Issue no 172
Top Story
ACT 2003 REPORT - A NIGERIA SPECIAL FROM AFRICA’S FASTEST GROWING MARKET
ACT 2003, the annual watering hole of the computing, telecoms and internet sectors took place in Abuja this week. Nigeria is one of the continent's fastest growing markets and it also has one of Africa's most liberal competition regimes, a uniquely Nigerian combination of control and anarchy as the debate over its ISM bands illustrates. Russell Southwood took the opportunity to take temperature of what’s happening on the continent (and in Nigeria itself) and listen to the news and gossip circulating amongst delegates. In his opening speech, Sean Moroney of AITEC, the conference organiser said that he had just come…
Telecoms
NIGERIAN GSM SUBSCRIBERS PLAN MASS PROTEST
According to Business Day, GSM subscribers are taking advantage of MTN’s free text message promotion to organise a "switch-off" day on 19 September in protest at high prices and network…
Telecoms
FOURTH GSM OPERATOR GLOBACOM ENTERS THE MARKET WITH PER SECOND BILLING
The long awaited launch of Nigeria’s SNO started last Friday with it announcing an 80 kobo per second call tariff on its low end cellular service branded ‘Prepaid Classic’. This…
Telecoms
PRMS DEMANDS MTN PAY ROYALTIES
The Nigerian Performing and Mechanical Rights Society (PRMS) is demanding N100m from MTN Nigeria, claiming "wanton infringement of copyright" by the company. The PRMS claims that the company illegally adapted…
Internet
NIGERIAN ISP SECTOR SQUEEZED BY THE BIG BATTALIONS
The opening session of the West African Internet Forum was addressed by two of Nigeria’s leading ISPs: Linkserve and Skannet. Chima Onyekwere, founder of Linkserve pointed out far Nigeria had…
Computing
COMPUTER WAREHOUSE GROUP EXPANDS INTO GHANA
Nigeria’s Computer Warehouse Group has now deployed 14 sites, including First Atlantic Bank and Oceanic Bank. It has now established CWG Ghana to enable it to move into the Ghanaian…
Mergers, Acquisitions and Financial Results
NIGERIAN BANKS AGREE TO CONNECT ATMs
A consortium between 48 0f Nigeria’s banks called ATM-One will create a national network of interoperable ATMs for the first time. The consortium will roll out 100 ATMs in three…
Digital Content
NIGERIA’S BUREAU OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES RELAUNCHES SITE
www.bpeng.org The BPE sees one of the site’s main advantages as being: "Less document handling, fewer losses of documents and a reduced risk of errors. BPE staff can have access…
Digital Content
African Web News - In Brief
- Kall Directories which started business at the beginning of August claims to be Nigeria’s first and only electronic directory provider. Information is accessed using the national number 15-900. The…
Digital Content
ACT 2003: SEEN AND HEARD
- BusyInternet, Accra’s cybercentre is launching a wireless hot spot that will cover its Liquid Bar. As Mark Davies of BusyInternet joked: ‘It’s free because we havn’t worked out how…
More
PEOPLE
- The NCC has licensed four GSM operators, regional FWA carriers, an SNO and two long distance carriers. In an interview with Shina Badaru of Business Day, these, reckons NCC’s…
More
ACT 2003: WHAT THEY SAID
‘If we removed wireless and VSAT out of the communications environment in Nigeria, we would be back in the dark ages.’ Professor Ajayi, Nigerian National IT Development Agency ‘We have…
