A couple of telcos are claiming to offer unlimited data plans and subscribers are giving them kudos. Often, the claim is a focus of intense campaign blitz targeted at winning customer loyalty. The question to ask is – are these telcos really offering unlimited data plans? If they are, what are the definite benefits to the subscriber? This is important because subscribers must get value for their money and seen as such. In the early days of telecom revolution in early 2000, some telcos brazenly exploited Nigerians in a manner that made informed observers cringe. A particular telco was said…
Author: DigitalTimesNG
Airtel Nigeria, on Thursday, said it has commenced the National Identity Number (NIN) registration exercise in its retail outlets across the country. Airtel said in a statement made available to journalists in Lagos that it was following approval from the Federal Government which granted them a verification and enrolment license, according to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The telco said that while selected retail outlets in Lagos and Abuja were now fully operational to register Nigerians for the NIN exercise, work was currently ongoing to expand its NIN footprints to cover more areas and states. It…
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said it has tightened the noose against cases of data depletion and wrong deductions of consumers’ credit through an ongoing forensic audit instituted by the Commission to ensure maximum protection for consumers. Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, stated this when he received the ‘Man of the Year 2020’ Award from MoneyReport magazine recently in Abuja. The EVC who said that while consumer protection remains a key focus area of the Commission’s regulatory activities, also added that it has accomplished significant improvements in this direction through various initiatives aimed at putting mobile operators on…
MasterCard is furthering its commitment to creating a more sustainable and inclusive digital economy, with a pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Understanding that economic growth cannot come at the expense of the planet, the company’s global action plan aims to continue to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) by remaining focused on the decarbonization of its operations and bolstering its efforts to decarbonize its supply chains. MasterCard’s net-zero goal builds upon its existing GHG commitments that align with the Business Ambition for 1.5°C pledge. The first in the payments industry to gain Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approval for…
MTN, one of Africa’s leading mobile network operators, has announced a donation of US$25 million to support the African Union’s COVID-19 vaccination programme. The telco said in a statement that the donation will help secure up to seven million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for health workers across the continent, which will contribute to the vaccination initiative of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). “The devastating impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented and profound. Public and private partnerships are needed if we are to succeed in the fight against the pandemic and restore social and economic norms for…
Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, was on Tuesday honoured with the prestigious “Man of the Year 2020” award from the Publishers of MoneyReport Magazine. Danbatta was presented with the award at the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja, by the Board Chairman, MoneyReport and former Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Prof. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, who was represented by Dr Eke Agbai, the Executive Vice President at the Centre for Policy and Foreign Engagement (CPFE) and Board member of MoneyReport Magazine. Prof. Okereke-Onyiuke acknowledged the impressive growth recorded in the telecoms sector…
MasterCard has imposed a five-fold increase on credit card interchange fees charged for UK online purchases from the EU, following Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union. Prior to Brexit, UK merchants and cardholders benefitted from a 0.3% cap on credit card interchange fees imposed by the European Commission. But with the country withdrawing from Europe, these fees will increase to 1.5%, as payments between the UK and the European Economic Area are now deemed “inter-regional”. The fee for debit card payments is also set to rise from 0.2% to 1.15%. The increase in fees is another blow to UK merchants…
Visa has joined Zone2boost, an investment startup programme created by CaixaBank, Global Payments and Worldline, according to a finextra report. Visa joins the international innovation initiative following its first year of activity with more than 300 start-ups assessed, eight start-ups incorporated into its acceleration programme and a committed investment volume of €800,000. Companies receiving investments span a wide range of financial and e-commerce activities, driving innovation through the use of cutting edge technologies like blockchain and AI. Visa will contribute to the programme by helping selected startups to scale and enrich their products and by contributing to investment funding. Eduardo…
Pula, an African InsureTech service provider startup that specialises in digital and agricultural insurance to derisk millions of smallholder farmers across Africa, has closed a $6mn Series A fundraise led by TLcom Capital, with the participation of Women’s World Banking. The new investment will be used to scale up operations in the company’s existing 13 markets across Africa. Currently, Pula has impacted over 4.3mn farmers on the continent and the new funding will also help propel its expansion into Asia to power resilience and profitability for Asian smallholder farmers. Launched in 2015 by Rose Goslinga and Thomas Njeru, Pula designs…
By Obiora OKOYE The global demand for skilled Software Developers is directly proportional to the rate at which the software industry is growing. This new trend is making tech companies compete for relatively few Senior Engineers. Junior software developers who want to advance in their careers and take on senior engineering responsibilities should be prepared for the journey ahead of them due to the demand and expectations of the role. Here are some steps that Junior Software developers can take to advance to Senior engineering roles: Be consistent in enhancing technical skills As a software engineer, it is essential to…