GSM firms to spend N980.35bn on network upgrade

Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson

ometimes i wonder why this network service providers treat us like slaves, now because of the portability development they have started running around but it might be too late for them to impress some customers here is the full details of their new investment.

The four Global System of Mobile telecommunications operators in the country – Airtel, Etisalat, Globacom and MTN – will spend a combined amount of N980.35bn to boost infrastructure and enhance the performance of their networks this year.

The investments are expected to upgrade the networks of the operators and help them address the poor quality of service prevalent in the industry in recent times.

Airtel Nigeria is investing $1.5bn(N235.5bn); Etisalat Nigeria, $500m (N78.5bn); Globacom, $1.25bn (N196.25bn); and MTN Nigeria, N470bn (about $3bn).

There are also strong indications that the operators are strengthening their networks to avoid cases of subscribers leaving them due to the commencement of the Mobile Number Portability scheme, which was recently introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission.

Airtel recently said it had, in the last 30months, invested over $1.5bn to expand and deepen its network capacity and quality in the country.

The telecoms firm also confirmed that the move was in pursuit of world class Quality of Service for its network in Nigeria.

The Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, had said, “In the last 30months, Airtel has invested over $1.5bn to expand and deepen our network capacity and quality in Nigeria in pursuit of world class QoS.

“We were making significant investments in our network and customer service, which are critical success factors in MNP.”

Etisalat Nigeria also plans to raise $500min debt from local banks to expand its network this year, its Commercial Officer, Mr. Wael  Ammar, said last month.

Ammar had said the investment would enable the mobile carrier, which is 40 per cent owned by its parent company, grow its market share to 17 per cent this year.

The company said it aimed to add four million subscribers to the existing 15 million this year.

“We are investing $500m this year to expand our network and services to Nigerian consumers,” Ammar said, adding that Etisalat aimed to increase its 3,000 cell sites by an undisclosed number.

Last month, Globacom entered into two separate deals with Huawei and ZTE worth $750m and $500m, respectively for network upgrade and expansion of its operation capacity.

Globacom’s Group Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Mohammed Jameel, explained that the network enhancement project was part of the plan to upgrade its facilities to the very latest technology in global telecommunications.

Jameel said every element of the network ranging from base transceiver stations, mobile switching centres and transmission infrastructure, among others, would witness total modernization, which is expected to provide world-class services to its growing subscribers.

MTN Nigeria also recently secured loan facilities totalling N470bn from a consortium of local and international financial institutions to enable it to further expand, modernize and improve its network infrastructure.

The loan consists of $1.8bn in additional facilities and $1.2bn in restructuring of existing local facility.

The Chief Executive Officer, MTN, Mr. Brett Goschen, said the signing of the loan deal signified another strategic collaboration between the company and local and international financial institutions aimed at deepening telecommunications services in Nigeria.

Speaking to our correspondent on the massive investment outlay by the mobile operators, the President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria, Mr. Lanre Ajayi, said, “We are all aware of the poor QoS in the country. This is an indication that there is more traffic than the capacity of the networks. This means increased demand for telecoms services, which represents a business opportunity for operators.

“Operators are only responding to these opportunities. With the investments, network capacity will be enhanced, which will definitely lead to improvement in QoS.”

The President, Nigeria Internet Group, Mr. Bayo Banjo, who also spoke to our correspondent, said QoS problems could be better checked with the enforcement of sanctions by the regulator.

He said the MNP scheme might impact on QoS, but added, “There should be some consequences for poor QoS. The investments are worthwhile though.”

HOW TO PORT YOUR NUMBER ACROSS NETWORKS IN NIGERIA (mtn, glo, airtel, etisalat)

 

THIS NEWS MARKS THE START OF A NEW DAWN IN THE NIGERIAN TELECOMMUNICATION SECTOR. NUMBER PORTABILITY: WHICH IS THE ABILITY TO SWITCH NETWORKS WHILE KEEPING YOUR EXISTING NUMBER IS NOW LIVE.

So what if you want to port your number here is what you should do:

• Walk in to any office of the recipient network (network you intend to port to) and request for your line to be ported.
• The agent you talk to is required to educate you on the implications of porting your line, please listen attentively to him/her. Some things which would be said, (such as the fact that you lose all your bundles, credit, etc from the donor network, and the fact that you can only port once in 90 days) are important so as to ensure that you know fully what you are getting into.
• The agent would then request some information from you (e.g Name, Date of Birth, address etc). This information must tally with the information you gave while registering your SIM. If there are changes to the information, you must inform the agent while giving the requested information.
• You would also be required to provide valid identification: eg, Driver’s license, International passport etc. If you don’t have one, the agent is required to take a picture of you for records purposes.
• You would be presented with a Porting Request Form to sign. Signing that form authorizes the recipient network to close your account with your current (donor) network.
• You would also be required to text the keyword “PORT” to 3232. Note that after sending this text, the process cannot be reversed.
• You will then be presented with a new SIM from the recipient network to which your current number would be provisioned to, the SIM may or may not be free, that is at the discretion of the recipient network.
• You will get a text message informing you to insert your new SIM when the porting process is completed (takes 48hrs).

i   i hope this story really help you on how to port accross the various network providers like mtn, glo, airtel, etisalat in Nigeria

pls go to www.facebook.com/whispernaija and click like now. thank you

INTRODUCTION TO NETWORK PORTING IN NIGERIA (Etisalat, Glo, Airtel, MTN)

Migrating or switching from your current network operator to another (e.g from MTN to Glo, Glo to MTN, Etisalat to Airtel etc) is referred to as Mobile Number Portability (MNP). This service, MNP allows all Nigerians to migrate from their current network service to any other network of their choice within Nigeria, they can also migrate to their old network operator if they so desire. Migration from one network operator to another can only be done after 90 days of your last migration.

MNP will enable a subscriber to move from his service provider (donor) to another (recipient) without losing the number he/she already uses (eg change from MTN to Glo Mobile without losing his/her MTN number).

When you request to change your service provider, the recipient provider will issue you a new sim card but you will still retain your phone number. This simply means a subscriber can keep his/her phone number when changing from one service provider to another despite the change in the SIM card of the subscriber.

For you to understand the processes involved in MNP, you have to familiarize yourself with the terms below:

• Port In: joining a new service provider
• Port Out: leaving a service provider
• Subscriber : The customer that owns the number to be ported
• Recipient: The service provider that a subscriber is changing to
• Donor: The service provider a subscriber is changing from.

• Example

• If subscriber A wants to leave MTN for Glo Mobile, it means subscriber A is porting out of MTN and porting in to Glo. MTN in this example is the donor, while Glo Mobile is the recipient.

If you want to change your service provider, you will have to visit a recipient operator via one of its points of sale such as office, friendship centre, high street store, corporate sales team, or authorised dealer. For example, if you want to change from MTN to Glo, you will have to visit a Gloworld outlet or a Glozone shop to request for MNP.

When you get to the office of the recipient, you will be issued MNP request form to fill. You must have a valid proof of identity with visible photograph, your SIM must be ACTIVE, you must be able to provide the serial number of your SIM card and you must have registered the active SIM card.

A new SIM of the recipient provider will be issued to you and the SIM will be registeredat the office. You will be informed to text ”PORT” to 3232. If you fail to send the text, the request will not be honoured.

The recipient provider will forward your request to NPC (Number Portability Clearing House ) where validation will be carried out. If validated OK, the SIM will be activated and you will be informed.

Once your new SIM is activated, any airtime you have left on your old SIM will be wiped off and calls you make thereafter will be billed according to the default tariff plan of your new service provider BUT your phone number will still remain the same

HERE IS HOW TO PORT YOUR NUMBER ACROSS NETWORKS IN NIGERIA

This news marks the start of a new dawn in the Nigerian Telecommunication sector. Number Portability: which is the ability to switch networks while keeping your existing number is now live.

So what if you want to port your number here is what you should do:

• Walk in to any office of the recipient network (network you intend to port to) and request for your line to be ported.
• The agent you talk to is required to educate you on the implications of porting your line, please listen attentively to him/her. Some things which would be said, (such as the fact that you lose all your bundles, credit, etc from the donor network, and the fact that you can only port once in 90 days) are important so as to ensure that you know fully what you are getting into.
• The agent would then request some information from you (e.g Name, Date of Birth, address etc). This information must tally with the information you gave while registering your SIM. If there are changes to the information, you must inform the agent while giving the requested information.
• You would also be required to provide valid identification: eg, Driver’s license, International passport etc. If you don’t have one, the agent is required to take a picture of you for records purposes.
• You would be presented with a Porting Request Form to sign. Signing that form authorizes the recipient network to close your account with your current (donor) network.
• You would also be required to text the keyword “PORT” to 3232. Note that after sending this text, the process cannot be reversed.
• You will then be presented with a new SIM from the recipient network to which your current number would be provisioned to, the SIM may or may not be free, that is at the discretion of the recipient network.
• You will get a text message informing you to insert your new SIM when the porting process is completed (takes 48hrs).

GADGETS OF THE YEAR: Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung unveiled their new Android phone earlier this month in New York, and are expecting it to outsell Apple's products.

Among new feature is the Galaxy S4's remote technology which allows users to control functions without touching the screen.

"Smart pause" means people can pause a video by looking away from the screen, while "smart scroll" lets users scroll through emails without touching the screen, the S4 detecting the movements of the eyes and wrist.

Users can also change music tracks or accept a call with a simple wave of a hand.

The Galaxy S will be rolled out globally at the end of April, and will be available on several different contracts.

check out more gadgets  here 

 

Gadgets of the Year 2013-Fujifilm X100S

This retro-styled camera brings together the best of traditional photography and its digital counterpart.

With a 16.3MP X-Trans CMOS sensor and on-chip phase detection, the X100S now has a better autofocus speed than previous models. This is supported by a new processor, the 'EXR Processor II', which includes a new 'Lens Modulation Optimiser' function.

With an improved user interface and viewfinder, this is a serious camera for serious photographers. It can be bought online for £1,099.

"2013 BEST GADGETS: Pebble Wrist Watch

Billed as "the first watch for the 21st century," the Pebble watch has different faces that you can download and customise.

Pebble connects to iPhone and Android smartphones using Bluetooth, alerting you with a silent vibration to incoming calls, emails and messages.

With apps you can turn the watch into a stopwatch, GPS, mp3 player and computer, to use while you're on the go.

Initially funded through Kickstarter, those who donated have already got their watches. You can pre-order one for $150 online for when more become available.

 

GADGET 101: How The Google Glass UI Really Works

What is Google Glass actually like to use? Finally, we know. And there’s no augmented reality to speak of.

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Google Glass has arrived like a piece of sci-fi memorabilia sent from the future. But with all the talk about wearing the Internet on your face and whether or not these glasses can ever be fashionable, the most obvious and important story has gone untold: What is Google Glass actually like to use?
In a 50-minute presentation at SXSW, Google’s Timothy Jordan walked developers through what the Google Glass "Mirror" API and interface looks like today. And if we were to sum it up in just a few words, it’s a multimedia twitter feed for your eyeballs. Here’s how that actually plays out:

The Basic Controls

The Glass screen sits out of view, and it’s usually off, just like your cellphone screen. Its frame is essentially a trackpad with three main gestures. Tap once with a finger to select. Slide your finger along the temples to scroll. Swipe down to dismiss a screen.
To start things off, tap the frame with a finger (or nod your head), and you end up at Glass’s home screen. From the home screen, you can do a few things:

1. Swipe your finger down on the frame to dismiss the screen and go about your day--it’s basically the same thing as the Android’s back button.
2. Tap again and say “OK Glass” to issue a command, like “take a picture” or “Google how to use Glass”
3. Slide your finger back along the frame to view a few Google Now-esque “cards”--like the weather report.
4. Slide your finger forward along the frame--and this is the heart of the experience--which takes you through a “timeline” of everything, from the photo you just took, to a search you just made, to a video you were sent to a notification you received earlier from the New York Times. This is how Glass is much like Twitter, or may be, assuming you subscribe to several services for updates.

Some Cards Are Really Bundles

So, you have cards--essentially your simplified app experiences. Now say you subscribe to the Times. They might send you a card (a headline and a photo) every hour.
Now you can ignore it, or you can tap Glass to explore more.
Because some cards aren’t just cards. They’re bundles. Any card with a pagefold in the upper right hand corner is hiding its own timeline. So to cycle through stories within that Times bundle, you swipe through just as you would your main Glass timeline.

More Options

So here you are, sliding through a bundle. You reach a card, maybe it’s a news article, and you wish you could hear more. Well you can. You tap the card, and you’ll be presented with a timeline of options, like “read aloud” or, theoretically, “share.”
If you were in email instead, tapping on that card would bring up “reply.”
If you were in Path, tapping a card might allow you to swipe through your reaction choices: smiling or frowning.

So It’s All About The Timeline!

Glass is essentially several layers of timeline.

1. You have your main timeline. Kinda like your twitter feed of things you’ve done and received.
2. You have a timeline with information (or cards) hiding in bundles.
3. You have a timeline of options (share, reply, etc.) hiding in cards.

Yes, it’s still a little bit complicated to understand, because surprisingly there’s still no one video presented by Google that drives the idea forward. But most work flows will involve tapping something you’re interested in, then sliding through cards, then tapping a card, then sliding through options.
Lost? Just flick downward to get the heck out of there, like an Android phone.

It’s All About Limiting Information and Options

Google understands Glass’s biggest potential downfall, that a world of messaging and media distracts us from the world in front of our face. A deeper look into their interface logic reveals how they’re encouraging developers to deal with it: Push the simplest of updates to a user. And give them either one piece of information, or one option of what to do with that information, per screen.
So far, so good. Assuming your finger can buff up enough to slide around on Glass’s frame fairly often, you’ll be able to do a lot quickly on the platform. But at the same time, Google is admitting that Glass won’t do everything. It’s not providing the info-dense content we have on laptops, or even smartphones. And at least according to this presentation, the interface isn’t really geared at all toward creating immersive, augmented-reality applications.
Truth be told, Glass may seem a bit less ambitious, once you break down its UI architecture. But often, restraint takes as much ambition as anything else. Glass needs to aspire to be usable, first and foremost. And that’s exactly what it’s going for.

Sony Xperia Z : A Waterproof and preposterously high-resolution gadget

We are all led to believe that size isn't everything. So when you learn that Sony's Xperia Z smartphone has a 5in screen, you'll know that this means it's big but not necessarily beautiful. In fact, it's both, not least because that screen is preposterously high-resolution.
The 5in display has as many pixels as a 55in Full HD flatscreen TV. That's around 2 million, if you're counting.
I previewed the Xperia Z a few weeks back, but it's time for a proper review now the final units are on their way to the shops - out on 28 February.
The Xperia Z also looks good because the design is simple to the point of discretion. Save for the Sony logo, the front of the phone is one black rectangle with gently curved edges. The back is similarly plain, though with the word Xperia on it.
This understated look, which works on all three colour versions of the phone (white, black and a purple option that's exclusive to O2) is classy, and because the phone is actually very slim — 7.9mm — it doesn't feel as mammoth in your hand as you might think.
Pretty pixels
The display, with its 443 pixels per inch, is bright and colourful without being over-saturated, shining most when you're reading text which looks pristine. The screen's visuals are given a lift by technology poached from Sony's Bravia TVs. Video playback looks terrific, as do photos you've shot on the handset's camera which, with its 13MP resolution sensor, is no slouch. More pixels don't always mean better pictures: small sensors crammed with the tiniest of pixels find it difficult to suck in enough light to make sense, leaving photos with that grainy image noise so common on smartphone snappers. But Sony is skilled with cameraphone technology and the results here are strong.
There are Sony specialities like Sweep Panorama for easy, impressive widescreen shots - Sony had this technique down long before the iPhone 5. And Smile Shutter, which recognises when your subject is breaking into a grin and automatically takes its shot for maximum smile without you even having to touch the phone. And it shoots video at full 1080p resolution, too.

Battery life
A big screen means you'll need some power to keep it lit up, not to mention to service the quad-core processor as it zooms along. All this on an Android phone - an operating system which is known for running programs in the background and reducing battery life.
But the battery is not removable, so the space is taken up with minimum packaging and maximum juice. And there's a Stamina Battery mode to eke out the most power. Turn on this mode and a lot of the phone shuts down: WiFi, Bluetooth and mobile data are disabled, though calls and texts will still come through and any software that's mid-download will finish before the data connection cuts out. Alarms will still work, too. These changes happen as soon as the screen turns off, and are re-enabled when you start using the phone again. How much does it help? Well, if the calculations on-screen are accurate, it can boost the remaining standby time from eight hours to two-and-a-half days. Whatever the exact figures, it certainly helps.
Even without Battery Stamina, the Xperia Z seems to last a full day happily, though for peace of mind I'd still recommend nightly charges.
4G
This is a 4G phone. For now, that means it's capable of high speeds only on the EE network, though the frequencies built into the phone mean it will be 4G-compatible on other networks, after the current frequency auction is concluded.
One network, Vodafone, has said that customers buying now can be switched to 4G when it arrives. The company is currently taking pre-orders for the phone and the first 1,000 customers will receive a £299 pair of Sony headphones free. The headphones are the company's impressive MDR-1R cans and are worth having.
Waterproof?
Oh yes, and the phone's waterproof. I put it under water to test this. Which is a scary thing to do, frankly, but there was no problem. All the holes (power, headphone, SIM card slot) have plastic flaps which clip into place. They're a little fiddly but they work well.
Let's be clear, there's no texting underwater to be done here. The nature of capacitive touchscreens is that they work by a weak electrical field on the surface of the phone being interrupted by another electrical field like your finger. So if the screen is drenched in water this just doesn't work. The key thing is that once you've retrieved the phone from the bath, or whatever receptacle you dropped it into, the Xperia Z should still be fine. In my tests, it was.
This is Sony's classiest, neatest and biggest phone yet. It's full of innovations, has excellent, quiet styling and is enjoyable to use. This is a striking, well-crafted, highly appealing phone. If your hands are big enough.

TECNO N3:Affordable And Must Have Andriod Phone For All Africans

An android phone is a Smartphone based on goggles’ open source Android operating system. The first Android-powered phone was sold in October 2008, but today we now have dozens and dozens of different android powered phones in the mobile phone market today. Some big names involved in the manufacture of android based phones include but not limited to HTC, Motorola, and Samsung, including all of the major cellular carriers in US and selected few in Africa.

Currently, android phones are the best brand of phone in the mobile market and also the most patronized brands. This probably accounts for their high price so high that most Africans cannot afford them, making price-friendly platforms like Symbian and even BlackBerry more popular.However,with the release of low cost Samsung  android phones like galaxy pocket, the trend is gradually been reversed. Although Samsung low cost android phone is still on the high side compare to Techno series of android phone, the N3 and T3.

Now talking about the subject matter affordable android phone for an average African I would have gone with Samsung galaxy pocket if not for the price which is slightly higher than new Techno series that I will be discussing here

Techno N3 and T3 for as at the time of writing this post is the most affordable android phone in the African continent. Presented below is their specification

Os: Android 2.3.5

Network: 2G + 3G network (Dual Sim)

Band: Gsm900/dcs1800/wcdma2100mhz

Dimension: 115*62*11.7mm

Display: 3.5″ capacitive touch screen

Resolution: 320*480 (HVGA)

Processor: 800MHZ

Camera: 3.0 MP

Video: MP4, 3GP

Audio: MP3, MIDI, AMR, WAV, AAC

Memory: 512MB + 256MB, 8G microSD (up to 32G)

Messaging & SNS: Facebook

Connectivity: WIFI/AP, Bluetooth 3.0, USB, 3.5 Ear jack.

Battery capacity: 1400mAh

Sensor: G-sensor

Voice Recording/Video Recording, Alarm/Memo, Google Play.

With the above features i think the Techno android series is really worth giving a trial.I personally have mine already,so i recommend you go for one and experience the power of android .

Have you had any experience,commendation or complains about this phone? lets know you thought in the comment session