Telecom
Experts Seek Clear Policy for Broadband Penetration
Stakeholders have urged the federal government as a matter of urgency to intervene with clear policy on operations of transmission link, as the 2018 target set by the federal government to achieve 30 percent broadband penetration draws nearer.
According to them, the major problem in broadband penetration especially taking bandwidth to the hinterland is availability of affordable transmission link which is today mainly provided by GSM operators.
They argued that waiting for the take-off of Infracos that are yet to be licensed will be counter- productive in view of short time frame government has to achieve its set target of 30 percent broadband penetration.
They said that absence of a clear policy direction on the operations of national transmission infrastructure has led to arbitral charges by owners of the infrastructure which has made it difficult for operators in cities outside of Lagos to delivery broadband services at affordable rate.
Dewole Ajao, operations manager, Bandwidth Consortium, said that the various national links are underutilized and that their owners are spending money maintaining them, which according to him is responsible for high cost been charged by them.
“An important step is for Nigerian government agencies to stop spending all that money to foreign countries in the name of buying satellite bandwidth. If we use that money to buy terrestrial bandwidth, local providers will receive more business and they can strengthen their operations,” he noted.
He attributed the use of satellite bandwidth by federal government agencies through Galaxy Backbone as part of the reasons why government is reluctant to intervene to find lasting solution to problem of national fibre link infrastructure in the country required for broadband internet.
Mohammed Rudman, managing director, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, said that availability of distributive channels of internet and making it accessible to ISPs is essential for the country to witness a broadband revolution.
“Without moving internet capacity from Lagos to other parts of the country, we may witness a lopsided broadband revolution, only in Lagos and its environs,” he said.
Rudman however, added that it is the responsibility of government to provide enabling environment for people to invest in the economy, but where the challenges are enormous those who have courage to weather the storm are left with no option than to hike the cost of their services.
“Stakeholders have been talking on these challenges in the provision of broadband internet for several years now, there is need to find lasting solution to the problem. Sharing of infrastructure has become a problem for operators especially on the national fibre link space. There is no reason for all the GSM operators to lay different fibre link across the country where they could share with the operator that first laid instead of wasting human and material resources duplicating what is already in existence,” he said.
Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (AITON), said that granting multiple operational license to operators to provide metro and national fibre infrastructure does not guarantee investment in that regard, but implementation of well-articulated policies that will encourage operators to invest their money.
He said Government must go beyond granting of licenses to eliminating those barriers such as bottlenecks in securing ‘right of way’, impediments to smooth network operations- where operators are forced to pay levies that are not legalized, and vandalisation.
He explained that broadband services are anchored on availability of bandwidth and that with excess capacity at our shores, investment need to be encouraged to distribute this capacity to various geographical areas of the country for broadband revolution to be experienced as is the case with voice service.
He added that operators that secured licenses to roll out broadband services with big money are yet to invest in provision of infrastructure because of clumsy process of securing ‘right of way’ from various government agencies.
SHELT, a leading cybersecurity-as-a-service provider, has earned inclusion in the 2025 MSSP 250, the annual ranking of the world’s top 250 Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) by MSSP Alert, a CyberRisk Alliance publication.
SHELT
The list evaluates firms on business performance, service breadth, and industry impact, spotlighting those excelling in growth, operational excellence, and advanced managed security amid rising cyber threats. Selection criteria include annual recurring revenue, profitability, workforce expansion, business growth, and the depth of managed security offerings.
SHELT’s recognition underscores its investments in scalable security operations, threat intelligence, and tailored managed services across multiple regions, enabling clients to navigate complex risk landscapes effectively.
“Being recognised in the MSSP 250 is a meaningful milestone for our team,” stated Youssef Abillama, CEO of SHELT. “It validates our focus on building practical, resilient security services that help organisations manage risk and respond effectively to today’s evolving cyber threats.”
The company hailed the honour as testament to its teams’ dedication and expertise worldwide, reaffirming commitment to enhancing capabilities and delivering trusted cybersecurity solutions.
Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook, has appointed Dina Powell McCormick, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, as its new president and vice chairman, bolstering its leadership amid aggressive AI and infrastructure expansion.
Dina Powell McCormick
The announcement, made on Monday, positions Powell McCormick – who recently stepped down from Meta’s board after eight months – to guide overall strategy, including multi-billion-dollar investments in data centres and global partnerships.
A Goldman Sachs veteran with 16 years in senior roles and prior stints as deputy national security adviser under Trump and in the Bush administration, she brings deep finance and international ties to the role.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hailed her as “uniquely qualified” for the company’s next growth phase, while President Trump praised the move on Truth Social as a “fantastic choice”.
The hire signals Meta’s efforts to strengthen White House relations, following recent dinners with Trump and U.S. investment pledges worth hundreds of billions
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has suspended the @Twitter account, replacing its profile with a standard notice citing violation of platform rules.
Musk
The action, which occurred on Sunday, January 11, left users encountering the handle greeted by a bold “Account Suspended” message on a black screen, with no details provided on the specific rules broken or the duration of the suspension.
The development has sparked widespread confusion and nostalgia among users, given that Elon Musk rebranded Twitter to X in July 2023, approximately six months after acquiring the platform for $44 billion in late 2022.
The @Twitter handle had remained dormant since before Musk’s takeover, serving as a legacy remnant of the platform’s original branding, and its suspension appears to mark the final erasure of the Twitter name amid X’s ongoing efforts to combat spam, impersonation, and rule violations.
X’s official statement on the suspended page simply reads: “X suspends accounts that violate our rules,” without offering an appeal process or further explanation, unlike standard user suspensions.
Public reactions on social media ranged from humorous laments of “RIP Twitter” to speculation that the move resulted from automated moderation or a deliberate cleanup of legacy trademarks.
xAI’s Grok AI described it as a purposeful retirement of outdated elements rather than a genuine infraction, while neither Elon Musk nor X spokespeople issued any comment as of Monday morning.
This incident underscores the evolving identity of the platform under Musk’s ownership, which also saw a domain shift to x.com in 2024, further distancing it from its Twitter roots.
Industry observers note that while the suspension aligns with X’s stricter enforcement policies, the lack of transparency has fueled debates on consistency in applying rules to high-profile legacy accounts.
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