Ernest Ndukwe, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, made this known in Lagos at the AFRITEC Forum organized by ITWorld Magazine to discuss the future of broadband infrastructure in Nigeria.  

He said the training was offered to the lecturers under the Digital Appreciation Programme for Tertiary Institutions, ADAPT, designed to equip lecturers with the basic knowledge of computer skills and Internet application knowledge to ensure they use these facilities to teach and encourage their students to use them whenever possible. 

DBI is a creation of the Nigerian Communications Commission. 

Senate distrusts BPE on appointment of BNP Paribas as Advisors

Senate Chairman on Communications, Senator Sylvester Anyanwu, has charged that BPN Paribas cannot be a worthy Consultant/Advisor to BPE on the renewed move to find a core-investor for NITEL. He claims to have good information on a record of the Consultant who in the past did not do a commendable work just as a good number of its current staff were former executives of BPE.

A few weeks ago, a telecommunications consultant had argued in Lagos that BPE has no reason not to use local expertise since it is naturally expected that it should have been pairing foreign advisors with local experts in the past efforts on NITEL. Titi Omo-Ettu, who picked holes in various aspects of NITEL’s re-privatization process, said investigation reports on the past services of BPE’s advisors showed that the Agency is both incompetent and manifestly anti-Nigeria. In his words, ‘We expect BPE to have been insisting that foreign advisors partnered with indigenous expertise in the past exercises. Could it be that Nigerians who partnered with the foreigners in the past can still not do the job? If they cannot, Nigerians deserve to know who they are and they should be able to say what their problems are. It is not rocket-science to privatize NITEL. We should have had enough of the waste we have incurred on hiring these Advisors who produce nothing but pains for us’

Siemens, a company which started operations some 161 years ago has now stopped operating as a telecommunications company and sold its telephone business to various vendors. 

But it is in full gear at home in Germany in railway, high-tech medical equipment and also in power systems under which it signed a deal with the Government of Nigeria a few days ago. The Nigerian deal came under curious circumstances as the Federal Government pretended to have sacked the company from further business deals a few months ago. Several local newspapers are asking questions on the unclear circumstances under which the relationship was revived. But government officials have so far applied the military approach of keeping mum as if it owes no obligation to the public on its decisions. Chances are that it opens up as the heat keeps mounting. Trust Nigerian newspapers and public commentators for a good run. 

In 1847, 31-yearold Werner von Siemens and an engineer Johann Georg Halske started what became a global brand in telecommunication equipment vendoring. It made a late entry into Nigeria in the mid-seventies to take crumbs of a telecommunication contract which government gave in large chunk to ITT. It eventually displaced ITT by cooperating better with Nigerian officials. It operated via representatives who were regarded as corrupt but who found their match in local counterparts. Government, for unclear reasons, announced a sack of the company in 2007, following a flawed accusation of Nigerian officials and again restored relationship with power projects to which Siemens had diverted its attention since Nigeria liberalized its telecom industry mid-nineties.

CyberschuulNews 300

Understanding and Confronting Cybercrime/Cybersecurity:
A High-level Conference that has very high potential holds in Abuja

Institutional and enterprise cybercrime attack and vulnerability in Africa and Nigeria in particular is growing at an alarming rate which demands better understanding of the related socio-economic impact analysis as it affects our national economic infrastructures and sectors. 

The global cybercrime statistics tells the story of the challenges before us. Between 2005 and 2007, global financial houses lost over $5billion to cybercrime. Hackers activities all over the world have caused the global economy over $1billion over the past 12 months and Nigeria was a victim in all of this. 

Wayback in 2006, Chris Uwaje, President of Global Network for Cybersolution  whose organisation is the arrowhead of this Conference initiative had said " no nation will economically survive in the 21st Century Cyberspace, unless she masters the global cybercriminality and cybersecurity challenges. To escape the ferocious consequences of cyberTsunami, Africa must address and proffer solutions to these issues as a national priority agenda"

Today, International image reputation is grossly affected by the cybercriminal activities of a few citizens and their international collaborators who seem to have succeeded in creating cybercrime image for Nigeria. Innocent citizens and businesses have become subject of international intimidation and abuse. 

Institutional cybercrime, just like tsunami or earthquake can happen anywhere or anytime. When they do happen at national ICT infrastructure level, it becomes an economic disaster. Impact on government operations, sector and individual businesses will be widespread and unimaginable! 

That is the take of Global Network for Cybersolution, a non governmental cybersecurity advocacy body which with the collaboration of Federal Ministry of Justice and NITDA is mounting the forthcoming 1st National Conference on cybercrime & Cybersecurity holding at Abuja's NICON Luxury Hotel from 17th - 20th August 2008. 

What makes the Conference unique is that it is the first ever independent national platform to proffer solution to emerging institutional and enterprise digital crime at the decision makers' level. Its report will become the 1st reference point in cybersecurity solution for ICT driven Institutions/enterprises in the Nigeria.

It promises to be the 1^st historical cybersecurity reference point with very highnetworth contact potentials and a must-attend for those who bear responsibility for security of their enterprises' infrastructure.

MTN rolls out landline telephone service in Ibadan

Mobile front-runner, MTN, has announced the commissioning of fixed wired telephone services in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria under the trade name of MTN Hi-connect. The service takes advantage of MTN’s optic fibre infrastructure, the yellowbarn, which runs through the city and it will be the first direct challenge to the lacklustre services which NITEL offers the 128 square km ancient city with, 11 local government areas and a population of 2.5million. NITEL had monopolised fixed wired ['landline' in local parlance] services in Ibadan for so long as telephone existed in Nigeria. It is not clear if Ibadan is MTN’s first location outside of Lagos where it is using its Unified License that enables it to provide both fixed and mobile services countrywide.

Consequent upon acquiring a Universal License in 2006, MTN bought over a thriving VGC Communications Ltd whose land line networks in Lagos and Port Harcourt were rated as high grade.

Subscriber Registration Planning Group goes to work 

The Committee which NCC constituted to work out time frames and processes for the commencement of telephone user registration  was inaugurated in Abuja by the Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe early in the week. 

The 25-member Committee comprises largely of representatives of government security and demography agencies, operators and user associations and it is to be chaired by Mr Steve Andzenge, Director of Legal Services at NCC.

The Committee has one month to turn in a report.

IOBS
Cyberschuul refreshes content of
250 Standard Interview Questions and Answers
for employment seekers into the telecommunications industry

The Cyberschuul, Nigeria’s foremost Telecommunications training Institute has launched a new version of 250 Standard Interview Questions and Answers in Telecommunications which best prepares job seekers for employment Test and Interview into the telecom industry. The training comes in both on-line and CD versions and can be obtained either via internet download or by direct purchase of training CD from any of the Institute’s sales outlet across Nigeria. It is also available by courier delivery. For detailed information, please contact tec@cyberschuul.com 

Since its establishment in 2001, The Cyberschuul has retrained a sizable number of telecommunications executives many of who had previous engineering and non engineering university training. It commenced the Standard Interview Questions and Answers module in 2002 with 100 questions and answers, raised the figure to 150 in 2005 and to 250 in 2006. The price of N3,000 has remained constant all through. For more literature and content of training please Click here
 

A Special Announcement    ATCON  ComBIT 2008 EXPO HOLDS OCTOBER IN LAGOS  Lagos State, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria will in October 2008 play host to the world as the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) presents ComBIT 2008 Expo – an annual international exhibition and conference designed for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. The event will hold in the prestigious MUSON Centre from October 20 – 22.  ComBIT Expo is a product of ATCON’s strategic re-branding of NICOMM Exhibitions & Conferences organised annually by the Association in collaboration with the Ministry of Information & Communications, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as well as other industry stakeholders since 1995. Worried by the absence of an all encompassing global ICT event in Nigeria despite the current revolution in the ICT market, ATCON as the umbrella ICT industry Association decided to re-strategize, partner with relevant local and international industry players and stakeholders to float a mega ICT expo that will attract global and regional ICT operators and experts to Nigeria every year.    The plan of ATCON and its collaborators is to grow ComBIT expo into a flagship and globally recognized ICT event in Nigeria and Africa with a view to further stimulating the development of our ICT industry through more local and foreign direct investment into the sector.   ComBIT expo is designed to provide a veritable platform for cultivating commercial partnerships between foreign principals and local representatives, dealers, distributors and resellers of ICT and allied products and services in Nigeria. It will further offer ample opportunities for investors to explore and exploit the abundant market opportunities in the very vibrant ICT sector in Nigeria and Africa. It is a good platform for advanced markets to display its cutting edge technologies, especially in the mobile communications sector to the African market which will, for a long time, present the highest market potentials for new technologies.  ATCON has taken cognizance of the fact that ICT has a pivotal role to play in the actualization of VISION 2010 which the Federal government in Nigeria has set out to achieve. ATCON believes that through the yearly ComBIT Expo, huge foreign investments will continue to flow into our country’s economy. This will, by extension, facilitate the development of other critical economic sectors that are currently dormant. Eventually, our economy will rise to the level of the Asian tigers which have become case studies for the world economy today.   On the other hand, a boisterous economy will continue to create new markets for ICT products as more businesses will depend heavily on new technologies to grow their ventures and take them to the next levels. ATCON believes that ComBIT expo will contribute meaningfully to the achievements of the above economic advancements in Nigeria both in the long and short run.  To ensure that ComBIT expo is beneficial to exhibitors, sponsors and other participants, ATCON has expanded the scope of the event by inviting high level guests to grace the event. For instance, a high level delegation from the federal government of Nigeria (executive, legislature and the judiciary) will be in attendance throughout the period of the event. Also, governments’ representatives from all the 36 states and local councils in Nigeria have been invited and will be effectively mobilized to participate in the event. In the private sector, captains of industries and their ICT managers have been invited to participate. In fact, all sectors of the economy – banking, insurance, transport, aviation, maritime, security, construction, education, medical, agriculture, power & steel, hospitality, etc. - will be actively represented at the expo. Also, the army, navy, airforce, police, road safety, immigration, customs, and other para-military organizations will equally participate in the expo.   To ensure that ComBIT expo goes fully global, a website, www.combitonline.com has been launched to enable potential exhibitors, sponsors and participants obtain detailed information about the event or register online for participation. The website is regularly updated to keep visitors abreast with the latest developments regarding the event. Also, we have reached out to potential foreign participants by direct online marketing or through embassies of foreign nations in Nigeria. We have equally made contacts with various event marketing companies overseas for partnership in the event. The responses we have received so far have been very heart-warming and encouraging.  Locally, we have signed on three seasoned events managers – Faces & Profiles Limited, Exxcon Limited and TextServe Limited – as consultants. They are already working with us to ensure that the quality of the event is significantly raised to meet international standards. They have brought in their wealth of experiences from other well organised events to make ComBIT 2008 a world class expo.   We are also partnering effectively with the press to ensure that adequate publicity is given to the event. As a further step forward, we have invited all stations of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) across the country, the Federal Radio Corporation (FRCN), all radio and television stations owned by the 36 states of the federation, all private radio and television stations as well as selected international and African regional magazines and newspapers. They will participate and give adequate coverage to the event. We have equally mapped out a robust advertising campaign to boost publicity for the event. We are in deed fully prepared to take the event to the highest level possible.  The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) is the apex, umbrella, non-profit and non-governmental trade association for all ICT operating companies in Nigeria. Inaugurated on December 10, 1993, ATCON has, over the years shown very strong commitment to the rapid expand of Nigeria’s telecommunications networks as well as the accelerated development of the entire ICT sector in Nigeria. ComBIT expo is one of ATCON’s contributions towards consistent stimulation of the growth of ICT in Nigeria and in deed Africa.  Thank you very much.    Dr. Emmanuel E. Ekuwem       National President David O Roberts Chairman, Planning Committee

CyberschuulNews 299

Cyberschuul refreshes content of
250 Standard Interview Questions and Answers
for employment seekers into the telecommunications industry

The Cyberschuul, Nigeria’s foremost Telecommunications training Institute has launched a new version of 250 standard questions and answers which best prepares job seekers for employment Test and Interview into the telecom industry. The training comes in both on-line and CD versions and can be obtained either via internet download or by direct purchase of training CD from any of the Institute’s sales outlet across Nigeria. It is also available by courier delivery. For detailed information, please contact tec@cyberschuul.com 

Since its establishment in 2001, The Cyberschuul has produced a sizable number of telecommunications executives many of who had previous engineering and non engineering university training. It commenced the Standard Interview Questions and Answers module in 2002 with 100 questions and answers, raised the figure to 150 in 2005 and to 250 in 2006. The price of N3,000 has remained constant all through. For more literature and content of training please Click here
 

JOBS

Breaking News
Gambia thumbs up Nigeria on Telecommunications 

Gambia’s Secretary of Communications, Hon. Fatim Badjie Janneh visited Nigeria during the week and she left words about the lot there is to learn from Nigeria whose success in growing her telecom market has been truly remarkable. She said her mission would be to learn and fashion a model along the line that has put Nigeria in a leading position within the West Africa sub region. 

Gambia has one regulatory authority overseeing telecom, power, water and other services.

Reliance Telecom, RelTel, has wound down operations as Reltel and commenced mobile service in the new name of ZoomMobile. Several newspapers reported during the week that the Company’s management hosted a press briefing at which the renaming was announced.  

Reltel deploys CDMA standard with a claim of 1.5million subscribers base and it is believed to be on it way to the Nigerian Stock exchange.

Zain, the parent Company of Celtel Nigeria also announced last Friday that it has re-branded its entire African operations to Zain. That brings to a close an earlier concession in which Nigeria’s Celtel was left off when other African markets in the group went bearing Zain in 2007.

According to an information issued in  Nairobi Kenya and  relayed by Celtel Nigeria, all Zain customers in Africa and the Middle East using ‘One Network’ (The Zain Network i.e.) will enjoy the benefits of being treated as a ‘local’ customer wherever they are. Customers can make calls and send messages at local rates when communicating with a travelling Zain customer who will receive incoming calls free-of-charge and be able to make calls back home at local rates. Pre-paid customers can also top up their phones with recharge cards bought from either their home country or more than one million outlets available in one of the 15 'One Network' countries. The 'One Network' service is automatically activated upon crossing the geographical border into one of the countries, with no prior registration required or sign-up fee. A 'virtual Africa network', so to say.

Zain which is currently listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) purchased Celtel for $3.4 billion in 2005 and professes an ambition to be rated as one of the first 10 Mobile operators in the world. It plans to list on the London Stock exchange in 2009 and eventually in Ghana(where it hopes to start business later this year, Kenya and Nigeria.