General News
Operators and Expanding Demand for Mobile Broadband

The improvement in access to telephones has had positive impact in virtually all facets of life, including political, social and economic activities, thus resulting in an exponential growth in the subscriber lines due to the widespread of networks across the country.
Currently, the growth and potential earnings accruable from telecommunication services in the country’s economy is comparable to other markets in the world, and the current rate of network growth across the country is impressive.
Quite a number of global technology corporations are extending their operations to Nigeria with a multiplier effect on the economy and international trade between Nigeria and other countries of the world and in particular the West African sub region. The result of this is more competitive market environment and high potential for wired line network service providers.
Moreover, a new report by Infonetics says that it expects operators to see a 6% increase overall in revenue from mobile voice, mobile broadband, and mobile messaging services in 2012. The highest growth in 2012 will come from Asia Pacific and Latin America, while the EMEA region is expected to see a slight decline due to cutthroat competition and economic turmoil.
Globally, the mobile services market is forecast to grow to $976 billion by 2016, with the bulk of the growth coming from mobile broadband services.
“The mobile world is undeniably shifting from voice to data, as mobile operators migrate as many subscribers as they can to data service plans and smartphones.
Already in North America and Asia Pacific, mobile operators derive over 40% of their mobile revenue from mobile broadband and messaging. But, while mobile broadband is no doubt the fastest growing revenue stream for operators, mobile messaging and voice aren’t dead just yet, not by a long shot,” notes Stéphane Téral, Infonetics Research’s principal analyst for mobile infrastructure and carrier economics.
Téral adds: “The prophecies of doom for mobile operators’ SMS/MMS cash cow are being overplayed. Despite the popularity of over-the-top messaging applications like Apple’s iMessage and WhatsApp, our data shows SMS growing every year from 2012 to 2016, delivering a cumulative $1 trillion in operator revenue during those 5 years. And over that same period, voice revenue will decline only slightly, still making up a sizable chunk of operator revenues.”
Mobile data (text messaging, multimedia messaging, and mobile broadband) service revenue rose in every region in 2011, driven by an increase in smartphone usage. At more than a quarter trillion dollars in 2011, Asia Pacific generates the largest portion of mobile service revenue
Voice revenue dipped 0.8% worldwide in 2011, despite the growing use of voice services in China.
Mobile broadband subscribers will grow from 15% to nearly 40% of all mobile subscribers between 2011 and 2016.
According to another report released by ABI Research last week, the global volume of mobile data traffic will exceed 107 exabytes in 2017. This total traffic volume will be eight times more than what is expected for 2012.
Aapo Markkanen, ABI Research senior analyst points out that although the numbers may sound seemingly big, they shouldn’t be understood as yet another warning of the untamable data tsunami mobile operators often try to portray for regulatory reasons. Markkanen says, “It looks like 2015 will be the last year when the traffic volume will grow by more than 50% annually.
And that will happen despite of the fact that the monthly average per wireless subscriber, worldwide, will increase to almost 1.5 gigabytes by the end of our forecasting period.”
A lot of the overall data consumption will depend on how much of on-demand video content will in the end be delivered over cellular networks, so changes implemented by individual content providers may have far-reaching effects.
Netflix, for example, recently added to its iOS app a simple function by which users can limit their viewing to Wi-Fi only and thereby avoid overage charges. Besides accidental video streams, app downloads and updates are another activity that can be easily steered onto fixed networks.
Where are we
The number of mobile subscribers connected to mobile broadband internet has reach about 800,000 as at September last year.
Mobile Broadband is used to describe various types of wireless high-speed internet access through a portable modem, telephone or other device. Various network standards may be used, such as GPRS, 3G, WiMAX, LTE, UMTS/HSPA, EV-DO among others.
According to a recent research by Global System for Mobile Association (GSMA) made available to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek through Mr. Ross Bateson, the association’s spokesperson, the figure represents 80 percent of total Broadband subscribers in the country which is put at 1million.
He said that mobile broadband is a key social and economic development lever, driving Internet connectivity and bridging the existing digital divide.
“The rapid rise in mobile data usage in Nigeria will yield major social and economic benefits as long as there is sufficient spectrum available to meet demand. These include connectivity for businesses and consumers not reached by fixed-line broadband networks and provision of new services, particularly in rural areas,” he noted.
Wireless Intelligence report says that mobile broadband has built good momentum across Africa, with over 7 million high speed packet access (HSPA) connections and an additional 440,000 being added every month.
There are currently 29 HSPA networks across the continent with a further five being planned, and there are four planned LTE networks. Mobile Broadband has proved most successful in Africa where transparent, non-intrusive regulation has been put in place to allow competition between operators.
Bateson urged the federal government and regulators to make plans for the auctioning of 2.5GHz spectrum to support the deployment of LTE technology.
“The Nigerian Government must also start to contemplate the release of low frequency Digital Dividend spectrum. This will be instrumental in ensuring rural areas of Nigeria benefit from high bandwidth broadband connectivity,” he added.
General News
Dangote Plans to Donate One-Third of Wealth to Charity as Legacy

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, plans to dedicate one-third of his wealth to charity as part of his succession plan, Halima Dangote, his daughter, has revealed.

Aliko Dangote
Halima, a trustee of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, disclosed this in an interview with Bloomberg published on Tuesday, saying the billionaire had secured the support of his family to commit 33 per cent of his estate to philanthropy.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Dangote’s net worth is estimated at $35.1 billion, meaning one-third of his current wealth would be worth about $11.7 billion if his fortune remains at that level.
Halima explained that her father views philanthropy as a key part of his legacy and has incorporated it into the family’s long-term succession plans.
She said Dangote had structured his estate to ensure that charitable giving continues across generations, particularly in areas such as healthcare and education.
“He sort of put all the structure in place whereby we focus a lot on health and education. He actually donated 25 per cent to the foundation. If you look at it, it is what we call in Sharia Code in Islam; it means he has donated 33 per cent of his whole inheritance to his foundation,” she said.
Halima added that Dangote believes giving back is central to the success of his businesses and the family’s values.
She said the billionaire asked her, her two sisters, and his mother to sign the agreement allowing 33 per cent of his inheritance to be dedicated to humanitarian causes.
The planned donation builds on Dangote’s longstanding philanthropic activities through the Aliko Dangote Foundation, which was established in 1994.
According to Halima, the foundation received an endowment of $1.25 billion about a decade ago and has since received an additional $700 million in funding.
She said about 70 per cent of the foundation’s spending goes to programmes in Nigeria, while 20 per cent supports projects across Africa, with the remaining funds directed to initiatives in other parts of the world.
The foundation’s interventions focus on healthcare, education, nutrition, and humanitarian support, including partnerships that contributed to the eradication of wild poliovirus in Africa.
Dangote’s planned charitable commitment adds to increasing global attention on billionaire philanthropy.
Although the proposed 33 per cent allocation is below the 50 per cent commitment associated with the Giving Pledge, it would rank among the largest philanthropic commitments announced by an African billionaire.
Earlier this year, Dangote was named among the world’s most influential philanthropists by TIME magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognising the impact of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, which reportedly spends more than ₦50 billion annually on programmes across Africa.
General News
Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission Seeks Collaboration on Power Plants

Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), has said that there are plans for Nigeria to begin to generate electricity from nuclear sources.

Mr Anthony Godwin Ekedegwa, chief executive, NAEC stated this when he recently visited Mr Umar Yusuf Girei, acting managing director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA),in Abuja.
He was at NIWA’s office to solicit the support of NIWA in achieving the numerous advantages of using nuclear energy technology in the country.
According to him, the partnership of critical stakeholders in Nigeria will position the country well in developing and maintaining its nuclear power plant.
The NAEC chief said Nigeria intends to begin the generation of electricity from nuclear sources instead of fossil-based power plants and hydro-based power plants, stressing that for Nigeria to develop, there is a need for the country to diversify its energy needs.
In his remarks, Mr Girei assured NAEC of his agency’s readiness to collaborate on the advancement of a nuclear power plant in Nigeria.
He promised the full support of NAEC for the success of a nuclear power plant in the country, saying that as the organisation saddled with the responsibility of regulating and developing Nigeria Inland Waterways, his entity is strategically positioned to play a critical role in the federal government’s quest for sustainable energy through the new technology.
General News
Pan-Africanism: Why Integration is Non-Negotiable for Africa’s Future

In a powerful call for continental solidarity, Ralph Mupita, Group CEO of MTN, has asserted that the future of the African continent depends on the dismantling of xenophobic barriers.

Speaking at the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation (KMF) Winter Seminar, Mupita framed migration as a fundamental characteristic of the African identity, urging South Africa and other nations to embrace integration over exclusion.
He emphasised that the survival of African enterprises depends on a borderless approach to trade and talent. “The digital economy we’re fast moving to knows no borders.” Mupita declared, noting that the mindset of exclusion is an outdated relic that hinders the continent’s ability to compete globally.
He argued that for Africa to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the psychological barriers of xenophobia must be eradicated.
Providing a stark financial justification for this stance, Mupita highlighted MTN’s own operational reality as a blueprint for Pan-African success. “We earn about 80 to 82% of our earnings from outside South Africa,” he revealed, illustrating that the prosperity of South African-born entities is inextricably linked to their success across the rest of the continent. This figure underscores the interdependence of African economies and the danger of isolationist policies.
Mupita’s stance was strong advocating for unity: “The future of Africa will not be determined by the borders that separate us, but by the economic opportunities that connect us. Governments must set predictable policy and regulations.
Businesses will follow and allocate resources and capital. Together, we can build a continent where opportunity is more evenly shared and prosperity is more widely created.”
Analysts observing the seminar noted that Mupita’s remarks come at a critical juncture where economic volatility often fuels nationalist rhetoric. By tying the fight against xenophobia to the balance sheet, MTN is positioning Pan-Africanism beyond the moral imperative to its function as a business necessity. The CEO stressed that “Migration is part of who we are,” suggesting that the movement of people is the primary engine for the movement of capital and innovation.
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