Telecom
Prof. Arzac, Others Join Starcomms Board
In the wake of its listing as a public quoted company on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, two eminent Professors and Economists have joined the Board of Directors of Starcomms Plc as the country’s 4th largest telecommunications operator builds on the momentum generated by a new competitive era and dynamic management.
Professors Enrique R. Arzac and Partha S. Mohanram join the board as non-executive directors, and come into the organization with a mission to provide considerable practical support and to uphold the highest levels of corporate governance.
The now predominantly Nigerian-owned operator’s shares were listed by way of introduction on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Monday, 14 July 2008, thus becoming the first listed Nigerian telecoms company on the Exchange
Starcomms was founded by the Lababidi family in 1995. Under the chairmanship of Chief Maan Lababidi (OON), and through the efforts of its world-class management team, led by Maher Qubain, Starcomms has over the years grown to become the 4th largest telecoms company in Nigeria. Since Actis and ECP, two leading private equity firms, invested in the company in 2005, the operator has increased its customer base from 100,000 to over 1.5 million and currently has a presence in 17 cities
Enrique R. Arzac, Professor of Finance and Economics, obtained Ph.D., M.A. and M.B.A. from Columbia University, C.P.N., and University of Buenos Aires. He has served as the senior vice dean of the school and as chairman of the Finance Division. He is presently co- director of the Mergers & Acquisitions Executive Program, jointly offered by Columbia and London Business Schools. He was a Ford Foundation Fellow and a W.R. Grace Research Fellow and recipient of Institute for Quantitative Research in Finance Grants.
Before joining Columbia he taught at the University of Buenos Aires, and held various positions, including: Associate Consultant, Ernst & Ernst; Chief Economist, Latin American Economic Research Foundation; and Director of Systems Analysis, Economic Development Council, Argentine Government. He has served as a financial consultant to the State of New Jersey, the United Nations Conference on Trade Development and several U.S. and foreign firms, including: Nathan Associates, Aerojet, Belding Hemingway, Alfa Group, Dynamic Corporation of America, BHD Corp. and the Equitable Life Assurance Company.
Prof Mohanram, who holds Ph.D. in Business Economics (1999), Harvard University, has since July 2006 been Associate Professor of Business, Columbia University, after promotion from Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Business, Columbia University. He was also Assistant Professor, Stern School of Business, New York University between 1998 and 2003, and Research Associate; Harvard Business School. He obtained his M.B.A (1992) from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, majoring in Finance and Operations, and B.Tech (1990) from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, majoring in Computer Science and Engineering.
Mr. Maher Qubain, CEO of Starcomms, said, "The addition of both Prof Arzac and Prof Mohanram will add significant experience in Finance, Corporate Governance and Accounting".
Nigeria’s digital development efforts received a major boost as telecommunications giant Globacom pledged full support for the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) business roundtable on Broadband Investment and Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure, which opened today at the NCC Headquarters in Abuja.
Themed “Right of Way and Protection of Broadband Infrastructure – The Road to Success in Broadband Investment and Connectivity”, the high-level gathering brings together stakeholders from federal and state governments, the private sector, telecom operators, and regulatory bodies to forge practical strategies for expanding Nigeria’s broadband footprint and strengthening infrastructure security.
Globacom’s sponsorship and active participation underscore its continued leadership in shaping the country’s digital future. The company is providing logistical and technical support to ensure the success of the two-day event, demonstrating its commitment to fostering a connected, inclusive, and secure digital ecosystem.
According to industry analysts, the roundtable serves as a vital forum for aligning public and private sector interests towards achieving Nigeria’s broadband targets, improving policy coordination, and closing existing digital divides — especially in underserved and rural communities.
Globacom’s involvement also offers a strategic platform to influence policy direction, particularly around Right of Way (RoW) issues, infrastructure investment incentives, and long-term regulatory frameworks that affect broadband expansion.
By contributing to these discussions, Globacom seeks to accelerate nationwide deployment of high-speed internet while ensuring robust safeguards for critical communication assets.
The company views the roundtable as an opportunity to strengthen public-private partnerships, explore innovative funding models, and advocate for equitable digital access. This aligns with Globacom’s long-standing commitment to digital inclusion, empowering millions of Nigerians through affordable and reliable connectivity solutions.
“We believe that digital transformation must be inclusive and secure. Our participation in this roundtable is a continuation of our mission to support national development through technology. A resilient broadband infrastructure is critical to Nigeria’s economic growth and global competitiveness”, Globacom stated.
Furthermore, Globacom’s contributions to the Critical National Information Infrastructure Protection Plan (CNIIPP) will help shape a coordinated national framework for telecom security, reinforcing Nigeria’s defences against cyber threats and infrastructure sabotage.
As the roundtable continues, Globacom reaffirms its role not only as a telecoms provider but also as a trusted partner in the country’s journey towards a fully digitised, economically empowered, and secure future.
Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, has announced the launch of Sophos Advisory Services, a suite of security testing services designed to identify gaps in organizations’ security programs.
These offerings – External Penetration Testing, Internal Penetration Testing, Wireless Network Penetration Testing, and Web Application Security Assessment – help fortify an organization’s defenses against cyberattacks and optimize their current security investments.
Regardless of an organization’s size or security maturity, assessing cybersecurity posture is critical to staying ahead of threat actors, demonstrating regulatory compliance, and building trust with customers, partners, and stakeholders.
The Sophos State of Ransomware 2025 report highlights that the number one root cause for ransomware attacks is exploited vulnerabilities, and 65% of organizations reported a known or unknown security gap as a reason for being exposed to a ransomware attack.
“Adversaries are increasingly skilled at exploiting the smallest cracks in an organization’s security program. With Sophos Advisory Services, we give customers a proactive advantage – helping them find and fix weaknesses before attackers can exploit them. Backed by real-time insights from Sophos X-Ops threat intelligence, our experts enable organizations to strengthen resilience, meet compliance requirements, and build lasting trust with stakeholders,” Jake Dorval, senior director, Sophos Advisory Services.
The following services, informed with leading threat intelligence research and insights from Sophos X-Ops, along with findings from threat hunting and incident response engagements, are now available:
• External Penetration Testing: Simulates an attacker trying to breach your perimeter from the outside.
• Internal Penetration Testing: Simulates an insider threat or an attacker who has already breached the perimeter, focusing on systems, applications, and data within the internal network.
• Wireless Network Penetration Testing: Assesses the security of an organization’s Wi-Fi networks and infrastructure and evaluates their compliance with appropriate mandates.
• Web Application Security Assessment: Tests an organization’s web applications for security vulnerabilities and design weaknesses.
Sophos Advisory Services are delivered by dedicated testers with vast cross-discipline security expertise spanning security research, threat intelligence, law enforcement, military and other backgrounds who joined Sophos through the recent acquisition of Secureworks.
The team holds hundreds of security certifications, has earned top finishes in capture the flag competitions, and is supported by Sophos X-Ops security analysts, threat intelligence and research specialists.
Sophos will release additional Advisory Services in the coming months. Sophos Advisory Services are the latest addition to Sophos’ fast-growing security services portfolio that also includes Sophos Emergency Incident Response.
Converging incident response expertise from Sophos and Secureworks in a single, hourly-billing offering, Sophos Emergency Incident Response provides rapid identification and neutralization of active threats and is available to any organization experiencing a live incident.
Telecom
Futurex partners with Spire Solutions to expand enterprise encryption across Middle East and Africa
Futurex, a global leader in enterprise-grade data encryption solutions, has announced its partnership with Spire Solutions, MEA’s trusted partner for cybersecurity, cloud, data and AI solutions, and leading value-added distributor (VAD), to accelerate enterprise access to advanced encryption, key management, and data protection solutions.
Syed Quadri, Chief Operating Officer, Spire Solutions and John Doley, VP Sales – Middle East, Futurex
Through this collaboration, Futurex’s industry-leading solutions, combined with Spire Solutions’ extensive regional presence and technical expertise, will help enterprises meet the growing demand for compliance-driven, scalable, and future-ready cybersecurity solutions across banking, government, telecom, and large enterprises.
The Middle East cybersecurity market is projected to grow from USD 16.75 billion in 2025 to USD 26.04 billion by 2030, driven by rapid digital adoption and strengthened by regional initiatives such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, Kuwait’s Vision 2035, and the UAE’s National Cybersecurity Strategy.
Speaking on the new partnership, John Doley, VP Sales – Middle East, Futurex said, “Futurex has made significant investments in building a local presence, partnerships, and data center availability in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Teaming up with Spire Solutions gives us an added advantage, allowing our world-class encryption and key management solutions to reach Middle Eastern enterprises with the support of local expertise and extensive regional reach. With enterprises demanding faster, more scalable, and compliance-ready security solutions, we help organizations secure their data, accelerate cloud adoption, and thrive in one of the world’s fastest-growing cybersecurity markets.”
Futurex’s unified data protection platform, CryptoHub, is the fastest and most scalable solution in the world, designed to go beyond traditional HSMs.
Unlike other industry offerings that cobble together multiple crypto functions via acquisitions, Futurex’s cloud-ready CryptoHub solutions removing complexity and cost while accelerating enterprise cloud adoption and compliance.
By bringing our cloud HSMs into the region, we enable customers to meet strict data sovereignty requirements, boost performance by reducing latency, and while reducing the cost and overhead of owning and maintaining standalone solutions, all while accelerating secure enterprise cloud adoption.
“Digital transformation in the Middle East is accelerating, and enterprises can’t afford to compromise on security,” said Syed Quadri, Chief Operating Officer, Spire Solutions. “We are proud of this partnership with Futurex which brings cutting-edge encryption and key management solutions to the region.
“It not only meets today’s compliance and data sovereignty requirements but also prepares enterprises for future challenges, from post-quantum cryptography to accelerated cloud adoption.
“Together, we are strengthening the region’s cybersecurity ecosystem, empowering organizations to operate securely, confidently, and at scale while setting a new standard for protecting their valuable data.”
The region’s cybersecurity landscape is transforming rapidly to meet the needs of modern enterprises, driven by stringent compliance and data sovereignty requirements under frameworks such as Saudi Arabia’s SAMA Cybersecurity Framework, the UAE’s NESA guidelines, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL).
In the Middle East, compliance mandates, cloud adoption, and rising FinTech demands are accelerating the need for BYOK, HYOK, and HSM-as-a-Service. At Futurex, we see the region moving beyond traditional security to embrace forward-looking encryption strategies that address today’s threats while preparing for the post-quantum future.
Organizations are also facing increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, including nation-state and financial cyberattacks, highlighting the need for post-quantum cryptography to future-proof cybersecurity strategies.
By introducing the Futurex’s CryptoHub platform and a suite of scalable, compliance-ready security solutions across the region, the aim is to accelerate Futurex’s growth, empower customers to implement secure and future-ready technologies, and, together with Spire Solutions, strengthen the position as market leaders in delivering trusted cybersecurity innovation.
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