Airtel, Phase 3 Telecom Partner on 3flix

Airtel, Coverage Broadband Announce Launch of 3flix Mobile TV Service  

Airtel Nigeria, has announced a strategic partnership with Coverage Broadband, a subsidiary of Phase3 Telecom, to launch 3flix mobile TV service in Nigeria.

With this partnership, customers who subscribe to a special bundled data plan on Airtel will now enjoy unfettered access to 3flix live television channels covering music, movies, sports, fashion, entertainment, news, documentary, cartoon, comedy and lifestyle, amongst others.

The 3flix TV app is designed for smart phones and it provides premium television content to Nigerians across the country.

Airtel customers are required to dial *2424# to activate the 3flix mobile TV service or they can log on to 3flix.tv to access the service. The 3flix mobile TV app can also be downloaded directly from Google play store (Android).

The tariff for the service is pegged at N20 for daily subscription and N75 for Weekly subscription.

Acting Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, said the telco is committed to creating and supporting innovative value offerings that will excite, delight and empower more telecoms consumers across the country.

“Airtel is positioned as the mobile Internet service provider of first choice for Nigerians and currently, we have the largest 4G network in the country. We are excited with the partnership with 3flix as we will enable more telecoms consumers to enjoy all the fun mobile TV provides; keep abreast with latest news; follow-up with celebrities and watch their favorite sports team on the go, regardless of location,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer of Phase3 Telecom, Stanley Jegede, said Phase3's foresight to focus on the opportunities in emerging markets led to the creation of Coverage Broadband, and the subsequent partnership with Airtel Nigeria, to offer subscribers a distinctive mobile TV viewing service, which requires minimal data consumption.

“ While 3flix mobile TV would continue to expand its library of great content, we are particularly excited that the product is designed to adapt in features, technology, and aggregation just as the viewing and immersive experience of consumers continue to evolve,” he said.

Executive Director of Coverage Broadband Vikram Bhatnagar said: “The entire team is armed with the required expertise to see 3flix take the lead in the world of bringing affordable, ingenious, and quality digital content which subscribers can watch everywhere on their preferred mobile device.”

Coverage Broadband is a subsidiary of Phase3 Telecom, and has been issued a mobile TV/OTT broadcast license from National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), and a VAS license from Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Hence, the creation of its flagship product - 3flix to offer made-for-mobile TV channels, which was built in collaboration with foremost technology, and media partners. The product boast exciting content that is affordable, and runs on ease-of-use features for subscribers to stream live TV on the go.

The 3flix TV App is available for download on Play Store.

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Frost & Sullivan Keen on Africa

Frost & Sullivan shows interest in establishing presence in Africa

Frost & Sullivan, a business consulting firm involved in market research and analysis, growth strategy consulting, and corporate training across multiple industries, is keenly interested in establishing a strong presence in Africa.  Ghana and Nigeria, we can authoritatively confirm, will be among key African countries to benefit from the consulting firm’s presence on the continent.

Specifically, Frost & Sullivan says it will be researching into many and varied sectors in Nigeria, including but not limited to the following sectors: ICT, Metals & Minerals, Energy, Water and Healthcare.

It is sketchy whether Frost & Sullivan will be carrying out the research using her workforce alone or in partnership with both the private and public sectors in the countries it aims to have presence in.

Watch this space for more developments as they unfold.

World’s first carbon-positive data center coming from EcoDatacenter

With data centers expected to consume as much as 20 per cent of the world’s energy within only a few years, the deployment of energy efficient data centers is crucial. Swedish developer of climate-positive data centers EcoDataCenter has taken a global lead in this segment and is now launching the first carbon positive data center in the world, in Falun in central Sweden.

Increased digitalization will lead to data processing at data centers using one-fifth of the world’s total energy production as early as 2025, as calculations from several researchers and experts show. Since fossil fuel sources are responsible for two-thirds of the world’s production of electricity, data centers risk becoming one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions.

Sweden’s EcoDataCenter, a provider of colocation data center solutions, is now ready to give the central Swedich city of Falun the world’s first climate-positive data center. After four years of development efforts, EcoDataCenter has managed to create a data center that is integrated with the surrounding energy ecosystem to reuse the heat generated and create the world’s first climate positive data center; Being climate positive means that not only are there no carbon emissions, but that during operation it even promotes the reduction of total carbon emissions.

Great interest from around the world

Carbon-positive operation is achieved through green electricity and using the surplus heat from the center in Falu Energi och Vatten’s local district heating networks and a wood pellet factory. During the warmer months, the surplus energy in the district heating network is used for cooling the data center. The facility will have a total capacity of 1.9 mW and will be put into operation in the autumn of 2018.

“The technical design of the data center will be a crucial issue going forward, since it has a tremendous impact on both environment and costs, and we see a very large market for our technology,” said  CEO of EcoDataCenter, Lars Schedin.

The steadily increasing need for processing data in the wake of 5G, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence are what lie behind the expected rise in the energy consumption of data centers. According to Gartner, a leading Internet analyst, there will be more than 20 billion connected objects by 2020, a figure that in the opinion of some commentators could increase to a full 100 billion as early as 2025.

Digital habits impact the environment

Most of us, however, are likely unaware of the fact that our daily digital habits have a serious impact on the environment, according to Schedin.

“Naturally, one person watching a video on the Internet has a marginal impact, but when several million do it several times, the total energy consumption is very large — something most of us barely think about,” says Schedin, citing the example of the video for the megahit “Despacito,” which has now been shown more than 5 billion times on YouTube.

“This means that viewing this video alone has consumed energy equivalent to an estimated 850 GWh. If we start from the fact that it has been viewed around the globe, it is reasonable to assume that this in turn has involved emissions of approximately 360,000 tons of carbon dioxide — as much as 220,000 taxis release in an entire year.”

Major energy drain

Simply put, data centers consist of a large number of data servers that process data, something that uses a lot of energy since the processing in itself requires energy, but also because the servers must be constantly cooled in order to function. Energy consumption constitutes one of the largest operating costs in a data center, and a facility with lower energy consumption will thereby have less of an impact on the environment and offer lower costs — something that is extremely attractive for both data companies and their customers.

As a result of its low energy prices, Sweden is already an attractive country for investments in new data centers, which is why several major players — Facebook and Google among them — have chosen to establish centers in Sweden. EcoDataCenter expects that their technology for carbon-positive data centers will further strengthen Sweden’s position in the industry.

“Interest in the facility in Falun is enormous, and we have had visits from customers around the world even though it’s not really ready,” says Chairman of EcoDataCenter’s Board of Directors, Lars Thunell. “Everything points to it being a major success, and we are therefore counting on the need to build a large number of facilities of this type, both in Sweden and abroad, to successfully meet interest and demand.”

TRAI cuts spectrum prices to attract bidders

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended releasing more than 8,500MHz of spectrum across nine bands, including the 3.6GHz 5G frequency, for the country’s next auction.

TRAI didn’t suggest a date for the sale, which could generate as much as INR5 trillion ($73 billion) if all available lots are sold at the reserve price, The Economic Times (ET) said.

The agency called for the 5G spectrum to be sold at INR4.92 billion per MHz in 20MHz blocks and recommended a 100MHz cap on the band per bidder. It said the country’s revised spectrum limits (an overall cap of 35 per cent and a 50 per cent cap on the combined spectrum holding in sub-1GHz bands) should be extended to the 3.6GHz band.

To attract interest and avoid a repeat of a spectrum auction in October 2016, when 60 per cent of the available airwaves went unsold, TRAI reduced the reserve prices of most of the bands. It slashed the base price of 700MHz spectrum by 43 per cent to INR65.7 billion per MHz, ET reported. In 2016 there were no bidders for the 700MHz band due to a high reserve price.

Despite the price cuts, analysts say the 5G and 700MHz base prices remain high by international standards and expect interest in the bands to be weak.

The country’s mobile operators are in the midst of a fierce price war following the entry of Reliance Jio in September 2016, with the top three players burdened by heavy debt and declining profitability.

TRAI’s recommendations need to be approved by the Department of Telecommunications before the cabinet gives the final green light.

-https://www.mobileworldlive.com/asia/asia-news

Fidelity Bank partners  WorldRemit on mobile money

Digital money transfer service WorldRemit has joined forces with Fidelity Bank, one of Nigeria’s top financial services providers, for instant money transfers to four million Fidelity Bank accounts in Nigeria.

The new partnership further expands WorldRemit’s footprint in the country and allows the 15 million-strong Nigerian diaspora living in over 50 countries - including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany - to send money directly from their phones to recipients in Nigeria. The deal supports WorldRemit’s plan to serve 10 million customers connected to emerging markets by 2020.

Fidelity Bank is one of the largest banks in Nigeria with an extensive network of branches across the country. The bank is committed to innovating its digital products to provide convenience and ease of banking for its customers. The collaboration with WorldRemit supports Fidelity Bank’s dedication to innovation and increasing financial inclusion.

Remittances play an increasingly important role in Nigeria’s economy. The World Bank estimates that in 2017 alone Nigeria received over $22 billion in remittances, making it the largest recipient in Africa and fifth largest recipient globally.

Regional Director of Africa and the Middle East at WorldRemit, Andrew Stewart, says: “Nigeria remains our largest and fastest growing market in Africa, and WorldRemit’s second biggest market globally. We are delighted to be partnering with Fidelity, a leading bank in Nigeria and a major player in the remittance business, to introduce its customers to our best in class online money transfer service, which offers a safer, faster and more cost-effective way to send and receive funds.”

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo, comments: “WorldRemit offers a low-cost way to send and receive money. The opportunity for our customers to receive money from over 50 countries in a quick, affordable and convenient manner with WorldRemit is in line with our promise to deliver a new standard of service in the financial services industry.”

Last year, WorldRemit became Arsenal FC’s first-ever online money transfer partner in a global sponsorship deal. WorldRemit customers complete one million transfers every month from over 50 countries to over 145 destinations. More than half of its transfers go to Africa.

9mobile Acquisition on Course as Parties Agree to Extension of Timeline

 The Board of 9mobile has announced the extension of the timeline for closure of the acquisition process, a company statement inked by CEO, Boye Olusanya, said.

The timeline extension, we understand, was considered necessary to enable parties involved in the sale process to finalise the requisite transaction documentation to facilitate a smooth closure and transition to the new investor.

“The Board of 9mobile is pleased with the progress made thus far and expects the acquisition process to be completed as soon as possible. Further updates in this regard will be provided in due course.

We hereby thank our invaluable customers for their support and reiterate our continuing commitment to providing best-in-class telecommunication service,” stated Olusanya.

…Partners Girl Effect, iSON to Empower Girls

Meanwhile, 9mobile, has reiterated its commitment to the development and empowerment of the girl-child by partnering with Girl Effect, a not-for-profit, and iSON Group, an IT company, to facilitate delivery of a unique service that enables girls to listen to pre-recorded inspiring stories on their mobile phones and then connect to a specially trained role model who provides answers to their questions.

Tagged Girls Connect, this initiative is a pioneering partnership created by Girl Effect - a Non-governmental organisation (NGO) that uses media and mobile technology to empower girls, and IT company, iSON Group. Together they developed the innovative service that enables girls to draw inspiration using an interactive voice response platform on their mobile phones, and also learn more from qualified women that talk through the stories they have heard to make them more meaningful to the girls’ lives.   

With 9mobile’s support for the initiative, girls and young female adults will be able to access on-the-go and free of charge, information that can enhance their economic wellbeing, state of health and wellness as they interact with the specially-trained role models on their mobile phones.

Speaking at the launch of the initiative in Kano on Tuesday, July 24, 2018 the Chief Human Resource Officer, 9mobile, Abigail Isokpan, said the partnership was borne out of the telecom company’s passion for development of its customers, host communities, and indeed Nigeria.

“We are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to create value; and one of the ways we are achieving this is by aligning our business agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We have been consistent in seeking ways to drive sustainability of our business through platforms and programmes that ensure progress of our critical stakeholders, in recognition of the fact that their success is our success. Girls Connect is one of such platforms”, she stated.

Describing the initiative as ground-breaking, she said Girls Connect is designed to improve the lives of girl-children in Nigeria in line with the key objectives of the SDGs, which include elimination of poverty, promotion of good health and wellbeing, economic growth, and bridging inequalities especially for the girl-child.

Isokpan added that, “All these goals tie-in to the ideals and objectives of Girls Connect, therefore we are pleased to be partnering on this initiative. At 9mobile, we are mindful of our responsibility as a corporate citizen, and as such we are appreciative of opportunities such as this, that enable us to build on our work in making the Nigerian society healthier, safer, and more productive.”  

She also revealed that the Girls Connect initiative further enables 9mobile to utilise its core competence as a telecommunications company and to affirm its position as a leader in leveraging technology to promote social good.

Girl Effect and iSON Group ran a successful pilot of Girls Connect across five locations in Kano last year.  44,000 calls were made to the service during the eight-week campaign, five times more than originally expected. With the support of partners including 9mobile, Arewa24, and respective State Governments and Ministries of Women Affairs, the initiative is now live in Kano state and will be launched in Edo State later this month. The service is accessible in Hausa language and Pidgin.

9mobile over the past nine years has been at the forefront of promoting and supporting initiatives that make positive impact on its stakeholders across Nigeria. It instituted the first taught Master’s Programme in Telecommunications Engineering in West Africa at the Ahmadu Bello University; and has awarded scholarships to undergraduates in more than 30 universities across Nigeria under its Merit Awards programme.

Through its Adopt-a-School initiative, it has built and renovated educational structures as well as provided ICT equipment to primary and secondary schools, and conducted teacher’s training programmes in three states. It has also distributed tens of thousands of insecticide-treated nets to communities most affected by the malaria scourge; and continues to tackle HIV/AIDS by enabling subscribers make toll-free calls to receive information on its prevention and control.

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Kwesé TV, 9mobile Ink Distribution Agreement           

Kwesé TV, Nigeria’s newest satellite pay-TV network, and 9mobile have signed a distribution agreement for the sale of Kwesé TV decoders through 9mobile Experience Centres across Nigeria.

With this strategic partnership, prospective Kwesé TV customers can easily walk into any participating 9mobile stores and purchase a Kwesé kit comprising a dish, decoder, including one-month free subscription, and installation for N10,960.

This partnership which will be rolled out through a phased approach has been launched in key 9mobile Experience Centres situated at The Palms Shopping Mall, Ikeja City Mall, Adeola Odeku Street on Victoria Island, Mushin, Surulere and Festac Town; all in Lagos.

Kwesé TV offers 70+ premium channels for family viewing with an extensive programming line-up including wholesome children’s programs, live sports, lifestyle shows, movies, series and so much more! Kwesé’s appeal is not only its world-class content but its innovative industry-first ‘pay as you watch’ payment model which gives customers the choice between purchasing 3-day, 7-day and 30-day subscription packages to its full entertainment and sports bouquet.

The partnership with 9mobile will also see 9mobile subscribers access the Kwesé iflix app through exclusive video data bundles for the Kwesé iflix 1-day, 3-day, 7-day and 30-day VIP passes.

Speaking about the partnership, General Manager, Kwesé TV Nigeria, Elizabeth Amkpa, said: “This partnership extends our distribution network and makes our products accessible to even more Nigerian consumers. We are currently operating in select 9mobile Experience Centres in Lagos, and we will soon be available in other major cities across the country in partnership with 9mobile.”

Also commenting, Vice President, Marketing, 9mobile, Adebisi Idowu, said, “We are excited to be working with Nigeria’s newest pay-TV provider to offer premium TV and video content to our customers. This newest partnership is a further demonstration of our commitment to continuously deliver innovative services that enable Nigerians to enjoy more, across all our brand touchpoints.”

Adebisi added that 9mobile will continue to forge partnerships and build bridges that enrich the lives of its teeming customers and enable them to enjoy best in class quality of service (QoS) at all times. “9mobile is determined to continue meeting the passion point of Nigerians, especially, customers on the network; and Kwesé TV offers yet another major platform to do so”, he enthused.

9mobile has been acknowledged as Nigeria’s most innovative and customer-friendly telecommunication company, and through its revolutionary fastest data package, Moreblaze, it has consistently offered its tech-savvy customers functional innovations thereby setting the market pace for competitive offerings in meeting the clients’ wants and needs.

First Bank partners WorldRemit on digital money transfers to Nigeria

Leading digital money transfer service WorldRemit has joined forces with First Bank of Nigeria Limited (First Bank) for instant money transfers to all First Bank accounts in Nigeria.

The new strategic partnership considerably expands WorldRemit’s footprint in the country and allows its customers in over 50 countries to send money to First Bank accounts directly from their phones. The deal supports WorldRemit’s plan to serve 10 million customers connected to emerging markets by 2020.

First Bank is collaborating with WorldRemit to drive convenience and ease of banking for its customers as well as provide the much-needed push for financial inclusion initiatives. Established since 1894 and with footprint in 6 African countries and a full-fledged branch in London, First Bank has over 14 million customer accounts and more than 750 business locations providing a comprehensive range of retail and corporate financial services across these markets.

With a diaspora of over 15 million people living in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, remittances play an increasingly important role in Nigeria’s economy. The World Bank estimates that in 2017 alone Nigeria received over $22 billion in remittances, making it the largest recipient in Africa.

Sub-saharan Africa still remains the most expensive region to send remittances to, with an average cost of 9.4 percent for sending $200, according to the World Bank.

Andrew Stewart, Regional Head of Middle East & Africa at WorldRemit, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with First Bank, one of Nigeria’s leading banks, to give its 14 million customers access to our best in class money transfer experience.

Nigeria remains our largest and fastest growing market in Africa, and WorldRemit’s second biggest market globally. This is a key partnership in the country that will further support Nigeria’s transition from offline remittances to online, safer, faster and lower-cost money transfer methods.”

Group Head of Products and Marketing Support at First Bank, Abiodun Famuyiwa added:

“The Bank is excited to be working WorldRemit in delivering swift digital remittances to its customers in Nigeria. This partnership is one of the numerous ways the Bank would continue to put customers first by leading the industry in the use of technology to provide safe, convenient and fast banking solutions”.

Last year WorldRemit became Arsenal FC’s first-ever online money transfer partner in a global sponsorship deal. WorldRemit customers complete 1 million transfers every month from 50 countries to over 145 destinations. More than half of its transfers go to Africa.

VueTel launches in USA

…Italian Tlc group to connect the USA to Africa

VueTel, specialized in international telecommunications services, can now provide high quality and secure voices and data services, thanks to the reliable and flexible infrastructural network of NOC, Pop and hub in New Yok, London, Paris, and more than 11 African countries and 350 million internet users.

The technology infrastructure is set up to offer international Internet Transit Services (IP Transit), International dedicated lines (IPLC), devoted Ethernet circuits (EthLink) and virtual private networks (IP VPN) in addition to international voice transit services.

The USA VueTel headquarter is located in Holmdel, New Jersey, in the refurbished building that historically housed the Bell Labs, while the technology infrastructure is located in New York, in the prestigious 60 Hudson Street venue.

"With the new AfCFTA agreement, the intra African market can grow up to 52 per cent before 2022 and open a market of 1.2 billion people and a 3,4 billion dollar gross domestic product. Our focus is now to provide large companies and corporations in the USA with dedicated data services to connect them to this great opportunity”, says Vice President of VueTel USA, Emanuela Bevilacqua. “We operate in a market dominated by large carriers that have developed global network. Most of them, however, do not directly provide services to African countries. On the contrary VueTel have significant knowledge and remarkable experience in these territories where we have been physically present and active for several years."

With the activation of PoP in New York, after the main nocs of London, Paris, Marseille, Milan, and Palermo, VueTel is consolidating more and more as an international benchmark for the wholesale market providing data to the African continent.

VueTel USA is then making its way into the vast world of industry 4.0., aiming to develop advanced telecommunications services based on artificial intelligence and Machine Learning. "For VueTel, which has a history of deep technological know-how", comments Emanuela Bevilacqua, "it becomes extremely stimulating to operate in a sector among the most competitive in the United States".

Data Scenario

From 2000 to the present day, Africa has experienced a strong increase in both fixed and mobile connectivity. According to data from the Internet World states, the continent's internet users grew from around 4.5 million in 2010 to nearly 350 million in 2017. The current level of penetration is around 28 per cent, slightly more than half of the rest of the world, but an exponential growth is expected to bring the African continent to comparable levels with the world average by 2020. According to the GSMA, by 2020 there will be more than 700 million mobile connections in Africa, more than twice the forecasts regarding North America.

In addition, the data services market is constantly expanding, with significant growth rates. According to MEF's estimates, the Metro Ethernet Forum, the global Carrier Ethernet services market will reach approximately $63 billion globally in 2019.

With regard to the African countries in which the largest number of American companies are present, there are: South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya and Nigeria. The sectors in which they operate are largely: energy, technology, Food & beverage, Agriculture, oil & gas.

Voice Network

The VueTel group is present with its network in London and Paris, a geographic cluster for TDM and VoIP, and in New York with a single full VoIP node completely redundant with the European cluster.

Data Network

The backbone connects the most important connectivity centres between Europe and Africa in ring-protected mode: London, Paris, Milan and Palermo, as well as Marseille and Lisbon, strategic points of arrival for submarine cables from Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. The offer is expanded with the new New York knot.

The offer for the business market includes internet and connectivity services for the creation of dedicated networks and VPNs. The data network provides quality performance and signal latency through the use of last-generation network and access technologies, a fully redundant high-capacity backbone, and nodes that connect the main landing stations of submarine cables With fiber-optic terrestrial networks.

SMEs seemingly keen on IoT

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are notoriously slow when it comes to adopting new technologies, but South African SMEs are about to do a U-turn in this regard, thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT). In fact, as many as 83 per cent of decision-makers responding to a new survey expect to be using IoT in their business within five years.

This was one of the most notable results from SME Survey 2018, a research project conducted in partnership with QuickBooks, based on 1400 interviews with SME decision-makers. However, the IoT (the network of devices featuring an IP address and the communication between these internet-enabled devices and systems) is very much an outlier in terms of future technology uptake by SMEs, says MD of World Wide Worx and principal researcher for SME Survey, Arthur Goldstuck.

"The IoT is crucial to the development and success of many SMEs and it's no surprise that South African businesses are recognising the value of implementing and applying this technology," says Global Leader of the QuickBooks Accountant Business, Rich Preece. "Time and insightful data are essential commodities for any small business and they are two of the biggest advantages the IoT can offer small businesses."

While the Survey asked SMEs about multiple future technologies – including artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data, 3D printing, crowd-sourcing, Blockchain and virtual reality (VR), as well as IoT - only the latter appears likely to have significant uptake among SMEs in the next few years.

"SME decision-makers are generally only willing to embrace a new technology if there is a clear business case to do so," says Goldstuck. "We noted in the interim results that the uptake of fibre ahead of ADSL is paralleling that of ADSL's growth over dial-up in this sector a decade ago. This is clearly due to the obvious benefits fibre delivers to SMEs. It has become obvious over the years that only technologies that directly benefit the SME, by helping it to save or make money, or become more efficient, will be adopted. IoT clearly fits the bill here.

"Many SMEs have already been exposed to the benefits of the IoT in some form or another, thanks to technologies for vehicle tracking and asset management, so they are already aware of its benefits. This is the most likely reason SMEs foresee this as an area of major investment in the near future."

He points out that next on the list were AI and Big Data, which came far behind and were only expected to be adopted by 29 per cent and 27 per cent of SMEs, respectively. This is not too surprising, says Goldstuck, considering that these technologies are mostly beneficial to businesses with large customer bases or complex logistics.

"Only 21 per cent of SMEs state they will consider 3D printing, and this will likely be mostly in those fields where models or prototypes are required, or that need a limited run of a particular product. While the potential benefits are huge, the current cost-benefit ratio is not at a level that most SMEs would find attractive."

Crowd-sourcing was also not popular with SMEs, with only 16 per cent of respondents answering positively. Goldstuck puts this down to it being too new as a business tool. Because it requires a new way of thinking, adoption requires a mindset change within SMEs, something that always takes time to achieve.

"Blockchain is also a very new technology, so its value proposition is not entirely clear for SMEs. Furthermore, it is intimately tied to Bitcoin, which, due to its crash earlier this year, has had a damaging impact on perception of Blockchain. Before Bitcoin climbed through the roof, 13 per cent SMEs were prepared to consider Blockchain, but following the January crash, the figure dropped to a mere 5 per cent."

Similarly, he points out, AI also saw a major fluctuation between the interim results (34%) based on late-2017 interviews and the more recent early-2018 data (19%). He suggests this disaffection with AI stems from the intensification of coverage of the impact that Facebook and Google algorithms have had on the promotion of fake news. Since it was AIs that effectively made the decisions that drove many of the fake news stories' popularity, this may well have had an impact on how much trust SMEs are willing to place in this technology.

Innovative hardware did not fare much better, though.

"Only 8 per cent of SME owners indicated they would be utilising virtual reality (VR) within

the next five years. This is probably due to the fact that VR is still regarded by

many as a toy, with few real benefits for a business.

"Technology vendors should note that, while 70 per cent of SMEs are ready to embrace new technologies, the only one they really seem enthusiastic about is IoT. This demonstrates that, while the willingness is there, they will only embrace something new if it makes sense for their business. Moreover, it also serves as a warning to technology developers that, just because SMEs say they are ready to embrace new technology, doesn't mean that they are willing to purchase any new technology."

SME Survey is the original and largest representative survey since 2003 to measure the forces shaping SME competitiveness in South Africa.

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Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology  announces third MEST Africa Summit

Now in its 10th year investing in tech entrepreneurs in Africa, Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) has announced the third MEST Africa Summit, which will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, June 18-20.

Formerly the Africa Tech Summit, this year’s event will go Pan-African, bringing together top entrepreneurs, investors and executives from Africa, Silicon Valley and Europe, to network and discuss trends, challenges and opportunities affecting markets across the continent, under the theme The Year of the African Scaleup?

Following two successful events in Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria, this year’s Summit will take place in Cape Town, South Africa - the location of the third MEST incubator, which officially launched in November 2017.

MEST is also announcing the MEST Africa Challenge, a Pan-African pitch competition open April 1 in Nairobi, Lagos, Accra and Cape Town. The final pitch event for the competition will be held on Day 2 of the Summit and will include winners from each city’s regional event, which will be held in late April/early May.

Details and application can be found at www.MESTAfricaSummit.com.

“We’re excited to bring together leading players in the tech and investment space from across the continent and the globe once again, this time in our new home in Cape Town,” MEST Managing Director Aaron Fu said. “The MEST Africa Summit serves as a meeting ground for Pan-African entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem partners, and this year looks to ignite discussion around the real challenges and opportunities businesses face when reaching scale, as the startup space in Africa continues to mature.”

Panel discussions during the Summit will feature expertise from leading African entrepreneurs, investors and executives, and will highlight those companies looking to scale to new African markets and the partners who can help them succeed. Topics include a debate over the best African country to start a business; a discussion of the latest fintech, agritech and blockchain innovations, why women code better, and more.

MEST is currently accepting applications for partners and speakers. Early sponsors include Merck  and MTN  and ecosystem partners AfricArena , SiMoDiSa, Wesgro, Alpha Code and Silicon Cape. Previous Summit partners include Samsung Business, AB Consulting, Google, Interpay, Agrivi, Interswitch, VC4Africa and more.

Past speakers include Mitchell Elegbe of Interswitch, Jason Spindler of I-Dev, Funke Opeke of MainOne, Matt Flannery of Kiva, Iyin Aboyeji of Flutterwave, Angel Adelaja of Fresh Direct, Jason Njoku of iROKO, Tomi Davies of ABAN and more.

In November 2017, MEST launched incubator spaces in Lagos, Nigeria and Cape Town, South Africa, adding to its flagship incubator and training program in Accra, Ghana. Truly Pan-African, MEST also has a presence in Nairobi, Kenya and Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

Since its inception in 2008, the Meltwater Foundation has invested $20 million into the programme, supporting aspiring African entrepreneurs through the training programme and incubator. Now in its 10th year, nearly 300 individual entrepreneurs have graduated from the training programme and over 50 tech companies have been launched via seed funding and mentorship from MEST. Three companies — Claimsync, AdGeek and messaging app Saya — have been acquired.

MEST entrepreneurs have developed solutions addressing local and global markets, received outside follow-on funding from global investors, and have gained admittance to top accelerator programs such as Y-Combinator, 500 Startups and TechStars. MEST entrepreneurs have also been selected by President Obama as representatives of the African business community at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C.; have been named Mandela Washington Fellows, a flagship programme of Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI); and have been selected for Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Africa.

African Food Security Prize Launched to Stop Devastating Crop Pest

Feed  the Future, supported by Land O'Lakes International Development and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, has opened its call for applications for the  Fall Armyworm Tech Prize. The prize offers to fund up to $400,000 in digital solutions that aim to help stop the spread of fall armyworm in Africa-a pest that is devastating agriculture and demolishing billions of dollars' worth of crops across the continent.

Selected digital solutions will strengthen resilience against fall armyworm and  mitigate risks to food security across the continent.

Fall armyworm attacks over 80 different plant species. Agriculture experts estimate the pest could cause between $2.4 and $6.2 billion in losses for maize,  a major  staple crop in Africa on which more than 200 million people depend. Crops like  sorghum, rice, and sugarcane are also at risk. Unchecked, fall armyworm is a threat to the livelihoods of farmers and to food security across the continent.

How the prizes will be awarded:

·         One grand prize of $150,000 will be awarded to the most viable solution

·         Two awards of $75,000 for the most promising solutions

·         Two runner-up awards of $50,000 for early stage developments that show  potential

Applications may involve a range of digital solutions and must demonstrate how the proposed tool(s) will help smallholder farmers and those that reach them, such as extension agents, monitor, identify, treat or report the incidence of fall armyworm.

The application deadline is 14 May 2018 via https://fallarmywormtech.challenges.org/ The Prize welcomes entries from around the world that are specific to the context of fall armyworm in Africa.

Final prize awards will be announced later this year.

Trusted Objects demonstrates end-to-end security from IoT edge devices to Amazon Web Services

Trusted Objects, a security expert for the Internet of Things (IoT), announces a new step in edge device to cloud security with a plug and play secure connection between a Secure Element running with its secure firmware TOSF and Amazon Web Services (AWS) IoT.

Edge device-to-cloud seamless security is now facilitated for system integrators thanks to the projects Trusted Objects has just published on hackster.io (http://hackster.io) website. These demonstrations are showing how to connect edge devices to AWS IoT, based on either LoRaWAN or TLS protocol. The projects objective is to securely provision edge device identifiers (LoRaWAN), digital certificates

(TLS) and more generally various data related to each device to make them available in AWS cloud. With this solution, the edge device will be automatically authenticated by the AWS servers during its whole life cycle and will communicate data securely from end to end.

The first project demonstrates how to secure a LoRaWAN node using Trusted Objects secure firmware into a Secure Element (SE), with Kerlink gateway, Actility servers and AWS IoT backend. The SE is based on a secure hardware platform designed by Idemia StarChip and is the root-of-trust to achieve end-to-end security, first by providing strong authentication between the LoRaWAN node and the gateway and,

secondly, by encrypting/decrypting applicative data up to the servers and using HTTPS protocol between servers and AWS.

Mastercard appoints new Sub-Saharan Africa Division President

Spurred on by  the company's steady growth in Sub-Saharan Africa and in line with its focus on  investing in the continent, Mastercard has appointed Raghav Prasad as Division President for Sub-Saharan Africa. Prasad will strengthen the company's ongoing commitment  to delivering value to customers and consumers in Africa by leveraging technology to build stronger and more inclusive payment ecosystems.

Prasad brings his extensive 30-year global financial services and payments industry experience to further Mastercard's goal of financially including 100 million people by 2020 - an objective that can only be achieved by working with partners across  the public and private sectors and by introducing market-relevant digital payment solutions such as Masterpass QR, Mastercard Payment Gateway Services along with  its core Debit, Credit, Prepaid and Commercial solutions.

With a proven track record as a leader, Prasad has a deep understanding of the payments sector, and brings unique insights into the region honed while running his own consulting practice focusing on the Middle East and Africa as well as working for global players like Citibank and RBS.

"The influence and true potential of technology is seen on the continent like almost nowhere else in the world. Africa has an amazing advantage of not having invested in legacy infrastructure and can embrace the latest technologies, especially mobile, to transform the payments landscape. Technology innovation is influencing the way consumers engage with the world around them, shaping economies, creating smarter, more connected and financially inclusive cities," said Prasad.

Mobile continues to act as a critical conduit of growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, currently accounting for nearly a tenth of the global mobile subscriber base and is predicted to grow faster than any other region globally over the next five years. Additionally, the World Bank estimates that over 64 million adults in the region already have  a mobile money account - making it the most easily accessible technology for those currently excluded from the formal financial services sector.

It also serves as an increasingly important tool for the continent's growing youth population. Africa will become the youngest and most populous continent in the next few decades, according to the Africa Development Bank Outlook 2018 Report Its labour force will expand to nearly two billion in 2063, a trend that is supported by the fact that over 12 million young people join the workforce every year.

Prasad predicts that the demographic dividend of a large young and tech-savvy population will lead to many of these youth starting up businesses of their own, and becoming job creators. "Our work in supporting the MSME sector is critical to our role in  Africa, and solutions such as Masterpass QR are turning the tide on cash dependency as well as helping millions of merchants to go digital for the first time. This  is more attractive for businesses and consumers alike - and we see youth being a  key driver of the adoption of new technologies now, and in the future"

Qualcomm Europe chief bullish on 5G race

Enrico Salvatori argued there is “big traction and interest” in 5G from all of Europe’s major operators, following concerns the continent was lagging behind Asia and the US.

The US tech giant’s president of EMEA operations  said the market is “open to multiple directions” when it comes to the first 5G services, echoing the sentiment that enhanced mobile broadband – “the smartphone migration to 5G” – is an early case using sub-6GHz spectrum.

He also acknowledged the potential for mmWave frequencies, “where the fixed wireless access CPE [customer premises equipment] devices will play a role”.

With regard to making suitable spectrum available across the continent, Salvatori said: “I don’t see challenges, I see a programme that has to be executed. So we need to stay on track with the schedule, the auctions, so the regulators making available the spectrum at the proper time, in 2018, and then the operators taking part and bidding.”

With testing and spectrum auctions taking place this year, commercial launches will pick up pace moving into the second half of 2019.

Following questions about Qualcomm’s future, in light of Broadcom’s aborted bid and Paul Jacobs’ efforts to take over the company, and with the NXP deal still dragging on, the executive said that Qualcomm Europe is “happy and focused”, working on its 5G programme.

“We are working with the ecosystem, so we need to align the operators, we need to align the infra vendors, we are working with all our partners, Nokia, Ericsson, testing with Huawei, Samsung, all of them,” he said.

9mobile Customers to Enjoy Lowest Roaming Rates in USA

     … Partners AT&T, America’s leading mobile network

9mobile, has revved up the market once again by offering customers visiting the United States of America, another superlative package that enables the lowest call, text, and data rates while in the USA.

For as low as 50 Naira per minute, 9mobile customers can now stay connected with loved ones on the newest ‘9mobile Super 50 Offer’.

This rate is currently the lowest offered by any Nigerian network operator to customers traveling to the USA. Amongst the unique features of 9mobile Super 50 Offer is local calls within the US and calls to Nigeria are charged at N50 per minute; incoming calls at N50 per minute; SMS at N50 per page, while PAYG data is now N50/MB.

Director, Consumer Segment, 9mobile, Adeolu Dairo, reiterated that the roaming package affords 9mobile subscribers the opportunity to stay connected with family, friends and business partners while in the USA as the package enables them to continue to enjoy seamless and affordable connectivity on voice, data, and text on the go.

He noted that 9mobile Super 50 Offer is for new and existing customers who have hitherto been concerned with exorbitant connectivity bills when visiting the US. “Many traveling customers believe roaming in the US is expensive and can only be afforded by the rich, and this has led to some roaming customers relying solely on WiFi when abroad; thereby limiting their ability to remain connected.

Dairo revealed further that 9mobile and its U.S. partner AT&T are making the offer available to customers on AT&T roaming in Nigeria and 9mobile customers roaming in the USA; in his words, “This package is not just about lowest rates, it is also driven by care for our subscribers – bringing people together no matter where they are and ensuring that they stay connected to their family, friends, loved ones, and business partners”.

In addition, 9mobile is offering a hybrid data bundle that affords its subscribers the opportunity to enjoy data either locally or in the US. All that is needed to enjoy 7.1GB of data in Nigeria or 200MB while roaming in USA, is to dial the activation code *4184*1# at a cost of N5,000 with 30 days’ validity.

With this value-adding and unbeatable offer, customers can stay connected to the 9mobile network while in the US.

Dairo affirmed 9mobile’s continued commitment to increase innovative platforms and touchpoints that enhance engagement with customers and assured the telco will continue to offer best-in-class products, services and solutions in line with rapid technological advancements that set the pace of this digital age.

9mobile Excites Customers, offers UAE Roaming Discounts till June 30

9mobile is kicking off its season of care in yet another innovative way to affirm its commitment to continued positive customer experience, by offering its teeming subscribers discounted roaming rates when they roam on Etisalat network in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This offer is on from February until June 30, 2018.

With a recharge of N5,000, customers get to make local calls in the UAE and calls to Nigeria at the rate of N100 per minute, send SMS at N30 per event, receive free incoming calls from Nigeria and UAE and enjoy roaming data bundles in two variants by dialing *6589# to activate either of the data bundles.

The roaming package, 9mobile Roaming to United Arab Emirates (UAE), affords subscribers the opportunity to stay connected with family, friends and business partners in the UAE while the offer lasts. With this offer, 9mobile customers travelling to the UAE will continue to enjoy seamless and affordable connectivity on both voice and data on the go.

Speaking on the offer, Director, Consumer Segment, 9mobile, Adeolu Dairo, disclosed that the company took the decision to extend the validity period based on feedback from its customers, and to show our customers that we truly care. He added that it also affirms the telco’s commitment to positive engagement with its customers as a key stakeholder group whose contribution to the overall growth of the business has and will continue to be appreciated.”

“We never thought the roaming offer would receive such massive acceptance by travelling customers. With this offer, customers can continue to stay connected with loved ones while they spend time outside the shores of Nigeria. Keeping in touch goes beyond mere connectivity; clear and audible connections make life more enjoyable, and this is one of the many benefits of 9mobile roaming offers”, Dairo enthused.

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9mobile Abhores Unethical Practices, Indolence –CEO

9mobile has restated its unwavering commitment to integrity and best practices as gold standards across its operations, so says the Chief Executive Officer of the company, Boye Olusanya. 

Olusanya’s comments were coming against the background of insinuations the company was giving rein to unethical practices and indolence.

According to Olusanya, 9mobile continuously reviews its internal control and processes to protect the business as well as the interests of other stakeholders by ensuring fraudulent activities that can potentially harm its operations are kept under check.

Responding to enquiries regarding an incident in Kwara State, in which a Retail Advisor in one of the telco’s experience centres, was implicated in a fraud that was carried out via a compromise of its 'WIN CASH' application,” he  stated the incident happened in 2016 and the company invited the police to investigate the matter.

He affirmed the company's zero -tolerance for unethical practices saying management has consistently dealt with all forms of malfeasance amongst its agents and staff as part of proactive measures to stem sharp practices.

"At 9mobile, we frown at indolence whilst encouraging maximum productivity, which comes with rewards. 9mobile has zero-tolerance for all forms of unethical and fraudulent activities. In the rare instance that such occurs, we come down very hard on the culprits in line with due process," he said.  According to him: "Nine staff were initially involved but only one was found wanting; the implicated staff was handed over to the Police to conduct their investigation.”

Reacting to the import on subscribers, Olusanya noted that it was an internal issue and no customer was affected in any way. 9mobile’s primary focus remains superior customer experience, as such we ensure effective security features on all applications and go the extra mile in ensuring safety and security at all times." he said.

Amidst the ongoing acquisition process, 9mobile has continued to delight its subscribers with innovative and pocket-friendly packages.  Preferred bidder, Teleology Holdings recently acquired the telco, after paying the mandatory $50million non-refundable deposit, a day before the deadline.  Telecom regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission is yet to make an official announcement on the acquisition.

Most recently, 9mobile was rated as Nigeria's No. 1 Mobile Network Operator with clearest voice quality and overall best telco by P3 Communications, the largest European and international leader in mobile telecoms benchmarking.

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