1.4bn smartphones expected to be sold by end of 2015–ITU • • • •

 Recent report from ITU shows that about 1.4 billion smartphones will be sold at the close of 2015. This will exceed the sales of the PC, television, tablet and game console sectors combined, in terms of both units and revenue. The ITU, in its latest edition of Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2015, also reveals that one billion different kinds of wireless devices are expected to be shipped in 2015, up 60 per cent from 2014 figures to reach a predicted installed base of 2.8 billion connected devices by end 2015. Demand for tablets is expected to reach 234.5 million units in 2015. And while global shipments of PCs and laptops will to go into chronic global decline. Wearable devices are estimated to have reached 109 million by the beginning of 2015, according to the report. The report also predicts a fast-evolving ICT landscape, as devices and services proliferate, broadband connectivity becomes increasingly pervasive, and the hyper-connected world of the ‘Internet of Everything’ starts to become a reality. The big question will be how many of these devices will be produced in Africa? Possibly none! But Africa will buy a chunk of these units out of which Nigeria will uptake 40% of the volume of devices that will be sold in Africa. As at the time of this writing, not even a phone charger, a device that can be produced with only 4 little components at a total price of 150Naira is produced in Nigeria or anywhere in Africa. The Challenge to policy makers and regulators at this time then is how to make Africa an active participant in the innovation economy that is trending. That will require huge investment in both formal and informal training and education. There is no doubt that those that will be left out in the upcoming innovation economy will be those contributing nothing in the innovation and the evolution of the Forth and Fifth Generation technology. The world’s most comprehensive overview of the policy trends and challenges facing today’s ICT regulators provides a host of data and analysis to help regulators, ICT analysts and tech journalists navigate the issues surrounding so-called ‘fourth-generation’ ICT regulation. “There are many ways in which ICTs can make the world a better place,” said Houlin Zhao, ITU Secretary-General. “In a digital world, creating the conditions for a data-driven economy to flourish is a must, so getting the regulatory environment right is absolutely vital.” In our clime, NCC will have to brace up to the evolving trends. The days of selling and auctioning spectrums and celebrating that as an achievement is long gone. The commission will have to sit up and help drive technology innovation and a knowledge based economy. That will only be possible if a well-designed strategic initiative is put into motion spawning the next three years and driving a critical mass of Nigerians to become involved in innovations, designs, construction and fabrication of tech devices. After all, NCC has the financial muscle to drive this initiative