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ALTON Blames 5G Coronavirus Link On Negative Power Of Social Media, Uninformed Persons

Published

3 years ago

9 June 2020

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has blamed the amplification of porous claims by uninformed individuals who said that Fifth Generation (5G) Mobile Networks have links to Coronavirus on the negative use of the power of social media.

ALTON stated this position at a webinar tagged, 2020 Digital Rights Series on Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable hosted by ITREALMS in collaboration with DigitalSENSE Africa Media on Saturday, with the theme: Role of IP in 5G v COVID-19 Debate.

Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of ALTON, who made this assertion in his paper entitled: 5G versus Coronavirus: Reality or Fiction, said that the supposed 5G Coronavirus connection came from ignorant people on the Internet trying to link things that were not at all connected.

Adebayo, who was ably represented by the Head of Operations at ALTON, Mr. Gbolahan Owonuga said, “Unfortunately, the power of social media has only amplified some of these misguided comments.”

He quoted experts at the World Health Organisation (WHO) as saying that there is no dispute that animals are the source of COVID-19.

“Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans,” he buttressed.

On the safety of 5G technologies, the ALTON Chairman maintained that the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) recently published its updated guidelines to provide improved protection for higher frequency ranges.

Furthermore, the ALTON chief said that the new guidelines stipulated among others that time and body exposure restrictions, provide protection against all adverse health effects from exposure to electromagnetic frequencies, including for frequencies above 6 GHz, such as those emitted by 5G and future technologies.

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“Compliance with these new guidelines ensures the safe use of 5G,” he said, stressing that there are the “ICNIRP Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz).”

ALTON also noted that though 5G has been a cause for concern over the increased deployment of towers it will require, Radio signals for 5G technology are similar to those already generated by 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi networks.

“By using small cells, or low-power, low-range transmissions, 5G smart antennas send signals where required. These cells enable localised use of signals while increasing coverage and efficiency,” ALTON insisted.

Earlier, the Executive Director, Operations, DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mrs Nkem Nweke, while welcoming participants to the Webinar, said that the event in collaboration with ITREALMS became imperative to join the world in commemoration of World IPv6 Day despite the coronavirus pandemic.

“This webinar today, is in commemoration of the World IPv6 Day, 2020, as part of our DigitalSENSE drive for education and enlightenment under the partnership of ITREALMS digital rights series,” she said.

Mrs. Nweke recalled that since the year 2011, following depletion of the Internet Protocol version Four (IPv4), DigitalSENSE Africa, has led efforts under the aegis of the Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable in commemoration of the World Internet Protocol Version Six (IPv6) Day, every June 6.

“…To promote the adoption of IPv6 for the products and services as well as create awareness, especially in Nigeria, with core determination that we cannot wait to continuously play leapfrogging on technologies and positive usage too for a better society,” she said.

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In addition, the Executive Director commended ALTON and Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) for their support and collaboration, and urged for more alliance with stakeholders, saying her office is open for partnership in favour of engendering industry growth.

Related Topics:#Blame #IPv6 #Negative #Power #Social Media #Uninformed Persons 5G ALTON Coronavirus Link

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Smile Offers Customers Free Streaming Data

Published

2 weeks ago

16 March 2023

Our REPORTER

Smile Communications, Nigeria’s foremost and leading mobile broadband provider has introduced a new offer to its teeming customers.

The new offer allows for FREE Streaming data for consumers to stream their favourite content on YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video absolutely FREE.

Abdul Hafeez, Chief Marketing Officer, Smile Nigeria, said of the offer, “We are giving our customers so much more when they purchase any of our select Bigga plans with FREE streaming data, so they can have fun engaging with their favourite entertainment and social media services for longer.”

All Smile customers who recharge a Bigga plan, from 1.5GB to 20GB, priced from N1,000 to N5,000, will get an additional 3GB to 5GB FREE streaming data to use between 11 pm and 6 am on YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video.

Smile said in a statement that with this offer, consumers get access to FREE Youtube, FREE Netflix, and FREE Amazon prime video when they subscribe to any of the select Bigga plans from Smile.

“We are still a consumer-centric organisation that understands the huge financial responsibilities associated peculiarly with the first quarter globally and want to cushion these effects with extra value for our consumers while encouraging other Nigerians to get on the Smile network to enjoy this and many other goodies from Smile,” Hafeez concluded.

Smile communications led in voice call acquisitions in the past year and are poised to enter new markets, as well as deliver several firsts within the telecommunications operating space as the year progresses.

Industry watchers are of the opinion that Smile is a brand to look out for in 2023.

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Buhari Expresses Delight Over Unveiling Of Starlink In Nigeria

Published

2 months ago

2 February 2023

Our REPORTER

Photo Credit: Ripples Nigeria

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed delight over the unveiling of Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s broadband service Starlink in Nigeria.

The President noted that with the commencement of Starlink’s operations in Nigeria, the country now has 100 per cent broadband penetration, adding that Nigeria is the first and only African country so far to enjoy Starlink rollout.

The President’s position was contained in a post tweeted to his verified Twitter page Thursday night.

“We are delighted that Starlink services have been deployed in Nigeria, making us the first African country — and the only one so far — to enjoy this rollout. With this deployment of Starlink, we now have 100 per cent broadband penetration in Nigeria,” Buhari said.

Recall that SpaceX confirmed the deployment of Starlink in Nigeria in a tweet on Monday, stating that Nigeria was the first African country to enjoy its services.

It tweeted, “Starlink is now available in Nigeria – the first African country to receive service.”

Starlink seeks to deliver a global broadband network, using a constellation of Low Earth Orbit to provide high-speed internet coverage with the capacity to penetrate rural and geographically isolated areas.

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Israel, Italy Record Lowest Mobile Internet Costs

Mobile internet traffic almost doubled in the last eight years, and today, more than 60% of all website traffic comes from people using mobile devices. But, as the global mobile data coverage gap continues to narrow, the price gap remains wide.

Published

2 months ago

23 January 2023

DigitalTimesNG

According to data presented by CasinosEnLigne.com, Israel and Italy have the cheapest mobile internet in the world, while Japan, the US, and Switzerland are among the most expensive countries globally.

Many of the cheapest countries have excellent mobile and fixed broadband infrastructure, which allows providers to offer large amounts of data at reasonable prices, reports ITOnline.

In some countries, economic outlooks also dictate the price, which has to remain low so people can afford it.

According to data from the UK-based price comparison website cable.co.uk, which analysed almost 5 300 mobile data plans across 233 countries, Israel has by far the cheapest mobile internet, with one gigabyte of data costing an average of $0.04 in 2022.

Italy placed second in the global ranking, with a low cost of $0.12 per 1GB. India, France, China, and Spain follow, with $0.17, $0.23, $0.41, and $0.60, respectively.

Although six times more expensive than Italy and almost 20 times more than Israel, the United Kingdom ranked somewhere in the middle of this chart with a cost of $0.79 per 1GB.

On the other hand, Japan, the US, and Switzerland have some of the costliest plans among developed countries.

For instance, 1GB of mobile data in the US costs an average of $5.62, which is seven times more than in the UK, 13 times more than in China, and 46 times more expensive than the average cost in Italy.

The price difference in Switzerland is even worse, with the average cost of mobile data being 61 times larger than in Italy and nine times the UK average cost.

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Japanese mobile data plans are also much more expensive than in other countries. Last year, 1GB of mobile data in the country cost an average of $3.85, nine times the price the Chinese paid and 16 times the average cost in France.

Regionally, North America is the most expensive overall, with an average cost of $4.98 per GB, way above the global average of $3.12. Statistics show Canada is the most expensive country in the region, with a cost of $5.94, followed by the US.

The average cost of mobile internet in Western Europe was far below these figures. Last year, Europeans paid an average of $2.72 per 1G of mobile data, or 45% less than in North America and 12% less than the global average.

That is still far more expensive than the price seen in Asia, which had an average cost of only $1.47 in 2022.