Three West African countries Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon are ranked among the top countries in the world where cyber-crime is most prevalent according to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria, Mrs. Farida Waziri. The world loses $557 million annually to cyber-crime, report by Adetayo Adelaja and Shamsydeen Badmus.

Nigeria, by far, leads the African group with eight per cent rate of the crime, followed by Ghana and Cameroun with 0.7 and 0.6 per cent, respectively, Ghana’s Daily Graphic reported.

The United States tops the world with 65 per cent, followed by the United Kingdom, 9.9 per cent, and Nigeria’s eight per cent.
Others are Canada, 2.2 per cent; Malaysia, seven per cent; Ghana 0.7 per cent; South Africa, 0.7 per cent; Spain, 0.7 per cent, and Cameroon, 0.6 per cent.
“Although we contribute an insignificant portion to cyber-crime, that is unjustifiable because any level of criminality cannot be accepted,” the EFCC Chairman stated.
Mrs Waziri was speaking at the opening ceremony of the first West African Cyber Crime Summit (WACCS) which is currently going on in Abuja, Nigeria.
More than 300 delegates, mainly law enforcement personnel, from 10 West African countries are attending the three-day workshop which is on the theme, “The Fight against Cyber Crime: Towards Innovative and Sustainable Economic Development.”
The objectives of WACCS are to position the fight against cyber-crime as a national priority to help the economic development of the region, provide a platform to develop capacity building with scalable and sustainable solutions and strengthen trust by developing partnerships among various stakeholders at the national and international level.

The summit is also expected to showcase best practices and case studies of partner organizations in combating cyber-crime.

The event is being hosted by the EFCC, in collaboration with Microsoft, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with the participation of the Council of Europe, the International Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA).

Mrs. Waziri pointed out that the $557 million was the recorded figure from reported cases, adding that the figure could run into billions of dollars if most victims reported cyber-crimes.

She explained that most victims shied away from reporting their losses to the authorities for fear of being branded greedy, gullible or stupid.

She said the goal of West African governments should be to ensure that their countries dropped out of the top 10.

She also hinted that there was a gradual movement of cyber criminals from Nigeria to neighboring West African States.

Mrs. Waziri, therefore, urged political leadership across West Africa to adopt common measures and strategies for combating cyber-crime, which was gradually creeping into other West African countries.

The Vice-President of Nigeria, Dr Mohammed Namadi Sambo, in a speech read on his behalf, stated that as a follow-up to the summit, the Nigerian government would collaborate with stakeholders in the sub-region with a view to anticipating and pro-actively outlining policy initiatives to fight cyber-crime.

For his part, the General Manager of Microsoft Anglophone West Africa, Mr Emmanuel Onyeje, urged banks, schools, health care institutions, among others, to find innovative ways of fighting cyber-crime, since it affected people from all walks of life.

Representatives from the UNODC, the Ministry of Justice, the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-corruption, ECOWAS, among others, pledged their readiness to help fight cyber-crime.

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Wyse, the global leader in cloud client computing,  will be the major sponsor of this year’s eLearning Africa conference and exhibition. The sixth in the series of the Africa’s largest international events on technology for development, education and training, eLearning Africa will take place from May 25th to 27th in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Wyse is committed to helping educational institutions in Africa use its advanced desktop virtualisation solutions better to enable schools and colleges to deliver teaching and learning based on reliable, affordable and greener classroom ICT. African clients and partners draw on the company’s considerable expertise and success in working with educational organisations globally.

In South Africa, 2.5 million students in schools will be provided with access to a cloud computing laboratory by 2013. Over 70,000 PCs with access to the latest software and Internet content using Wyse cloud software and cloud PCs have already been installed. The Gauteng Online initiative is one of Wyse’s major African eLearning initiatives. In Nigeria, a new network of examination centres relies on a Wyse cloud client computing infrastructure to enable examinations to be delivered, taken and scored entirely electronically, saving time and money while also improving reliability and service with accurate results delivered in hours rather than months.

Education is Wyse’s second largest market, with ten of the world’s top fifteen universities using Wyse solutions to reduce costs and improve learning. They and other educational institutions benefit from Wyse’s position as the only cloud vendor to offer desktop virtualisation solutions for every budget and scale of implementation, ranging from ten to upwards of ten thousand units.

Tarkan Maner, President and CEO of Wyse Technology, said: “We’re seeing African customers embrace how our cloud client computing solutions can transform education and training, widening access to the most advanced eLearning for students of all ages and abilities. So our support for the Continent’s leading forum on educational ICT is a natural step for us, as Wyse works with an expanding number of African governments and educational institutions to realise their ambitions to improve the education and employment prospects of young people across Africa.”

“We are delighted to have Wyse on board,” said Rebecca Stromeyer, Managing Director of ICWE and Founder of eLearning Africa. “Our aim is to show the variety of innovative technologies that are available for promoting educational opportunities for all in Africa. It is of immense importance that key players in the field such as Wyse engage in such an event, showing that Africa can really benefit from affordable green classroom IT.”

More: www.wyse.com
Gauteng Online Initiative: www.elearning-africa.com/newsportal/english/news264.php

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Tayo Adelaja/Lagos

New and existing customers on Etisalat network are set to enjoy enhanced service as the innovative telecommunications company is now live on the submarine fibre optic cable system provided by Main One. Etisalat is the first telecommunications company to switch on its network on the strength of the cutting-edge technology recently launched in the country.

According to Steven Evans, Etisalat Chief Executive Officer (CEO), “with the latest technology, customers on Etisalat network will have the benefit of increased broadband and enhanced data services.” He added that Main One’s submarine fibre optic cable will enhance Etisalat’s broadband capacity thus leading to improved data services to the benefit of customers. The subscription to the new technology, according to Mr. Evans,  is a demonstration of Etisalat’s commitment to delivery of superior service, which the company is known for globally. Mr. Evans maintained that customers remain the core of their business hence they are always keen to deploy the best technology available for their advantage.

L-R : fola deola , Babatunde Raji Fashola , Bashir Gwandu, Onari Duke , liyel imoke , funke opeke, Former Governor of Cross River State, donald duke

L-R : bashir gwandu . Funke opeke , raji fashola , fola adeola ( @the main one product launch event demo )

Etisalat has been consistent in raising the stake in quality service delivery since the launch of its commercial operations in the country in October 2008. Though a late entrant into the dynamic Nigerian telecommunications market, Etisalat has scored many firsts in its less than two years of operations. The deal with Main One is another first for Etisalat Nigeria.

Main One is wholly African-owned with a vision to expand the much needed capacity on the African continent and reduce costs of broadband communications across the Continent. With landing stations in Nigeria and Ghana and branching units in Morocco, Canary Islands, Senegal and Ivory Coast, the cable will deliver unprecedented broadband capacity to West Africa, more than ten times what is currently available. With its cable system now turned on, Main One is poised to champion communication revolution in Africa impacting businesses, governments and individuals by providing higher bandwidth and exceptional speeds at a lower cost.

Mrs. Opeke exchanging greetings with Gov Imoke of Cross River State

About Etisalat

Etisalat is the largest provider of telecommunications services in Africa, Middle East and Asia serving an ever increasing subscriber base of 100 million people. The innovative GSM provider currently has unique products such as Easy Starter, Easy Cliq, Elite World and Easy Net in the Nigerian market. All offer a wide array of creative and exciting features designed to satisfy all communications needs of its subscribers. It recently re-launched the flagship product, Easy Starter and repackaged with new features such as “You & Me” and Bonus on Incoming Calls.

ENQUIRIES

Main One Cable Company: 3B, Ligali Ayorinde Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.

Tel: +234-1-2801340 Fax: +234-1-2801349 E-mail: info@mainonecable.com

URL: www.mainonecable.com

Jumoke Akande: +234 1 4489500

Bernard Logan: +44 1245 256 376

ABOUT MAIN ONE

Main One Cable Company Limited („Main One‟) is the first submarine cable company offering open access, wholesale broadband capacity in West Africa. This vision has been realized in a 1.92 Tbps and 7000km submarine cable system placed in service in July2010 with initial landing stations in Nigeria, Ghana and Portugal – connecting West Africa to the rest of the world via Portugal and the United Kingdom.

The services are backed by a strong management and technical team to ensure system reliability and constant availability backed by Service Level Agreements. The network is monitored 24 x 7 x 365 – every hour, every day, all year round to guarantee minimum down time in service availability.

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SUBMARINE CABLE- MAIN ONE CABLE THE TRAIL BLASER.

The concept of wiring two continents together is far older than most people might know. Telegraphers on both sides of the ocean took up a Shakespearean line from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” where Puck says, “I’ll put a girdle `round the earth in forty minutes.”

The story really began in 1795 when a Spaniard named Salva suggested the idea of underwater telegraphic communication. But nothing significant happened until 1850 when a single wire cable manufactured by the Gutta Percha Company was laid between England and France. International telecommunications had started.

The truth is that in 1858, nobody knew what Ohm’s Law really was (in fact, Georg Ohm had been ridiculed by many of his peers for suggesting his “law”); nobody knew what would happen to an electrical pulse in a piece of wire thousands of miles long, and nobody had an inkling of knowledge about any differences in potential between two points on the surface of the earth thousands of miles apart…all of which added up to the transmission of signals so feeble and slow that this cable was doomed to commercial, if not physical failure.

Unfortunately, the first cable did not last very long – on the night after it was connected a French fisherman caught the cable and cut a length out of it. A heavier armoured cable with four conductors was successfully laid the following year. For the first time two countries separated by sea were able to communicate by means of the electric telegraph.

   A boom in the laying of submarine cables followed. Many cables were placed in service across the Irish Sea, the North Sea, the Mediterranean and even the Black Sea.

    The greatest challenge at that period was the laying of the first Trans-Atlantic cable. It is hard now to realise just what an enormous task this was. The 2,500 miles (4025km) of cable took a total of 20,500 miles (33,000km) of copper wire for the conductor, and the outer sheathing took 367,000 miles (590,500km) of iron wire. The total length of wire used was enough to go round the world thirteen times.

   The cable was loaded into two specially converted warships, one British and one American. The laying of the cable from the USS Niagara, steaming west from Ireland lasted only a few days. After 300 miles (482km) the cable snapped.

   A second attempt with laying commencing in mid-Atlantic suffered the same fate. But on the third attempt, despite some very rough weather, luck – and the cable – held, and in August, 1858 the Old World and the New were joined telegraphically if only for a short time. The cable failed on September 1, and it was not until July, 1866, that the first really successful Atlantic cable was laid by the S.S. Great Eastern.

   Cables multiplied. News which had previously taken up to six months to reach distant parts of the world could now be relayed in a matter of hours; in 1902 the “All Red” route was completed.

   This consisted of a series of cable links across the Pacific Ocean, connecting New Zealand and Australia with Vancouver and through the Trans-Canada and Atlantic lines to Europe.

In both WWI and WWII, an accepted act of war was to cut the enemy’s submarine telegraph cables, splice onto them, and run them ashore to your own cable station — and *keep* the captured cable after the war. Germany lost its cables to the U.S. in both World Wars that way, while the Allies cut Japanese cables throughout the Pacific, and only put them back together after the wars.

 In 1956 the first submarine cable incorporating repeaters came into operation across the Atlantic. With a capacity of 36 two-way voice channels, each capable of subdivision into a number of telegraph channels, TAT-1 as it was called, demonstrated the great potential of this new form of telecommunications and triggered an explosion in public demand for international telecommunications facilities.

By December 1961, the first link, CANTAT-1 providing 80 two-way voice circuits had been opened between Britain and Canada, and by July 1 962 Australia and New Zealand were in communication through the first stage of the second link, COMPAC. In December of the same year the second stage from Auckland to Fiji was opened. The laying of the final stages, Fiji to Hawaii and Hawaii to Canada soon followed and the completed COMPAC cable was opened on December 3, 1963.

   Although these new telecommunications systems were created to satisfy a demand, they in turn created heavier demands and a vast network of cables has been laid beneath the seas of the world.

   In 1975 the 480 circuit TASMAN Cable was completed to Australia. ANZCAN Cable, which replaced COMPAC Cable, was the last of the Pacific Ocean analogue cables to be installed to Australia. A-I-S Cable which lands at Perth, WA is of the same design as ANZCAN Cable and was the last of Telstra’s analogue cables to be installed. All cables installed since A-I-S have been of fiber optic design.

The entrance of Main One Cable Company comes at an opportune time to unlock the constrained West African telecommunications market and catalyze the economic potential of the region. The Main One Project is a massive and very ambitious cross-continental sub-marine fiber network that will digitally connect Africa with the rest of the world. The Main One project, whose total cost amounts to about USD 240 million, involves the laying of 7,000 kilometers of submarine fiber optic cable between Seixal (a suburb of Lisbon) in Portugal, Accra in Ghana, and Lagos in Nigeria. The system includes subsequent branching units to the Canary Islands, Morocco, Senegal, and Cote d’Ivoire. The 1.92 Tbps of available bandwidth will be leased wholesale to telecom operators and internet service providers on an open access basis, thereby encouraging competitive pricing and a large customer base.

The celebration of the final splice of the Main One submarine cable, a project financed in part by the African Development Bank (AfDB) through its private sector window, was held on Wednesday, 19 May 2010 at the Tema Port in Ghana.

The project has from inception been singularly distinguished by a strict conformity with expressly stated project timelines. All major historic milestones have conformed to earlier projections.

In 2008, the Main One project carried out all necessary desk-top research and applied for the requisite survey and operational permits. Among other activities, it also applied for and successfully obtained the first ever submarine cable landing licenses to be issued in Nigeria and Ghana, respectively.

Main One obtained the necessary marine survey permits in January 2009 and commenced marine route survey operations afterwards. In May, it began cable manufacturing alongside the manufacture of Repeater Assemblies.

By June, Main One had concluded its marine survey operations. It also commenced the construction of its cable landing stations in Accra, Ghana and Lagos, respectively based on designs earlier sourced in March and finalized in May. In Seixal, Portugal where the cable terminates, it is landing in an existing cable station with VSNL.

Still in June, the post survey route was reviewed and the final cable route, engineered. Very importantly, Main One Cable Company secured commitments for all of the $240million (two hundred and forty US Dollars), required to fully fund the first phase of the project.

This landing marks the successful completion of phase one of this project.

There is growing evidence that ICTs play a critical role in social development, particularly in sectors such as health, education, and agriculture and for addressing the Millennium Development Goals. The Main One project is expected to create hundreds of thousands of new Internet users who will be able to engage in e-learning, e-commerce, and online social networking. Better access to information enhances the people’s health, skills, employability, and their overall quality of life.

Main One is an important step towards lower cost of international telecommunications and significant expansion of internet access via submarine cable, which will lead to greater efficiency and more competitive business. Through the Main One project, Ghana and Nigeria will increase bandwidth availability, affordability, and reliability, which will reduce the cost of doing business, lead to job creation and create favorable conditions for higher real economic growth. The project will lead to the creation of new service-oriented businesses in the ICT sector, such as call centers, and innovative-instant messaging businesses such as mobile-based money transfers.

The cable, which goes live in June 2010, is bringing the much-expected international capacity into a region whose explosive growth in tele-density in recent years has been blighted by sub-optimal global connectivity.

In addition to the submarine operations, Main One is building two landing stations in Accra and Lagos which will be complete next month. Equipment installation and end-to-end testing of the cable system will then follow, prior to service launch in June.

Main One will provide open access to 1.92 Terabits per second of capacity to the West African region at prices less than 50 percent of current wholesale capacity prices.

The international capacity that Main One is bringing into the West African sub-region will consolidate the explosive growth of telecommunications in the sub-region in recent years. In addition to providing a major boost to Internet access, Main One will help to considerably minimize the difficulties of switching traffic between African countries and eliminate the inconveniences and added costs of first routing traffic to Europe.

The Main One Cable Company is wholly owned by African investors – African Finance Corporation, Nigeria; Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund, South Africa; FBN Capital, Nigeria; Skye Bank, Nigeria and Main Street Technologies, Nigeria, which is the project sponsor.

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. From left: Ignacia Ugalde (President Tyco Electronics, Bernard Logan( Business Development Executive Of Main One Cable Company, Solomon ( a Director in Main One.) and Fola Adeola ( Chairman Main ONE)

PRESS RELEASE

PHASE 1 MARINE INSTALLATION COMPLETED ON MAIN ONE CABLE SYSTEM

Cable System Spans 6,800 km; Provides Higher Capacity and Increased Connectivity Between the West Coast of Africa, Portugal and Beyond

Main One Cable Company and its system supplier, Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications (SubCom), Announced that following the on schedule completion of the main lay program by the C.S. Tyco Resolute, the final cable splice made earlier this week, the marine installation program for Phase 1 of the Main One Cable System has been completed on schedule. Installation of terminal equipment is complete in Seixal, Portugal and underway at the system’s landing sites in Lagos, Nigeria and Accra, Ghana. The system is expected to be ready for service in June 2010.

Phase 1 of the Main One Cable System spans 6,800 kilometers and will provide much needed capacity between the West Coast of Africa and Portugal. The dual fiber pair, 1.92 Terabit per second, Dense Wave Division Multiplex project will first connect Lagos, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana and Seixal, Portugal with onward connectivity to Europe, Asia and the Americas. Phase 2 of the project is expected to extend to South Africa.

The Main One Cable System will provide open access to regional telecom operators and Internet Service Providers at rates lower than existing international bandwidth prices in the region. The system will provide broadband capacity to expand Internet access in the sub-Saharan region, as well as ease the difficulties of switching traffic between African countries without the need to go through Europe.

FROM LEFT FOLA ADEOLA AND FUNKE OPEKE ( MD MAIN ONE)

“We are thrilled to say that the challenge of completing the marine work for the Main One Cable System is behind us and that we will soon be able to concentrate on the critical mission of providing high-capacity bandwidth to regions of the globe where it is long overdue,” said Funke Opeke, CEO of Main One Cable Company. “Together with SubCom, we have met our goals on schedule and we eagerly look towards delivering capacity to our customers and executing plans for expansion of the network.”

“Since the launch of our alliance in 2008, SubCom has looked forward to completing the Phase 1 marine installation. Completion of the marine program brings us very close to making the Main One Cable System a reality,” said David Coughlan, president of SubCom. “We consider the work we have done on Main One to be a

significant accomplishment and are proud to be associated with this project.”

Contact: Main One Cable Company

Jumoke Akande

+234 1 280 1340

Bernard Logan

+44 1245 256 376

info@mainonecable.com

Courtney McDaniel

TE SubCom

+1 973 656 8000

info@subcom.com

About Main One

Main One Cable Company Limited (‘Main One’) is the first submarine cable company offering open access, wholesale broadband capacity in West Africa. Main One is wholly African-owned with a vision to expand the much needed capacity on the African continent and reduce costs of broadband communications across the Continent. This vision is being realized in a 1.92 Tbps and 7000km submarine cable system scheduled

for service in June 2010 with initial landing stations in Nigeria, Ghana and Portugal – connecting West Africa to the rest of the world via Portugal and the United Kingdom. Main One has leveraged experienced and proven world-class professionals in ensuring we get it right first time round and do so on time. We have built a state-of-the-art Network Operations Centre matching the best international standards and comparable to

its glob al counterparts. We also have a strong management and technical team in place to ensure system reliability and constant availability backed by Service Level Agreements. Our systems are monitored 24 x 7 x 365 – every hour, every day, all year round to guarantee our customers minimum down time in service delivery.

For more information visit www.mainonecable.com.

About TE SubCom

Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications (SubCom) is an industry pioneer in undersea

communications technology and marine services and a leading global supplier for

today’s undersea communications requirements. Drawing on its heritage of technical

innovation and industry recognized performance, the company delivers the most reliable,

high quality solutions to organizations with undersea communications needs vital to their

core mission. In more than five decades of operation, SubCom has designed,

manufactured, and installed more than 100 undersea fiber optic systems around the

world. SubCom’s global presence, backed by industry leading research and

development laboratories, manufacturing facilities, installation and maintenance ships,

depots, and management team work together to implement integrated solutions and

network upgrades, with unsurpassed reliability, that support the needs of

telecommunications, internet providers, offshore and science customers worldwide.

For more information visit www.SubCom.com.

###

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Shamsydeen Badmus

The number of internet users in South Africa increased by 15 per cent in 2009.  A new report released on Thursday by technology and research company World Wide Worx states that 5.3 million people in South Africa now use the internet. The managing director of the organisation, Arthur Goldstuck, predicts further strong growth in 2010 and that South Africa could have six million internet users by the end of the year. The rise follows a stagnant period between 2002 and 2007, but changes in regulation have allowed small internet providers to enter the market with more competitive packages. However, overall internet penetration in South Africa is only 10 per cent, still far behind developed countries.

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Ernest Bai Koroma, Sierra Leonean President

 By Tayo Adelaja

Sierra Leone has launched a satellite link-up to connect doctors around the country to their colleagues in India. The system enables doctors in Sierra Leone to consult doctors in India and benefit from data analysis in better-equipped Indian hospitals. For now the telemedicine link-up has been launched in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. But national hospital care manager Dr Thaim Kamara said the scheme will be extended to other provinces and rural areas in the future. The Indian government is funding the new system as part of a broader pan-African telemedicine plan. Sierra Leone’s healthcare system was seriously compromised during the 11-year-long civil war that ended in 2002 and caused many doctors to flee the country.

Sierra Leone Doctors Connect to India Counterparts Through Satellite

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Press Release

Renewable Energy and Efficiency Targeted To Lower Telecoms Costs: Nokia Siemens Networks Launches Comprehensive Approach to Efficient and Sustainable Telecoms Growth

 Nokia Siemens Networks today launched the industry’s most comprehensive range of Energy Solutions for telecoms operators. The Energy Solutions, designed to reduce network operating costs, can lower the power consumption of telecoms networks by exploiting more efficient technology and renewable energy.

 “This marks an important milestone in our journey towards enabling the efficient and sustainable growth of our industry,” said Ashish Chowdhary, head of Services, Nokia Siemens Networks. “What we have launched today is the first complete offering of its kind for operators of new and legacy telecommunications networks. It comprises all the ingredients necessary for substantially reducing telecoms energy use and a shift towards renewable energy.”

 Nokia Siemens Networks Energy Solutions consists of six elements that combine both products and services. They are: Energy Modernization; Off-Grid Site Solution; Bad-Grid Site Solution; Energy Efficiency Consulting; Green Energy Control and Energy OPEX Management. Each element targets a specific area of telecoms network energy consumption, management or sourcing. Among the key technologies within the elements of the portfolio are an intelligent energy control system, with remote monitoring capabilities of all power sources. This system manages battery charging and discharging to drive increased fuel savings. It also enables remote data collection and control.1

 Energy is a significant percentage of a communications service provider’s operating cost. In mature markets it accounts for up to 10 per cent, while in developing markets it can range from 15 up to 30 per cent.2 Nokia Siemens Networks’ Energy Solutions reduce energy consumption by better managing the power demands of specific sites, such as mobile base stations. They also allow for the profitable and efficient expansion of networks in rural and remote areas by eliminating the need for diesel generators, providing a more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly way to extend connectivity.

 “We are pleased to be able to announce today that Telenor has opted for our Off-Grid Site Solution using energy harvested from the sun for affordable communications access to users in rural Pakistan”, Chowdhary continued. “Many customers are showing significant interest in energy saving opportunities and we have received excellent feedback from pilot implementations we have completed.”3

 Nokia Siemens Networks has deployed more than 390 sites running on renewable energy in 25 countries in Asia-Pacific, China, Europe, Middle East Africa and Latin America. Its Flexi Multiradio Base Station has the lowest energy consumption on the market4.

“Improving energy efficiency within our industry is vital – it’s the right thing to do from both a social and business perspective. Over the next two years, we will remain focused on strengthening remote site implementation to drive greater efficiency,” Chowdhary concluded.

 The new Energy Solutions portfolio lowers the total cost of ownership, is simple to implement, has a long life time and has a fast payback period.

 About Nokia Siemens Networks

Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland.

www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

 Engage in conversation about Nokia Siemens Networks’ aim to reinvent the connected world at http://unite.nokiasiemensnetworks.com and talk about its news at http://blogs.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

Find out if your country is exploiting the full potential of connectivity at http://connectivityscorecard.org

*Notes to editors

 1. Nokia Siemens Networks Energy Solutions comprise of six elements:

·         Nokia Siemens Networks Energy Modernization

·         Nokia Siemens Networks Off-Grid Site Solution

·         Nokia Siemens Networks Bad-Grid Site Solution

·         Nokia Siemens Networks Energy Efficiency Consulting

·         Nokia Siemens Networks Green Energy Control

·         Nokia Siemens Networks Energy OPEX Management

The elements within Energy Solutions are addressed in a three-step approach: “understand and propose”, “delivery” and “maintenance.” In the understand and propose phase a dedicated team of business consultants examines network energy use and proposes appropriate ways to reduce it and move to lower cost, renewable sources. In the delivery phase, the full set of services and products required for network planning and modernization are implemented while service quality is maintained. Finally, maintenance services ensure the improvements in energy efficiency across the network are sustained. The flexibility of this three step approach results in a complete view of the operator’s network and an energy solution tailored to its specific needs.

2. In mature markets up to 10 per cent of network operational cost is energy. In emerging markets it can be anything from around 15 percent to 30 percent (source: Nokia Siemens Networks operational efficiency benchmarking).

 The average price of diesel has risen more than 50% in many locations within the past year, contributing to a significant portion of operating costs for operators. The sustained rise of global energy prices is a direct contributor to these costs. (GSMA: Green Power for Mobile, 2008)

 Mobile base station electricity costs could rise by nearly 55% over the next five years unless operators address network inefficiencies and reduce reliance on non-renewable energy resources. Juniper also warns that unless operators in Africa and Asia shift to renewable energy sources they will find their margins increasingly squeezed as they expand, such that their networks may no longer be financially viable in a few years time. (Juniper Research: Green Mobile Networks & Base Stations, 2009)

 3. As mobile networks expand in developing markets, an estimated 75,000 mobile base stations are built each year requiring their own power source as they are not connected to a mains grid. The GSMA predicts that by 2012, up to 50% of new off-grid base stations in developing world could be powered by renewable energy. (GSMA: Green Power for Mobile, 2008)

 Combined with the unpredictable cost of fuel and the logistical challenges of building and maintaining more remote sites, there are significant financial and environmental benefits from renewable energy sources. For Nokia Siemens Networks this means renewable energy will be its first choice for remote base stations by 2011.  

4. Nokia Siemens Networks is a market leader in the energy efficiency of base stations and has committed to improve energy efficiency of its GSM/EDGE and WCDMA/HSPA base station products by up to 40 percent by 2012.

Further information:

Nokia Siemens Networks Corporate Responsibility report 2008

Data highlights and targets in corporate responsibility

 http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/energysolutions

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 There’s a freight train in Congress heading toward the Web that isn’t getting a lot of attention in newsrooms, though it could have a huge effect on their ability to support themselves online.

U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher (a Democrat from Virginia) is proposing legislation that could be introduced in the House next month to protect privacy on the Web. If enacted, the new law could drastically change the way information can be collected through browsers’ cookies, and it could have a serious impact on the billions of dollars spent every year on display advertising on the Web. It could even change how we use the Web itself.

“How many consumers want to pay $1,000 a month to have access to the Internet?” Matthew Wise, president and CEO of Q Interactive asked Wednesday during a debate on privacy at The Economist‘s Media Convergence Forum in New York. “The reason they don’t have to is because of advertising.”

The crux of Boucher’s bill for the advertising industry is a plan to prevent Web sites from sharing information with “unrelated third parties.” It is just this type of third-party data collection that allows large-scale ad targeting and accounts for billions of dollars in ad sales today. When users visit a Web site and view content or click on certain ads, that data is recorded and the users can then be targeted and “re-targeted” multiple times as they travel throughout the Web.

If Boucher’s bill becomes law, publishers, from the massive Yahoo down to solo bloggers, could lose the ability to serve ads that collect and share information without a consumer’s permission up front.
“Congress’ position is that consumers are not appropriately aware of what is being done on their machines, and the use of cookies delivered by a third party is something consumers have not been appropriately informed of,” Simulmedia CEO Dave Morgan, who heads the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s privacy committee, said in June after meeting with Congressional staffers.

He was on the opposite side of the debate from Wise at the conference, and he pointed out how much data is collected and shared — everything from our bank account and credit card balances to the pharmaceuticals we’ve purchased — without our knowledge.

Industry trade groups have responded to Boucher by banding together and saying consumers should be allowed to opt out, essentially a shored-up version of a practice that’s been in place for years. The proposed steps, Boucher says in a piece he wrote in The Hill, “do not go far enough, and there is no guarantee that every company that collects information from the Internet-using public will abide by them.”

Members of the IAB and other trade groups and companies tell me privately that they’re fearful of the cost and potential fallout from having to rejigger all their processes and forcing consumers to opt in, instead of out. Boucher says his bill would help the industry and add to commerce by adding a new level of trust and verification.
Consumers can, of course, block or delete their cookies, though only a minority are said to do so. In my experience, the percentages are lowest — as low as single digits — on the mass consumer sites. A sizable majority of Americans, however, do bristle at the idea of being tracked online by advertisers, according to survey data released last month.

At the Media Convergence conference, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark told me on a panel I moderated that “trust is the new black” for marketers and journalists in this new, transparent world.

I believe that to get in front of the data collection issue, advertising trade groups must explain more cogently the benefits of cookies — everything from gaining open access to applications to being able to visit Web sites without having to log on repeatedly. They’ll also have to work triple overtime to prove to consumers they are not collecting or storing personally identifiable information but instead are masking and encrypting it.
I’m afraid, though, that many in marketing have a tin ear to the way the public perceives their efforts. Otherwise, why would speakers at the Economist conference and another I attended last month have proudly showed scenes from the movie “Minority Report” in which the Tom Cruise character is eerily tracked by billboard ads that read his irises as he walks through malls and stores?
Many experts in corporate social responsibility will tell you that the best technique to derail an oncoming train like is to go further than is being asked, for example by taking steps that have never been taken before. Fighting to maintain the status quo, on the other hand, could leave the digital advertising industry looking at the caboose.

Editor:

Culled from poynter.org

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With the advent of ‘the information revolution,’ the importance and impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is being felt in all sectors of modern societies. From sports to business, politics or otherwise, ICT has increasingly added value to the quality of human life in today’s ‘information age’ in Africa and beyond.

Many countries on the continent are seemingly busy trying to implement what is known as the -‘E-governance’ project, an idea of making governments more accountable, transparent and responsive to the needs of their citizens by using ICT tools.

The tiny West African country of the Gambia is also struggling to add its name to the list of countries that have become ‘information-rich-societies’ in the ‘global village.’ Unknown to the majority of its 1.4million citizenry, the Gambian government launched its E-governance Project in 2005. The project was sponsored by the Economic Commission of Africa (ECA). One of the main aims of the project was to make ICT work in favor of democratic governance and economic development of the country.

But what does ICT and democratic governance really mean in practice for the common Gambian?

The West African country is led by a President who came to power through a military coup in 1994 and later transformed himself into a civilian leader, a President who does not believe in real democratic governance. Even though he allowed many democratic institutions like an electoral commission, a parliament and the judiciary to exist, he never gives them the much-needed freedom to operate. He appoints, harasses and sometimes dismisses members of such bodies in the country. All the supposed democratic institutions which should have provided checks and balance on his too much executive powers only exist in theory. The net effect is that the common man/woman in the Gambia is left wondering if he/she is really living in a democratic environment or not.

In the Gambia radio and television services are very popular and most effective in reaching out to the masses. This is due to the fact that about 68% percent of Gambian society hardly reads newspapers and so rely heavily on the electronic media particularly the state radio, ‘Radio Gambia’ has a nation-wide coverage, for their source of information. The only television station in the country is the ‘Gambia Television Service.’ It is established, run and firmly controlled by the President and his clique. Aside these, there is a cluster of commercial and community radio stations dotted across the country.

It is against this backdrop that the e-governance project is being implemented by a government that is intolerant to dissenting views and did not even allow the independent media and journalists to work freely. President Yahya Jammeh’s government believes in controlling information instead of its free flow. Since assuming power in 1994 and subsequent re-elections, Jammeh closed downed many private radio stations like the famous ‘Citizen FM’ and ‘Sud FM’ as well as the Banjul-based ‘Independent Newspaper.’ He also arrested and harassed scores of journalists just because they disagreed with his political philosophy and style of governance which he branded “African democracy.”

Many independent-minded Gambian journalists were also threatened and forced into exile. In realization of the need for effective use of ICTs, most of these journalists started their own on-line newspapers and radios to provide the much-needed impartial information on the country and the way it is governed. This has gone a long way in enabling the people to have relevant information to challenge the none-democratic nature of the present regime.

Source: Momodouh L. JAITEH, Gambian journalist.

Article produced in the framework of Haayo Call 3.

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