All Posts in "IT&Telecoms"

FG Approves Activation Of New SIM Registration 

The Federal Government Thursday approved the activation of new SIM registration with mandatory National Identification Number(NIN) in line with the Revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration.
 Dr Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant (Information Technology) to the
 Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, said in a statement that an earlier policy was approved on the 4th of February 2020, while the Revised Policy was developed in early March 2021.
The Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, Section 23(a), specifies the role of the Minister to include the formulation, determination and monitoring of the general policy for the communications sector.
In line with this, Adeluyi explained that, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari,  Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami,  coordinated and led the development of a Revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration in collaboration with all other stakeholders.
He said final amendments to the revised Policy based on the directives of Mr President to make the use of NIN mandatory for all SIM registration were completed yesterday, 14th of April, 2021.
He said prior to that, the key aspects of the draft Policy were presented to the stakeholders at the 4th Review Meeting of the Ministerial Task Force (MTF) on the NIN-SIM registration which held on Friday, 26th of February, 2021.
The statement explained that Pantami also presented the Revised Policy to  President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, 26th of March, 2021.
He said Mr President made further improvements and endorsed it for implementation.
Mr President also commended the Minister for his commitment in carrying out the responsibility of developing the digital economy sector, including championing the NIN-SIM registration process.
“The Policy includes Guidelines on New SIM Acquisition and Activation, SIM Replacement, New SIM Activation for Corporates and Internet-of-Things/Machine-to-Machine (IoT/M2M), amongst others.
“The possession of a National Identity number will be a prerequisite for each of these categories.
“For the Corporate registration, institutions will be required to appoint a Telecoms Master (at the minimum of an Executive Management level) to provide the operational Primary NIN representation.  The Telecoms Master will also be responsible to ensuring that the users provide their NINs to serve as a Secondary NIN.
“For IoT/M2M activations, SIM security protocols would be implemented on the SIM profile to ensure that SIMs can only be used for point to point data services specific to the URL they are working with.  All other services will be barred.  In the event that a data only service is particular to individual use (eg home car tracking, WiFi, MiFi services, etc), the standard NIN registration process will be followed.
“A Telecoms Master will also be required for Corporates requiring IoT/M2M activations. The full details of the requirements for each class of service will be made available in due course.
The statement further revealed that significant progress has been made in the NIN registration process across the country.
Online Editor by — April 16, 2021 in IT&Telecoms 0
 Patanmi Charges Innovators  On Improved Ideas.

Pantami charges Nigerian youths on innovative ideas - Businessday NG
 Dr Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy,has challenged Nigerian innovators on improved ideas with a view to growing the nation’s economy.
He gave the charge when he presented cheques amounting to N125m to four entrepreneurs and innovators adjudged winners of Jaiz Bank’s COVID-19 challenge competition.
The  competition is part of the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility aimed at spurring ideas and innovation on how to curb the effects of the pandemic.
Presenting the cheques to the winners ,he  urged the winners  to  utilise the funds wisely  to grow their businesses and challenge themselves to more innovations and superior ideas.
He said:“I congratulate all those that participated in the competition. I urge you to be consistent, persevere and steadfast and I am sure that with consistency, we will get another Dangote from the winners of today.I commend Jaiz Bank for making this sacrifice by providing this huge money to support the growth of the winners’ concepts. The Federal Government is proud of you.”
In his remarks, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Jaiz Bank, Hassan Usman, also encouraged the winners to judiciously utilise the funds and ensure that it translated into the fulfilment of their aspirations as social enterprises with optimum impact on the society.
He explained that  the idea was part of the bank’s contribution to equip the nation and encourage innovation and added that the social entrepreneurship innovation challenge would be a continuous programme for the bank.
“Our arms are open to entrepreneurs that genuinely want to grow their ideas as long as they have something that can add value to the society. The prize is a package of facility that would ensure we work with them based on our banking model of partnership,”  Usman said.
 NDA Ventilators, ShapShap, Reeddi Technologies Nigeria Ltd and Data.tac Nigeria Limited won N50m, N40m, N20m and N15m respectively.
 The prizes were awarded in the form of equity, non-interest financing, the bank said.
Online Editor by — April 3, 2021 in IT&Telecoms 0
NIN Defaulters Risk 14years Jail

Nigerians Yet To Register For National ID Number Risk 14 Years Imprisonment –Minister | Sahara Reporters
Nigerians who are yet to obtain their National Identification Number (NIN)stand the risk of being jailed for between seven and 14 years as stipulated by law,Dr Isa Pantami,the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami,has said
He disclosed this  at the sixth edition of the ministerial briefing by the Presidential Media Team, at the State House, Abuja,where he also said that while obtaining a SIM card may be optional, NIN is mandatory, citing section 27 of the NIMC Act of 2007.
He added that it is a criminal offence in Nigeria to carry out business activities without first acquiring the NIN number.
He said: “Clause 27 of the NIMC Act states that you need the NIN number for opening bank account, for insurance, land transactions , voters registration, drivers license. So, it is an offence to transact any business activity without first having your NIN.”
He disclosed  that the number of SIM card subscribers at over 150 million, adding that enrollment for NIN stands at 51 million, as at March 31, 2021.
He explained that while 51 million have completed their NIN registration, the remaining 99 million have problems of improper registration warning .
He said  that there are no plans to lift the ban on Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card registration
Online Editor by — April 2, 2021 in IT&Telecoms 0
T‌elcos Hint On Disconnection of Banks’ USSD Services Over N42bn Debt 

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria has hinted  that it will disconnect Financial Service Providers from Unstructured Supplementary Service Data services from March 15 until they pay their over N42bn debt.
The association conveyed the warning in a statement titled ‘Withdrawal of USSD services to financial service providers due to huge indebtedness to telecom network operators’,adding  that the service withdrawal had become necessary due to the lack of agreement on a payment structure with the banks that did not involve the end-user being asked to pay.
It noted that following the issuance of the USSD pricing determination by the Nigerian Communications Commission which resulted in a price review of USSD service by the telcos, the banks decided that they would no longer pay for USSD service delivered to their customers and requested the telcos to charge customers directly for use of the USSD channel.
The telcos lamented that the banks provided no assurances that such service fees charged to customers’ bank accounts for access to bank services through the USSD channel would be discontinued post implementation of end-user billing by the telcos.
 It said in the statement: “It has been more than eight months since the NCC issued an updated pricing methodology for USSD services for financial transactions in Nigeria.The methodology explicitly restricts Mobile Network Operators from charging the end user for the services and mandates the banking sector to enter into negotiations to settle outstanding obligations and agree individual pricing mechanisms to be applied going forwards.
 “During this time, MNOs have continued to provide access to USSD infrastructure and our members have continued to pay all bank charges and fees to access the banking industries assets and customers, despite the fact that obligations due from banks to telecoms companies for USSD services has reached over N42bn.”
The telecom operators said this was in consideration of millions of Nigerians who  had become more reliant on accessing financial services through the USSD infrastructure due to COVID movement restrictions.
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They noted that due to the inability of the banks to agree on a payment structure, the government had been forced to intervene to ensure a sustainable cost-sharing solution was agreed that did not disadvantage the consumer in the long-term.
They added that  the removal of the service fees by the FSPs would have meant that if bank customers were charged only the USSD costs communicated by telcos per USSD session, bank customers would be paying far less than what they were currently being charged by the FSPs, which in some instances were as high as N50.
Online Editor by — March 13, 2021 in IT&Telecoms 0
9mobile Upgrades Offerings on MiFi

9mobile upgrade offerings on MiFi, Router devices
One of the country’s  telecommunication companies, 9mobile, has upgraded its MiFi and Router offerings .
At the virtual unveiling of the offer,Chief Commercial Officer, 9mobile, Stjepan Udovicic, explained that it demonstrated 9mobile`s commitment to boosting individuals and businesses with affordable data connectivity.
“Customers can now get up to 380GB for N60,000, plus a free router device valid for one year and up to 200GB at N36,000, plus a free MiFi device also valid for one year. “MiFi devices can be connected to a cellular network to provide internet services for up to ten devices, while routers can be connected to a cellular network to provide internet services for up to 30 devices.
“We are committed to providing affordable offerings, especially as COVID-19 has altered the world of work. “Nowadays, more people are working remotely as they need affordable data to deliver their tasks and stay connected online with colleagues and business associates. “Our refreshed MiFi and Router offers will see our customers enjoying more for less.
 “For instance, a customer gets a 20GB instant sign-up data bonus and additional 15GB data every month for 12 months, plus a free MiFi device at N36,000.”
“Also, customers will get 30GB instant sign-up data bonuses and additional 20GB every month for 12 months, plus a free Router device,’’ he said. Udovicic added that the MiFi and Router devices also came with other variant data offers.
Online Editor by — March 10, 2021 in IT&Telecoms 0
 UBA Introduces Mobile Banking App for 20 African Countries

United Bank for Africa (UBA) has  launched a new mobile banking for Nigeria and 19 other African countries.
The bank said the  app is loaded with security features to protect all financial transactions on the bank’s platform and  focused around customer experience, based on the feedback received from customers.
The Head, SME Banking at UBA, Mr. Sampson Aneke, who spoke at an online presentation of the app,explained that  it  was all about re-imagining banking operations across the 20 African countries, while distancing itself from any form of competition.
According to him:“The app comes with a lot of features that are engaging to customers and have made banking transactions a lot more easier, while addressing customer’s needs, through inbuilt emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI).The app is interactive with lifestyle services and gives customers the opportunity to make choice of transactions and services.”
He stated some of the features of the app to include transfer of money from UBA to other UBA branches and to other banks; send money from mobile phones to beneficiaries and to self for cardless withdrawal, personal financial management, card control and transfer of money to virtual wallets.
He said for the card control, the customer could set parameters through which the debit card can be transacted on Automated Teller Machine (ATM), Point of Sales (PoS) terminals, web, among others, in order to protect the card from unauthorised handling and use.
Speaking, Chief Information Officer at UBA, Mr. Onyebuchi Akosa, said the app was designed with multiple-factor authentication security features, which makes it extremely difficult to hack.
He advised customers not to reveal  personal information to third party, in order to keep the line of transaction fully protected on the part of the customer.
“With the multiple-factor authentication security features, the app uses secured codes, which will be sent to all account holders, to verify and authorise any financial transactions before payments are made,” Akosa said.
He explained that activation of each security features on the app, would depend on the policy regulation of countries where UBA currently operates.
Chief Digital Officer at UBA. Mr. Kayode Ishola, said the app would offer unique digital baking experience to customers across the Banks’s 20 African operations.
“Mobile technology is our strategy in UBA and we have devoted a lot to ensure that we are able to deliver banking services using mobile devices that are connected with mobile technologies.
“Mobile phone penetration is on the rise in Africa, and UBA is leveraging the mobile phone growth to provide unique mobile banking services for all its customers,” Ishola said.
He added that the app was designed as multilingual and multi-currency app to address the needs of all categories of UBA customers, irrespective of their education and tribe, be it Individual customers, SME customers or corporate customers.
Online Editor by — March 9, 2021 in IT&Telecoms 0
NITDA  Commences Specialised Digital Literacy For States

NITDA kicks-off specialised digital literacy, skills programme for States

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has commenced Digital Literacy and Skills Programme  in pursuit of strengthening digital strategy in the country.

The agency said  the  programme is aimed at equipping Nigerian youths with the necessary digital literacy skills that can facilitate Nigeria’s transition from commodity to the digital economy. It is also aimed at training about 540 youths from each state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

 

The Director-General of the NITDA, Mallam Abdullahi Inuwa explained that  the programme is in line Digital Literacy and Skills pillar of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a digital Nigeria.

“It is expected that about 20,000 Nigerians will benefit from the programme. Registration for the first phase of the programme commences on Monday 8th March 2021. The beneficiary states for the first phase are Gombe, Kano, Lagos and Rivers States. The schedule for the subsequent phases will be advertised in due course. “Specific areas of focus for the programme include IT Management of Productivity Tools understanding Digital Marketing and Basics of Content Creation; and entrepreneurial Skills including Basics of Career Development.”

Online Editor by — March 9, 2021 in IT&Telecoms 0