30 Mar 2009 08:00 Africa/Lagos
Mobily Awards Motorola an SA435 Million Contract to Expand Its Network in Saudi Arabia
Latest expansion will provide enhanced communications services for more Saudi residents
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, March 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) today announced a contract worth approximately SA435 million ($116 million) with Etihad Etisalat (Mobily). The contract marks the fifth major turnkey GSM network expansion that Mobily has undertaken with Motorola in the past four years. Saudi Arabia's Northwest and Southwest regions will benefit from enhanced GSM coverage and capacity and the contract underscores Motorola's commitment to Saudi Arabia and further reinforces the strong relationship with Mobily.
The turnkey expansion will enable Mobily to expand its network coverage to increase its subscriber base within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Motorola will deliver its GSM infrastructure solutions as well as comprehensive range of services.
"The demand for reliable communications services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is growing and the Mobily expansion project of our GSM network will help to meet the demands and expectations of new subscribers in the western north and southern north regions," said Khalid Al-Kaf, CEO of Mobily. "Our relationship with Motorola and other international companies began in 2004 and we have achieved tremendous success in making Mobily the most trusted mobile service provider in the Kingdom."
"Motorola is a global leader in GSM and our innovative technologies and solutions provide a reliable and scalable network for Mobily to meet growing customer demands," said Ali Amer, vice president sales, Middle East, Africa & Pakistan, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility. "This turnkey expansion will allow for maximized return on investment, rapid deployment for Mobily and enhanced services for Mobily customers."
A portion of revenue on this contract was recognized in the third and fourth quarters of 2008.
Motorola has won a number of significant GSM network expansion contracts over the past few years. Motorola's GSM is attractive for service providers in both new and mature markets. Some of the recent major contract wins include expansion contracts with VNPT Group in Vietnam, China Mobile in China, and Celtel Nigeria in Nigeria.
About Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily)
Mobily, the official brand name of Etihad Etisalat, is considered the second mobile service provider in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It acquired its second license to run the mobile service network in KSA in summer 2004 in a SR 12.21 billion bid. Thus, it has become the first Saudi communications company to get an operation license for 3rd generation services and beyond.
In May 2005, Mobily launched its own network to begin with providing its business services. In 2006, the International Mobile Phone Organization described Mobily as the fastest growing company in MENA after it has built the fastest mobile communications network of its kind in the region within 6 months, besides acquiring the biggest number of 3rd generation services subscribers.
In September 2007, Mobily sealed a MOU to acquire the first data company BAYANAT against SA 1.5 billion, which is considered a step towards merging fixed and mobile communications lines.
Mobily had a market share of 40 per cent approximately by the end of Q1 2008.
About Motorola
Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications and is focused on advancing the way the world connects. From broadband communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility and public safety solutions to high-definition video and mobile devices, Motorola is leading the next wave of innovations that enable people, enterprises and governments to be more connected and more mobile. Motorola (NYSE:MOT) had sales of US $30.1 billion in 2008. For more information, please visit www.motorola.com.
MOTOROLA and the stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. (C) Motorola, Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020415/MOTNOTAGLOGO
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020307/MOTLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.or/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Motorola, Inc.
CONTACT: Gemma Priscott of Motorola Home & Networks Mobility, +44 1256
790 384, gemma.priscott@motorola.com
Web Site: http://www.motorola.com/
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Paul Krugman Has Emerged as Obama's Toughest Liberal Critic
President Barack Obama thinks he is right, but according to the Newsweek Cover story, the famous economist and Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman thinks Obama is wrong.
What do you think?
Video: Obama defends budget and dollar
(02:06) Report
Mar. 24 - President Barack Obama defended his $3.6 trillion budget blueprint, which most Republicans and even some fellow Democrats have criticized for being too costly.
In his second prime-time White House news conference since he took office, Obama said the U.S. dollar is strong. He also said he is continuing to follow the ongoing violence in Mexico very carefully and is prepared to take additional steps to protect the U.S. border. Jon Decker reports.SOUNDBITE: U.S. President Barack Obama
In the April 6 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands March 30), "Obama is Wrong," Newsweek's Evan Thomas profiles Paul Krugman, who, as the debate over the rescue of the financial system unfolds, has emerged as Obama's toughest liberal critic. Plus: Michael Hirsh on how Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner appears to have settled into office; Dan Gross on financial linguistics; a profile of Peter Arnell; Newsweek's Business Roundtable; and the "diva-ization" of kids at a young age. (PRNewsFoto/Newsweek) NEW YORK, NY UNITED STATES 03/29/2009
29 Mar 2009 16:17 Africa/Lagos
NEWSWEEK Cover: Obama Is Wrong
Paul Krugman Has Emerged as Obama's Toughest Liberal Critic
What if Krugman's Criticism May be Right?
NEW YORK, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- As the debate over the rescue of the financial system - which is crucial in stabilizing the economy and returning the country to prosperity - unfolds, Paul Krugman has emerged as President Barack Obama's toughest liberal critic, writes Newsweek Editor-at-Large Evan Thomas in his profile of Krugman in the current issue. Krugman, a columnist for The New York Times, a professor at Princeton and a Nobel Prize winner in economics, was a scourge of the Bush administration, but has been critical, if not hostile, to the Obama White House, skeptical of the bank bailout and pessimistic about the economy. As the debate continues, there are worries among the establishment that his "despair" over the administration's bailout plan might be right. "Krugman may be exaggerating the decay of the financial system or the devotion of Obama's team to preserving it. But what if he's right, or part right?," Thomas writes. "What if President Obama is squandering his only chance to step in and nationalize...the banks before they collapse altogether?," he writes in the April 6 Newsweek cover, "Obama Is Wrong" (on newsstands Monday, March 30).
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090329/91457 )
There is little doubt that Krugman has become the voice of the loyal opposition, taking on the president from the left. In his twice-a-week column and his blog, Conscience of a Liberal, Krugman criticizes the Obamaites for trying to prop up a flawed financial system and he portrays Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and other top officials as tools of Wall Street. The day Geithner announced the details of the administration's bank-rescue plan, Krugman described his "despair" that Obama "has apparently settled on a financial plan that, in essence, assumes that banks are fundamentally sound and that bankers know what they're doing." The administration, naturally does not share Krugman's view, but the Obama White House is also careful not to provoke his wrath any more than necessary.
"Ideologically, Krugman is a European Social Democrat," Thomas writes. "In his published opinions, and perhaps his very being, Paul Krugman is anti- establishment." He hungers for what he calls "a new New Deal," and prides himself on his status as an outsider. Krugman generally applauds Obama's efforts to tax the rich in his budget and try for massive health-care reform. However, on the all-important questions of the financial system, he says he has not given up on the White House's seeing the merits of his argument - that the government must guarantee the liabilities of all the nation's banks and nationalize the big "zombie" banks - and do it fast. "The public wants to trust Obama," Krugman says. "This is still Bush's crisis. But if they wait, Obama will be blamed for a fair share of the problem." The question remains as to whether Krugman is right, which we won't know for a while to come.
(Read cover at www.Newsweek.com)
Cover: http://www.newsweek.com/id/191393
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090329/91457
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN1
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Newsweek
CONTACT: Katherine Barna, +1-212-445-4859, of Newsweek
Web site: http://www.newsweek.msnbc.com/
.
What do you think?
Video: Obama defends budget and dollar
(02:06) Report
Mar. 24 - President Barack Obama defended his $3.6 trillion budget blueprint, which most Republicans and even some fellow Democrats have criticized for being too costly.
In his second prime-time White House news conference since he took office, Obama said the U.S. dollar is strong. He also said he is continuing to follow the ongoing violence in Mexico very carefully and is prepared to take additional steps to protect the U.S. border. Jon Decker reports.SOUNDBITE: U.S. President Barack Obama
In the April 6 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands March 30), "Obama is Wrong," Newsweek's Evan Thomas profiles Paul Krugman, who, as the debate over the rescue of the financial system unfolds, has emerged as Obama's toughest liberal critic. Plus: Michael Hirsh on how Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner appears to have settled into office; Dan Gross on financial linguistics; a profile of Peter Arnell; Newsweek's Business Roundtable; and the "diva-ization" of kids at a young age. (PRNewsFoto/Newsweek) NEW YORK, NY UNITED STATES 03/29/2009
29 Mar 2009 16:17 Africa/Lagos
NEWSWEEK Cover: Obama Is Wrong
Paul Krugman Has Emerged as Obama's Toughest Liberal Critic
What if Krugman's Criticism May be Right?
NEW YORK, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- As the debate over the rescue of the financial system - which is crucial in stabilizing the economy and returning the country to prosperity - unfolds, Paul Krugman has emerged as President Barack Obama's toughest liberal critic, writes Newsweek Editor-at-Large Evan Thomas in his profile of Krugman in the current issue. Krugman, a columnist for The New York Times, a professor at Princeton and a Nobel Prize winner in economics, was a scourge of the Bush administration, but has been critical, if not hostile, to the Obama White House, skeptical of the bank bailout and pessimistic about the economy. As the debate continues, there are worries among the establishment that his "despair" over the administration's bailout plan might be right. "Krugman may be exaggerating the decay of the financial system or the devotion of Obama's team to preserving it. But what if he's right, or part right?," Thomas writes. "What if President Obama is squandering his only chance to step in and nationalize...the banks before they collapse altogether?," he writes in the April 6 Newsweek cover, "Obama Is Wrong" (on newsstands Monday, March 30).
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090329/91457 )
There is little doubt that Krugman has become the voice of the loyal opposition, taking on the president from the left. In his twice-a-week column and his blog, Conscience of a Liberal, Krugman criticizes the Obamaites for trying to prop up a flawed financial system and he portrays Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and other top officials as tools of Wall Street. The day Geithner announced the details of the administration's bank-rescue plan, Krugman described his "despair" that Obama "has apparently settled on a financial plan that, in essence, assumes that banks are fundamentally sound and that bankers know what they're doing." The administration, naturally does not share Krugman's view, but the Obama White House is also careful not to provoke his wrath any more than necessary.
"Ideologically, Krugman is a European Social Democrat," Thomas writes. "In his published opinions, and perhaps his very being, Paul Krugman is anti- establishment." He hungers for what he calls "a new New Deal," and prides himself on his status as an outsider. Krugman generally applauds Obama's efforts to tax the rich in his budget and try for massive health-care reform. However, on the all-important questions of the financial system, he says he has not given up on the White House's seeing the merits of his argument - that the government must guarantee the liabilities of all the nation's banks and nationalize the big "zombie" banks - and do it fast. "The public wants to trust Obama," Krugman says. "This is still Bush's crisis. But if they wait, Obama will be blamed for a fair share of the problem." The question remains as to whether Krugman is right, which we won't know for a while to come.
(Read cover at www.Newsweek.com)
Cover: http://www.newsweek.com/id/191393
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090329/91457
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN1
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Newsweek
CONTACT: Katherine Barna, +1-212-445-4859, of Newsweek
Web site: http://www.newsweek.msnbc.com/
.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
17:29 Nasir El-Rufai Fights Political Persecution in Nigeria
26 Mar 2009 17:29 Africa/Lagos
Nasir El-Rufai Fights Political Persecution in Nigeria
International legal expert Robert Amsterdam joins Nigerian defense team to challenge accusations against el-Rufai
LONDON, March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Nasir El-Rufai, a popular Nigerian reformer who has faced nearly two years of investigations from trumped-up, politically-motivated charges has announced the retention of the well-known international lawyer Robert Amsterdam, of Amsterdam & Peroff. Mr. Amsterdam has a broad mandate to mount a vigorous legal defense of El-Rufai's reputation, person and property both in Nigeria and abroad.
Mr. A. U. Mustapha, prominent Nigerian counsel for El-Rufai, stated that, "the increasingly libelous accusations against former Minister El-Rufai and the ferocity of the campaign against him which violate Nigeria's commitments under international law prompted us to look for jurisdictions outside of Nigeria for additional arena for redress."
While serving in government, El-Rufai was recognized as an integral member of a team of bold and innovative reformers who brought real progress, transparency and accountability to Nigeria. During his tenure as Minister of the FCT, El-Rufai's administration was recognized globally as a model of transparency and efficiency, implementing policies and recruiting personnel that enhanced the viability of the federal capital as part of a wider reform agenda.
"The accusations against El-Rufai are politically motivated and intended to destroy the reputation of a Nigerian reformer and a results-oriented technocrat, and hence destroy the very notion of reform," said Amsterdam. "Nigerians deserve better than this." He continued, "These baseless accusations are of grave concern to the international community, particularly those concerned with human rights, democracy and good governance in Africa."
The Bureau of Public Enterprises which El-Rufai headed between 1999 and 2003 provided the then newly-created Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) temporary offices, initial staff and other resources to begin its successful anti-corruption campaign in 2003. The tenacity and effectiveness of the EFCC has prompted political reprisals against El-Rufai and Nuhu Ribadu, who were seen as the driving force behind the Commission's successful prosecutions. Both El-Rufai and Ribadu are now outside of Nigeria for their own safety.
Robert Amsterdam is the founding partner of the Toronto- and London, U.K.-based law firm Amsterdam & Peroff. More information on this case can be found at www.robertamsterdam.com.
Source: Amsterdam & Peroff
CONTACT: James Kimerm, +1-917-355-0717, James.kimer@ksocialmedia.com
Web Site: http://www.robertamsterdam.com/
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
27 Mar 2009
11:10
Fluorspar Prices are Likely to Stabilise as Environmental Pressures Moderate Demand
26 Mar 2009
17:29
Nasir El-Rufai Fights Political Persecution in Nigeria
16:35
FrieslandCampina consigue un buen rendimiento dentro de un año complejo en el sector lácteo
10:20
Gute Leistung von FrieslandCampina in schwierigem Milchwirtschaftsjahr
10:06
FrieslandCampina Delivers Good Performance in Difficult Dairy Year
09:56
Goede prestatie FrieslandCampina in moeilijk zuiveljaar
.
Nasir El-Rufai Fights Political Persecution in Nigeria
International legal expert Robert Amsterdam joins Nigerian defense team to challenge accusations against el-Rufai
LONDON, March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Nasir El-Rufai, a popular Nigerian reformer who has faced nearly two years of investigations from trumped-up, politically-motivated charges has announced the retention of the well-known international lawyer Robert Amsterdam, of Amsterdam & Peroff. Mr. Amsterdam has a broad mandate to mount a vigorous legal defense of El-Rufai's reputation, person and property both in Nigeria and abroad.
Mr. A. U. Mustapha, prominent Nigerian counsel for El-Rufai, stated that, "the increasingly libelous accusations against former Minister El-Rufai and the ferocity of the campaign against him which violate Nigeria's commitments under international law prompted us to look for jurisdictions outside of Nigeria for additional arena for redress."
While serving in government, El-Rufai was recognized as an integral member of a team of bold and innovative reformers who brought real progress, transparency and accountability to Nigeria. During his tenure as Minister of the FCT, El-Rufai's administration was recognized globally as a model of transparency and efficiency, implementing policies and recruiting personnel that enhanced the viability of the federal capital as part of a wider reform agenda.
"The accusations against El-Rufai are politically motivated and intended to destroy the reputation of a Nigerian reformer and a results-oriented technocrat, and hence destroy the very notion of reform," said Amsterdam. "Nigerians deserve better than this." He continued, "These baseless accusations are of grave concern to the international community, particularly those concerned with human rights, democracy and good governance in Africa."
The Bureau of Public Enterprises which El-Rufai headed between 1999 and 2003 provided the then newly-created Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) temporary offices, initial staff and other resources to begin its successful anti-corruption campaign in 2003. The tenacity and effectiveness of the EFCC has prompted political reprisals against El-Rufai and Nuhu Ribadu, who were seen as the driving force behind the Commission's successful prosecutions. Both El-Rufai and Ribadu are now outside of Nigeria for their own safety.
Robert Amsterdam is the founding partner of the Toronto- and London, U.K.-based law firm Amsterdam & Peroff. More information on this case can be found at www.robertamsterdam.com.
Source: Amsterdam & Peroff
CONTACT: James Kimerm, +1-917-355-0717, James.kimer@ksocialmedia.com
Web Site: http://www.robertamsterdam.com/
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
27 Mar 2009
11:10
Fluorspar Prices are Likely to Stabilise as Environmental Pressures Moderate Demand
26 Mar 2009
17:29
Nasir El-Rufai Fights Political Persecution in Nigeria
16:35
FrieslandCampina consigue un buen rendimiento dentro de un año complejo en el sector lácteo
10:20
Gute Leistung von FrieslandCampina in schwierigem Milchwirtschaftsjahr
10:06
FrieslandCampina Delivers Good Performance in Difficult Dairy Year
09:56
Goede prestatie FrieslandCampina in moeilijk zuiveljaar
.
Nigerian Women Association of Georgia Awards 29 Scholarships
NWAG HAS DONE IT AGAIN!!NWAG will be awarding 29 Scholarships to deserving women in Nigerian Universities from 28 States. It is our intention to cover all 36 states of the federation in 2009! Congratulations to the following 2008 recipients:Full Recipients List
About Nigerian Women Association of Georgia
The Nigerian Women Association of Georgia (NWAG) founded in April 2000, is a non-profit organization based in Atlanta Georgia.
Mission Statement
The mission of NWAG is to serve our local community as well as our country Nigeria, through empowerment, cultural enrichment, and education of women, youth and children, thereby fostering togetherness and excellence in our collective pursuits.
Our Goals and Objectives
To bring all Nigerian Women in Georgia under one National Association.
To create opportunities for networking and information sharing in helping our community.
To promote and integrate our rich and diversified culture among our Youth.
To create a positive awareness of our National heritage within Georgia and the USA.
To work in collaboration with women groups in Georgia and the USA.
NWAG Core Beliefs
We believe in...
The Empowerment of Women, Youth and Children
Selfless Service, Strong Commitment and Teamwork
Mutual Respect, Integrity, and Excellence in our Pursuits
Honest and Open Communication
That Trusting Environment Strengthens and Encourages Its Members
Promoting Nigerian Culture
Friday, March 27, 2009
Let Us Stop the Aliko Dangote Mafia Gang-Up against African Petroleum Plc
Let Us Stop the Aliko Dangote Mafia Gang-Up against African Petroleum Plc
Nigerians Report has decided to address the case of The Unethical Manipulation of AP Shares Leading To a Decline in Value by Nova Finance & Securities Limited and Alhaji Aliko Dangote published on pages 94-95 of The Guardian on Tuesday, March 24, 2009.
It is important that this grievous allegation by the management of African Petroleum Plc against the Nova Finance & Securities Limited and Alhaji Aiko Dangote should be well investigated and the findings should be well circulated for the public knowledge of Nigerians and citizens of other nations, because hundreds of thousands of them are shareholders of these public quoted companies in Nigeria. Any act of economic misconduct or sabotage in Nigeria should be dealt with by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC). The alarm raised by the management of African Petroleum Plc is in the interest of their nearly 200, 000 shareholders and the general public.
If Alhaji Aliko Dangote has personal scores to settle with his business archrival Chief Femi Otedola, he should do so privately and not on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Aliko Dangote should not use innocent shareholders as pawns in his desperation to checkmate the advancement of Femi Otedola in the business leadership of Nigeria.
He should not use the shares of AP Plc to learn how to play Chess on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
The fact is, without the Yorubas of Femi Otedola’s tribe, Alhaji Aliko Dangote would not have become as rich as he is today, because the majority of his customers or the consumers of his products are Yorubas. His own people the Hausas do not buy as much cement as the Yorubas, because Hausas hardly build houses as the Yoruba landlords who have landed properties from the Western region to the Northern region of the Hausas. Yorubas are the ones who buy most of the products produced and distributed by Aliko Dangote and not the Hausas who hardly indulge in extravagant parties as the popular Yorubas “Owanbe” parties. If the Yorubas should boycott Dangote’s products, the Dangote Group will collapse within 12 months. Imagine what would happen to the conglomerate of Alhaji Aliko Dangote if I make a clarion call to all Southerners from the East and Western states of Nigeria to boycott Dangote’s products and services? The Dangote business empire will crash!
Alhaji Aliko Dangote and his gang of Nova Finance & Securities Limited should stop their mischievous and unethical economic sabotage of “crossing” and devaluation of the shares of African Petroleum Plc at the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Any Dangote Mafia gang-up against Chief Femi Otedola and associates will fail woefully.
The ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of Nigeria connived with Aliko Dangote to use the Nigerian economy to practice monopoly and Totopoly and he monopolized the importation of cement with the support of the corrupt political mafia of the PDP. But the time has come to stop the greediness of Aliko Dangote and demand for equity and probity in the economic development of Nigeria for the mutual benefit of all the citizens and other stakeholders.
Nigerians Report has decided to address the case of The Unethical Manipulation of AP Shares Leading To a Decline in Value by Nova Finance & Securities Limited and Alhaji Aliko Dangote published on pages 94-95 of The Guardian on Tuesday, March 24, 2009.
It is important that this grievous allegation by the management of African Petroleum Plc against the Nova Finance & Securities Limited and Alhaji Aiko Dangote should be well investigated and the findings should be well circulated for the public knowledge of Nigerians and citizens of other nations, because hundreds of thousands of them are shareholders of these public quoted companies in Nigeria. Any act of economic misconduct or sabotage in Nigeria should be dealt with by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC). The alarm raised by the management of African Petroleum Plc is in the interest of their nearly 200, 000 shareholders and the general public.
If Alhaji Aliko Dangote has personal scores to settle with his business archrival Chief Femi Otedola, he should do so privately and not on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Aliko Dangote should not use innocent shareholders as pawns in his desperation to checkmate the advancement of Femi Otedola in the business leadership of Nigeria.
He should not use the shares of AP Plc to learn how to play Chess on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
The fact is, without the Yorubas of Femi Otedola’s tribe, Alhaji Aliko Dangote would not have become as rich as he is today, because the majority of his customers or the consumers of his products are Yorubas. His own people the Hausas do not buy as much cement as the Yorubas, because Hausas hardly build houses as the Yoruba landlords who have landed properties from the Western region to the Northern region of the Hausas. Yorubas are the ones who buy most of the products produced and distributed by Aliko Dangote and not the Hausas who hardly indulge in extravagant parties as the popular Yorubas “Owanbe” parties. If the Yorubas should boycott Dangote’s products, the Dangote Group will collapse within 12 months. Imagine what would happen to the conglomerate of Alhaji Aliko Dangote if I make a clarion call to all Southerners from the East and Western states of Nigeria to boycott Dangote’s products and services? The Dangote business empire will crash!
Alhaji Aliko Dangote and his gang of Nova Finance & Securities Limited should stop their mischievous and unethical economic sabotage of “crossing” and devaluation of the shares of African Petroleum Plc at the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Any Dangote Mafia gang-up against Chief Femi Otedola and associates will fail woefully.
The ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of Nigeria connived with Aliko Dangote to use the Nigerian economy to practice monopoly and Totopoly and he monopolized the importation of cement with the support of the corrupt political mafia of the PDP. But the time has come to stop the greediness of Aliko Dangote and demand for equity and probity in the economic development of Nigeria for the mutual benefit of all the citizens and other stakeholders.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Intelligent Medical Objects Announces ICD-10 Extensions to Terminology Products
25 Mar 2009 14:45 Africa/Lagos
Intelligent Medical Objects Announces ICD-10 Extensions to Terminology Products
Intelligent Medical Objects Adds ICD-10-WHO and ICD-10-CA Extensions to Their Clinical Interface Terminology Products
NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Intelligent Medical Objects (IMO(R)) announces the general availability of ICD-10-WHO(1) and ICD-10-CA(2) extensions to their market-leading line of Clinical Interface Terminology products including IMO's Problem (IT). IMO Problem (IT) is a clinical diagnosis and problem terminology that contains over 170,000 user-friendly terms for clinicians, coders, and patients and is used within Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems to document diagnoses, problems, and medical histories.
The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10, called ICD-10-WHO here) is maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO) for morbidity and mortality reporting in many countries. This is the coding classification on which other countries are building their own modifications, such as ICD-10-CA in Canada or ICD-10-CM in the United States. ICD-10-CA is developed and is maintained by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) for morbidity and mortality reporting. The extensions to ICD-10-WHO and ICD-10-CA from IMO's user-friendly clinical interface terminology provide a seamless solution for EHRs that require ICD-10-WHO or ICD-10-CA classifications. The maintenance of these classifications in EHR systems is managed by IMO each time ICD-10 is in turn updated by the WHO and CIHI respectively.
Dr. Amy Y. Wang, IMO Acting Chief Medical Officer, adds, "Integrating ICD-10-WHO and ICD-10-CA into our product suite represents an important step towards meeting the clinical terminology and administrative needs of our international customers. This has laid the foundation and is part of IMO's overall strategy for incorporating ICD-10-CM into IMO Problem (IT) in order to assist our U.S. customers through the upcoming transition to ICD-10-CM."
"As our valued vendor partners expand their reach to international markets, it became imperative to enhance our trusted content offering to match vendor partners new client needs," says Mr. Jose Maldonado, IMO Vocabulary Product Manager. "In addition, this effort has opened several international opportunities for IMO independently of our current EHR/EMR vendor partners."
IMO is also helping to accelerate the international adoption of SNOMED CT(R) by working with the Millennium Villages Project to provide SNOMED CT(R) and ICD-10-WHO maps using IMO Interface Terminology for their Millennium Global Village-Network (MGV-Net) in 10 African countries. "We are grateful for IMO's continued support and contribution. By using IMO's comprehensive Interface terminology in MGV-Net, we can focus on improving care in the villages while the Ministries of Health and MVP's monitoring and evaluation systems use the mapping to ICD-10 WHO and SNOMED CT(R)," said Dr. Paul Pronyk, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Programs for the Millennium Villages Project.
"IMO's mission for our interface terminology offering is to capture and preserve the clinical intent and allow care providers using an EHR/EMR to focus on delivery of care rather than be bothered by coding compliance," says Dr. Frank Naeymi-Rad, IMO CEO. This is achieved by moving the complexities associated with terminology standards for EHR/EMR vendors' applications to mappings provided and maintained by IMO. "We firmly believe the compliance to standards like ICD-10, ICD-9-CM, SNOMED CT(R), etc. by EHR/EMR vendors should be a seamless process and should not impede the delivery of care," says Dr. Frank Naeymi-Rad, IMO CEO.
ABOUT IMO
Intelligent Medical Objects (IMO) develops, manages, and licenses medical vocabularies and software applications using the medical vocabulary for health care organizations. IMO's Clinical Interface Terminology products, including IMO Problem (IT), provide seamless mapping of diagnostic terminologies to billing codes and medical concepts. IMO provides the tools necessary for health care organizations to authoritatively support uniform labeling of health profiles, services rendered, and outcomes across their enterprise. This intersection of clinical and financial data provides health care organizations with dependable quality information to deliver services, bear risk, and to enable efficient, cost-effective operation and accountability. IMO's products improve physician satisfaction, facilitate physician adoption, speed the coding process, reduce unnecessary physician-coder communication, and result in fewer rejected claims. More information is available here: www.e-imo.com.
ABOUT Millennium Villages
Millennium Villages offer a scalable model for fighting poverty at the village level and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Initiatives are based on the findings of the UN Millennium Project and are implemented by the communities themselves. There are currently 79 Millennium Villages located in 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda. The project is led by the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Millennium Promise, and the United National Development Programme (UNDP). For more information, please see www.millenniumvillages.org.
1. http://who.int/classifications/icd/en/
2. http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=codingclass_icd10_e
Source: Intelligent Medical Objects
CONTACT: John Ennis of Intelligent Medical Objects, +1-847-272-1242,
ext. 3612, jennis@e-imo.com
Web Site: http://www.e-imo.com/
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
25 Mar 2009
18:00
Monsanto Company Commits $10 Million to Rice and Wheat Research Program
14:45
Intelligent Medical Objects Announces ICD-10 Extensions to Terminology Products
24 Mar 2009
19:02
Irish Trading Firm and Its Officers Charged in Scheme to Supply Iran With Sensitive U.S. Technology
23 Mar 2009
21:06
AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund Releases Monthly Portfolio Update
14:00
Bristow Announces Cost Reduction Initiatives
11:15
UK keeps up aid commitments
Intelligent Medical Objects Announces ICD-10 Extensions to Terminology Products
Intelligent Medical Objects Adds ICD-10-WHO and ICD-10-CA Extensions to Their Clinical Interface Terminology Products
NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Intelligent Medical Objects (IMO(R)) announces the general availability of ICD-10-WHO(1) and ICD-10-CA(2) extensions to their market-leading line of Clinical Interface Terminology products including IMO's Problem (IT). IMO Problem (IT) is a clinical diagnosis and problem terminology that contains over 170,000 user-friendly terms for clinicians, coders, and patients and is used within Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems to document diagnoses, problems, and medical histories.
The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10, called ICD-10-WHO here) is maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO) for morbidity and mortality reporting in many countries. This is the coding classification on which other countries are building their own modifications, such as ICD-10-CA in Canada or ICD-10-CM in the United States. ICD-10-CA is developed and is maintained by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) for morbidity and mortality reporting. The extensions to ICD-10-WHO and ICD-10-CA from IMO's user-friendly clinical interface terminology provide a seamless solution for EHRs that require ICD-10-WHO or ICD-10-CA classifications. The maintenance of these classifications in EHR systems is managed by IMO each time ICD-10 is in turn updated by the WHO and CIHI respectively.
Dr. Amy Y. Wang, IMO Acting Chief Medical Officer, adds, "Integrating ICD-10-WHO and ICD-10-CA into our product suite represents an important step towards meeting the clinical terminology and administrative needs of our international customers. This has laid the foundation and is part of IMO's overall strategy for incorporating ICD-10-CM into IMO Problem (IT) in order to assist our U.S. customers through the upcoming transition to ICD-10-CM."
"As our valued vendor partners expand their reach to international markets, it became imperative to enhance our trusted content offering to match vendor partners new client needs," says Mr. Jose Maldonado, IMO Vocabulary Product Manager. "In addition, this effort has opened several international opportunities for IMO independently of our current EHR/EMR vendor partners."
IMO is also helping to accelerate the international adoption of SNOMED CT(R) by working with the Millennium Villages Project to provide SNOMED CT(R) and ICD-10-WHO maps using IMO Interface Terminology for their Millennium Global Village-Network (MGV-Net) in 10 African countries. "We are grateful for IMO's continued support and contribution. By using IMO's comprehensive Interface terminology in MGV-Net, we can focus on improving care in the villages while the Ministries of Health and MVP's monitoring and evaluation systems use the mapping to ICD-10 WHO and SNOMED CT(R)," said Dr. Paul Pronyk, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Programs for the Millennium Villages Project.
"IMO's mission for our interface terminology offering is to capture and preserve the clinical intent and allow care providers using an EHR/EMR to focus on delivery of care rather than be bothered by coding compliance," says Dr. Frank Naeymi-Rad, IMO CEO. This is achieved by moving the complexities associated with terminology standards for EHR/EMR vendors' applications to mappings provided and maintained by IMO. "We firmly believe the compliance to standards like ICD-10, ICD-9-CM, SNOMED CT(R), etc. by EHR/EMR vendors should be a seamless process and should not impede the delivery of care," says Dr. Frank Naeymi-Rad, IMO CEO.
ABOUT IMO
Intelligent Medical Objects (IMO) develops, manages, and licenses medical vocabularies and software applications using the medical vocabulary for health care organizations. IMO's Clinical Interface Terminology products, including IMO Problem (IT), provide seamless mapping of diagnostic terminologies to billing codes and medical concepts. IMO provides the tools necessary for health care organizations to authoritatively support uniform labeling of health profiles, services rendered, and outcomes across their enterprise. This intersection of clinical and financial data provides health care organizations with dependable quality information to deliver services, bear risk, and to enable efficient, cost-effective operation and accountability. IMO's products improve physician satisfaction, facilitate physician adoption, speed the coding process, reduce unnecessary physician-coder communication, and result in fewer rejected claims. More information is available here: www.e-imo.com.
ABOUT Millennium Villages
Millennium Villages offer a scalable model for fighting poverty at the village level and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Initiatives are based on the findings of the UN Millennium Project and are implemented by the communities themselves. There are currently 79 Millennium Villages located in 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda. The project is led by the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Millennium Promise, and the United National Development Programme (UNDP). For more information, please see www.millenniumvillages.org.
1. http://who.int/classifications/icd/en/
2. http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=codingclass_icd10_e
Source: Intelligent Medical Objects
CONTACT: John Ennis of Intelligent Medical Objects, +1-847-272-1242,
ext. 3612, jennis@e-imo.com
Web Site: http://www.e-imo.com/
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
25 Mar 2009
18:00
Monsanto Company Commits $10 Million to Rice and Wheat Research Program
14:45
Intelligent Medical Objects Announces ICD-10 Extensions to Terminology Products
24 Mar 2009
19:02
Irish Trading Firm and Its Officers Charged in Scheme to Supply Iran With Sensitive U.S. Technology
23 Mar 2009
21:06
AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund Releases Monthly Portfolio Update
14:00
Bristow Announces Cost Reduction Initiatives
11:15
UK keeps up aid commitments
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund Releases Monthly Portfolio Update
AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund Releases Monthly Portfolio Update
NEW YORK, March 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE:AWF) (the "Fund") today released its monthly portfolio update as of February 28, 2009. AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund, Inc.
Click here for the full details of the Top 10 Fixed-Income Holdings and the rating on Nigeria
NEW YORK, March 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE:AWF) (the "Fund") today released its monthly portfolio update as of February 28, 2009. AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund, Inc.
Click here for the full details of the Top 10 Fixed-Income Holdings and the rating on Nigeria
New Amnesty International Report Cites United States Mirroring Global Progress Toward Death Penalty Abolition
24 Mar 2009 01:00 Africa/Lagos
New Amnesty International Report Cites United States Mirroring Global Progress Toward Death Penalty Abolition
WASHINGTON, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amnesty International (AI) reported today that the global trend toward eliminating capital punishment continued in 2008 and that "[t]here is increasing evidence that the United States itself is slowly turning away from the death penalty."
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081014/AILOGO)
AI's new report, Death Sentences and Executions in 2008, which provides a global overview of the death penalty, found that only 25 out of the 59 countries that retain the death penalty executed in 2008. In the United States, only nine of the 36 states that retained the death penalty in 2008 actually carried out executions, and the vast majority of these executions took place in one region: the South. Texas accounted for, in essence, half (18 of 37) of the U.S. executions in 2008.
"Executions in the United States are increasingly a regionally isolated phenomenon. Elsewhere, concerns about cost, the possibility of executing the innocent and racial bias have led to a significant decline in support for capital punishment," said Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, director of AIUSA's Death Penalty Abolition Campaign. On March 18, 2009, New Mexico became the 15th state to become death penalty-free as a result of these concerns. Currently Nebraska, New Hampshire, Colorado and Montana are considering a variety of abolition bills.
Amnesty International's report disclosed that executions are also a regional phenomenon at the international level, as the vast majority of executions in 2008 occurred in Asia and the Middle East. Europe and Central Asia are now virtually free of the death penalty -- with the exception of Belarus. The United States is the only country in the Americas that consistently executes. In December of 2008, St. Kitts and Nevis carried out the first execution in the Americas outside the United States since 2003. There were only two recorded executions in sub-Saharan Africa in 2008, though at least 362 people were sentenced to death.
The report found that between January and December 2008, at least 2,390 people were executed around the world with at least 8,864 sentenced to death in 52 countries. China remained the world's leading executioner by a wide margin, accounting for at least 1,718 executions -- near three-quarters of all executions -- although the figure is believed to be much higher as statistics on death sentences and executions remain state secrets. As in previous years, the United States was also one of the world's top executing nations, behind only China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Together, the five countries accounted for 93% of all documented executions worldwide.
"While it is rewarding to see the United States progressing toward death penalty abolition, the United States should be at the forefront of this movement, not bringing up the rear," said Gunawardena-Vaughn.
The report addresses the discriminatory manner with which the death penalty was often applied in 2008, with a disproportionate number of sentences handed down to the poor, and to members of racial, ethnic or religious minority communities in countries such as Iran, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and the United States. It also discusses the continuing risk of executing the innocent, as highlighted by the four prisoners released from death rows in the United States on grounds of innocence. The four were Kennedy Brewer (Mississippi), Glen Edward Chapman (North Carolina), Levon "Bo" James (North Carolina) and Michael Blair (Texas).
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
A copy of Amnesty International's report, Death Sentences and Executions
in 2008, will be available from March 24, 2009, 00:01 GMT on www.amnesty.org.
Also available are a number of case studies of people who were executed
during 2008 or who are currently on death row.
A copy of Amnesty International's report, Ending executions in Europe:
Towards abolition of the death penalty in Belarus, calling on the Belarusian
authorities to abolish the death penalty will also be available from March 24,
2009, 00:01 GMT on http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR49/001/2009/en.
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081014/AILOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.co
Source: Amnesty International
CONTACT: AIUSA media office, +1-202-544-0200 ext. 302, lspann@aiusa.org,
or Brian Evans, +1-202-544-0200 ext. 496, +1-646-853-9623 (cell),
bevans@aiusa.org, both of Amnesty International
Web Site: http://www.amnesty.org/
Indego Africa Opens Global Market to Rwandan Women, Provides Long-Term Skills
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
23 Mar 2009
21:06
AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund Releases Monthly Portfolio Update
14:00
Bristow Announces Cost Reduction Initiatives
11:15
UK keeps up aid commitments
New Amnesty International Report Cites United States Mirroring Global Progress Toward Death Penalty Abolition
WASHINGTON, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amnesty International (AI) reported today that the global trend toward eliminating capital punishment continued in 2008 and that "[t]here is increasing evidence that the United States itself is slowly turning away from the death penalty."
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081014/AILOGO)
AI's new report, Death Sentences and Executions in 2008, which provides a global overview of the death penalty, found that only 25 out of the 59 countries that retain the death penalty executed in 2008. In the United States, only nine of the 36 states that retained the death penalty in 2008 actually carried out executions, and the vast majority of these executions took place in one region: the South. Texas accounted for, in essence, half (18 of 37) of the U.S. executions in 2008.
"Executions in the United States are increasingly a regionally isolated phenomenon. Elsewhere, concerns about cost, the possibility of executing the innocent and racial bias have led to a significant decline in support for capital punishment," said Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, director of AIUSA's Death Penalty Abolition Campaign. On March 18, 2009, New Mexico became the 15th state to become death penalty-free as a result of these concerns. Currently Nebraska, New Hampshire, Colorado and Montana are considering a variety of abolition bills.
Amnesty International's report disclosed that executions are also a regional phenomenon at the international level, as the vast majority of executions in 2008 occurred in Asia and the Middle East. Europe and Central Asia are now virtually free of the death penalty -- with the exception of Belarus. The United States is the only country in the Americas that consistently executes. In December of 2008, St. Kitts and Nevis carried out the first execution in the Americas outside the United States since 2003. There were only two recorded executions in sub-Saharan Africa in 2008, though at least 362 people were sentenced to death.
The report found that between January and December 2008, at least 2,390 people were executed around the world with at least 8,864 sentenced to death in 52 countries. China remained the world's leading executioner by a wide margin, accounting for at least 1,718 executions -- near three-quarters of all executions -- although the figure is believed to be much higher as statistics on death sentences and executions remain state secrets. As in previous years, the United States was also one of the world's top executing nations, behind only China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Together, the five countries accounted for 93% of all documented executions worldwide.
"While it is rewarding to see the United States progressing toward death penalty abolition, the United States should be at the forefront of this movement, not bringing up the rear," said Gunawardena-Vaughn.
The report addresses the discriminatory manner with which the death penalty was often applied in 2008, with a disproportionate number of sentences handed down to the poor, and to members of racial, ethnic or religious minority communities in countries such as Iran, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and the United States. It also discusses the continuing risk of executing the innocent, as highlighted by the four prisoners released from death rows in the United States on grounds of innocence. The four were Kennedy Brewer (Mississippi), Glen Edward Chapman (North Carolina), Levon "Bo" James (North Carolina) and Michael Blair (Texas).
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
A copy of Amnesty International's report, Death Sentences and Executions
in 2008, will be available from March 24, 2009, 00:01 GMT on www.amnesty.org.
Also available are a number of case studies of people who were executed
during 2008 or who are currently on death row.
A copy of Amnesty International's report, Ending executions in Europe:
Towards abolition of the death penalty in Belarus, calling on the Belarusian
authorities to abolish the death penalty will also be available from March 24,
2009, 00:01 GMT on http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR49/001/2009/en.
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081014/AILOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.co
Source: Amnesty International
CONTACT: AIUSA media office, +1-202-544-0200 ext. 302, lspann@aiusa.org,
or Brian Evans, +1-202-544-0200 ext. 496, +1-646-853-9623 (cell),
bevans@aiusa.org, both of Amnesty International
Web Site: http://www.amnesty.org/
Indego Africa Opens Global Market to Rwandan Women, Provides Long-Term Skills
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
23 Mar 2009
21:06
AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund Releases Monthly Portfolio Update
14:00
Bristow Announces Cost Reduction Initiatives
11:15
UK keeps up aid commitments
Monday, March 23, 2009
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is Re-Born Again!
.jpg)
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of Nigeria
Rev. Chief. Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President and twice head of state of Nigeria has been reborn again on Sunday 22nd of March, 2009, at the eight anniversary of the Power Link Chapel of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Lekki, Lagos.
Obasanjo who was accompanied by an elderly woman simply introduced as Mrs. Obasanjo told the congregation how he was born again whilst incarcerated by the late Gen. Sani Abacha, the sadistic head of the military junta that ruled Nigeria in the 1990s. He said the divine intervention of God saved his life, because Abacha actually plotted to kill him as he killed the former Chief of Staff, Maj-Gen. Musa Shehu Yar’ Adua and Chief M.K.O. Abiola, the winner of the annulled 1993 June 12 Presidential election who died in detention. Obasanjo recalled how he converted a fellow prisoner who was a notorious armed robber and murderer, popularly known as “Baba Ali”.
He also made a presentation of his obscure book "Guides to Effective Prayer" that was published in 1998 before he won the 1999 presidential election and became the President of Nigeria. He advised Nigerians on how to pray and trust God to answer their prayers.
23 Mar 2009
11:15
UK keeps up aid commitments
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Voice and SMS Converge in Nigeria
Voice and SMS Converge in Nigeria
March 13, 2009
On February 16, Visafone, the leading mobile CDMA operator in Nigeria with 2.2m active subscribers at year-end 2008, complemented its mobile value-added services by launching a voice SMS service. The service allows subscribers to record a voice message and send it to another subscriber; the recipient is then notified by SMS. Sending a message is as easy as adding a star before the receiver’s phone number, while retrieving the message is done by dialing zero when reading the notification SMS.
My recent research on data service trends in Africa and the Middle East (AME), discussed in Leveraging SMS to Attract the Low End of the Income Scale, places voice SMS at the top of a new generation of SMS-based applications that target the large base of low-income subscribers in AME markets. While peer-to-peer SMS is already generating most of the data revenue in the region – about 59% in 2008 – these new SMS-based services can help operators stabilize their eroding voice revenues. SMS-based applications such as voice SMS, balance transfer and call-me can serve two major functions: Improve call completion and generate new traffic.
In Nigeria, for example, the voice SMS service is already on offer from Glo Mobile, a GSM operator, and from Starcomms, a CDMA operator. Visafone’s service, however, is more attractive, offering a longer message time (45 seconds per message, compared with only 30 seconds per message with the other operators). Unlike the other operators, Visafone also allows its subscribers to send voice SMS messages to subscribers on other networks, although for a higher rate (see Exhibit 1).
Voice SMS, SMS and voice tariffs for Visafone, Starcomms and Glo Mobile
Source: Pyramid Research, operators
Early results show substantial uptake in the markets where voice SMS has been rolled out. Etisalat, for example, said that its 6.4m subscribers in the UAE sent about half a million messages within five days of launch. I expect service adoption to be no less substantial in Nigeria, which might entice the rest of the major operators, notably MTN and Zain, to jump on the bandwagon and offer the service. The service is attractive because it is non-intrusive, cheaper than a call and easy to use. In Africa and the Middle East, there are still many people who cannot use SMS messages because they’re illiterate or unfamiliar with roman-lettered keypads. With the adult literacy rate at only 69% in Nigeria in 2005 according to UNICEF, that’s at least 30m people locked out of the P2P SMS service. I also expect adoption to be higher among Glo’s subscriber base than those of the CDMA operators, just because of the higher discount Glo offers on its voice call rates.
I don’t expect any major cannibalization of voice or peer-to-peer business. On the contrary, I believe that the service enhances the operator’s relationship with its subscribers, and that in addition to the revenue it generates directly, voice SMS will also generate voice revenue when users replay, forward and reply to their messages.
— Badii Kechiche, Analyst
Related content:
Leveraging SMS to Attract the Low End of the Income Scale
Telecom Insider published March 2009
Over the next four years, SMS-based services will be a powerful tool that operators in Africa and the Middle East can use to target their growing base of low-income subscribers and generate higher revenues from both data and voice, adding up to a minimum of US$6bn in new annual revenue by 2013. This report looks at how operators in AME can leverage the SMS platform to boost revenue from the largest, lowest-income subscriber segments. We first examine peer-to-peer SMS in the region, a service that accounted for about 60% of total mobile data revenue in AME in 2008. We also analyze some of the latest and most successful SMS-based services, examining in detail how operators have implemented four of these services in three key markets: South Africa, Egypt and the UAE.
Communications Markets in Nigeria
Country Intelligence Report published March 2009
Nigeria is one of the most attractive markets in Africa & the Middle East — the fourth largest in the region in terms of mobile revenue. Pyramid Research expects Nigeria's total telecom revenue to increase from an estimated US$8.42bn in 2008 to $11.14bn in 2013. Resolution to the Nitel/Mtel crisis and fixed infrastructure rollout will reignite the slow growth in the fixed segment, but the bulk of service revenue will continue to come from mobile. Given Nigeria’s large, young population and low penetration of households, at about 1.7% in 2008, we also expect a significant growth in pay-TV service over the next five years. This Country Intelligence Report analyzes Nigeria’s communications, media and technology industries, including key trends, regulatory pressures and the competitive landscape, making it an excellent complement to our Forecast products.
Africa & Middle East Mobile Demand Forecast, Q4 2008
Forecasts published December 2008
Updated on a quarterly basis, our Mobile Demand Forecast products provide complete pictures of demand trends for 59 geographical markets in Africa & Middle East. The Excel output includes five years of historical data and five years of market projections for metrics such as GDP, mobile penetration, subscriptions (by operator, type of package, technology), ARPS and total mobile service revenue (data and voice). The Forecasts are based on extensive field research and use a consistent methodology across all markets, aiming to capture the total spending, from an end-user perspective, on mobile communication services in each market
20 Mar 2009 15:58 Africa/Lagos
Light Reading Weekly's Picks of the Week
A look at Light Reading's collection of can't-miss stories from the past seven days
NEW YORK, March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Following are our editor's picks for the top stories on TechWeb's Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) for the work week ending Friday, March 20, 2009, with commentary by Light Reading's Editor-in-Chief, Phil Harvey:
1) News Analysis: ZTE Ramps 2008 Revenues
ZTE Corp. defied the economic downturn in 2008 with a 27.4 percent increase in annual revenues.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173864
2) News Analysis: Supercomm 2009 Delayed Until October
This is good for the industry, the new event director says.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173796
And only about half of our readers agree:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173803
3) News Analysis: Cisco's Latest Buy - Flippin' Sweet
Vendor can't seem to quench its desire to own the really crappy video market.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173843
4) Light Reading Asia: Our top stories from the lands of Yen and Yangtze
* China to Top Capex Table
Mobile network expansion plans will push China to the top of the global telecom capex table in 2009.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173508&
* Towering Investments
US firm buys Indian mobile tower player XCEL, and Tata unveils 100 Mbit/s broadband in Mumbai.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173823&
* India Adds 13M Subs in February
Down from January, but still impressive.
http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=173867&
* LR Appoints Asia Editor
Her name: Catherine Haslam. Her game: Death-defying journalism.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173773
5) Heavy Reading: Review of Netbooks & Integrated 3G
Gabe Brown is not fooled by smaller PCs and larger phones.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173559
6) Pyramid Points: Voice and SMS Converge in Nigeria
The distribution of tiny voicemails could help carrier revenues.
http://www.pyramidresearch.com/points/item/090313.htm
7) News Analysis: Charter Plan Could Pay Execs $24M
In the great tradition of American business, Charter sweetens exec pay before bankruptcy.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173865&site=cdn&
To subscribe to the Light Reading Weekly via email, visit:
http://www.lightreading.com/register.asp
About Light Reading
Founded in 2000, Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) is the leading online media, research, and focused event company serving the $3 trillion worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading's research arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, provide the most comprehensive communications research, market data, and technology analysis in close to 100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20 targeted communications events including TelcoTV, Ethernet Expo New York and Ethernet Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, as well as focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and operates as a unit of TechWeb.
About TechWeb
TechWeb (techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-to-face events Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network, Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.
* 13.3 million business decision-makers: based on # of monthly connections
About United Business Media Limited
UBM (UBM.L) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information distribution, targeting and monitoring; and, the development and monetisation of B2B communities and markets. UBM's businesses inform markets and serve professional commercial communities - from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists - with integrated events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/
Amy Averbook
Director of Corporate Marketing
Light Reading
averbook@lightreading.com
212-925-0020 x112
Source: Light Reading
CONTACT: Amy Averbook, Director of Corporate Marketing, Light Reading,
+1-212-925-0020, ext. 112, averbook@lightreading.com
Web Site: http://www.lightreading.com/
March 13, 2009
On February 16, Visafone, the leading mobile CDMA operator in Nigeria with 2.2m active subscribers at year-end 2008, complemented its mobile value-added services by launching a voice SMS service. The service allows subscribers to record a voice message and send it to another subscriber; the recipient is then notified by SMS. Sending a message is as easy as adding a star before the receiver’s phone number, while retrieving the message is done by dialing zero when reading the notification SMS.
My recent research on data service trends in Africa and the Middle East (AME), discussed in Leveraging SMS to Attract the Low End of the Income Scale, places voice SMS at the top of a new generation of SMS-based applications that target the large base of low-income subscribers in AME markets. While peer-to-peer SMS is already generating most of the data revenue in the region – about 59% in 2008 – these new SMS-based services can help operators stabilize their eroding voice revenues. SMS-based applications such as voice SMS, balance transfer and call-me can serve two major functions: Improve call completion and generate new traffic.
In Nigeria, for example, the voice SMS service is already on offer from Glo Mobile, a GSM operator, and from Starcomms, a CDMA operator. Visafone’s service, however, is more attractive, offering a longer message time (45 seconds per message, compared with only 30 seconds per message with the other operators). Unlike the other operators, Visafone also allows its subscribers to send voice SMS messages to subscribers on other networks, although for a higher rate (see Exhibit 1).
Voice SMS, SMS and voice tariffs for Visafone, Starcomms and Glo Mobile
Source: Pyramid Research, operators
Early results show substantial uptake in the markets where voice SMS has been rolled out. Etisalat, for example, said that its 6.4m subscribers in the UAE sent about half a million messages within five days of launch. I expect service adoption to be no less substantial in Nigeria, which might entice the rest of the major operators, notably MTN and Zain, to jump on the bandwagon and offer the service. The service is attractive because it is non-intrusive, cheaper than a call and easy to use. In Africa and the Middle East, there are still many people who cannot use SMS messages because they’re illiterate or unfamiliar with roman-lettered keypads. With the adult literacy rate at only 69% in Nigeria in 2005 according to UNICEF, that’s at least 30m people locked out of the P2P SMS service. I also expect adoption to be higher among Glo’s subscriber base than those of the CDMA operators, just because of the higher discount Glo offers on its voice call rates.
I don’t expect any major cannibalization of voice or peer-to-peer business. On the contrary, I believe that the service enhances the operator’s relationship with its subscribers, and that in addition to the revenue it generates directly, voice SMS will also generate voice revenue when users replay, forward and reply to their messages.
— Badii Kechiche, Analyst
Related content:
Leveraging SMS to Attract the Low End of the Income Scale
Telecom Insider published March 2009
Over the next four years, SMS-based services will be a powerful tool that operators in Africa and the Middle East can use to target their growing base of low-income subscribers and generate higher revenues from both data and voice, adding up to a minimum of US$6bn in new annual revenue by 2013. This report looks at how operators in AME can leverage the SMS platform to boost revenue from the largest, lowest-income subscriber segments. We first examine peer-to-peer SMS in the region, a service that accounted for about 60% of total mobile data revenue in AME in 2008. We also analyze some of the latest and most successful SMS-based services, examining in detail how operators have implemented four of these services in three key markets: South Africa, Egypt and the UAE.
Communications Markets in Nigeria
Country Intelligence Report published March 2009
Nigeria is one of the most attractive markets in Africa & the Middle East — the fourth largest in the region in terms of mobile revenue. Pyramid Research expects Nigeria's total telecom revenue to increase from an estimated US$8.42bn in 2008 to $11.14bn in 2013. Resolution to the Nitel/Mtel crisis and fixed infrastructure rollout will reignite the slow growth in the fixed segment, but the bulk of service revenue will continue to come from mobile. Given Nigeria’s large, young population and low penetration of households, at about 1.7% in 2008, we also expect a significant growth in pay-TV service over the next five years. This Country Intelligence Report analyzes Nigeria’s communications, media and technology industries, including key trends, regulatory pressures and the competitive landscape, making it an excellent complement to our Forecast products.
Africa & Middle East Mobile Demand Forecast, Q4 2008
Forecasts published December 2008
Updated on a quarterly basis, our Mobile Demand Forecast products provide complete pictures of demand trends for 59 geographical markets in Africa & Middle East. The Excel output includes five years of historical data and five years of market projections for metrics such as GDP, mobile penetration, subscriptions (by operator, type of package, technology), ARPS and total mobile service revenue (data and voice). The Forecasts are based on extensive field research and use a consistent methodology across all markets, aiming to capture the total spending, from an end-user perspective, on mobile communication services in each market
20 Mar 2009 15:58 Africa/Lagos
Light Reading Weekly's Picks of the Week
A look at Light Reading's collection of can't-miss stories from the past seven days
NEW YORK, March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Following are our editor's picks for the top stories on TechWeb's Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) for the work week ending Friday, March 20, 2009, with commentary by Light Reading's Editor-in-Chief, Phil Harvey:
1) News Analysis: ZTE Ramps 2008 Revenues
ZTE Corp. defied the economic downturn in 2008 with a 27.4 percent increase in annual revenues.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173864
2) News Analysis: Supercomm 2009 Delayed Until October
This is good for the industry, the new event director says.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173796
And only about half of our readers agree:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173803
3) News Analysis: Cisco's Latest Buy - Flippin' Sweet
Vendor can't seem to quench its desire to own the really crappy video market.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173843
4) Light Reading Asia: Our top stories from the lands of Yen and Yangtze
* China to Top Capex Table
Mobile network expansion plans will push China to the top of the global telecom capex table in 2009.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173508&
* Towering Investments
US firm buys Indian mobile tower player XCEL, and Tata unveils 100 Mbit/s broadband in Mumbai.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173823&
* India Adds 13M Subs in February
Down from January, but still impressive.
http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=173867&
* LR Appoints Asia Editor
Her name: Catherine Haslam. Her game: Death-defying journalism.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173773
5) Heavy Reading: Review of Netbooks & Integrated 3G
Gabe Brown is not fooled by smaller PCs and larger phones.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173559
6) Pyramid Points: Voice and SMS Converge in Nigeria
The distribution of tiny voicemails could help carrier revenues.
http://www.pyramidresearch.com/points/item/090313.htm
7) News Analysis: Charter Plan Could Pay Execs $24M
In the great tradition of American business, Charter sweetens exec pay before bankruptcy.
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=173865&site=cdn&
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About Light Reading
Founded in 2000, Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) is the leading online media, research, and focused event company serving the $3 trillion worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading's research arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, provide the most comprehensive communications research, market data, and technology analysis in close to 100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20 targeted communications events including TelcoTV, Ethernet Expo New York and Ethernet Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, as well as focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and operates as a unit of TechWeb.
About TechWeb
TechWeb (techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-to-face events Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network, Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.
* 13.3 million business decision-makers: based on # of monthly connections
About United Business Media Limited
UBM (UBM.L) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information distribution, targeting and monitoring; and, the development and monetisation of B2B communities and markets. UBM's businesses inform markets and serve professional commercial communities - from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists - with integrated events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/
Amy Averbook
Director of Corporate Marketing
Light Reading
averbook@lightreading.com
212-925-0020 x112
Source: Light Reading
CONTACT: Amy Averbook, Director of Corporate Marketing, Light Reading,
+1-212-925-0020, ext. 112, averbook@lightreading.com
Web Site: http://www.lightreading.com/
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