Telecom
STM-1 Demand Rises by 500%
The demand for Synchronous Transport Module level-1 (STM-1) by telcos, internet service providers, and banks among others is up by 500 per cent over the past three years driven by the various undersea cable projects, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek can now reveal.
The STM-1 is the SDH ITU-T fiber optic network transmission standard. It has a bit rate of 155.52 Mbit/s. Higher levels go up by a factor of 4 at a time: the other currently supported levels are STM-4, STM-16, STM-64 and STM-256. Beyond this we have wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) commonly used in submarine cabling.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek investigations revealed that the demand for this ingredient for data services that comes from undersea cable infrastructure stood at 30 in 2010, but by 2013 the demand has gone up to 150 representing a 500 per cent increase.
It was gathered that internet service providers’ demand stood at 40 STM-1 while the balance of 110 STM-1 are demanded by telecommunications operators, and financial institutions.
Anurag Garg, managing director, Direct On PC, said that the increase in the demand of STM-1 by both telcos and ISPs is as a result of its availability in country through the landing and commercial rollout of MainOne cable, Glo 1 and WACS.
He added that the cost of one megabyte of bandwidth last three years was between $3,000 to $4,000 and that today the cost has drop to as low as $300.
He explained that telcos demand for bandwidth is high because they also use it for voice transmission.
Mohammed Rudman, managing director, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, said one STM-1 channel is equivalent to 155 megabyte of bandwidth which means that the 150 STM-1 on demand is equivalent to 23,250 of bandwidth that is demanded by data and video subscribers in the country.
He noted that this volume is small compared to enormous bandwidth that the four undersea cable infrastructure bring to the shores of the country.
In spite of the increase in the demand of bandwidth by both internet service providers and telcos, internet services are still at snail speed especially data services from telcos.
Rudman attributed this to transmission of data and voice on one network, he explained that transmitting voice and data on the same network will affect the speed and reliability of data especially when voice calls are at its pick.
He noted that this will soon change as some telecom operators such as MTN have started building different networks for data to ensure that their data and voice subscribers are not faced with congestion.
The number of internet users in the country has also increase astronomically over the last three year, according to World Internet Users and Population Stats, in 2010 Nigerian internet users were 11million but last year the number has risen to 48.3million. this account for the rise in the demand for STM-1 for operators.
Telecom
Telcos Record N27Bn Loss from Damaged Fibre Cables
Repairs and revenue losses from damaged cables are estimated to have cost Nigeria’s telecom industry almost N27bn ($23m) in 2023, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg.
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 in 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 N11bn —enough to build 870 kilometers of new fiber lines in areas without coverage.
Broadband fibre optic cables form the backbone of modern communication infrastructure, enabling the high-speed data transmission that underpins a wide range of personal, business, and societal activities.
On several occasions, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the industry regulator, has acknowledged this challenge and expressed willingness to work on measures to address it.
These measures include stricter regulations to deter vandalism and improved collaboration between telcos and government agencies responsible for construction activities.
According to the NCC, the telecom sector will make up more than a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product by the end of 2027, up from 13.5 per cent in the third quarter of last year.
Telecom
NCAIR Relaunch: Pantami, Tijani Fight for Credit
Isa Pantami, former minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has voiced his discontent over the relaunch of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) by Bosun Tijani, his successor.
Tijani announced the revitalization of NCAIR, highlighting enhancements in its capacity and partnerships with global tech firm Cisco.
However, Pantami took to social media to assert that NCAIR was already established during his tenure in November 2020, dubbing it “the first of its kind in Africa” and emphasizing its effectiveness in training numerous Nigerians.
Tijani responded by detailing the new initiatives accompanying the relaunch, including increased computing infrastructure, dedicated research labs, and remote connectivity for AI hubs across the country. He also unveiled outcomes from the Ministry’s National AI Workshop, such as the country’s first Multilingual Large Language Model and partnerships aimed at accelerating AI development projects of national significance.
The exchange between Pantami and Tijani underscores ongoing efforts to advance AI research and application in Nigeria while navigating questions of continuity and leadership transition within the Ministry.
Telecom
ABoICT Lecture 2024 to Focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) In A Digital Economy
This year’s Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership lecture will focus on the role of artificial intelligence in a digital economy with the theme: “Artificial Intelligence (AI): The Good, The Complex and The Anticipated”.
The lecture which will herald Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Awards hold on May 25, 2024 at Four Points by Sheraton.
The sixteenth edition of the award ceremony according Ken Nwogbo, editor-in-chief of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek the organizers of the event, “is a special edition to recognize and celebrate organizations and individuals in the ICT industry that have been distinguished in delivery innovative services in the sector.
“Most of these organizations and individuals have consistently being voted by our readers as leaders in their areas of operations and we have decided to reward them in this especial edition”.
He added that, AI is considered to have the potential to instigate a fourth industrial revolution,1 and is dramatically changing people’s patterns of interaction and economic activities.
“The traditional factors of production and physical capital and labour may no longer promote substantial economic growth. It is generally believed that AI will be one of the most important factors determining future economic growth.
“However, unlike traditional machines, which replaced the use of human and animal labor for simple manual work and heavy or dangerous activities, AI-related inputs may change the type of human work in a comprehensive way.
“In contrast to previous industrial revolutions, AI does not simply involve the invention of a new machine or technology. Instead, AI has similarities to the accumulation of human capital, as it can learn and accumulate knowledge by itself,” he said.
The Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Distinguished Lecture is designed to explore efforts to put Nigeria on the global Information and Communications Technologies map.
The lecture series however is reserved for distinguished achievers in the ICT sector.
Past lecturers included Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, then executive vice chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); Engr. Yomi Bolarinwa, former Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC); Dr. Jean Luc Fort, CEO at OR System France and a specialist in Counterparty Risk; and Professor Chris Nwagboso, Chairman, Knowledge Factory International, United Kingdom.
Others are: Uche Orji, managing director/chief executive officer, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA); Biodu Omoniyi, Managing Director/CEO, VDT Communications; Ayotunde Coker, Managing Director, Rack Centre Limited; Peter Adedayo Arogundade, managing director and chief executive officer, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited; Dr. Adewale Obadare, chief visionary officer, Digital Encode and John Obaro, CEO and founder of Systemspecs; Prof. Isa Pantanmi, minister of Communications and Digital Economy; among others.
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