Telecom and mobile money service provider, Airtel Africa has signed a $125 million revolving credit facility with CitiBank which will be extended through its branch offices/subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa.
In line with its strategy to raise debt in Airtel Africa’s local operating companies, the facility will include both local currency and US dollar denominated debt and has a tenor which extends to September 2024.
The facility provides potential interest rate savings in exchange for achieving social impact milestones relating to digital inclusion and gender diversity, with a focus on rural areas and women, and aligning with the Group’s sustainability strategy, launched in October 2021.
The facility, which will be used to support Airtel Africa’s operations and investments in four of its subsidiaries, will further strengthen the telecom company’s commitment to transforming lives across the communities in which it operates.
The deal was executed by Citi’s Indian unit, where Airtel Africa’s parent company, Bharti Airtel is headquartered.
K Balasubramanian, Head of Corporate Banking at CitiBank said: “This is the first performance-indicator based deal executed by Citi India in the area of telecommunications. This sustainability linked loan facility with Airtel Africa is aligned to expand digital inclusion and gender diversity.”
He added that the Airtel Africa transaction will contribute to its stated goal of $1 trillion towards sustainable finance by 2030.
Present in 14 markets across Africa, Airtel Africa is providing solutions to the ever-growing need for data, mobile voice, and mobile money services across sub-Saharan Africa. The limited infrastructure faced by the increasing population and need for everyone to connect seamlessly are the factors driving the company’s goal.
The Federal Government has commended the leadership of the Nigerian Communications Commission for the remarkable strides of the agency that has earned spectacular international reputation for Nigeria and placed the telecom regulator in the forefront of the nation’s quest for forward looking national economic growth.
Dr. William Alo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, said this recently while receiving the management team of NCC, led by Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, who briefed him on the status of the industry after his recent appointment to the Ministry.
“So far so good. The entire country, and beyond, is fully aware of the strategic importance of the NCC as a regulating institution of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria. And, of course, we are aware today that between oil and communications, the latter is gradually taking over in the provision of revenue for the country as the nation strives to diversify the economy,” he said.
He said of a truth, the quality of service has improved tremendously over the past few years now and that the Commission deserves a pat on the back for what it has done in that direction. “Your efforts are generally felt in the economy. So when you talk of digitalization of the economy the NCC and the operators are the first port of call.”
He requested the leadership of the Commission to continue the good work and also strive to mind and bridge the infrastructure gap that may create a gap between the served and underserved communities in the country.
Danbatta, who provided a detailed briefing about the achievements of the Commission and its efforts toward addressing all the challenges confronting the industry, intimated him with the key focus and targets of the Commission through the launched of the Strategic Vision (Implementation) Plan SVP 2021 – 2025, which took into consideration, the provisions of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-2030, and National Broadband Plan 2020-2025.
He said the SVP, which streamlines all policies for a robust sectoral lifting and relevance, has five focus areas which include: operational efficiency and regulatory excellence; facilitation of infrastructure provision for the digital economy; promotion of fair competition, inclusive growth and investment; improvement of quality of serve and quality of experience; and facilitation of strategic collaboration and partnership.
Prof Danbatta who led a team of two executive commissioners and directors of the Commission to the briefing, listed successes recorded since 2015 in teledensity, broadband penetration, and significant contribution of the industry to the gross domestic product (GDP) that grew from 8.5 per cent in the 4th quarter of 2015 to 12.61 in the 4th quarter of 2021, as the sector also attracted over $2 billion in foreign direct investment over the period.
The NCC chief executive listed some other key achievements of the Commission under him to include the recent successful auction of 3.5GHz spectrum for 5G services, licensing of 7 fibre optics infrastructure providers, and adding up to 38,296 kilometers of fibre optic in the country.
Danbatta noted that access gap clusters in the country has been reduced from 217 to 114 to enable 15 million Nigerians have access to telecommunications services, and increase of fibre optics deployments from 47,000 kilometers to 54,725 kilometers.
The EVC revealed that the 3G and 4G Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) in the country has increased from less than 30,000 in 2015 to 53,460 while 7 VSAT gateway earth stations have been licensed to boost broadband penetration in the country.\
He informed the new Permanent Secretary that the Commission under him has also remitted N463 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Fund from 2015 to April 2022, while landing permits have been issued to 53 Geo Satellite Orbits space stations and 923 non-GSO space stations.
WIOCC’s commitment to delivering a market-leading portfolio of wholesale services, based on strategic investment in subsea and terrestrial digital infrastructure, has been further demonstrated with the arrival in South Africa, on 8 August 2022, of Google’s Equiano cable.
WIOCC is a key partner in Equiano, landing the cable in Lagos, Nigeria, and owning a full fibre pair on the system. Partnering in bringing Equiano to Africa is further reinforcing WIOCC’s ability to support its clients in extending their reach and capability across Southern Africa.
WIOCC Group CEO Chris Wood commented: “Having invested multiple billions of Rand to enhance our 16Tbps-ready, Optical Transport Network-enabled national hyperscale network infrastructure, we are extremely well positioned to provide businesses with access to fully upgradeable, quickly and easily scalable capacity throughout South Africa and into neighbouring countries, over one of the most future-proof networks in the country.”
As a fibre pair owner, WIOCC’s Equiano capacity is upgradable fully under its own control. WIOCC owns and manages its own Submarine Line Terminating Equipment (SLTE), choosing to light and upgrade its capacity exactly as it wishes to meet the needs and demands of its clients.
WIOCC’s Equiano capacity will be extended into a new Open Access Data Centres (OADC – a WIOCC Group company) facility currently undergoing fit-out in Rondebosch, Cape Town, where clients can interconnect with terrestrial infrastructure providers, cloud networks, partners, suppliers and other ecosystem members.
OADC has been extremely active in South Africa, where it recently announced it will have three new core data centres (DCs) – one in Johannesburg and two in Cape Town – live by the end of Q3 2022.
These three core DCs are integral to OADC’s unique, core-to-edge, open-access DC offering, which currently includes another core DC, OADC Durban, and 25 (growing over the next 9 months to over 100) up to 150kW OADC EDGE DCs offering colocation, rooftop access and high-speed network interconnectivity between facilities at up to 100Gbps and on multiple routes for diversity.
WIOCC’s Chris Wood added: “Our investment in Equiano continues our long-standing policy of making strategic investments in subsea cables. We own almost a third of the >10Tbps EASSy system, which extends from South Africa along Africa’s eastern coastline to Djibouti and Port Sudan; we deliver more capacity than any other carrier on the WACS system, which links South Africa to western Europe and lands in many countries along the west coast of Africa; and we are a member of the 2Africa cable, which will bring another high-capacity connectivity option to Africa during 2023/24.”
Services available from WIOCC in South Africa include high-quality Carrier IP Transit (IPT), point-to-point national connectivity and high-performance Metro Connect, and open access colocation services in specific locations – through WIOCC Group company Open Access Data Centres.
In each case, solutions can be tailored to meet clients’ specific requirements and are backed by first-class support – which includes WIOCC’s highly-responsive Client Champions who are available 24x7x365.
In line with its commitment to bridge the digital gap in Africa, West Africa’s pioneer solar-based internet and voice service provider, Tizeti, is set to expand its operations within Nigeria and Ghana, and into new neighboring Cote d’Ivoire and Togo in addition to mulling listing its Nigerian Subsidiary.
With over 2.8 million subscribers on its platform, a revenue of over N11 billion over 10 years, and no debt, the firm is exploring an Initial Public Offer (IPO) in the stock market for investors/shareholders while setting its eyes on expanding its footprints across the Francophone and Anglophone countries in West Africa.
Kendall Ananyi, Founder/CEO, Tizeti soeaking at NeXGEN 2.0
Speaking at the second edition of Tizeti’s annual event tagged ‘NeXTGEN 2.0: The Next Frontier’, the founder and chief executive officer of Tizeti, Mr. Kendall Ananyi stressed that the broadband gap in Africa is still very high and operators like Tizeti must expand to ensure that more Africans have access to reliable, affordable and truly unlimited internet from Tizeti. According to him, Tizeti has been providing affordable unlimited internet service in Nigeria and Ghana using solar towers which has brought about 30-50 percent cost savings on data cap plans and made it the preferred option to its competitors.
“This expansion is very strategic for us and for the continent. We have grown significantly within the last few years, being profitable in three out of the last four years and paid our first dividend this year. We currently have over 3884 hotspot locations and built 1 tower every month since we started, with 2.8 million users in Nigeria. Today, Tizeti delivers over 190TBPS of data a day, which is about 20% of what large Nigerian telco with coverage in 36 states delivers. Using publicly available data on the website of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and our internal data, we are the number one fixed Internet Service Provider by users and active users in Nigeria today and the ISP of the year 2022.
And there’s still so much room for growth. Internet users in Africa are still about 26% of the total population, with almost 900 million people unconnected. We are now exploring the public markets for equity/debt to fund our next growth phase.
We have reserved our ticker at NASDAQ, and are exploring London Stock Exchange as we are an LSE-Companies to Inspire, as well as the Nigerian Exchange NGX”, Ananyi said.
Speaking on the Francophone expansion, the co-founder and chief operating officer of Tizeti, Ifeanyi Okonkwo highlighted the increased submarine cable investments in Africa to date, and the absence of middle-mile and last-mile infrastructure that moves the capacity where it is needed. With Tizeti’s new infrastructure build-out across West Africa, Tizeti plans to bridge the digital divide and bring more Africans online via its unlimited service offering.
“We believe that Africa offers the most significant potential demand for broadband expansion, and we have looked at their populations, their relative contributions to GDP, the prevalence of higher and tertiary institutions, and other pool factors,” said Okonkwo.
Tizeti also launched new connectivity offerings, Tizeti Turbo Connect, which provides up to 150MBPS fiber-connected capacity to homes and offices, for NGN 60,000 (USD 85), and a new technology that allows it to deliver up to 1000MBPS. The company also announced new energy initiatives that minimize diesel cost consumption with solar panels and wind turbines across its base stations. Interested users can pre-sign up for Tizeti’s new locations via the link here.
Other speakers at Tizeti’s NeXTGEN include Vickie Robinson, General Manager, Microsoft Airband; Oremeyi Akah, Chief Customer Success Officer, Interswitch; Dolapo Onah, General Manager, MainOne by Equinix; Elliot Sangoleye, Head, Payments Acceptance and Digital Commerce, Providus; Gbolade Emmanuel, CEO, Termii; Osayi Izedonmwen, CEO, Teesas; Modupe Okeowo, Country Manager, Eutelsat; Sola Akindolu, CEO, Brass; Mayowa Owolabi, CEO, PaddyCover; Vickie Robinson, General Manager, Microsoft Airband; Ionut Croitoru, EMEA Sales Lead, Cambium, and Desayo Tomi-Solanke, COO, Trove. The partners include MainOne, Providus Bank, Microsoft, Cambium, CSquared and Nokia.
L-r: Elliot Sangoleye, Head, Payments Acceptance and Digital Commerce, Providus Bank; Modupe Okeowo, Country Manager, Eutelsat; Ifeanyi Okonkwo, Co-Founder/COO, Tizeti; Kendall Ananyi, Founder/CEO, Tizeti; Osayi Izedonmwen, CEO, Teesas, and Mayowa Owolabi, CEO, PaddyCover at Tizeti’s NeXGEN 2.0
Tizeti’s NeXTGEN 2.0 expanded the vision of the first edition and provides a platform for stakeholders in African telecommunications, technology, and business communities to strategize for Africa’s next frontier, while networking, discovering new opportunities, and discussing breakthrough trends in the global and African telecoms and technology ecosystem. The second edition event had over 700 technology enthusiasts, IT innovators, startup executives, corporate business leaders, and digital thought leaders and ended with an exciting 10th-anniversary dinner.
The advocacy for telecom infrastructure protection across the country by the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC) has received royal blessings and support of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, who has urged every citizen in Nigerian to take responsibility for the protection of telecom facilities for mutual benefit of all.
The monarch, who spoke through the Ayingun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Ademola Odunade, at the Village Square Dialogue (VSD) of NCC at the Mapo Hall, Ibadan recently, advised the Nigerian public “to support NCC to achieve its objectives of protecting telecoms consumer because this should be seen as a collective responsibility.”
The event, which was presided over by the Chairman of the Board of the NCC, Prof. Adeolu Akande, was designed to discuss one of the most important issues affecting the operations of the telecom industry – the protection of telecoms infrastructure to guarantee improved quality of service for benefits of businesses and the consumers.
Akande, in his address to guests at the forum that witnessed large turnout of traditional rulers, representatives of telecom operators and consumers, asked the consumers and other stakeholders to join hands in protecting telecoms infrastructure in their communities to ensure sustained connectivity.
Akande said the objective of the consumer engagement was “to explore how we can all protect telecom infrastructure to continue to provide us with life-supporting services and we are happy to bring this programme to Oyo State to really sensitise telecom consumers and other critical stakeholders in this regard.”
Prof. Akande noted that without telecom infrastructure, it will be difficult to communicate with family and friends over long distances while conducting banking, insurance, or access government services, education, entertainment and other essentials of life.
“This means that telecom infrastructure is important, and we must all ensure that we guard and protect this Critical National Infrastructure,” Akande said.
He also listed such destabilising situations in the telecom sector to include the negative attitudes and actions of hostile communities; theft of diesel, batteries and power generators from base stations; digging up and cutting of fibre optic cables; sealing/locking up of Base Transceiver Station (BTS) sites and other disruptive activities which must be tackled decisively.
Efosa Idehen, director, Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC, who commended the consumers from the Ibadan axis for turning out in numbers, pledged the Commission’s commitment towards the care of the consumers.
Idehen stated that NCC has the responsibility to protect, inform and educate the million of telecom consumers in the country.
“Therefore, part of activities to deliver on this mandate is this type of programme holding in Ibadan today. We value your feedback on all kinds of services you receive in the telecoms sector but most importantly, we implore you to join hands in protecting telecom infrastructure in your areas,” he said.
Idehen advised members of the public to report any suspected cases of threats to telecoms infrastructure to law enforcement agents in their areas for necessary interventions.
He reminded them that they can call toll-free numbers 112 in cases of emergencies or 622 to report complaints bordering on telecommunications services to the NCC.
SecureID Limited and its technology division – SID Digital has again demonstrated its proficiency to manufacture and personalize SIM cards for all telecommunications companies in Nigeria and across Africa.
The company offers innovative digital solutions whilst retaining its position as Nigeria’s pacesetter within the smartcard, personalization and digital solutions industry during its exhibition at the maiden edition of Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE).
The event which took place at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos recorded in attendance Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Special Assistant on Innovation and Technology, Mr. Olatunbosun Alake, Executive Vice Chairman Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Umar Garba Danbatta, top executives from the NCC, and the private sector.
Speaking during the panel discussion themed, “Deepening indigenous content in the telecommunications sector through an effective regulatory framework”, the Chief Operating Officer, SecureID Limited, Mr. Olanrewaju Oke noted that SecureID have the capacity and skillset to manufacture all kinds of smartcards including simcards for telecom companies in Nigeria and other countries across the African continent.
“As a globally certified organization and leading indigenous manufacturer of telecom sim cards across Africa, SecureID have the global standard skillset and facilities to manufacture for all telcos in Nigeria and the Africa continent.
“Given the opportunity, this will not only create jobs, but will impact our economy positively not only as a country but as a continent, we have the skillset and the manpower to deliver, which will help cushion the rippling effect of foreign exchange and help to improve our economy,” He concluded.
SID Digital – a division of SecureID showcased its innovative solutions: The E-SIM Solution for telecom companies which allows activation of a cellular plan without having to use a physical SIM, Instant Issuance Self Service where bank customers can get new or retrieve old ATM cards instantly, Automated Fare Collection solution currently installed and operational on the Abuja-Kaduna rail line allows train commuters book seats and buy tickets online or at the stations securely and conveniently.
Also exhibited at the event was the Bucca Cafeteria Solution, a platform where companies that provide catering services can have their systems well managed and control under one platform, and Internet of Things (IoT), SID Digital can connect any electronic device to the internet making them smart.
The maiden NTICE expo 2022 themed: “Stimulating the Development of Indigenous Content through Innovation and Commercialization” aimed at vigorously pursuing the implementation of the National Policy on the Promotion and Implementation of Indigenous Contents (NPPIC) in the Telecommunications Sector focused on four core areas of NPPIC which are Manufacturing, Service and Software, People, Research and Development for innovation in line with the Presidential Mandate to diversify the economy.
L-r: L-R: Ms. Josephine Amuwa, Director, Legal and Regulatory Services, Nigerian Communications Commission; Ayoola Oke, Telecommunications Lawyer and Olanrewaju Oke, Chief Operating Officer, SecureID Limited, during a panel session at the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo 2022 hosted by NCC in Lagos on 1st & 2nd August 2022.
SecureID Limited is certified by Visa International, MasterCard Incorporated, Verve, GSMA, GIMAC, Card Quality Management (CQM) and ISO 9001/2015 for Smart Card Manufacturing and Personalization of credit and debit cards for various sectors: banking, telecoms, high security government cards, retail and special projects with clients in Nigeria and twenty-one countries across Africa.
MTN Nigeria Communications PLC., has announced the launch of Home Broadband services to accelerate broadband penetration in alignment with the Federal Government’s plan to achieve over 70% broadband penetration by 2025.
With this launch, MTN Home Broadband services will be available to millions of Nigerian households.
With over 200 million people, Nigeria currently boasts of approximately 44.3 per cent internet connectivity, whereas other African countries, such as South Africa, Egypt, and Kenya, are at 68, 74, and 48 per cent internet penetration, respectively.
Global technology statistics closely link internet connectivity to sustainable economic growth rates. On average, the internet accounts for almost four per cent of GDP across the large economies that make up 70 per cent of global GDP. UNICEF also projects that nations with low broadband connectivity have the potential to realise up to 20 per cent GDP growth by connecting schools to the internet.
With MTN’s Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) and the latest Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Home Broadband services, millions of Nigerian households, with approximately 50 per cent located in rural areas, will have access to reliable and ultra-fast broadband services to enjoy unlimited data plans, ability to connect multiple devices and share data across remote locations for online learning, working from home, streaming, gaming, smart home solutions among others.
“At MTN, we believe that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern, connected life; hence our investment in industry-leading connectivity operations,” noted Hassan Jaber, Chief Operating Officer, MTN Nigeria Communications PLC.
“Customers now have enhanced access to dedicated 24/7 support and online channels to place orders for MTN Home Broadband with options for home delivery. They can also enjoy truly Unlimited Data bundles, longer tenure data plans with the flexibility to share data with multiple users remotely as well as enhanced data subscription channels including myMTN App,” commented Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, General Manager, Fixed Broadband, MTN Nigeria Communications PLC.
MTN Home Broadband services are available nationwide.
Minister of the Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has reaffirmed Federal Government’s determination to reverse the trend of importation of all types of telecommunications products, especially where production in Nigeria is possible.
Pantami, who spoke at the first Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE), 2022 held at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, got immediate commendation from Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission, who told the audience that the Minister’s efforts and support have spurred the Commission to take certain steps that have yielded immediate results that were being showcased at the expo.
The Indigenous Content expo was oragnised as part of effort to vigorously pursue the objectives of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector (NPPIC), through the National Office for Developing Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS) domiciled in the NCC.
Pantami emphasised that Government had put efforts towards the protection of the telecom industry, which contributes impressively to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), by insisting on the drastic reduction in the reliance on foreign products.
He, consequently, warned against importation of such products like Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards that can be produced in Nigeria.
He also took a swipe at the recent efforts to impose five per cent excise duty on telecommunications services in Nigeria, arguing that the Ministry, which oversees the industry, was not consulted and that the timing of such duty in a period of hardship as is being witnessed in Nigeria today is antithetical to the growth of the industry.
“I was not consulted before the decision on five per cent excise duty was reached, and it was unfair to impose such a tax on an industry that was already burdened with other taxes and already contributing about 17 per cent to the country’s revenue,” he said.
Pantami told his audience, including Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi, the Chairman of the House Committee on Telecommunications, that his position was already shared by the National Assembly which was also not consulted on the issue before it was announced.
“We must do what we need to do to protect the industry. Beyond making our opinions known, we will take legitimate and legal steps to stop any plan against the interest of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry,” he said.
Speaking further on the efforts of the Commission to pursue indigenous content in the industry, EVC of NCC, Prof. Danbatta, said the objective of the NPPIC is to transform the enormous strides achieved by the telecom industry in the last two decades into long-term indigenous economic development outcomes for Nigerian companies and citizenry.
Danbatta said the Commission has taken various steps to ensure that the process of implementing NPPIC is painstakingly pursued through capacity strengthening, institutional building and strategic policy tools, which will further promote domestic and economic linkages, job creation and the participation of local Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the telecom value chain via the supply of goods and services to the sector.
Recall that the Policy was signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR on March 8, 2021, with special four focus areas on Manufacturing; Services & Software for the Telecoms Sector; People, and Research & Development for Digital Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Speaking at the ongoing maiden edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE) organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission in Lagos, Pantami said there is an urgent need to reduce the amount of importation in the country.
“There is no way you can support your economy with too much importation. You have to significantly reduce importation. And this is one of the challenges we are encountering today when it comes to Forex.
Professor Isa Pantami at the ongoing maiden edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE) organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission in Lagos.
“Whatever we want to do, we rely on importation. So the demand for forex increases by the day. So you have to reduce that demand.”
Pantami referred to Russia as having strong internal policies that have helped its currency, the Ruble gain traction against other currencies which are currently losing value.
“They can produce internal policy, where they ensure that the demand of their local currency Ruble is increasing by reading. So that what is necessary for any economy to deploy, you must ensure that the demand with your local currency is increasing, while the demand for forex is decreasing.”
The Minister at the event, charged and encouraged the NCC to ensure the enforcement of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector.
“Law and policies do not implement themselves. We must enforce them. And we must ensure we have effective monitoring that we don’t allow any importation to our country, particularly where we believe we can do it locally.
Professor Umar Danbatta at the ongoing maiden edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE) organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission in Lagos.
According to the Minister, the Federal Government will not tolerate situations that would warrant the importation of items that could be made locally.
“That one is necessary. And we should not compromise the situation. We cannot continue in a situation where people are interested in even importing sim cards into Nigeria that cannot be tolerated by the Federal Government.”
According to Professor Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, the creation of NODITS to drive the provision of indigenous content for the telecom industry is not only apt but in line with the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, Section 1, sub-section.
He said the policy will encourage local and foreign investments in the Nigerian communications industry and the introduction of innovative services and practices in the industry following international best practices and trends.
Professor Danbatta said the Policy will also create fair competition in all sectors of the Nigerian communications industry thereby encouraging the participation of Nigerians in the ownership, control, and management of communications companies and organizations.
The Policy is also expected to encourage the development of a communications manufacturing and supply sector within the Nigerian economy and also encourage effective research and development efforts by all communications industry practitioners.
Stakeholders at the ongoing maiden edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE) organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission in Lagos.
According to the NCC boss, the objective of this Policy is to transform the enormous strides achieved by the telecom industry in the last two decades into long-term indigenous economic development outcomes for Nigerian companies and citizenry through capacity strengthening, institutional building, and strategic policy tools.
“… which will further promote domestic and economic linkages, job creation and the participation of local Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the telecom value chain via the supply of goods and services to the sector.”
He said the purpose of the Expo was not only to showcase the strides undertaken by indigenous telecom companies but to discuss opportunities and pertinent issues relating to the industry from capacity development, funding, and financing to policies and their effects on the ease of doing business.
“The phenomenal growth in telecommunications can only continue if policies to enhance the sector locally, in tune with global agenda of self-sufficiency is pursued with vigor and support of the Federal, State and Local Governments.”
He revealed the discovery of 6 indigenous SIM card manufacturers, tower and mast manufacturers, fibre optic cable manufacturers,s and innovators actively designing and making prototypes of wireless routers with in-built smoke and dangerous gas detectors which have profound applications in base station monitoring, oil and gas facilities monitoring as well as city and home air quality monitoring, reporting and logging, may not have been possible without the existence of NODITS.
The EVC said the Commission through NODITS will pursue not only the technical aspects of indigenous content development but also funding, policy, and regulatory issues as well.
“We are not unaware of the challenges facing small indigenous telecoms service providers.”
He said the Commission will use its available regulatory instruments including the code of Corporate Governance that has been put in place, mediation, and license conditions not only to ensure their survival but to ensure that they return to their glorious past and be able to compete fairly with other international telecoms companies.
Professor Isa Pantami, said the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy will resist any move to impose an inclusive excise duty on telecommunications services in Nigeria.
The Minister disclosed this, Monday, at the ongoing maiden edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE) organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission in Lagos.
Recall that the Minister of Finance Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed last week announced that the Federal Government will implement 5 percent inclusive excise duty on telecommunications services in the country.
Pantami said: “I have not been officially informed about it and we at the Ministry are not satisfied with any effort to introduce excise duty on telecommunications.
“We will definitely challenge the decision.”
According to Pantami, there are almost seven sectors in Nigeria’s economy that are only contributing almost less than 2 percent to Nigeria’s economy.
Pantami said ICT contributes more than other sectors should be encouraged, saying that sectors contributing less to GDP should be monitored properly and ensure they do more.
“And if we fail to do that, we will continue to increase and increase tax by the day by.”
“You introduce excise duty when it comes to maybe discouraging the consumption of statistics like alcohol, like tobacco and many pieces where you didn’t produce it.
He said telecom services such as broadband have become a necessity and without them, nothing could be done in various sectors.
“How can you do financial services in Nigeria without broadband, how can you communicate with ourselves, how can you have a hospital without Internet?
Global real estate investment trust focused on cloud- and carrier-neutral data centres, colocation and interconnection solutions, Digital Realty, has completed acquisition of South Africa’s Teraco.
In a similar field, Teraco is a carrier-neutral data center and interconnection services provider in South Africa. The development included a consortium of investors, including Berkshire Partners and Permira and the transaction values Teraco at approximately $3.5 billion.
The acquisition of Teraco adds South Africa to Digital Realty’s three existing markets on the continent, including Kenya, Mozambique, and Nigeria. The strategic importance of these four markets has been enhanced by the recent and ongoing implementation of new subsea cable networks encircling Africa.
Combined with Digital Realty’s highly connected facilities in Marseille, its customers have a range of strategic connectivity hubs from which to serve all corners of the African market.
As South Africa’s largest and most densely interconnected data center platform, Teraco supports the rapid growth of the continent’s internet community through its expanding portfolio of data centers. Teraco’s experienced management team, growing multi-national customer base, quality infrastructure and ownership of NAPAfrica, the continent’s largest Internet Exchange Point, are key differentiators that position the company for sustainable growth.
“We are very excited to complete this transformative transaction that positions Digital Realty as the premier data center and connectivity provider on the high-growth African continent,” says A. William Stein, Chief Executive Officer, Digital Realty.
“Today’s milestone gives us significant regional scale and access to a premier, high-quality portfolio in Africa’s largest market, enhancing our ability to serve growing customer demand for connectivity in the region. We’re thrilled to strengthen our global platform and deepen our commitment to investment in Africa, as we capitalize on the tremendous opportunity in the region.”
“Teraco has made significant progress in achieving our strategic objectives, including improving the connectivity and accessibility of our data centers, in supporting the rapid digital transformation in the region,” says Jan Hnizdo, Chief Executive Officer, Teraco.
“Africa is poised to remain a high growth, high-demand area for data center solutions and our combined, diversified platform will further enable us to support our customers in the pan-Africa region and around the world.”
With the acquisition, Teraco will be known as Teraco: A Digital Realty Company.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has committed over N500 million to the Nigerian universities and other tertiary institutions across the country to facilitate research and innovations to promote developments in the Nigerian telecommunications industry.
Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta who disclosed this at a two-day Regional Roundtable with Academia, Industry and Other Stakeholders which ended in Kano at the weekend, said the funds have been committed to research grants to universities and tertiary institutions, including professorial chairs in the universities in salient areas to drive technology development.
Danbatta said the Commission is now focused on supporting the academia in the commercialisation of the prototypes from these innovative researches as this is relevant to the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy’s policy towards achieving indigenous technology for sustainable development of our country.
He said the roundtable organized by the Commission was to provide the necessary platform to support the commercialisation of locally- developed telecommunications innovations which NCC has been sponsoring.
“The Commission collaborates with the Academia in maximising the contributions of tertiary institutions to innovations and sustainable development of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry as finance is needed to drive possible success of these endeavours, ” Danbatta said.
Danbatta said these efforts has enabled the Commission to contribute to national efforts to ensure overall growth of the industry and create wealth for innovators, saying all these are fundamental to the objective of the NCC’s R&D-oriented programmes.
On the basis of these, he said ideas, inventions, and improvements that emanate from the academia are required by the industry for improved efficiency and productivity.
Danbatta said appreciable impacts had been achieved since the Commission reinvigorated research grants for telecommunications-based research innovations from Nigerian academics, focusing on successful commercialisation of locally developed solutions to foster and deepen the uptake of indigenous technology by Nigerians.
NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Engr Ubale Maska, also disclosed that the Commission, has so far awarded 49 telecom- based research grants to the academia out of which 10 prototypes were successfully developed and displayed to industry stakeholders.
He said the R&D efforts of the Commission were aimed at actualising some of the 8-point Pillar Eight of National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), 2020-2030, focusing on Indigenous Content Development and Adoption.
The event, which featured series of panel session discussions, particularly focusing on sub-themes that addressed the overarching theme of the stakeholders forum from different perspectives, drew participants from the academia, telecoms industry stakeholders, financial services sector and other critical sectors or the economy.
Participants deliberated on understanding commercialisation and entrepreneurial model within the university and industry perspectives as well as brainstormed on investment/ funding opportunities for prototype development, sustainability and the sale of new products in the market place.
The Future is coming. Third Generation (3G) technology added the internet to our smartphone, 4G allowed the smartphone to spread its wings; so expect 5G to make it soar.
Based on publicly available information, there are 209 global 5G commercial network as of March 2022 with Huawei as the vendor selected by 96 of them.
This month, Nigeria will become the first in West Africa to launch the fifth generation technology (5G) network and third in Africa after South Africa and Kenya.
Two companies – Mafab Communications and MTN Nigeria – have been licensed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to launch the network this August. However, MTN Nigeria is leading the race.
Huawei 5G Day in partnership with MTN and PAU
MTN is working with Huawei to bring 5G to Nigeria as demonstrated during 5G Day hosted by Huawei in partnership with MTN and Pan-Atlantic University as part of programmes lined up for MTN MIP 2022.
This is a combination of two major forces – Thirteen (13) countries are supported by Huawei for 5G roll out. Huawei is the number one in the global carrier IP space with 31% market share; controls 35% of 5G core infrastructure and is in charge of 33% of global broadband access.
Demo session during the Huawei 5G Day
MTN launched operations in Nigeria in 2001 and presently controls over 50% of the market share. As at June 2022, MTN Nigeria has 79,052,391 subscribers representing 38.36% of the market share. During the period, the telecoms business segment of MTN accounts for 63,820,107 out of 150,742,833 internet subscribers in Nigeria.
Mr. Karl Toriola MTN Nigeria CEO once said: “5G is the future of network technology and offers incredible possibilities for new and enhanced services for our customers”. He nailed it!
Well, permit me to further explain the benefits by relating one sad incident in Lagos to how 5G could become a life-saver for us:
About five months ago, Lagosians were saddened over the death of 22-year-old Bamise Ayanwole who had boarded a bus on Saturday, 26th February 2022 and was allegedly kidnapped and killed by a BRT driver, Andrew Nice (male).
Probably, the 5G network would have saved her life. How? Okay, during a demo session at the MTN-Huawei 5G Day in Lagos recently, with 5G Smart Bus things will be different.
5G Smart bus (Source: Huawei)
With 5G New Radio (NR) that delivers significantly faster and more responsive mobile broadband experiences; 5G Core which ensures ultra-reliable connectivity and low latency performance, connected to the cloud, taking feeds to the surveillance center, then, government can make informed decisions and empower security officers for prompt response to distress calls on BRT buses.
In essence, real-time connectivity to the security monitoring system attached to a BRT bus offers a sundry opportunity to detect abnormal driving and triggers warnings and keeps records for reviews. With that in place, a BRT driver would be more cautious of his/her environment and will not behave in the manner Andrew Nice did.
5G brings ubiquitous connectivity.
Low-latency, accessible-anywhere 5G can connect 100 times more devices per square kilometer than 4G.
It can move data at up to 100x higher speeds.
L-r: Funso Aina, Senior Manager, External Relations, MTN Nigeria; Peter Oluka, Editor TechEconomy and Jiang Dong (Bruce), Head of Contract Commerce and Fulfilment Management Department (CCFM), Huawei Nigeria
So 5G will be the motor of digital transformation. It is already powering the creation of tomorrow’s big industries: autonomous transport, virtual reality gaming, remote surgery, and more.
Analysts expect the commercial impact of 5G to be huge. GSMA predicts that 5G will add $2.2 trillion to the world economy by 2034.
A nine-year old ‘IT expert’ tagged along and had a glimpse into the future
See, 5G is one technology that extends mobile technology to connect and redefine a multitude of new industries. Yes, you read that right.
In August 2019, NCC approved dedicated spectrum for trial deployment of 5G services in the country. TechEconomy later gathered that NCC approved 100meg spectrum in Calabar and 20 meg spectrum in Lagos.
November 2019:
Moves towards 5G deployment in Nigeria can be traced back to November 2019 when the country became the first in West Africa to conduct 5G technology testing, powered by MTN; working with its partners, namely, Huawei (Abuja), ZTE (Calabar) and Ericsson (Lagos), to provide a glimpse into a range of 5G use cases and applications at test Labs designed to show proof-of-concept in these locations.
Karl Toriola, CEO MTN Nigeria
December 2019:
Professor Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, rejigged the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC) which plays a critical role in the spectrum allocation process.
“The NFMC was established by the Communications Act of 2003, which empowers the body to coordinate and regulate spectrum license allocations, across regional and international borders. In his maiden address to council members, the Chairman disclosed that under his leadership, national interest must supersede sectoral or personal interests, emphasizing that the protection of the consumer is paramount, while providing an enabling environment for industry players to thrive, within the dictates of the law”, Pantami said.
So, in May 2021, Nigeria’s quest for the deployment received a major boost as the Nigerian Communications Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited to leverage C-Band Spectrum for 5G services.
The Federal Government of Nigeria through the telecommunication regulator – NCC – commenced the process for 5G Spectrum licensing. NCC hosted a stakeholders’ forum when the price was pegged at N75bn for 3.5GHz Spectrum. This was rejected by industry players.
December 2021
Barely a month after the stakeholders’ forum, NCC said it was set for auctioning of the spectrum after a successful mock exercise.
Companies submitted their bids. MTN, Mafab and Airtel were declared as qualified bidders for the 3.5Ghz spectrum auction.
5G demo session by MTN Nigeria in 2019
Eventually, Airtel gave up during the bidding process. So, on December 13, 2021, after 11 rounds of bidding that lasted eight hours, Mafab Communications Ltd and MTN Nigeria Plc, emerged the two successful winners of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum auction for the deployment of 5G technology to support the delivery of ubiquitous broadband services in Nigeria.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday January 27 2022 unveiled the National Policy on Fifth Generation (5G) Networks for Nigeria’s Digital Economy.
The Policy was presented and approved at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on the 8th of September 2021, following a robust debate.
The approval of the Policy, Buhari said, is in line with the commitment of this administration to supporting the digital economy as an enabler for the diversification of our national economy.
The President said the journey started with the launch of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) in November 2019 and have also launched a number of policies to strengthen the country’s digital economy, including the Nigerian National Broadband Plan and the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector.
February 2022
Two major things happened in February 2022. First, the National Frequency Management Council officially released 5G Spectrum to NCC for onward ‘transmission’ to the licensees.
Prof. Isa Pantami, presenting the the Spectrum for 5G to Professor Adeolu Akande, and Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, of NCC
Secondly, NCC confirmed receipt of payment by the 5G licensees in Nigeria.
Management of the Commission led by Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), confirmed this to the Board of Commissioners at the Board’s Special Meeting, which took place on Wednesday, April 20 and Thursday, April 21, 2022, where the Board considered updates from Management on the status of the spectrum auction.
June 2022
Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) granted approval to Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC’s) to clear part of the C-Band Spectrum for the purpose of 5G deployment.
The Next phase
The official launch. Yes, this month, August 2022 Nigeria will witness the official launch of 5G. MTN Nigeria has demonstrated its commitment and capacity towards bringing the plans to fruition.
How prepared is MTN?
MTN has a first mover advantage. Remember the group launched commercial 5G services in South Africa in June 2020. One could argue that South Africa differs from Nigeria in terms of business environment and regulatory instruments however 5G technology remains the same. In fact, Mobile Network Providers (MNOs) buy their equipment from the global vendors such as Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia or ZTE.
Financially, MTN has a war chest. About a year ago the group announced plans to invest US$1.5 billion over the next three years to expand broadband access across the continent’s most populous country.
This is in line with MTN Group’s strategy; Ambition 2025: Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress.
TechEconomy’s findings show that MTN Nigeria will launch services in at least 200 5G cell towers before the end of 2022. It is a massive investment when you consider that it costs between $150 million to $300 million to construct a telecom base station.
The cable landing ductMTN MIP Fellows’ visit to West Africa Cable System landing station (WACS CSL)
MTN has also made huge investments in the West Africa Cable System (WACS) which connects many other African countries to Europe. The undersea cable project is quite critical to 5G launch in Nigeria.
End-user devices: As part of MTN Nigeria 5G strategies it introduced Device financing scheme. MTN is working with Intelligra, the pioneer operator-led device financing solution in Sub-Sahara to ensure consumers can have 5G enabled smartphones to enjoy the new connectivity.
MTN MIP Fellows during a visit to MTN customer experience centre in Ikoyi, Lagos
On the other hand, MTN has the backing of Huawei to deliver on 5G roll out. Ashwani Mishra, Director ICT Strategy and Marketing Huawei Nigeria Office, said that Huawei was credited as the first company worldwide to launch the industry-first 5G commercial chip with the Balong 5G01 and 5G commercial CPE compliant with 3GPP Release 15.
He said that Huawei, as the only vendor who can provide end-to-end commercial solutions, vigorously promoting the maturity and commercial use of the 5G industry chain, the company is ready to replicate such feats in Nigeria.
Challenges:
Apart from the perennial challenges facing MNOs in Nigeria such as Right of Way (RoW), multiple taxation, lack of protection for critical national infrastructure, multiple regulations (there are five to six agencies regulating communications in Nigeria), unfriendly business environment, etc., government needs to quickly address the free-fall of naira and scarcity of forex. MTN and others rely on importation of every equipment used to deploy services in the country.
Incentives for investors 5G is not just faster 4G – it’s an entirely new type of network.
Currently, most 5G ‘non-standalone’ deployments are built on existing 4G infrastructures. However, to unlock 5G’s full potential the industry is building a new type of network.
This ‘standalone’ 5G Core will be ‘cloud-native’. Its foundational technologies (Network Function Virtualization and Software Defined Networking) will turn many physical network components into the software. We are talking about millions of dollars investment. Is Nigeria prepared to provide incentives as motivation for operators deploying 5G?
5G will connect machines…but: According to Ericsson, there will be more than 22 billion connected IoT devices by 2024. This is a huge opportunity for telcos. But it’s not straightforward. Connecting cars and water meters is very different from connecting smartphones.
The majority of IoT devices are low-cost, small, limited in processing power, and battery-driven. They might be located in harsh environments and expected to run for decades.
Cyber threats: 5G will ramp up threats to cybersecurity and data privacy. Historically, the mobile industry has done a good job of deterring cyberattacks. But the confluence of the factors mentioned above – virtual 5G Core, private network slicing, IoT connections – will bring new threats.
5G is the first cellular generation to launch in the era of global cybercrime perpetrated by organized syndicates and even nation-states.
Conclusion,
In the words of Karl Toriola “The benefits of 5G are multi-faceted, and they hold the key to unlocking new avenues for the nation’s growth and development. It is far more than high-speed internet or faster-streaming speeds; 5G has implications for improved service delivery across every sector. It has the potential to transform our nation’s economy and make a difference in the daily lives of every Nigerian”.
Professor Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said the commission has so far identified seventy-two (72) action points to promote indigenous content in the telecoms sector.
Danbatta disclosed this in his keynote address at the third edition of Policy Implementation Assisted Forum with the theme: ‘Establishing Trackable Metrics for Developing Nigeria’s Indigenous Telecoms Sector’ in Lagos on Thursday.
He added that the commission has also brought at least 30 stakeholders to the round table to chart way for the effective implementation of the National Policy for Promotion of Indigenous Content Policy in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector (NPPIC) assented to By President Muhammadu Buhari in May, 2021.
Engineer Babagana Digima, Head, Nigeria Office for Developing the Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS) delivering the EVC’s Keynote Address
Represented by Babagana Digima, Head, the Nigeria Office for Promoting the Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS), the EVC stressed that different entities include Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), SIM card manufacturers, tower and mast manufacturers, and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
He said: “At a higher level, the Commission had identified some time-based metrics for NPPIC which it classed in to immediate, short term, medium term, and long-term items these include activities such as creation of NODITS dedicated to guiding the policy; constitution of local content steering committee; engagement with relevant internal and external stakeholders; and commissioning baseline studies on the level of indigenous content in the Nigerian telecoms industry.”
Others, according to him, include development of regulations, monitoring and enforcement of Key Performance Indices (KPIs) and methodologies; development of implementation guidelines; and continuous efforts in research and development (R&D); and monitoring, evaluation and enforcement.
The NCC boss noted the NPPIC requires more focused and direct actions than undertaken before now.
“To ensure the effective implementation of the NPPIC, we have articulated several targets and high impact interventions, which are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-based (SMART).
“We will therefore be counting on the efforts of industry stakeholders, watchdogs and partners such as Business Metrics to create independent metrics that will ensure the achievements of the goals of the NPPIC,” Danbatta said.
He further noted that some of the 72 action points and plans are already being implemented by the Commission through NODITS which in some instances have also yielded fruits.
“An example is capturing some of the target areas for gazette by the Federal Government and Companies providing such goods and services shall be accorded pioneer industry status by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission.
“Another achievement is the consideration given to telecommunications services as an exportable non tangible asset by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), thereby enjoying promotion and funding,” he said.
According to him, the Commission was also fully involved in the successes achieved thus far “as we are also promoting the establishment of a manufacturing facility for Corrugated Optical Duct (COD) in Nigeria which will complement the recent launch of the first optic fibre cable (OFC) manufacturing plant by Coleman Technical Industries in conjunction with Corning, a world-renowned leader in OFC development and manufacturing.”
He said provision of skilled manpower, funding and software development is equally receiving attention, noting however that this will require a different set of metrics such as skill areas, available personnel, skill migration, and new skill development for which the industry will be a key driver and source of statistics.
“Our discussions with the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) and some of the MNOs, TowerCos and OEMs is centered around skills development as well as repair and maintenance of telecoms equipment both of which are key element for the indigenous emancipation of the telecoms industry, the EVC said.
In his remarks, Omobayo Azeez, Convener of PIAFo, stressed that the need to domesticate inputs into the telecoms sector to ease pressure on the Nigerian economy.
While acknowledging that the telecommunications sector had unarguably become one indispensable economic enabler for the country and its people, he said sadly, the sector remains grossly dependent on foreign inputs which at the end of every operating year resulted in capital flights above $2.16 billion.
“When operators have to depend solely on foreign talents, solutions, equipment and accessories, they will also have to deal with the hassle of accessing forex as one of the major problems. As such, operators suffer, customers suffer and even our dear Naira is also at a receiving end – it continues to lose value.
“We realise that with the policy in place, the work has just begun because effective implementation of a policy is the true measure of its success. We want this policy to come to fruition and create inclusive benefits for individuals, businesses and the economy,” he said.
Innovative telecommunications company 9mobile has restated its commitment to enabling the growth of Nigerian businesses and fostering inter-sectoral collaboration to further boost economic development in the country.
Phillips Oki, Chief Financial Officer, 9mobile, who represented the CEO of 9mobile, Juergen Peschel, gave the assurance on Thursday when he led the company’s management team on a visit to Gracefield Island, a smart city under development by Gravitas Investments Limited in the Lekki axis of Lagos.
9mobile | Gravitas
Gracefield Island is a new integrated cosmopolitan smart city of 25,000 inhabitants initiated by Gravitas and built on purposely reclaimed land within the fast-rising premium Lekki Lagos shoreline.
L-R: Director of Strategy & Finance, Gravitas Investments Limited, Leke Ojulari; Chief Financial Officer, 9mobile, Phillips Oki; Chief Executive Officer, Gravitas Investments Limited, Olufemi Babalola, and Director, Customer Care, 9mobile, Ehimare Omoike during 9mobile’s Management Visit to Gracefield Island, smart city under development by Gravitas at Chevron Drive, Lekki, Lagos
The exclusive Island will offer world-class utilities and services for residents and businesses desiring a more liveable and serene environment that offers increased comfort and productivity.
9mobile and Gravitas had previously signed an agreement to provide exclusive telecommunications services, including a fibre backbone infrastructure and internet across fixed voice and data services, including Triple play and Dual play on the Island.
Other services include the Internet of Things (IoT) for security, surveillance, fleet tracking, smart home solutions, smart metering and intelligent utility.
During the visit to assess infrastructure deployment on the Island and unveil a solar-powered 9mobile kiosk, Oki expressed delight with the partnership between both companies. He also affirmed that 9mobile was ready to take the relationship to the next level.
“We are here to take this relationship to the next level and also thank Gravitas for your cooperation. We are grateful for making us the Number One Telco on this project. All other estates will learn from this world-class model on Gracefield Island,” Oki said.
L-R: Executive Director, Gravitas Investments Limited, Olubunmi Adeyemo; Chief Financial Officer, 9mobile, Phillips Oki; Chief Executive Officer, Gravitas Investments Limited, Olufemi Babalola, and Director, Marketing Communications, 9mobile, Saidat Lawal-Mohammed during 9mobile’s Management Visit to Gracefield Island, a smart city under development by Gravitas at Chevron Drive, Lekki, Lagos
To further underscore 9mobile’s commitment to the partnership, Oki said the company would open a mini-office operating 24 hours on the Island. He explained that the cooperation would move from a project to a programme.
Responding, Managing Director/CEO of Gravitas, Olufemi Babalola, expressed happiness that 9mobile understood its vision and has remained a committed partner from inception.
Babalola, who also highlighted the uniqueness of Gracefield, said its choice of 9mobile to provide telecoms service was well considered and strategic.
“Gracefield Island is configured to be a smart city, and a lot of what we’re doing will ride on quality telecom technology. So, we are happy to have you as our partner,” he added, while praising the telco for its commitment to quality service, innovation and customer service.
L-R: Legal Adviser, Gravitas Investments Limited, Chidiebere Odiba; Chief Financial Officer, 9mobile, Phillips Oki; Chief Executive Officer, Gravitas Investments Limited, Olufemi Babalola, and Head of Legal/Acting Company Secretary, 9mobile, Angela Arinze during 9mobile’s Management Visit to Gracefield Island, a smart city under development by Gravitas at Chevron Drive, Lekki, Lagos
Oki was accompanied by senior management team members of 9mobile, including the Director, Customer Care, Ehimare Omoike, Director, Marketing Communications, Saidat Lawal-Mohammed and Acting Director, Enterprise Business, Olalekan Fatusa, among others.
