users. Those using it in Africa have told us that the quality varies from crystal-clear to the frankly unusable. You can even buy SkypeOut minutes that allow you to connect to non-skype users with ordinary phones. Like all pioneer services, they will be things that follow that are easier to use (just as Napster was succeeded by iTunes) but the tipping point will happen soon in Africa: a large proportion of the continent's PC users will "get it" soon.

[The above paragraph is taken from BALANCING ACT ISSUE NO 246]

MTS RESOLVES IN-HOUSE CRISIS
Nigeria's pioneer wireless operator, MTS, has resolved its squabbles and the directors one after the other spent the past week making reassuring speeches to employees of the firm. There was a peace meeting at which it was resolved that some management processes disrupted during the period of the crisis, should be completely restored while Richmond Aggrey, the embattled CEO, is mandated to reconstitute the management of the company within the next four months. A new Chief Finance Officer will be found and any allottee that is not satisfied with his or her shares is now free to sell the shares back to the company to be made available to new investors.
Firstel Ltd, the Special Purpose Vehicle for Nigerian investors in MTS First Wireless Ltd, in which some stakeholders have been complaining over share allocations, would no longer serve as the holder of the interest of Nigerian investors in the company. The Nigerian Group of investors will have its 22.52% of the shareholding distributed in their names, while MTS Inc., including all persons who have acquired shares through company, will retain its 44.1 % per cent.

The meeting stood by an earlier decision to dissolve the erstwhile management board of the company.
Meanwhile there is a rev-up in the firm's drive as it strategizes to raise $50million equity for service upgrade.


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NIGERIA ENDORSES COMMUNITY RADIO
There are hints that the Nigerian Ministry of Information & National Orientation is in the process of developing a framework for licensing community radio. Community Radio provides one of the most cost-effective media for explaining issues to, and mobilizing, the populace towards democracy and social justice goals as expressed in the constitution. Radio reaches people and remote communities where there are no Telephones or electricity, it is accessible to those who cannot read or write.

Community Radios provide programming and services that are not found on commercial and public radio stations. Nigeria has maintained a strong leadership role in all areas of
Information Communication Technology (ICT) in ECOWAS, except in Community Radio. Compared to only one community radio in Nigeria, Republic of Bénin has 22, Burkina Faso has 27, Ghana has 8, Mali has 67, Senegal 44, and Niger Republic has 24 community radios.

The Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) encourages people to obtain information about licenses for broadcasting through its website at http://www.nbcnig.org/apply_brad_licence.asp. However, the licensing procedure does not differentiate classes of licenses, resulting in a situation which requires a rural community to pay =N=50,000 for the licence application form and over =N=2 million for the license. The consequence of this is that Nigeria so far has only one community radio, which is based in the campus of the University of Lagos.

NIGERIA'S INTERNET COMMUNITY GETS A JOLT
Widespread condemnation has trailed recent information which is flying on the Net that NITDA has been making unsuccessful moves to extend the tenure of the present foreign technical administrator of the .ng top level domain without reference to Stakeholders in the Internet community. NITDA's game-plan to implement President Obasanjo's directive on the .ng imbroglio remains unclear. What is clear is that the Agency, in recent time, has been consistently inconsistent.


CYBERSCHUULNEWS 180
NIGERIA MAY BE REPLACING GROWTH WITH DEVELOPMENT
The past week witnessed two 'foundation laying ceremonies' for fundamental re-construction in Nigeria. One was in politics, the other in telecommunications. The proposed National Dialogue may appear to Nigerians as the only major thing happening as its controversy content dominates newspaper attention when in fact, a very fundamental development is also going on, albeit unnoticed, in telecommunication development.

NCC went out with a notice of intension to allow an unfettered exploitation of VoIP and it also says it would allow the current Telco's who are deploying CDMA to migrate into mobile services if they choose to, in 2006. By a stroke of this maneuver, the telecommunications market in Nigeria may be opening up to a wider bandwidth as it will allow business initiatives to germinate and exploitation of technology to thrive. A few discussions have been flying on the Internet regarding these developments and the one about VoIP attracts two divergent opinions both coming from persons whose presentation gave them away as Internet Service Providers in Nigeria. The two views are used as Essays in this edition ahead of a future analysis of the new happening in telecommunications.

WHO WILL BUY NITEL? : WATCH THE CHINESE!
There is an upsurge of international interest in the next attempt at privatizing NITEL. How come the NITEL that was a no-go area a few years ago has suddenly become the toast of many suitors? In the forefront of these suitors are the Chinese who may just be the guys that will eventually buy off NITEL if on going events are anything like informed indicators.

During the week at Cannes in France, the Hon Minister of Communications was virtually mobbed by several investors who want a piece of the bite in NITEL. If the Minister is not surprised, then he will surprise many.

For starters, the Chinese are happy that they have been able to sink teeth into Nigeria through telecommunications and they should gun for the nation's bottom-line if the successes are to be consolidated. Eight Telcos are currently using the Chinese version of CDMA and two are currently in China almost signing deals. The recent disclosure of intention by NCC to allow a migration of current fixed licensees services into mobiles without issuing fresh mobile licenses is a plus for the Chinese ambition. On top of this is the fact that they came in through high-wire political network in the first place and in dollar terms, their products must have been competitive. Mark you, it is not government that is buying their switches.

Added to that, a lot of carrot has been thrown in the way of Nigeria in recent times to swim deeper into the waters. The Chinese have said they will build factories to manufacture several things, phone terminals in particular. They have also offered a myriad of rural communications carrots and some other goodies here and there. Nice things.

The Chinese, having done well at home, need another large virgin market to make a showing and today, no other country fits that bill better than Nigeria. In fact although it is a distant second, the point is that Nigeria runs second to China in growthrate index of mobile phones. We are not talking of absolute numbers here. Fortunately for them, no much contest is coming from other markets, many of which stills see Nigeria as a difficult environment when matters of corporate behavior and true stability of investment are major considerations.

These moments are indeed testing ones for Nigerian officials. They probably know that all that glitters is not gold and things are not as rosy as is being presented by the new friendship.They should know having had the Mtel experience in particular and the pentascopedrawback in general. If a guy says he would manufacture phones in an environment of galloping epilepsy in public power and on which the host seems to have thrown all hands up, the calculations are not many. Once the telcom market is dominated, a manufacturing endeavor can only be hinged on the wider objective of a colonised power system as a logical fallout of the foreseeable milieu. It will be magic not be so. No pains if Nigerians and Chinese can work well. Or better still if politics is just going as it is going. Can they and will it? 2007 is close by and both of them are species of 'smart peoples' with less than one notch apart. If they can't, something must give and if it will not, something must take. That may be what the issues will revolve around.

DEATH THREATS REPORTED AT MTS
Less than two weeks after he narrowly escaped death from attacks by hoodlums at the MTS switch house in Lagos, Chief Executive Officer of MTS First Wireless, Engr. Richmond Aggrey, have begun to receive death-threatening calls from anonymous callers.

Engr. Aggrey who arrived Lagos on Wednesday after he was discharged from a London hospital where he was treated for injuries in his head after the attack, said he has received more than 50 of such calls from restricted and anonymous phone numbers in less than 24 hours.

Engr. Aggrey has already petitioned the Inspector General of Police, over this development and had also requested for police protection.

Engr. Aggrey, and MTS Chairman Lt. Gen. M.I Wushishi rtd, with other directors, were on February 3, 2005, attacked by hoodlums suspected to have been employed by Lt. Gen. Alani Akinrinade rtd, who leads five other stakeholders of the company to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against Engr. Aggrey and Senior Vice President, Dr. Osarieme Bazuaye over the management of the company.

Before the attack, Engr. Aggrey had visited the EFCC, where he had debunked the allegations contained in the petition, and visited the corporate office of IMB plaza where he addressed the staff before proceeding to the switch house.

No sooner did Gen. Wushishi and Engr. Aggrey arrived the switch house than the team was attacked with guns, cutlasses, hoes, and clubs. Engr. Aggrey, Gen. Wushishi, Mr. Chris Wilmot,( a US-based director), Engr. Bob Okonyia, Engr. Aggrey's driver and a lawyer from Chief Afe Babalola's chamber, Mr. Uko Idongesit, were attacked. But Engr. Aggrey appeared to be the main target of the attackers.

Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, had already forwarded a separate petition to the Lagos Police Command, against Lt. Gen. Akinrinade rtd., on the incident, with particular reference to the attack by the hoodlums.

In a petition forwarded yesterday to the Inspector General of Police, Engr. Aggrey said "ordinarily, I could have taken the threat for granted, but considering the events that have taken place within a couple of weeks ago, I am compelled to bring this threat to your kind attention. This is not unconnected with the petition written to the EFCC by the under listed: Lt.Gen Alani Akinrinade rtd, Chief Obafemi Olopade, Mr. Bob Okonyia, Col. Lawan Gwdabe rtd, Mrs Nike Adebayo-Makinde and AVM Canice Umenwaliri rtd."

According to Engr. Aggrey " My fears have become heightened considering the antecedent of Gen. Alani Akinrinade rtd who organized hoodlums to attack me and my entourage on Thursday, February 3, 2005 during my visit to MTS First Wireless Corporate Headquarters at IMB Plaza and subsequently, to the switch House at no 11, Eletu Ogabi Street, V.I, Lagos" where "guns, machetes, sticks, hoes and other deadly weapons were freely used at the instance and physical presence of Gen. Akinrinade".

He wrote the IGP that "disappointed by the outcome of my visit to the EFCC, he (Gen. Akinrinade) and his gang has vowed to stop at nothing to eliminate me. Since I survived the hoodlum's attack, they have now decided to resort to threats to my life through anonymous phone calls before the ultimate", he said."

[The above is the unedited text of what Mr. Reuben Muoka, Deputy General Manager and Head, Corporate Affairs Manager of MTS sent to CYBERSCHUULNEWS].

Come to think of it. Could it be that the shooting also went into the switches and base stations?

1. NCC'S MOVE: GOOD NEWS FOR ISP'S
ByKalu Ndukwe
This is one of the best news I have heard this year. It means that the NCC is actually listening, and that Nigeria is set for a REAL Telco revolution come Feb 2006. Imagine Intercellar[sic] turning on roaming for the about five states it covers. The biggest hit would be the "VERY RIDICULOUS NATIONAL CALL RATES" which has sustained the high GSM rates. Nigerians would definitely have cause to smile very soon.

My only objection which I am sure the NCC would have to look into is that more licenses needs to be given especially on CDMA and on per state basis. This is the only way to ensure that ALL of Nigeria feels the effect. Except the PTOs merge we are not going to see a dominant National play cover all of Nigeria like the GSM operators have done. So the solution then lies it having new CDMA licenses (2 to 3 per state) who would focus on that state. They can now go into national roaming with other CDMA operators to achieve national usage and availability.

As for the IDA which the news article says would include data and voice I think I have been vindicated on that, my only addition is that licensing process to be simplified.

2. NCC'S MOVE: GOOD TO PTO'S, BAD FOR ISP'S
By Tope Fashedemi
It is true that the NCC organised a Stakeholder Conference on VoIP, sometime in February 2004, purportedly to determine the direction to be taken by the regulatory body for the benefit of Nigeria and Nigerian consumers.

Some of us (especially ISPAN members) took time to prepare for this forward-looking initiative, because we believed that it would be an opportunity to get our ideas across and to finally 'legitimise' a service area that our Customers had always expected to enjoy along with their regular Internet service.

However, anyone who was present at this so-called 'Consultative Workshop' would agree with me that the event literally degenerated into a war of words between the GSM Operators and the PTOs.

The PTOs basically used the platform to state that with the possibilities of VoIP they don't need to have mobile licenses to provide 'mobile' voice services to discerning subscribers. While the GSM Operators would have none of it and bemoaned their huge investments in the GSM infrastructure... which they believed might go to waste if the NCC liberalised the use of VoIP!

At some point the EVC had to clarify (and rightly so too) that the NCC auctioned Digital Mobile Licenses (DML) and NOT GSM Licenses; so all operators that got the DML licenses and decided to operate GSM networks are assumed to have done their due diligence on the future of the technology before opting for it.

The workshop broke with the NCC deciding to put together a committee to further look into the issue, we didn't hear anything about the submissions of this committee until now...

Now all these talk on IDA, Gateway and no new GSM Licences basically tells me that the NCC must have buckled to pressure from the 'BIG' players and decided to follow the path of least resistance by fashioning out a solution that is beneficial to both the current GSM Operators and the PTOs to the detriment of the ISPs (other small players) and ultimately the Nigerian people.

Once again, our forefathers got it right in the age-old adage that says -

"When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers ..."

At times like this, I bemoan the lack of record keeping by our ancestors... (which I personally believe is one of the fundamental reasons for our backwardness). More and more, this lack of record keeping is also proving to be the bane of our developmental plans - no continuity, no transparency, no accountability!
- discussion for another day...


CYBERSCHUULNEWS 179
WEIGHING THE COSTS OF WIRELESS NETWORK MANAGEMENT
Prices for mobile technology are falling, but with increasingly complex devices and applicationss, the costs of managing a wireless network can easily go in the other direction, especially in small organizations. Careful planning and using enterprise-grade gear are key. To find the right mobile carrier, consider which applications will be used now and in the near future, the coverage the carrier provides, and whether it supports global communications standards. Ask about its plans for emerging trends like hot spot roaming. Of course, security precautions must be examined. Finally, SMBs should consider managed WLAN services to cut costs.
…………………………Taken from SearchCIO.com

UPBEAT FOR GLOBACOM'S INTERNET SERVICES
Amidst the observation of general complaints over irregular service, Glomobile's Internet services may be on its upward drive especially as the company recently claimed that almost 150,000 users have signed up since its introduction in six months, making Nigeria the fastest growing Mobile Data market in Africa. GloMobile Internet which is available to all glomobile customers provides high speed access to all popular WAP enabled internet sites such as yahoo, msn, google, CNN and BBC. Subscribers to the service are thus able to send emails and access favourite internet sites at affordable rates. They are not charged by the time they spend online, but by the amount of data actually downloaded [Oh Boy!]. A Glo Mobile Internet subscriber does not need to go to the cybercafe to access the Internet, which is why it is, in Glo's words 'extremely popular among university students'.

On the international level, wireless communications market has been witnessing tremendous growth in the recent past and the emergence of the standards-based wireless interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) is expected to further this popularity.

In fact, WiMAX may become the third most widely used high-speed Internet access technology following digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modem, which are its major competitors.

Lower costs, continuous product evolution, and flexibility in switching suppliers are driving uptake of WiMAX based products. Success in several mass markets, coupled with the increase in the number of technology providers, is also making this technology more accessible and affordable.

WiMAX focuses on bringing about interoperability in broadband wireless access (BWA) systems. This is achieved through a unique subset of baseline features known as system profiles that enables equipment from multiple vendors to interoperate.

However, WiMAX still needs to prove its capabilities in terms of quality of service (QoS). Interference within the same frequency in particular needs immediate attention.

Another challenge is competition from existing technologies such as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), cable, and DSL in which customers have invested heavily.

STRATEGIC ROLE OF ICT
-ICT's are used for knowledge management
-Land, Labour & Capital have given way to knowledge and its Management as the critical factors of Power
-Today, the person or Nation with knowledge holds the key to Power, and ICT's are the tools that facilitate Knowledge generation, sharing & utilisation
-There is a strong correlation between knowledge using ICT's and Leadership & Power. Nations such as Finland (the case of Nokia), USA, Japan & Singapore attest to this, while the pervasive influence of MTV & CNN on our views, thinking & culture are clear.
-Nigeria, though starting late is beginning to appreciate the links between ICT and economic empowerment. Initiatives like the 2001 IT Policy, introduction of GSM, the proposed Abuja ICT Village & the promotion of Micro, Small & Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMSE's) are positive indicators, albeit the capabilities of some initiatives to succeed is open to debate.
.......Abdul-Hakeem B. D. Ajijola

CDMA :
STANDARD FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW?
By Nana Emewo
The world is getting more from wireless communication technologies than ever before. Wireless services are spreading very fast and phone users are wanting to use it for the next thing they imagine. Point really is that it can cook for you if only you ask for that service. Add to that, exciting Third-Generation (3G) wireless data services and applications - such as wireless email, web, digital picture taking/sending and assisted-GPS position location applications - and wireless networks are asked to do much more than just a few years ago. And these networks will be asked to do more tomorrow.

This is where CDMA technology comes in. CDMA consistently provides better capacity for voice and data communications than other commercial mobile technologies, allowing more subscribers to connect at any given time, and it is the common platform on which 3G technologies are built.

Originally known as IS-95, Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA is a cellular technology. It was adopted by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) in 1993. It is characterized by high capacity and small cell radius, employing spread-spectrum technology and a special coding scheme and it competes with GSM technology for dominance in the cellular markets. To the extent that it was developed by Qualcom, it is an American Standard although enhanced by Ericsson.

Although the original CDMA is now known as cdmaOne, there are now different variations, namely cdma2000 and its variants like 1X EV, 1XEV-DO, and MC 3X. They refer to variants of usage of a 1.25Mhz channel. 3X uses a 5 Mhz channel.

In Nigeria, about 10 of the 26 service providers are deploying CDMA while 4 do GSM.

By 1998, three years after the first commercial deployment, there were more than 15 million subscribers on cdmaOne systems worldwide. By May 2001 figures higher than 35 million were reported to have been provided. Today there are over 100 million lines.
Over 35 countries have either commercial or trial activity ongoing. There are already 43 Wireless Local Loop (WLL) systems in 22 countries using cdmaOne technology. In Nigeria PTO's which are known to be deploying CDMA incude Cellcom, Intercellular, Mobitel, Multi-Links, RelTel, Starcomms, MTS, ITN, and 21st Century Technologies. There may be a few other ones who acquired the technology only recently.

[… Nana Emewo presented the above in answer to a qualifying examination question when he attended the Enhanced Induction Training For Telecom Engineers at the CYBERSCHUUL. It was adjudged the best essay of the set of trainees].

STRATEGIC ROLE OF ICT
ICT's are used for knowledge management
Land, Labour & Capital have given way to knowledge and its Management as the critical factors of Power
Today, the person or Nation with knowledge holds the key to Power, and ICT's are the tools that facilitate Knowledge generation, sharing & utilisation
There is a strong correlation between knowledge using ICT's and Leadership & Power. Nations such as Finland (the case of Nokia), USA, Japan & Singapore attest to this, while the pervasive influence of MTV & CNN on our views, thinking & culture are clear Nigeria, though starting late is beginning to appreciate the links between ICT and economic empowerment. Initiatives like the 2001 IT Policy, introduction of GSM, the proposed Abuja ICT Village & the promotion of Micro, Small & Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMSE's) are positive indicators, albeit the capabilities of some initiatives to suceed is open to debate.
......Abdul-Hakeem B. D. Ajijola



CYBERSCHUULNEWS 178
LINKSERVE BUYS INFOWEB
The recent buy-over of Infoweb by Linkserve may have commenced the long overdue survival strategy which Nigerian Internet Services Providers, ISPs, have ever required but consistently ignored. TechnologyTimes, a web-based Nigerian journal reported recently that Linkserve paid N30million to take over the resources and operation of Infoweb. The action is coming a few weeks after NCC notified stakeholders that it would allow holders of ISP licenses to now establish their own independent networks. Incidentally, both Linkserve and Infoweb are pioneers in their own rights; the former in corporate Internet access while the latter in retail services and they have both, in a way, survived the market vicissitudes which remained unfavourable to ISP's services.

Internet services have from day-one been an endangered investment for various reasons among which are: a notorious high cost of bandwidth which no one, apart from market forces, had ever done anything about; a generally poor culture of business and industry review ahead of investment launch and a dearth of technical skills within the economy. In the days when only NITEL offered international link via satellite, it was magic how ISP's survived in a market where internet literacy was hardly above rudimentary level, a low income per head index of the Nigerian economy and a pervasive culture of cutting corners on the part of service providers and consumers. Those who dared Internet services soon found they had swallowed cyanide and one after the other, they closed shop. The matter was worsened by lack of a cohesive industry think tank under which platform technical problems could be discussed and resolved. Nigerian businesses form associations only to respond to immediate problems and in any case to ask what they would get, not what they would give.

Today, a few broadband access providers which have their routes in other economies are beginning a renewed slug-out in an environment which is only just slightly better than yesterday's.

MICROSOFT'S INTERNET EXPLORER UNDER ATTACK
International conspiracy against Bill Gate's Microsoft is not abating. If anything it is changing from the general to the specific. A US based journal published a story on January 28, 2005, claiming that Penn State University has advised its over 80,000 students against using Microsoft Internet Explorer, IE Browser for security concerns. It uses 3 pages of text [4,578 words] using result of opinion poll to paint IE black and Firefox gold. Although the journal adds very quickly that its has used an 'unscientific poll' to find out that Microsoft's 93% of the Browsers market has dipped to 90% while Firefox, which it is apparently, promoting had gone up to 4.6% from 2.6%. The remaining is shared between Netscape and other browsers according to its poll. The journal also admits that its poll is not foolproof as the time of poll was very early the year. It is yet to be seen by how much its own readership will dip for doing a bad job of an apparent sponsored campaign against IE.

In its January/February 2005 Edition, ITEdge, Nigeria's latest journal which specializes in Multi-channel Technology Business New/Analysis, discusses VoIP as part of its editorial commentary/interview on 'Covergence means that there can be only one regulator'. The following essay' VoIP is not Chaos' is taken from part of the commentary.

"VoIP is not chaos"
West African regulators would readily tell you that he fastest growing item in the sub-region is the mobile network. But a more sober truth is that it is the VoIP. In fact, in the entire continent, VoIP is gaining ground faster than incumbents or the traditional operators of the plain old telephone system (POTS) had anticipated. There is a growing regulatory rumble over what to do with a technology that is taking advantage of the steady improvements in Internet bandwidth and the concomitant increase in the number of VoIP service providers ever more daring and ready to take on the regulators fair field of liberalisation. Years ago you would not hear of such companies like Deltathree, ITXC, iBasis, Net2Phone and Veetone. Now, they are everywhere in pact with several local partners.

Africa's regulatory framework may remain hesitant to create a concrete legally operational environment for VoIP, but its new brand operators are not waiting for
the laws to happen. So long before VoIP became an issue for incumbents, the dial tone has been ringing for IP operators even if it is some sort of under-the-counter business as operated by scores of ISPs, cyber-cafes and even SOHOs who want to make some extra income.

In a continent where the ability to talk is very expensive and most people have neither phones nor computers where they live or work, VoIP services appear just the right stuff Ali Baba and the 40 thieves would not resist. Open Sesame! In Accra as in Lagos, cotonou, Conakry, and other cities across the sub-region, there are several cafes and other
communication points where VoIP is the tool for cheap talk.

Consider this estimate as provided by Pyramid Research of London: In almost every nation on the continent up to 10% of the international call market uses VoIP illegally. A number of African countries now place restrictions on the use of VoIP, while others have yet to formulate any specific regulations. A few now have laws completely prohibiting its use; other countries have legislated to restrict its provision to the (usually state-owned monopoly) Public Telecom Operator (PTO). The percentage of call traffic by VoIP is
significantly higher than 10%; other less conservative sources give between 18% and 25%. These are more realistic if you consider the size of the gray market for international talk particularly with the increasing number of pre-paid calling card operators most of which rely heavily on VoIP.

But incumbent operators are waking up (as are regulators), even if not fast enough, to cut deals focused on VoIP. Ghana Telecom not too long struck a VoIP calling deal with DN. Other ISPs have their eyes on a similar deal and are not letting go of pressure to have a taste of the juice. It is regulatory challenge the NCA must address. The regulatory logic,
for now, is to make distinction between outgoing and incoming calls but how far this would hold in the face of technological possibilities is a matter of conjectures. The Nigerian regulator Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) appears to want to be
more proactive. It has licensed VoIP operators provided they drive their services on the backbone of incumbents or licensed carriers. The NCC is drawing up numbering plans for VoIP operators; how successful this would turn out is already an industry debate.

But a recent report by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) on the prospects and challenges for growth of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) telephony in Africa is instructive. The report identifies affordability and access as critical factors that will determine the future of the technology.

According to the report, ".affordability and access still remain the two biggest interrelated factors to increased teledensity in Africa. Yet, there is a consistent failure at the policy level to seek out and utilise a range of technologies and regulatory options that combined, would greatly contribute to addressing the disparities in access to telecom services and
vastly reduce the costs.

The report points specifically to policy failures to liberalise the enhanced services markets and legalise the provision of VoIP, a technology that enables transmission of voice and data over packet switched, IP-based networks, which remains illegal in many
African countries.
"With the decay of existing fixed lines, the growth of mobile telephony in the region and the low entry costs relative to traditional fixed networks, VoIP is becoming an increasingly attractive option for the continent though it has been closely linked with the
growing phenomenon of illegal or grey market talk services which, according to some, contributes to undercut incumbent long-distance rates and bypass international settlement agreements."

However, the regulators are agreed on one fact: VoIP must not be ignored in the desired goal to open up the continent to dial tones. Just how to protect massive investments of the incumbents and secure the interest of the entire market is the dilemma regulators cannot
comprehend. And they hardly admit this.

EULOGY AT AJAYI'S INTERMENT
Dying at 63, Prof Gabriel Olaere Ajayi, must have done so at young age especially going by the wailings and mournful carriage of virtually everybody who was present at his funeral. The Hon Minister of Science and Technology, Prof Isoun looked as if he was expecting his D-G NITDA, would just rise. The Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Makanjuola looked weatherbeaten throughout. Other academics, technocrats, engineers, foreign guests, aides and students of Pro Ajayi and the natives of Ilesha, all looked as if they were hearing of what death is all about for the first time. It was when a few persons were allowed a few minutes each to say a few things that their record showed that the Professor actually packed into 63 would could have been achieved in a hundred years.

Some of the Eulogy:

NIGERIA INTERNET GROUP
Prof. Gabriel Olalere Ajayi, the Internet legend, who dreamt digital dreams, lived his life nurturing ICT, expounding on the benefits of Internet Access and good use, advocating IT solutions as a leapfrogging platform for effective participation in globalization and extolling the power of a knowledge-based economy, goes home an accomplished academic, professional and patriot. We in the Nigeria Internet Group, NIG, know that Prof. lives on!

NIGERIAN SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS
Prof Gabriel Olalere Ajayi, Council and Members of The Nigerian Society of Engineers find it difficult, indeed impossible, to talk of you in the past. As an engineer and one of us, you are distinguished. As a teacher of engineering, you are accomplished. As an academic, you are primus inter pares. You are our eyes and our ears in the ICT world and you represent us with distinguished excellence. When you head an Agency of Government in trust for us, you do so without blemish. We console ourselves. We condole the family you left behind. We condole the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We condole the Hon. Minister of Science and Technology. We condole the Obafemi Awolowo University community, we condole the ICT world. Our loss is unquantifiable, that of these distinguished communities is certainly indescribable. The least we can do and we shall do, is to start from where you have stopped. Sleep and Rest in peace.

AJAYI'S STUDENTS AND MENTEES
A teacher and mentor with a midas touch; Who knew how to bring out the gold in us: Who knew how to challenge us to towering heights: Whose passion for integrity and competence re-echoes in our hearts and pushes us in the direction of significance and success: And though he sleeps, the passion for excellence he has awoken in us: Burns hotter and brighter. Good nite Prof Gabriel Olalere Ajayi!
www.profgoajayi.info


CYBERSCHUULNEWS 177
COMPETITION COMMENCES 2006
A recent industry-analysis from the stable of TELECOM ANSWERS ASSOCIATES says competition in telecommunications service delivery in Nigeria will actively commence in 2006. Its Managing Partner, Titi Omo-Ettu, says '...if competition is about a contest for place in the market, then it is only in 2006 that we should expect true competition. Reason: by that time, exclusivity would have ended, the two prominent technology standards present in the Nigerian market, CDMA and GSM would have stayed long enough to make their management truly purposeful and service providers would have had sufficient experience to shift their emphasis from reactionary market strategy to actual presentation of quality service to command the respect and patronage of the Nigerian phone consumer. An inflammatory price abracadabra is not what true competition is about. What is more, if NEPA has not improved by then it may never do and something must give.., the face of things would have sufficiently changed that the consumer would have had a choice to make...."
Details of the analysis is in the maiden edition of TELECOM eREVIEW an e-bulletin which is emerging from the ribs of CYBERSCHUULNEWS.

BOOST IN NIGERIA'S TRANSMISSION BACKBONE
Nigeria's Second National Operator, Globacom, has commenced commercial deployment of its fibre network in Nigeria. The first route to come on is the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano axis.

The Lagos - Epe - Ijebu /Ode - Ore - Benin; the Lagos-Sagamu- Abeo-kuta-Owode- Ibadan rings are yet to come on and the Ibadan - Ilorin - Minna-Abuja-Makurdi- Port-Harcourt-Owerri-Enugu- Onitsha - Benin routes would be completed later in the year. That is going by the SNO's professed plans.

According to Globacom's marketers, '...calls originating from and terminating on the Glo Network would not only be crisp and clear by reason of the robust nature of the fibre optic technology, but would also not suffer breaks and drops..'
This is a boost to broadband transmission capacity of the network which in addition to NITEL's 8 ring structure, when implemented, will bring relief and true development in telecommunications services.

The first National Operator, NITEL also flies a plan of various fibre rings in the country some of which are already in place.

The commencement of backbone carrier services by the SNO opens a vista of monumental challenge to the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, especially on antitrust regulation. The quoted statement above is loaded, isn't it?

POWEL TO RESIGN AS POWEL RETIRES
There are indications that Michael Powell, Chairman of USA's FCC and son of retiring Secretary of Sate, Colin, has resigned his chairmanship on a few months notice. If he does, he would have spent only 4 years as Chairman and a total of 7 in FCC. Of course it will set a new thought process in recent beaurau-political permutations in the US polity beyond telecommunications.

VMOBILE PAINTS NEWS RED WITH VNEWS
Nigeria's VMobile recently went out lighting a candle with the release of its first quarterly in-house journal, VNEWS. 72 pages of fun and information which capture the glowing version of the Vmobile story. A good information and entertainment journal, if you ask me.

MTS RESTRUCTURES TO FACE EXPANSION
Dissolution of an existing Board Management Committee, Restructuring of both Board and Management, injection of more equity, and expansion of shareholders base are the strategies which MTS Firstwireless has embarked upon in its quest to expand its subscriber base to 350,000 lines.
The company says it is embarking on such restructuring in response to various private and institutional investors who desire to invest in the company.

Chances are that the move sets up a chain of reaction from several individuals who may be affected by the frequent boardroom summersaults from IMB Plaza.


CYBERSCHUULNEWS 176
NCC TO AMEND ISP LICENSE
In a move which analysts believe may be the first step towards a radical exploitation of the Internet to facilitate universal access in Nigeria, The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC mid-December published its intention to amend ISP's license in a manner that may enable licensees to operate their networks.

In recent times, various initiatives have been taken in leading African markets to legalize VoIP applications and a continental campaign in favour of this has been on the increase. Nigeria is regarded as a market to watch in the whole of this and various bodytalk of the NCC in Abuja has indicated it would adopt a unique approach. For a regulator which is highly rated on issue of consultation in policy maneuvers, it is not surprising that the regulator is preparing a wide base for a total VoIP.

Sections 34 and 35 of the Telecommunications Act 2003 requires that the Commission gives written notice of its intention to amend a license together with a draft copy of the intended declaration, to affected licensees.

ATCON SPEARHEADS RELIEF FUND
Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, has requested all telecom companies, service providers and consumers to donate to the Earthquake and Tidal Waves Relief Fund which it has set up in Lagos. Apart from suggesting minimum voluntary donation across various classes of telecom service companies, it requests GSM Network Operators and those with Short Messaging Service (SMS), to facilitate subscribers' voluntary donation via a code with which they could send a text to the operators to deduct N10.00 each from their credit balance. The operators on their own part would match every N10.00 donated by subscribers with another N10.00

For Full Text of ATCON's Release on the subject, please see next edition of CYBERSCHUULSHOUT



CYBERSCHUULNEWS 175
ONLY ADVERTS

CYBERSCHUULNEWS 174
AGGREY TASKS GOVT ON FUNDING
Richmond Aggrey, a telecommunications engineer, has recommended the need for Government to facilitate funding of the emerging telecommunications industry if what has been achieved is to be sustained. He sees the current tradition of non capital intensive short term projects banking in Nigeria and a regime of high interest rate as not conducive to telecommunications growth and development.

Richmond should know having traversed the telecom investment landscape in Nigeria for close to 17 years. Arguably the first private investor to plunge into telecommunications in Nigeria, Richmond Aggrey is the Founder and CEO of MTS Firstwireless Ltd. In 1987, he had attempted to launch mobile services in Nigeria but was prevented by lack of enabling law. Ahead of deregulation, he made do with going into joint venture with NITEL when in 1992 his Digital Communication Inc took 55% shareholding of Mobile Telecommunications Services, [MTS] Ltd. The venture ran into turbulent times, courtesy of an emerging NITEL whose temperament was antithetical to private investment and competition and MTS Ltd was forced to close shop after a while. He came back smoking on the heels of Digital Mobile licenses of 2001 and re-launched MTS Firstwireless Ltd which has a basket of licenses to do nationwide fixed telephone services, long distance communications, and international data access.


CYBERSCHUULNEWS 173
SHAKEUP
IN THE NIGERIA TELECOM INDUSTRY
Turmoil may be a mild word to describe what analysts say is expected within the Nigerian telecom industry if subsisting attitude of major players is anything to go by. Indiscipline and the desire to intimidate has characterized the way major players and service providers have carried on. This is not unusual in many markets even in developed economies except that such players may end up biting their fingers in the face of vigilant regulation the type Nigeria has. Although there are official denials, what is true is that GSM providers are known to have been disconnecting other networks for reasons related to debt settlement without reference to or in clear disobedience to NCC's directives.

President of Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, Engr Charles Joseph complained publicly last Monday that 'the particular case of continued silence or seeming inaction [ of NCC] on the Globacom flagrant abuse of due process is a major test of its ability to restore sanity to the industry and demonstrate that NCC is in charge'.

In another development, newspaper reporters described Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, Chief Executive of NCC to have lost his temper on MTN in a manner not known to his usual self on the matter of MTN having been indulging in unethical business practices. He was reacting at the Consumer Parliament, where MTN was reported to have continued charging N100 for each migration to the per-second billing platform in disobedience to NCC's ruling on the matter.

Meanwhile, Globacom has commenced major indoctrination of the Press as it took newspaper reporters to its fibre networks round the country apparently in preparation to show teeth and assert size.

However in a Communiqué issued at the end of the technical session of recent NICOMM 2004 industry players warned that in interconnection relationships, no operator is doing the other a favour and while there may be large and small networks, there are no important and unimportant networks.

Analysts believe that the NCC which has continued to show vigilance and good corporate behavior is known to be adequately courageous to make licensees fall in line no matter their exaggerated references.

AGAIN, VODACOM TO COME
Dogs don't ignore bones and the Nigerian Market is certainly too important to ignore. Words rolled out of South Africa late last week that Vodacom has shown a renewed interest in returning to the negotiating table with VeeNetwork in Nigeria.

Vnetwork, trading as Vmobile, has been recording a rising profile both in image building and in spread of coverage.

U & ITU
[International Telecommunications Union]
The ITU Goal
To assist developing countries in harnessing the potentials of ICTs to contribute towards reducing the social divide, improving the quality life, promoting universal access and facilitating entry into the information society. In all actions, take into account the needs of rural, isolated and poorly served areas and people with special needs (Gender, Youths and Indigenous People).

The WSIS Plan of Action shows strong synergies with ITU-D's existing mandate as adopted by ITU Member States at the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) in March 2002, ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in October 2002 and ITU Administrative Council Decisions.

ITU Strategy and Priorities
Providing assistance in technical and policy aspects of Internet Protocol (IP).
Assisting in technical and policy aspects of e-applications and e-services.
Enhancing security and trust in the use of public networks.
Implementing projects on MCTs and multipurpose platforms (MPPs) .
Enhancing ICT literacy and building awareness on the potentials of ICTs.
Promoting the establishment of a favourable legal environment for ICTs.

For more www.itu.int

Words do not die. Infact they hardly fade. CYBERSCHUULNEWS recently stumbled on 'DIGITAL VACUUM' an essay which came under the byline of Mr Gbenga Sesan Pioneer IT Youth Ambassador and currently Project Manager, Lagos Digital Village and he was requested to kindly do a compressed CYBERSCHUULNEWS version of the work. As it turned out, Gbenga had written the essay in February 2001 several months before he competed in and won CYBERSCHUUL's Most Promising WEB Developer Competition, October 2001. He obliged all the same and re-edited the work on a few days ago for CYBERSCHUULNEWS.

DIGITIZED VACUUM
by 'Gbenga Sesan
(originally written February 14 2001, edited for CyberschuulNews November 30 2004)

"Ol' boy, I wan' commot from this country o."
"But I thought you always claimed to be a patriot, why don't you practice what you preach."
"What do you mean? I'm not changing camps, I'm only being wise"
"Okay, let's stop dragging things, what informed your decision?"
"Well, not one thing, it's been boiling on my mind for some time. For example, I was in Ilupeju when the bomb explosions began, and the events that followed were more shocking than the terror of the balls of fire! That's almost history anyway, what's more annoying is that I'm supposed to be a graduate but the only proof is that my classmates are now working in Lagos. See, there's no dragging the issue, I'm leaving for God's own country."
"And where is that?"
"Where else?"
"Who told you that Uncle Osama's spirit is still not haunting them there?"
"En . I will go to ... anywhere sha, so far I'm millions of miles away from
Nigeria and I see mostly white-skinned people on the streets"
"Anyway, I get your point. So, when are you moving?"
"Anytime from now."
"Interesting. Did you get multiple entry?"
"What does that mean?"
"If you're leaving anytime from now, it means you have your travel requirements all sorted out, ticket, visa, exact destination . do you have a school already, or are you going to work?"
"Let me just get there first. I don't have any of your fanciful listings but I
know that anyhow, I'm celebrating Independence with God's own country this year. I'm not the first person doing it and I'm willing to give whatever it takes..."
"You make me laugh. No visa, no money for ticket, and you want to travel. Please let's forget that one and face more important issues."
"And what may be more important than my trip."
"My money! Please today is the 13th, I need my money for Val's day tomorrow."
"Em. please can you give me another week, my uncle lost his job and things have been."
"And you want to travel. I don't know how you'll do it but I need my money before 8:30pm."

If minds could be expressed on a canvas, that would be a good painting of the Nigerian society (particularly as it relates to the youth). An average young Nigerian is a victim of a vicious cycle that has skillfully dug itself into the fabric of the nation. The society keeps turning out an annual army of unskilled young people. These young men and women know that they need to succeed, and peer pressure and precedence place them on a corrupt path. Some of these youths have their way, become role models and then the cycle continues: with an assured production of corrupt people, and invariably, a corrupt society.

As in the words of Sir Isaac Newton, an object will always continue in a state of rest and constant uniform motion unless otherwise acted upon by a force. Such is the case of corruption, until a far-reaching solution is proffered.
This essay seeks to establish the fact that the prevalent corruption cycle can be considerably reduced if young men are equipped with Information Technology literacy and are taken from their jobless vacuum to a digitized level where they are equipped with appropriate Information Technology skills that will position them for Personal Development, National Relevance, Regional Co-operation and Global Participation.

Of the numerous definitions of corruption that I have seen, one stands out. It comes from the online dictionary, www.dictionary.com It defines corruption as "The act of changing, or of being changed, for the worse; departure from what is pure, simple, or correct". Nigeria's present rating with respect to corruption indices is no good news for any country, talk less the giant of Africa.

It is wrong to conclude that one factor is responsible for the present level of corruption we see in Nigeria, but there are authentic angles one may view the total picture from. This essay will look at corruption as a produce of a societal vacuum. The indices of this viral vacuum include unemployment, indecent precedence, and unskilled people groups but emphasis will be placed on the last.

Vacuums are not allowed in nature. It is natural that when anything is absent, something else just has to replace it. The lack of skills in young people, coupled with the environment, promotes corrupt practices. This essay may not be a one-stop solution to the issue at hand but it sure presents one of the authentic angles from which we may view any anti-corruption exercise.

The boundaries that mark the distinctive location of nations are fast fading off as technological innovations turn the whole world into a global village. Administration, financial services, business, education, governance, agriculture, automobiles, communications and all other spheres of human endeavour are not left out in this dynamic revolution.

One fact that stands out is that productivity is increased and innovation is encouraged. Where these two are present, young people in the society can then trace a clean path through which they can acquire skills, develop themselves, earn a living and thus short-circuit the corruption flow. Information Technology will not erase corruption but the fact that it provides an opportunity to fill the existent vacuum will tell a lot on the level of corruption that is prevalent among any people group. This is the digitization of the prevalent societal vacuum that this essay refers to.

Having considered the aforementioned, we can then go ahead to look into the various steps that may aid the actualization of the process. The following are recommendations that should assist in digitizing the existent vacuum in order to stage a successful anti-corruption crusade:
Ø Ensuring a PARADIGM SHIFT among the Youth by making them understand that
corruption will only put up false security, temporary achievements and of course, debatable integrity Ø Propagating Information Technology literacy by encouraging delivery in LOCAL LANGUAGES
Ø Encouraging SYNERGY and networking among youths, that are targeted towards virtuous ideals and creative application of Information Technology in solving prevalent problems
Ø INTEGRATING Information Technology in course delivery, even to the elementary levels
Ø Providing a conducive atmosphere for Private Sector-led initiatives that can help equip the Youth
Ø Exposing the Youth to incorrupt Role Models, which can be done through the National Orientation Agency's website, print and electronic media or through any other private initiative

The prevalent corruption cycle can be considerably reduced if young men are equipped with Information Technology skills and are taken from their jobless vacuum to a digitized level where they are equipped with appropriate Information Technology skills that will position them for Personal Development, National Relevance, Regional Co-operation and Global Participation.

This will require public sector, private sector and civil society participation, but most importantly, is a challenge to the Youth of this nation. Since the strength of any nation cannot be isolated from its hope for the future, the Youth of Nigeria must rise to the challenge of catalyzing Nigeria's innovative and dynamic participation in the global village. We might have been misunderstood, and we might have spent our energies on vices but we choose to turn around and take the bulls by the horns in order to liberate our nation from the shackles of obscurity and shame. I believe that a new incorrupt nation will emerge, and its ideals will be built on the foundation of the labours of our past heroes, hewn out of the present waste and engineered by tomorrow's leaders: the Youth!
[The author was Nigeria's IT youth Ambassador 2001 - 2003]



CYBERSCHUULNEWS 172
NEW TECHNOLOGY/PRODUCT
Paradigm International www.paradigmint.net is collaborating with different interest groups to make scriptures (of any religion) available on all kinds of media. The objective is to make scripture available for free, anywhere, anytime, in any language and on any mobile internet accessing device. To be sure, Lingua® -a word-processor and translator is a veritable tool utilized in the process. Being the first multi-language word-processor, the first recipient of the "Best Commercially Viable Software Award" of NCS organized Nigerian Software Exhibition (NISE) in 2001 and, as recipient of several "Editor's Choice Award" and high ratings on international software download sites and magazines, Lingua is aptly suited for documenting scripture in Nigerian, African and other Languages.

Another inspirational software from the Paradigm stable is the free Screensaver. This intermittently displays Pictures from desired folders or display Quotations from a specified text file.
For more information and software downloads, please visit www.paradigmint.net

ESSAY
[Flying on The internet]
www.itafrica.org
ITAfrica is a simple vision: provide a database of expertise for growing African IT communities. With the dramatic growth of services in the last five years, and the fragmented nature of this sector, it seemed a "no-brainer" to provide this resource to each community -- with content provided by the community itself.
Highlighting local services, local companies, and local solutions to specifically African opportunities is key. Too often governments and CEOs have looked 'outside', where in fact, help and expertise is either on their doorstep, or can quickly be developed. ITAfrica is designed to kill that 'excuse' of not knowing who does what.

getting listed
go to your country (if it's currently available) see information about setting up your country select "add my listing" from the country home page
add your contact information, description, logo and more
click save!
It's done. A host will verify your content and publish it.

how much does it cost?
it's free to be listed in ITAfrica. The goal is to be as comprehensive as possible. ITAfrica will hope to attract advertisers to support site development and any costs the city hosts encounter.

do i qualify?
your primary business must be as an IT services provider. Electronics and telephone stores do not qualify. Designers and ad agencies do not qualify. Please review the sections that are relevant for you. If none of them fit, you probably don't belong in ITAfrica. A host may contact you after your posting if your company is not known to her or him, and you should be prepared to support your listing. Putting a logo up and a good description with the types of clients you have help a lot.

what if my country or town isn't available?
we can not accept listings if your country is not online. To bring a country online, we need a host willing to do that for your town/country. If you know of someone, or want to do it yourself, read our becoming a host page. If your town isn't listed, then just email your country host or info@itafrica.org and they will arrange coverage for your town.
you would like to have ITAfrica for your country, it's very easy to setup. The site is designed so that we can simply "turn on" your country. You will get all the same categories and sections as the other live countries. You can even select the color system for your country and you can set it in a 'primary language' of French, English, Portuguese or Arabic. There is no cost to getting ITAfrica in your country.

But the essential requirement to start a country is finding a 'country host'. This person, or group of people, will be responsible for collecting the initial list of IT companies and services. They will promote the site. They should be professional, reliable and knowledgeable about the community. A set of simple webtools included in the site will help them do this. They are also responsible for vetting new listings, and removing unhelpful user postings/ratings. There is no payment for this, but in the event that a host can generate sponsorships and advertising for the site, they will keep 75% of those revenues.
The goal of ITAfrica is not to go wide and shallow, but to go narrow and deep. Please don't think about setting up a country unless the nominated host is willing to commit significant time and energy to compiling a comprehensive database.

visit www.itafrica.org Africa's own community-driven database of IT experts, businesses, events and projects and send a mail today to info@itafrica.com

[ CYBERSCHUUL is in no way connected with the above project which we, however consider commendable


CYBERSCHUULNEWS 171
CTO’S REPORT COMMENDS VoIP TO AFRICA
A report which reviews the prospects and challenges for growth of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) telephony in Africa was launched last Monday by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization, CTO. It identifies affordability and access as critical factors that will determine the future of the technology.

The report is critical about the failure of African governments to radically change their environments and fortunes but campaigns that they embrace VoIP. It does evaluation of specific countries and argues for the provision of a robust regulatory framework to protect public policy concerns and enable the introduction of new and innovative technologies for a successful development of information and communication technologies in the continent.

WIN ONE, LOOSE ONE
INDUSTRY REVIEWERS HAIL NCC
Two stroies dominated the industry last week.

Early in the month, The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, threw up the challenge of increasing the telephone availability in the next twelve months by 10 million and Pentascope, Contract Managers at NITEL, went to town with information on their bailout work at the ailing company. The two major stories became subject of intense discussion by a quartet of senior analysts whose 2-day brainstorming was facilitated by THE EXECUTIVE CYBERSCHUUL.

The analysts view NCC’s projection as a plus for regulation especially as the Commission has consistently grown its thrust from an acclaimed auction, through a pro-consumer strategy and now it is being ProACTIVE. With such vision, it is considered a matter of time that Nigeria recovers its position as Africa’s No 1 for business and political leadership.

Analysts see the NCC’s initiative as a challenge to business, to management, to the professions and especially to Nigerian engineers. In terms of training, investment, valu-added intiatives, the NCC’s vision is seen as the result of well thought out projection which is needed to chart a clear path for the industry. Discussants note in particular that the Commission, having attained high rating in corporate behaviour, is in a good position to facilitate the projection it is making.

On the other hand, a review of Pentascope’s 35 pages of information which was released to the Press on November 10, 2004 clearly demonstrates that the contract-management journey in NITEL is a bad investment.

TRIBUTE
PATRICK, STEEVE, SLEEP AND MANAGE SPORTS YONDER
As I write, two persons that I love so much are about being lowered six feet down into the ground. One in Kokori, Niger Delta, the other in Katsina Ala, along the Benue. Patrick Okpomo, sports administrator par excellence and Steeve Akiga, former Hon Minister of Sports and guru among football enthusiasts may just be doing sporting things together wherever they may be. Because we are human beings, we will be wanting to say these fellows are not dead but that they have gone to be at the bosom of the Lord. Yes, that is true. But the truth really is that they are dead.

I know Patrick very well but I never met Steeve. Patrick was my colleague in the Unilag athletics club where we both shared several things together on occasions when we went camping. Smooth, unassuming, perfectly gentleman. He went ahead to prove himself in sports management and while we did not see often, at most three times in 30 years, since we left school, I followed his profile in newspaper reports. We spoke at length only once at a chance meeting.

I never met Steeve Akiga. I only heard about him from Dare, my friend with whom I shared a room at Unilag in those days. Dare told us the story of his secondary school days when a Peace Corps teacher who marked one Steeve Akiga down for a misdemeanor and was searching for him so he could impose penalty. The American teacher [for those who may not know what ‘peace corps’ means], went round the school asking everyone he met in a drowsy typical American baritone saying ‘...I’m looking for Steeve Akiga, who ever has seen Steeve Akiga should show me Steeve Akiga. I’m going to punch Steeve Akiga..’ That became a song in the dormitory. The fun in there was that Steeve Akiga was one of the only few names that the fellow could pronounce without blemish [there were people whose names sounded like ejirooghene or the other one which Ali Baba bears as his real name] and he was enjoying the fun of having to use it as a song. Steeve Akiga, a smart guy approached the teacher to tell him he knew 'Steeve Akiga' and whenever he met with him he would march Steeve Akiga to the staff room office of the corper. For 3 days, Steeve Akiga kept telling the Teacher he had not seen 'Steeve Akiga' and on Friday he went to tell the teacher that 'Steeve Akiga' had gone on EXEAT and would be back on Monday. That at least was to keep the teacher quiet for the weekend, and it worked. Contrary to Steeve’s expectation and forecast, however, the teacher, still romancing his ability at pronouncing Steeve Akiga excellently, did not forget to look for 'Steeve Akiga' on Monday. Promptly, Steeve still told him 'Steeve Akiga' was yet to be in school. ‘..Certainly I will march Steeve Akiga to you when he shows up in school...’ Two days later the cat was let out of the bag as another teacher it was who found that Steeve Akiga was actually in school all along and he was the informant who the teacher was relying on to find 'Steeve Akiga'…’ The remaining was history.

With that kind of story, the name Steeve Akiga stuck in my head and any time I saw an old boy of St Paul, Wusasa, I remembered the 'Steeve Akiga' story.

Good and behold, Steeve Akiga came into public consciousness a few decades later when he was appointed Hon. Minister of sports and the description of his old frame, kindness, and jolly-nice-guy mannerism was the kind of things I read about him in newspapers and saw on telly. I was still nursing the idea of visiting him whenever I was in any town that he lived in Nigeria when I suddenly heard that he died.

C’mon death, shame on you.

[Writer of the Tribute, Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu, is a telecommunications engineer]

ABUSES IN ON-LINE TRANSACTIONS
by
M. Adeniji Kazeem Esq.
nkazeem@adenijikazeem.com

Domain names and the attendant intellectual property implications are gradually being incorporated into the legal framework of many countries such that with the growth of e-commerce there is going to be an upsurge in these forms of online abuse and owners must be prepared to combat these crimes.

There are two broad acceptable headings under which online abuse can be addressed viz:
Unlawful Selling /defamatory comments
Domain name Theft/Cybersquatting

I. Unlawful Selling/Defamatory comments
In some cases a company might find defamatory material on a website or cases of unlawful selling of its products or similar

A very important step is the investigation aspect which every domain name owner must follow if there is threatened online abuse

-Securing offending evidence
An offending internet site can be very “flighty” and can be moved very quickly thereby depriving a party of important evidence. The domain name owner will therefore need to immediately secure the offending site by saving it using Microsoft word or any other word processing software. There is however other software which can reveal the history of the offending website and show pages for a specific day. In Nigeria because the relative lack of ICT Law exposure among judicial officers , it is advisable that a simple affidavit that the offending website was seen on a particular day supported by a print out of the web page should suffice for purpose of seeking relief’s in Court.

-Alert Control
In most cases where there is an offending website it is likely to generate a lot of interest within a company or the particular individual domain name owner. This interest normally translates into numerous visits to the websites that might likely alert the wrongdoer and lead to removal of key evidence.

It is therefore important that information on he offending websites is carefully managed especially in big companies so as not to alert the wrongdoers.

-Cease and desist
Where offending content is categorically linked to a website, the services of a lawyer will be needed to issue a cease and desist letter. In most cases the letter should be addressed to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) alerting it that it is hosting a website that has defamatory content and that it faces a possible lawsuit for dissemination. In most cases a responsible ISP will takes steps to have it removed to avoid problems and this has been enshrined into law in the EU and the U.S where they can be liable for defamatory content that they are aware of but have done nothing about.

In Nigeria there has be no amendment to the law of defamation to cater for electronic dissemination as is the case in the U.S and the E.U. However this might not be an immediate problem due the fact that majority of the sites are hosted in jurisdictions with updated laws. This will definitely change as the domain name .ng gains prominence and widespread usage.

2. Domain name theft/Cybersquatting
The importance of trademarks on the Internet continues to grow in leaps and bounds and protection is becoming more and more imperative.

Cybersquatting involves the pre-emptive, bad faith registration of trademarks as domain names by third parties who do not possess rights in such names. Cybersquatters exploit the first-come first served nature of the domain name registration system to register as domain names, third parties’ trademarks or business names or names of famous people, as well as variations thereof.

A common motive for cybersquatter is the intention to sell the domain name back to the trademark owner or to attract web traffic to unrelated commercial offers.

In event that a genuine trademark holder finds himself at the receiving end of a cybersquatter he must again contact an ICT attorney who will advise on available options.

Most domain names are subject to WIPO’s Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy or analogous policies. This policy was designed to provide an effective alternative mechanism to deal with what are frequently cross border disputes. It was also designed to combat a situation of slow court litigation that could produce a de-fact situation in which it may be quicker and cheaper for a trademark holder to buy back its rights to a domain name from the cybersquatter rather that seek to retrieve those rights through litigation.

The ICT attorney can lodge a complaint on your behalf and the name will be transferred if the following cumulative criteria are established:
i. the domain name registered by the domain name registrant is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark or service mark in which the complainant has rights; and
ii. the domain name registrant has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name in question; and
iii. the domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.

This procedure is going to get very relevant in Nigeria as domain names assume the status of trademarks for many Nigerian businesses. For instance the Nigerian financial services and e-commerce companies are beginning to experience the “Phishing” phenomenon. This is a practice where criminals impersonate brands in spam e-mail that lures unsuspecting customers to bogus websites that look like those of reputable companies and are designed to deceive consumers into divulging personal data. This policy will enable the real owners of the marks that are being “spoofed” to get the sites removed within a relatively short time compared to traditional litigation methods.

3. Conclusion
E-commerce is taking root in Nigeria and the above are some of the issues that will have to be dealt with by all the players that industry. Digital brand protection will become a huge issue that has to be addressed by companies intending to take advantage of e-commerce to boost their sales and widen their reach.

[M. Adeniji Kazeem Esq. is a Lagos based ICT Attorney]

 


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