Technology

Telcos Urged to Boost Broadband Capacity in Hinterlands

Published

8 years ago

March 30, 2017

Telcos Urged to Boost Broadband Capacity in Hinterlands

Worried about the limited broadband capacities in the hinterlands, which has been attributed to high cost of broadband services in cities that are located outside the shores of the country, the Chief Executive Officer of VDT Communications, Mr. Biodun Omoniyi has asked telecommunications operators (Telcos) to pull resources together to enhance the trunk capacities of broadband connectivity from the shores of the country to the hinterlands.

Omoniyi who spoke in one of the panel sessions during the launch of Insurance Market online platform, at the eInsurance Conference organised by Pinet Informatics in Lagos recently, decried paucity of broadband capacities in the cities, which he said, had led to high cost of broadband services rendered by telecommunications operators in the country, even though the country has excess broadband capacities at the shores.

He the excess capacities were provided through the landing of broadband submarine cables at the shores of the country from Europe by MainOne, Glo 1, MTN WACS, and SAT-3.

Omoniyi who blamed the paucity of broadband capacity in the hinterlands on lack of coordinated efforts by the telecommunications operators to build a national backbone of broadband capacity from the shores to the hinterlands, called on telecommunications operators to form a synergy that would enhance the trunk capacities of broadband connectivity to cities outside the shores of the county.

According to him, once this is achieved, it would not only reduce cost of broadband services in the country, but would also boost broadband connectivity for all players in the insurance industry, whom he said, were willing to embrace technology to further grow the insurance sector and the newly launched Insurance Market online platform.

“Insurance is a key sector to economic growth but it’s market penetration is still very low in Nigeria. The sector needs technology and broadband connectivity to deepen penetration and this can only be achieved if the telcos provide ubiquitous broadband and expand their 4G LTE technology for players in the insurance sector to key into,” Omoniyi said.

Speaking on how the insurance sector could access the Internet, Omoniyi said there must be sufficient and affordable wireless technology like the 4G LTE technology across the country.

He said VDT, one of the sponsors of the eInsurance Conference, has been servicing over 80 per cent of insurance companies in the area of broadband connectivity. He promised quality service, while insisting on sufficient and affordable broadband cost.

The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, who delivered a keynote address at the eInsurance forum, said there were policies offered by most insurance companies and the rising number of customers and policy holders makes it difficult for most insurance companies to operate effectively and efficiently without the adoption and use of information and communications technologies (ICTs).

Pantami who was represented by the Deputy Director, Corporate Strategy and Research at NITDA, Dr. Idris Mohammed Yeluwa, said; “There are number of ways that ICTs can be integrated into the insurance process, especially in the area of big data analytics, which is about analysing vast amounts of data in order to identify patterns, trends and other business information that can help decision makers to make informed decisions.”

The Managing Director, Pinet Informatics, Lanre Ajayi said the essence of the launch of Insurance Market place, was to provide an online platform, where insurance companies could set up micro websites on the online platform for enhanced transaction between vendors and buyers of insurance policies.

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Samed Olukoya

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Technology

EU Raises Tariff on Chinese Electric Vehicles by 35%

Published

1 week ago

October 4, 2024

Samed Olukoya

In an effort to slow down Chinese infiltration of the European market with more affordable options, the European Union has hiked tariffs on electric vehicles from China by 35% to 45% from the usual 10%.

According to people familiar with the situation, ten member states voted in support of the new tariff while Germany and four others voted against it. The remaining 12 states reportedly abstained.

Last month, the former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi warned that Chinese state-sponsored competition was a threat to the European Union and could leave the region vulnerable to coercion.

The bloc had claimed that China unfairly subsidized its industry to have an edge over EU businesses, a claim Beijing denies and has threatened retaliatory action on European dairy, brandy, pork and automobile sectors.

However, given the size of trade between the bloc and China, €739 billion or $815 billion in last year, it’s believed the two parties will continue negotiations to find an alternative to the tariffs.

Technology

OpenAI’s Valuation Soars to $157 Billion After $6.6 Billion Funding Round

Published

2 weeks ago

October 3, 2024

Samed Olukoya

OpenAI, the company that owns Chatgpt, has raised $6.6 billion in a new funding round to boost the company’s valuation to $157 billion as it looks to strengthen its lead in generative AI technology.

Thrive Capital led the funding round with $1.3 billion, while Microsoft invested an additional $750 million, bringing its total investment in OpenAI to $13.75 billion.

According to a source familiar with the matter, Khosla Ventures, Fidelity Management & Research Co., and Nvidia Corp., the chipmaker whose powerful processors are driving the AI boom—were also among the investors.

Apart from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd, this deal ranks as one of the largest-ever private investments.

The ability of OpenAI to raise such a substantial amount despite heightened global risks demonstrates the industry’s confidence in the power of AI.

Other investors included Tiger Global Management, which contributed $350 million, and Altimeter Capital, which invested at least $250 million.

SoftBank Group Corp. and the new Abu Dhabi-based tech investment firm MGX also participated, with SoftBank’s investment totaling $500 million, according to one source who requested anonymity. Venture firm Coatue was another participant.

In a statement, the company said it plans to use the funds to advance AI research and expand its computing capacity. “AI is already personalizing learning, accelerating healthcare breakthroughs, and driving productivity,” said OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar. “And this is just the start.”

Fintech

Kazang Pay Launches Card Acquiring Service in Zambia

Published

2 weeks ago

October 2, 2024

Samed Olukoya

Kazang, the prepaid value-added services (VAS) and card acquiring business within JSE-listed fintech Lesaka Technologies, has launched its Kazang Pay card acceptance solution for merchants in Zambia. Kazang Pay makes it affordable for merchants to accept card payments on the same Kazang terminal they use to sell prepaid products and services.

The Kazang Pay enabled terminal in Zambia accepts VISA debit and credit cards as well as mobile wallet payments. Payments are settled to the merchant’s Kazang wallet on the same day. It’s as easy as letting the customer tap or insert their bank card and enter their PIN on the secure scramble PIN pad.

Kazang operates around 12,000 VAS terminals in Zambia. The goal is to enable the majority to accept card payments over the next six months. Benefits to merchants include low transaction fees and no monthly terminal rental fee for those that meet a modest monthly transaction threshold as well as the opportunity to grow their business through card acceptance.

Kazang is Zambia’s largest VAS point-of-sale terminal provider, enabling mobile money payments, bank and mobile money cash in and out, bill payments, airtime, Zesco, and many other prepaid services on one platform. The addition of card acceptance makes the platform even more comprehensive for merchants and consumers alike.

The launch of Kazang Pay in Zambia follows the introduction of the solution in South Africa, where around 60,000 small and micro merchants use Kazang Pay to accept card payments. In Zambia, there are around 3.8 million debit, credit and ATM cards in issue and 41,000 point of sale (POS) terminals in place. The value of POS transactions has grown to K 111.4 billion by 2022 from less than K 20 billion in 2018, according to the Bank of Zambia.

Says Leon de Wit, managing director at Kazang Zambia: “Zambia has made enormous strides in terms of financial inclusion, with card usage and penetration growing at a rapid pace. With Kazang Pay, merchants can now easily accept card payments on the same all-in-one terminal they already use for vending of VAS products.

“Card transactions help merchants to grow basket sizes and potentially attract more customers, and at the same time, reduce the risks and costs of handling cash. Moving towards digitalised payments will also enable merchants to track sales, manage cash flow, and create a footprint that could make it easier for them to access loans.”

Ashley Naidoo, director of Kazang Pay in South Africa says: “Our Zambian merchants have eagerly embraced our card acquiring service as a valuable part of our one-stop solution. Following the launch of Kazang Pay in Zambia, we have seen higher VAS sales across our merchant base and much-improved merchant retention and with our card acquiring solution we now appeal to a broader merchant base.”