Author: Rommy Imah

By Emeka OPARAH One would ordinarily have dismissed the “controversy” around 5G technology and the strange connection with COVID-19 being stridently pursued by some people as ignorant rants occasioned by the morbid fear of the rampaging Coronavirus, but with the prevailing circumstances of fear and tension, I have elected, as one familiar with the workings of the telecommunications industry, to say something. Several years ago, I was part of a global campaign by mobile telecommunications operators to debunk a widely held belief that telecommunications base stations emitted radiations that led to Cancer. As an organization, my employers then spent a…

Nigeria’s leading retail bank, Access Bank Plc has unveiled a revolutionary mobile banking application- AccessMore, as part of its effort at ensuring that its customers have easy access to their funds as well as carry out seamless transactions during this period of COVID-19 pandemic. AccessMore is a new mobile payment application built on cutting-edge technology, offering tailored and personalized services, and excellent customer experience. It is an innovative mobile payment application that offers a “more than banking experience.” The new App is in line with Access Bank’s promise at integration to bring the best of the Access and Diamond mobile apps together…

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications & Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) has given clarifications that no license has been issued for the deployment of 5G network services in the country. The Minister said the clarification was based on available records in his office and the earlier report received from the industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC. Pantami revealed that the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC), of which he is the Chairman, has neither deliberated on nor released any bulk frequency spectrum for the deployment of 5G. The Minister said in a statement he personally signed that this clarification…

Google on Thursday published reports for Nigeria and 130 other countries showing whether visits to shops, parks, and workplaces dropped in March when many governments issued stay-at-home orders to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Google’s analysis of location data from billions of users’ phones is the largest public data set available to help health authorities assess whether people are abiding by shelter-in-place and similar orders issued across the world. Its reports show charts that compare visits in recent weeks to subway, train, and bus stations; grocery stores; and other broad categories of places with a five-week period earlier…

As more and more people nationwide brace for the immense human, economic, and social cost of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board, Management and Staff of MTN Nigeria and the MTN Foundation have reiterated telco’s commitment to helping Nigerians stay connected and support efforts to contain the outbreak. MTN Nigeria said that COVID-19 is a new test of the country’s collective strength, and has responded to this by deploying the first phase of a broad set of investments in support of the national effort to contain the pandemic. Towards this end, MTN Nigeria said it is supporting the Federal and State…

While there’s zero factual support for a conspiracy theory linking the COVID-19 virus to 5G cellular technology and the scientific community has concluded that 5G is safe the UK government was forced recently to explicitly address the topic after arsonists burned down a cell tower over 5G, and used Facebook to encourage others to follow suit, according to a report in venturebeat.com. “There is absolutely no credible evidence of a link between 5G and coronavirus,” the UK’s Department of Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) tweeted, noting that “inaccurate information” was being spread online about 5G. The DCMS pointed to research debunking…

Airtel Nigeria has in support of the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic, announced the donation of toll-free lines and free bulk SMS blasts to each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Airtel said the donation would facilitate faster response to citizens across the States as well as help in deepening awareness about safe practices, personal hygiene and other precautionary measures during this critical time. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, said Airtel has been closely monitoring the situation around the COVID-19 and was committed to using its resources and technology to…

The UK government is reportedly preparing to launch an app that will warn users if they are in close proximity to someone who has tested positive for Coronavirus, according to a report in IT Pro. The contact-tracking app will be released just before the lockdown is lifted or in its immediate aftermath, CloudPro quoted Sky News as reporting and will use short-range Bluetooth signals to detect other phones in close vicinity and then store a record of those contacts on the device. If somebody tests positive for COVID-19, they will be able to upload those contacts, who can then be alerted – via the app. This…

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned the Nigerian populace, especially telecoms consumers against a fraudulent message being spread on the Internet by a fraudulent website. The fake website, (https://covid-19-fg-grant.blogspot.com/?=1), according to the Commission, is asking Nigerian citizens to apply for a free Internet bundle ostensibly being given by the Nigerian government in collaboration with NCC. The deceptive website claims the following in its message: “Nigerian government, in collaboration with NCC, is offering all Nigerian citizens up to 20GB of data to stay at home and get up-to-date information in a bid to counter the spread of COVID-19. “All Nigeria…

In the nation’s collective efforts to fight the spread of Coronavirus pandemic, also known COVID-19, the National Emergency Number 112 established by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) comes handy to provide succour to Nigerians. Checks by DigitalTimesNG show that Nigerians are able to call emergency response agencies/or first responders with respect to any issue they may want to report on the Coronavirus or other health-related issues and emergencies. Already, states and federal government agencies are leveraging the 112 National Emergency Number, whose calls are handled through the Emergency Communication Centre (ECC) established by the Commission across the country. The ECC…