Telecom
Pantami Inaugurates Governing Boards of NITDA, NIMC, NIPOST
Prof. Isa Patanmi, minister of communications and Digital Economy, has inaugurated 44 members of the governing boards of three parastatals under the ministry.
The parastatals include National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST) and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
“We have inaugurated 44 governing board members, 17 for NIMC with ex-officials members including those appointed by Mr President and others.
“For NITDA, we have 19 including the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer who serves as the secretary and members of the board and NIPOST has 8 members .
”We do hope you will continue to display maturity,”he said.
Pantami said the responsibilities of the newly inaugurated governing board members were to oversight and oversee the activities of the parastatals as well cascade the national policies developed by the supervising ministry.
” You should try your best within the responsibilities that have been assigned to you by the various enabling Acts establishing this parastatals, other government policies and directives that may come up from time to time.
” More than 90 per cent of them appointed today were reappointed as a result of our recommendations, as well as due to their display of maturity in the way and manner they interact with the parastatals,” he said.
Pantami said there had been some complaints from other ministries where board members had misunderstandings with the management, while completely neglecting their responsibilities.
” We must ensure that we should respect constitutional authority in whatever we do. and the boards have no power as regards to awarding contracts and Minister has no power when it comes to awarding contracts as an independent status.
” We are part of the board and the management and we are not part of the the tenders board,” he warned.
“To be fair to all of you. I am so much grateful in the way and manner you try to display maturity of yourself operate within the ambit of the laws and government policies and hope you improve in the second tenure,” Pantami said.
He said the responsibilities of the Boards were already outlined in most of the laws establishing this institutions like NIPOST Acts of 1992, NITDA of 2007 and NIMC of 2007.
Pantami charged the new appointees to be more responsible in the discharge of their duties and would not tolerate any form of insubordination by any of the three parastatals.
“The sector had recorded tremendous achievements in NIMC which was established in 2007.
” We formally took over the supervision in October 2020, the data base we inherited was 32 million, but today it became over 87 million, within two years.
“We increased the database with more than 45 million with more than 45 million,” he said.
The Chairman of governing oard of NIMC, Prof. Usman El-Nafaty, who spoke on behalf of the newly appointed governing members promised to perform their functions optimally. (NAN)
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has dismissed claims of a telecommunications tariff hike allegedly set to take effect in January 2025.
The Commission described the reports as false and unfounded, urging subscribers to disregard the misinformation.
A senior NCC official, emphasised that the regulatory body operates under a transparent framework guided by the Nigerian Communications Act, according to Punch Newspaper.
According to the official, this framework requires stakeholder consultations and strict adherence to due process before any tariff adjustments are approved.
“These rumours are baseless and misleading. The NCC is committed to protecting consumers and ensuring that any potential tariff changes are communicated clearly and transparently,” the official stated.
“Subscribers can rest assured that no tariff increase has been approved,” he added.
The NCC also appealed to journalists and industry stakeholders to verify information before publication, stressing the importance of accurate reporting to avoid unnecessary public panic.
Reiterating its commitment to consumer interests and the stability of the telecommunications industry, the Commission assured Nigerians that updates on tariffs or related matters would always be communicated through official channels.
The Association of Telephone, Cable TV, and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS) also addressed the rumours.
Speaking in Lagos, Mr Sina Bilesanmi, national president, ATCIS, stated that the association sought clarification directly from the NCC on December 24, 2024.
“The NCC confirmed there is no truth to claims of call charges increasing to N15.40 per minute from N11, SMS charges rising to N5.60, or 1GB of data costing N1,400 instead of N1,000.
“Any changes in tariffs, if necessary, will follow due process and involve input from all stakeholders, including ATCIS. There is no cause for alarm,” Bilesanmi said.
Both the NCC and ATCIS emphasised their commitment to consumer protection and urged subscribers to rely on verified information from credible sources.
Telecom
UnoTelos and Niral Networks Forge Strategic Partnership to Revolutionize Connectivity in Africa
UnoTelos, a leading telecommunications innovator in Nigeria, has announced a groundbreaking strategic partnership with Niral Networks, an advanced Private 5G and EDGE AI computing solutions provider from India.
This collaboration marks a significant milestone in addressing connectivity challenges and driving digital transformation across Africa.
Transformative Connectivity Solutions
The partnership between UnoTelos and Niral Networks emerges from a shared vision to overcome critical network infrastructure limitations that have traditionally hindered technological progress in the region. By combining UnoTelos’ deep understanding of the African market with Niral Networks’ cutting-edge NiralOS 5G Core and Edge AI technology, the collaboration aims to deliver secure, low-latency, and scalable connectivity solutions.
“This partnership is more than a technological alliance—it’s about empowerment,” said Jude Egbokwu, Founder & CEO of UnoTelos. “We are not just solving connectivity problems; we’re creating opportunities for businesses to innovate, grow, and compete on a global stage.”
“Our collaboration with UnoTelos represents a pivotal moment in the digital transformation journey across Africa. By integrating Niral Networks’ advanced Private 5G and Edge AI technologies with UnoTelos’ profound system integration capabilities and market insights, we are not just deploying telecom infrastructure—we are engineering ecosystems for innovation. This partnership is strategically designed to address the continent’s most critical connectivity challenges, enabling industries from mining to oil & gas to leapfrog technological barriers and compete on a global scale,” said Abhijit Chaudhary, Founder & CEO of Niral Networks.
Strategic Focus and Initial Deployments
The initial partnership will concentrate on pilot projects across key strategic sectors, including:
- Mining
- Oil and Gas
- Manufacturing
- Shipping & Ports
- Aviation & Airports
- Logistics & Warehousing
The modular design of NiralOS Private 5G and Edge provides the flexibility to customize solutions that meet the unique requirements of each industry, ensuring efficient and targeted deployment.
Technological Innovation and Market Differentiation
By leveraging NiralOS Private 5G and Edge, UnoTelos is positioning itself at the forefront of telecommunications innovation. The partnership enables enterprises in Nigeria to access advanced connectivity solutions that were previously unavailable or prohibitively expensive.
Key technological advantages include:
- Secure and reliable private network infrastructure
- Low-latency communication
- Scalable edge computing capabilities
- Tailored solutions for specific industry needs
Economic and Developmental Impact
The partnership is expected to catalyse digital transformation across multiple sectors. Potential applications include smart factory solutions, enhanced remote operations, and sophisticated IoT-enabled systems that can dramatically improve operational efficiency and competitiveness.
Future Outlook
Looking ahead, UnoTelos and Niral Networks envision expanding their collaboration, with plans to:
- Increase deployment scope
- Develop more advanced connectivity solutions
- Support the development of Private 5G & EDGE infrastructure
- Advance critical sectors like telemedicine and autonomous systems
Since Friday, December 27, 2024, when Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, announced an increase in its monthly subscription prices across Nigeria, effective immediately for new customers and starting January 27, 2025, for existing users, the industry regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), is yet to react officially.
In an email to its subscribers on Friday, the company stated that the price adjustments are necessary to enhance its network infrastructure and maintain the delivery of high-quality internet service across the country.
The new pricing structure is as follows: Standard (Residential) ₦75,000, Mobile – Regional (Roam Unlimited) ₦167,000, and Mobile – Global (Global Roam) ₦717,000.
“These changes reflect our commitment to investing in the infrastructure needed to support and improve your experience with Starlink,” the company said.
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