Telecom
OPPO Showcases New Conceptual Design with Nendo, Hosts Retrospective Exhibition at CIIDE

OPPO, a leading smart device company, on Monday showcased multiple new conceptual designs based on its human-centric design philosophy at the 4th China International Industrial Design Expo(CIIDE).
These conceptual designs were created for OPPO by leading Japanese design studio nendo, founded by Oki Sato.
These result from the close collaboration between OPPO and nendo, exploring the possibilities of future design.
During the exhibition, OPPO also exhibited a series of its classic product designs, showcasing its unique insights and exploration into form design, materials and interaction that have occurred since the company’s inception.
The China International Industrial Design Expo is a national-level event focused on industrial design in China. With this year’s theme of “New Designs, New Trends, New Momentum,” OPPO put on a retrospective exposition, showcasing classicindustry-leading product designs from throughout its history.
In 2008, OPPO launched its first smartphone, the “Smiley Face” A103, marking the beginning of its pursuit of the perfect synergy of ultimate aesthetics and innovation.
These innovations have proved numerous over the past 12 years: In 2012, OPPO launched Finder – one of the world’s thinnest phones – designed to be easier and more comfortable for users to hold.
In 2014, it introduced the 2.5D curved design on Find 5, while 2016’s R9 took inspiration from snow-covered mountain ridges to provide a smartphone with improved grip and looks. More recently, OPPO launched Reno3 in 2019 as the world’s thinnest 5G phone at the time.
OPPO’s breakthrough in design also extends to its cutting-edge camera technology. In 2014, OPPO released the world’s first motorized rotating camera smartphone –N3.
In 2018, its full-screen display smartphone, Find X, utilized a pioneering sliding design which enabled the camera to pop out from within the phone when activated.
This innovation integrated 11 components, including front and rear cameras and sensors, and resulted in ascreen-to-body ratio of 93.8%.
In 2019, OPPO broke even more boundaries with the launch of the Reno 10x Zoom and its unique pivot rising structure, which has since inspired new design ideas within the smartphone industry.
In November this year, OPPO once again demonstrated its latest exploration into mobile phone form factors with the OPPO X 2021 rollable conceptual handset at the OPPO INNO DAY 2020 event.
The size of the conceptual device’s rollable display is infinitely adjustable within a specified range, offering a new perspective on the future of devices and how humans might interact with them.
At the China International Industrial Design Expo, OPPO showcased the “slide-phone” and “music-link” conceptual designs that it has been working on together with the leading Japanese industrial designing studio nendo.
The “slide-phone” conceptual design can be folded into different states
The idea for the “slide-phone” originated from OPPO and nendo’s discovery that smartphone users increasingly rely on their smartphones to interact with the world around them.
To support more functionality, smartphone is designed in a constant increasing of size, making it difficult to hold and less convenient.
This trend towards larger phones has become a growing concern for users. Armed with this insight, the “slide-phone” concept is designed with three foldable screens attached by hinges folding over in the same direction.
By providing users with the flexibility to change the form of the phone as needed, users may benefit from the ability to change its size to suit the occasion. Furthermore, a stylus inserted in phone allows users to expand their productivity by using the phone for work or other more complex tasks.
The conceptual design“slide-phone” can be folded into different sizes
The conceptual design“slide-phone” with stylus
OPPO and nendo’sother conceptual design, “music-link”, is a collection of devices centered around a pair of TWS earphones that includes a smartwatch, an AI speaker, a portable charger and a wireless charger.
All devices are designed in a sleek organic form, adopting an affinity design that mirrors the aesthetic values of users today.
When the TWS earphones and portable charging case are placed on the AI speaker, users can enjoy a seamless music experience transitioning from headphones to speaker.
This symbiotic design between devices, and the emphasis on portability and convenience, reflects OPPO’s integration of technology and human-centricity in its design philosophy.
The “music-link” conceptual design
Commenting on the partnership, nendoCEO and chief designer, Oki Sato, said:“I was impressed by OPPO’s philosophy, which goes beyond leveraging the latest technology and pursues a comfortable relationship between people and their products through a human-centric approach to design.
I am looking forward to seeing new concepts from the OPPO team as well as seeing how they manage to further strike a balance between technology and emotional engagement.”
OPPO Industrial Design lead designer Xiao Bo added: “nendo’s design is closely aligned with OPPO’s human-centric philosophy. OPPO aims to bring users adelightful product experience with cutting-edge technology and aesthetic design.
This partnership is built upon a conviction that, to create a groundbreaking tech product with the right level of comfort for users, we must focus on“human.” Moving forward, we will double down on this approach by engineering products with a more seamless, user-friendly experience.”
As an explorer and leader pursuing the perfect synergy of ultimate aesthetics and innovation, OPPO established anindustrial design center at its inception to incubate design and innovation within the industry.
The center was certified by The Fourth selection of National Industrial Design Centers in China on November 22, 2019. OPPO’s cutting-edge product design has also been well-received and recognized by the industry.
This year, OPPO Find X and Reno3 Pro won the 2020 Good Design Awards, while the OPPO Find X2 Pro won the Swan Award in the China Mobile Phone Design Competition.
OPPO will continue to focus on product design, further exploring how technology and aesthetics can be integrated to create closer relationships between people, devices, and the world around them.
Telecom
MTN @ Swish Fusion Summit, Showcases 5G Rollout Strategy

MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has joined other professionals across media, technology, and business gathered in Lagos for the Swish Fusion Tech and Media Summit.
Themed ‘Africa: Big Wins & New Breaks’, the summit drew thousands of attendees and featured more than 40 speakers exploring the intersection of innovation, regulation, and economic growth across the continent.
Among the sessions, MTN Nigeria presented a detailed look at the company’s ongoing 5G deployment efforts and its role in shaping enterprise infrastructure.
Njideka Jack, senior manager for Partnerships in MTN’s Enterprise Business Division, shared details of the investments, reiterating the company’s commitment to delivering high-quality 5G-powered services.
The company’s 5G rollout timeline began in 2022 with license acquisition from the Nigerian Communications Commission. In 2023, MTN moved into pilot testing and infrastructure investment.
By 2024, coverage had expanded to key cities and business hubs.
The company now plans to extend access to more underserved areas throughout 2025 while deepening collaboration with OEMs and regulators.
Beyond the rollout itself, Jack also spoke on the potential of private 5G networks for Nigerian enterprises.
With the ability to offer secure, high-speed, low-latency connectivity, these networks are increasingly being adopted in manufacturing, healthcare, education, and logistics sectors.
The summit’s broader agenda reflected a similar sense of urgency around Africa’s digital future.
Panels and breakout sessions tackled topics ranging from mobile-first product design and regulatory frameworks to the rise of AI in content creation and the realities of funding early-stage tech ventures on the continent.
Speakers from companies like Jumia, Stears and local startups provided perspectives on both the barriers and breakthroughs in building scalable African solutions.
The sessions also sparked conversations about how African businesses are adapting to consumer behaviour shifts and infrastructure limitations.
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.
- Broadcasting2 days ago
Nigeria Week Ahead: Inflation, Oil and Naira in focus
- News2 days ago
EFCC: Accusations Against Our Chairman Are Baseless and Misleading
- Telecom1 day ago
MTN Nigeria Targets $1Bn Cloud Market with Largest Modular Data Centre
- Telecom1 day ago
NCC Introduces N10m Licence Fee for Bulk SMS Service
- E-Business1 day ago
Firm Highlights Top Risks of Quantum Computing
- General News1 day ago
AM Best Reaffirms Stable Outlook for Cyber Insurance Market
- General News1 day ago
Burna Boy Distances Himself from Meme Coin, Labels Crypto as Fraud
- Telecom1 day ago
PAT Taps Osi as CEO