Telecom
MainOne Shares 5 Checklists on Choice of Data Centre
Mainone Company on Monday, reminded information technology managers that a Data Center is not just a data Center hence it shared five (5) considerations before choosing one.
In its quarterly clients and marketing guide tagged, “MainOne WIRED” and for the first quarter 2014, the Company said, to the average IT Manager, data center services may be an undifferentiated commodity: a data center is a data center.
However, what appears to be minor differences between providers can have a major impact on the overall performance of a particular business.
MainOne explained that organizations requiring improved customer experience, 100% uptime for your critical applications or better alignment of IT with their business priorities, cannot afford to leave the critical data in the wrong hands.
Thus, a more rigorous scrutiny of a data center service provider will impact an organisation’s ability to achieve these goals.
MainOne, therefore shared a checklist comprising of five (5) parameters to choosing a data center provider to include:
“Connectivity Solutions
Never think of subscribing to data center services in isolation.
It is better to consider your selection of a data center provider in terms of how your IT infrastructure impacts your business and contributes to the bottom line.
With a Tier III, 600 Rack Space facility, touted as the biggest in West Africa and pending certification by the Uptime Institute, the MainOne Data Center ensures redundancy for all critical data center equipment with no single point of failure guaranteeing 99.982% uptime.
In addition, MainOne offers a one service provider solution for all your communication needs for hosting and connectivity, leveraging its submarine and terrestrial cable infrastructure across West Africa and partnership with Tier 1 infrastructure giants such as Level 3, Tata Communications, among others.
Proximity to Office Requirement
Proximity to your offices is a standard requirement in the search for an outsource data center service provider.
Benefits of this go beyond access for your staff; they include better performance of your IT infrastructure (when sending large data volume) and minimized latency delay, especially for real-time chatty applications.
MainOne’s Data Center is located in Lekki-Ajah, where it is easily accessible but geographically separated from the Central Business Hub of Lagos, Victoria Island/Ikoyi/Lekki axis. MainOne also has Colocation facilities in its Accra offices, and will complete another Tier III Data Center in Shagamu by Q2 2015.
High Availability
Colocation is more than stacking your equipment in a data center and adding a network connection.
Without highly reliable and redundant network connectivity, your IT performance will suffer. You need a provider with a full range of connectivity options to ensure all your locations get the access they need to your colocation environment and can provide networking between all of your company’s locations.
We have proven operation capability of running our facility at 99.99% uptime for 4 years, hosting major institutions in the region.
Our clients are supported by highly trained professional engineers, who are available round the clock to provide remote support, and standard SLAs.
In addition, MainOne operates its network end-to-end, to provide full visibility and integration across the network, allowing you greater control to optimize infrastructure performance. This ensures we deliver integrated network and colocation solutions, which enable a superior IT environment for your applications.
Power & Cooling Options
The importance of Power as a critical data center requirement cannot be understated, so it is necessary to look for a provider that has a 100% uptime SLA for power and redundant power systems.
With its 4x 1.5MVA generators fueled by 3 diesel storage tanks with 35,000 litres capacity in an N+N configuration, public power supply directly from national grid at 33KVA stepped down to 11KVA, power distribution into individual racks at 2.5KW to 5KW each, 30 minutes UPS backup power provider by UPS, and true parallel dual A+B power distribution to each collocated rack, there can be no man-made blackout with MainOne.
Our cooling facility also includes Direct Expansion cooling with 4x618KW chiller system, In-row cooling solutions for racks in excess of 10kW, and a humidity controlled at 50%+/-5%
Security
The compliance of your data center provider to global security is critical to your business solutions.
Unauthorized access to Data Center facilities should be prevented by current physical security technologies, such as Biometric scanners, video monitors, 24/7 armed security.
MainOne deploys in-building and perimeter surveillance systems, Biometric access to all colocation areas with air-lock doors to prevent unauthorized access, and CCTV cameras at all exit points.
As a connectivity supporter of Nigerian e-commerce sites such as Konga and Jumia, we are also working towards meeting PCI security standards”.
Telecommunications services disrupted in Kogi State have resumed following a resolution of the dispute between MTN Nigeria and the state government, the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has said.
Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of ALTON, told TVC News that the issues that led to the shutdown of telecom masts in the state, primarily affecting MTN, had been addressed, paving the way for service restoration.
TVC News earlier reported that businessmen and women were counting their losses as they suffered the impact of a shut down of telecommunication service in Kogi State
Over the past two weeks, telecoms connectivity had been erratic, with competing brands experiencing glitches, particularly in the Lokoja metropolis.
The State government suspended the operations of some telecom services citing unpaid taxes and fibre-related dues.
The shutdown stemmed from a compliance dispute between MTN and the Kogi State Utility Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency, which accused the telecom giant of violating operational rules and under-declaring the extent of its optic fibre network coverage in the state.
The protracted Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) debt misunderstanding between the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and telecommunications operators appears to have been resolved.
This was confirmed by the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, Thursday, March 1, when he appeared on Arise TV to speak on the firm’s first-quarter 2025 result, where the telecommunications company reported over N1 trillion in revenue earnings.
Recall that the USSD debt had been a major issue between the DMBs and telcos and had lasted for about five years.
In the third quarter of 2024, the telcos had threatened to withdraw their service over the lingering debt, which was around N200 billion at the time. This led to the swift intervention of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and an agreement was reached on payment.
As of November 2024, the NCC put the debt at N160 billion. However, earlier this year, when it appeared the banks were not forthcoming with payments, the NCC directed the telcos to withdraw the USSD services from debt-owning DMBs, where about 18 banks were listed.
This directive prompted the banks to look inward and start to comply with an earlier circular signed by the CBN and NCC, which articulated the payment patterns for the debt.
Speaking, on Arise TV this morning, May 1, Toriola confirmed that the matter has been fully resolved and that banks have made payments.
“I can confirm that the matter has been fully resolved. We have received payments in full. Special thanks to the CBN, NCC, the banks, and other stakeholders that intervened in the matter,” the MTN CEO stated.
Sterling Bank, Leading commercial bank and Africa’s most agile company has announced the introduction of AlwaysOn by Sterling, a bold new feature on its OneBank platform that will give eligible customers up to ₦1 million extra every month -even when their account balances are running low.
Launched on Workers’ Day 2025, the initiative is part of an ongoing movement to remove structural barriers to financial freedom and empower everyday Nigerians to move boldly, even in uncertain times.
AlwaysOn is a specialised, invitation-only feature for customers who maintain an active OneBank account for a while. It provides an advance to settle bills or make payments without delays, or any of the friction associated with traditional credit systems.
“This is not just about funds,” said Abubakar Suleiman, Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank. “It’s about freedom and dignity. It’s about backing our customers with the trust and tools to act boldly when life demands it.”
Suleiman emphasised that the new feature is not a product, it’s a logical shift in how the bank supports its customers.
“We’re building a financial ecosystem designed for momentum -for people with grit, urgency, and dreams too big to wait. If you’ve banked with us, you’ve earned our confidence. Now you’ll have our backing to match,” added Suleiman.
The introduction of AlwaysOn marks the next chapter in Sterling’s growing movement to create a fairer and more responsive financial system. It follows the Zero Transfer Fees initiative in April, which returned an estimated ₦13 billion to Nigerians by eliminating transfer charges across the OneBank platform. It also builds on Sterling’s Free Bus Ride initiative, which helped commuters get home from work for free during a time of intense economic pressure.
Together, these efforts reflect the bank’s bold, people-first approach to customer impact, now made possible by its adoption of SeaBaas, Nigeria’s first indigenous core banking platform.
“We’re not the kind of bank that stands on the sidelines while Nigerians hustle,” said Obinna Ukachukwu, Growth Executive for Retail and Consumer Banking. “We removed the fees that slowed them down. Now we’re giving Nigerians the financial freedom to seize opportunity when it shows up. We’re on the pitch with them.”
Sterling’s actions have sparked widespread public support and national recognition as they have continued to push the boundaries of what corporate citizenship can mean to everyday Nigerians.
Notable icons from various fields have canvassed their support and praised the bank’s stance in redefining financial services, inspiring other institutions to follow suit.
Nigerians are encouraged to apply to join the waitlist for the scheme when it goes live in later this month and ultimately, eligibility for up to N1M extra in relief advances.
Court Affirms ARCON’s Power to Regulate Ads on Social Media, Others
Fidelity Bank’s Gross Earnings Hit N315Bn
SEC Uncovers Tofro, another Suspected Ponzi Scheme
Zoho Suspends $700m Chipmaking Plan
Telecoms Services Resume in Kogi State as Telcos, Govt Resolve Dispute
E-Financial2 days agoCBN Slams ₦250m Fine on Paystack Over Zap Wallet Operations
E-Business3 days agoCAC to Prosecute Business Owners Operating Without Registration
General News2 days agoNITDA Inaugurates Start-up Consultative Forum
Telecom3 days agoEmerging Technologies, Cybersecurity, Others Form Key Focus of NCA 2003 Review
E-Financial3 days agoPanic as Hackers Allegedly Steal N9.3Bn Customers’ Fund from Union Bank
General News3 days agoUK’s Manufacturing Africa and TLG Capital Join Forces to Boost Nigerian Manufacturing
Telecom3 days agoMTN Nigeria Reports N1 Trillion Revenue
Telecom2 days agoGBB Reaffirms Commitment to Driving Public Sector Innovation @ the 5th Public Service Innovation Competition Awards