Telecom
IHS Mixes Business with Charity
Promoters of Infrastructure Hi-tech Services Nigeria Limited (IHS), a leading telecommunications infrastructure provider believe that time has come for the company to go higher in its areas of competence as competition in the industry calls for a redefinition of the business
Alhaji Bashir el- Rufai, chairman of the company said that quality of service is a common issue of discussion for both subscribers and operators. He therefore informed that IHS had to redefine its business model in agreement with the market demand.
El- Rufai believes that if his company provides co-location that it will assist the operators to cut cost when they share the same infrastructure. In line
with this, he urged operators to concentrate on providing good quality service to subscribers and not saddle themselves with the provision of infrastructure which is outside their area of core competence.
He said that operators will benefit from co-location in such areas as reduced acquisition complications, logistics headaches, reduce OPEX and CAPEX and make operators focus on their core businesses.
The telecoms network infrastructure provider established in 2001 has its headquarters in Lekki Phase 1 with about 250 Nigerians working in the establishment. It also has its operations in the six geopolitical zones of the country and specializes in supply, implementation, and alternative power systems among others.
The company, a member of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as a registered member of the Nigerian Investment Council has a strategic relationship with MTN, Motorola, Celtel, Nitel, Nokia Siemens Huawei Technologies, and Alcatel among several others.
El- Rufai said that the company is growing with the high growth of the Nigerian telecoms industry and intimated journalists that the company which started from the humble beginning of 30 workers in 2001 can now boast of 250 in 2008 and has leapfrogged from the annual turnover of N300 millionn to N7.5 billion as of date.
In the area of social responsibility, IHS has also shown much determination to shore up its corporate integrity by imbibing the act of giving . Recently, the company donated a Toyota 18-seater bus to members of Erinile Community, Kwara State living in Lagos in response to the demand made by the community for the company to assist them in that regard.
Kunle Sanusi, national president of Erinile Community and chairman of Cosmic Insurance Brokers while receiving the key to the bus said to have been bought N3.9 million from Engr. William Saad, managing director of HIS, thanked the company for the
magnanimity and said the essence of life is to make another person to be happy and emphasized that if everybody thinks of helping one another that there will be less problem in the country. He prayed God to continue to support the company even as he asked the company not to forget the community when the need arises in the future for them to make more requests.
Information also revealed that the company is also touching lives in several other donations made by it to other groups and bodies.
IHS Mixes Business with Charity
By godwin okafor
Promoters of Infrastructure Hi-tech Services Nigeria Limited (IHS), a leading telecommunications infrastructure provider believe that time has come for the company to go higher in its areas of competence as competition in the industry calls for a redefinition of the business
Alhaji Bashir el- Rufai, chairman of the company said that quality of service is a common issue of discussion for both subscribers and operators. He therefore informed that IHS had to redefine its business model in agreement with the market demand.
El- Rufai believes that if his company provides co-location that it will assist the operators to cut cost when they share the same infrastructure. In line
with this, he urged operators to concentrate on providing good quality service to subscribers and not saddle themselves with the provision of infrastructure which is outside their area of core competence.
He said that operators will benefit from co-location in such areas as reduced acquisition complications, logistics headaches, reduce OPEX and CAPEX and make operators focus on their core businesses.
The telecoms network infrastructure provider established in 2001 has its headquarters in Lekki Phase 1 with about 250 Nigerians working in the establishment. It also has its operations in the six geopolitical zones of the country and specializes in supply, implementation, and alternative power systems among others.
The company, a member of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as a registered member of the Nigerian Investment Council has a strategic relationship with MTN, Motorola, Celtel, Nitel, Nokia Siemens Huawei Technologies, and Alcatel among several others.
El- Rufai said that the company is growing with the high growth of the Nigerian telecoms industry and intimated journalists that the company which started from the humble beginning of 30 workers in 2001 can now boast of 250 in 2008 and has leapfrogged from the annual turnover of N300 millionn to N7.5 billion as of date.
In the area of social responsibility, IHS has also shown much determination to shore up its corporate integrity by imbibing the act of giving . Recently, the company donated a Toyota 18-seater bus to members of Erinile Community, Kwara State living in Lagos in response to the demand made by the community for the company to assist them in that regard.
Kunle Sanusi, national president of Erinile Community and chairman of Cosmic Insurance Brokers while receiving the key to the bus said to have been bought N3.9 million from Engr. William Saad, managing director of HIS, thanked the company for the
magnanimity and said the essence of life is to make another person to be happy and emphasized that if everybody thinks of helping one another that there will be less problem in the country. He prayed God to continue to support the company even as he asked the company not to forget the community when the need arises in the future for them to make more requests.
Information also revealed that the company is also touching lives in several other donations made by it to other groups and bodies.
MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has joined other professionals across media, technology, and business gathered in Lagos for the Swish Fusion Tech and Media Summit.
Themed ‘Africa: Big Wins & New Breaks’, the summit drew thousands of attendees and featured more than 40 speakers exploring the intersection of innovation, regulation, and economic growth across the continent.
Among the sessions, MTN Nigeria presented a detailed look at the company’s ongoing 5G deployment efforts and its role in shaping enterprise infrastructure.
Njideka Jack, senior manager for Partnerships in MTN’s Enterprise Business Division, shared details of the investments, reiterating the company’s commitment to delivering high-quality 5G-powered services.
The company’s 5G rollout timeline began in 2022 with license acquisition from the Nigerian Communications Commission. In 2023, MTN moved into pilot testing and infrastructure investment.
By 2024, coverage had expanded to key cities and business hubs.
The company now plans to extend access to more underserved areas throughout 2025 while deepening collaboration with OEMs and regulators.
Beyond the rollout itself, Jack also spoke on the potential of private 5G networks for Nigerian enterprises.
With the ability to offer secure, high-speed, low-latency connectivity, these networks are increasingly being adopted in manufacturing, healthcare, education, and logistics sectors.
The summit’s broader agenda reflected a similar sense of urgency around Africa’s digital future.
Panels and breakout sessions tackled topics ranging from mobile-first product design and regulatory frameworks to the rise of AI in content creation and the realities of funding early-stage tech ventures on the continent.
Speakers from companies like Jumia, Stears and local startups provided perspectives on both the barriers and breakthroughs in building scalable African solutions.
The sessions also sparked conversations about how African businesses are adapting to consumer behaviour shifts and infrastructure limitations.
Pan African Towers (PAT), a Nigerian infrastructure provider serving 9mobile and Spectranet, has appointed Echezona Osi as chief executive officer.
Echezona Osi
Adefolarin Ogunsanya, company’s, board chairman, explained in a statement that Osi would succeed Oladipo Badru, whose tenure lasted nine months in acting CEO position. Osi has more than 28 years of experience in the telecommunications sector across various regions of Africa.
Prior to his appointment as CEO, he had served as the head of network deployment at Airtel Nigeria, operations director and chief technical information officer at MIC Tanzania, chief technology officer roles at IPT PowerTech Nigeria, Rhino Niger Networks and Biswal Nigeria.
He obtained a degree in electrical/ electronic engineering from the University of Benin and a postgraduate diploma in data science and business analytics from the University of Texas.
Companies sending bulk international text messages, also known as Application-to-Person (A2P) messages, will now have apply for a licence that costs N10 million.
This is part of new rules introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) aimed at cleaning up the system, fighting fraud, blocking spam messages and stopping money from leaving the country unchecked.
These A2P messages are the kind customers get from banks, online stores, hospitals and political campaigns, automated texts sent from apps to their phones.
According to the commission, the bulk international text message system has been poorly regulated, allowing misuse and invasion of privacy.
“The International SMS Service Ecosystem in Nigeria has not been fully brought under regulatory control. It has been observed that the excessive use of the Short Message Service has led to fraud, spam and illegal activities,” the NCC said.
The regulator warned that without action, the problem would worsen as more people use mobile phones and digital services.
To solve this, the NCC is creating a central platform, or gateway, through which all international bulk text messages must pass through.
The agency said this would help to monitor messages in real time, ensure proper fees are paid, and make sure the money stays in Nigeria where it can contribute to the economy.
As part of the incoming change, service providers must follow strict rules, including strong data protection, spam filters, and message encryption.
Also, they must also work with local mobile networks and make sure all messages come from a verified sender
The NCC warned that any message without a proper sender ID will be blocked and not delivered to users.
To protect users from unwanted texts, the new rules say companies must get clear permission before sending any promotional content.
The rule also says people must also be able to choose whether they want to receive such messages or not.
Companies are now required to keep records of all messages for at least six months and must clearly state all charges involved.
The NCC said fees for help requests, cancellations, or service info must be transparent and not include hidden charges.
The commission will issue licences to several providers to encourage healthy competition but may limit new licences if needed.
Only companies that show they can stop fraud and safely deliver messages will be allowed to operate. They must also regularly report their message traffic and finances to the NCC.
It warned that any company that breaks the rules risks getting fined, suspended, or having its licence revoked.
Offences like charging illegal tariffs, ignoring security rules, or avoiding taxes will be punished, the NCC said.
The commission added that the new rules follow the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023 and support the federal government’s goal of strengthening cybersecurity and controlling Nigeria’s digital space.
The framework will also be reviewed from time to time to keep up with new technology and market trends.
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