Telecom
ATCON Unveils Speakers for 5th Edition of TERF

Following the announcement of the date for the 5th edition of its Telecom Executives and Regulators Forum (TERF), the National Executive Council of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has unveiled speakers for the Telecom Executives and Regulators Forum.
Ajibola Olude, Executive Secretary, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) stated this in a statement released on Thursday, in Lagos.
According to Olude, “We are pleased to keep the entire telecom and ICT stakeholders abreast of the 5th Edition of our Telecom Executives and Regulator’s Forum 2019 which is scheduled to hold on July 11, 2019 at Fourpoint by Sheraton, Victoria Island, Lagos.
“This year’s edition of TERF 2019 is pivotal to addressing issues that are confronting the telecoms and ICT sector in Nigeria.
“The topics that are lined up for discussions are well researched and we are certain that our carefully selected keynote speakers, panel chairs, panel discussants and quality audience will do justice to them and the expected growth in terms of engendering an enabling environment that promote further investment in the Nigerian telecom and ICT sector.”
Confirmed Panel Chairs and Panel Discussants
Panel Chair: Funke Opeke, MD/CEO, MainOne, “Formulation of Policy and Regulation for OTTs: Challenges and Prospects”.
Ms. Funke Opeke,
Panellists:
- Ikechukwu Nnamani, Managing Director/CEO, Medallion Communications Limited
- Wale Odeyemi, Managing Director/CEO, Vodacom Business Nigeria
- Shola Adeyemi, Director Legal & Regulatory Affairs, Airtel Networks
- Ikenna Ikeme, General Manager, Regulatory, MTN Nigeria
- Onochie Amasiani, Managing Director/CEO, Trefoil Networks Limited
- Arun Panda, CTO, Spectranet Limited
- Ibrahim Kabir, Chief Operating Officer, HD Technologies Limited
- Titi Akinsanmi, Head, Policy and Government Relations, Google West & Francophone Africa
- Yatish Gowreesunker, Head of Operations, Network, Unotelos Limited
- Francis Okoh, Business Development, Business Group Africa, PCCW Global
- NCC Representative
Panel Discussion
Panel Chair: Yusuf Kazure, MD/CEO, Galaxy Backbone, “Funding Telecoms and ICT Investment in Nigeria: How would the deficit in the Nigerian telecom infrastructure be financed”
Panellists:
- Mohamad Darwish, Managing Director/CEO, IHS Nigeria Limited
- Soji Maurice-Diya, Chief Commercial Officer, ATC Nigeria
- Ibrahim Dikko, Managing Director/CEO, Backbone Connectivity Network Nigeria Ltd.
- Lekan Balogun, Managing Director/CEO, Bitflux Communications Limited
- Wole Abu, Managing Director/CEO, Pan African Towers Limited
- Yemi Oshodi, Managing Director/CEO, Information Connectivity Solutions Limited
- Aminu Buhari, Managing Director/CEO, HD Technologies Limited
- NCC Representative
- NITDA Representative
Panel Discussion
Panel Chair, Ayotunde Coker, MD/CEO,Rack Centre Ltd “Regulation and Policies on Cloud Computing and Cybersecurity threats in Nigeria”
Panellists:
- Oyaje Idoko, Managing Director/CEO, Layer3 Limited
- Muhammed Rudman, President, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA)
- Muyiwa Ogungboye, Managing Director/CEO, eStream Networks Limited
- Prof. Olayinka David-West, Academic Director, Lagos Business School
- Peter Osuere, Senior Manager, Business Solutions, Cyberspace Limited
- Ifeloju Alakija, Head, Regulatory Services, MainOne
- Dapo Akanbi, Managing Director/CEO, Telepro Consulting Servicing Limited
- Gboyega Ojuri, Managing Director/CEO, Juniper Solutions Ltd
- Malek Jaber, Enterprise Account Manager, FireEye META
- Michael Ayoade, Managing Director/CEO, DotMac Technologies Limited
- Olatunji Igbalajobi, Director of Infosec Development, Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN)
- Sean Hsu, President/CEO, Netcom Africa
- Adamu Garba, CEO, IPI Solutions Nigeria Limited
- Managing Director/CEO, IpNX Limited
- Managing Director/CEO, Radical Technology Network Limited
- Representative, Microsoft Nigeria
- NCC and NITDA’s Representatives
Panel Discussion
Panel Chair: Ahmed Adeniyi Ojikutu, President,Computer and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN) “Eradication of the influx of cloned and fake phones and other telecoms devices in Nigeria: The role of NCC, ONSA, Nigerian Custom, SON, Nigerian Shippers’ Council and other Relevant Government Agencies”
Panellists:
- Osita A. Aboloma, Director General/Chief Executive, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)
- Representative, Nigerian Shippers’ Council
- Ezekiel Egboye, Chief Operating Officer, Rack Centre Limited
- Pradeep Kumar, Managing Director/CEO, Teletok Nigeria Limited
- Mayowa Adekoya, GM, Implementation, Sales & Support, Unotelos Limited
- Representative, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)
- Representative, Office of the National Security Adviser
- Representative, OPPO Mobile Nigeria
- Representative, Nokia Nigeria
- Representative, Samsung Mobile Nigeria
- NCC Representative
- NITDA Representative
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.
Telecom
MTN Nigeria Targets $1Bn Cloud Market with Largest Modular Data Centre

MTN Nigeria has launched what it claims is the country’s largest prefabricated modular data centre, marking a bold push into the country’s fast-growing cloud market and taking aim at global giants such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria.
The shift comes as demand for cloud services in Nigeria soars — driven by the uptake of mobile apps, fintech tools and e-learning platforms — while foreign providers have become costlier in the wake of the naira’s sharp devaluation.
“This is one of the biggest data centres in West Africa and probably one of the biggest in Africa,” said Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria.
He described the new Tier III-certified facility, with locally hosted cloud services, as “transformative for the technology ecosystem in Nigeria and very supportive of the federal government’s agenda”.
MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest telecoms provider, has so far invested $120m in the first phase, delivering an IT load of 4.5MW. A second phase, set to double capacity to 9MW, is budgeted at $135m.
“We already have data centres that are running our existing capacities,” Toriola said.
“We will go to 9MW in short order, possibly 14MW, and we can expand even further.”
He said the facility would allow local hosting for tech developers, large enterprises including banks and oil companies, and government agencies — markets long dominated by foreign cloud providers.
“Multinational companies such as Netflix, Facebook and Instagram can also host a lot of their data here. That improves the quality of service and reduces the cost of storage,” he added.
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