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SACS Begins the Deep-Water Installation

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South Atlantic Cable System (SACS), the first submarine cable system across the South Atlantic is in the final stretch of its installation between Africa and South America.

 

Angola Cables, the company overseeing installation and the operations of SACS, and NEC Corporation, a Japanese system integrator of highest quality fibre optic cable systems and the turn-key contractor for SACS construction, has hired Orange Marine, also a renowned top French cable ship company, to commence shortly the deep-water laying of the cable.

 

As the first and only direct link between Angola and Brazil, SACS is expected to be fully operational before the middle of 2018.

 

The deep-water phase of the installation will last 90 days and cover a distance of 6200 km of cable at depths of up to 5000 metres.

 

According to António Nunes, CEO of Angola Cables: “When SACS is complete, together with the complementary infrastructure offered by the WACS and Monet Cable Systems, there will be a paradigm shift in global telecommunications data transport.” With SACS in place, wholesale customers between the continents will see a fivefold improvement in latency, as well as better access to America, one of the largest producers and aggregators of digital content and services.

 

“SACS presents an opportunity for Angola to become one of the telecommunications hubs in sub-Saharan Africa. Investments in underwater cable systems and data centres are creating digital bridges bringing continents closer, but also improving access to major international telecommunications circuits,” added Nunes.

 

“We expect various economic benefits for Angola, as well as other regions where our network exists, with a number of knock-on effects, including further investment from technology companies requiring high levels of connectivity.

 

 


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Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

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Google’s AI-powered NotebookLM goes global with Slides support & better ways to fact-check

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Last summer, we introduced NotebookLM, an AI-powered research and writing assistant. Today, we’re excited to share that we’re bringing an upgraded version of NotebookLM — now using Gemini 1.5 Pro — to over 200 countries and territories around the world.

Our goal from the beginning with NotebookLM has been to create a tool to help you understand and explore complex material, make new connections from information, and get to your first draft faster. You can upload sources — your research notes, interview transcripts, corporate documents — and instantly NotebookLM becomes an expert in the material that matters most to you. Today’s upgrade introduces several new features:

  • NotebookLM now supports Google Slides and web URLs as sources, along with Google Docs, PDFs and text files.
  • Inline citations now take you directly to supporting passages in your sources, so you can easily fact-check the AI response or dive deeper in the original text.
  • Notebook guide gives you a high-level understanding of your sources by converting them into useful formats like FAQs, Briefing Docs or Study Guides.

Thanks to Gemini 1.5 Pro’s native multimodal capabilities, you can now ask questions about images, charts and diagrams in your sources. NotebookLM will even include citations to images as supporting evidence when relevant.

an image of a draft script for an episode of a program on the moon landing with suggested images, including a picture of the earth from the moon

With Gemini 1.5 Pro’s native multimodal capabilities, NotebookLM can now understand and cite your questions about images, charts and diagrams in your sources.

Case studies from real users

We’ve been amazed by the range of uses that people are finding for NotebookLM. Because the product was developed in close partnership with authors, students and educators, we’ve seen many early adopters integrate it into research and writing workflows. Best-selling author Walter Isaacson has been working with NotebookLM to analyze Marie Curie’s journals for research on his next book. We’ve seen similar enthusiasm from documentary and podcast researchers who need to sift through complex archives to generate scripts or story ideas. But the combination of Gemini 1.5 Pro’s advanced reasoning abilities and NotebookLM’s source-grounding architecture has unlocked many other potential applications:

  • In local governance, Palm Bay resident Thomas Gaume created a hyperlocal newsletter, aggregating city ordinances, land use data, zoning codes and council meeting minutes. NotebookLM empowered him to be a “one-person newsroom and publisher.”
  • NotebookLM’s ability to summarize and adapt interview transcripts is helping users identify patterns and themes in raw transcripts, saving hours of manual analysis. For example, consultant Victor Adefuye uses NotebookLM to analyze sales call transcripts for targeted training and coaching.
  • Nonprofits have deployed NotebookLM to help them identify needs in underserved communities and organize information for grant proposals.

We’ve also noticed some unexpected and playful use cases with the help of our 14,000 member Discord community, including novelists and fan-fiction authors managing complex storylines using NotebookLM, and our favorite: role-playing game enthusiasts consulting detailed descriptions of fantasy worlds for games like Dungeons and Dragons.

Getting started

If you’re new to NotebookLM, getting started is easy: When you first access NotebookLM, you’ll create a notebook and upload documents for a specific project or deliverable. At that point you can read, take notes, ask questions, organize your ideas, or ask NotebookLM to create automatic overviews of all your sources — a study guide, for example, or a table of contents. And with NotebookLM, the sources you upload are not used to train the model.

Whether it’s being used to build imaginary worlds, write bestselling biographies, or help salespeople find new customers, NotebookLM has given U.S. users powerful tools for making connections and generating insights out of large collections of documents. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the world does with it.


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Why the TECNO POVA 6 Neo is Your Next Must-Have Smartphone

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Are you in the market for a new smartphone that won’t break the bank, delivers exceptional performance, and has many benefits? Allow me to introduce you to the TECNO POVA 6 Neo. You might have heard some buzz about this device, but here are five compelling reasons why the TECNO POVA 6 Neo has to be your next smartphone. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

The TECNO POVA 6 Neo has a massive 7000mAh battery, ensuring you stay connected, productive, and entertained for days without frequent recharges. Whether navigating through a busy workday or indulging in marathon gaming sessions, this battery powerhouse won’t let you down.
At the heart of the POVA 6 Neo is the formidable MediaTek G99 Ultimate Gaming Processor. Engineered for high performance, this processor delivers lightning-fast speed, smooth multitasking, and responsive gameplay, ensuring you remain at the top of your game.
Paired with a 6.78″ FHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate, the visuals are crystal clear, and the performance is seamless, making every gaming session an immersive experience.

Beyond its impressive internal features, the POVA 6 Neo boasts a sleek and dynamic design that is visually appealing, highly durable and always adds to your steeze.
With an IP53 water-resistant rating, it is built to protect against spills and splashes, ensuring longevity.
Its stylish appearance is sure to turn heads, making it the perfect companion for both work and play.
Now is the perfect time to upgrade to the TECNO POVA 6 Neo. Purchase it from selected stores and enjoy an exclusive ₦10,000 discount. This incredible offer brings this already affordable device within even closer reach, making it an unbeatable deal for those looking to get the best value for their money.

With Easybuy’s zero-interest instalment plan, owning the POVA 6 Neo has always been challenging. You can get this fantastic device for as low as ₦65,700 upfront and pay the rest in easy monthly instalments. This flexible payment option ensures you don’t have to break the bank to enjoy premium technology, making the POVA 6 Neo accessible to everyone.

With all this, what stops you from getting the TECNO POVA 6 Neo? Nothing, so head to the nearest official TECNO store to pick up the TECNO POVA 6 Neo. For more information, follow TECNO on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to elevate your smartphone experience and stay ahead of the curve with TECNO.


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Reps Urge Probe of Telcos over Alleged Extortion of Consumers

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House of Representatives has said that there is need for the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) to investigate the operations of telecommunications companies operating in the country over poor service delivery and extortion of consumers.

Reps Urge Probe of Telcos over Alleged Extortion of Consumers

The resolution was passed as a sequel to the adoption of a motion under ‘Urgent Public Importance’ on the need for Nigerian Communications Communication to investigate private internet service providers in Nigeria,’ sponsored by Hon. Leke Abejide, chairman, House Committee on Customs and Excise.

In his lead debate, Hon. Abejide, who accused the telecom firms of extorting unsuspecting consumers, solicited House intervention.

He said: “The House notes that numerous Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have managed to evade accountability for their widespread inefficiency, feebleness, and inferior service delivery, while consumers are compelled to persistently pay for inadequate services due to the apparent absence of regulations governing their pricing and service provision, thereby enabling them to exploit Nigerians.

“The House further notes that frequent service outages, slow speeds, and inconsistent connectivity are widespread issues faced daily by consumers, as in this digital age, an efficient Internet connection is a necessity, not a luxury.

“The House is concerned that consumers sometimes experience service outages for more than an aggregate of two weeks in a single month from some ISPs, with no mechanism for refunding subscription fees, thus perpetuating a disregard for consumer rights and leading to exploitation.

“The House is also concerned that Legend, an SP operating in Abuja, charges its subscribers a flat monthly prepaid rate despite knowing that its services are frequently interrupted.

“the For example, this company offers various tariffs, with the highest being approximately 483,000.00 per month, yet it rarely delivers uninterrupted service for even half of the month.

I am further concerned that Legend ISP deliberately provides reliable internet service only a few days preceding monthly billing, deceiving customers into renewing subscriptions under the false impression of satisfactory performance before immediately reverting to its persistently inadequate service levels, presenting an unethical business model of exploitation of consumers that requires accountability to regulators.

“The House is worried that regulatory agencies have so far condoned the activities of inefficient ISPs to the detriment of consumers.

“The House is also worried that the inefficiency of ISPs and their exploitative practices have far-reaching consequences for Nigerian society, hindering progress and negatively impacting business and economic activities.

“The House is aware that by addressing the inefficiencies of ISPs and promoting accountability, we can create a fair and inclusive digital landscape that empowers individuals, strengthens the economy, and fosters social progress,” he said.

To this end, the House tasked the NCC and relevant agencies with developing a consumer protection framework that includes provisions for automatic compensation or refunds for prolonged service outages or significant deviations from advertised service levels.

In the same vein, the House urged the NCC to initiate a policy of Pay As You Go to all ISPs in order to minimise the high level of exploitation by ISPs for services not rendered.

To this end, the House directed its Committee on Communications to investigate and report back to the House in two weeks.

 


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