NOKIA TO HELP NIGERIA DEVELOP BROADBAND PLANS

Nokia Networks committed to help achieve Nigeria National Broadband Plan for development ·         Highlights the need for strengthening mobile broadband infrastructure for a better connected Nigeria ·         Its advanced 2G, 3G, 4G technologies coupled with services for operators will help the government achieve Nokia Networks today held a telecom conference titled ‘Connect Nigeria: Exploring ICT Potential for Growth’ and explored the road for connected Nigeria in line with the government’s ambitious National Broadband Plan (NBP) 2013-2018. The plan aims to increase broadband penetration from 6% in 2013 to 30% by 2018. It also aims to cover 80% of the population with 3G and LTE services and offer a minimum download speed of 1.5 Mbps. About 150 industry experts representing Nokia Networks, operators, government, and IT companies participated in the conference. According to a recent GSMA report, Nigeria is a fast growing economy and the largest one in Africa, but has low mobile broadband penetration. However, due to various factors including high access rates of over 50% of the population (those who use a mobile despite not owning one), data consumption growth, a rise in digital entrepreneurship, and a large youthful population, Nigeria presents a growing opportunity for investment and innovation in telecom networks. Eugene Juwah, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said: "The Nokia Networks conference has brought out excellent insights from various telecom industry players on how to achieve further mobile broadband penetration in Nigeria in linewith our ambitious NBP. The government is committed to enabling the operators to take the quality and coverage of mobile broadband services to a new level for the benefit of greater socio-economic development. We are confident that Nokia Networks’ commitments and advanced 2G, 3G and 4G mobile broadband technologies will significantly contribute in providing high quality mobile broadband services in our country on a par with leading services around the world." Bernard Najm, Vice President and Head of Middle East and Africa, Nokia Networks,said: “Mobile broadband infrastructure in Nigeria needs to be strengthened to significantly improve network coverage and speed across the country including mid-size cities and rural areas. To help achieve National Broadband Plan’s objectives and drive the country’s socio-economic development, we are committed to providing operators here with our advanced 2G, 3G and 4G technologies, and global expertise in services to build and run the networks cost efficiently.” Nigeria is a priority country in the Africa region for Nokia Networks. In addition to its office in Abuja, the company opened its second modern office in Lagos in 2014 to enhance its operational agility for delivery of its mobile broadband infrastructure for all operators in the country. Nokia Networks is the world’s specialist in mobile broadband with more than 200 3G radio customers serving over 1 bn 3G users worldwide. In addition, the company is a global leader in LTE with 162 LTE customersby the end of 2014 and holds theworld record in TDD-FDD carrier aggregation with 4.1Gbps. The company’s leadership in LTE has been recognized by Gartner which positioned the company in the “Leaders” quadrant of the analyst’s Magic Quadrant for LTE in Q4, 2014. Nokia Networks’2020 vision predicts consumption of 1GB of personalized data per user per day. The company’s advanced, scalable radio technologies coupled with professional services aim to help operators in countries with low Average Revenue Per User (ARPUs) meet the ever growing network demands in a profitable way. Participants of the conference include Bernard Najm, Vice President and Head of Middle East and Africa, Nokia Networks;Engr. BakoWakil, Head of Wireless Network, department of Technical Standard and Network Integrity, Nigerian Communications Commission  representingDr Eugene Juwah, Executive Vice Chairman, Mr Tope Fashedemi, Director, E-Government at the Ministry of Communication Technology representing the Honourable Minister,  Dr. Mrs. Omobola Johnson, Minister, Federal Ministry of Communication Technology; Chief Leo Stan, Chairman, Zinox Group and Buyright Africa; SegunOgunsanya, CEO, Bharti Airtel; Matthew Willsher, CEO, Etisalat. About Nokia Nokia invests in technologies important in a world where billions of devices are connected. We are focused on three businesses: network infrastructure software, hardware and services, which we offer through Nokia Networks; location intelligence, which we provide through HERE; and advanced technology development and licensing, which we pursue through Nokia Technologies. Each of these businesses is a leader in its respective field. Nokia Networks is the world’s specialist in mobile broadband. From the first ever call on GSM, to the first call on LTE, we operate at the forefront of each generation of mobile technology. Our global experts invent the new capabilities our customers need in their networks. We provide the world’s most efficient mobile networks, the intelligence to maximize the value of those networks, and the services to make it all work seamlessly. http://networks.nokia.com/// http://company.nokia.com Media Enquiries Nokia Networks Kannan K Media Relations Phone: +91 95388 90288 E-mail: kannan.k@nsn.com
PHOTO CAPTION Photo 4 L-R:Mr. Akinwale Goodluck, Corporate Services Executive, Regulatory Corporate Services Department, MTN, representing Mr. Michael Ikpoki, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN; Mr. Matthew Willsher, the CEO of Etisalat Nigeria; Chief Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman, Zinox Group and Buyright Africa as well as the Chairman of the Conference; Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, CEO of Airtel and Mr. Bernard Najm, the Vice President, Head of Middle East and Africa Region at Nokia Networks during the Nokia Networks Conference titled Connect Nigeria:Exploring ICT potential for growth in Victoria Island, Lagos on February 3, 2015 Photo 6 The Vice President, Head of Middle East and Africa Region at Nokia Networks, Mr. Bernard Najm making a presentation at the Nokia Networks Conference titled Connect Nigeria:Exploring ICT potential for growth in Victoria Island, Lagos on February 3, 2015 Stay richly blessed