Author: ITPulse

From February 2024, all SIM cards not connected to a national Identity Number (NIN) will be barred from making and receiving calls, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), an umbrella of all licensed telecom companies in Nigeria has declared. ALTON said the declaration is in compliance with the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) directive dated 15 December 2023 communicated to all Mobile Network Operators to implement full network barring on all MSISDNs for which the subscribers have not submitted their national identity numbers (NINs) and those without verified NINs. In a statement jointly signed by Engr. Gbenga Adebayo…

MainOne, an Equinix Company and West Africa’s leading connectivity and data center solutions provider, has reaffirmed its commitment to community development, as Akinlade Nursery and Primary School, Okun-Mopo, Ajah becomes this year’s recipient of its annual Corporate Social Responsibility program. To improve the school’s learning environment, this year’s initiative involved refurbishing the classrooms, providing new desks and chairs for the students, repainting the school’s external and internal façade, roofing and restructuring the entire blocks of classrooms. Tinuola Ipadeola, Head, Corporate Services, MainOne stated, “At MainOne, we believe in the transformative power of education and that every child deserves access to…

An innovator in B2B invoice management and payments platform, Jenesys AI has acquired a $1.1 million pre-seed funding round and is set to redefine transactional accounting and compliance with AI technology, transitioning the human role from operator to validator. The Pre-Seed funding was spearheaded by Nigerian co-founder, Oluwatosin Dairo. This investment, led by Twin Path Ventures and joined by Fuel Ventures, Antler, Hatcher+, and angels from the US, UK, and Nigeria, empowers Jenesys AI to expand its engineering, customer success, and global payment compliance capabilities. Including Nigerian expertise in the team highlights Jenesys AI’s unique approach to integrating AI into…

Interswitch has sealed a strategic partnership with the Ogun State Health Insurance Agency (OGSHIA) to revolutionize healthcare payment transactions in the State, thereby enhancing accessibility and efficiency. This partnership, according to a press release issued during the weekend, will help to improve the accessibility and affordability of healthcare services within the state, even as OGSHIA aims to amplify the scope and efficiency of its health insurance transactions, streamline processes and foster financial inclusivity. The press release revealed that the integration of Interswitch’s cutting-edge multi-channel payments system will empower residents to make secure and convenient payments across various platforms, thereby elevating…

By Elvis Eromosele Telecommunications is infrastructure. And infrastructure is not cheap. The firm that has made the most astute investment in infrastructure leads the pack. In Nigeria, MTN is generally regarded as the foremost operator, with close to 90 million subscribers on its network. It was from Emmanuel Ekuwem, who as President of ATCON, I first heard the phrase “telecommunications is the infrastructure of infrastructure.” It is the platform on which all other platforms ride. Telecommunications provide the connections that connect the economy, spurring socio-economic growth. In this dynamic realm of telecommunications, the transfer of infrastructure management companies can often…

Linda Olumide was named Outstanding HR Innovation and Talent Strategy Professional of the Year at the 2023 Nigeria Technology Awards (NiTA). The ceremony was held on December 9, 2023, at Virginrose Resorts, Victoria Island, Lagos. Olumide is an experienced human resources leader within the telecommunications sector. Her professional focus includes workforce planning, organisational design, and linking HR operations to business outcomes. She has managed recruitment for technical roles, led digital HR transformation projects, and implemented workforce analytics frameworks that connect people metrics to commercial performance. Her work involves deploying HR technology systems for talent management, employee data analysis, and process…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has listed the priority areas that will allow the commission to build a resilient, accountable and efficient telecom industry. Speaking during a visit to the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani in Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida identified transparency as the bedrock of building a solid foundation for the industry, which contributed 13.5percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product in the third quarter this year. “Transparency is key. It is by transparency that we can self-regulate even as regulators. And by so doing, we would be…

Following the rising cyber threats where cybercriminals are reported to have unleashed 411,000 malicious files daily in 2023, Kaspersky’s detection systems have recommended 11 tips to stay protected in the coming year for users and organisations. The 11 tips are: Users: Do not download and install applications from untrusted sources. Do not click on any links from unknown sources or suspicious online advertisements. Create strong and unique passwords, including a mix of lower-case and upper-case letters, numbers, and punctuation, as well as activate two-factor authentication. Always install updates. Some of them may contain critical security issue fixes. Ignore messages asking…

There is a rising cyber threat as Kaspersky’s detection systems discovered an average of 411,000 malicious files every day, which is an increase of nearly 3% in 2023 compared to the previous year. The report shows that Windows remained the primary target for cyberattacks, accounting for 88% of all malware-filled data detected daily. Particular types of threats also escalated: experts observed a marked surge of 53% in attacks involving malicious Microsoft Office and other types of documents. Attackers leaned towards more dangerous tactics, such as utilising backdoors to infiltrate systems undetected. “The cyberthreat landscape continues to evolve, becoming more dangerous…

The New Industrial Specialization Report has ranked Nigeria’s IT and information services industry 8th out of 40 nations, and is 27 percent stronger than the global average based on the size of its economy, while its other advanced and strategically important industries perform far below average. From computers and electronics to machine equipment, together they were 71 percent weaker than the global average in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available.  “A nation’s economic and national security increasingly depends on how well it performs in the global competition for market share in a select group of advanced…