Telecom
NITDA, GLO, Access Bank Others to Light Up NITRA ICT Growth Conference 2.0
The Second Edition of the Nigeria Information Telecommunications Reporters Association (NITRA) ICT Growth conference has continued to gather momentum, as more stakeholders’ companies indicate interest to actively participate in the event.
Added to the NITRA ICT Growth Conference 2.0 partners’ list are the nation’s Information Technology (IT) regulator, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Nigerian multinational commercial bank, Access Bank; indigenous and one of the largest carrier-neutral data center in West Africa, Medallion Data Centre; wholly indigenous, customer-focused telecommunication company, Globacom Nigeria Limited; and a leading West African data center and connectivity solutions provider, with presence in Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, MainOne, an Equinix Company.
Technology guru, Mr. Chris Uwaje has also been confirmed to chair the conference while the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Pantami has been confirmed as the lead speaker.
Themed “Creating A Digital Ecosystem In Nigeria: The Hurdles, The Gains”, the event is scheduled to hold at the Lagos Oriental Hotels on Thursday, September 29, 2022.
NITRA ICT Growth Conference is an event organized by Nigeria Information Telecommunications Reporters Association (NITRA) to discuss insightful topics in the various ICT subsectors.
Known as the Oracle of Nigeria’s IT industry, Uwaje is acclaimed as the pioneer of the National Information Technology Policy for Nigeria and also a founding member of the Africa Emergency Technology Response Forum. (AETRF). Uwaje was recently appointed Africa Chair for IEEE-World Forum on IoT. He is the founder and Chairman of Mobile Software Solutions as well as Connect Technologies Limited.
Commenting on the event, Chairman of NITRA, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi explained that the conference is germane to the present realities in Nigeria as both the industry regulators and the supervisory Ministry are working assiduously to set Nigeria on the apex list of digitally empowered countries, and make it a forerunner in global technology index.
Onwuegbuchi noted that the partnership with these organisations will add pep to the event as they will bring their wealth of knowledge in Cloud Computing, financial security, Social engineering, Data Center, telecommunication, and other relevant fields to the conference, and join the dialogue on the growth ingredients needed to drive the country towards a digitized society.
MTN Nigeria Communications PLC has announced that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved the renewal of the spectrum lease agreement between MTN Nigeria and Natcom Development and Investment Limited (NTEL).
Uto Ukpanah, Company Secretary in a statement released recently said that the agreement covers the lease of NTEL’s 5MHz frequency division duplex (FDD) in the 900MHz spectrum band and 10MHz FDD in the 1800MHz spectrum band, which spans 19 states.
The renewal is for another two-year period, effective 1 May 2025. Additionally, the NCC has approved a one-year lease expansion of the spectrums, covering the remaining 17 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), effective 1 January 2025.
Commenting on the transactions, MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola said, “We are pleased with the renewal of the spectrum lease agreement with NTEL, which now includes coverage for all states, including the FCT.
“The lease enables us to enhance our 3G and 4G user experience as we improve coverage and capacity by utilising the spectrums.
“This positions us to capitalise on the growing demand for data and improve the delivery of services to our customers.”
Nigeria’s technology company, Globacom, has extended warm felicitations to Nigerians on the occasion of the 2024 Christmas celebrations.
In a goodwill message released in Lagos, Globacom urged Nigerians to embrace the spirit of love and kindness during the festive season, especially in the face of prevailing economic challenges.
The company emphasized the importance of practicing the teachings of Jesus Christ, particularly the virtues of obedience to God and loving one’s neighbor as well.
“Christ taught many virtues including obedience to God and loving one’s neighbour as oneself”, the company said, adding, “Now is the apt time to practise these teachings by sharing with the needy”.
Globacom also encouraged Nigerians to extend the conviviality of Christmas beyond the festive season by fostering love, peace, and harmony, as demonstrated by God through the birth of Jesus Christ.
Assuring its customers of uninterrupted services throughout the Yuletide period and beyond, Globacom urged them to take advantage of its innovative products and services to stay connected and share the memories of the season with loved ones.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have ordered Deposit Money Banks and Mobile Network Operators to settle the long-standing N250bn USSD debt dispute before January 2, 2025.
The CBN and NCC also directed banks to pay the pre-Application Programming Interfaces (API) debt before July 2, 2025.
They also ordered that post-API debts be settled before December 31, 2024.
The directive was issued in a joint cirular titled, “2nd Joint Circular of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission on the Resolution of the USSD Debt Issue Between Deposit Money Banks and Mobile Network Operators.”
The circular dated December 20, 2024, was signed by Oladimeji Taiwo, acting director of the Payments System Management Department, CBN, and Chizua Whyte, head of Legal and Regulatory Services, NCC.
The regulators said, “In view of the foregoing, the CBN and the NCC hereby direct DMBs and MNOs as follows: 1. That 60 per cent of all pre-API invoices must be paid as full and final settlement.
“Payment plans (lump sum or installments) must be agreed upon between a concerned DMB and MNO by January 2, 2025. Installments must be based on equal monthly payments, with full payment due by July 2, 2025.
“DMBs must pay 85 per cent of all outstanding invoices issued after the implementation of APIs (i.e., February 2022) by December 31, 2024.
“Similarly, 85 per cent of future invoices must be liquidated within one month of service.”
According to the regulators, the transition to end-user billing will be activated only for DMBs and MNOs that comply with the payment conditions cobtained in the circular.
CBN and the NCC said they would provide further guidance on public enlightenment initiatives related to the transition.
The regulators also directed MNOs to implement the “10-seconds rule” for USSD invoicing.
This implies that any session lasting less than ten seconds will not be billable.
The regulators added, “Failure to comply with the terms outlined in this directive will attract necessary sanctions, ensuring that both DMBs and MNOs uphold their obligations.”
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