Industry News Imported

The Minister for Communications, Mrs Ursula Owusu- Ekuful, has hinted that the government is preparing legislation to protect and sanitise the cyberspace against criminal acts and abuses.

She indicated that the new safeguard measure is aimed at protecting children against cybercrime.Mrs Owusu-Ekuful disclosed this at the second National Girls in ICT Day which climaxed on Monday in Takoradi on the theme ‘Expanding horizons, changing attitudes.”Attended by 650 JHS girls from nine districts of the Western Region, the event coordinated by the Ministry of Communications in collaboration with Ghana Investment Fund For Electronic Communications (GIFEC) and supports from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the Western Regional Coordinating Council (WRCC), provided two-week ICT training and mentorship for the participants.Sixty students who performed well during the event, received laptop computers donated by MTN Ghana while the first 10 best also got internet modems with free one-year data bundle.Central Region will host the next event in December.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful declared: “Government is introducing a Cyber security Bill with provisions on Child Online Protection (COP), to ensure that offenders of revenge pornography( that is acts of distributing sexually explicit images or videos without the consent of parties) will be prosecuted. The National Cyber Security Centre is currently reviewing the framework on COP and this includes a comprehensive implementation roadmap aimed at protecting our children online.”

She added that, the ministry would in the next weeks also launch a cybercrime/security incident reporting point of contacts to provide channels including online portals, hotlines, SMS line and a dedicated apps, adding that the Ghana Police Service together with telecommunication industry and the Internet Watch Foundation, would also ensure the proper handling of crime committed online.She spoke about the critical role ICT could play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) by 2030 and also eradicating poverty, but, noted that this could not be achieved if the non-inclusion of women and girls in the sector was not addressed.Mrs Owusu-Ekuful argued that one way to reduce the disparities in the ICT world was to reduce the misconceptions including the thoughts that ICT requires mathematics skills and that people in the industry did not have social life, adding “don’t let anyone put you down and say you are a girl, you can do it if you stay focused and worked hard.”

A Deputy Minister for Education, Gifty Twum Ampofo, who noted that ICT played an important role in the life of society including industrialisation, agriculture and even international travels, believed that Africa needed to overcome the challenges in ICT, especially in the 21st century.

“Do not let anyone tell you ICT is a study for boys. I urge you never to take NO for an answer. Many women have gone before you and have succeeded in science, technology, and engineering subjects. Be inspired by their achievements.” she urged the girls.

The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, for his part, was happy that girls were highly motivated to pursue careers in ICT after listening to some female achievers in the field,

“I will therefore, personally ensure that this becomes a deliverable responsibility to be reported upon annually by the assemblies and the Regional Director of Education .I strongly urged our females students to take ICT serious in the educational endeavours because the world is now in the digital epoch.” he pledged.The Omanhene of Essikado, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, who chaired the event, told the girls to be critical thinkers and use the web to build their future, adding that it was important for women to take the charge, lead and build the African society, which has been ‘messed up’ by men.

“With women conscious efforts, Ghana and Africa will not be where it is today. You must rewrite the history of Africa, but, you can only do it if you have an expanded horizon. You need to write your own stories through the web. Create your own cyber web, but, be critical and ask questions. Whoever controls your image controls your image. The future lies in the web” he said.

Source: graphic.com.gh

ZTE and Nokia have announced deals with Malaysian telecommunications companies to carry out 5G trials in the country during 2019.

ZTE inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with telecom operator Digi Telecommunications to carry out a 5G trial this year.

Under the terms of the deal, both companies will carry out 5G live trials of end-to-end network functions and features, as well as trials of 5G use cases for enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) and Massive Machine Type Communications (MMTC).

The trials will be conducted using low, mid and high 5G spectrum bands, the two companies said.

“We acknowledge that deploying 5G in Malaysia has to be a multi-party effort, and we look forward to more collaborations such as these to accelerate the adoption of the technology in Malaysia. These trials and demonstrations will give us more insights into what is needed in order to implement 5G according to the needs of the country,” said Digi’s CTO Kesavan Sivabalan.

Xiao Ming, SVP of Global Sales, ZTE Corps said: “ZTE has been working with many mainstream operators globally for 5G innovation and developments, and is pleased to work with Digi to bring its best practices and suitable use cases to Malaysia,” said Xiao Ming, SVP of global sales at ZTE.

In March, ZTE signed a MoU Understanding with Malaysian telco U Mobile to collaborate on various 5G related developments including 5G tests, 5G showcases as well as the implementation of massive MIMO technology.

Also, Nokia announced it has signed a MoU with local carrier U Mobile to conduct a 5G network trial.

The trial will be done later this year and will demonstrate the 5G capability of enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) as well as other 5G use cases such as in the fields of virtual reality (VR) and e-sports, Nokia said in a release.

“We have in our plan to conduct several 5G live trials with Nokia later this year for various use cases,” said Woon Ooi Yuen, CTO of U Mobile. “Currently, we already have in place Nokia’s AirScale base stations which are 5G-ready and hence, ready for trials.”

To date, Nokia says it has signed 37 5G commercial contracts across the world, including 20 with named customers.

 

Source: rcrwireless.com

Nokia is deploying a cloud-based Subscriber Data Management (SDM) solution that enables Vodafone Egypt to offer services to its 4G customers. The deployment, under the Spring SDM project, helps the service provider to continue transforming its operations around telco cloud technology.

The adoption of Nokia’s Telco Cloud Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) helps Vodafone Egypt scale its network to meet unprecedented increases in data traffic while simplifying its operational model. The Nokia SDM solution is currently used for other applications, such as Mobile Number Portability (MNP) and Equipment Identity Register (EIR). Nokia also provides cloud integration and implementation services to enable a smooth transition to the SDM solution. The deployment is a significant step in the complete transformation of Vodafone Egypt’s network to continue providing the best-in-class services to its subscribers.
In addition, by deploying Nokia Registers, Vodafone Egypt is able to manage its subscriber data and authentication from a centralized location and across all technologies regardless of whether they are fixed or mobile. This leads to better network efficiency and faster, smoother introduction of new services. As a result, Vodafone Egypt is able to maintain its leadership position while significantly reducing the time-to-market for the launch of new services.

Osama Said, CTO at Vodafone Egypt, said: “This deployment is a testimony of our strong and enduring relationship with Nokia. Nokia’s proven SDM solution is enabling us to enhance efficiency by consolidating subscriber data across various networks. This is one of the earliest applications over the cloud and is not only helping us by offering a superior experience to our customers but also by simplifying our operational model.”

Sharaf ElDin Mohamed, Head of the Vodafone Egypt Customer Team at Nokia, said: “This is a significant deployment for us and underlines our capabilities in telco cloud and SDM technology. We are excited to help Vodafone Egypt deliver improved customer experience and innovative services, which enables the operator to improve customer loyalty and maintain its leadership position in the industry.”

Source: www.itnewsafrica.com

Lenovo and Qualcomm unveiled what they described as the first 5G computer powered by a Snapdragon processor, although it is not set to hit the market until 2020.

Debuted at Computex in Taiwan under the banner “Project Limitless”, Johnson Jia, SVP of the PC business group at Lenovo said: “With real 5G in a PC, it’s all about satisfying users’ need for speed: faster file transfers and streaming in 4K, 8K and even AR/VR; faster and higher quality video chats on-the-go; even faster screen refreshes for mobile gaming.”

Qualcomm has been touting its concept of always connected PCs for several years now, with a range of vendors having brought products to market supporting the technology. To date, these have used LTE networks for connectivity.

And while much has been made of the potential of 5G to drive connectivity across form factors, so far smartphones and Wi-Fi hotspots have led the way.

Ahead of the launch, Miquel Nunes, senior director of product management at Qualcomm Technologies, told Mobile World Live: “The capacity improvements, the latency improvements, are going to change the way people use PCs. You have a network without any boundaries.”

He expects the new device to appeal to markets including enterprises, attracted by the flexibility such devices can offer.

“Enterprises today are typically confined to a building or campus. This removes those boundaries: you can work from anywhere and have the same access you would on a local network on a remote network,” he continued.

Project Limitless is powered by Qualcomm’s 8cx platform, which the company said is “the world’s first 7nm platform purpose-built for PCs that offer 5G connectivity”.

It uses the US company’s X55 5G modem, and also includes an X24 LTE modem for areas beyond 5G coverage.

 

Source: mobileworldlive.com

The European Commission believes that Google, Twitter and Facebook are not actively fighting fake news ahead of elections to the European Parliament scheduled for May 23-26, said the European Commissioner for Digital Economy Mariya Gabriel in Brussels.

According to her, more measures are needed to enhance the integrity of services, including advertising services. Moreover, the data provided still does not have a sufficient level of detail necessary for an independent and accurate assessment of how the platform policy actually helps to reduce the spread of misinformation in the EU, TASS reported.The European Commissioner noted that in the run-up to the elections, all three platforms should intensify efforts to combat disinformation and do their best for users to have a fair choice of reliable information.

In autumn 2018, the European Commission signed with three companies the Code of Conduct and practices to combat disinformation.

 

Source: Telecompaper

MTN Ghana has announced a partnership with the International Federation of Skate Soccer (IFSS), to organise a skate soccer league in Ghana. According to the organisers, it is designed to provide clarity on intricate product details and focus on the desired promise to customers, in alignment with the brand.

Skate Soccer is a truly exciting sport and the first of its kind. The sport is played by physically challenged individuals especially polio survivors.

The main focus of this is to get the physically challenged off the streets and better their lives. Skate Soccer create an environment that gives opportunity to the physically challenged to showcase their talent in the game of soccer while brightening their lives.

In this game, polio survivors sit on a slightly larger skateboard and play association football. The ball is controlled by their hands and the rules are very similar to regular association football. Brands that have been leveraging this Event are Binatone, who is the main sponsor supported by some of the Radio and TV stations.

The event, according to MTN, will provide a platform to interact, motivate and reward its existing and potential subscribers through sales activities, brand engagements, public relations activities and CSR.

Source: ghanaiantimes.com

Alphabet Inc’s Google has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday, in a blow to the Chinese technology company that the U.S. government has sought to blacklist around the world.

Holders of current Huawei smartphones with Google apps, however, will continue to be able to use and download app updates provided by Google, a Google spokesperson said, confirming earlier reporting by Reuters.
“We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications,” the Google spokesperson said.
“For users of our services, Google Play and the security protections from Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices,” the spokesperson said, without giving further details.

The suspension could hobble Huawei’s smartphone business outside China as the tech giant will immediately lose access to updates to Google’s Android operating system. Future versions of Huawei smartphones that run on Android will also lose access to popular services including the Google Play Store and Gmail and YouTube apps.
“Huawei will only be able to use the public version of Android and will not be able to get access to proprietary apps and services from Google,” the source said.
The Trump administration on Thursday added Huawei Technologies Co Ltd to a trade blacklist, immediately enacting restrictions that will make it extremely difficult for the company to do business with U.S. counterparts.

On Friday the U.S. Commerce Department said it was considering scaling back restrictions on Huawei to “prevent the interruption of existing network operations and equipment.” It was not immediately clear on Sunday whether Huawei’s access to mobile software would be affected.
The extent to which Huawei will be hurt by the U.S. government’s blacklist is not yet known as its global supply chain assesses the impact. Chip experts have questioned Huawei’s ability to continue to operate without U.S. help.
Details of the specific services affected by the suspension were still being discussed internally at Google, according to the source. Huawei attorneys are also studying the impact of the blacklist, a Huawei spokesman said on Friday. Huawei was not immediately reachable for further comment.

Representatives of the U.S. Commerce Department did not immediately comment.

 

Source:Telecom.com

Vodafone is readying itself to take over the Ashanti Region in what has come to be known as “Ashanti Month,” The telecommunications company is committing a huge investment into a host of activities and interventions in the region throughout the month of May.

As has already been communicated in previous years, Vodafone considers the region a very important part of its ethos and strategic delivery in Ghana. This year’s agenda coincides with the 2Oth Anniversary celebration of the Asantehene’s coronation and is set to take on an elevated form from previous years.

The annual Vodafone Asantehene Open Golf Championship is billed to be the highlight of the month and has been slated for the 8th to the 12th of May. Other activities include SME clinics for the company’s enterprise clients, mega promotions and giveaways, health walks, market activations, health screening exercises, digital coding for the youth, digital education awareness for selected primary schools in the regions as well as the Royal Otumfuo Dinner for key stakeholders, which takes place after the golf championship.

Commenting, Chief Executive Officer, Patricia Obo-Nai said:

“This year’s Ashanti Month is different because it aligns with the 20th Anniversary of the Asantehene and that alone gives it an elevated level of awareness and visibility. We commend the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for his unparalleled contribution and leadership in the economic and social development of this region. We also want to assure all our customers that we will continue to remain a leader in innovation and creativity in the industry whilst ensuring that their technological future is exciting.”

Vodafone is in the third year of its golf sponsorship deal with the Manhyia Palace. Throughout this time, the telecom company has achieved great dividend for its customers and stakeholders in the Ashanti region due to the platform.

Source: Ghanaweb

Digital Innovation through Blockchain technology will take center stage when this year’s HackLab Foundation’s Hackathon opens on Friday April 19th at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

The programme is borne out of a partnership between Vodafone’s Enterprise Business, Stanbic Bank, IBM and The HackLab Foundation to digitally empower technology students at the University.

This year’s theme, “Can Blockchain Technology transform the Services Sector?” is expected to create a spark and revolutionise the thinking of the student developers on campus. The event will bring together 600 developers from over 18 institutions across Ghana to find plausible and scalable solutions for the Ghanaian and African market using Blockchain technology. Vodafone is also expected to support the best developers in implementing their ideas at the end of the session.

Blockchain technology remains a very popular technology across the world and it will be interesting to see how the students will use it to tackle pertinent issues in the services sector.

Commenting ahead of the event, Angela Mensah-Poku, Enterprise Business Director at Vodafone said:

“We are always excited about the opportunity to unearth young talents in the digital technology sector. Blockchain technology is a very fascinating concept which has captured the attention of the world and this hackathon is a demonstration of our commitment to lead a digital revolution in Ghana. Our status as a leading telecom company in Ghana means we have the power to drive change in our society and this is one of the many avenues we are deploying to accelerate Ghana’s digital journey.”

Over three years, Vodafone has succeeded in executing a strategy of igniting a digital revolution in Ghana, leaving no one behind. The impact of this is felt in several platforms and initiatives including the yearly Hackathons, National Digital Coding, Instant Schools online portals and the youth skills & jobs portal.

Source: Ghanaweb

The Mobile Industry has celebrated World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD), with a market activation at the Rawlings Park (Makola) in Accra Central.

The event organised under the global theme “Trusted Smart Products”, was aimed at educating traders, commuters and the general public in the safe use of mobile technologies, applications and services provided by mobile network operators.It provided an opportunity for the mobile network operators to highlight issues on mobile and digital security and also educate the public to avoid the purchase and use of fake phones as well as pre-registered Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards and to report wayward merchants and persons who trade in such products to the law enforcement authorities.

Kenneth Ashigbey, CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, in his remarks, underscored the symbiotic relationship between the consumers and the mobile operators and reiterated the relentless commitment of the industry to provide world-class telecommunications with consumers at the core of their operations.

“Consumers have rights and equally have responsibilities, and we will work with our customers to ensure they do not compromise on their security and data privacy as they gain access to new services, more responsive products, greater convenience and choice,” Mr Ashigbey said.

“We… caution all Ghanaians to be vigilant and desist from disclosing their mobile money PINs and avoid discussing their wallet or financial details with anybody over a telephone call. We should be quick to report fraudulent numbers to the toll free short code 419 for immediate resolution,” Mr Ashigbey said.

A member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communications, Sam George, called for the development of a legislation which will criminalize fibre cuts that deny consumers of data and internet services offered by the telecommunication companies in the country.

He explained that fibre cuts, which was often caused by road construction and building construction, put huge financial burdens on the telecommunication companies and deny consumers of communication and internet services.

He also lauded the Chamber for organizing the event to sensitize consumers on their rights and also the opportunity to interact with the mobile network operators and seek solutions to challenges facing them in the use of mobile services.

Customers were also sensitized on the importance of fibre optic networks within their communities, which are critical to the delivery of quality telecommunications services.

Private developers, Road contractors and utility companies were implored as partners to work with the mobile industry in safeguarding this critical infrastructure from cuts to guarantee quality service for all.

The event was characterized with fun activities, such as drama, comic dancing, comedy and customers who participated in other educational games were rewarded with assorted products from their network operators

Senior officials from the mobile industry, network operators, tower infrastructure companies, Members of Parliament, Consumer Protection Agency, Data Protection Commission, Mobile Phone Dealers Association, media and the general public graced the occasion.

Source: Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications