Some automation, some optical, some energy, and some funding: … [visit site to read more]

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Three middle mile and longhaul expansions plus some new data center space in Manhattan: … [visit site to read more]

Nigeria’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in collaboration with the country’s National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has launched a data-capturing scheme for Nigerian farmers.

The idea is that by capturing accurate data on farmers, government can better understand their needs and allocate resources, ensuring targeted support to farmers and enhancing agricultural productivity.

The initiative therefore aims to create a comprehensive database of farmers to facilitate effective agricultural planning and intervention. The Nairametrics news site says that the partnership will leverage NIMC’s expertise in identity management to create a robust and reliable database.

A technical working group (TWG), which includes directors from various technical departments and a representative from NIMC, has been established to oversee the implementation of the scheme.

The TWG will build a detailed work plan with clear timelines, roles and responsibilities and design robust data collection tools to capture essential farmer information, such as personal identification, farm size, and crop types. There will also be training programmes for field officers and data collectors to ensure data accuracy and consistency.

This isn’t the first time Nigeria’s federal government has used communications and IT for the benefit of the agricultural sector. In July it announced that it was developing a web application aimed at training farmers on best practices for different crops. The app will be available in major languages.

In March we reported that MTN Nigeria and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency had announced plans to disseminate weather and climate information to farmers and other users across Nigeria.

Four bits of news touching four continents: … [visit site to read more]

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Four bits of news from the metro and last mile to keep up with as we start the week: … [visit site to read more]

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This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Faisal Ishaq, Client Partner, EPAM Systems, Inc.

Telcos face several unique challenges that can jeopardize their ability to stay competitive in today’s fierce markets. For starters, connectivity has become essential to the average person living in the developed world, and telcos must deliver seamless services and new experiences to these modern customers. … [visit site to read more]

Bangladesh telcos Grameenphone and Robi Axiata have reportedly secured another 20 MHz of spectrum each in the 2.6 GHz band, after two years of haggling over the price per MHz.

According to the Daily Star, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission granted Grameenphone and Robi 15-year contracts for the spectrum at a price of BDT11.6 billion (US$98.6 million). Grameenphone and Robi said the extra spectrum will help them boost quality of service for their subscribers.

« Sufficient spectrum is key for serving customers with quality services, but it involves massive investment from operators, » said Shahed Alam, chief corporate and regulatory officer of Robi Axiata.

The 40 MHz of spectrum in question was left over from the BTRC’s spectrum auction in April 2022. In that auction, 160 MHz of spectrum from the 2.6 GHz band was up for grabs. Grameenphone and Robi each got 60 MHz, while broadband wireless access provider Internet Exchange Limited (IEL) won the remaining 40 GHz.

However, in July 2022, the BTRC cancelled IEL’s allocation and decided the spectrum would go to mobile operators, the report said.

The sticking point has been the price, which was originally set at US$6.5 million per MHz, or BDT560 million according to the exchange rate in play at the time. However, as the taka weakened against the US dollar, the price per MHz shot up to BDT715 million, which Grameenphone and Robi argued was too expensive.

After some back and forth exchanges, the BTRC agreed to accept the operators’ proposed price of BDT580 million per MHz after the Ministry for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology gave its approval, the report said.

In May, the BTRC decided to let mobile operators pay spectrum fees in taka rather than US dollars because of the foreign currency exchange rate issue.