Telecom
Zoho, Digital Encode, Layer3, Rack Centre, Others Among AfriTECH2021 Award Winners
Africa Tech Alliance Forum (AfriTECH) organisers have recognized outstanding organizations for driving creative, innovative solutions and products to enhance Africa’s digital economy.
L-r: Dr. Ayotunde Coker, managing director, Rack Centre presenting the AfriTECH Award to Mr. Remi Adejumo, CEO Cloudflex Computing Service Limited
The eight (8) award winners across different categories were honoured at Africa Tech Alliance Forum 2021 (AfriTECH2021), held in Lagos.
The hybrid Forum provided opportunity for inter-sectorial cross-fertilization of ideas on economic impacts of COVID-19 on digital transformation on Businesses and way forward with critical look at Boosting digital infrastructure for Cloud Hosting; Digital tools for education & reskilling African youth; CyberSecurity: Pushing for Privacy & Data Protection; and Harnessing Blockchain Technology for Digital Economy Growth.
The 2021 winners of AfriTECH Awards are:
1. Hybrid Cloud Services Achiever Award – Galaxy Backbone Limited
2. Most Efficient Data Centre of the Year -Rack Centre
3. Data Protection Compliance Organisation of the Year – Digital Encode Limited
4. Business Intelligence (BI) Software Company of the Year – Zoho Corporation
5. Cloud Innovator of the Year – Layer3
6. Best Cloud Infrastructure Company of the Year – Cloudflex Computing Services Ltd
7. Digital Transformation Project Award – Notion Technology Limited
8. ICT Infrastructure Provider (Data Centre) of the Year – Medallion
9. Africa Tech Alliance Forum Convener’s Award – Olatomiwa Williams
1. Hybrid Cloud Services Achiever Award presented to Galaxy Backbone Limited.
Galaxy Backbone Limited is an ICT services provider; wholly owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria and has the official mandate to build and operate a single nation-wide IT infrastructure platform to provide network services to all Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Galaxy Backbone Limited drives national development through the provision of a pervasive ICT infrastructure and services to public institutions and under-served communities.
2. Rack Centre – Most Efficient Data Centre of the Year.
Founded in 2012, Rack Centre is the only carrier neutral Tier III Constructed Facility Certified data centre in Africa and focuses solely on providing best in class data centre colocation services and unrestricted interconnect between carriers and customers.
This gives customers a technically superior, physically more secure and lower cost environment for their information systems.
Rack Centre’s carrier neutrality allows customers to manage traffic to get better value, lower latency and higher resilience, and creates an open market for partnerships between customers, networks, cloud and content providers, the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria and managed service providers.
Rack Centre clients include 40 telecommunication carriers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), global Tier 1 networks and pan Africa international carriers, including direct connection to all 5 undersea cables serving the South Atlantic Coast of Africa and every country on the Atlantic coast of Africa.
3. Digital Encode Limited – Data Protection Compliance Organisation of the Year
Digital Encode is a leading consulting and integration firm founded in 2003 that specializes in the design, management, and security of business-critical networks, telecommunications environments and other Information Technology (IT) infrastructures.
Digital Encode is one of the few companies certified by the Nigerian government through the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) as Data Protection Compliance Organisation (DPCO).
Recognized in the industry for its vendor independent perspective the firm’s expertise lies in solving multifaceted, complex enterprise network security and audit problems.
At Digital Encode, technology serves two purposes: to save money and solve a problem.
Digital Encode also provides advisory services toward improvements in Information Security Management, Network Security, Vulnerability Management, Penetration Testing, Computer Forensics, Risk Management and Business Continuity Management.
Digital Encode unique methodology is rooted in the concept that a company should run its IT organization as a business.
Throughout the well-defined process, Digital Encode translates strategic business objectives into sound, achievable technology solutions.
This approach ensures that the technology never obscures the business goals.
4. Zoho Corporation – Business Intelligence (BI) Software Company of the Year
Zoho is popular project management and #CRM software that needs no introduction.
Be it multi-channel communication, taking care of multiple tasks, CRM insights – Zoho offers a host of features that can easily cater to the needs of large as well as small enterprises.
With 50+ apps in nearly every major business category, including sales, marketing, customer support, accounting and back-office operations, and an array of productivity and collaboration tools, Zoho Corporation is one of the world’s most prolific software companies.
Zoho is privately held and profitable with more than 9,000 employees. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with international headquarters in Chennai, India. Additional offices are in the United States, India, Japan, China, Singapore, Mexico, Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates.
Zoho respects user privacy and does not have an ad-revenue model in any part of its business, including its free products.
More than 60 million users around the world, across hundreds of thousands of companies, rely on Zoho every day to run their businesses, including Zoho itself.
5. Layer3 – Cloud Innovator of the Year
The team at Layer3 aims to remain at the forefront of the clients’ business transformation ambitions. Combining knowledge of world-class technology solutions in addition to their partnership with some of the global technology providers, Layer3 delivers exceptional value for the clients.
The solutions cut across all sectors and include the innovation of the data center, software, server & storage systems, mobile device management, security & network infrastructure solutions and access solutions including broadband and VPN services.
The success of Layer3’s customers is always paramount in the minds and the culture drives them to work closely with the clients to truly understand the business and ICT needs.
The Company continuously builds strategic partnerships with global technology leaders that enable them to deploy solutions that minimize risks, maximize flexibility and optimize the use of capital with results that exceed our customers’ expectations.
Layer3 runs a 24/7 network management and support center that allows the team to provide round the clock remote monitoring and support services for the customers’ IT and network infrastructure as well as the expansive metro fiber network infrastructure guaranteeing optimal performance and quick fault resolutions.
Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Nigeria, Layer3’s services are available in several African countries and they have a large pool of some of the most technically certified and experienced experts within the region.
6. Cloudflex Computing Services Ltd – Best Cloud Infrastructure Company of the Year
CloudFlex Computing Limited is Nigeria’s leading Enterprise local cloud service Provider. We are the first choice of Cloud Solutions and managed data services for local and Global businesses with great ambitions.
Cloudflex offers Information Technology as a service (Cloud services, Co-location, Managed solutions, Backup services, Disaster Recovery etc.), and support for diverse infrastructure needs by providing Industry-specific Solutions.
The Company is based on the principle of developing and delivering top of the line Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) solutions to meet the needs of the existing and prospective clients.
7. Notion Technology Limited – Digital Transformation Project Award
If you are looking for perfect IT services for your business, YOU JUST FOUND Notion Technologies; the representative of American #1 technology company – Comway and Hsv Products in Nigeria.
The company’s vision is simply put as: “To be the one-stop enterprise for resolving information and telecommunication technology connections problems through intelligent, consistent, innovative, high-skill technical efforts bringing about products and services that ensure customers satisfaction and joy”.
Their beliefs are in the capabilities, experience and the passion for rendering intelligent technological solutions in the ICT Sector in Nigeria and beyond indeed necessitate the birth and continuous existence of NTL.
Notion Technology is piloted by an experienced and very intelligent technical team of proven skills, capabilities and par excellence technological designs for the ICT/Telecom Industry in Nigeria.
The ensure services rendered are finished to the highest quality. Notion Technology offers Designing, Procuring, Installation and Maintenance of very precise and Reliable Fibre Optic Technology, Networking (Wireless or Fixed), VSAT Technology, Private Automatic Branch Exchange (PABX) Communication System, Security Systems that include CCTV, IP Surveillance Camera, Access Control, Intruder alert etc, Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and sales of relevant and related equipment.
To simply put it, NTL makes intelligent and innovative connections and interactions possible for businesses.
Using the best technology available, Notion Technologies integrate voice, data and video applications into specialized solutions designed for our clients’ usage that ensure a seamless communication experience within and outside their organizations keeping them happy, satisfied and thrilled.
8. Medallion – ICT Infrastructure Provider (Data Centre) of the Year
Interconnection is the linking of the networks of two or more service providers thus enabling the subscribers on one network to access the subscribers of the other networks.
In a multi-operator environment, seamless interconnection is the most important factor that could affect the growth of the industry.
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) estimates that in most telecom environments, at least 60% of all traffic is interconnected.
Medallion Communications Incorporated – (MCL) is the product of structured collaboration between technocrats with versatile exposures and competences in the telecommunication industry.
The company was founded with the vision of bridging the digital divide between the developing and the developed economies of the world.
Olatomiwa Williams, the country manager, Microsoft Nigeria received Africa Tech Alliance Forum Convener’s Award. Ola presented the keynote address at this year’s award.
He said that the AfriTECH Award was instituted as part of AfriTECH Forum to celebrate organisations making an impact on the African economy.
Commenting on the awards and recognition, Peter Oluka, the Editor, TechEconomy.ng congratulated the winners for their high performances in the respective areas of focus which if weaved together form a web of innovations for economic and business developments and growth.
He said that the AfriTECH Award was instituted as part of the AfriTECH Forum to celebrate organisations making an impact on the African economy.
“The maiden AfriTECH Awards 2021 applauds the amazing work of the organisations across private and public sectors.
“Congratulations to all the winners. It is amazing to hear and feel the so many amazing innovations these companies project despite the novel pandemic that ravaged the global economy in the year 2019; the impacts are still there. We at TechEconomy.ng as AfriTECH Forum organisers are very proud of your innovations”. Oluka said.
Vitel Wireless, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), which recently made history as the first operator in Nigeria to be allocated a mobile number series by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is set to launch operations this quarter.
This is sequel to announcement by Wireless Technology Labs (WTL) that t has built the network of Vitel Wireless, and enabled overseas roaming, in preparation for Vitel’s launch.
Vitel Wireless, which is headquartered in Lagos, was licensed by the NCC in 2023 and will be the country’s first MVNO.
Its launch is set to shake up Nigeria’s telecoms market with Vitel offering an alternative to the services of the country’s four major operators—MTN, Airtel, Globacom and 9Mobile.
Vitel’s network will go live in Nigeria’s major cities first and then expand nationwide.
Pricing will be competitive for basic services like voice, SMS and data and Vitel will also focus on value added services like location-based services (LBS) and IOT.
Vitel Wireless is building Experience Centres in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kano and Nigeria’s other major cities where customers can purchase SIM cards.
In addition, Vitel is building a distributor network with SIM cards available through retail channels and online subscriptions using eSIMs.
WTL has already completed the integration of Vitel’s infrastructure with the network of a major MNO and has also enabled international roaming using its proprietary advanced core systems.
This means that Vitel will be able to launch as soon as the NCC approves its network and operational model.
Kenneth Nwabueze, CEO of Vitel Wireless, said “We are going to be offering innovative solutions beyond what the big four operators who have dominated Nigeria’s telecoms market are currently offering. We are investing heavily in our operations, and our work with WTL will enable us to launch in Q2, 2025”.
WTL, which is headquartered in Belgium, has been active in Nigeria and across Africa for more than 20 years working with operators of all sizes to rollout both urban and rural networks. Its work has garnered widespread recognition and industry awards.
WTL has already enabled the networks of two of the 46 new MVNOs licensed by the NCC, and recently announced that it is working with Nigeria’s first Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) which is constructing new mobile network infrastructure to provide capacity for emerging MVNOs through its Platform as a Service (PaaS) model.
Mr. Satya Mekala, CEO of WTL, said, “I congratulate The NCC for licensing new operators to improve competitiveness, increase rural coverage and drive the adoption of digital services including Fintech, Edtech, Agriculture, IOT and more. I further thank Vitel for giving us the opportunity to showcase our advanced core technologies and wish them great success in becoming the first ever MVNO in Nigeria”.
ipNX, Nigeria’s leading information and communications technology company and connectivity provider is collaborating with the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) to explore opportunities for further growth and development policy alignment in support of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s broadband penetration and digital transformation agenda.
The company recently visited NCC at it Abuja office to strengthen the collaborative relationship between both institutions.
The delegation from ipNX, which was led by Ejovi Aror, group managing director, was received by Dr Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman/chief executive officer, Nigeria Communications Commission.
During the visit, the discussions focused on the current state of internet access in Nigeria, the myriad of challenges being faced by service providers, including but not limited to vandalism of key infrastructure and right of way, as well as the regulatory landscape.
The engagement highlighted the shared vision of both institutions to bridge the digital divide and empower Nigerians through reliable and affordable internet connectivity.
As a leading player in Nigeria’s ICT sector, ipNX reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the realisation of the National Broadband Plan, which aims to achieve 70% broadband penetration this year.
With over two decades of pioneering innovation within the sector, the company has consistently demonstrated resilience across different economic cycles without compromising quality of service and affordable pricing.
Commenting on the visit, Aror, stated, “Our engagement with the Nigeria Communications Commission is a positive step towards shaping the future of telecommunications in Nigeria. At ipNX, we believe that active collaboration with regulators and other key stakeholders is critical to achieving the development targets outlined in the National Broadband Plan. We are proud to continue playing a pivotal role to drive broadband penetration and ensure that every Nigerian, irrespective of their location, has access to the transformative power of the internet.”
The meeting also emphasised the importance of policy alignment and regulatory frameworks that enable innovation, investment, and sustainable growth in the telecommunications sector.
As Nigeria continues to make strides in its digital transformation journey, ipNX stands ready to leverage its expertise, infrastructure, and partnerships to support the realisation of the government’s broadband penetration objectives.
The company remains dedicated to empowering individuals, businesses, and communities through cutting-edge technology and unparalleled connectivity solutions.
Truecaller, the popular caller identity app, announced that it surpassed 450 million users earlier this week, expanding it’s global reach.
The company added 50 million users in the past 10 months, including 15.5 million since the beginning of 2025.
Leadership Changes and Market Expansion
India remains Truecaller’s largest market, a factor reflected in the company’s recent leadership decision.
Following the decision of its co-founders to step back from daily operations last year, Truecaller appointed Rishit Jhunjhunwala, previously the Chief Product Officer and MD of India operations, as the new CEO.
While India continues to be a key market, Jhunjhunwala noted that the company is seeing rapid growth in other regions.
“We are proud that we now serve more than 450 million users globally. As before, we continue to see steady growth in our largest market, India, but the fastest relative growth is in markets outside of India.
“So far in 2025, we see strong growth trends in Latin America, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Malaysia, and the US,” Jhunjhunwala wrote in a blog post.
Regulatory Challenges in India
Despite its dominance in India, Truecaller faces potential challenges as the country’s telecom department pushes for mobile carriers to implement a government-backed caller ID system.
This move could introduce competition to Truecaller’s services in one of its most crucial markets.
Financial Performance and Market Position
Truecaller maintained an active user base of nearly 430 million throughout Q4 2024. The company reported strong financial results for the quarter ending in December, with:
Net sales increasing by 23% year-over-year
Profit after tax rising by 29%
Stock price up more than 33% year-to-date
Product Enhancements and AI Integration
Earlier this year, Truecaller improved its caller ID functionality for iOS, overcoming previous limitations imposed by Apple’s operating system.
The company has also been expanding its offerings beyond caller identification by introducing:
Call recording and transcription features
An AI-powered assistant for call screening
Enhancements to its SMS and chat functionalities
With these advancements, Truecaller aims to solidify its position as a comprehensive communication platform while navigating competitive and regulatory challenges.
Vitel Wireless, Nigeria’s First MVNO to Launch Operations This Quarter
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Truecaller Surpasses 450m Users, Expands Global Reach
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