Telecom
PAPDAN Showcases Best of Mobile Innovation at PEN 2014 Show
The Phone and Allied Products Dealers Association (PAPDAN) has announced plans to showcase the best of mobile innovation at the Phone Expo Nigeria 2014 (PEN 2014) planned to gather the Nigerian mobile ecosystem next December in Lagos.
Mr. Iyke Nwosu, chairman of PAPDAN, announced in Lagos, that the influential trade group of phone dealers in the country would leverage PEN 2014 to bring the best in mobile handsets, devices and technologies “under one roof for the benefits of Nigerian consumers.”
PEN 2014 produced by Technology Times Events will feature exhibitions of latest mobile technologies and co-locate unique events at the annual gathering of the Nigerian mobile ecosystem.
PEN 2014, which takes place December 2-6, 2014 under the theme, “Next Frontiers of Connected Nigeria” will hold at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka in Yaba, Lagos.
The chairman of PAPDAN commended the PEN 2014 initiative saying that it will offer members of the association a platform to connect directly with consumers.
“We also believe that PEN 2014 will enable PAPDAN to promote the mission of the association to promote the interest of Nigerian mobile consumers”, Mr. Nwosu said.
Market information by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows growing telephony subscriptions reached 33,282,003 active lines and 94.42% teledensity across the country by August 2014.
Within the same period, Nigeria also recorded 72,566,791 Internet subscribers, according to the telecommunications industry regulator.
The Chairman of PAPDAN said that the association has become a critical catalyst in the growing mobile telephony ecosystem in Nigeria.
PAPDAN, headquartered in Ikeja Computer Village, Nigeria’s biggest technology market, now has over 5000 members employing more than 25,000 people across the mobile value chain, Mr. Nwosu said.
According to the chairman of PAPDAN, in Computer Village alone, members of the body recorded in excess of four million units of monthly sales of diverse handsets and devices to consumers coming from across states in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
“PAPDAN has been crucial to the growth of the mobile telephony market in Nigeria as our members were the first to introduce dual-SIM phones. The big brands were cynical at the time but they are all now playing catch-up to gain market share in the country”, Mr. Nwosu added.
Commenting further, he said that, “when we introduced dual-SIM phones, people were laughing but you can see that today, a lot of the established brands are also playing catch-up”
Mr. Nwosu said that insights gained from mobile phone market trends in Nigeria show that consumers needs and preference continue to grow for latest technologies and innovative products.
“One factor that drives everybody is pricing. The market is highly price-dependent and driven but consumers still want phones with lots of functionalities. Most of the consumers are looking for cheap phones and brands within the N5000 to N15000 price range are the market leaders that we have seen”, the PAPDAN chairman explained.
He said that consumer preferences are also shifting towards Android devices that “allow them to do a lot of things” while there is increasing demand for bigger screens that allow them to watch videos on the devices.
Based on market insights, the PAPDAN chairman said that consumers still ask for established global brands but several relatively newer players are recording impressive performance in Nigeria because they bundle good features and also compete on “good price points.”
According to him, brands that have been able to fit into the “affordable” device segments of the Nigerian market include Tecno, Gionee, Maxtel, G-Tide, Gowin, M-Horse, among others due to compete features and pricings.
Mr. Nwosu of PAPDAN said that Nokia is witnessing a Nigeria market rebound as the number one in the device market with growing demand for its cheaper phones like the Nokia X, which bundles Windows Phone and Android OS.
According to him, “Nokia is now doing very well and has become number one because most of their sales are coming from the low-end phones.”
Tecno is considered number two in the mobile device segment because the brand fits very well within the affordable phones category ahead of Samsung, he said.
According to him, Samsung is number three and has gained market traction with an aggressive marketing and introduction of new brands.
Mr. Nwosu believed that Gionee ranks fourth in Nigeria driven by price advantages, features and local “market consistency.”
He added that, “PAPDAN activities in the areas of combating counterfeiting has increased consumer confidence and that is part of the message that we are bring to the PEN 2014 Show.”
PAPDAN has prevailed on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to improve on the standards of phones shipped into Nigeria and establish Service Centres to provide support to consumers, he added.
“So far, PAPDAN has registered 46 brands that have met the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) standards for certification and packaging”, the Chairman of PAPDAN said.
Mr Shina Badaru, founder/group CEO of Technology Times Media Limited, producers of PEN 2014 Show said the partnership with CAPDAN aligns with the vision to create the nation’s largest marketplace of the Nigerian Mobile Ecosystem where attendees will learn about the latest technologies and market trends.
“More importantly the partnership with an influential trade group like PAPDAN will let us connect buyers and sellers under the same for five exciting days to discover and own new technologies”, according to Mr. Badaru.
He added that, “PEN 2014 will gather the mobile ecosystem across Nigeria, Africa and beyond to showcase, learn and share ideas about the next frontiers in technologies, innovation, solutions and services for today’s Connected Nigeria.
According to him, the PEN 2014 Show will bring attendees in contacts with the industry ecosystem players like:
Dimension Data has said that the proceeds from its Series 1 corporate bond, will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.
This followed the successful subscription of the corporate bond.
Recall that Dimension Data Limited said that it has completed the signing ceremony for the issuance of N4.05 billion (approximately US$2.9 million).
This sum marks the first tranche of a N20 billion (US$14.7 million) bond programme announced earlier this year.
The bond programme was raised under Dimension Data SPV Funding Plc, following approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Nigeria.
The company says the proceeds will support the expansion of the company’s fibre infrastructure to meet Nigeria’s growing demand for digital connectivity.
Speaking at the ceremony, Olugbenga Olabiyi, managing director of Dimension Data Limited, said the investment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy.
The planned investments will fund the continued expansion of Dimension Data’s fibre network, supporting increasing demand from financial institutions, fintechs, enterprise customers and other technology-driven sectors.
Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Johannesburg, the company has grown its footprint across the Middle East and Africa.
Today Dimension Data is a member of the NTT Ltd Group, one of the world’s leading technology companies.
As cloud adoption, digital financial services and data-intensive applications continue to grow, the company believes resilient fibre infrastructure will remain a critical enabler of Nigeria’s digital economy.
The Federal Government has announced that work will commence within weeks on a 90,000-kilometre fibre optic network expected to connect every state, local government area and ward in Nigeria, marking what officials describe as one of the country’s most ambitious digital infrastructure projects.
Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, disclosed this on Tuesday after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on the progress of three flagship digital transformation initiatives being implemented by his ministry.
According to the minister, all resource mobilisation and contractual processes for the nationwide fibre project have been completed, paving the way for physical deployment.
“We’re now at the point where, in a few weeks’ time, we should start to lay those fibre, so people will start seeing us around the country deploying the fibre. This is going to transform Nigeria for good,” Tijani said.
He explained that the project would deliver fibre optic infrastructure to every geopolitical zone, state, local government area and ward, significantly expanding broadband access and improving the quality of internet connectivity across the country.
“This is a project where every state, every geopolitical zone, every local government and every ward in this country will be covered with fibre optic cables, which will transform the quality of connectivity,” he added.
Bosun Tijani attributed the progress in the digital economy to a series of reforms approved by President Tinubu, including the designation of digital infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure, tariff adjustments and tax harmonisation measures sought by industry operators.
“I think our sector has been extremely fortunate. Mr. President has given us quite a number of things that the sector has been demanding for a long time. Whether it’s the Critical National Infrastructure designation for all digital infrastructure, the slight adjustment in tariff, or the tax harmonisation, these are reforms the industry has long requested.
“I think it’s probably the sector that is most appreciative of this government because when we came in, the sector was contributing between 16 and 18 per cent to our GDP, but today it is tracking close to 21 per cent. That represents significant growth,” he said.
The minister noted that the reforms had also improved the financial performance of major operators in the telecommunications sector.
On efforts to bridge the digital divide, Tijani disclosed that the government would begin deploying about 3,700 telecommunications towers from October to provide network coverage for more than 20 million Nigerians currently living in underserved communities without access to telecom services.
He said the President had approved the project after months of capital mobilisation and planning.
“Today we’re at a point where, before the end of the year, we’ll also start to deploy close to 3,700 towers. It’s taken a lot to put this project together and raise the required capital, but we are now ready to begin deployment around October,” he said.
The minister also announced that Nigeria would officially launch an alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, a move he said would place the country among a select group of nations operating an advanced digital addressing system.
“Nigeria will be amongst maybe 10 or 15 countries in the world with an alphanumeric postcode. It’s the latest design in postcode systems, where we can identify every property in this country. We’re hoping to launch that on the 1st of October,” he said.
Tijani explained that the new system would assign a unique address to every property nationwide, enhancing logistics, accelerating e-commerce, improving emergency response and strengthening public service delivery.
“Inability to locate places comes at a cost. You can imagine what this will do for e-commerce. It means goods can now be delivered in record time,” he said.
He added that integrating the postcode system with existing government identity databases would improve security and make public services more efficient.
“Our alphanumeric postcode is unique because it allows us to assign a unique address to every property. In many countries, such as the UK, postcodes cover clusters of buildings. What we are introducing will uniquely identify every building, and that will be a game changer for Nigeria in terms of security, commerce and public service delivery,” the minister stated.
Telecom
Treepz Partners with CMS T&M to Digitize Public Transportation for Millions of Lagos Commuters
Treepz has officially announced a strategic partnership with CMS Taxi & Motor Nigeria Limited (CMS T&M) to modernize public transportation through digital technology to ensure cashless, transparent and more efficient commuting for passengers across CMS – Ajah routes.
The partnership brings together Treepz’s transportation technology and CMS T&M’s decades of experience moving passengers.
By integrating Treepz’s digital mobility platforms into CMS T&M’s operations, passengers will enjoy a faster, safer and completely cashless payment experience, while the transport operators gain access to real-time operational insights, digital ticketing and improved revenue management.
Speaking on the partnership, Johnny, Co-Founder of Treepz, said: “Public transportation is the backbone of every thriving city. Our mission has always been to use technology to make commuting easier and more efficient for everyone.
“Partnering with CMS T&M represents another important milestone in digitizing public transportation in Nigeria and empowering operators with the tools they need to scale sustainably.”
He added: “By replacing manual ticketing and cash collections with digital systems, we’re creating greater transparency for operators while delivering a better everyday experience for commuters.”
Also commenting on the partnership, Andrew Akhigbe, Managing Director of CMS T&M, said: “CMS T&M has proudly served Lagos commuters for decades, and innovation has always been essential to our growth.
“This partnership with Treepz allows us to embrace modern technology that improves operational efficiency, enhances accountability, and delivers a more convenient travel experience for our passengers.”
The collaboration reflects a shared commitment by both organizations to accelerate the digital transformation of Nigeria’s transport sector while improving the quality, reliability and accessibility of public mobility.
Treepz continues to expand its footprint across Africa by providing technology solutions that help transport operators digitize their services and deliver better customer experiences.
Beyond public bus operators, the company also powers mobility solutions for businesses, educational and religious institutions as well as governments seeking smarter transportation systems.
As Lagos continues to evolve into one of Africa’s largest smart cities, partnerships like this demonstrate how technology can reshape urban mobility, making transportation more connected, efficient and accessible for millions of commuters.
Visit website: https://www.cmstaxiandmotor.com
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