E-Business
NCC to Realize Win, Sabi by 2010
Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that he is poised to realizing Wire Nigeria, State Accelerated Broadband Initiative (Sabi), by 2010 when his tenure is expected to elapse.
He restated his commitment to leave a legacy of very professional and strong regulatory body, and a robust telecoms network crisscrossing the entire nation before he quits the scene in 2010.
Dr. Ndukwe said he believes that once the right processes are put in place, there will be no reason why things would not continue to move in the right direction, and that he would entrench those ideals within the one and half years left of his tenure.
He listed some of his priorities to include massive expansion of telecom transmission infrastructure across the country through the Wire Nigeria (WIN) project, spreading broadband and Internet services to urban and semi urban locations through the State Accelerated Broadband Initiative, SABI, and achieving a profound improvement in quality of services across the networks.
"Between now and 2010, this country will have even a more robust telecom industry. I will like to continue to develop the manpower of the Commission and set up the right processes. My major aspiration is to continue to develop the commission to be manned by very good people that will be able to sustain and maintain the reputation of the Nigerian Communications Commission even after I have left", he said.
He said Nigeria has a lot to celebrate on the 7th anniversary of the telecom revolution as Nigerian has become the leading telecom nation in Africa in terms of subscriber base, at more than 54 million lines as at today, and is one of the top ten countries in the world in the field of growth of the telecom industry.
According to him, the sector has witnessed surprise expectations with huge investments still coming. He cited the buying of Multilinks by Telkom South Africa, the merger of four operators to form the bigger Visafone, the partial acquisition of Intercellular by Sudatel, and expansion of the investment base of Starcomms which has also gone to the stock market, as very significant in the attractiveness of the industry to telecom investments.
"Since January this year, the telecom network has witnessed steady growth which currently outstrips 1.2 million lines every month, which indicates the fact that the growth rate is still not abetted. This also shows that Nigeria has witnessed economic growth because there is a linkage between acquisition of telecom services and economic improvement", he said.
Ndukwe also said Nigeria is proud to be playing host to other African regulators who are seeking to understudy the various processes and strategies adopted by the Commission to register the current successes. These countries include Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Liberia, Gambia among others.
He noted that the Commission has been very active on the issue of quality of services across the networks with marginal improvements recorded against all odds. According to him, some of the measures taken in this direction include the imposition of compensation to the subscribers. He said this is the first time a telecom regulator in Africa, if not in any part of the world, would force the operators to pay compensation to all the active subscribers in their networks.
He said the reason for forcing the compensation was because the Commission believed that the subscribers would have lost some seconds and minutes as a result of the unacceptable quality of services rendered by the affected operators.
Engr. Ndukwe also listed the projects by the Commission to address prevalence of phone thefts in the country before the end of the year, and the latest attempts to register prepaid SIM cards in order to combat incessant criminal activities perpetrated through use of phone lines without usage identities, as some those actions focused on improving the value of phone services in the country.
The commission he explained is working with the National Identity Management Commission, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and other bodies to ensure that a good and credible database is put in place for the benefit of all.
On the issue of slow start by some operators who have not launched services since receiving license, the NCC boss said he is aware that Etisalat has done a test run on its network and had placed calls to him from its network while he was out of the country. He said the Commission has written Alheri (Member of Dangote Group which has a 3G license) to understand why much has not been heard from the company. But he was quick to add that it is the operator that paid huge license fees and failed to launch that is actually loosing money as it would not make sense to pay $400 million and keep the license.
On the slow growth of the landline network in Nigeria, Dr. Ndukwe said that most of the land line infrastructures across the world today were built in the 1980s and the 1990s, which he said was the time that Nigeria missed the opportunity and that up to 2000, rather than progress, Nitel’s infrastructure has retrogressed.
He noted that with the fibre optics projects going on with some operators like Globacom, their may be some hope. While agreeing that the cabling infrastructure is best for high bandwidth traffic, he however said some wireless systems are now carrying as huge bandwidth which is the reason why some of the operators have embraced it.
Equinix, global digital infrastructure company, has launched a cutting-edge LG2.3 data centre in Lagos aimed at fueling Nigeria’s booming tech scene.
Equinix officials at the launch
The data centre is designed to provide businesses with secure, reliable, and high-performance colocation and interconnection services, crucial for supporting the increasing demand for digital services across the region.
Nestled in the bustling Lekki Free Zone, LG2.3 is packed with the latest tech, offering businesses the secure and lightning-fast connections they crave. Think of it as the engine room for Nigeria’s online world, designed to handle the explosive growth of digital services.
The launch featured Bruce Owen, president, Equinix’s EMEA, who cut the ribbon to open the data centre.
“Nigeria is our focus,” Owen declared, emphasizing Equinix’s dedication to powering the nation’s digital growth. “The energy here is incredible, and we’re excited to be part of it.”
On his part, Wole Abu, managing director, Equinix’s West Africa, echoed this sentiment highlighting the increasing global demand for digital infrastructure.
“Africa is on the cusp of a digital explosion, and we’re here to support that growth,” he said.
Nigeria’s digital adoption is skyrocketing, driven by a young, tech-savvy population. Businesses are racing to embrace online platforms, and LG2.3 is perfectly positioned to meet their needs.
This investment is set to create a ripple effect, boosting the economy, creating jobs, and fostering innovation.
LG2.3 is set to be a beacon for Africa’s tech potential.
Equinix’s confidence in the continent aims to attract more global players, turning Africa into a digital powerhouse.
This data centre will act as a vital connection hub, empowering businesses to connect and collaborate, bridging the digital divide.
Equinix’s vision extends beyond Nigeria, with plans to expand across Africa.
strategic move reflects their commitment to building a connected and thriving digital ecosystem.
The success of LG2.3 is a testament to the power of public-private partnerships, with the Nigerian government playing a crucial role in attracting investment.
As Nigeria marches towards a digital future, Equinix’s LG2.3 data centre will be a key driver of progress. It’s a powerful symbol of Nigeria’s digital ambition and a catalyst for Africa’s tech revolution.
Microsoft is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a major leap forward into artificial intelligence, unveiling significant updates to its AI assistant, Copilot.
The announcement was made on April 4, 2025, at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, marking a milestone for both Microsoft and the AI industry.
As the tech giant celebrates its golden anniversary, the company is setting its sights firmly on the future, particularly with its AI-driven tools.
Microsoft’s Copilot, which has been integrated into various software tools across its ecosystem, has now received a significant upgrade.
The new features aim to make the Copilot assistant more intelligent, personalised, and proactive, which positions Microsoft as a serious competitor in the AI space against other industry leaders such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.
Mustafa Suleyman, head of Microsoft’s AI division, expressed the company’s ambition, saying, “We envision Copilot not just as an assistant, but as a long-term AI companion, one that can learn, adapt, and evolve alongside its users. This goes beyond just responding to commands; it’s about fostering relationships between users and their AI.”
The most notable update to Copilot is its new memory functionality. Now, the assistant can retain information such as preferences, previously used commands, and even personal context, making it more responsive and efficient in future interactions.
This means Copilot can, for example, anticipate a user’s needs based on past behaviours, from scheduling meetings to suggesting restaurants for a night out.
In addition to the memory features, Copilot’s new “Vision” capabilities extend the AI’s functionality across multiple platforms. Windows and mobile users will now be able to interact with Copilot using both the camera and on-screen elements.
This includes actions such as booking appointments, managing tasks, and even shopping online — all in a more interactive and seamless way.
Scott Guthrie, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President, shared his enthusiasm about the potential of these advancements, stating, “With these new capabilities, we’re not just reacting to AI’s capabilities — we’re shaping the future of how users interact with technology. AI can do so much more than just assist with tasks. It can enrich the human experience.”
The updated Copilot is designed to challenge industry competitors like ChatGPT and Claude, offering more personalised and context-aware interactions.
Microsoft has positioned its Copilot as a tool that not only assists users but builds a deeper, more intuitive relationship over time.
The company has also placed a strong emphasis on AI accessibility. With AI’s growing role in everyday tasks, Microsoft aims to make it easier for users to adopt and benefit from these technologies, regardless of their technological proficiency.
Despite past challenges, including legal disputes over privacy and AI ethics, Microsoft continues to push boundaries in the AI space. Guthrie remarked, “This is just the beginning. As we continue to innovate, we are reshaping how people work, interact, and live with technology.”
With Copilot’s advancements, the tech giant hopes to continue its legacy of innovation, making AI tools accessible and useful for people around the world.
By 2027 mobile app usage will decrease by 25 per cent due to AI assistants according to Gartner, Inc. Smartphone users will turn to AI assistants, such as Apple Intelligence, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Meta AI, and others to replace apps for many functions.
In addition to the impact of AI assistants, apps will be consolidated across separate brands and companies, creating mobile app partnerships or consortiums to reach more users per app at scale and defray the cost of creation and maintenance.
“CMOs should begin scenario planning for the impacts of decreased mobile app usage,” said Emily Weiss, Senior Principal for the Gartner Marketing Practice.
“Brands with low app engagement and retention will likely be first impacted – this will be a positive development for brands that are not overly reliant on driving revenue via apps as app development costs will decrease.
Other brands may be severely impacted by the disintermediation of users turning to AI assistants for services. The loss of app users will also result in the loss of first-party data collection and the ability to reach fewer users via mobile push notifications,” Emily added.
By 2026, Over 1/3 of Web Content will be Created for the Purposes of Gen-AI Powered Search According to Gartner’s 2024 CMO Spend Survey of 395 respondents between February and March 2024, the average CMO allocated almost a quarter of their digital marketing budget to search.
Other than end users directly visiting a website, search currently drives more traffic to the average commercial enterprise website than any other referral source.
Given this, a loss of search driven traffic due to algorithmic shifts by major search engines would result in tangible, negative commercial impact to any organisation.
“CMOs will need to direct their teams to hire talent with a strong understanding of how GenAI, and broader AI influences, impacts the performance of their content in search algorithms,” said Weiss.
“It will be important to upskill the function by investing in search and content talent with AI skillsets. These associates will need to have familiarity with creating or optimising content to train and rank within evolving search algorithms,” she said.
By 2028 digital Mlmarketers will move 30 per cent of their paid social budget to support advertising and partnerships on subscription-based channels It is becoming more challenging for CMOs to maintain, let alone grow, their reach and engagement among consumers.
This is especially true as consumers shift their tech and media behaviors away from social media, to other platforms and subscription based channels.
Gartner’s 2024 CMO Spend survey found that since 2022, paid social has maintained the highest budget allocation for all digital media spend. In 2024, B2C Marketing leaders reported allocating 14.3 per cent for their digital channel budget to social media advertising (an increase from 12.3% in 2023).
“Closed group communities and subscription channels of – fer a potential alternative for social media weary consumers and content creators who want to do more than feed the algorithm,” said Weiss.
“Brands can leverage closedgroup subscription channels – such as Substack, Patreon, and Discord – and the professional creators on them to reach relevant target audiences who are already engaging with content they self-selected into consuming,” she added.
Current AI models, such as large language models (LLMs), lack the agency to autonomously execute tasks and adapt in complex environments.
However, as new levels of intelligence are added, new AI agents are poised to quickly become more capable and reliable as brands seek to address customer facing use cases.
“There will be more AI agents than people, so while current approaches require humans in the loop, this idea will quickly become antiquated.
Marketers will need to determine when and how they can trust AI agents to act on behalf of the brand and customers across key areas,” said Weiss.
Equinix Launches LG2.3 Data Centre in Nigeria
Mafab Communications Has Launched 5G Services- Findings
Microsoft Marks 50th Anniversary with Major Copilot AI Update
TCL Launches ‘vetandpay’ to Combat Online Transaction Fraud
Burna Boy, Other Nigerian Artists Pocket $38m from Spotify in 2024
General News2 days agoAirbnb Community Fund Donates ₦13 Billion to Nonprofits Worldwide
General News2 days agoNigerian Military Makes History with Africa’s First Attack Drones, Bombs
News2 days agoShell, Renaissance Face Legal Action over SPDC Licence Transfer
Telecom2 days agoNigeria Heads Anglophone Data Protection Committee
E-Business2 days agoKike, Nigerian Tech Firm Launches ‘Kike AI’ for Kitchen Innovation
E-Financial2 days agoSterling Bank Makes Online Transfer Charges Free of Charge
News2 days agoWorld Bank Approves $1.08Bn Loan for Nigeria
Telecom2 days agoHow MIP Is Making a Difference in The Media Landscape