Telecom
ALTON, GALAXY, IXPN Drum Support @2022 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue

The trio of Galaxy Backbone Plc, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) and Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) have drummed up support for the 2022 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue.
The event scheduled for Thursday, December 8 at the Welcome Centre Hotels, Lagos under the theme, ‘e-Waste: Recycle it all, no matter how small!’ according to the Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media, Mr. Remmy Nweke, who made these disclosures at the weekend in Lagos, revealed that the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone Plc, Prof. Muhammed Bello Abubakar, would be speaking to ‘Recycle it all for e-governance’.
ALTON, Nweke said, confirmed participation through its chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo just as the chief executive officer, IXPN, Mr. Mohammed Rudman also.
Galaxy Backbone, he said, is an ICT services provider in Nigeria since 2006; providing network management, communications and digital infrastructure services to organisations in the public and private sector, as well as hosting and cybersecurity services.
Nweke also said that ALTON is a body corporate, officially recognized by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission as the official industry body for all providers of telecommunications and subsidiary services in the country.
Further, he noted that IXPN, a non-for-profit and membership based organisation that provides a platform for networks to interconnect directly within Nigeria, to ensure that local Internet traffic remains local, rather than having to transcend boundaries of different countries before reaching its recipients within the same locality.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Aliyu Jauro, had confirmed to keynote at the 2022 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue.
ITREALMS Media inc, he said, is holding the event in continuation of commemoration of the International E-waste Day (IeWD) 2022, under its flagship ITREALMS e-Waste Dialogue.
Nweke, who also is the editor-in-chief, ITREALMS Media group, noted, Nigeria is principally hampered by the Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) with estimated 1.1 million tonnes of e-waste annually arising from both local and imported Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) under the guess of second hand or fairly used.
He underlined that this year’s commemoration of the International E-Waste Day focuses on small, end-of-life electrical and electronic appliances which presents a significant challenge with items such as cell phones, electric toothbrushes, toasters and cameras often discarded incorrectly.
Telecom
MTN @ Swish Fusion Summit, Showcases 5G Rollout Strategy

MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has joined other professionals across media, technology, and business gathered in Lagos for the Swish Fusion Tech and Media Summit.
Themed ‘Africa: Big Wins & New Breaks’, the summit drew thousands of attendees and featured more than 40 speakers exploring the intersection of innovation, regulation, and economic growth across the continent.
Among the sessions, MTN Nigeria presented a detailed look at the company’s ongoing 5G deployment efforts and its role in shaping enterprise infrastructure.
Njideka Jack, senior manager for Partnerships in MTN’s Enterprise Business Division, shared details of the investments, reiterating the company’s commitment to delivering high-quality 5G-powered services.
The company’s 5G rollout timeline began in 2022 with license acquisition from the Nigerian Communications Commission. In 2023, MTN moved into pilot testing and infrastructure investment.
By 2024, coverage had expanded to key cities and business hubs.
The company now plans to extend access to more underserved areas throughout 2025 while deepening collaboration with OEMs and regulators.
Beyond the rollout itself, Jack also spoke on the potential of private 5G networks for Nigerian enterprises.
With the ability to offer secure, high-speed, low-latency connectivity, these networks are increasingly being adopted in manufacturing, healthcare, education, and logistics sectors.
The summit’s broader agenda reflected a similar sense of urgency around Africa’s digital future.
Panels and breakout sessions tackled topics ranging from mobile-first product design and regulatory frameworks to the rise of AI in content creation and the realities of funding early-stage tech ventures on the continent.
Speakers from companies like Jumia, Stears and local startups provided perspectives on both the barriers and breakthroughs in building scalable African solutions.
The sessions also sparked conversations about how African businesses are adapting to consumer behaviour shifts and infrastructure limitations.
Telecom
PAT Taps Osi as CEO

Pan African Towers (PAT), a Nigerian infrastructure provider serving 9mobile and Spectranet, has appointed Echezona Osi as chief executive officer.

Echezona Osi
Adefolarin Ogunsanya, company’s, board chairman, explained in a statement that Osi would succeed Oladipo Badru, whose tenure lasted nine months in acting CEO position. Osi has more than 28 years of experience in the telecommunications sector across various regions of Africa.
Prior to his appointment as CEO, he had served as the head of network deployment at Airtel Nigeria, operations director and chief technical information officer at MIC Tanzania, chief technology officer roles at IPT PowerTech Nigeria, Rhino Niger Networks and Biswal Nigeria.
He obtained a degree in electrical/ electronic engineering from the University of Benin and a postgraduate diploma in data science and business analytics from the University of Texas.
Telecom
NCC Introduces N10m Licence Fee for Bulk SMS Service

Companies sending bulk international text messages, also known as Application-to-Person (A2P) messages, will now have apply for a licence that costs N10 million.
This is part of new rules introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) aimed at cleaning up the system, fighting fraud, blocking spam messages and stopping money from leaving the country unchecked.
These A2P messages are the kind customers get from banks, online stores, hospitals and political campaigns, automated texts sent from apps to their phones.
According to the commission, the bulk international text message system has been poorly regulated, allowing misuse and invasion of privacy.
“The International SMS Service Ecosystem in Nigeria has not been fully brought under regulatory control. It has been observed that the excessive use of the Short Message Service has led to fraud, spam and illegal activities,” the NCC said.
The regulator warned that without action, the problem would worsen as more people use mobile phones and digital services.
To solve this, the NCC is creating a central platform, or gateway, through which all international bulk text messages must pass through.
The agency said this would help to monitor messages in real time, ensure proper fees are paid, and make sure the money stays in Nigeria where it can contribute to the economy.
As part of the incoming change, service providers must follow strict rules, including strong data protection, spam filters, and message encryption.
Also, they must also work with local mobile networks and make sure all messages come from a verified sender
The NCC warned that any message without a proper sender ID will be blocked and not delivered to users.
To protect users from unwanted texts, the new rules say companies must get clear permission before sending any promotional content.
The rule also says people must also be able to choose whether they want to receive such messages or not.
Companies are now required to keep records of all messages for at least six months and must clearly state all charges involved.
The NCC said fees for help requests, cancellations, or service info must be transparent and not include hidden charges.
The commission will issue licences to several providers to encourage healthy competition but may limit new licences if needed.
Only companies that show they can stop fraud and safely deliver messages will be allowed to operate. They must also regularly report their message traffic and finances to the NCC.
It warned that any company that breaks the rules risks getting fined, suspended, or having its licence revoked.
Offences like charging illegal tariffs, ignoring security rules, or avoiding taxes will be punished, the NCC said.
The commission added that the new rules follow the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023 and support the federal government’s goal of strengthening cybersecurity and controlling Nigeria’s digital space.
The framework will also be reviewed from time to time to keep up with new technology and market trends.
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