General News
How Satellite Internet Could Weather Future Disasters
Greg Wyler, founder of the OneWeb satellite venture has said that his mission is to bring affordable Internet services to the entire globe — and that also means beefing up the connectivity for the first responders and survivors facing deadly disasters like Cyclone Pam.
That powerful storm ripped through the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu this week, leaving widespread death and destruction in its wake.
Responding to the disaster has been difficult in part because the cyclone wiped out communication links. And that’s where satellite-based connectivity could be a life-saver, said Greg Wyler, OneWeb founder and CEO.
“Communications can come with the people servicing the area,” Wyler told NBC News on Monday. “They can bring their own infrastructure. You can enable people on the ground who already have a communication device to become part of the solution.”
OneWeb is just one of several ventures that hope to start delivering Internet and mobile services via satellite sometime in the next few years. But if Wyler’s venture stays on track, it could be one of the first to make it to the marketplace. He said the current schedule calls for launches to begin in 2017, with network activation in 2019.
The initial plan calls for a constellation of about 650 small satellites to be put into orbit, providing global data services at speeds of 50 megabits per second or faster. Wyler estimated the cost for the first phase of the venture at around $2 billion.
Some of the logistics for the network still have to be worked out — but many of OneWeb’s partnerships already have been put into place:
Virgin Galactic, founded by billionaire Richard Branson, will provide launch services. Wyler said other launchers would be used as well.
Qualcomm, a leader in wireless products and services, is working on the hardware.
Honeywell Aerospace said this month that it would provide aircraft equipment and airtime services for OneWeb’s network.
Rockwell Collins announced on Monday that it would work with OneWeb on satellite communication terminals for aircraft.
Wyler foresees a time when emergency teams could bring the Internet and phone services to the scene of a disaster on their helicopters, airplanes and trucks.
“The first responders in that environment would have mobile networks running regardless of the situation,” he said. “And for users on the ground, their cellphones and smartphones would still work to the extent that it was allowed. … We can change those survivors into supporters.”
OneWeb is planning to produce multi-user Internet terminals that could be installed on the roof of a home or school, as shown in this photo. Such terminals would be solar-powered, with a price tag in the range of $250, OneWeb founder Greg Wyler says.
Emergency response is just one of the potential applications for OneWeb, Wyler said. He envisions having terminals installed on commercial jets and private airplanes, in homes and in schools — and not just for the developed world, but also for the estimated 4 billion people who don’t have Internet access today.
OneWeb’s objective is to offer multi-user satellite terminals for less than $250, and work out deals with telecom providers to bring Internet services within reach of potential users in the developing world.
“Our mission is to enable affordable access for everyone,” Wyler said.
Airline travelers could benefit as well. Today’s in-flight networks generally put limits on streaming video or other high-bandwidth services, but Wyler said OneWeb’s aircraft terminals would change the equation.
This artist’s conception shows a compact Internet terminal installed on the roof of a Beechcraft airplane.
“This will allow an [Airbus] A380 to stream Netflix anywhere in the world,” Wyler said. “We are solving a big problem for emerging markets, which is literally half the world, and the other half is connected only intermittently.”
He acknowledged that other ventures — including SpaceX and Outernet — are also planning to offer satellite Internet services. But he doesn’t see them as threats.
“It’s best not to look at things in terms of being competitive, because the market is so large,” he said. “No one will solve 100 percent of the need. We’re really just making dents in the market.”
Wyler is delivering a keynote address at the Satellite 2015 conference in Washington on Tuesday.
Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) has warned of possible floods in parts of Adamawa, Bauchi, Edo, Imo, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Kaduna, Plateau, Niger, Benue, and Borno states within the next seven days.
According to information posted on NIHSA X handle, the Agency announced medium flood advisory in force for the next 7 days across Adamawa, Bauchi, and 11 other States.
“Localised inundation is forecast along the main channel; named communities below sit on the projected footprint. Stations: Saminara on the Karam river, Waya Dam Site on the Waya river, Amber on the Amber river.
“Adamawa; Lemsa, Lamurde, Numan Exposure: 147 comm. 49 schis 40 hith 6 mkts17 relig. Bauchi-Bauchi, Ningi, Shira. Exposure: 4 comm. Kaduna; Chikun, Giwa, Igabi, Jaba, Jema’a, Kachia, Kaura, Kauru, +6 more. Exposure: 1 comm.
“Borno-Gubio, Mobbar. Exposure: 680 comm. 8 schls 6 hith 5 mkts 21 relig. Edo-Akoko-Ed, EtsakoEa, EtsakoWe, Ikpoba-Okha, Orhionmw, OviaNort, OviaSo.. Exposure: 3 comm.
“Imo-Aboh-Mba, Oguta, Ohaji/Eg, Okigwe, Owerri North, Owerri West. Exposure: 3 comm. 7 more states affected and severity LGAs”.
NIHSA advised people in the affected areas to “do NOT cross flooded roads, bridges, or fast-moving water on foot or by vehicle.
“Clear drainage channels and river-mouth blockages; avoid building or living in the floodplain and move people, livestock and valuables from the floodplain to pre-identified higher ground,” NIHSA stated.
General News
First Trustees Advocates Estate Planning as an Essential Tool in Every Wealth Creation Strategy
First Trustees Limited, a subsidiary of FirstHoldCo Plc., and a leading provider of fiduciary and trusteeship services in Nigeria, is encouraging individuals, professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors to view Estate Planning not as an end-of-life exercise, but as a strategic investment tool for protecting, preserving, and transferring wealth across generations.
As more Nigerians focus on wealth creation through businesses, real estate investments, and other income-generating assets, experts are emphasizing that building wealth is only one part of the equation.
Equally important is creating structures that ensure those assets remain protected, properly managed, and seamlessly transferred to succeeding generations in accordance with the asset owner’s wishes. Importantly, Estate Planning is not solely for the wealthy, it is a prudent step for anyone with assets, dependants, or a business to protect, regardless of age, profession, or net worth.
Speaking on the importance of Estate Planning, Ereifemi Akeredolu, Managing Director/CEO, First Trustees Limited, noted that Estate Planning should be considered a core pillar of every long-term financial strategy.
“Many people focus on creating wealth but give litle thought to preserving it. Estate Planning is a wealth protection strategy that helps individuals safeguard their assets, secure their family’s future, and ensure that the value they build today continues to benefit future generations.”
Using tools such as Trusts, Wills, and advanced succession plans, individuals can build structures that support wealth preservation, business continuity, asset protection, and intergenerational wealth transfer.
For entrepreneurs and business owners, Estate Planning serves as a powerful tool for ensuring business sustainability, helping organizations remain stable and operational regardless of unforeseen circumstances.
First Trustees continues to emphasize and educate on the importance of Estate Planning as a comprehensive strategy for proactive planning. It remains one of the most important financial decisions an individual can make: it provides clarity, minimizes uncertainty, and protects assets from unnecessary erosion and disputes. It also creates financial security for loved ones, supports business succession and continuity, and facilitates long-term investment and legacy planning.
General News
Nearpays, Nigerian Fintech Becomes First African Startup to Win UN’s AI for Good Innovation Factory
Nearpays, Nigerian fintech, has won the AI for Good Innovation Factory grand finale — the first African startup ever to take the global title in the competition, which runs as part of the United Nations’ AI for Good Global Summit.
The competition drew more than 500 startups worldwide, each pitching AI solutions aimed at social and economic challenges.
The summit itself is organised by the UN through the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in partnership with several UN agencies, convening governments, researchers, startups, and technology companies around AI’s role in development.
Nearpays’ route to the title ran through Johannesburg, where it won the African regional competition, before advancing to the global finals in Geneva.
There, the company progressed through the semi-finals and claimed the grand finale — a first for the continent.
The company describes the win as bigger than a corporate milestone, calling it a victory for African innovation and proof that technology built to solve local problems can compete, and win, on the world stage.
Nearpays was founded to close a stubborn gap in African payments: small and medium-sized businesses that can’t afford or access traditional point-of-sale terminals.
Cost, availability, and deployment hurdles have kept many merchants — particularly in rural and underserved communities — locked out of digital payments.
Its answer is SoftPOS: an AI-powered platform that turns compatible Android smartphones into payment acceptance devices, letting merchants take contactless card payments with nothing more than their phones. AI is embedded across the platform, supporting payment processing, compliance, fraud detection, and business operations.
Crucially, the platform was built for African infrastructure realities — it works both online and offline, so merchants can keep accepting payments even without internet connectivity.
The company credited its team’s years of product development and customer engagement for the result, and thanked the UN, the ITU, and the AI for Good initiative for building a platform where innovators can apply AI to real-world problems.
It also said it hopes the win encourages more African founders to build technology that answers local needs while competing internationally.
For Nearpays, the title closes one chapter and opens another, as the company pushes on with expanding digital financial infrastructure across Afric
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