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Data Driven 4G LTE Will Relish Video Streaming, Local Content- Venn

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Mr. David Venn, chief executive officer of Spectranet
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Mr. David Venn, chief executive officer of Spectranet said that online video streaming will become better with the launch of fourth generation technologies (4G LTE) in Nigeria.

Venn who was speaking on the recent announcement by Spectranet to deploy first server for Netflix in West Africa, said that lovers of movies and TV series now have better deals, adding that the gesture will push the pay-tv stations to rethink on their strategies. 

Low Cost Online (Video) Contents
He said, “To have a better experience on Netflix you need to have fast internet connection. That is why the Netflix customers are going to have better experience because there will be no buffing; with $10 a month you get the movies in a high definition (HD) and you can watch on two screens. It means you could be watching television at home and someone else could be watching via the smartphone, different content on the same account. In other words, with $10 a month you have all the contents available to you; watching unlimited times. The contents are mainly movies and TV series. Netflix is not even resting on its oars in making available new contents. They spend billions of dollars in producing their own contents.

“Therefore, lovers of movies and TV series now have better deal; you could be watching series from office, continue in your car while heading home after work and you can get home, turn the TV on and resume from the spot you pursed. Now, I am in Nigeria and my son is in UK, we watch Neflix on the same account”.

Venn gave insight on the choice of Spectranet by Netflix thus, “Netflix was looking for a broadband (internet service) provider with high speed an offers quality service. So, they selected Spectranet. We now have a dedicated Netflix server. That contains the whole content (library) of Netflix. Every night it is updated with the California server. So, as new episodes are coming out (fro series) they are updated simultaneously.

“It happens at night when the internet is not too busy, because it requires a huge data to download HD videos. They gave us the server, managed remotely. What that means is that, normally, if you were using Netflix in Nigeria that was downloaded from the UK and US. So, you were internationally streaming videos from their server. But now, with the server in Lagos, it is like local content. On our network you go straight to the server and streaming will be much better and faster for our customers.

Spectranet’s Benefit
“The key thing for us is not only one of the first in Africa to get Netflix server, we are the only one in West Africa. No network provider in West Africa, of any sort has it, including Nigeria. In other worlds, their customers still have to stream movies and TV series from either UK or U.S., for us it is local. They chose Spectranet because of our quality network. They love the fact our customer watch their movies a lot. They have the statistics”.

Local Content
He added that the partnership will also boost local contents such as IrokoTv and Nollywood contents.

“On local content, you already got IrokoTv which is doing quite well. Last year we encouraged our customers to watch IrokoTv; they are a lot of local content (Nollywood) on the platform. That too is helpful. For the fact I am on Netflix, I can as well have IrokoTv account. It gives you choice for foreign and local contents. IrokoTv app can be launched on Netflix, because there are a lot of Contents (apps) on it. For instance, I can watch SkyNews live. I have DStv at home, but I have no time for it, because SkyNews is there and all the Tv series I need are on Netflix. So, I can download IrokoTv app on Netflix and it becomes part of the menu. I am not using a browser; it looks more like a TV station. For instance Apple Box (containing Apple TV), you do not subscriber to it. It is more of plug and play.

“Now, if you acquire Apple Box, it even accords you further varieties. When you view, it synchronizes your Netflix account. So, you do not need to buy the movie the second time. And Netflix is a competitor to Apple Tv. Apple Tv is a different model where you have to pay for everything you watch. If you move to news; SkyNews for instance, I can clique on any piece and watch or view live broadcast. They stream on my internet service.

4G LTE Is Data Driven…Costs of Streaming HD Videos
“The truth is that data is getting cheaper than it was two years ago. We also introduced unlimited night time data usage for our customers. From 1:00am to 7:00am, it is totally free. Thus, you can watch Netflix at night without any cost. Netflix also has its package; if you are a (Netflix) customer, you do not come to us, rather you go to them. They have a first month free package; no obligations as you can choose to sigh off/cancel anytime. So, the $10 monthly subscription is free for the first time you come on board.

“During the day and early evening you will pay for the data (Spectranet). I maintain that data prices are coming down. 80% of our customers are on 20GB plan (which is now 25GB for the same price with free unlimited night browsing). Neflix is an OTT service and we love it. You can switch to non-HD; that is standard view experience, so as to save your data. Secondly, you do not pay per Netflix movie, but monthly, which is cheaper than pay Tvs we have around here.
 
Plans for Sustainability (Partnership to Drive Traffic)
Spectranet remains the most reliable internet service provider in the country. Our up time is higher than any operator. The last thing you would want to happen is for the internet to be off, especially when you have movie to watch. We have been doing this for over 5 years and the first to launch 4G LTE. With the experience we have gotten we know how to manage 4G LTE network.

“It is very different from managing voice network. We have the backups- generators, batteries, all to make sure network is up. Even if they fail, we have a third party towers to connect instantaneously. We have our data connectivity to our core data centre located in Lagos and connected to major submarine cables like MainOne and three others. Even if the submarine cables are down, you are not losing any data, because the content is local. The only thing that will affect the process is the synchronization at night, because new episodes need to be downloaded. So, if you are using another internet service provider in Nigeria, you cannot access the server”.    

 


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General News

Appeal Court Nullifies Registration of ‘KPMG Professional Services’

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The court of appeal in Lagos has asked the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to revoke the certificate of registration of “KPMG Professional Services”.

Appeal Court Nullifies Registration of ‘KPMG Professional Services'

In a unanimous decision delivered on Thursday, the appellant court granted the reliefs sought by KPMG Nigeria against CAC and KPMG Professional Services.

The judgment was read by Abdullahi Mahmud Bayero, the judge.

The two other judges are Abimbola Obaseki-Adejumo and A.M. Talba.

In 2002, KPMG Professional Services was registered as a company with CAC despite the existence of KPMG Nigeria, comprising its audit, tax, and consulting arms.

The KPMG Nigeria has long been registered in Nigeria before 2002.

KPMG Audit was registered in 1969, KPMG Tax Consultants in 1990, and KPMG Consulting in 1969.

Displeased with the registration of KPMG Professional Services, KPMG Nigeria approached the federal high court.

The consulting firm had argued that the name “KPMG Professional Services” was deceptively similar to its long-established identity.

In 2005, the lower court dismissed KPMG Nigeria’s case, citing an alleged merger between KPMG Nigeria and Akintola Williams Deloitte as reason the company could no longer assert rights to the name.

The lower upheld the second respondent’s (KPMG Professional Services) counterclaim and ordered that KPMG Nigeria’s name be struck off the CAC register.

The lower court had premised its decision on newspaper articles stating that KPMG Nigeria reportedly merged with Akintola Williams Deloitte.

Delivering the judgment, Bayero ruled that the lower court erred by relying on newspaper articles to ascertain that KPMG Nigeria allegedly merged with another company.

The judge said the documents showing the alleged merger were not presented before the lower court, and the form of the alleged merger could not have been known.

“In any event, the only branch of KPMG, if any, that entered into a merger with Akintola Williams as stated in the newspaper articles 18, is KPMG Audit,” the judge ruled.

“The other spheres were totally unaffected. It would therefore be wrong to state that the merger (which has not been shown to this Court) of KPMG Audit with Akintola Williams means all the other areas of business, including KPMG Consulting and KPMG Tax Consultants, also ceased to exist.

“Even if the Appellants (KPMG Nigeria) had ceased to do business as the Court seemed to have held, the 2nd Respondents (KPMG Professional Services) should not have been carrying on business until the Appellant’s certificate of registration is withdrawn or set aside.

“They cannot use the name until the Appellant’s certification of registration is withdrawn or set aside. They cannot use the name until the name is removed from the 1st Respondent’s (CAC) Register of Names.

“The 1st Respondents can only assign the name to the 2nd Respondents after first taking it away from the Appellants.”

The court ruled that CAC erred by registering KPMG Professional Services despite the existence of a business name, which is already registered.

The judge reversed the earlier ruling of the lower court and reaffirmed the primacy of statutory protection for existing business names under Nigerian corporate law.

 

 

 


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Air Peace Launches Abuja–London Heathrow, Gatwick flights October 26

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Air Peace has announced the launch of direct flights from Abuja to London Heathrow and Gatwick airports, with operations scheduled to begin on October 26, 2025.

The airline said in a statement on Sunday that round-trip fares for the Abuja–London service will start from N1m, making it the first Nigerian carrier to offer direct connections from the capital to both of London’s major international airports. This was contained in a press release issued on Sunday by the airline’s spokesperson, Efe Osifo-Whiskey.

“Direct international flight services from Abuja to both London Heathrow and London Gatwick Airports, effective October 26, 2025.

“Air Peace becomes the first Nigerian carrier to offer direct services from Abuja to both of London’s major international airports, further solidifying its role as a leader in regional and intercontinental aviation.

“Travellers originating from any of Air Peace’s domestic destinations across Nigeria can now book through fares via Abuja to either Heathrow or Gatwick using a single ticket, eliminating the need for multiple bookings or baggage re-checks,” the statement read.

Similarly, the new route opens convenient access for inbound passengers from the UK to cities across Nigeria.

“Travellers from London can access multiple destinations across Nigeria using a single Air Peace ticket through Abuja every morning. These destinations are Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Benin, Warri, Owerri, Kano, Yola, Gombe and Asaba, for now. Other destinations will be added later,” Osifo-Whiskey stated.

Air Peace is also offering what it describes as unprecedented value in pricing and service.

Osifo-Whiskey said, “It provides a distinct competitive advantage, enabling passengers to travel between Nigeria and the United Kingdom with greater ease, efficiency, and value, due to the possibility of choosing multiple cities entry and exit points.

“Has the cheapest fares ever, starting from only 1 Million Naira round trip. Huge baggage allowance.”

The Abuja–London launch comes months after the airline began Lagos–London Heathrow flights, which started earlier in 2024.


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Prateek Suri CEO Maser Meets Zambia’s Education Minister to Propel Student Housing and Education Projects

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Prateek Suri, CEO of MASER and recognized as the richest Indian entrepreneur in Africa, was welcomed this week by Zambia’s Education Minister, Hon. Douglas Munsaka Syakalima, for a high-level meeting in Lusaka that focused on student housing and broader education infrastructure initiatives.

The meeting, held at the Ministry of Education’s offices, opened with warm greetings and a presentation by Mr Suri detailing Maser’s plans to support Zambia’s rapidly scaling education sector. Suri, who led Maser to become Africa’s seventh unicorn, emphasized the company’s commitment to infrastructure that benefits students, educators, and communities across the continent.

Minister Syakalima underscored the urgency of addressing Zambia’s student accommodation gap, citing the country’s expanding net enrollment and the need for safe, affordable housing for tertiary students. Under his leadership, the Government has embarked on a bold infrastructure agenda: over 82 secondary schools already completed, 46 set to be finished in 2025, and 120 new institutions under construction, alongside 169 ECE hubs and 145 satellite centers to reach underserved areas.

During the meeting, Suri shared Maser’s vision for modern student housing built through public–private partnership models. He outlined a multi‑phase plan utilizing sustainable building design, digital infrastructure, and vocational training facilities integrated into these campuses. “Zambia’s youth deserve world-class learning environments,” Suri remarked. “Maser is prepared to leverage its experience to co-create impactful educational infrastructure.”

Minister Syakalima responded positively, stating, “We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with Maser. The CEO’s entrepreneurial success and the company’s commitment to Africa’s education development are exactly the kind of partnership we need to scale our infrastructure goals.”

Beyond housing, the dialogue extended to opportunities in blended learning, vocational skills, rural outreach, and digital inclusion. With Zambia implementing its forward‑looking 2023 Education Curriculum this year—including early childhood, primary, and Form 1 levels—the minister highlighted the need for supporting infrastructure at all levels to enable effective rollout.

Under Minister Syakalima’s tenure, the education sector has seen notable progress: 4,200 new teachers hired recently, bringing the total teacher workforce to over 40,000 in three years; strengthened focus on foundational learning via teacher training programmes like the “Catch Up Programme”; and ambitious expansion of school infrastructure across Zambia’s provinces.

Maser, co‑founded by Prateek Suri, transformed from an African startup in consumer electeonics and large infrastructure projects into a multi‑sector unicorn operating in real estate, renewable energy, mining and education technology. Its rapid rise and African focus have made Suri a leading figure in bolstering India–Africa economic relations.

As the richest Indian in Africa, Prateek Suri’s influence spans beyond business success—it represents growing bilateral investment aimed at credible, sustainable societal impact. His partnership with Zambia’s Ministry of Education signals a new era of cross-border collaboration in education infrastructure.

With both parties committing to inclusive planning and scalable implementation, the Maser‑Zambia dialogue could mark the beginning of transformative initiatives: from affordable student housing to cutting‑edge learning facilities, vocational training hubs, and digital classrooms.

In closing remarks on the significance of this dialogue, Suri stated, “Education infrastructure is the foundation for future growth. Our partnership with Minister Syakalima and the Government of Zambia is a testament to collective investment in youth, equity, and sustainable development.” Minister Syakalima echoed this optimism, saying that with strategic public–private investment, Zambia’s education sector is poised for a significant elevation.

This meeting lays the groundwork for collaboration that bridges government strategy and corporate innovation—ultimately aiming to empower Zambia’s students and accelerate national development.


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