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Glo Proposes Recipes for SMEs’ Growth

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Globacom wants small businesses to adopt integrated and flexible communications plan in order to improve their efficiency, cut cost and expand their bottom lines.

Mr. Mike Ehumadu, Globacom’s Head of SME Business, gave this advice at a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Trade Fair organised by the Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI), Lagos Branch at Alausa Ikeja, Lagos on Wednesday. He said communication is one key aspect of any SME operation that can make a difference between success and failure.

Mr. Ehumadu addressed a gathering of small business owners operating in various sectors of the economy ranging from agriculture through manufacturing, information and communications technology to fashion and tourism on the third day of the fair, which was designated as Glo Day.

According to him, having an integrated, yet flexible communication plan will enable SMEs to cost-effectively access up-to-date information on their chosen fields, thereby putting them ahead of their competition.

“It is a better world today. You can sit in Nigeria and avail yourself of online training delivered by experts from all over the world via YouTube or similar platforms. All that is required is a smart device with data bundles,” he said.

According to him, this precisely was the motivation for the introduction of SME Flexi by Globacom recently. The package, according to Mr. Ehumadu, gives SMEs the integrated communications solution.

He described Glo SME Flexi as one-of-its-kind integrated plan ‘with unmatched value’ that gives users the flexibility to call and use the internet without having to separately buy data bundles. According to him, the package is available in various denominations to suit the wallet of the SMEs.

The package includes SME Flexi 500, SME Flexi 1000 and SME Flexi 2000. He explained that each of these denominations gives its users specific number of talk time and certain number of bytes for data use. For instance, SME Flexi 500 automatically gives its users 60 minutes of talk time or 650 MB of data, SME Flexi 1000 gives 125 minutes of talk time or 2000MB of data, while SME Flexi 2000 gives 275 minutes of voice call or 5000MB of data.

He further explained that SME Flexi is compatible with Closed User Group (CUG) as well, meaning that SME Flexi users can also integrate the solution with CUG, thereby enabling them to call their members of staff free of charge for a whole month once they pay a rental charge of N500 or N1000.

In addition to getting an integrated communication solution, Mr. Ehumadu advised the SMEs to embrace technology and install a proper accounting solution.

This year’s MSME Trade Fair is themed, “Promoting Made in Nigeria Products; Towards Industrial Self Reliance”, and will end on Saturday.


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FG Plans EO to Criminalise Fiber Cable Damage Costing Telcos Billions

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Nigeria will criminalize the destruction of broadband fiber cables following repeated complaints by MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and other telecommunications companies that they are losing billions of naira, according to people familiar with the matter.

FG Plans EO to Criminalise Fiber Cable Damage Costing Telcos Billions

Federal ministry of works, which supervises federal road constructors, is finalizing the regulation that will be signed as an executive order by President Bola Tinubu, said the people, asking not to be identified as they weren’t authorized to comment.

While there are presently laws against vandalism, the authorities are aiming to regulate construction firms more closely.

The order will enforce stiff penalties on offenders, said the people, declining to provide more details or say when it will be signed.

“Telecom assets are critical backbone that supports the economy across sectors,” said Temitope Ajayi, a senior presidential aide, who noted that the Association of Telecommunications Companies (ATCON) has been demanding the classification for years.

New rules will provide “further assurance that the Nigerian government will protect their investments against vandals and criminal elements.”

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) estimates that the sector will make up more than a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product by the end of 2027, up from 13.5% in the third quarter of last year.

The move will help alleviate pressure on the telecoms sector, which is facing increased operating costs and sales pressures from a sharp depreciation in the currency and a threefold increase in energy prices.

Repairs and revenue losses from damaged cables is estimated to have cost the sector almost 27 billion naira ($23 million) last year alone, documents seen by Bloomberg show.

MTN Nigeria, the biggest wireless operator in Africa’s most-populous nation, and Airtel Africa Plc bore the brunt of the costs, the documents show.

MTN suffered more than 6,000 cuts on its fiber cable last year, the documents show. On Feb. 28, a cut on its network in three different locations by a road construction firm, an oil serving company and someone burning rubbish in a manhole meant customers faced more than five hours of data and voice outages.

The operator relocated 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) of vulnerable fiber cables between 2022 and 2023, at a cost of more than 11 billion naira – enough to build 870 kilometers of new fiber lines to areas without coverage.

A presidential order on the matter would be welcomed, said Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, president, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria.

“When it comes to communication infrastructure, they are destroyed at will, so we are eagerly awaiting the president’s order,” he said. “It would be a great boost to the industry, and it will also encourage investment.”

 

 


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Telegram Eyes 1Bn Users amidst Political Pressures

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Telegram, the messaging giant founded by Pavel Durov and headquartered in Dubai, anticipates hitting a remarkable milestone of one billion active monthly users within the next year.

Durov’s departure from Russia in 2014, prompted by governmental pressures to stifle opposition communities on his VK social media platform, underscores Telegram’s commitment to neutrality despite geopolitical challenges.

With 900 million active users currently, Telegram stands as a beacon of free speech in the digital realm, particularly influential in former Soviet Union republics and pivotal during conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine standoff.

Durov’s staunch advocacy for freedom of expression and opposition to censorship by tech giants like Apple and Google reinforces Telegram’s status as a neutral platform.

Opting for the UAE as its base, Durov cites its neutrality and openness as conducive to Telegram’s ethos, serving both opposition groups and governments alike while maintaining impartiality.

In Durov’s vision, the pursuit of freedom eclipses material gain, shaping Telegram’s trajectory as a bastion of digital liberation.

 

 


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NITDA, NIMC Announce Collaboration To Strengthen Digital Economy

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To further strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have announced a collaboration on National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to enhance and create synergy between digital identity, payment ecosystem, and secure & seemless data exchange capabilities for Nigeria.

During the meeting between the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, and Director General of NIMC, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, with some management staff of both organisations, they discussed various initiatives, which include building DPI stacks for a secured and seamless data exchange and forming partnerships to transform the national identity system.

This collaboration also aims to harness the potential of the innovative ecosystem and emphasise the use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to drive digital transformation in Nigeria.

To ensure a smooth implementation, a 12-man committee was set up. This committee will play a crucial role in kickstarting and harmonising the initiatives. It is expected to deliver a comprehensive implementation report within the next 4 weeks


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