News
MainOne to Land in PH, fetes Accra Customers
MainOne Cable, West Africa’s pioneer open access submarine cable company is firming up more deals to have its presence felt outside Lagos by landing in Port Harcourt, Rivers state before end of 2012, Nigeria CommuniationsWeek can report. Our exclusive scope at the company’s Victoria Island headquarter revealed that MainOne was working assiduously to ensure that the 1.92 tb/ps undersea cable which landed in Lagos in 2010 was extended beyond the coastline of Nigeria’s commercial capital. “We are trying to ensure that our cable lands in Port Harcourt before the year runs out. As you are very well aware, there is so much bandwidth capacity in Lagos, but outside here nothing seems to be happening by way of spreading telecom infrastructure and services,” the source stated exclusively. MainOne which has its undersea cable running from Seixal, Portugal to Lagos has already commenced operation in Accra, Ghana. It recently hosted its Ghana-based ISP partners and other enterprise concerns to a Customer Appreciation Breakfast. Speaking at the event, which held at the Alisa Hotel, Accra, the Ghana Country Manager, MainOne Cable, Joseph Odoi, said the Breakfast was an avenue to express appreciation to the ISP partners and customers of MainOne who have been instrumental to the quest of the company in accelerating broadband penetration in Ghana. Landing in Port Harcourt, regarded as one of Nigeria’s biggest commercial cities outside of Lagos; and the nation’s unofficial oil and gas headquarters would enable MainOne access this near virgin market. Port Harcourt and the entire South/South Eastern region remain untapped business goldmine. “There is so much concentration in the Lagos market, and right now I can tell you that we are running out customers in this market. So there is a need to look beyond Lagos, and one of the first places we want to land is Port Harcourt,” our source stated. Telecom industry experts have previously called on government to enable dormant infrastructure spread to the hinterland to accelerate broadband penetration. Other cable companies like Phase3 and Suburban are also in the process of buying bandwidth from the undersea cable providers and distribute upland. All these efforts however have not yielded positive results and most Nigeria outside Lagos remains in dire need of broadband access. Besides MainOne, there is also Glo1 undersea cable provided by Nigeria’s second national carrier, Globacom which also landed its cable in 2010. A third by a consortium of mobile firms led by MTN Nigeria was billed to land in the second quarter of 2012. “It is an exploratory landing we would be undertaking, because unlike Lagos, nobody is sure about the region. Outside of Port Harcourt, I really don’t see many opportunities,” our source stated. But he could just be undervaluing the South/South East market. A thorough analysis of the two regions that would be served by the landing of the undersea cable in Port Harcourt shows that there is a lot of potentials to be tapped. For instance, around Port Harcourt, Rivers state alone are towns like Finima which houses West Africa’s largest natural gas facilities. Bonny also house some the continents biggest oil fields and facilities with several expatriates’ domicile as staff. There are also other sea port cities like Warri and Calabar. Calabar, the Cross Rivers state capital is one of Nigeria’s finest tourist destinations with its industrial facility of Tinapa built to be West Africa’s Dubai. Uyo and Eket, cities in Akwa Ibom state are emerging as strong southern cities with commercial viabilities. The South East region which boast of several commercial towns like Aba, Onitsha, Nnewi and Enugu are waiting in the wings to be exploited. Landing undersea cable in Port Harcourt close by could be an elixir for new business opportunities and expansion of existing ones.
Ogba Ogbaga, an Abuja-based lawyer, has said that he has been instructed to institute legal proceedings against MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, 9mobile and MultiChoice Nigeria, operators of DStv, over what he described as unfair consumer practices relating to expiring data bundles and television subscriptions.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Ogbaga said his law firm, GIMBG Legals, received instructions from its client, KAA, also known as KaaTruths, to challenge the companies’ subscription policies in court.
According to him, the proposed suit will question whether telecom operators and DStv’s subscription models comply with provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 and other applicable laws.
Ogbaga alleged that telecom providers operate internet data services that are unfair to consumers, claiming subscribers sometimes do not receive the services they paid for but still lose their subscriptions once the validity period expires.
He also criticised DStv’s subscription model, arguing that consumers lose paid viewing time due to factors such as power outages, adverse weather conditions and service interruptions, while subscriptions continue to count down regardless.
“Our clients have complained that MTN data services are unduly one-sided,” Ogbaga said, adding that the legal action would also extend to other telecommunications providers and DStv.
He said the court action would seek judicial determination on whether the companies’ subscription practices comply with consumer protection laws.
The lawyer also invited interested legal practitioners to collaborate on the case, saying his firm would provide updates as the matter progresses.
In a separate Facebook post on Wednesday, Ogbaga said previous policy discussions, town hall meetings and debates at the National Assembly had failed to address the concerns raised by consumers.
He argued that telecom operators regularly carry out maintenance and network upgrades that temporarily disrupt services without extending customers’ subscription periods, while DStv subscribers also lose viewing time because of electricity outages and weather-related disruptions.
The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has commenced the issuance of new licence certificates to insurance companies that successfully met the industry’s new minimum capital requirements, marking the formal beginning of a new regulatory era aimed at strengthening the financial capacity, governance and global competitiveness of Nigeria’s insurance sector.
At a ceremony held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, the Commissioner for Insurance, Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, presented the new licence certificates to compliant operators, describing the exercise as a major milestone in the industry’s recapitalisation programme.
According to the Commission, a total of 43 insurance companies declared compliant with the new capital requirements are expected to receive the new licence certificates in phases.
Omosehin congratulated the successful companies, saying the issuance of the new licences signals the beginning of a stronger regulatory framework anchored on improved capitalisation, sound corporate governance, innovation and sustainable growth.
He urged operators to leverage their enhanced capital base to develop innovative insurance products, improve operational efficiency and deepen insurance penetration across the country.
The Commissioner said the Commission expects the recapitalised companies to deliver stronger financial performance while maintaining high standards of professionalism and customer service.
He also announced that NAICOM’s next major regulatory initiative would be the implementation of the Risk-Based Capital (RBC) framework, under which insurers’ capital levels would be aligned with the risks inherent in their respective business portfolios.
According to him, the new framework will further strengthen the industry’s resilience by ensuring that insurers maintain capital commensurate with the risks they underwrite, thereby enhancing policyholder protection and boosting market confidence.
Omosehin reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to removing regulatory impediments where necessary while maintaining effective oversight to safeguard policyholders and strengthen confidence in the insurance market.
The issuance of the new licence certificates marks the commencement of a phased transition to higher capital standards aimed at improving the financial capacity, solvency and claims-paying ability of insurance companies operating in Nigeria.
Management of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek Media has withdrawn its publication titled “Adefolarin Ogunsanya and the Allegations of Shareholder Interference and Self-Dealing at Pan African Towers,” which was published on its platform.
The decision to retract the story follows an editorial review to ensure that the platform maintains the highest standards of accuracy, fairness and responsible journalism in reporting matters that are the subject of ongoing judicial proceedings.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek acknowledges that the issues raised in the publication remain before the courts and have not been finally determined.
Accordingly, the organisation has decided to remove the article from its platforms pending the conclusion of the legal processes or the availability of additional verified information.
The publication regrets any inconvenience or misunderstanding the report may have caused to readers or any individuals or organisations mentioned in the story.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek remains committed to the principles of balanced, factual and ethical journalism and will continue to uphold professional standards in its coverage of judicial and corporate governance matters.
ITUC-Africa Faults FG’s Plans to Remove Electricity Subsidy
SEC Begins Full e-Registration for Capital Market Services
NAICOM Revokes Nigeria Reinsurance’s Licence over Failure to Meet MCR
Many Nigerian Airlines May Collapse within 30 Days – Onyema
Ogbaga, Abuja Lawyer to Sue Telcos, DStv over Alleged Unfair Practices
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
From Scarcity to Scale: What Africa Can Learn from India’s Agricultural Transformation
EFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
BON Establishes Six Ad Hoc Committees to Modernize Broadcasting
How EFCC Turned Recovered Loot Into School Supplies for Thousands of Nigerian Students
E-Business3 days agoKaspersky Identifies Cyberespionage as a Growing Threat Across Africa, Others
Broadcasting3 days agoNBC Files Fresh Appeal against Judgment Barring it from Imposing Fines on Broadcast Stations
News3 days agoINTERPOL Report Shows AI Powers 55% of Cybercrimes in Africa Amid $484m Losses
E-Financial3 days agoNigerians Lost N25.85Bn to Digital Payment Fraud in 2025 –CBN
Telecom3 days agoWhy Strong Institutions Remain Africa’s True Growth Engine
News3 days agoNigeria Expands Deep-tech Skills Pipeline
E-Financial3 days agoNRS Announces 30 Percent Tax on Corporate Crypto Income
E-Business2 days agoKaspersky Reveals a New Malicious Framework Targeting Cryptocurrency Users with the Use of OkoSpyware