Telecom
Nokia 1 Arrives in Nigeria
HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has announced that the Nokia 1 is now available to buy from accredited dealers for N27, 000 from 16th April, 2018.
A breakthrough in accessible technology, the Nokia 1 delivers smartphone essentials, refreshingly familiar design and the reassuring quality of a Nokia phone to fans around the world. Running the latest Android Oreo™ (Go edition), a version of Android for devices with 1GB RAM or less, the Nokia 1 delivers extraordinary value with an exceptional experience encompassing all the features you’d expect from a quality smartphone.
On the uniqueness of the Nokia 1, Joseph Umunakwe, General Manager at HMD Global, West, East and Central Africa commented that “There are more than 1.3 billion feature phone users around the world, many from markets in Asia and Africa.
As the value market in feature phones, we understand the barrier and challenges people face when it comes to the step up to a smartphone which is why we’ve made our most accessible smartphone ever.”
“With the Nokia 1, we have combined the reassuring quality and design of a Nokia smartphone with the latest Android OreoTM (Go edition) software to deliver exceptional value and realise our dream of creating a complete smartphone experience, accessible to everyone,” he added.
Quality of Nokia smartphones for everyone
The Nokia 1 is the champion of giving more people access to technology. With the reassuring quality and design expected of a Nokia smartphone, it keeps you connected with all your smartphone essentials and apps.
With a quad-core processor, front and rear cameras, 4G connectivity and dual SIM, the Nokia 1 elevates everything you love about feature phones in an accessible smartphone package.
Combining a removable 2150 mAh battery and power-efficient IPS display, its hardware works with the optimised apps so you can make the most out of each charge.
Tailored to devices with 1GB RAM or less, Android Oreo™ (Go edition) comes with a new range of apps from Google designed to run faster while consuming less data.
Optimised to be smooth and fast, these include Google Go – a web search app, Google Maps™ Go, YouTube™ Go and Google Assistant for Android (Go edition), to quickly send messages, make calls, set alarms and do more, simply by using your voice.
With fewer pre-installed and much lighter apps on Android Oreo™ (Go edition), you get 2x more available storage out of the box compared with Android Nougat.
All Nokia smartphones come with no bloatware, skins, UI changes or unnecessary apps pre-loaded onto your phone, giving you a pure Android experience.
Android Oreo™ (Go edition) offers a smooth and responsive experience, while making sure your device gets the latest security updates and features, including Google Play Protect, which continuously works to keep your device, data and apps safe.
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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