Ministry of Innovation and Technology Ethiopia to host 17th annual IAD Summit, June 2019

The Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MiNT) Ethiopia have partnered with Extensia ltd. to host this year’s Innovation Africa Digital (IAD) Summit at the Sheraton Addis, Ethiopia. As Official Summit partner, MInT have committed the highest level of support and participation at the summit, contributing to the agenda by ensuring the participation of high-level speakers from the government of Ethiopia, inviting top representatives from the United Nations, African Union, Smart Africa and other African Governments.

Quote from Minister of Ethiopian Innovation and Technology, His Excellency, Dr. Ing. Getahun Mekuria:
It is my honor to welcome you all to the African’s diplomatic capital—and a rising conference tourism destination city of Addis Ababa. The Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MiNT) in collaboration with its esteemed partners organize Ethiopia’s 3rd International ICT Expo week with the intention of bringing together established technology service vendors, private and public sector decision makers, integrators, and users of ICT technology for business or public good, as well as startups and academia with unique solutions, to create important networks and valuable partnerships. The one week event combines, rewarding and recognition of Ethiopian innovators, unrivaled conference content and panels with a major exhibition and a well-crafted networking opportunity. The Expo will take place at the Millennium Hall from June 6 to 10, 2019 and in parallel the Innovation Africa Digital summit (IADs) at Sheraton Addis hotel from June 10 to 11, 2019.

The city of Addis Ababa provides the appropriate setting for business travelers, and those curious to explore the opportunities of the wider Ethiopian market. ICT Expo Ethiopia will also support growth within the private sector and expect to welcome more than 200,000 visitors, and in the IAD summit more than 500 participants expected to participate from the world.

Quote from Extensia CEO:

Extensia is proud to host our flagship IAD summit at the prestigious Sheraton Addis for the 4th time and with continued support from the government of Ethiopia. This year’s IAD summit is great timing for Ethiopia considering the recently announced market liberalisation plans in the country. His Excellency, Dr Getahun Mekuria has embraced the theme of the summit and the opportunity to support African Countries in improving their national ICT agendas.

The 17th annual IAD Summit addresses the need for African Countries to accelerate their ICT maturity. With only 3 sub Saharan African countries in the top 100 of the ITU’s Global ICT maturity index there is much work to do and tremendous opportunities ahead. Each country is looking towards 2030 sustainable development goals and the foundations for the achievement of many of these goals can be supported by a healthy ICT ecosystem. Each country has it’s own distinct identity and own objectives driving their ICT agenda and the IAD summit provides an opportunity to identify best practices and innovative strategies for accelerating these agendas. Global ICT leaders will share thoughts, ideas and best practices with an audience of Ministers, Regulators, Service Providers and Major End Users from across Africa.
Ministry of Innovation and Technology Ethiopia to host 17th annual IAD Summit, June 2019

The Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MiNT) Ethiopia have partnered with Extensia ltd. to host this year’s Innovation Africa Digital (IAD) Summit at the Sheraton Addis, Ethiopia. As Official Summit partner, MInT have committed the highest level of support and participation at the summit, contributing to the agenda by ensuring the participation of high-level speakers from the government of Ethiopia, inviting top representatives from the United Nations, African Union, Smart Africa and other African Governments.

Quote from Minister of Ethiopian Innovation and Technology, His Excellency, Dr. Ing. Getahun Mekuria:
It is my honor to welcome you all to the African’s diplomatic capital—and a rising conference tourism destination city of Addis Ababa. The Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MiNT) in collaboration with its esteemed partners organize Ethiopia’s 3rd International ICT Expo week with the intention of bringing together established technology service vendors, private and public sector decision makers, integrators, and users of ICT technology for business or public good, as well as startups and academia with unique solutions, to create important networks and valuable partnerships. The one week event combines, rewarding and recognition of Ethiopian innovators, unrivaled conference content and panels with a major exhibition and a well-crafted networking opportunity. The Expo will take place at the Millennium Hall from June 6 to 10, 2019 and in parallel the Innovation Africa Digital summit (IADs) at Sheraton Addis hotel from June 10 to 11, 2019.

The city of Addis Ababa provides the appropriate setting for business travelers, and those curious to explore the opportunities of the wider Ethiopian market. ICT Expo Ethiopia will also support growth within the private sector and expect to welcome more than 200,000 visitors, and in the IAD summit more than 500 participants expected to participate from the world.

Quote from Extensia CEO:
Extensia is proud to host our flagship IAD summit at the prestigious Sheraton Addis for the 4th time and with continued support from the government of Ethiopia. This year’s IAD summit is great timing for Ethiopia considering the recently announced market liberalisation plans in the country. His Excellency, Dr Getahun Mekuria has embraced the theme of the summit and the opportunity to support African Countries in improving their national ICT agendas.

The 17th annual IAD Summit addresses the need for African Countries to accelerate their ICT maturity. With only 3 sub Saharan African countries in the top 100 of the ITU’s Global ICT maturity index there is much work to do and tremendous opportunities ahead. Each country is looking towards 2030 sustainable development goals and the foundations for the achievement of many of these goals can be supported by a healthy ICT ecosystem. Each country has it’s own distinct identity and own objectives driving their ICT agenda and the IAD summit provides an opportunity to identify best practices and innovative strategies for accelerating these agendas. Global ICT leaders will share thoughts, ideas and best practices with an audience of Ministers, Regulators, Service Providers and Major End Users from across Africa.

Nigeria: Telecoms Services Remain Poor Despite Promises From Operators, Regulatort

Despite promises of improved telecoms services from both the regulator and operators, it appears that the over 174 million active subscribers in Nigeria have been scammed by those promises, as telephony services across the country remained at its lowest ebb.

From Lagos to Abuja, Ondo to Port Harcourt, Jos to Enugu, Borno to Sokoto, the profile of the quality of service, especially from the GSM operators, the quartet of MTN Nigeria, Globacom, Airtel, and 9Mobile leaves much to be desired.

To make matters worse, operators are currently mulling increase in voice tariff, which they tied to increasing harsh business environment.

Checks by The Guardian confirmed the barrage of complaints by subscribers, who experienced increased dropped calls, aborted and undelivered short message services (SMS), and countless failed calls. Equally, Internet services remained a challenge; just as much as uploading and downloading activities, all of which make 4G services nothing to write home about, despite promises from Smile, nTel, Swift, and others, which claimed superiority.

Subscribers are also groaning under what they described as frustrating porting experiences. Besides, The Guardian gathered that about 40 per cent of subscribers data are not been rolled over by the operators, which further compounds users woes. The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, had two years ago in Lagos, directed operators to roll-over unfinished data.

While subscribers piled up complaints over these lingering failures, watchers of the unfolding development in the telecommunications industry wondered why, despite repeated sanctions by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the sector’s regulator, poor services are rising in the industry, 17 years after the telecoms revolution in the country. This is even as operators insist they have continued to make almost yearly investments on network roll outs and facilities upgrades nationwide.

Speaking with The Guardian, a telecoms expert, Kehinde Aluko, wondered how long Nigerians would continue to suffer, despite spending between N2 trillion and N3 trillion on telecoms services, especially on airtime annually.

Aluko noted that the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set by the NCC do not reflect their performance and challenges of the industry, “I think something drastic needs to be done. There is serious rip-off in the sector; how will I send a text, money will be removed and the message will not get to destination? Or how do you explain dialling a number, the number is not connecting and your money is removed. The situation is disheartening!”

Narrating her experience in Abuja, a Globacom subscriber, Toyin Adebisi, complained that she had been experiencing drop calls and undelivered SMS in the last one month, and wondered if the NCC still monitors operations of the operators.

According to her, drop calls; uncompleted calls; illegal credit deductions, and the menace of unsolicited SMS remain the order of the day with the networks.

Another subscriber, Chukwuka Maria, a business woman, an ‘MTN loyal customer’ also complained of drop calls and connection failures. She lamented that her clients now find it difficult to reach her for business transactions; “on a more serious note, sometime last year, I almost lost a business worth N3.5 million because they claimed I could not be reached, whereas my phone had the 4G network signal bars on. It is really annoying.”

A postgraduate student of the Federal University of Technology (FUTY), Yola, Emmanuel Gbenga, admitted that all the service providers have issues.”Using my Glo line for calls here is really stressful and data speed can be very slow at times. MTN is fair sometimes, but not dependable. For some days now, I have to tried a number more than once before it goes through. Maybe we can say that network is unstable or what is really happening?” he queried.

A Media Consultant, Ogunmoroti Funsho, said MTN call network had offered pockets of failure, but the rate of failure is minimal for data.

Meanwhile, another customer, Damilola Sunday, said MTN data had been terrible. “We don’t get the data value of our money but voice services are okay for calls. There was one day that a call was on and the person couldn’t hear me. The person called back because the network was fluctuating. It has happened many times like that,” he noted.

Sunday added that Glo data in terms of volume is larger but it is only good at night. “I live in Ikorodu, but work at Ketu. The only time I have good network in Ikorodu is at night. The speed in the Ketu area is okay during the day though. I think this network issue also has to do with location,” he added.

While some subscribers belonged to all the four networks due to the multi-SIMs services, others that either belonged to one or two of the networks lamented that they are being denied access to port.

A Globacom subscriber in Lagos, who spoke with The Guardian and had actually planned to port from the network to another, alleged that Glo has refused to allow the transaction to sail through.

One of the subscribers, Joseph Onyekwere, said he had wanted to port from Globacom to 9Mobile, but “that process was frustrated from Globacom. The 9Mobile officials tried severally for about four attempts, it wasn’t successful, till this moment. I think the regulator should look into matter. The process appears not seamless anymore.”

Consumers generally also complained of data roll over challenges due to service fluctuations and poor customer response to issues.

Speaking with The Guardian, the President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers of Nigeria (NATCOMS), Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, said the issue of poor QoS has become an embarrassment to the industry. He said both voice and data services are currently at the lowest ebb, stressing that the mood in town is not palatable at all.

“It is very unfortunate that we are still experiencing such. Even, the NCC is handicapped on this matter. All the operators are guilty,” he stated.

Ogunbanjo decried that despite activating the DND code 2442, “I still get unsolicited SMS from 9Mobile. I plan to approach the court soon.”

Proffering a lasting solution, the NATCOMs boss urged NCC to call a stakeholders meeting, where the issues will be tackled thoroughly with a matching order to the operators that will be backed by sanctions, which they (telcos) will agree to.

Ogunbanjo wants NCC to monitor equipment installed by operators to be sure they are genuine and up to date, “the regulator will also need to ensure that operators actually installed radio equipment on their BTS for improved 4G experience.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said poor telecommunication services will persist as long as social problems such as wilful damage to telecommunications infrastructure, and epileptic power supply persist in the country.

He added that the operating environment is not conducive enough to maintain uninterrupted services.

Adebayo urged the Federal and states governments to synergise and come to the aid of operators in solving the issues of multiple taxes and regulations affecting the growth of the industry.

He argued that no business would thrive in an environment where resources that could have been used in network upgrade are being diverted for repairs of damaged infrastructure in violence-prone areas.

Adebayo revealed that ALTON, the industry body for all telecommunications companies in Nigeria, is proposing a cost-based tariff for voice calls, saying the new model would reflect the cost of doing business in the country.

Adebayo, who spoke against the backdrop of moves by operators to raise tariff; noted that current rates do not consider the multiplicity of taxes and levies in the telecom industry.

He said: “We are asking that tariff should be cost-based and for that to happen, we need to understand what are the costs that are being incurred due to multiple taxation and consequently, and relate that to the tariff that will be charged in those areas. That is actually what the conversation is about.

“We are going to be approaching the NCC with all the cost information, and we are going to be requesting through the established protocols for a cost-based tariff. We will not be right to say it is an increase in tariff but tariff that will reflect the cost of service provision.

“There is a base price, a minimum bottom price – that has been determined by the NCC, and that is based on general cost of service provision and operating expenditure and recurring cost. It certainly doesn’t consider issues of taxation and levies.”

However, the NCC has blamed poor telecom services being experienced by customers on poor power supply by electricity distribution companies in Nigeria.

Manager, Technical Department, NCC, Musa Diabu, said this in Okene, Kogi State, when the Commission held a sensitisation programme on the need for citizens to collectively protect telecom infrastructure in the country rather than leaving them to security personnel only.

He lamented the incessant theft of telecom facilities across Nigeria, stressing that vandalism of telecom infrastructure has become the bane of quality of service.

Source: Extensia

African ICT Foundation Rebrands, Seeks Nomination for New Board of Trustee

As part of its rebranding and re-engineering process, which began few months ago, the African ICT Foundation has begun the search for a new Board of Trustee to position the Foundation to meet its key objective beginning for 2019.

African ICT Foundation is an independent not-for-profit, and non-partisan empowerment and educational organisation whose mission is to formulate, evaluate, and promote policy solutions that accelerate innovations and boost productivity to spur growth, opportunity and progress in the ICT ecosystem Africa.

According to statement issued in Lagos, South West Nigeria, by the Executive Secretary of the Foundation, Mr. Emmanuel Bassey, the African ICT Foundation was established in 2009 to discover new opportunities in ICT that will have positive impact on the African economy, tackle attended challenges, and avoid potential pitfalls.

He disclosed that a key aspect of the rebranding is the inauguration of a new Board of Trustee to drive the affairs of the Foundation in the coming years, saying that the Foundation is rebranding for effective delivering of its objective hence the need for a new board.”

He said: “At inception it had as its board member: Dr. Samuel I. Ikiddeh – NNPC as Chairman, Engr. Emmanuel E. Ekuwem-Phd –Teledom group,(now SSG to the Akwa Ibom State government) . Engr. Lanre Ajayi – Former ATCON President and Pinet Informatics Ltd. CEO, Mr. Aliyu D. Ibrahim – (NCC), Dr. Olufunsho Olusanya, Rector,D S Adegbenro Ict Polytechnic Polytechnic, Itori Ogun state(Former ICT gateway Polytechnic, tori Ogun State) and Rev. Oke Omezi, Legal Practitioner and Pastor of the Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM).

Mr. Usman A. Rufai, Faculty of Science, Computer science Department ,University of Lagos, and Prof. Effiong Johnson- University of Uyo.

Bassey explained that the Foundation is poised towards providing policymakers in the continent with high-quality information, analysis, and recommendations they can trust.

While expressing confidence of the new Board of Trustee to meet the objectives of the Foundation, he promised that in all ramifications, it will adhere to a high standard of research integrity with an internal code of ethics grounded in analytical rigor, policy pragmatism, and independence from external direction or bias.

He stated that Africans can nominate respected ICT personalities who have made their mark and creating impact in Africa’s ICT ecosystem by visiting the Foundation’s website:africanictfoundation.org.

The Foundation, according to him, “will be led by a board of experts in the ICT industry in Africa and African descent that are internationally recognized in policy issues and have recognised footprint in the industry.”

He said the board will be a team of policy analysts and fellows includes authors and recognised experts in the fields of telecommunications, public policy advocacy, economics, tax policy, trade, privacy, cyber-security, and life sciences, among many others.

The board will run the Foundation through a secretariat based in Nigeria with other offices in Africa.

Upon inauguration of the board, which shall consist of the Chairman of the Board/President, Vice Chair/Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and representatives of other African countries, the board shall elect its officials.

Source: NigeriaCommunicationsWeek

MTN Executives to Resign as Telco Battles FG Fines

There are strong indications that some executives of MTN Group will exit the telecom firm in the next few months as the company battles to resolve its issues with the Nigerian government over the reparation and payment of tax claims worth $10.1 billion.

Bloomberg said quoted people familiar with the matter as saying Mr Herman Singh, chief innovation officer of MTN, is expected to resign to establish his own tech venture.

If this eventually happens, the exit of Mr Singh will come as Babak Fouladi, chief technology officer prepares to join Dutch telecommunications firm, KPN NV, in a similar role next week.

MTN confirmed Fouladi’s departure, which was announced by Rotterdam-based KPN earlier this month. Singh declined to comment.

The executives are leaving after a three-year period of considerable turmoil at MTN. A shock $5.2 billion fine in Nigeria in 2015 embroiled MTN in 10 months of negotiations and prompted a management overhaul. Then earlier this year, authorities in the West African nation announced another round of multi-billion-dollar demands.

The stock has halved over the period, valuing the carrier at 169 billion rand ($12.2 billion). That’s even as demand for data services in Africa booms and MTN expands in fast-growing services such as mobile money. The company agreed to a partnership with Orange SA last week to ease payments across the continent.
The shares declined a further 2 percent on Tuesday to 88 rand as of 1.13 p.m. in Johannesburg, the steepest fall in a week.

Rob Shuter, MTN chief executive officer was hired from Vodafone Group Plc two years ago in the wake of the first Nigeria penalty, which was eventually settled for about $1 billion.
Fouladi was lured from the same company later that year. Singh, formerly with MTN’s crosstown rival Vodacom Group Ltd., was appointed in 2015.

Stephen Van Coller, another high-ranking executive, left MTN at the end of August to take the helm of technology firm EOH Holdings Ltd. Originally hired as head of mergers and acquisitions, the former investment banker was moved to run digital services before quitting less than two years into his tenure.
MTN’s latest dispute with Nigerian authorities is over an allegation the company illegally transferred $8.1 billion out of the country and owes $2 billion in back taxes. While the transaction matter looks close to being wrapped up, with Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele saying he’s on “the verge” of announcing an amicable resolution, the taxation claim is still outstanding.

Other headaches for MTN include problems extracting cash from Iran, its third-biggest market, after U.S. President Donald Trump reinstated sanctions against the country. The carrier has also come under pressure to list country units on local stock exchanges, with Uganda the latest to link a share sale to license renewals.

Source: NigerianCommunicationWeeks

Internet Society says Community Networks Key to Connecting Africa

As Internet access continues to grow in Africa, with over 450 million people now connected to the Internet, more than 60 percent of the population still remains offline. Community Networks are a key way to address this connectivity gap, says the Internet Society, a global non-profit dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet.

Community Networks are communications infrastructure built, managed and used by local communities. They provide a sustainable solution to address the connectivity gaps that exist in underserved urban, remote, and rural areas around the world.

In Africa, where these gaps are more prevalent, a recent survey was able to identify 37 community networks initiatives in 12 African countries, of which 25 are considered active.

The Internet Society in partnership with the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and Zenzeleni Networks will hold the third Africa Community Networks Summit in the Eastern Cape, South Africa from 3-7 September, 2018.

The Summit aims to promote the creation and growth of Community Networks, increase collaboration between community network operators in the region, and to provide an opportunity for them to engage with other stakeholders including content producers, regulators and policymakers.

Particpants from 13 countries in Africa (Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, DRC, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Cameroon, Tanzania, Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia) will be attending the summit in addition to attendees representing Community Networks in Spain, Germany, Argentina, India and the United States.

The conference sessions will cover topics ranging from how Community Networks can close the connectivity gap in Africa to strategies to support local access.

Discussions will also include how local networks can be used to improve delivery of basic services and inspire creation of locally relevant content and services, as well as how to create policies and regulations that enable Community Networks in Africa.

Access to spectrum is critical for Community Networks. Policy makers and regulators can play a key role in ensuring innovative approaches to making spectrum available by working with Community Networks.

An Internet Society report examines the various ways that Community Networks can gain access to spectrum, including the use of unlicensed spectrum, sharing licensed spectrum, and innovative licensing.

“Enabling communities to actually connect themselves is a new way of thinking,” explains Michuki Mwangi, Senior Development Manager for Africa at the Internet Society.

“Policy makers and regulators should recognize that connectivity can be instigated from a village or a town and that they can help communities to connect themselves by providing an enabling environment with innovative licensing and access to spectrum.”

The Africa Community Networks Summit will conclude with a visit to communities served by Zenzeleni Networks, South Africa’s first telecommunications organization that is owned and run by a rural cooperative.

Zenzeleni Networks installs and maintains its own telecommunications infrastructure to deliver affordable voice and data services. All revenues stay in the community and the residents together decide what is done with the proceeds.

The cost to deploy Community Networks can be low. Often, the technology required to build and maintain the network is as simple as a (inexpensive, locally available) wireless router.

The networks can range from WiFi-only to mesh networks and mobile networks that provide voice and SMS services. While they usually serve communities under 3,000 people, some serve more than 50,000 users.

“These networks not only provide affordable access in areas where operators don’t find it commercially viable to provide similar services, but, by being built and operated by people from within the community, they bring many other benefits to the areas where they operate.

They are key to enabling the unconnected connect themselves in Africa,” explains Carlos-Rey Moreno, Community Access Project Coordinator for APC.

MultiChoice Appeals Judgement, Maintains New Tariff

MultiChoice, the parent company of DSTV and GoTV, has described the Federal High Court, Abuja ruling restraining it from implementing its new subscription rates as an affront to free market economy.

The Pay TV operator, has appealed the court judgement against increased tariff and said the new prices will be maintained.

In a statement at the weekend, the company described the court order as an “affront to the free market economy “.

Recall that on August 23, Nnamdi Dimgba, justice of the court, had ruled that the South African company halt the increment of subscription rates to its cable television services till further notice.

The company had announced new rates for DSTV and GoTV effective from August 1, 2018.

The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) had filed a case against MultiChoice.

But a statement by the pay tv operator said that “On 23 August 2018, MultiChoice Nigeria received an interim court order dated 20 August from the federal high court regarding the price adjustment that we implemented on 1 August 2018,” the statement read.

“We believe that the order is an affront to the free market economy and we have now filed a Notice of Appeal and an application for stay of execution, pending the hearing of the Appeal. The CPC has been accordingly served with the requisite processes.”

The Pay TV company said it will always operate within the ambit of the law and will cooperate with the authorities to ensure the best outcome for its customers, as it remains committed to providing the best quality of entertainment and premium content at the best possible prices.

ZIMBABWE: MOBILE NETWORK OPERATORS COMPLY WITH POTRAZ DIRECTIVE

Zimbabwe’s leading mobile network operators (MNOs) yesterday complied with a Postal and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) directive to slash mobile Internet data tariffs by 60%.

Potraz announced last month that it has revised data tariffs through a new Long Rung Incremental Costing model which outlines a new structure on pricing of telecommunication services which includes mobile Internet data charges USSD charges and interconnection fees.

The regulator made the announcement on the 20th of June last month during a press conference which was graced by Minister of Information Communication Technology & Cybersecurity, Supa Mandiwanzira. The minister said government has already notified operators to comply to the new tariffs model by the 1st of July.

Econet, which is the leading mobile network operator by subscribers and infrastructure yesterday notified the public that it has slashed its mobile Internet data charges down to $0.05 per megabyte. Econet which also offer USSD services for various mobile financial solutions also slashed the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data down to $0.05 from the usual $0.12.

The second largest mobile network operation, NetOne also responded to the call and slashed its mobile Internet data tariffs from $0.12 down to $0.05 before tax and then $0.06 after tax. The state owned mobile network operator also cut USSD charges down to $0.05 before tax and also reduced interconnection fees per minute down to $0.02.

(POTRAZ) in collaboration with its parent ministry, the Ministry of Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security made a bold move last month to slash mobile data and USSD charges by 60 percent, a strategy set to address the high transaction costs of e-payments while boosting financial inclusion.

POTRAZ also announced the scrapping of bank USSD charges which have had a heavy impact on both the banking sector and telecommunications service industry.

According to the telecomms regulator, the Out of Bundle mobile data charges threshold have been reduced from the current average rate of 12.5 cents per Megabyte to 5 cents per Megabyte exclusive of all taxes.

This applies to internet/data that is used outside the WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter bundles among others. This concludes to an exact 60% reduction in data tariffs.

The USSD charges threshold has been reduced from the current 12.5 cents per session to 5 cents per session exclusive of all taxes.

Potraz said this was designed to address the high transaction cost of e-payments and increase financial inclusion. To ensure that this reduction benefits the transacting public, POTRAZ also engaged the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) who will engage Financial Service Providers so that the reduction is passed on to the transacting public.

The National interconnection rate has been reduced from the current 4 cents per minute to 2 cents per minute exclusive of all taxes. This applies across all interconnecting operators.

Global Heists on ATM Machines Imminent

America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned banks in Nigeria and others across the globe that criminals are gearing up to execute a global bank heist in the coming days.

In a recent confidential alert FBI told international banks that criminals are plotting a concerted global malware attack on cash machines in the next few days.

The FBI issued a warning about a highly choreographed fraud scheme known as an ATM “jackpotting”, or ATM cash-out,” in which crooks hack a bank or payment card processor and use cloned cards at cash machines around the world to take out millions in just a few minutes.

The alert said the agency had procured information indicating an attack was imminent and that it was likely an “unlimited operation,” which uses malware to exploit network access and get customers’ card information at a large scale.

Once the criminals get the card data, they create fraudulent copies using reusable magnetic strip cards (like gift cards) and hit the ATMs.

“Historic compromises have included small-to-medium size financial institutions, likely due to less robust implementation of cyber security controls, budgets, or third-party vendor vulnerabilities,” reads the confidential alert, which was sent to banks last Friday.

“The FBI expects the ubiquity of this activity to continue or possibly increase in the near future.”

The alert urges banks to review their security systems and use two-factor authentication with a physical or digital token.

Other tips include monitoring and limiting administrator and business accounts with the authority to modify typical fraud controls like maximum withdrawal amounts and number of daily ATM transactions.

Source: Nigerian communicationsweek

NIGERIA: NCC ENFORCES NEW REGULATIONS ON VAS PROVIDERS

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has confirmed that new regulations to improve customer experience when dealing with providers of Value Added Services (VAS) are now in place.

Alhaji Adedigba, Deputy Director in the Consumer Affairs Bureau at the NCC told the 84th Edition of the Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) (organised by the NCC in Lagos yesterday) that VAS providers are expected to comply with the new rules this week.

“I am happy to inform you that key resolutions reached at the 83rd Edition of the TCP held in Lagos in April 2018 have been documented and forwarded to all relevant stakeholders for immediate implementation. Some of the resolutions are to stop Value Added Services’ automatic renewal and forceful subscription and (for them to) implement a two-step authorisation of opt-in process for VAS subscription. On the strength of the above resolutions, the Commission has issued two directions and one of the directions became effective on June 26th, 2018.”

The NCC said it has instructed operators to start rolling over unused data from 26 June 2018.

Telcos are now expected to add a subscriber’s unused data to their next data subscription or face a penalty of up to N5 000 000 fine on the 1st failure per SIM card and up to N500,000 for every day defaulted following the initial transgression.

Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC said the delivery of telecommunications services should prioritise the interests of consumers.

“Let me state that the Commission is committed to protecting the interests of telecoms consumers at all times, while also finding ways of addressing challenges facing the service providers.”

He also told the TCP the authority’s ‘Do-Not-Disturb’ (DND) facility, which requires consumers to send a text message reading ‘STOP’ to 2442 in order to halt all unsolicited messages or to call the NCC on through its toll-free line, remain available for use – despite the implementation of the new rules for VAS providers in Nigeria.

Source: IT Web Africa

 

AFRICA: YAHSAT EXPECTS GROWTH IN SATELLITE BROADBAND BUT PLANS TO ENTER MOBILITY AND IOT

Yahsat anticipates higher growth from its satellite broadband business as it looks to enter the mobility and Internet of Things segments (IoT), as well as possibly compete with telecoms service providers, The National reported. CEO Masood Sharif Mahmood said the operator is anticipating greater demand for satellite broadband services on the back of higher uptake in IoT-serviced industries such as oil and gas and on the growth of sustainable cities in the region.

According to US-based International Data Corporation, the IoT market in the Middle East and Africa is set to grow 15 percent in 2018 to USD 6.99 billion, and reach USD 12.62 billion by 2021. The company’s acquisition of a majority stake in Thuraya was also considered as part of it efforts to expand its mobility segment, added Mahmood. He declined to specify Yahsat’s stake in the operator or the value of the transaction.

Yahsat’s new Al Yah 3 satellite completed orbital testing at the end of May and is expected to increase the operator’s footprint in another nineteen countries, including newer markets in Latin America and Brazil. Its Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2 satellites provide government services, satellite TV and satellite broadband in the Middle East, Africa, central and south-west Asia, penetrating remote areas.

Yahsat specialises in coverage of unserved, digitally remote areas but will eventually target providing connectivity to segments in cities that already have service, too. The challenge, said Mahmood, is to make such services affordable to consumers as well as encourage their take-up in the region, where on board Wi-Fi is still viewed as a luxury and faces competition from legacy infrastructure such as in-flight entertainment.

YahSat sees opportunities in the developing world to provide affordable basic internet connectivity to bridge the digital divide, especially through partnerships with governments. Citing Free Basics, the affordable internet service launched by Facebook in less developed economies, Mahmood said should his company enter this segment, it would look at doing things differently. He said YahClick, as the operator’s satellite broadband service is known, has grown to cover around 50,000 devices.

While this satellite broadband connectivity is available through retailers in the markets covered by Yahsat, often remote localities, it is also the third licensed operator for internet services in the UAE. While YahClick provides connectivity to the oil and gas industry as well as services requiring remote connectivity in the Emirates, Mahmood said it would be a while before it becomes competitive with telecoms service providers.

Source: Telecompaper.com