Nigeria: Hullabaloo, dissatisfaction trails implementation of National Central Switch
Ben Uzor Jr
The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) recently issued directive that all banks connect to the National Central Switch (NCS) has drawn the indignation of electronic payment providers who have expressed their reservations about their narrow understanding of the model employed by the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) in implementing the switch. Furthermore, they maintain that the resultant frustration and confusion about the NCS is a culmination of NIBSS’s laxity in the area of interfacing with stakeholders on the implementation process as well as its inability to provide the needed answers to the numerous questions and worries of service providers concerning the operations of the central switch. According to them, NIBSS has not addressed their concerns about implementation, hence their lack of enthusiasm to partake fully in the switch because of limited understanding of the model adopted. They however further expound that there is immense value in possessing a central switch but it must work hand in glove with the model that recognises the existence of other switches. The issue of mandating banks to also connect to the central switch, they claim negates this model making the NCS a competitor to existing switches rather than a regulator. In sharp response, NIBSS has dismissed these accusations claiming that they have been open and fair in their mandate of setting-up the National Central Switch (NCS). The NCS was created to address one of the major problems often encountered by banks’ customers in the use of payment card products like debit and credit cards. The project was embarked upon to assist bank customers who on many occasions experience the frustration of not being able to use their card on ATM or PoS irrespective of the bank that issued the card or the bank that owns the ATM or PoS terminal. Accordingly, bank customers have had in their possession many cards belonging to different banks or card schemes (switches). Conversely, to further add value to end users seeking financial services through cost reduction and improved service delivery, there was a need to carve out reciprocal interoperability and unhindered interconnectivity between all stakeholders in the industry. To address this problem, the Bankers Committee, in 2005, initiated the establishment of the NCS to be operated by NIBSS, and which would connect all the banks and card schemes (switches), hence, making it possible for banks customers to use their cards on any payment device irrespective of the owner. Paul Lawal managing director, NIBSS stated: “The primary objective of the Nigeria Central Switch is interoperability. That is any payment device will accept any card from any switch or any bank. The other objective is to be the gateway for foreign electronic payment transactions. “We are saying less frustration for the Nigerian banking public because they don't have to care where they have to buy, they will just carry their card and it is accepted anywhere. That is the value proposition”, he said. The operating guidelines require all existing switches to connect to the NCS but Lawal stated that though the central switch has been running since 2007, electronic payment providers (switches) did not connect to it until recently when they were mandated by the CBN to do so. He said even though they have now connected, they are yet to allow transactions within the system to pass through the central switch. In all, what remains imperative is the need for stakeholders, including NIBSS, the Bankers Committee and existing switches to meet and deliberate on the modalities for implementing the NCS. Speaking at the 2nd Techno-Interactive Series of the E-Payment Providers Association of Nigeria (E-PPAN) held in Lagos recently, Francis Ebuechi, chief executive officer, Chams Switch stated: “If you tell the switches to talk to the NCS and the banks stayed away from that kind of discussions, I don’t think that the NCS will listen to the switches. I think the Bankers Committee, which set up the NIBSS and then the NCS, should actually sit the NCS down and say this is what we want you to do. And if you can also coordinate all the stakeholders to be there and explain to everyone there what the NCS should do, it would be better.” In response to questions asked by other participants at the conference, Akeem Lawal, chief technology officer, Interswitch said: “There is value, and this is speaking as Interswitch, there is value in having an NCS in the model that recognises there are existing players in the market who already create significant value and, there fore, what they add should be additional value that either increases business either for existing players, for banks, for new entrant or that reduces cost. “In the discussions we had with the central switch over the last year, a lot of the comments and questions that was discussed and answered were focused on creating that value. Now, the implementation thereafter may not follow directly under the original guidelines and principles and that is where I support the other speakers who said earlier that there might be a need for industry stakeholders to go back to the drawing board and say fine we recognised that there is value in this, however, that value can only be achieved if certain things are implemented in certain ways. “There is no clarity in terms of rules and regulation. And therein lies one of the key stumbling blocks that needs to be overcome before we can see the benefits that we expect to see from NCS”, Lawal added. Kyari Bukar, chief executive officer, ValuCard who delivered a presentation at the conference entitled: “Achieving Interoperability & Interconnectivity: What Options?” noted that interoperability and interconnectivity is not only desirable but achievable; further explaining that achieving the objectives rests on three critical pillars. “There must be a common and appropriate understanding by all industry stakeholders of the concept of interoperability. Also, there must be a common and appropriate understanding of the roles and functions of payment card industry players. Most importantly, the strict adherence to professionalism and the distinct roles and responsibilities of the different players built on the concept of separation of roles”, Bukar posited. Commenting on dangers in non-interoperability, Adesola Adeyiga, head, strategy and new business, e-Tranzact explained that this would translate to inadequate value to the banks, end users and industry players. It would also lead to ineffective market penetration as well as stiffen innovation in the e-payment industry, he further added.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Glo is a friendly network, says Governor Chime
Glo is a friendly network, says Governor Chime
. . . as new Gloworld opens in Enugu
Ben Uzor Jr
Sullivan Chime, executive governor of Enugu State has described the Second National Carrier, (SNC) Globacom as ‘a friendly network’. The governor made this assertion at the opening ceremony of the second Gloworld shop in Enugu, the state capital. Chime who spoke last week through his commissioner for youth and sports, Matthew Idu revealed that Globacom has done well in the area of service delivery, further adding that the opening of the new Gloworld in Enugu is another evidence of the company’s commitment to friendly interface with its customers. He thanked the company for its support to the state, clearly stating that Enugu state has been, and will continue to be a great supporter of Globacom. Commenting on the rationale behind setting-up the new facility, Shade Olusope, managing director of Gloworld said that the new shop was built to bring services as close as possible to Nigerians. “We do not want people to go far to solve their communication problems. We want everybody to have Gloworld in his or her domain”, she explained. Gloworld, the customer service/retail arm of Globacom, currently has 45 outlets spread across all geographical zones of Nigeria. According to Olusope, Gloworld has the largest telecoms customer relations network in Nigeria and is still growing. “We have a strategic plan to increase our customer service contact centres to 50 by this year”, she added. In response to radio and press announcements, excited subscribers in Enugu thronged to No. 23, Okpara Road, the location of the new Gloworld shop to experience the promised one-on-one, hi-tech customer care services of Globacom as soon as the shop threw its doors open to customers. With the opening of the new Gloworld, customer can obtain quick solutions to all issues ranging from SIM replacement to making enquiries and recovering over-scratched recharge cards. Other services offered by Gloworld include refilling of airtime, unblocking, phone and laptop configuration and payment of bills. The Gloworld also offers subscribers the additional benefits of purchasing all Glo products in a more comfortable and classy environment. Other dignitaries at the ceremony, who were also the first to be served at the new Gloworld, included the Enugu State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Chuks Ugwoke and the chief executive officer of Alhambra Resources, Chime Orji.
. . . as new Gloworld opens in Enugu
Ben Uzor Jr
Sullivan Chime, executive governor of Enugu State has described the Second National Carrier, (SNC) Globacom as ‘a friendly network’. The governor made this assertion at the opening ceremony of the second Gloworld shop in Enugu, the state capital. Chime who spoke last week through his commissioner for youth and sports, Matthew Idu revealed that Globacom has done well in the area of service delivery, further adding that the opening of the new Gloworld in Enugu is another evidence of the company’s commitment to friendly interface with its customers. He thanked the company for its support to the state, clearly stating that Enugu state has been, and will continue to be a great supporter of Globacom. Commenting on the rationale behind setting-up the new facility, Shade Olusope, managing director of Gloworld said that the new shop was built to bring services as close as possible to Nigerians. “We do not want people to go far to solve their communication problems. We want everybody to have Gloworld in his or her domain”, she explained. Gloworld, the customer service/retail arm of Globacom, currently has 45 outlets spread across all geographical zones of Nigeria. According to Olusope, Gloworld has the largest telecoms customer relations network in Nigeria and is still growing. “We have a strategic plan to increase our customer service contact centres to 50 by this year”, she added. In response to radio and press announcements, excited subscribers in Enugu thronged to No. 23, Okpara Road, the location of the new Gloworld shop to experience the promised one-on-one, hi-tech customer care services of Globacom as soon as the shop threw its doors open to customers. With the opening of the new Gloworld, customer can obtain quick solutions to all issues ranging from SIM replacement to making enquiries and recovering over-scratched recharge cards. Other services offered by Gloworld include refilling of airtime, unblocking, phone and laptop configuration and payment of bills. The Gloworld also offers subscribers the additional benefits of purchasing all Glo products in a more comfortable and classy environment. Other dignitaries at the ceremony, who were also the first to be served at the new Gloworld, included the Enugu State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Chuks Ugwoke and the chief executive officer of Alhambra Resources, Chime Orji.
Zain Nigeria selects AIRCOM to improve 2G and 3G service
Zain Nigeria selects AIRCOM to improve 2G and 3G service
. . . introduces new reward scheme for loyal customers
Ben Uzor Jr, with agency reports
GSM operator, Zain Nigeria has chosen Aircom International, an independent network planning and optimisation consultancy to manage its transformation services project for its 2G and 3G networks. As part of the agreement, Aircom consultants would audit the performance of Zain’s 2G and 3G networks, in order to reach agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Furthermore, the Aircom team will also play a fundamental role in assisting with CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) optimisation and OPEX (Operating Expenditure) reduction plans, estimated to save circa £6m during 2010 alone.
Meanwhile, existing and intending mobile phone users in Nigeria who are on the Zain network can now earn points, receive prizes and enjoy discounts when they use their phones. Under the terms of the newly introduced Zain Loyalty/Rewardz Scheme, customers who opt for the programme will earn points as they use Zain (make calls, send SMS or use data) making it possible for them to redeem various prizes as they accumulate enough points. The programme which is both a loyalty plan and reward scheme is open to both pre-paid and post-paid customers. Speaking at the launch of the scheme in Lagos, Shamel Hanafi, chief commercial officer, Zain Nigeria said the programme is specially packaged by the company to offer its customers special privileges and rewards for their loyalty to the brand. He explained that the introduction of the scheme further demonstrates the company’s well entrenched customer-centric culture in service delivery, adding that Zain is constantly devising ways to give those on its network more value for money. Hanafi added: “At Zain, over the years we have remained wholeheartedly committed to delighting our customers through innovative products and services and top class customer care service delivery because we recognise that they are the reason why we are in business. “Indeed, we operate on the maxim that our customers are more than just a number and that we must offer them something more than others in line with our brand philosophy of helping Nigerians enjoy a ‘wonderful world’”, said Hanafi. Zain customers who choose to participate in the scheme can earn points by using airtime through voice calls, SMS or data download/upload. The prizes to be won by customers are determined by the number of points earned.
. . . introduces new reward scheme for loyal customers
Ben Uzor Jr, with agency reports
GSM operator, Zain Nigeria has chosen Aircom International, an independent network planning and optimisation consultancy to manage its transformation services project for its 2G and 3G networks. As part of the agreement, Aircom consultants would audit the performance of Zain’s 2G and 3G networks, in order to reach agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Furthermore, the Aircom team will also play a fundamental role in assisting with CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) optimisation and OPEX (Operating Expenditure) reduction plans, estimated to save circa £6m during 2010 alone.
Meanwhile, existing and intending mobile phone users in Nigeria who are on the Zain network can now earn points, receive prizes and enjoy discounts when they use their phones. Under the terms of the newly introduced Zain Loyalty/Rewardz Scheme, customers who opt for the programme will earn points as they use Zain (make calls, send SMS or use data) making it possible for them to redeem various prizes as they accumulate enough points. The programme which is both a loyalty plan and reward scheme is open to both pre-paid and post-paid customers. Speaking at the launch of the scheme in Lagos, Shamel Hanafi, chief commercial officer, Zain Nigeria said the programme is specially packaged by the company to offer its customers special privileges and rewards for their loyalty to the brand. He explained that the introduction of the scheme further demonstrates the company’s well entrenched customer-centric culture in service delivery, adding that Zain is constantly devising ways to give those on its network more value for money. Hanafi added: “At Zain, over the years we have remained wholeheartedly committed to delighting our customers through innovative products and services and top class customer care service delivery because we recognise that they are the reason why we are in business. “Indeed, we operate on the maxim that our customers are more than just a number and that we must offer them something more than others in line with our brand philosophy of helping Nigerians enjoy a ‘wonderful world’”, said Hanafi. Zain customers who choose to participate in the scheme can earn points by using airtime through voice calls, SMS or data download/upload. The prizes to be won by customers are determined by the number of points earned.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Internet addresses set for major technical change by 2010
Internet addresses set for major technical change by 2010
Ben Uzor Jr with agency reports
A novel way of typing internet addresses has been approved, described as the ‘biggest technical change’ since the internet was created 40 years ago, Business Day has learnt.
The organisation that oversees them has backed the use of non-Latin characters from languages like Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi and Korean. Before hand, top-level domains (TLDs – the end of web addresses like .com and .co.uk) have been limited to the 26 characters in the Latin alphabet used in English (A-Z) as well as 10 numbers and the hyphen. This has implied that internet users with little or no knowledge of English Language may still have to type in Latin characters to access their country’s web pages.
As it stands now, web address using characters from different languages will be available by mid 2010. It was gathered that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) board at a meeting in Seoul, South Korea has approved their use.
To this effect, nations and territories will be able to apply for internet address endings reflecting their name and using their national language from November 16, once ICANN’s Internationalised Domain Name (IDN) fast track process commences.
If the applications meet certain criteria, including government and community support and a stability evaluation, the applicants will be approved to start accepting registrations for domain names. Business Day checks reveal that more than half the world’s internet users do not use English or Latin-based language as their first language and this move will see around 100, 000 new characters available for use in IDNs. The internet’s origin can be traced to experiments at United States (US) universities in 1969 but it was not until the early 1990s that its use began expanding beyond academia and research institutions to the public. Peter Dengate Thrush, chairman of ICANN stated: “The coming introduction of non-Latin characters represents the biggest technical change to the internet since it was created four decades ago.” In the same vein, Joe White of Gandi.net, which provides internet services based on domain names added: “This first wave of applicants will give an early indication as to how the structure of the internet might evolve by giving a glimpse of which new TLDs might arrive first. “It will prompt businesses to start thinking about how to adapt their strategy, whether they want to run their own TLD or register a domain within a new TLD such as .lawyer. “Consumers will start to form opinions on whether they trust the new TLDs any more, whether they see any value in them, and whether it’s really as exciting as ICANN thinks it will be.”
Ben Uzor Jr with agency reports
A novel way of typing internet addresses has been approved, described as the ‘biggest technical change’ since the internet was created 40 years ago, Business Day has learnt.
The organisation that oversees them has backed the use of non-Latin characters from languages like Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi and Korean. Before hand, top-level domains (TLDs – the end of web addresses like .com and .co.uk) have been limited to the 26 characters in the Latin alphabet used in English (A-Z) as well as 10 numbers and the hyphen. This has implied that internet users with little or no knowledge of English Language may still have to type in Latin characters to access their country’s web pages.
As it stands now, web address using characters from different languages will be available by mid 2010. It was gathered that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) board at a meeting in Seoul, South Korea has approved their use.
To this effect, nations and territories will be able to apply for internet address endings reflecting their name and using their national language from November 16, once ICANN’s Internationalised Domain Name (IDN) fast track process commences.
If the applications meet certain criteria, including government and community support and a stability evaluation, the applicants will be approved to start accepting registrations for domain names. Business Day checks reveal that more than half the world’s internet users do not use English or Latin-based language as their first language and this move will see around 100, 000 new characters available for use in IDNs. The internet’s origin can be traced to experiments at United States (US) universities in 1969 but it was not until the early 1990s that its use began expanding beyond academia and research institutions to the public. Peter Dengate Thrush, chairman of ICANN stated: “The coming introduction of non-Latin characters represents the biggest technical change to the internet since it was created four decades ago.” In the same vein, Joe White of Gandi.net, which provides internet services based on domain names added: “This first wave of applicants will give an early indication as to how the structure of the internet might evolve by giving a glimpse of which new TLDs might arrive first. “It will prompt businesses to start thinking about how to adapt their strategy, whether they want to run their own TLD or register a domain within a new TLD such as .lawyer. “Consumers will start to form opinions on whether they trust the new TLDs any more, whether they see any value in them, and whether it’s really as exciting as ICANN thinks it will be.”
Experts harp on interoperability for improved e-payment penetration
Experts harp on interoperability for improved e-payment penetration
Ben Uzor Jr
Electronic payment penetration in Nigeria has continued to deepen on a year-on-year basis by way of the activities of banks, switching companies, vendors of Automated Teller Machine (ATM), Point of Sale (PoS) and third party firms all struggling to extend the market scope. However, to further add value to end users seeking financial services through cost reduction and improved service delivery, there is a need to carve out reciprocal interoperability and unhindered interconnectivity between all stakeholders in the industry. Kyari Bukar, chief executive officer, ValuCard made these observation at the E-PPAN (E-payment Providers Association of Nigeria) Techno Interactive Series with the theme: “Towards Achieving Interoperability and Interconnectivity of Payment Schemes in Nigeria. What option?” held in Lagos recently. He stated that interoperability and interconnectivity is not only desirable but achievable; further explaining that achieving the objective rests on three critical pillars. “There must be a common and appropriate understanding by all industry stakeholders of the concept of interoperability. Also, there must be a common and appropriate understanding of the roles and functions of payment card industry players. Most importantly, the strict adherence to professionalism and the distinct roles and responsibilities of the different players built on the concept of separation of roles”, Bukar posited. In the same vein, Francis Ebuehi, chief executive officer, ChamsSwitch Limited called for the development of harmonised standards and operating procedure through a contractual framework binding all stakeholders, stressing that an agreement on standards and their enforcement for physical and system connectivity, payment processing, settlement would form the framework for interoperability. “Regulatory framework for cooperation between payment switches, issuers and between cards schemes should be expanded to cover all relevant areas and compliance to these enforced. Owners of channels (ATMs, PoS) must also comply with set standards to ensure card interoperability”, he added. Drawing out his road map towards attaining interoperability in the e-payment space, Akeem Lawal, chief technical officer, Interswitch stated that the e-payment landscape as initially envisioned was a seamless processing environment for all stakeholders; card schemes, channels and devices. For interoperability, he noted that all stakeholders must interconnect either to a central switch or to themselves. According to Lawal, the landscape has become complicated as there are presently 27 switches. In his view, the central switch must play an important role in achieving interoperability and should not be seen as competing with existing switches. Commenting on dangers in non-interoperability, Adesola Adeyiga, head, strategy and new business, e-Tranzact explained that this would translate to inadequate value to the banks, end users and industry players. It would also lead to ineffective market penetration as well as stiffen innovation, he further added.
Ben Uzor Jr
Electronic payment penetration in Nigeria has continued to deepen on a year-on-year basis by way of the activities of banks, switching companies, vendors of Automated Teller Machine (ATM), Point of Sale (PoS) and third party firms all struggling to extend the market scope. However, to further add value to end users seeking financial services through cost reduction and improved service delivery, there is a need to carve out reciprocal interoperability and unhindered interconnectivity between all stakeholders in the industry. Kyari Bukar, chief executive officer, ValuCard made these observation at the E-PPAN (E-payment Providers Association of Nigeria) Techno Interactive Series with the theme: “Towards Achieving Interoperability and Interconnectivity of Payment Schemes in Nigeria. What option?” held in Lagos recently. He stated that interoperability and interconnectivity is not only desirable but achievable; further explaining that achieving the objective rests on three critical pillars. “There must be a common and appropriate understanding by all industry stakeholders of the concept of interoperability. Also, there must be a common and appropriate understanding of the roles and functions of payment card industry players. Most importantly, the strict adherence to professionalism and the distinct roles and responsibilities of the different players built on the concept of separation of roles”, Bukar posited. In the same vein, Francis Ebuehi, chief executive officer, ChamsSwitch Limited called for the development of harmonised standards and operating procedure through a contractual framework binding all stakeholders, stressing that an agreement on standards and their enforcement for physical and system connectivity, payment processing, settlement would form the framework for interoperability. “Regulatory framework for cooperation between payment switches, issuers and between cards schemes should be expanded to cover all relevant areas and compliance to these enforced. Owners of channels (ATMs, PoS) must also comply with set standards to ensure card interoperability”, he added. Drawing out his road map towards attaining interoperability in the e-payment space, Akeem Lawal, chief technical officer, Interswitch stated that the e-payment landscape as initially envisioned was a seamless processing environment for all stakeholders; card schemes, channels and devices. For interoperability, he noted that all stakeholders must interconnect either to a central switch or to themselves. According to Lawal, the landscape has become complicated as there are presently 27 switches. In his view, the central switch must play an important role in achieving interoperability and should not be seen as competing with existing switches. Commenting on dangers in non-interoperability, Adesola Adeyiga, head, strategy and new business, e-Tranzact explained that this would translate to inadequate value to the banks, end users and industry players. It would also lead to ineffective market penetration as well as stiffen innovation, he further added.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
SMS transaction alerts generates N5 billion annually for banks
SMS transaction alerts generates N5 billion annually for banks
Ben Uzor Jr
Undeniably, Nigerian banks have found in Short Message Service (SMS) transactions alerts an innovative revenue stream which provides considerable efficiencies in customer service delivery as they generate N5 billion annually from alert charges accrued to bank customers, a Business Day has learnt.
This service is an automatic notification service through SMS that keeps customers informed and updated on activities related to their accounts. Business Day gathered that these 24 banks operating in Nigeria makes a substantial N14 million from SMS on transaction alerts sent to their customers on a daily basis.
Furthermore, each of these banks handles at least some two million transactions daily and for every transaction performed, an SMS is sent to the accountholder’s phone. This however is if the account holder subscribed to the service. Business Day checks reveal that banks procure the service at N3 and vend it to prospective customer at N10 per SMS irrespective of the telecommunications service provider, thereby generating N7 profit on each SMS sent. For that N7, alerts are sent to customer on transactions ranging from withdrawal, deposit, charges on COT, interest rates and other transactions, Business Day has learnt. Industry watchers say that given the reach and immediacy of SMS in establishing and growing customer interaction and commerce, banks are deploying the service to facilitate customer acquisition and retention, as well as increasing market share. They further expound that with the mobile messaging market revenue worldwide exceeding $224 billion by 2013, financial institutions are strategically positioning this service as a viable revenue generator in the long term.
From a technological perspective, Business Day learnt that the service is delivered through Value Added Service (VAS) providers who normally connect to the operator using protocols like Short Message Peer-to-Peer Protocol (SMPP), connecting either directly to the Short Message Service Centre (SMSC), otherwise known as ‘short code’ or increasingly, to a messaging gateway that allows the operators to control and charge for the service. Many banks have expressed their concerns about SMS transaction alerts as it relates to security and operational controls. However, SMS enthusiast claim that whilst SMS banking is not as secure as other conventional banking channels, like the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and internet banking, the SMS banking channel is not intended to be used for very high-risk transactions. Emmanuel Okogwale, a Lagos based technology expert who spoke to Business Day noted that the lack of encryption on SMS messages is an area of great concern. This he explained sometimes arises within the group of bank’s technology personnel, due their familiarity and past experience with encryption on the ATM and other payment channels. He said: “The lack of encryption is inherent to the SMS banking channel and several banks that use it have overcome their fears by introducing compensating controls and limiting the scope of the SMS banking application to where it offers an advantage over other channels.” However, the convenience of executing simple transactions and sending out information or alerting customers on their mobile phone is often the overriding factor that dominates over the skeptics who tend to be exceedingly bitten by security concerns. Business Day gathered that before a customer can use the SMS alert, he/she would need to register his mobile phone number with his/ her bank. Bolaji Olaniyi, a bank customer said: “SMS alerts are a good initiative but I think banks need to do more with that technological channel. It can act as the bank’s means of alerting it customers, especially in an emergency situation. For example, banks can push mass alert though not subscribed by all customers or automatically alert on an individual basis when an abnormal transaction happens on a customer’s account using ATMs or credit cards. This capability mitigates the risk of fraud going unnoticed for a long time and increases customer confidence in the bank’s information systems.” As a personalised end-user communication instrument, today mobile phones are perhaps the easiest channel on which customers can be reached on the spot, as they carry the mobile phone all the time no matter where they are. Besides, the operation of SMS banking functionality over phone key instructions makes its use very simple. This is quite different from internet banking which can offer broader functionality, but has the limitation of use only when the customer has access to a computer and the Internet. Also, urgent warning messages, such as SMS alerts, are received by the customer instantaneously; unlike other channels such as the post, email, Internet, telephone banking, etc. on which a bank's notifications to the customer involves the risk of delayed delivery and response.
Ben Uzor Jr
Undeniably, Nigerian banks have found in Short Message Service (SMS) transactions alerts an innovative revenue stream which provides considerable efficiencies in customer service delivery as they generate N5 billion annually from alert charges accrued to bank customers, a Business Day has learnt.
This service is an automatic notification service through SMS that keeps customers informed and updated on activities related to their accounts. Business Day gathered that these 24 banks operating in Nigeria makes a substantial N14 million from SMS on transaction alerts sent to their customers on a daily basis.
Furthermore, each of these banks handles at least some two million transactions daily and for every transaction performed, an SMS is sent to the accountholder’s phone. This however is if the account holder subscribed to the service. Business Day checks reveal that banks procure the service at N3 and vend it to prospective customer at N10 per SMS irrespective of the telecommunications service provider, thereby generating N7 profit on each SMS sent. For that N7, alerts are sent to customer on transactions ranging from withdrawal, deposit, charges on COT, interest rates and other transactions, Business Day has learnt. Industry watchers say that given the reach and immediacy of SMS in establishing and growing customer interaction and commerce, banks are deploying the service to facilitate customer acquisition and retention, as well as increasing market share. They further expound that with the mobile messaging market revenue worldwide exceeding $224 billion by 2013, financial institutions are strategically positioning this service as a viable revenue generator in the long term.
From a technological perspective, Business Day learnt that the service is delivered through Value Added Service (VAS) providers who normally connect to the operator using protocols like Short Message Peer-to-Peer Protocol (SMPP), connecting either directly to the Short Message Service Centre (SMSC), otherwise known as ‘short code’ or increasingly, to a messaging gateway that allows the operators to control and charge for the service. Many banks have expressed their concerns about SMS transaction alerts as it relates to security and operational controls. However, SMS enthusiast claim that whilst SMS banking is not as secure as other conventional banking channels, like the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and internet banking, the SMS banking channel is not intended to be used for very high-risk transactions. Emmanuel Okogwale, a Lagos based technology expert who spoke to Business Day noted that the lack of encryption on SMS messages is an area of great concern. This he explained sometimes arises within the group of bank’s technology personnel, due their familiarity and past experience with encryption on the ATM and other payment channels. He said: “The lack of encryption is inherent to the SMS banking channel and several banks that use it have overcome their fears by introducing compensating controls and limiting the scope of the SMS banking application to where it offers an advantage over other channels.” However, the convenience of executing simple transactions and sending out information or alerting customers on their mobile phone is often the overriding factor that dominates over the skeptics who tend to be exceedingly bitten by security concerns. Business Day gathered that before a customer can use the SMS alert, he/she would need to register his mobile phone number with his/ her bank. Bolaji Olaniyi, a bank customer said: “SMS alerts are a good initiative but I think banks need to do more with that technological channel. It can act as the bank’s means of alerting it customers, especially in an emergency situation. For example, banks can push mass alert though not subscribed by all customers or automatically alert on an individual basis when an abnormal transaction happens on a customer’s account using ATMs or credit cards. This capability mitigates the risk of fraud going unnoticed for a long time and increases customer confidence in the bank’s information systems.” As a personalised end-user communication instrument, today mobile phones are perhaps the easiest channel on which customers can be reached on the spot, as they carry the mobile phone all the time no matter where they are. Besides, the operation of SMS banking functionality over phone key instructions makes its use very simple. This is quite different from internet banking which can offer broader functionality, but has the limitation of use only when the customer has access to a computer and the Internet. Also, urgent warning messages, such as SMS alerts, are received by the customer instantaneously; unlike other channels such as the post, email, Internet, telephone banking, etc. on which a bank's notifications to the customer involves the risk of delayed delivery and response.
SMS transaction alerts generates N5 billion annually for banks
Ben Uzor Jr
Undeniably, Nigerian banks have found in Short Message Service (SMS) transactions alerts an innovative revenue stream which provides considerable efficiencies in customer service delivery as they generate N5 billion annually from alert charges accrued to bank customers, a Business Day has learnt.
This service is an automatic notification service through SMS that keeps customers informed and updated on activities related to their accounts. Business Day gathered that these 24 banks operating in Nigeria makes a substantial N14 million from SMS on transaction alerts sent to their customers on a daily basis.
Furthermore, each of these banks handles at least some two million transactions daily and for every transaction performed, an SMS is sent to the accountholder’s phone. This however is if the account holder subscribed to the service. Business Day checks reveal that banks procure the service at N3 and vend it to prospective customer at N10 per SMS irrespective of the telecommunications service provider, thereby generating N7 profit on each SMS sent. For that N7, alerts are sent to customer on transactions ranging from withdrawal, deposit, charges on COT, interest rates and other transactions, Business Day has learnt. Industry watchers say that given the reach and immediacy of SMS in establishing and growing customer interaction and commerce, banks are deploying the service to facilitate customer acquisition and retention, as well as increasing market share. They further expound that with the mobile messaging market revenue worldwide exceeding $224 billion by 2013, financial institutions are strategically positioning this service as a viable revenue generator in the long term.
From a technological perspective, Business Day learnt that the service is delivered through Value Added Service (VAS) providers who normally connect to the operator using protocols like Short Message Peer-to-Peer Protocol (SMPP), connecting either directly to the Short Message Service Centre (SMSC), otherwise known as ‘short code’ or increasingly, to a messaging gateway that allows the operators to control and charge for the service. Many banks have expressed their concerns about SMS transaction alerts as it relates to security and operational controls. However, SMS enthusiast claim that whilst SMS banking is not as secure as other conventional banking channels, like the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and internet banking, the SMS banking channel is not intended to be used for very high-risk transactions. Emmanuel Okogwale, a Lagos based technology expert who spoke to Business Day noted that the lack of encryption on SMS messages is an area of great concern. This he explained sometimes arises within the group of bank’s technology personnel, due their familiarity and past experience with encryption on the ATM and other payment channels. He said: “The lack of encryption is inherent to the SMS banking channel and several banks that use it have overcome their fears by introducing compensating controls and limiting the scope of the SMS banking application to where it offers an advantage over other channels.” However, the convenience of executing simple transactions and sending out information or alerting customers on their mobile phone is often the overriding factor that dominates over the skeptics who tend to be exceedingly bitten by security concerns. Business Day gathered that before a customer can use the SMS alert, he/she would need to register his mobile phone number with his/ her bank. Bolaji Olaniyi, a bank customer said: “SMS alerts are a good initiative but I think banks need to do more with that technological channel. It can act as the bank’s means of alerting it customers, especially in an emergency situation. For example, banks can push mass alert though not subscribed by all customers or automatically alert on an individual basis when an abnormal transaction happens on a customer’s account using ATMs or credit cards. This capability mitigates the risk of fraud going unnoticed for a long time and increases customer confidence in the bank’s information systems.” As a personalised end-user communication instrument, today mobile phones are perhaps the easiest channel on which customers can be reached on the spot, as they carry the mobile phone all the time no matter where they are. Besides, the operation of SMS banking functionality over phone key instructions makes its use very simple. This is quite different from internet banking which can offer broader functionality, but has the limitation of use only when the customer has access to a computer and the Internet. Also, urgent warning messages, such as SMS alerts, are received by the customer instantaneously; unlike other channels such as the post, email, Internet, telephone banking, etc. on which a bank's notifications to the customer involves the risk of delayed delivery and response.
Ben Uzor Jr
Undeniably, Nigerian banks have found in Short Message Service (SMS) transactions alerts an innovative revenue stream which provides considerable efficiencies in customer service delivery as they generate N5 billion annually from alert charges accrued to bank customers, a Business Day has learnt.
This service is an automatic notification service through SMS that keeps customers informed and updated on activities related to their accounts. Business Day gathered that these 24 banks operating in Nigeria makes a substantial N14 million from SMS on transaction alerts sent to their customers on a daily basis.
Furthermore, each of these banks handles at least some two million transactions daily and for every transaction performed, an SMS is sent to the accountholder’s phone. This however is if the account holder subscribed to the service. Business Day checks reveal that banks procure the service at N3 and vend it to prospective customer at N10 per SMS irrespective of the telecommunications service provider, thereby generating N7 profit on each SMS sent. For that N7, alerts are sent to customer on transactions ranging from withdrawal, deposit, charges on COT, interest rates and other transactions, Business Day has learnt. Industry watchers say that given the reach and immediacy of SMS in establishing and growing customer interaction and commerce, banks are deploying the service to facilitate customer acquisition and retention, as well as increasing market share. They further expound that with the mobile messaging market revenue worldwide exceeding $224 billion by 2013, financial institutions are strategically positioning this service as a viable revenue generator in the long term.
From a technological perspective, Business Day learnt that the service is delivered through Value Added Service (VAS) providers who normally connect to the operator using protocols like Short Message Peer-to-Peer Protocol (SMPP), connecting either directly to the Short Message Service Centre (SMSC), otherwise known as ‘short code’ or increasingly, to a messaging gateway that allows the operators to control and charge for the service. Many banks have expressed their concerns about SMS transaction alerts as it relates to security and operational controls. However, SMS enthusiast claim that whilst SMS banking is not as secure as other conventional banking channels, like the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and internet banking, the SMS banking channel is not intended to be used for very high-risk transactions. Emmanuel Okogwale, a Lagos based technology expert who spoke to Business Day noted that the lack of encryption on SMS messages is an area of great concern. This he explained sometimes arises within the group of bank’s technology personnel, due their familiarity and past experience with encryption on the ATM and other payment channels. He said: “The lack of encryption is inherent to the SMS banking channel and several banks that use it have overcome their fears by introducing compensating controls and limiting the scope of the SMS banking application to where it offers an advantage over other channels.” However, the convenience of executing simple transactions and sending out information or alerting customers on their mobile phone is often the overriding factor that dominates over the skeptics who tend to be exceedingly bitten by security concerns. Business Day gathered that before a customer can use the SMS alert, he/she would need to register his mobile phone number with his/ her bank. Bolaji Olaniyi, a bank customer said: “SMS alerts are a good initiative but I think banks need to do more with that technological channel. It can act as the bank’s means of alerting it customers, especially in an emergency situation. For example, banks can push mass alert though not subscribed by all customers or automatically alert on an individual basis when an abnormal transaction happens on a customer’s account using ATMs or credit cards. This capability mitigates the risk of fraud going unnoticed for a long time and increases customer confidence in the bank’s information systems.” As a personalised end-user communication instrument, today mobile phones are perhaps the easiest channel on which customers can be reached on the spot, as they carry the mobile phone all the time no matter where they are. Besides, the operation of SMS banking functionality over phone key instructions makes its use very simple. This is quite different from internet banking which can offer broader functionality, but has the limitation of use only when the customer has access to a computer and the Internet. Also, urgent warning messages, such as SMS alerts, are received by the customer instantaneously; unlike other channels such as the post, email, Internet, telephone banking, etc. on which a bank's notifications to the customer involves the risk of delayed delivery and response.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Two firms jostle to acquire struggling ATMC
Two firms jostle to acquire struggling ATMC
Ben Uzor Jr
Seeking to reposition the struggling Automated Teller Machine Consortium (ATMC), the country’s premier Independent ATM Deployer (IAD), two indigenous companies have expressed keen commercial interest with a view to acquiring it, Business Day can now reveal. The decision of the two companies, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) and XL Cash Management Service Limited (XLCMS) to acquire ATMC may be connected with the recent Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) directive that banks should remove all their off-banking locations ATMs. It was further gathered that XLCMS decision was formed against the backdrop of its aspirations to enter the electronic payment (e-payment) touch-points end-to-end business. XLCMS is a professional Cash-In-Transit (CIT) management company established to offer integrated cash management services, covering cash processing and cash in transit services to Nigerian financial services industry. Meanwhile CWG, who already the largest ATM vendor in the West African sub-region, is strategically positioned through its subsidiary’s appointment as a Wincor partner in 2007. Business Day also learnt that the company intends to focus not only on sales but to use its wealth of experience garnered in the market to bring to bear on better after sales service to the customer. Furthermore, CWG’s sister company, Expert Edge Software also brings more value to Wincor customers by customising the Wincor software for better customer experience on their ATMs. In addition, the CBN directive to insist that ATMC was the body mandated solely to deploy the electronic payment system in public places, while the banks will continue to concentrate on installing same only within their premises. The mission of ATMC was to deploy and manage 1,200 offsite Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) under the trademark QuickCash. After initial breakthrough with over 100 ATM installations across the country, QuickCash has been struggling as its member banks compete with it for the off-banking locations ATM deployment. The Consortium members are the leading banks in Nigeria that collectively control over 60 percent of the Nigerian banking market in terms of capitalisation, asset and deposit base. These banks include: Afribank, Diamond Bank, Fidelity bank, First Bank, GTBank, Oceanic Bank, Union Bank, UBA, Wema Bank and Zenith Bank.
Ben Uzor Jr
Seeking to reposition the struggling Automated Teller Machine Consortium (ATMC), the country’s premier Independent ATM Deployer (IAD), two indigenous companies have expressed keen commercial interest with a view to acquiring it, Business Day can now reveal. The decision of the two companies, Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) and XL Cash Management Service Limited (XLCMS) to acquire ATMC may be connected with the recent Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) directive that banks should remove all their off-banking locations ATMs. It was further gathered that XLCMS decision was formed against the backdrop of its aspirations to enter the electronic payment (e-payment) touch-points end-to-end business. XLCMS is a professional Cash-In-Transit (CIT) management company established to offer integrated cash management services, covering cash processing and cash in transit services to Nigerian financial services industry. Meanwhile CWG, who already the largest ATM vendor in the West African sub-region, is strategically positioned through its subsidiary’s appointment as a Wincor partner in 2007. Business Day also learnt that the company intends to focus not only on sales but to use its wealth of experience garnered in the market to bring to bear on better after sales service to the customer. Furthermore, CWG’s sister company, Expert Edge Software also brings more value to Wincor customers by customising the Wincor software for better customer experience on their ATMs. In addition, the CBN directive to insist that ATMC was the body mandated solely to deploy the electronic payment system in public places, while the banks will continue to concentrate on installing same only within their premises. The mission of ATMC was to deploy and manage 1,200 offsite Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) under the trademark QuickCash. After initial breakthrough with over 100 ATM installations across the country, QuickCash has been struggling as its member banks compete with it for the off-banking locations ATM deployment. The Consortium members are the leading banks in Nigeria that collectively control over 60 percent of the Nigerian banking market in terms of capitalisation, asset and deposit base. These banks include: Afribank, Diamond Bank, Fidelity bank, First Bank, GTBank, Oceanic Bank, Union Bank, UBA, Wema Bank and Zenith Bank.
CBC, Sun backs virtualisation for improved enterprise productivity
CBC, Sun backs virtualisation for improved enterprise productivity
Ben Uzor Jr
Prevailing global economic conditions has continued to poses a significant challenge for businesses in Nigeria. However, Information Technology (IT) departments must keep service levels high while reducing costs; get more out of the same or fewer resources as well as take on environmental issues. Virtualisation, one of those technologies coming at the appropriate time could be applied to servers, storage and desktops. It can release assets, saving in capital, operational expenditure as well as reduce the number of software licences that need to be deployed. Rheinhardt Esau, volume product specialist, SSA, Sun Microsystems Incorporated made these remarks at the seminar with specific focus on Virtualisation organised by the CBC Group in Lagos recently. He stated: “By abstracting the software away from the underlying hardware, a world of new usage models opens up that reduce costs, increase administration efficiency, strengthen security, while making your computing infrastructure more resilient in the event of a disaster.”
Esau pointed out that datacentre efficiency and enterprise agility are more important now than ever even with the present economic climate and virtualisation has become essential to meeting these needs. “You will find the most complete set of virtualisation offerings available at Sun. Our open, standards-based and third-party partner-friendly virtualisation solutions can deliver vast improvements and deep savings throughout the enterprise.”
He added: “Sun has designed a virtual desktop infrastructure in which IT organisations can choose to mix/match vendor offerings to meet the unique needs of a wide range of IT organisations. This openness makes Sun's architecture particularly compelling for those organisations that want to be able to choose best-of-breed providers, diversify the risk associated with vendor lock-in, or leverage existing legacy non-Sun equipment.”
Esau further explained that Sun plays actively in the desktop virtualisation space.
“Desktop virtualisation is revolutionizing interactive environments by moving processing off individual physical desktop systems and onto centralized datacenter servers. Users access desktop applications through a range of clients. By locating the applications and even the operating environment itself on a single server within the datacenter, IT staff can streamline system administration, secure and back up valuable corporate data, and provide the workforce with mobile commuting options”, he noted. In the same vein, Olufemi Babajide, market development manager, Intel Nigeria who spoke at the seminar observed that the organic growth of organisation means that their datacenter would become unyielding. “They would need to watch power, space which would become a huge challenge. The first thing is to increase your utilisation and because your business is growing you need more up-time to improve on service delivery.”
He further added: “At Intel, we focus on performance per core. With consolidation and virtualisation you can make a lot of cost savings for your company. The important thing about infrastructure is primarily about the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).”
Babajide explained that to increase manageability, security and flexibility in IT environments, virtualisation can provide maximum system utilisation by consolidating multiple environment into a single server or Personal Computer (PC). “Intel believes that whatever you do with your technology the processor is key. For Intel Xeon 5500 series processor, it has the Intel turbo boost technology which increases performance and ensures maximum utilisation by increasing the processors frequency.”
Ben Uzor Jr
Prevailing global economic conditions has continued to poses a significant challenge for businesses in Nigeria. However, Information Technology (IT) departments must keep service levels high while reducing costs; get more out of the same or fewer resources as well as take on environmental issues. Virtualisation, one of those technologies coming at the appropriate time could be applied to servers, storage and desktops. It can release assets, saving in capital, operational expenditure as well as reduce the number of software licences that need to be deployed. Rheinhardt Esau, volume product specialist, SSA, Sun Microsystems Incorporated made these remarks at the seminar with specific focus on Virtualisation organised by the CBC Group in Lagos recently. He stated: “By abstracting the software away from the underlying hardware, a world of new usage models opens up that reduce costs, increase administration efficiency, strengthen security, while making your computing infrastructure more resilient in the event of a disaster.”
Esau pointed out that datacentre efficiency and enterprise agility are more important now than ever even with the present economic climate and virtualisation has become essential to meeting these needs. “You will find the most complete set of virtualisation offerings available at Sun. Our open, standards-based and third-party partner-friendly virtualisation solutions can deliver vast improvements and deep savings throughout the enterprise.”
He added: “Sun has designed a virtual desktop infrastructure in which IT organisations can choose to mix/match vendor offerings to meet the unique needs of a wide range of IT organisations. This openness makes Sun's architecture particularly compelling for those organisations that want to be able to choose best-of-breed providers, diversify the risk associated with vendor lock-in, or leverage existing legacy non-Sun equipment.”
Esau further explained that Sun plays actively in the desktop virtualisation space.
“Desktop virtualisation is revolutionizing interactive environments by moving processing off individual physical desktop systems and onto centralized datacenter servers. Users access desktop applications through a range of clients. By locating the applications and even the operating environment itself on a single server within the datacenter, IT staff can streamline system administration, secure and back up valuable corporate data, and provide the workforce with mobile commuting options”, he noted. In the same vein, Olufemi Babajide, market development manager, Intel Nigeria who spoke at the seminar observed that the organic growth of organisation means that their datacenter would become unyielding. “They would need to watch power, space which would become a huge challenge. The first thing is to increase your utilisation and because your business is growing you need more up-time to improve on service delivery.”
He further added: “At Intel, we focus on performance per core. With consolidation and virtualisation you can make a lot of cost savings for your company. The important thing about infrastructure is primarily about the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).”
Babajide explained that to increase manageability, security and flexibility in IT environments, virtualisation can provide maximum system utilisation by consolidating multiple environment into a single server or Personal Computer (PC). “Intel believes that whatever you do with your technology the processor is key. For Intel Xeon 5500 series processor, it has the Intel turbo boost technology which increases performance and ensures maximum utilisation by increasing the processors frequency.”
CellTrust says SMS system meets CBN security requirement
CellTrust says SMS system meets CBN security requirements
Ben Uzor Jr
CellTrust Corporation, the world's largest provider of SecureSMS for mobile phones, has announced that its SecureSMS platform meets the new and stringent SecureSMS security requirements of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). With approximately 53 percent of the adult population in Nigeria financially excluded, the CBN has been working feverishly to spur innovation within the financial services sector. As the government of Nigeria launched its FSS 2020 strategy back in 2007 to catapult the country into the ranks of the top 20 global financial systems by 2020, it went about promoting microfinance and more recently secure mobile banking in effort to extend financial products and services to those previously excluded. Since the launch of the FSS 2020, microfinance and SMS banking landscape has witnessed significant growth and adoption throughout Nigeria. In June of this year, the Central Bank of Nigeria released new and significantly more rigorous security and compliance regulations compelling financial service providers and their partners to utilise Secure SMS when transmitting remittance information via SMS. Furthermore, they require a complete audit trail for all levels of the financial transaction including SMS remittance information to be maintained for a minimum of five years.
Sean Moshir, chief executive officer of CellTrust said: “We are pleased to announce that we meet the rigorous mobile security and compliance requirements of the Central Bank of Nigeria. CellTrust SecureSMS helps reduce fraud, lower call center costs, and increase revenue potential while dramatically reaching out to the approximately 60 million un-banked citizens across Nigeria.” He added: “CellTrust of Africa has already begun discussions with municipalities in the region, as well as with enterprises in the healthcare services/banking, education and governmental sector. Prospective SecureSMS user will now be able to optimise the ubiquitous nature of SMS in a secure, reliable and highly confidential environment.” The new CellTrust franchise will operate from its headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria championed by Samuel Ucheaga, managing director; founder of Mavis Computel, a leading provider of wireless network solutions with a well established sales and distribution network in the region. According to Ucheaga, the market for secure mobile applications in Africa is multi-faceted and very promising. “Key industries include mobile healthcare, mobile government and mobile financial services with a special emphasis on mobile money transfer, and mobile micro-credit applications, which are already evoking tremendous change across the continent.”
The company’s customer base will benefit from its award winning SecureSMS Gateway, enabling businesses to exchange critical information with customers using mobile devices in a trusted and secured environment. SecureSMS provides end-to-end privacy on the mobile device via a highly encrypted, tamper-proof process. A remote wipe functionality that ensures users can wipe the handsets if it is lost or stolen adds another critical layer of security. Additional features that will soon be available on CellTrust SecureSMS include a dynamic menu system for mobile banking and mobile payment.
Ben Uzor Jr
CellTrust Corporation, the world's largest provider of SecureSMS for mobile phones, has announced that its SecureSMS platform meets the new and stringent SecureSMS security requirements of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). With approximately 53 percent of the adult population in Nigeria financially excluded, the CBN has been working feverishly to spur innovation within the financial services sector. As the government of Nigeria launched its FSS 2020 strategy back in 2007 to catapult the country into the ranks of the top 20 global financial systems by 2020, it went about promoting microfinance and more recently secure mobile banking in effort to extend financial products and services to those previously excluded. Since the launch of the FSS 2020, microfinance and SMS banking landscape has witnessed significant growth and adoption throughout Nigeria. In June of this year, the Central Bank of Nigeria released new and significantly more rigorous security and compliance regulations compelling financial service providers and their partners to utilise Secure SMS when transmitting remittance information via SMS. Furthermore, they require a complete audit trail for all levels of the financial transaction including SMS remittance information to be maintained for a minimum of five years.
Sean Moshir, chief executive officer of CellTrust said: “We are pleased to announce that we meet the rigorous mobile security and compliance requirements of the Central Bank of Nigeria. CellTrust SecureSMS helps reduce fraud, lower call center costs, and increase revenue potential while dramatically reaching out to the approximately 60 million un-banked citizens across Nigeria.” He added: “CellTrust of Africa has already begun discussions with municipalities in the region, as well as with enterprises in the healthcare services/banking, education and governmental sector. Prospective SecureSMS user will now be able to optimise the ubiquitous nature of SMS in a secure, reliable and highly confidential environment.” The new CellTrust franchise will operate from its headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria championed by Samuel Ucheaga, managing director; founder of Mavis Computel, a leading provider of wireless network solutions with a well established sales and distribution network in the region. According to Ucheaga, the market for secure mobile applications in Africa is multi-faceted and very promising. “Key industries include mobile healthcare, mobile government and mobile financial services with a special emphasis on mobile money transfer, and mobile micro-credit applications, which are already evoking tremendous change across the continent.”
The company’s customer base will benefit from its award winning SecureSMS Gateway, enabling businesses to exchange critical information with customers using mobile devices in a trusted and secured environment. SecureSMS provides end-to-end privacy on the mobile device via a highly encrypted, tamper-proof process. A remote wipe functionality that ensures users can wipe the handsets if it is lost or stolen adds another critical layer of security. Additional features that will soon be available on CellTrust SecureSMS include a dynamic menu system for mobile banking and mobile payment.
Nigeria to get safety requirement standard for mobile phone
Nigeria to get safety requirement standard for mobile phones
Ben Uzor Jr
Nigeria’s mobile phone market is on the verge of transformation as stakeholders in the country have decided to join forces to initiate a minimum safety requirement program aimed at tackling the influx of substandard mobile phones into the country, Business Day can now reveal. The minimum safety standard, an international benchmark is expected to be in place by the end of the year and would address the menace of sub-standard GSM handsets flooding the Nigerian market by the day. It was further gathered that the plan with sturdy backing from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), phone manufacturers and the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) would ensure that safety specifications by different manufacturers of mobile handsets are strictly adhered to. BusinessDay also learnt that although there are a number of type-approved handsets by the regulatory agency, the entry of refurbished and substandard handsets into the country has remained high. Richard Adewunmi, head of Electrical Engineering department of Lagos office who confirmed this while speaking to Business Day in a telephone conversation yesterday stated that the industry wide initiative would address the menace. He said: “We are trying to tackle the possible health problems associated with exposure to Electro-Magnetic Radiation (EMR) from sub-standard mobile phones.
All stakeholders in the industry would all be part of the technical committee that would come up with the standard.” According to Adewunmi, there is already an international standard for the manufacture of mobile phones and that is what his agency and others are hoping to nationalise in the country. Business Day also gathered that in 1998, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), an independent body recognised for its expertise by the World Health Organisation (WHO), issued guidelines for radio signal exposure that are applicable to mobile phones, base stations and other wireless devices which have become de-facto world standard.
With an active subscriber base of about 67.8 million, Nigeria is yet to enforce through appropriate legislation the ICNIRP guideline as in most other countries.
In addition, the absence of this has made the country a dumping ground for all kinds of handsets which could be detrimental to human health. Inferior handsets have health implications because of radiation, which is harmful to human beings. However, the target markets for the inferior handsets are the third world countries, including Nigeria where demand for such product is so high because of the low purchasing power of the citizenry.
Ben Uzor Jr
Nigeria’s mobile phone market is on the verge of transformation as stakeholders in the country have decided to join forces to initiate a minimum safety requirement program aimed at tackling the influx of substandard mobile phones into the country, Business Day can now reveal. The minimum safety standard, an international benchmark is expected to be in place by the end of the year and would address the menace of sub-standard GSM handsets flooding the Nigerian market by the day. It was further gathered that the plan with sturdy backing from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), phone manufacturers and the National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) would ensure that safety specifications by different manufacturers of mobile handsets are strictly adhered to. BusinessDay also learnt that although there are a number of type-approved handsets by the regulatory agency, the entry of refurbished and substandard handsets into the country has remained high. Richard Adewunmi, head of Electrical Engineering department of Lagos office who confirmed this while speaking to Business Day in a telephone conversation yesterday stated that the industry wide initiative would address the menace. He said: “We are trying to tackle the possible health problems associated with exposure to Electro-Magnetic Radiation (EMR) from sub-standard mobile phones.
All stakeholders in the industry would all be part of the technical committee that would come up with the standard.” According to Adewunmi, there is already an international standard for the manufacture of mobile phones and that is what his agency and others are hoping to nationalise in the country. Business Day also gathered that in 1998, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), an independent body recognised for its expertise by the World Health Organisation (WHO), issued guidelines for radio signal exposure that are applicable to mobile phones, base stations and other wireless devices which have become de-facto world standard.
With an active subscriber base of about 67.8 million, Nigeria is yet to enforce through appropriate legislation the ICNIRP guideline as in most other countries.
In addition, the absence of this has made the country a dumping ground for all kinds of handsets which could be detrimental to human health. Inferior handsets have health implications because of radiation, which is harmful to human beings. However, the target markets for the inferior handsets are the third world countries, including Nigeria where demand for such product is so high because of the low purchasing power of the citizenry.
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