Telecom
BlackBerry Increases Encryption, Anti-Eavesdropping Capabilities
BlackBerry Limited, is apparently ending 2014 in a good note with the announcement that BES12™: a cross-platform EMM solution includes support for Android 5.0 Lollipop.
BES12 support for Android Lollipop was made available to customers in early November.
The capability underscores BlackBerry’s commitment to unparalleled security in managing devices from multiple platforms in the enterprise, and further demonstrates the breadth of BES12 functionality.
This is coming on the heels of news that following regulatory approval, BlackBerry has completed the acquisition of Secusmart GmbH, a leader in high-security voice and data encryption and anti-eavesdropping solutions for government organizations, enterprises and telecommunications service providers in Germany and around the world. Terms of this transaction were not disclosed
Meanwhile, Android is an important part of BlackBerry’s EMM ecosystem.
Android smartphones and tablets are natively managed within the BES12 environment, which enables enterprises to provide users with a selection of devices from various mobile platforms, while streamlining management into a single command and control center.
BlackBerry’s gold standard of security is extended to BES12 and delivers added confidence to customers who deploy Android devices as part of a cross-platform mobility strategy.
“Customers recognize the risks that mobility brings into their organization, and BES12 is the insurance policy that will protect their critical data while giving them the freedom to choose whichever platforms they prefer,” said Billy Ho, executive vice president, Enterprise Product and Value Added Solutions, BlackBerry. “We are pleased to manage Android Lollipop through BES12, allowing enterprises to enable better productivity for their employees.”
BES12 provides expanded EMM capabilities that can manage any mobile deployment model such as BYOD, COPE and COBO, and leverages BlackBerry’s global infrastructure.
The flexibility and scalability of the new BES12 architecture allows customers to transition to a cloud environment.
BlackBerry has delivered on its commitment to provide on-premise and private cloud BES12 deployments, with the public cloud offering expected in early 2015.
And with Secusmart’s acquisition, BlackBerry strengthened its leadership in secure enterprise mobility encryption and anti-eavesdropping capabilities.
Secusmart’s technology will bolster BlackBerry’s end-to-end offerings that provide the highest level of security from the device to the management platform.
“The acquisition of Secusmart underscores BlackBerry’s long-standing commitment to being the best in enterprise mobile security. BlackBerry is the only vendor to offer secure and encrypted voice, text and messaging, setting us further apart from others in the industry,” said John Chen, executive chairman and ceo, BlackBerry. “With the benefit of Secusmart’s talented team at BlackBerry, we look forward to building on our leadership position in mobile security at a time when cybersecurity breaches and data theft pose ever-growing costs and threats to governments, companies and consumers.”
“We’re thrilled with the acquisition as we see significant opportunities to accelerate innovation for high-end secure communications solutions,” said Dr. Hans-Christoph Quelle, managing director of Secusmart. “Having successfully partnered since 2009 to provide Secusmart’s voice and data encryption capabilities to BlackBerry’s gold standard security portfolio, we look forward to introducing Secusmart’s solutions to more of BlackBerry’s government and enterprise customers around the world.”
Last year, the SecuSUITE for BlackBerry® 10 solution was selected by Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security for classified communications for the country’s highest public officials.
BlackBerry’s acquisition of Secusmart is the latest demonstration of the company’s commitment to remaining the leading provider in enterprise mobile security.
BlackBerry is the only mobile device management (MDM) vendor that has achieved the “Full Operational Capability” level of certification for operation on U.S. Department of Defense Networks.
BlackBerry 10 smartphones were the first to be approved by NATO for classified communications up to “Restricted” level.
Telecom
Celebrating African Creativity: Made by Africa, Loved by the World’ Returns for Its Fifth Year
The “Made by Africa, Loved by the World” campaign is back for its fifth year, celebrating African creativity and global influence. This year’s theme, “Where Culture Meets Connection,” highlights how social media fosters conversations around cultural moments worldwide.
The campaign features three cinematic films premiering on the Meta Africa page, showcasing the groundbreaking work and personal stories of six dynamic African creatives.
These artists, from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, represent diverse disciplines, including rap, animation, dance, photography, fashion, and videography.
Here are some of the featured talents:
- Ladipoe (Nigeria) – A BET-nominated rapper known for blending global hip-hop with African rhythms.
- Fatboy Animations (Kenya) – An animation studio founded by Michael Muthiga, recognized by Forbes for its original African storytelling.
- Lisa Quama (Ghana) – A dancer who gained fame after appearing in Beyoncé’s “Already” music video.
- Gilbert Asante (Ghana) – A photographer and creative director featured in GQ and Glam Africa.
- David Tlale (South Africa) – A fashion designer whose bold designs have been showcased at major fashion events, including the Met Gala.
- Ofentse Mwase (South Africa) – A filmmaker with over 24 international awards for his unique visual storytelling.
Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Director for Africa, Middle East & Turkey, emphasized that the campaign not only celebrates individual success stories but also showcases how culture and social media drive meaningful connections and inspiration.
Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has raised the alarm over a diesel supply crisis caused by an ongoing strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Mr Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON in a statement said that the fuel supply disruption is critically affecting telecom base stations, pushing them to the brink of a shutdown and threatening millions of mobile and internet users in the region.
“This strike, which stems from the persistent harassment of tanker and petroleum product drivers by police officers in Lagos State, has effectively halted all truck loading operations and fuel movements,” Emoekpere stated.
He explained that diesel supply to telecom infrastructure has been severely impacted, leaving critical sites with dangerously low fuel levels.
According to him, if urgent measures are not taken, the situation could escalate into a full-blown network blackout, disrupting essential services, including mobile and internet access, business operations, emergency response systems, and daily communications.
ATCON has called on the governors of Lagos and Ogun states to intervene immediately by facilitating the release of diesel from depots to telecom operators to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
“This is not just a telecom issue—it is a national emergency that could cripple economic activities and compromise public safety,” Emoekpere stressed.
The association also appealed to security agencies and petroleum unions to resolve the crisis swiftly to safeguard Nigeria’s connectivity and economic stability.
ATCON emphasised that a prolonged disruption in fuel supply to telecom infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for both businesses and individuals who rely on stable communication networks for daily operations.
In 2023, Nigerians spent a total of about ₦5.3 trillion on telecommunications services, which includes calls, data, SMS, and other telecom services, according to the Leadership.
Specifically for voice calls, Nigerians made approximately 408.5 billion minutes of local calls, generating around ₦3.28 trillion from outgoing calls and ₦3.23 trillion from incoming calls, totaling about ₦6.51 trillion in call-related revenue according to projections based on 2023 call volumes and tariff data.
However, the ₦5.3 trillion figure represents the overall telecom sector revenue, with voice calls being a major component but also including data and other services.
For individual spending, MTN subscribers spent an average of ₦2,508 monthly on voice calls in 2023, showing a 14.4% increase from 2022, while Airtel customers spent about ₦1,694 monthly on voice calls.
Total telecom spending (calls, data, SMS, etc.): ₦5.3 trillion in 2023
Estimated revenue from voice calls alone: around ₦6.5 trillion based on call minutes and tariffs
Average monthly spending on calls per subscriber: ₦1,694 to ₦2,508 depending on the network
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