Author: ITPulse

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Monday warned of cyber risks associated with a widely used system for securing Wi-Fi communications after Belgian researchers discovered a flaw that could allow hackers to read information thought to be encrypted, or infect websites with malware. The alert from the DHS Computer Emergency Response Team said the flaw could be used within range of Wi-Fi using the WPA2 protocol to hijack private communications. It recommended installing vendor updates on affected products, such as routers provided by Cisco Systems Inc or Juniper Networks Inc. Belgian Researchers Mathy Vanhoef and Frank Piessens of…

  Netflix is sinking deeper into debt in its relentless pursuit of more viewers, leaving the company little margin for error as it tries to build the world’s biggest video subscription service. The big burden that Netflix is shouldering hasn’t been a major concern on Wall Street so far, as CEO Reed Hastings’ strategy has been paying off. The billions of dollars that Netflix has borrowed to pay for exclusive series such as “House of Cards,” ”Stranger Things,” and “The Crown” has helped its service more than triple its global audience during the past four years – leaving it with…

  A new study has revealed that news is increasingly being watched as opposed to reading it, especially on mobile phones in Africa and the Middle East. The study, which was carried out by the Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q), also disclosed that TV is the most popular  medium in the region, as more than 75 per cent of people in in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates watch television each day rather than relying on online sources. Commenting on the development, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and CEO of APO Group says: “The study confirms what…

  By Martin Ekpeke Banks in Nigeria have been urged to collaborate with Financial Technology companies because of their strength to leapfrog to new forms of banking, especially in emerging markets. Some experts gave the advice at the 3rd Quarterly Forum of the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), which had in attendance stakeholders from the Nigerian Banking, telecom and the media industry in Lagos last week. First to hint about the importance of this collaboration is Mr. Austin Okere, Founder of CWG Plc and Entrepreneur in Residence at the Columbia Business School, New York, According to Okere, Fintech companies…

  Internet Solutions Nigeria Limited wins the West Africa’s Best IT Infrastructure Service Provider in the Customer Service Category of the 2017 edition of the Nigeria Brand awards. The award was announced at the 7th edition of the Diamond Award, which recently took place at Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Lagos. The annual Nigeria Brand Awards identifies businesses that have performed exceptionally in the area of customer service, and industry practitioners who are outstanding are also recognized during the awards. The Nigeria Brand Awards has continued to raise the bar of excellence, innovation and professionalism amongst brands in the country. Receiving…

  The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami has told envisaged investors at the just concluded Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) that Nigeria has a huge ICT market to explore. The NITDA DG, who disclosed that only 20 per cent of the market is presently being met by indigenous Original Equipment Manufacturers, noted that Nigeria would be happy to have several global brands, as long as the quality is guaranteed. “The Nigerian ICT industry is hugely untapped as only 20 per cent is being served by local OEMs,” he said. Referring to…

  By Martin Ekpeke The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya has called the Central bank of Nigeria to consider issuing mobile money licenses to telecommunications companies, saying they have the capacity to make the most impact in Nigeria’s quest to have financial services spread across the country as a result of its huge coverage. Ogunsanya, made the call yesterday while delivering a paper with the theme: ‘The Role of Communications Industry in Economic Growth’at the Interconnectal Hotel in Lagos, during the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting. The Airtel boss argued that it…

  By Martin Ekpeke The Director of Public Affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Tony Ojobo yesterday reiterated the Commission’s commitment at creating an environment that can accommodate telecommunications investors, stressing that ease of doing telecom business is paramount to the Commission. The NCC spokesman stated this, while representing the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta as a discussant at the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting, held at the Interconnectal Hotel, Victoria Island-Lagos. According to Ojobo, the Nigerian telecom regulator is consistently liasing with operators in the industry to create an enabling environment, especially building…

  By Kester Omu Nigeria’s based Information Technology solution provider, DEQNA International Limited has launched an online bookkeeping software, strategically designed to manage business accounting records for businesses in Nigeria, especially the SMEs. According to the Managing Director/CEO, DEQNA, Femi Abimbolu, the bookkeeping software will address the challenges usually faced by SMEs in accessing some of the available funds, and will also help them in keeping financial records. “The major problem with the SMEs segment of the Nigerian economy is that they are not organized, hence do not have the wherewithal to keep financial records,” Abimbolu argued at the launch…

  There is no doubt that Nigeria has one of the largest Telecom markets in Africa as the sector attracts considerable foreign investment. Over The Top Players, OTTPs, such as WhatsApp, BlackBerry Messenger, Telegram and many others, have significantly affected the average revenue per user of Telecom subscribers and this has adversely affected the overall revenue of the industry. Questions that are begging for answers includes, ‘where does the industry go from here, having invested billions of dollars?’ ‘How does the Television compete with OTT players who have very little investments in overheads?’ I recently had a chat with Jane…