7 1 Brain-implanted 0 2 Hardware Could y r Be The Next Step a u r In Restoring Lost Sight b e F , 2 e u s Huawei Mate s I 9 Porsche Design . 9 . HTC Ocean Note l o V LG G6 Samsung Galaxy S8 Vs Galaxy S7: What's The Rumored Difference? Recession: Businesses Things To Consider Should How To When Giving Your Leverage Stop Car Child The First On Technology Battery For Operational Drains Smart phone Efficiency COVER NewsByte 4 13 NCC Calls For Digitization Of Economy Mobile Money 12 IMF Mobile Money Hopeful Digital Switch Over: On Mobile Money How Prepared Is Nigeria? NewsByte 30 Motoring Total Nigeria Plc Promotes On-Board-Computer 20 (OBC) Rules Global NewsByte 6 AMG Le43 2017 Worldwide IT Spending To Hit $3.5 Trillion Feature Article Product Review 27 32 Ten years of the iPhone Will Platforms Save Society: Product Review The Need For Inclusiveness 34 Samsung eHealth Galaxy S8 Vs Galaxy S7 31 Global NewsByte Brain-implanted Hardware 35 Could Be The Next Step In Government Should Prioritize Restoring Lost Sight Broadband - ITU Editor-in-Chief Ufuoma Emuophedaro Editor Let's Do Much With Our Little Chidiebere Nwankwo lot of things are happening in the economy. While the plan is for ICT to bail out the Nigerian economy, paradoxically, the economy seem to be Director of Operations Adepressing ICT, hampering its planned growth to a salvaging sector. In recent times, almost all the sub-sectors of the ICT industry, just like every other sector of the economy, have been lamenting on the effect of the Olalekan Akindele recession on the growth of their sub-sectors. In the Broadcast sub-sector, it is most disheartening because the overall economic state of the nation has hampered a major milestone – the transition from analogue to digital Special Correspondents broadcasting. After several hitches, caused by financial inadequacy, the country is still Chuks Mcdominic struggling to meet up with the June 20, 2017 amended deadline. Many Grace Makinde pundits have already tagged it a show of shame that a country with so much Odogwu Ofili abundance in human and natural resources is finding it difficult to migrate from analogue to digital mode of transmission, while countries like Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda and Tanzania have concluded their migration processes. One may argue that these countries are not as large or Account Manager populated as Nigeria, well, they are not as endowed as Nigeria either. In our Cover Story this month headlined “Digital Switch Over: How Prepared Is Elohor Ekakitie Nigeria? “, we have looked at what extent the country has gone in trying to meet up with the new date of June 20, 2017; the current challenges and how to surmount them. We have also looked at the players involved and how they can contribute in furthering this cause. The Cover Story further looks at the Guest Writers benefits of the migration and how it can be leveraged upon to further grow the economy at large. We can do much with the little we have. Read On. Oluwaseun Onigbinde With the confidence oozing out from the nation's telecommunication Maareme Apapa regulator, the NCC, it is cheering news on our Newsbytes. NCC Says that Ewos Iroro despite the challenges pervading the country's economy and the perceived financial growth retardation among industry players, Nigeria will still achieve the 30% Broadband penetration by 2018 as planned. This is even as the ITU is calling on government to prioritise Broadband access. Advert/Marketing Check out more local and foreign news to keep you abreast of happening in Adetoun Ajayi the industry. Innovative milestones are being achieved globally. For e-Health, we present a Brain-implanted hardware that could be the next step in restoring lost sight. Circulation Executive We have series of games displayed for you to choose from. These games are improvements on previous games, and offer more excitement and more Benedicta Emonena interactiveness. Our regular Phone Review Page updates you on the new phone you might want to check out in the market or at the World Mobile Congress (WMC) Photographer scheduled to hold in Barcelona, Spain from February 27 to March 3, 2017. We have showcased the Huawei Mate 9 Porsche, HTC Ocean Note and the LG G6. Make a pick! Adewale Eboh As the April, 2017 release date for the Samsung Galaxy S8 draws near, we also bring to you the expected, or you can say, rumoured difference between the Samsung Galaxy S8 and its predecessor Galaxy S7. Today, debates have raged on the effect of access to social media and other online interactive sites by children. This access is made easier by mobile devices. As a consumer-centric magazine, we have brought you tips on security in Cyper-Parenting. Because we cannot subscribe to cyber-exclusion of our kids, rather we will subscribe to cyber-monitoring of our kids. Therefore in this edition, we have presented “Things To Consider When Giving Your Child The First Smartphone”. These are tips to help guide parents as they guide their childrenin the use of mobile devices. Relax and Read through. Vol. 9, Issue 2, 2017 News Byte Human brands too…presidents, politicians, footballers, other sport icons etc. Jumia, Konga etc. conduct online sales in millions. Black Friday sales turnover in 2015 conducted by online stores in Nigeria was in excess 600 million naira. The availability of ATMs, POS and other online communication platforms have redefined modern life.” In further routing for the accelerated deployment of digital technologies in driving Nigeria's economy, Ojobo pointed out: “There has been a forecast that by 2020, 20.8 billion devices will be connected and collating data. Digital technology is promoting astonishing interaction among citizens and between citizens and the State. More political debates are enabled thereby boosting the expression of civil liberties. Politicians increasingly deploy NCC Calls For social media to reach their constituents.” Quoting statistics from Mckinsey Digitisation Of global institute, the NCC image maker noted that the internet has accounted for over 10 per cent GDP Economy over a period of 15 years in the G8 countries and has been one of the instruments of digital technology that brought change in the Arab region. orrowing globally successful apple, Google and Facebook as top He noted that the application of economic growth indices, the four most capitalised companies digital technology in all facets of the BNigerian Communications globally, Ojobo noted that Nigeria economy, including governance, will Commission (NCC) has called on has started laying the groundwork for bring tremendous positive change in stakeholders to latch onto the use of digitalised economy revolution. the country's Gross Domestic technological innovations to drive He pointed to the growth in Product (GDP) rating. the country's economy. telephone subscription (154.5 Citing examples from prior This call came from the Director of Million as at December 2016)and applications, Ojobo listed how the Public Affairs, NCC, Tony Ojobo teledensity (now 110.38%)in Nigeria digital economy has aided the during the General Meeting of the as indications of Nigeria's readiness detection of 'ghost workers' in the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) to join the global community in the civil service. According to him, there held in Abuja. digital drive. “Only recently the is hardly any banking transaction that According to Ojobo, there have been Lagos State Government launched a has taken place in Nigeria in the last pointers to the pivotal role portal to enhance interaction 15 years that cannot be tracked. This investments in technology and b e t w e e n i t a n d t h e enabled detection of illicit funds and innovations can play in turning citizens.Practically all brands Coca- transparency in the public sector. economies into digital successes. Cola, Toyota, Cadbury, Exxon “These have been a check at least on While citing that such an investment Mobil, Adidas, Amazon, Jumia, some people's tendencies for graft placed companies like Microsoft, Konga retail stores are online. and other financial crimes.” e-Business Life. February 2017 | 4 Vol. 9, Issue 2, 2017 Inside Issues Is The Ministry Of Communications Safe? oing by feelers in the economy, it appears the life span of the Ministry of Communications is at stake. GGovernment is reportedly finalizing plans to move the three of the five agencies under the supervision of the Ministry to the Ministry of Science and Technology in a cost-saving gesture. The agencies to be relocated are the National Information Technology development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) and Galaxy Backbone Limited.Though details are still sketchy, moving these three agencies leaves the Ministry of Communication with only ubiquitous and cost effective access to communications NIPOST and NCC and there are rumours that these two infrastructure throughout the country; Promotion of the may become answerable directly to the presidency. utilization of ICT in all spheres of life to optimize the communications infrastructure – digital content It will be recalled that in 2016, the of Minister creation, domestic software applications and the Communications Technology, Barr. Adebayo Shittu delivery of private and public services over the and his counterpart in the Science and Technology internet;Promote and facilitate the development of the Ministry, Dr. OgbonnayaOnu,were reported to be ICT industry and increase the contribution of the ICT locked in a protracted battle over the supervision of industry to GDP. theNigComSat, Galaxy Backbone and NITDA.This prompted the President to set up a committee headed by The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, on the the Vice President to look into the impasse. other hand is one of the strategic Ministries of Government saddled with the responsibility of As of today, there are 17 agencies/parastatalsunder the facilitating the development and deployment of Science, Ministry of Science and Technology, while, there are 5 Technology and Innovation to enhance the pace of agencies under the Federal Ministry of socio-economic development of the country with major Communications.