Author: ITPulse

There are strong indications that Blackberry will be coming into the global handset market with a special focus for the European and North American markets. This is coming as OnwardMobility, a US company announced a deal with the iconic handset brand to develop and release a 5G handset days before a brand licensing deal with TCL Communication expired. According to reports, the planned comeback of the 5G BlackBerry will in the first half of 2021 and the device will run Android and feature a physical keyboard with a special target at providing secure communications for public and private sector organisations,…

Researchers at Sophos have highlighted how devious developers are adapting their apps to appear compliant with Google’s new policies for the Play Store that were designed to prevent customers from getting ripped-off. This is coming after nearly a year on from its first report on ‘fleeceware’ apps that lure customers into paying exorbitant subscription fees. But in this latest report titled, Truth-in-advertising policy fails to curb fleeceware. This new research revealed, among other things: How fleeceware creators are now using misleading language to appear compliant, but are still attempting to dupe unwary users into subscribing for extortionate amounts of money, with some simple wallpaper charging close to…

The global subscriptions for 5G technology in the next five years has been projected to hit 2.7 billion at 55 percent coverage rate, representing about 35.8 percent of the current global population. This data was shared by Buy Shares with the indications that the North-East Asia region will lead in the subscriptions with 1.3 billion subscriptions. Meanwhile, the projected 2025 subscriptions represent growth of 3391.25 percent from the 80 million subscriptions for 2020. A breakdown of the five-year projection shows that by next year, the subscriptions will stand at about 243 million, a growth of  203.75 percent from the 2020…

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, yesterday received a Distinguished Award from the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON). The Award was presented to Danbatta in his Abuja office by the President of ATCON, Olusola Teniola in the company of the association’s Executive Secretary, Ajibola Olude. According to Teniola, the award was in appreciation of the laudable contribution of the telecom boss towards the successful hosting of ATCON’s virtual national dialogue held for the industry on August 6, 2020. “ATCON is recognising and appreciating the EVC “for being a panel discussant on…

By Hashim Suleiman Let me refer to my September 16, 2019 article tagged ‘Pantami, Kashifu and the beauty of vision” where I had identified Kashifu Inuwa as an individual who had understood clearly the vision of Dr. Isa Ali Pantami and had equally chosen to fly with it to fruition. It is also a practical knowledge that people could actually be good carriers of vision and supportive, but may not make good leaders, however, Mr. Kashifu has today proven to be good in both fronts having stayed a year in office as the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development…

As part of efforts to establish a robust database of Consumer Advocacy Groups, the Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has requested proposals for the engagement Of Consumer Advocacy Groups. The essence of the engagement is to have a database that will serve to inform and educate telecom consumers on their rights and responsibilities as well as create awareness for the Commissions activities and industry trends. “The objective is to have a pool of genuine Advocates who are passionate about consumer protection and are willing to inform and educate telecoms consumers; protect consumers from abuses, exploitation…

With the world’s gaze increasingly trained on the upcoming US elections, emerging economies are also grappling with the question of how to facilitate voting in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.  According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, an intergovernmental organisation, at least 69 countries and territories had postponed national or subnational elections as a result of Covid-19 between 21 February and 11 August. Some 53 have gone ahead, but usually in a modified format or following a delay. Risks and rewards The pandemic has given rise to two main risks related to electoral processes. On the…

The fourth edition of the prestigious Nigeria Tech Innovation & Telecom Awards (NTITA) is scheduled to hold at the plush Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, on November 07, 2020, the organisers have announced. The award, which is organized annually by InstinctWave in partnership with the Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), recognize and rewards groundbreaking innovations and excellence from individuals and organizations involved in advancing technology and transforming today’s ICT industry. The most celebrated ICT & Telecoms awards, NTITA has grown to be the ‘Oscars’ of the ICT and Telecom industry attracting the crème de la crème and top decision-makers…

By Gbenga Odegbami Identity management is important and cannot be overemphasized. It is so strategic that almost all the past government administrations in Nigeria since 1976 have considered it a critical space for development. Recently, the Presidency, via the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), inaugurated a Steering Committee for the Nigeria Digital Identity, to develop the Ecosystem Project to ensure that issues of identity management stay at the forefront and ensure that the government achieves its objectives. Considering that my company, Youverify, is a key player in the Nigerian identity management ecosystem, some stakeholders…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has insisted that consumers are the lifeblood of the telecom industry, assuring it will continue to demonstrate its commitment to tackling consumer-centric issues that abound in the industry. The telecom regulator made this known when it hosted the first virtual Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF), where it restates commitment to partner telecom consumer rights advocacy groups. Speaking at the virtual meeting, anchored from the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja recently, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta stated that the Commission will increase its partnership with consumer rights advocacy groups in the sector…