Telecom
NITDA Rewards Startups, pledges N25m Digital Capacity Building Center in Akwa Ibom
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Friday rewarded various tech startups through its subsidiary organisation, the Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIIE), at Uyo, Akwa Ibom State Capital.
The event which was held at the Emerald event center, had 10 Startups accorded the opportunity of pitching their solutions to the audience, with Damilola Omoyiwola of Budgetier emerged best and received the seed fund of 300,000, while others got 200,000, 100,000 and 50,000 respectively.
In his remarks, Mr Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, Governor of Akwa Ibom State represented by Prof. Nse Udo Essien ,Commissioner for Science and Technology, stated that ICT remains the best alternative to diversify Nigeria’s economy.
He expressed delight over the choice of the state as the beneficiary of a developmental event of its magnitude. “The choice of Akwa Ibom state by NITDA for such an important project is an attestation that NITDA, and indeed the present administration, exists to serve all Nigerians regardless of geographical locations or any challenges.
“Information Technology is the guarantee to a secure future and we are proud to be a part of this epoch making event .
“We are immensely grateful to the DG for spreading the dragnet to all he nooks and crannies of Nigeria”.
He pledged to integrate ICT in all aspects of governance in the State.
Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami ,DG NITDA, in his remarks, disclosed that the Agency was mandated to develop, implement and regulate the IT industry in the country and that in discharging its functions, NITDA is determined to ensure that all Nigerians, especially the youths are carried along in its empowerment agenda.
He stated that the “Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship, was established by the Agency to drive programs and policies that support ICT development, develop, establish and support ICT innovation hubs, Information Technology parks and community enterprise hubs across Nigeria while, collaborating with the private and public sectors at both federal and state levels on programs that support entrepreneurship and commercialization”.
Dr Pantami emphasized that the presidential executive orders 003 and 005, further gave impetus to the Agency’s mandate and strengthened its resolve to bridge the digital divide, establish, facilitate and support the Nigerian ICT Startup ecosystem.
He also revealed that NITDA will be setting up a Digital Capacity Building Center at the Goverment Secondary School, Afaha Eket, Eket LGA of Akwa Ibom
He concluded that, “our future as a nation relies on ICT”, “ICT is the global driver of all aspects of the economy”.
Startup Friday is a smart gathering that aims at bridging the Startup growth gap by enriching the development processes of innovative technology driven businesses through interactions
It’s also to promote Information Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship, create an enabling environment for an innovative ecosystem to thrive in Nigeria,
This ninth edition of Startup Friday is the first held in the South-South region of the Country, past gatherings were successfully organised in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna and Gombe State respectively.
In attendance were representative of Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Prof. Nse Udo Essien, Commissioner for Science and Technology, the Director General of NITDA, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FBCS, top officials of the State Government, Hub Operators, Techpreneurs, IT Professionals, conventional and Online media practitioners, Academics among others.
Telecom
AMN Activates Starlink Cellular Backhaul Connectivity in Nigeria
Africa Mobile Networks Group (AMN) has said that its first of its base stations in Nigeria to connect to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation is now live and using the LEO satellite network for backhaul connectivity.
It’s the first AMN base station to connect to Starlink since AMN and SpaceX signed a commercial deal in July 2023 to use Starlink for remote base station backhaul connectivity across Africa.
AMN said in a statement that Starlink’s low-latency connectivity enables its multi-carrier RANs to sustainably provide 2G, 3G and 4G services in remote, rural areas of Nigeria. AMN also said it also paves the way for the launch of 5G services, which AMN plans to do before the end of this year.
AMN, which builds, owns, operates and maintains mobile network infrastructure for African mobile network operators, currently operates 1,600 base stations across Nigeria.
The company said it will continue to install new sites throughout 2024 in Nigeria, as well as Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Madagascar, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin and Rwanda. AMN also has operations in Bissau, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sudan, and Zambia.
Starlink has been commercially available to consumers and enterprise customers since January 2023. Last week, according to a report from Nairametrics, Starlink slashed the price of its internet router by 45%, although its monthly subscription rate remains unchanged. No reason was given, but the report suggests the move may be related to the naira’s recent appreciation against the US dollar and other foreign currencies.
According to figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Starlink had over 11,200 subscribers in the country as of the third quarter of 2023 – which also makes it one of the top ISPs in Nigeria, the report said.
Telecom
FG Plans EO to Criminalise Fiber Cable Damage Costing Telcos Billions
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.
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.”
Telecom
Telegram Eyes 1Bn Users amidst Political Pressures
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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