BlogIT_Naija

MTN Nigeria has issued a statement apologising to customers for the recent poor quality of call services while promising that USD1 billion of investment in 2008 will improve matters. The cellco says that while it accepts that its service has been below acceptable levels, the federal government’s inability to provide a ‘conducive environment’ is also to blame. According to CTO Karl Toriola, part of the USD1 billion earmarked for investment will be used to build almost 1,300 base stations across the country in 2008, in addition to the 3,500 built during 2007.
(Story captured from TeleGeogrphy's CommsUpdate- http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=21270&email=html)
(Read related story: http://www.businessdayonline.com/technology/2018.html)


-Dis na Naija!

-doregos


Tributes:
TeleGeogrphy's CommsUpdate - http://www.telegeography.com
BUSINESSDAY - http://businessdayonline.com

Though the qualified service provider athelets are few, the onlooking potential customers seem to fairly manage to keep up with information cluster raised by their feat.
(Nigeria prepares for 3G services:
http://www.biz-community.com/Article/157/16/18835.html)

Read and decide for yourselves who edges out who:
>MTN Launches 3.5G mobile telephony- http://www.businessdayonline.com/technology/1510.html
>MTN announces Mobile TV service for Q1 2008- http://www.businessdayonline.com/economic-watch/1629.html

>Globacom launched 3G technology in the country- http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/14102
>Glo promises fixed lines this year- http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=21193&email=html

>Celtel Nigeria Set To Revolutionise Mobile Internet With 3G/HSDPA- http://www.mobileafrica.net/n1785.htm
>Celtel prepares for 3G launch come 2008- http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10006958o-209737b,00.htm


-Dis na Naija!

-doregos


Tributes:
To all the link providers.

-You can't teach old dogs new tricks!

However "sincere" NITDA (National Information Technology Development Agency) might want to be it seems to neglect the ugly fact the most of the tertiary institutions (especially the Govt. owned, premier varsities) are remanded with under-sponsored academics who (ASSU) had been calling for upgrades/reforms across boards in Nigerian tertiary -the result, Federal Government abdicating and bullying the rebellious striking-lecturers.
Some of these frustrated lecturers in the course of dispensing their duties find solace, or transfer vented anger on students by demanding money and/or sex for grades; traveling indiscriminately for "sabbaticals", and taking up lucrative part-time consultancy with firms or private institutions.
There had been many UNDP sponsored programmes deployed in many institutions but because the platform for capacity building is poor many were neglected, underused, and pilfered.
With the few opportunities provided by foreign ICT companies through industrial training for students; the Internet exposure, lecturers are challenged by informed-students to self-upgrade. However, some do not see it positively and misconceive it as humiliation -they must be detoxicated of their conceitedness and re-orientated.

Considering the rate Nigerian Govt. Institutions are ascending in hypocrisy, we'll soon have a space station without single Nigerian astronaut.
(Response to story by Business Day: http://www.businessdayonline.com/national/1834.html)


-Dis na Naija!

-doregos


Tributes:
BUSINESSDAY - http://businessdayonline.com

-with the award of licenses to Celtel and three other mobile operators, Nigeria is launching the 3G revolution in 2008.

Celtel was one of the four companies awarded the third generation mobile telephony, 3G, spectrum license by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, in March 2007. It was awarded the license after a tender and prequalification process which began in February. The others are Globacom, MTN and Alheri Engineering Limited.
Celtel and the other three pre-qualified through the payment of USD15m deposit into NCC’s account. With four paired blocks of spectrum on offer at a reserved price of US$150m each, it became unnecessary for the Commission to proceed with the planned auction process. The four awardees that were given 14 days from the date of provisional license award to pay the balance of the license fees have since paid up.

The distinguishing feature of the 3G service offerings from the 2G and its variants is the much wider video and data content and capacity- 3G service offerings include voice, slow-scan and streaming video; interactive multimedia; file and image transfer; web browsing; e-mail; information services; banking services, etc.

Cost of 3G Spectrum Licenses
Nigerian earned $600 million for the four 3G Licenses and this is considered fair and reasonable. The 3G spectrum auction held in the United Kingdom in April 2000 raised $32.58 billion. The Netherlands auctioned off five 3G licenses for $2.3 billion in July 2000. Spain, on the other hand, raised only $425 million from its sale of four 3G license in March 2000. In August 2000, the German auction concluded with record bids for twelve 3G licenses, raising an aggregate sum of over $46 billion. Bidders were required to bid successfully for at least two blocks of spectrum to qualify for a license and the six successful bidders each obtained two blocks of spectrum and 20-year licenses.

Roll-Out Obligation
NCC has indicated that tit would not impose roll-out obligation on the 3G Licensees. A comparative study of foreign experience shows that early roll-out deadlines became an unrealistic possibility for operators to roll out 3G networks.
(Adapted from "Share Our World." Quarter 3, 2007- Celtel's quarterly communications)
See also; 3G telecoms services in Nigeria (http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/14102)


-Dis na Naija!

-doregos


Tributes:
CELTEL Nigeria - http://www.celtel.com/en/index.html, http://www.ng.celtel.com/en/
AFRICA News - http://www.africanews.com

"...In conclusion, the idea of a Nigerian Technology Village is a needed shot in the arms of ICT development in Nigeria. There are, however, much planning to be done, more analysis to be conducted, several consultations and consensus to be built, and above all, major mobilization of critical human resources to be made. Until the right people from the private sector are engaged into this project, empowered to take ownership of different component of the initiative, with government as an enabler, there are reasons to believe that even this noble dream will go the way of several other projects of the past - yet another smoke screen of this federal government."
(Read story: http://www.businessdayonline.com/Technology/1802.html)


-Dis na Naija!

-doregos


Tributes:
BUSINESSDAY - http://businessdayonline.com