Airtel Malawi establishes new data centre:

One of Malawi’s two mobile phone service companies, Airtel Malawi has unveiled a new data centre in Malawi’s commercial capital, Blantyre which double Airtel’s capacity, thereby enabling the company to host additional ICT infrastructure.

Airtel Malawi Managing Director Saulos Chilima disclosed that his company has injected over US$1 million into the project which will support customers’ growing business needs.

“The data centre will enable Airtel Malawi provide first class data services to customers as it will help eliminate congestion on the systems and ensure systems stability,” declared Chilima who presided over its Commissioning.

Following the launch of the new data centre, Chilima said Airtel Malawi will now unveil cloud computing systems in the next few weeks.

“As a result of the project’s investment, it is expected that Airtel will improve stability of the systems, increase the service offerings and respond to customer’s needs more favourably,” said Chilima.

He explained that cloud computing is an overarching term which defines the myriad tools that enable idea-sharing, non-hierarchical decision making and the full utilisation of the world’s massive ‘cognitive surplus’ the ability of the world’s population to collaborate on large, sometimes global projects.

Chilima says cloud computing brings together the strengths of cloud sourcing, automation and machine learning.

Govt, Lagos, telcos strike deal:

The Federal Ministry of Communications Technology has ended the stand-off between the Lagos State government and the telcos, acting under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).

 The deal will remove all the constraints to installation, rollout and deployment of base transmission stations (BTS) and fibre optic cable (OFC) in the state.

The Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson and the Governor of Lagos State Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) with some officials of ALTON struck a deal to end the long standing feud existing between them over spurious charges, levies, multiple taxation, harassment and forceful closure of BTS.

After a closed door meeting at the State House over the weekend, the issues of multiple taxes, levies, decommissioned BTS and Right of Way (RoW) fees, factors which the operators say have been mitigating against quality of service in the state addressed dispassionately.

Also in attendance at the meeting were Commissioner of Science and Technology, Mr Biyi Mabadeje, Commissioner of Works, Mr Obafemi Hamzat and officials from Etisalat, Main One, MTN and Globacom.

According to a statement signed by the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister, Efem Nkanga, ATCON members expressed concerns over the issue of decommissioned sites and others, arguing that these issues were making it difficult for operators to rollout the much needed ICT infrastructure in Lagos state.

In his response, Governor Fashola said infrastructure rollout and deployment was in the best interest of residents of Lagos State, adding that it is not the wish of the state to prevent operators from rolling out.