ITU Telecom World 2016: Nigeria Holds Stakeholders’ Forum Next Week

Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Stakeholders will next week hold a forum in Lagos in preparation for the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Telecom World 2016.

The ITU Telecom World 2016 holds in Bangkok, Thailand from November 14 – 17.

A statement by Mr. Tony Ojobo, Director, Public Affairs of the NCC said the forum which is open to Policy makers, Regulatory agencies, Network operators, Value Added Service Providers, Equipment vendors, Software specialists, Innovators, Banks and financial institutions, among others will be an opportunity for all to rub minds on the benefits of ITU events in general and the yearly ITU Telecom World 2016 in particular.

The Nigeria Stakeholders’ forum which holds at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja on September 5, 2016, is being packaged by the Local Organizing Committee (LOC).

Director, Public Affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Tony Ojobo further said in the statement that Nigeria’s theme for this year’s edition of ITU Telecom World is “Smart Communities: the key to a digital Nigeria” adding that the Country is expected to showcase its achievements and opportunities in its fast growing ICT Sector.

Participants at ITU Telecom World 2016 will have the opportunity to exhibit, showcase their services, attend ITU fora, host sessions, network and engage international participants across the globe

Apple Issues Global IOS Update After iPhone Spyware Alert

Apple has issued a global update of its iOS mobile operating system after a botched attempt to break into the iPhone of an Arab activist using spyware.

The software took advantage of three previously undisclosed weaknesses in the iPhone to take complete control of the devices, according to reports by the San Francisco-based Lookout smartphone security company and internet watchdog group Citizen Lab.
Both reports pointed towards the NSO Group, an Israeli company with a reputation for flying under the radar, as the author of the spyware.

“The threat actor has never been caught before,” said Mike Murrary, a researcher with Lookout, describing the program as “the most sophisticated spyware package we have seen in the market”.

The reports outlined how an iPhone could be completely compromised with the tap of a finger.

Bitflux Partners Alepo For Wholesale LTE Network Launch

*Biodun Omoniyi

Bitflux Communications, the Nigerian consortium which secured a national 2.3GHz spectrum licence in February 2014, has launched commercial wholesale LTE services in partnership with Alepo, according to a report by telegeography.com.

Alepo is a leading provider of IT and network infrastructure software solutions for communications service providers worldwide.

“At Bitflux, our vision is to enhance customer experience through continuous innovation, and the launch of the wholesale LTE network is a step towards realising this vision,” commented Bitflux’s director Biodun Omoniyi.

“With Alepo as our technology partner, we are able to offer a range of wireless services that are in tune with the demands of our customers, and that will enable us to remain a market leader in this domain,” Omoniyi added.

With Alepo’s core LTE solution and built-in affiliate management, Bitflux is able to operate as a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE), supporting multiple MVNO operations on a single

Google To Crack Down On Intrusive Mobile Ads

Starting in January 2017, Google plans to crack down on intrusive ads that interfere with mobile content, the internet giant said Tuesday, according to a report in zdnet.com.

Certain pages with pop-ups that interfere with content, called interstitials, may not rank as highly in search results, Google product manager Doantam Phan explained in a blog spot.

Some examples of interstitials that Google plans to discourage are pop-ups that cover a page's main content, standalone interstitials that have to be dismissed before accessing the main content, and interstitials that dominate the "above the fold" portion of a mobile page -- an ad that would force a user to scroll down to view the page's main content.

Phan stressed that this is just one of hundreds of "ranking signals" Google uses to rank pages. “The intent of the search query is still a very strong signal, so a page may still rank highly if it has great, relevant content,” Phan wrote.

Last year, Google took steps to discourage interstitials that asked a user to install a mobile app. “As we continued our development efforts, we saw the need to broaden our focus to interstitials more generally,” Phan wrote. That initial effort is now combined with this new, broader check on interstitials.

There are some types of interstitials that will not be affected by Google's new "signal." Those include pop-ups that carry some legal obligation (such as a prompt to verify a user's age), login dialogs on sites where content isn't publicly indexable, or banners that use a "reasonable" amount of screen space and are easily dismissible.

Samsung To Sell Used Premium Smartphones

Samsung Electronics plans to launch a programme to sell refurbished, used versions of its premium smartphones as early as next year, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The South Korean technology firm is looking for ways to sustain earnings momentum after reviving its mobile profits by restructuring its product line-up. As growth in the global smartphone market hits a plateau, Samsung wants to maximise its cost-efficiency and keep operating margins above 10%.

The world's top smartphone maker will refurbish high-end phones returned to the company by users who signed up for one-year upgrade programmes in markets such as South Korea and the US.

Samsung would then re-sell these phones at a lower price, the person said,declining to be identified as the plan was not yet public.

The person declined to say how big a discount the refurbished phones would be sold at, which markets the phones would be sold in, or how many refurbished devices Samsung could sell.

A Samsung spokeswoman said the company does not comment on speculation.

It was not clear to what extent the phones would be altered, but refurbished phones

ntel Woos Subscribers With Promo, Unlimited Data

*Kamar Abass

ntel, Nigeria’s most advanced mobile 4G/LTE network provider has unveiled a two for three data promo for customers who want to enjoy more data for less on its 4G/LTE Advanced network.

The telecom company is offering prospective customers who buy any of the 4G/VoLTE-enabled Tecno Camon C5 or Konka R2 devices the opportunity to enjoy three months data for the cost of two months.

A latest release from the company made available to digitaltimesnigeria.com said subscribers who visit ntel outlets in Lagos and Abuja will enjoy superfast Internet access and make crystal clear HD calls on the devices which also supports streaming, browsing, messaging and hotspot services without data caps or throttling.

The Konka R2 device which is just making its way into the Nigerian market is a steal with its Quad core Cortex A53, 1.3GHz processor, and ideal for subscribers who want a whole new experience with smartphones. It is also a great device for taking selfies on account of its wide 5.5 inches screen.

The silver-plated device offers users two micro-SIM slots, Android 5.1, 2gb RAM, 16gb ROM, back camera of 13mp and long battery life.

The smartphone also supports GSM, HSPA and LTE giving a wide range of options to consumers. With a battery life of 2700 mAh, users can spend longer time live streaming on ntel’s unlimited data.

ntel CEO, Kamar Abass, reiterated the company’s determination to ensure that more Nigerians

MTN Plans 8m Additional Subscribers This Year

The MTN group plans to add eight million new subscribers by the end of its financial year, with 1.1 million of those coming from SA, according to a report on itweb.com.

This after a tough year for the telecoms giant, which was forced to disconnect 18 million customers across the group, in the past nine months, as part of new regulations in a number of its operations.

MTN struggled to add many new subscribers during the six months to 30 June 2016, reporting a fairly flat 232.6 million total subscribers compared to 232.5 million in December 2015. This as subscriber registration processes in a number of its territories put pressure on customer numbers by forcing non-complying subscribers to be dropped.

The group was forced to disconnect 6.6 million subscribers over the six-month period in Nigeria, Uganda and Cameroon. Since October 2015, approximately 18 million subscribers across the group's 22 operations were disconnected to ensure compliance with various subscriber registration processes.

Executive chairman Phuthuma Nhleko says that as far as customer disconnections are

Instagram Starts Stories Which Delete After 24hrs

By Our Reporter

Instagram has launched a new feature called Instagram Stories, allowing users to post photos and videos that disappear 24 hours later.

The company said users can now "share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile".

Instagram Stores made up of photos and videos can be sent directly to contacts and appear as a slideshow. They won't clutter a user's feed though, as they are deleted after 24 hours, similar to the self-destruct feature on the Snapchat messaging app. 

Stories from people followed will appear in a bar at the top of the user's feed. When there’s something new to see, their profile photo will have a colourful ring around it. Unlike regular posts, users cannot 'like' or post public comments on Stories.

Instagram Stories is initially available in the US and will roll out globally on iOS and Android in the coming weeks. 

Samsung Unveils Galaxy Note 7 Smartphone

By Rommy IMAH (with Agency reports)

Samsung has presented its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7, at simultaneous events in New York, London and Rio de Janeiro. The biggest in Samsung's range of smartphone, the Note 7 is Samsung's first smartphone to feature an iris scanner for increased security, according to a report by telecompaper.com. 

The same as the S6 and S7 Edge phones, it features the company's curved Amoled screen technology, with an additional screen along image along the edge of the phone for notifications. The waterproof Note also adds the usual stylus S Pen for additional control and editing.

The same as the previous two Notes, the device sports a 5.7-inch screen, with 1440 x 2560 pixel resolution. It is also the first in the world to feature Corning's Gorilla Glass 5, which the manufacturer claims can withstand a fall from 'selfie height' (1.60m). 

The Note 7 otherwise features similar specifications to the Galaxy S7 family. The European version runs Samsung's own Exynos 8 chipset with 64-bit octa-core processor and 4 GB RAM; other regions will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. Internal storage is an upgrade on the S7 series,

Why I Stopped NITDA Recruitment Exercise- Shittu

By Rommy IMAH

The Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu has explained why he had to stop the last recruitment exercise carried out at the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), describing it as lacking merit and failed to follow due process.

In a statement by Victor Oluwadamilare, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, contrary to insinuations in some circles, the minister did not cancel the exercise because only one candidate from Oyo State was offered employment but because it was conducted in conflict with due process.

He said “the former Director General of NITDA, Mr. Peter Jack neglected due process in conducting the recruitment exercise.”

According to him, the recruitment process was stopped after realizing that it did not follow laid down procedure and that approvals were not obtained, while most of those employed don’t have the requisite skills to adequately bridge the manpower gap at the agency. 

“The employment process did not follow due process because employment letters were issued

NCC Boss Resolves Disputes Over Sealed 47 Base Stations in Ogun

All outstanding issues, which have kept 47 base stations under lock and key in Ogun State have been successfully resolved by the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta.

Danbatta, who disclosed this to news men after a closed door meeting with the state governor, Mr. Ibikunle Amosun recently in Abeokuta, however, noted that the development would positively impact on the access to telecommunication services in the state, according to a statement signed by Reuben Muoka, Head, Media and Public Relations of the NCC.

“We have also succeeded in resolving a contentious matter leading to the sealing of 47 base transceiver stations in Ogun State. These are going to be unsealed immediately. And this would enhance, of course, the challenge we have of providing telecom access in the state,” the professor of telecommunication engineering observed.

Speaking further, Danbatta expressed satisfaction with the assurances given by the governor in tackling the concerns of multiple taxations and right of way, which are among the non-technical factors conspiring to degrade quality of telecommunication services in the country.  

“The assurances given by His Excellency is to ensure adherence to resolution of the National Economic Council on multiple taxation. We have heard him. Something is going to happen. There’s lot of excitement for infrastructure deployment in Ogun State,” he said. 

Earlier, the NCC EVC, Danbatta had urged the governor to enlist his colleagues’ supports to

LG to Ship World’s First Smartphone With Android 7.0 in Q3

LG Electronics announced that its next flagship smartphone, the V20, will be the first in the world to ship with the new version of Android, known as Nougat.

The LG V20, the successor to last year’s LG wacky V10, will begin shipping in the third quarter loaded with Android 7.0. 

LG said the device will take advantage of many of the features of Nougat, including Vulkan-supported graphics for more immersive gaming and better battery performance with the 'Doze' function.  It will have the same dual-screen, dual-selfie camera features (no other specs were revealed).

The V20 also brings new productivity features such as Direct Reply, which lets users respond to text messages or update tasks using the notification interface.

The news means that the V20 will likely be released before any Nexus phones, which are usually the first with the latest Android operating systems.

LG has built the lion's share of Nexus phones for the search giant, including the Nexus 4, 5 and 5X.  

Internet Usage: Nigeria Ranks 1st in Africa, 7th in The World

Nigeria’s Internet penetration showed a positive growth following the ranking of the country as the 1st and the 7th in Africa and the world respectively, in the latest ranking of the Top 20 countries with the highest number of Internet users in the world.

A latest report by the internetworldstats.com showed that as at end of June 2016, Nigeria’s Internet users stood at 97,210,000 (Ninety-seven million, two hundred and ten thousand), with a 52 per cent penetration, and 16,000,000 (sixteen million) Facebook users.

Nigeria came behind China, India, United States, Brazil, Japan and Russia to occupy the 7th position in the world ahead of countries like Indonesia, Germany, Mexico, United Kingdom, France and the Philippines. Egypt is the only other African country that made it in the Top 20 though it is ranked 20th in the report.

TOP 20 COUNTRIES WITH HIGHEST NUMBER OF INTERNET USERS - JUNE 30, 2016
#	Country or Region	Population, 2016 Est.	Internet Users 30 June 2016	Internet Penetration	Growth (*) 2000 - 2016	Facebook 30 June 2016
1	China	1,378,561,591	721,434,547	52.3 %	3,106.4 %	1,800,000
2	India	1,266,883,598	462,124,989	36.5 %	9,142.5 %	157,000,000
3	United States	323,995,528	286,942,362	88.6 %	200.9 %	201,000,000
4	Brazil	206,050,242	139,111,185	67.5 %	2,682.2 %	111,000,000
5	Japan	126,464,583	115,111,595	91.0 %	144.5 %	26,000,000
6	Russia	146,358,055	103,147,691	70.5 %	3,227.3 %	12,000,000
7	Nigeria	186,879,760	97,210,000	52.0 %	48,505.0 %	16,000,000
8	Indonesia	258,316,051	88,000,000	34.1 %	4,300.0 %	88,000,000
9	Germany	80,722,792	71,727,551	88.9 %	198.9 %	31,000,000
10	Mexico	123,166,749	69,000,000	56.0 %	2,443.9 %	69,000,000
11	United Kingdom	64,430,428	60,273,385	93.5 %	291.4 %	39,000,000
12	France	66,836,154	55,860,330	83.6 %	557.2 %	33,000,000
13	Philippines	102,624,209	54,000,000	52.6 %	2,600.0 %	54,000,000
14	Bangladesh	162,855,651	53,941,000	33.1 %	53,841.0 %	21,000,000
15	Vietnam	95,261,021	49,063,762	51.5 %	24,431.9 %	40,000,000
16	Iran	82,801,633	47,800,000	57.7 %	19,020.0 %	n/a
17	Turkey	80,274,604	46,196,720	57.5 %	2,209.8 %	46,000,000
18	Korea, South	49,180,776	45,314,248	92.1 %	138.0 %	17,000,000
19	Thailand	68,200,824	41,000,000	60.1 %	1,682.6 %	41,000,000
20	Egypt	90,067,793	33,300,000	37.0 %	7,300.0 %	32,000,000
TOP 20 Countries		4,959,932,042	2,640,559,365	53.2 %	926.7 %	1,035,800,000
Rest of the World		2,380,161,938	970,816,448	40.8 %	835.3 %	626,433,530
Total World Users		7,340,093,980	3,611,375,813	49.2 %	900.4 %	1,662,233,530
NOTES: (1) Top 20 Internet User Statistics were updated for June 30, 2015. (2) Growth percentage represents the increase in the number of Internet users between the years 2000 and 2016. (3) The most recent user information comes from data published by Facebook, International Telecommunications Union, official country telecom reports, and other trustworthy research sources. (4) Data from this site may be cited, giving the due credit and establishing a link back towww.internetworldstats.com. Copyright © 2016, Miniwatts Marketing Group. All rights reserved worldwide.

Over the years, the proliferation of broadband facilities, the boom in eCommerce, adoption of technologies such as mobile phones and App usage, and affordable data provided by service providers have all combined to increase Internet penetration in Nigeria.

“Inexpensive mobile phones and mobile broadband connections are driving Internet access and usage in countries where fixed internet has been out of reach for consumers, whether that’s due to lack of infrastructure or affordability,” said Monica Peart, senior forecasting analyst at eMarketer in a report early last year.