GSMA Opens A Permanent Office In Nairobi

GSMA has finally established an office in Nairobi, Kenya to support growing African telecoms market. The office will be based in the heart of Nairobi’s Innovation Hub (iHub) for the technology community and will enable the GSMA to work even more closely with its members and other industry stakeholders to extend the reach and socio-economic benefits of mobile throughout Africa.

“It is an exciting time to launch our new office in Africa, as the region is an increasingly vibrant and critical market for the mobile industry, representing over 10 percent of the global market,” said Anne Bouverot, Director General, GSMA.

She said that the rapid pace of mobile adoption has delivered an explosion of innovation and huge economic benefits in the region, directly contributing $ 32 billion to the Sub-Saharan African economy, or 4.4 percent of GDP. “With necessary spectrum allocations and transparent regulation, the mobile industry could also fuel the creation of 14.9 million new jobs in the region between 2015 and 2020,” she said.

According to the latest GSMA’s Wireless Intelligence data, total mobile connections in Sub-Saharan Africa passed the 500 million mark in the first quarter of 2013, increasing by about 20 percent year-on-year. Connections are expected to grow by a further 50 percent, or 250 million connections, over the next five years which requires greater regulatory certainty to foster investment and release of additional harmonized spectrum for mobile.

The region currently accounts for about two-thirds of connections in Africa but the amount of spectrum allocated to mobile services in Africa is among the lowest worldwide. Governments in Sub-Saharan Africa risk undermining their broadband and development goals unless more spectrums are made available.

However, despite the high number of connections, rapid growth and mobile internet usage, mobile penetration among individuals remains relatively low. Available statistics shows that fewer than 250 million people had subscribed to a mobile service in the region, putting unique subscriber penetration at 30 percent, meaning that more than two-thirds of the population have yet to acquire their first mobile phone. Clearly, there is an important opportunity for the mobile industry to bring connectivity, access to information and services to the people in this region.

The mobile industry contributes approximately 3.5 million full-time jobs in the region. This has also spurred a wave of technology and content innovation with more than 50 ‘innovation hubs’ created to develop local skills and content in the field of ICT services, including the Limbe Labs in Cameroon, the iHub in Kenya and Hive Colab in Uganda.

“Of particular note is the role of Kenya as the global leader in mobile money transfer services via M-PESA, a service launched by the country’s largest mobile operator Safaricom in 2007. What started as a simple way to extend banking services to the unbanked citizens of Kenya has now evolved into a mobile payment system based on accounts held by the operator, with transactions authorised and recorded in real time using secure SMS. Since its launch, M-PESA has grown to reach 15 million registered users and contributes 18 percent of Safaricom’s total revenue,” Ms. Bouverot said.

She said that to support this huge increase in innovation, the mobile industry has invested around US$ 16.5 billion over the past five years (US$ 2.8 billion in 2011 alone) across the five key countries in the region, mainly directed towards the expansion of network capacity.

GSMA research has found that by releasing the Digital Dividend and 2.6GHz spectrum by 2015, the governments of Sub-Saharan Africa could increase annual GDP by US$ 82 billion by 2025 and annual government tax revenues by US$ 18 billion and add up to 27 million jobs by 2025.

In many Sub-Saharan African countries, mobile broadband is the only possible route to deliver the Internet to citizens and the current spectrum allocations across the region generally lag behind those of other countries.

“A positive and supportive regulatory environment and sufficient spectrum allocation is critical to the further growth of mobile in Africa,” continued Ms. Bouverot. “I am confident that now that we have a physical presence in Africa, we will be able to work together with our members to put the conditions in place that will facilitate the expansion of mobile, bringing important connectivity and services to all in the region.”

SamsungGalaxyAcePlus

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global Android smartphone profits reached US$5 billion in total during the first quarter of 2013. Samsung dominated and captured an impressive 95 percent share of all Android smartphone profits.

Neil Shah, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “We estimate the global Android smartphone industry generated total operating profits of US$5.3 billion during Q1 2013. The Android platform accounted for 43 percent share of the entire smartphone industry’s operating profits, which reached US$12.5 billion worldwide in the first quarter of this year.”

Woody Oh, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, “We estimate Samsung’s Android smartphone shipments generated US$5.1 billion of operating profit worldwide in Q1 2013. Samsung captured a huge 95 percent share of all Android smartphone industry profits. An efficient supply chain, sleek products and crisp marketing have been among the main drivers of Samsung’s impressive profitability. LG followed in second place and took 3 percent global profit share. LG delivered a small profit during the quarter, but it currently lacks the volume scale needed to match Samsung’s outsized profits.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Samsung is, for now, the undisputed king of the global Android smartphone industry. We believe Samsung generates more revenue and profit from the Android platform than Google does. Samsung has strong market power and it may use this position to influence the future direction of the Android ecosystem. For example, Samsung could request first or exclusive updates of new software from Android before rival hardware vendors.”

Globacom’s Head of Corporate Sales, Kamaldeen Shonibare (middle) flanked from left by Glo ambassadors Ini Edo, Chidinma Okebalama (Chee) and Monalisa Chinda during the launch of Glo’s first-of-its-kind post-paid package, Glo Infinitiser in Lagos

National telecoms operator, Globacom has launched a first-of-its-kind post-paid product that enables subscribers to enjoy the full range of Glo voice, data and business offerings with the convenience of a single monthly bill rather than recharging different voice and data accounts.

Glo Infinitiser, as the new product is called, makes it possible for Glo subscribers to make absolutely free calls to 26 million subscribers on the Glo network once the beneficiaries pay the monthly subscription fee of N5,000.

Kamaldeen Shonibare, Globacom’s Head of Corporate Sales while speaking at the launch of the product in Lagos, described it as the biggest post-paid product offering ever in Nigeria. “Infinitiser gives a golden opportunity to achieve more, enables you to talk endlessly with loved ones and business associates. It helps you to close your deals and get fulfilment. It eliminates the difference between day and night because you can make free calls on it 24/7”, he said.

Targeted at existing and potential pre and post paid customers, the new product also offers free 1GB of data monthly along with the free calls. Calls to other networks will be at the low rate of 25k per second, on- net SMS at N4 per message and international calls at the rate of N9 per minute to 7 destinations namely, US, UK landline, Canada, India, China, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Shonibare said the new product offers subscribers more reasons to come on board and enjoy the unlimited benefits offered by the Glo network.

He further explained that the product was introduced in line with Globacom’s commitment to delivering value and unbeatable tariffs to its subscribers. “This product is outstanding.  It is a super Closed User Group (CUG) which will appeal to business customers, high net-worth individuals, business owners and senior managers within the corporate, SME and Public sectors”, he added.

Subscribers currently on the post paid tariff are eligible to migrate to the new Infinitiser while individuals who currently spend more than N5,000 to recharge their pre-paid lines monthly also stand to benefit by moving to the Infinitiser post paid platform. Subscribers on other networks can equally port in to Glo to enjoy this special package and still maintain their numbers.

To join Infinitiser on the post-paid platform, new subscribers and those already on pre-paid will need to formally apply and fill the subscriber agreement forms at the Gloworld shop nearest to them. Their lines will be activated after paying the monthly deposit of N5,000 which will qualify them for the free calls and monthly 1GB data bundle.

During his presentation at the launch of the product, Mr. Sheriff Kolapo of the Marketing Department said, “Glo Infinitiser is a product that targets High valued customers with substantial value for their money. It has no complications or hidden charges. It gives the biggest value for post-paid customers in the history of post-paid business in Nigeria”.

dragnet at the human resource forum

Human resource practitioners have been advised to take advantage of the opportunities offered by various electronic platforms when recruiting new employees.

This advice was given by Emmanuel Elosia, the Head of Dragnet Screening Services, Nigeria’s foremost e-recruiting solutions, during the Charted Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) Annual Human Resources Forum held recently in Lagos. Dragnet Screening Services, which is a product from the stables of Dragnet Solutions, Nigeria’s leading e-recruiting firm, was present at the forum to exhibit its E-recruitment products.

Speaking at the CIPM Human Resource Forum, an annual event where human resources practitioners from both the public and the private sector meet to discuss issues affecting human resource practice in Nigeria, Elosia posited that E-recruiting will make the process of recruiting more efficient, credible and cheaper, as opposed to using the old manual mode of recruitment.

‘It’s high time we began to turn our attention and focus on E-recruitment.  Most Human resource practitioners will attest to the fact that the manual process of recruitment is cumbersome, time consuming and not so credible compared to E-recruitment, where you have a seamless approach to recruitment and the process is easier for all the concerned parties,” he stated.

Elosia further noted that Dragnet Solution’s E-recruitment platform deploys the latest cutting edge technology in providing recruitment solutions for organizations. He said:  “What we are bringing to the table is a faster and more efficient mode of recruitment. In doing this, we deploy the latest technological platform as a way out of the cumbersomeness which most organizations experience during recruitment exercises. For instance we use Face of Testing, our proprietary computer based testing (CBT) product, instead of the burdensome pen to paper mode of testing to screen applicants. With this, there’s no need to waste time grading thousands of answer sheets. There is really no need to physically handle the candidates’ scripts because the results are ready immediately the applicants are through with the examination which is done electronically.

We also use another product, the E-interviewer, which is a special portal that completes the interviewing process right from the application stage to the interviewing process. So, the entire process is faster and more efficient.”

In conclusion, Elosia insisted that the use of biometrics technology, which Dragnet Screening Services deploys, will completely eradicate incidences of ghost applicants during the recruitment process. “The solution we offer absolutely guarantees the security of the system with respect to ghost applicants. We use the unique biometric properties of individuals like fingerprints and other things as a means of weeding out ghost applicants. The system also enables us prevent incidences of mercenaries who may turn up to write recruitment tests for others,” he pointed out.

(L-R) Olu Akanmu, Chief Marketing Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Nick Imudia, Managing Director, Nokia West and Central Africa and Chris Brown, General Manager, Nokia West Africa displaying the newly launched Nokia Lumia 520 and Lumia 720 by Nokia Limited in partnership with Airtel Nigeria and Microsoft Limited at the Oriental Hotel, VI, Lagos

Consumers across Nigeria can now get their hands on Nokia’s new Windows Phone 8 powered Lumia 520 and Lumia 720.

A blend of premium style and innovation for a socially active crowd, the Nokia Lumia 720 features a high end camera experience, while the Nokia Lumia 520 is the most affordable Nokia Lumia to date, bringing a fun and colorful experience to new consumers.

The new Nokia Lumia smartphones, launched in partnership with Airtel Nigeria and Microsoft Nigeria, come with a free 500 Megabytes (MB) data plan for the first 6 months on the Airtel network when customers recharge with N1,000.

“The adoption of smartphones is growing rapidly in Nigeria. This growth is being driven largely by the affordable smartphone segment, and we are pleased to add the Nokia Lumia 520 to our range, bringing signature Lumia experiences to new price points and consumers,” said Nick Imudia, managing director for Nokia West and Central Africa.

Both devices offer many of the same digital camera lenses as the flagship Lumia 920, as well as maps and navigation from HERE, and super sensitive touchscreens for a highly immersive smartphone experience.

Nokia and Microsoft continue to build the Windows Phone ecosystem and, available exclusively for these two smartphones, is the “Apps 4Afrika” collection within the Apps Highlight in the Windows Phone Store, bringing even more locally relevant content. Consumers can also enjoy the best local apps such as Jandus Radio, Soundcity and Konga.

“Microsoft is confident that the Lumia range from Nokia, including the Lumia 520 and 720 being unveiled today, provide excellent value for African consumers and will support both companies’ ambitious growth plans for the continent. We recently made a commitment through the 4Afrika Initiative to deliver tens of millions of smart devices into the hands of Africans in the coming years, and every new Windows Phone that becomes available further enables us to deliver on that commitment,” said  Emmanuel Onyeje, country manager Microsoft Anglophone West Africa.

Combining exclusive Carl Zeiss optics with Nokia’s largest f1.9 aperture, the Nokia Lumia 720 delivers sharp, clear pictures every time, day or night. Its HD-quality 1.3 megapixel wide angle lens brings Nokia’s best front facing camera performance, and is perfect for taking group portraits with friends or making video calls with Skype.

With powerful hardware and Nokia digital camera lenses including, Cinemagraph, Smart Shoot and Glam Me, the Nokia Lumia 720 makes it easy to capture and share stunning pictures. An optional wireless charging shell delivers further innovation.

The 8GB mass memory and expandable 64GB memory slot of both the Lumia 520 and 720 allow users to store even more content created and collected.

Olu Akamu, Airtel Nigeria’s chief marketing officer, said Airtel is delighted to partner with Nokia, in delivering cutting-edge technology solutions.

“The latest Lumia 520 and 720 Smartphones are aimed at improving the efficiencies of business people while also adding immense value to the lifestyle of telecoms consumers across the country. This is a worthy alliance that is clearly in sync with our motto of always partnering with the best to delight our customers.”

Huawei-Ascend

On 7th May 2013 at Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel, Huawei and its authorised distributor IPMC unveiled the new Windows 8 Phone; Ascend W1. The phone comes with Live Tiles, designed to keep you closer to what matters most. The phone has a delightful innovation that makes apps easy to use and more amazing than ever. They bring the information you want right on your Start screen. The Ascend W1 is the phone that comes with a People Hub. Think of it as your contact list reinvented. See all your people in one place and keep track of what they’re up to with instant updates. You can even set up a Room, where you can bring your people together away from the crowd to share photos, messages, calendars, notes, and more.

It’s the Windows 8 Phone that has Kid’s Corner, a worry-free way to share your phone with your kid, so they can play Angry Birds without texting your angry boss. Windows Phone is cloud-connected in a unique way. With SkyDrive, your photos, videos and Office documents go wherever you go and are automatically backed up.

With Xbox Music, you have access to your music across a range of devices. And finally, because Windows Phone is built around you, it’s built to give you peace of mind. Every Windows Phone app has been tested and certified by Microsoft to make sure it’s ready for you to download.

The Huawei Ascend W1 was designed to outlast and outperform. The 4-inch screen benefits from our unique power saving technology that saves 30% power consumption. A high capacity 1950mAh battery keeps you charged up through days of staying in touch, staying informed, and staying entertained.

It has a breath-taking speed from Qualcomm’s Krait structured MSM823 dual core CPU with 1.2GHz achievable frequency; Jaw-dropping graphics with built-in Adreno 305 graphics processor, with 400MHz achievable frequency; download speed up to HSPA+ 21Mbps. Thanks to the 28nm processor, you’ll enjoy videos and gaming at their best.

Huawei Ascend W1 is designed for the more convenient operating experience; you can import your contacts from Android phone using Bluetooth. The W1 is pre-loaded with a Microsoft Office and Outlook; you can work on Word, Excel and Powerpoint anywhere and anytime, as if you are in office. Thanks to Skydrive, your files can be sync seamlessly and Outlook will keep you updated of every email coming in.

It’s the smartphone reinvented around you.

Cisco

Cisco, a worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate will today announce update on its strategy in Nigeria and reveal a new unified access products that will aid users to simplify their operations.

The press conference holding in Lagos will feature speakers like Den Sullivan, head, Architectures & Enterprise, Cisco, Emerging Markets; Nabil Badr, Business Development Manager, Borderless Networks, Cisco Egypt and Osama Rasoul, Borderless Networks Specialist, Cisco Middle East Region.

Cisco Unified Access is deemed an intelligent network platform that spurs connected experiences and operational efficiencies.

The business foundation enables supports the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend, and the Internet of Everything (IoE).

The solution enables users to intelligently connect people, processes, data, and things with greater intelligence, security, and efficiency than ever before.

The Cisco Unified Access solution delivers an integrated and simplified intelligent network platform based on “one policy, one management, and one network” paradigm.

It reduces network complexities as organizations in the Middle East and Africa face the ever-growing challenge of managing the growth of mobile devices and business applications across multiple networks, among other benefits.

Cisco’s new strategy revolves round a concept the “Internet of Everything”.

Airtel Uganda Managing Director Mr. V.G. Somasekhar

Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), a leading  global telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today reiterated its commitment to Uganda and said it will “continue to make investments and offer world-class and affordable services to customers in the country”.

Airtel’s proposed acquisition of Warid Telecom has received approvals from the Uganda Communications Commission. With this, Airtel will further consolidate its position as the second largest mobile operator in Uganda with a combined customer base of over 7.2 million and market share of over 39%.

Warid customers will be able to retain their existing mobile numbers and continue to enjoy benefits such as remaining balances in their SIM and existing services. In addition, Warid customers will benefit from Airtel’s ‘One Network’ across 20 countries and get access to innovative products and roaming benefits on successful completion of integration.  

Airtel Uganda Managing Director Mr. V.G. Somasekhar said, “We welcome Warid customers to the Airtel global network and assure them of a world-class experience. This acquisition will create a superior and wider network and we will invest more in key areas such as technological innovation and customer service. Further, the existing Warid customer will also be enjoying all Airtel services such as the widest 3G coverage, Blackberry services and superior roaming services on successful completion of integration. During this transition, I want to reassure Warid customers of our commitment to providing world-class, affordable services to customers in Uganda. They should also be assured of the security and continuity of Warid Pesa services during this period”

He added: “After the successful completion of integration, Warid customers will begin to enjoy benefits of the 0ne network with lower roaming rates across Africa and South Asia that other Airtel Customers have been enjoying. It’s a great beginning to a journey with our loyal Uganda customers and for the economy as a whole.”

With presence across 17 African countries, Airtel is the largest telecom service provider across the Continent in terms of geographical reach and had over 62 million customers at the end of quarter ended December 31, 2012. Globally, Airtel is ranked as the 4th largest mobile services provider in terms of customer base.

Hiroyasu Sugiyama, Managing Director, Sony Middle East and Africa

Sony, the leading consumer electronics and entertainment brand has set a US $ 1.4 billion target for the African consumer electronics market. The company made this known while  unveiling its extensive blueprint for expansion across the African continent in Cape Town, South Africa. Defined by a rigorous 360 degree immersion plan, Sony will look to transform the African consumers’ experience in the electronics sector through launching the latest technology products, introducing experiential Sony brand stores, and setting up authorized service centers in almost every country in Africa.

On the operational front, Sony plans to establish new zonal offices in Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria and Angola, employing local human resources and identifying new business partners with the capacity to compliment the Sony growth strategy in Africa.

The announcements, which came at an exclusive dealers’ conference, highlight Sony’s global ambitions and the significance it places on Africa in the international marketplace.

Speaking at the conference, Hiroyasu Sugiyama, Managing Director, Sony Middle East and Africa, said: “Africa is undoubtedly one of the most important markets for Sony. By 2015, we hope to achieve a $1.4 billion share in the consumer electronics space, including the fast-growing mobile phone business. The numbers certainly look exciting, but our immediate focus is to identify tactics that help us move towards our target. The Sony roadmap for Africa constitutes a four-pillared strategy based on ‘product’, ‘customer’, ‘community’ and ‘operation’.”

Recognizing the demand for its top-of-the-line products in local markets, Sony aims to synchronize its international launches to include the African continent in its entirety. From the award-winning Sony Xperia Z smartphone, the XPERIA tablet and the BRAVIA 4K TVs to the world’s most powerful audio system, the Shake 7 stereo, Sony will look to reduce the wait-time and increase the availability of its products, especially those tailored for African consumers. Incidentally, Sony stands number one in the audio products category in Africa, commanding a market share of over 40 per cent. In South Africa alone, one in two customers seeking audio products has been found to opt for Sony.

Looking to transform the experiential prospects for African consumers, Sony is also set to roll-out its unique branded stores, Sony World, in key markets to give potential buyers a chance to see and feel the unmatched quality of its products. The first of these open-display stores has been successfully launched in the Ivory Coast.

Sony’s attention to quality does not end at the point of sale, with the brand announcing the launch of 67 authorized service centers in Africa this year that will be increased to 87 centers by March 2014.

Sugiyama added: “Africa is a vast continent, and we understand that it is made up of different and diverse countries with many languages and cultures that require localized communication. We are moving fast to satisfy these requirements and preferences through vehicles such as a multi-lingual Sony website in Africa’s predominant languages including French, Portuguese, English and Arabic. We are also looking to launch a dedicated Sony Facebook page for Africa.”

Over the years, Sony has extensively engaged with the African community with campaigns that propose the company’s goal to work ‘With Africa’ as opposed to ‘For Africa’. These include initiatives such as the South Africa Mobile Library Project in partnership with non-profit organization South African Primary Education Support Initiative (SAPESI). In addition, Sony has partnered with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, and Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) to implement highly successful public cinema-viewing projects in Tanzania, Ghana and Cameroon.

Other community support projects include Folktales in Malawi, a joint initiative with the Malawi National Commission for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Global Future Charitable Trust (GFCT), to protect and preserve the heritage of intergenerational story telling in print and audio formats. The widespread Eye See Digital Photo Project headed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was additionally extended to children in Rwanda, Liberia, Madagascar, South Africa, Ethiopia, Mali and Tunisia to give them a voice of expression through photography.

Speaking on Sony community initiatives, Sugiyama said: “We at Sony believe that we must be a part of the local community wherever we do business. Ever since its inception in 1946, Sony has endeavored to provide amazing entertainment experiences through our products that inspire and fulfill our consumers’ curiosity. We continue to replicate this guiding philosophy that is embedded in our DNA across all the community-focused initiatives that we deliver globally.”

Sony’s new expansion plan is just the tip of the iceberg with regards to its long term vision for Africa. At a time when the region’s electronics market is evolving rapidly, with more and more users looking for intelligent solutions to match their entertainment needs, Sony is poised to deliver an extraordinary offering to suit varied expectations, and bring the ‘Best of Sony’ to every corner of the African continent.

British Telecom Deploys 5 Millionth Wi-Fi Hotspot

The UK’s British Telecom has announced that its Wi-Fi service has reached more than 5 million hotspots in the UK and Ireland, with the company adding more than 20,000 new hotspots each week over the past year.

BT says that it saw more than 400 million connections across its Wi-Fi network in 2012/13 and latest figures show users’ online Wi-Fi time is increasing, with minutes more than tripling in the same period. An incredible 13 petabytes of data (13 billion megabytes) were consumed across BT’s Wi-Fi network during 2012/13.

Research conducted by BT and ICM has found that usage trends for Wi-Fi vary according to age. Most 18-24s favour Wi-Fi for social media, whilst the 35-44 age group chooses to shop online. Most 45-54s use it for GPS and mapping services, whilst the over 65s use Wi-Fi for finding discount vouchers or codes.

Andy Baker, BT Wi-Fi CEO, said: “The time Wi-Fi users spend online and the amount of data they’re using is up across our network. People are now so confident and comfortable with their gadgets, we’ve had to meet the demand with more hotspots in a wider choice of places – on the high street and in thousands of neighbourhoods across the country.”

All BT Wi-Fi hotspots are free and unlimited for BT Broadband customers — although anyone can logon and pay for access.