Telecom
ITU to Maximise Global Impact of 5G Rollout
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), that is driving global innovation in ICTs, has formed a new focus group to optimise the ‘testbeds’ for rolling out effective, sustainable fifth-generation (5G) infrastructure and services.
With 5G poised to ramp up digital transformation worldwide, global research communities are joining forces to maximise their collective return on testbed investments.
The new ITU Focus Group on ‘Testbeds federations for IMT-2020 and beyond, will responds to urgent needs to build a technical and business ecosystem for the sustainable development, evolution, and federation of testbeds, which is the physical and virtual laboratories and testing spaces for new and emerging technologies.
Announcing the initiative in a recent statement, Houlin Zhao, ITU secretary-general, said: “The accelerating digital transformation of our economies relies on the combination of increasingly complex technologies in fields from 5G and the Internet of Things to big data, cloud computing and machine learning. This focus group aims to build new partnerships to help test labs making mutually reinforcing contributions to innovation, to everyone’s benefit.”
In Nigeria, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), had on December 13, 2021, auctioned two lots in the 3.5GHz spectrum band to MTN Networks Limited and Mafab Communications Limited, to enable them rollout 5G technology services in Nigeria in 2022.
One week after MTN was announced as one of the winners of the 5G licence, through the 3.5GHz spectrum auction, MTN finalised arrangements to launch its RCS Business Messaging (RBM) Services in partnership with Google and Dotgo.
Available on 3G and 4G networks, RCS is the default messaging standard for 5G networks. As of today, RCS is available globally with over 700 million monthly active users.
Google is a global technology solution provider, while Dotgo is a gupshup company and a leading cloud communications provider of RBM solutions.
RBM uses the rich and interactive features of Rich Communication Services (RCS)—the next generation SMS that allows sharing of audio, video, images, location, and a lot more—to enable branded business messaging.
Addressing the urgent need for broader 5G cooperation, Zhao said accelerating industry automation spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, amplified the urgency to create the international cooperation framework for 5G testbeds.
Open to all interested parties, the focus group aims to build broader knowledge of the specialisations of different testbeds and identify opportunities for mutually beneficial interactions. It will also provide a platform to harmonise specifications for testbed interoperability, fostering and enabling high degrees of quality assurance and security.
Focus Group Chairman, Giulio Maggiore, from ITU member Telecom Italia, said: “Testing certain technologies and associated use cases requires an extensive set of components and resources that few test labs are able to host in isolation, and this is becoming especially apparent as we enter the 5G era.”
Addressing the growing complexity of emerging technologies like like 5G, Maggiore said testbeds that are run by industry and academia, would play an essential part in bringing game-changing digital technology breakthroughs to market.
The focus group is expected to report to ITU’s expert group on standardization for protocols and test specifications, ITU-T Study Group 11.
Its work is intended to build on the new ITU standard Q.4068 specifying open application programming interfaces for interoperable testbed federations, which defines a generic reference model for such federations and describes the foundational elements of this model.
According to Zhao, the first meeting of the focus group would be scheduled to hold online between 4-7 April 2022.
Telecom
Celebrating African Creativity: Made by Africa, Loved by the World’ Returns for Its Fifth Year
The “Made by Africa, Loved by the World” campaign is back for its fifth year, celebrating African creativity and global influence. This year’s theme, “Where Culture Meets Connection,” highlights how social media fosters conversations around cultural moments worldwide.
The campaign features three cinematic films premiering on the Meta Africa page, showcasing the groundbreaking work and personal stories of six dynamic African creatives.
These artists, from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, represent diverse disciplines, including rap, animation, dance, photography, fashion, and videography.
Here are some of the featured talents:
- Ladipoe (Nigeria) – A BET-nominated rapper known for blending global hip-hop with African rhythms.
- Fatboy Animations (Kenya) – An animation studio founded by Michael Muthiga, recognized by Forbes for its original African storytelling.
- Lisa Quama (Ghana) – A dancer who gained fame after appearing in Beyoncé’s “Already” music video.
- Gilbert Asante (Ghana) – A photographer and creative director featured in GQ and Glam Africa.
- David Tlale (South Africa) – A fashion designer whose bold designs have been showcased at major fashion events, including the Met Gala.
- Ofentse Mwase (South Africa) – A filmmaker with over 24 international awards for his unique visual storytelling.
Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Director for Africa, Middle East & Turkey, emphasized that the campaign not only celebrates individual success stories but also showcases how culture and social media drive meaningful connections and inspiration.
Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has raised the alarm over a diesel supply crisis caused by an ongoing strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Mr Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON in a statement said that the fuel supply disruption is critically affecting telecom base stations, pushing them to the brink of a shutdown and threatening millions of mobile and internet users in the region.
“This strike, which stems from the persistent harassment of tanker and petroleum product drivers by police officers in Lagos State, has effectively halted all truck loading operations and fuel movements,” Emoekpere stated.
He explained that diesel supply to telecom infrastructure has been severely impacted, leaving critical sites with dangerously low fuel levels.
According to him, if urgent measures are not taken, the situation could escalate into a full-blown network blackout, disrupting essential services, including mobile and internet access, business operations, emergency response systems, and daily communications.
ATCON has called on the governors of Lagos and Ogun states to intervene immediately by facilitating the release of diesel from depots to telecom operators to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
“This is not just a telecom issue—it is a national emergency that could cripple economic activities and compromise public safety,” Emoekpere stressed.
The association also appealed to security agencies and petroleum unions to resolve the crisis swiftly to safeguard Nigeria’s connectivity and economic stability.
ATCON emphasised that a prolonged disruption in fuel supply to telecom infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for both businesses and individuals who rely on stable communication networks for daily operations.
In 2023, Nigerians spent a total of about ₦5.3 trillion on telecommunications services, which includes calls, data, SMS, and other telecom services, according to the Leadership.
Specifically for voice calls, Nigerians made approximately 408.5 billion minutes of local calls, generating around ₦3.28 trillion from outgoing calls and ₦3.23 trillion from incoming calls, totaling about ₦6.51 trillion in call-related revenue according to projections based on 2023 call volumes and tariff data.
However, the ₦5.3 trillion figure represents the overall telecom sector revenue, with voice calls being a major component but also including data and other services.
For individual spending, MTN subscribers spent an average of ₦2,508 monthly on voice calls in 2023, showing a 14.4% increase from 2022, while Airtel customers spent about ₦1,694 monthly on voice calls.
Total telecom spending (calls, data, SMS, etc.): ₦5.3 trillion in 2023
Estimated revenue from voice calls alone: around ₦6.5 trillion based on call minutes and tariffs
Average monthly spending on calls per subscriber: ₦1,694 to ₦2,508 depending on the network
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