Telecommunication Technology: Issues and Trends In West Africa

WhatsApp has rolled out calling features to BlackBerry 10 users, before its rollout to Windows Phone users. Last month, the feature was added to Android, and was made available to iOS users recently. Facebook-owned WhatsApp is yet to release the feature to Windows phone users. The new feature brings a voice-calling feature to make calls Internet calls, to the listed contacts. The feature was reportedly added to the BlackBerry platform and was available to beta users. However, BB 10 users will now receive an update to use the feature. The new WhatsApp version (2.12.12) for BlackBerry, will allow users to make VoIP calls to international or local contacts via Internet data or free WiFi, and will not be usable on the cellular network. The update also includes several bug fixes, location feature improvements in the search option and a new font that is similar to BlackBerry OS 10.3. BlackBerry users can use the calling feature by opening the calls tab, and tapping the...

NITEL IS BACK WITH A BANG Natcom Development and Investment Ltd (Ntel), on Thursday, said it would deploy 4 Generation (4G) network to show its relevance in the Nigerian telecommunications market. The Managing Director of Ntel, Mr Kamar Abass, said this in Lagos during a media luncheon organised by the company. Ntel is the company that acquired the assets and liabilities of defunct NITEL and MTEL. Abass said the company would now be known as Nigeria Telecommunications (NTel) and would offer high speed data, high-definition voice and video to customers. He added that there were still spaces in the marketplace for new SIMs; hence, NTel as a new entrant had many opportunities. According to him, the company will be doing video over data and ensure Nigerians get high quality broadband, rather than cheap broadband. “Nigeria is in extreme ‘data hunger’, with just 92.7 million active Internet users as at June 2015, but the surprising issue is that only 27.6 million of the users acce...

MTN IN TROUBLE Shares of Africa’s biggest mobile operator, MTN Group, fell for a second day on Tuesday, easing 4.2 per cent to 159.98 rand on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), as investors scrambled to cut their losses following the news of the N1.04 trillion ($5.2 billion) fine imposed on the company’s Nigerian subsidiary. The decline saw MTN’s shares extend their losses to nearly 16 per cent over the last two days, wiping about 50 billion rand ($3.66 billion) from the company’s market value, reported Reuters. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had slapped the N1.04 trillion fine on MTN Nigeria last week for failing to fully deactivate 5.2 million subscribers with unregistered and incomplete SIM card details on its networks within the stipulated deadline given all mobile phone operators in the country to comply with the directive. Based on NCC regulations, the fine was based on N200,000 per unregistered subscriber. The company was given till November 1...

The National Broadcasting Commission has commenced the process of issuing licences for the provision of free view digital television content. Free View TV Debut IN Nigeria The Director of Public Affairs, NBC, Mr. Awwalu Salihu, said the regulatory agency, after a detailed assessment of the current television market, observed serious gaps in the content available to serve the social and economic needs of Nigerians. It, therefore, invited prospective service providers to submit proposals for meeting the gaps as a preliminary step towards applying for licences. The regulatory agency categorised FTV digital television into several genres, including general entertainment, kids, lifestyle, sports, movies/soaps/sitcoms, music, documentaries and factual/news. It stressed that the channels would strictly comply with the programming mandates of the commission as well as the Nigerian Broadcasting Code and other conditions to be set out in the licences to be granted to successful app...

Emergency Nigeria is long overdue for a short code number that can be remembered by all in case of emergency particularly for the Nigerian police; this is expected to improve security and police public interaction in a virtual way as it is done all over the world. As at today, Nigeria's communication enviroment have come of age. With over 146M subscribers over a population of 180M, it is only common sense that the government creates an emergency number within the public domian. That is what is done the world over. No one wants to be remebering the different 080XXXXXXXX or 07XXXXXXX......... and the 090XXXXXXXX being released by the Nigerian Police from state to state. Even if you do remember the number for one state, what happens when you cross over to another state? The need for a unified emergency number is going to be a mandatory tool if we want to win the war on terror and other criminal vices. All that is required is a 3 code number that anyone and everyone can remeber...