Telecommunication Technology: Issues and Trends In West Africa

The demand for affordable smartphones in emerging markets drove worldwide sales of smartphones in the third quarter of 2015, Source:   Gartner A total of 353 million units were sold globally, a 15.5 percent growth over the same period in 2014. Out of these numbers emerging markets sold 259.7 million units represent 18.4% increase over same period in 2014, while sales in mature markets saw growth just at 8.2 percent over the same period. "Smartphone sales in emerging markets rose to 259.7 million in the third quarter of 2015 - an 18.4 percent growth over the third quarter of 2014 - while sales in mature markets saw growth of just 8.2 percent over the same period."….   Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner In the third quarter of 2015, Samsung refreshed its flagship devices just four months after its previous refresh to address slowing demand for its high-end devices, and further compete with Apple's large-screen iPhones. Apple continued its dominance in t...

From the data available from NCC (Nigerian Communication Commission), the present subscriber data shows that 86m users are online in Nigeria and 80% of these online users are mobile. A little mathematical calculation shows that the figure will hit 100m plus by 2016 and that is huge indeed. The first casualty to this growth will be the cost of shop rentals as the market place will change dramatically. Let us examine these opportunities systematically Small scale farmers I was in a city called Jos in Nigeria just some few weeks ago and I met a farmer harvesting cucumber. I asked him if he will be willing to sell to me and he said why not. Well I requested for a $2 cucumber and I was taken aback when he filled a bucket for me. Wow! That was a $25 cucumber in Abuja. The distance between Abuja and Jos is just less than 400km and the price disparity is unbelievable in terms of these farm produce. Think of a situation where this farmer could sell his farm produce straig...

THE POWER OF FOCUS  Well, a world well know, but often misunderstood by almost all. Years back as a Physics student those days, one of the experiments we often do is to focus rays or waves at some point of calculation called the focal point or simply the focus. For example, we can focus the sun’s rays at a pot and bring the water inside it to boil very quickly or have some potatoes cooked there. We can also focus some rays towards an atom and have it smashed into two different atoms, especially the heavier ones. Particularly Uranium or thorium, in doing so, tremendous energy is released. One of my projects was to design an equipment that can focus sound waves at elevated frequencies and use them to scan the hidden interiors of material structures, using ultrasound waves (so called) we can detect structural defects buried inside a given material. That is what they do in checking air planes, or ships or oil pipelines or even nuclear plants. Focus is power. Without focus, the rays...

Published on: 3rd Nov 2015 Fitch Ratings has affirmed China based ZTE's Long Term Foreign and Local Currency debt ratings at 'BB '. The Outlooks are Stable. The agency has simultaneously withdrawn all the ratings. Fitch said that the ratings have been withdrawn as they are no longer considered by Fitch to be relevant to the agency's coverage because ZTE has no international public bonds outstanding and is no longer considered essential for its peer analysis or sector commentary. China's 4G Investment Fitch continues to believe that substantial 4G capex in China will be an opportunity for ZTE to repair its financial profile. We expect ZTE's stronger market position in China will allow it to take advantage of investments in 4G by Chinese telecoms operators in the next two to three years. However, ZTE is very dependent on China and the rating reflects that the company may need to reduce its dependence on Chinese telecoms capex before the cu...

 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 Everythin...

Fitch Revises MTN Group's Outlook to Negative on Nigerian Fine Published on: 2nd Nov 2015 Fitch Ratings has revised the Outlook on MTN Group's debt ratings to Negative from Stable and affirmed the IDR at 'BBB'. ­The Negative Outlook reflects the risk of a significant cash outflow due to a substantial fine imposed on MTN's Nigerian operations, which could increase leverage and pressure MTN's credit metrics. These developments in Nigeria highlight the risk MTN is exposed to in operating in a variety of emerging market countries. Nigerian Fine MTN has announced that NCC, the Nigerian telecoms regulator, has imposed a fine equivalent to USD5.2bn on MTN Nigeria. Fitch said that it understands that management remains in discussion with NCC as to the size and timing of the payment of the fine. If the fine is confirmed as initially announced by the group and is payable in the short term, it could result in negative rating action. Reduced Dividends fr...