Author: ITPulse

The rumors of the second COVID-19 wave have been circling the market. With a significant number of vendors still battling the consequences of the first siege of the pandemic, keeping in mind what measures could mitigate the impact could be the difference between a ‘crash and burn’ and staying afloat.   The expectations of the second spike in COVID-19 cases pose a unique risk to businesses both in physical space and on the Internet. The first lockdown posed quite a few challenges, however, it has also distinguished alternative options and niches that could be leveraged by the payments industry market players to…

Anxiety about the future of work had hunted humans for aeons. Conversations around working from home, creating work-life balance, and using technology to promote remote work has festered for decades. The COVID19 pandemic has now brought everything home. The pandemic not only disrupted human existence but has nudged work onto a new direction; the direction many had been wary of exploring. Today, virtual and remote has suddenly become the norm. The feared digital transformation of work has finally arrived faster than ever anticipated, thanks to COVID19. Remote working is way passed the buzz word stage. Experts are now calling it…

Digiconverge, a one-stop digital convergence platform that provides fit-for-purpose services in re-broadcasting and global content syndication has launched operations in Africa, starting with Nigeria. The platform which already enjoys the blessings of the Federal Government of Nigeria has signed an exclusive content distribution partnership for Africa with the Viva Entertainment Group Inc. US to bridge the gap between Hollywood and Nollywood through effective collaborations and broadcast of original and exclusive African movies on the Flikontv Channel. The Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has described the newly launched Digiconverge as an example of Africa being a producer and not…

Nigeria’s based Programos Foundation has advocated for smart city innovation for connected communities development across Nigeria and indeed Africa as a way of living and navigating in the Covid-19 pandemic era, which is presently ravaging the world. The Foundation made the case in its recent COVID-19 intervention programmes, which was organised as one of the meeting points for many innovation producers in the ecosystem battling a pandemic from Nigeria. “This global pandemic has demonstrated once again how much we need digital innovations that serve society, and make us smarter, better connected, healthier – with solutions that have a positive impact…

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta has argued that governance in Nigeria has been made open and transparent as a result of the various Information and Communcations Technology projects being executed. The former University lecturer stated this during the 4th phase of the virtual commissioning of additional 12 digital economy projects implemented by agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. “Through the various projects, we are building shared and sustainable prosperity for this country. We are also making governance more open and transparent because people are able to participate and have…

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has opened applications for the ITU Digital World SME Virtual Awards 2020, which will take place online for the first time. The awards will help innovative small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) hone pitching skills, showcase solutions, make key connections, foster investment and gain valuable United Nations recognition, all by virtual means. The award is open to any SME worldwide and seek out innovations in four different categories: Connectivity​, Smart cities, smart living​, E-health and Digital finance​​​​ All eligible applicants will be able to join a virtual programme of masterclasses, with shortlisted entrants then able to pitch…

A global study covering internet affordability, quality and security has ranked Nigeria 81st position in the world in its 2020 results of the Digital Quality of Life (DQL) research. According to the DQL Index 2020, out of all African countries, analysed in the research, Nigeria surpasses Algeria, however, lags behind Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia and others. Algeria ranks 84th while Kenya is in the 77th place, Morocco – 70th and Tunisia – 64th. Meanwhile, while Nigeria ranks at the bottom of the DQL Index 2020, it surprises in terms of its e-security ranking. Nigeria is in the 70th place globally –…

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…