UAE’s Thuraya partners ELSE to expand satellite services

Thuraya Telecommunications Company, a leading mobile satellite service operator and ELSE SA, a Swiss NewSpace startup, has announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) paving the way for a strategic alliance between the two companies. The strategic alliance will enable the companies to expand satellite services to customers with machine-to-machine (M2M) and internet of things (IoT) communication, enabled by the Astrocast satellite constellation.

They will benefit from each other’s capabilities on multiple fronts including technical and regulatory. They can extend their product and service portfolios considerably besides facilitating expedited access to the market. “This agreement forms the foundation of an extensive framework and an exciting long-term collaboration towards providing a progressive platform for our partners to offer services beyond basic satellite connectivity,” said Jassem Nasser, Thuraya’s chief strategy officer.

 “FUTURA, our future plan encompasses three main pillars, one of which is “New Wave” services for M2M and IoT applications. Our alliance with ELSE serves as a building block for the development of this component of FUTURA and further reaffirms our commitment in building value through partnerships.

The ELSE team has supported more than ten European Space Agency (ESA) missions, seven nanosatellite missions and is building a network of low-earth-orbit (LEO) nanosatellites named Astrocast that will provide cost effective IoT and M2M services to global enterprises. This mission is also supported by ESA through their ARTES programme.

Fabien Jordan, co-founder and CEO of ELSE, added: “As an established company, Thuraya brings experience, skill and reputable legacy to the table. ELSE shall benefit greatly from their technology and distribution reach and we are very excited about the possibilities this alliance will create.” The first satellites are scheduled for launch by 2018, as a demonstration mission, with a plan to have a total of 64 satellites in orbit by 2021. Once fully operational, the constellation will provide remote monitoring, geolocation services, predictive maintenance and intelligent data gathering.

From a commercial perspective, the agreement between Thuraya and ELSE extends their product and service portfolios considerably besides facilitating expedited access to the market.

Thuraya’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jassem Nasser, said that “This agreement forms the foundation of an extensive framework and an exciting long term collaboration towards providing a progressive platform for our partners to offer services beyond basic satellite connectivity.  FUTURA, our future plan encompasses three main pillars, one of which is “New Wave” services for M2M and IoT applications. Our alliance with ELSE serves as a building block for the development of this component of FUTURA and further reaffirms our commitment in building value through partnerships.”

The ELSE team has supported more than ten European Space Agency (ESA) missions, seven nanosatellite missions, and is building a network of low-earth-orbit (LEO) nanosatellites named Astrocast that will provide cost effective Internet-of-Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine services to global enterprises. This mission is also supported by ESA through their ARTES program.

The first satellites are scheduled for launch by 2018, as a demonstration mission, with a plan to have a total of 64 satellites in orbit by 2021. Once fully operational, the constellation will provide remote monitoring, geolocation services, predictive maintenance, and intelligent data gathering. The full scope of markets that will benefit from these capabilities will include retail, agriculture, automotive, utilities, maritime, oil, and gas among others.

Brother PocketJet Mobile Printer Honored With Prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD 2017

Brother Mobile Solutions, Inc. (BMS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brother International Corporation and premier provider of mobile printing and labeling solutions, has announce that the Brother PocketJet 773 full-page mobile printer has been named a winner in iF International Forum’s “iF DESIGN AWARD 2017” in the Product Design category. Two portable industrial label printers in the BMS lineup – the PT-P950NW and PT-E800 series have also been honored with the prestigious award.

iF DESIGN AWARD is hosted and judged by the iF-International Forum Design, in Hannover, Germany. This is one of the most prestigious international design competitions and has been running since 1953. It is recognized around the world and judged not only on external appearance of the product, but also on criteria such as functionality and environmental performance.

Recognized as a symbol of design excellence around the world, this year’s iF DESIGN AWARD competition welcomed over 5,500 submissions from 59 countries. This is the 10th consecutive year Brother Industries, Ltd. has been named as an iF DESIGN AWARD winner and has now received a total of 62 awards, including the seven won this year.

David Crist, president of Brother Mobile Solutions, notes: “We are deeply gratified to be honored by the iF International Forum for our groundbreaking PocketJet 773 full-page mobile printer. We believed the 773 model would be a breakthrough when we released it in late 2016. It was engineered to offer new levels of freedom to mobile workers spanning any industry by printing virtually anywhere and from virtually any device, right out of the box, without special apps or drivers.”

He continues, “We continuously make efforts to pursue improvements in design quality and product innovation to provide superior value to customers, and our organization holds deep respect for this global competition.’’

The Brother PocketJet-7 Series of full-page mobile printers, including Model PJ-773, are the smallest, most advanced full-page mobile thermal printers on the market, and now feature higher print speeds, rugged reliability, and more versatile operating system compatibility and functionality. They are simple and easy to use ‒ users need only connect, select and print. With Brother’s innovative Freedom Architecture™, and the integration of AirPrint®, MFi, Mopria™ and Windows® 10, virtually any mobile professional can print from any popular smartphone, tablet or PC.

The PocketJet 7 is the full-page mobile printing solution that fits easily in a briefcase or shoulder bag for on-the-go professionals, such as home healthcare nurses and inspection service providers. Or, it can be conveniently mounted inside a vehicle or truck cab to serve the needs of a broad and diverse mobile workforce, including over-the-road transport drivers, field service technicians, route accounting and direct store delivery drivers, and public safety officers.

CNSG Partners Aryaka to Provide Global SD-WAN to its Enterprise Customers

Leading global software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) provider Aryaka®, has announced a partnership with Converged Network Services Group (CNSG) to deliver its global SD-WAN solution to enterprises looking to replace their legacy Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) connectivity worldwide. CNSG is the premier master distributor for connectivity services and cloud enablement solutions.

The alliance further expands Aryaka’s reach into the IT and telecom partner communities through targeted engagement with CNSG’s industry-leading partners, MSPs and VARs.

“Global businesses are actively looking for SD-WAN solutions to replace their MPLS and provide simplified connectivity and access to cloud/SaaS applications,” said Jim Hilbert, Chief Revenue Officer at Aryaka. “Aryaka offers a global SD-WAN solution that deploys in days, offers performance improvements for all applications, and is delivered as a complete managed service.

Our partnership with CNSG will help us further expand our market footprint and channel revenue.” Through dedicated support and industry expertise, the Aryaka and CNSG teams will work in tandem to support partners, providing insight, guidance and attractive customer solutions.

“CNSG partners are looking for leading technology and hybrid network solutions,” said Randy Friedberg, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at CNSG. “Our new partnership with Aryaka will give us a huge advantage, as they continue to embrace SD-WAN solutions. Aryaka offers the best global SD-WAN and optimization technology available and allows our partners to confidently deliver a solution to customer sites anywhere in the world.”

Its generally believed that Aryaka is transforming how global enterprises connect sites and users worldwide, and use mission-critical applications to support modern business execution demands. Aryaka’s Global SD-WAN combines a purpose-built private network, SD-WAN, optimization and acceleration techniques, connectivity to cloud platforms, and network visibility in a single solution that is delivered as a service.

Converged Network Services Group (CNSG) on the other hand, is the Premier Master Distributor for Connectivity, Cloud and Cloud Enablement. Led by form C-Level Carrier Executives and supported by the most experienced sales team in the industry, CNSG provides assistance with every aspect of Discovery, Design and Delivery. CNSG is committed to the core philosophy of earning business by building and maintaining true partnerships with every Customer, Partner and Supplier.

CNSG and Aryaka will both be present at the Channel Partners Expo, Las Vegas, April 10-13, 2017. During the networking and education event, Hilbert will be leading discussions on the innovations, challenges and opportunities around SD-WAN.

Tecno Is Most Popular Brand, As It Sells 25m Mobile Devices In Africa…launches new Phone

Leading Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Tecno Mobile sales has reached 25 million devices, including 9 million smartphones in 2015, helping it to sustain the most "popular" brand status in Africa.

Globally, it sold 60 million devices last year while the sale of smart phones manufactured by the company increased by 40 percent. In a statement was made by the firm while announcing the launching date of its newest smartphone Camon X, the company disclosed that it also produces tablets for the middle and high end market.  

The smartphone is being launched today with Tecno saying it will be made available to 41 countries across Africa, the Middle East and Latin America promising a brighter, clearer and faster selfies than before.

Mohammed Hasseni Marketing Manager of Tecno Mobile Ethiopia says with 25 percent share of Africa's phone market, it's confident its newest offering will attract the eyes of prospective customers.  Stephen Ha, General Manager of Tecno Mobile explains the launch of Camon X Smartphone is part of a plan to sustain its most popular brand status in Africa by utilizing easy-to-use new technology.

With Tecno already having two assembly lines in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation at around 100 million people it already plans to expand its dominant share in Ethiopia's market. Mohammed Belay, a government employee who has been using Tecno for a year, says the affordable price of Tecno Smartphones is what attracted him to buy one initially.

"Since then I've seen that my smartphone has a good quality camera, is easy to receive and send applications, has long battery life and charges fast," he remarked.

InnJoo becomes the official sponsor for La Liga club, RCD Espanyol

InnJoo, the fastest growing smartphone brand in Middle East and Africa announced that they have reached an agreement for the Spain’s leading football club, RCD Espanyol de Barcelona to become the official sponsor of the club and appear on the back of the first team’s jersey starting from current season.

InnJoo is one of the fastest growing smartphone brands across Europe, Middle East and Africa. The Dubai headquartered company was established in the year 2014 and since then it has come a long way to become a choice of millions of consumers in 30 countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria, Spain, Portugal, Italy among others.

Currently, InnJoo is ranked among the ‘Top Smartphone Brands’ in several of the countries that it operates in and is gradually entering several new countries spread across EMEA region. While expressing his happiness to be associated with one of the top clubs in the country, the General Manager for InnJoo in Spain, Conrado Vázquez said "We are delighted with our agreement with the club and we are confident that this partnership will put our brand in the forefront football lovers in the country and even worldwide. We also hope this corporation between RCD Espanyol de Barcelona and InnJoo will help the club achieve its objectives".

Popularly known as Espanyol, RCD Espanyol de Barcelona is one of the oldest and most prominent football clubs in the Spanish league, La Liga. It was founded in the year 1900 by Ángel Rodríguez Ruiz as the Sociedad Española de Football and became the first club in Spain to be formed exclusively by Spanish fans of the game. The club has come a long way over years.

Tim Chen, co-founder and CEO for InnJoo said, “I am a great fan of football game specially La Liga. And, when we decided to associate our brand, InnJoo we could easily identify ourselves with the Espanyol for its passion and spirit, as we also deliver the similar virtues with all our products. This partnership compliments both of us for the simple reason that we are both leaders in our games and always believe in winning.”

InnJoo is a technical startup born with Internet DNA. Its Internet journey was started by joining hands with the largest e-commerce sites in the region. Based in Dubai, InnJoo became the fastest-growing company by providing smart devices as well as software services in the EMEA region.

End of the road for theft and stolen phone menace in Nigeria as CAPDAN endorse Fonreg

By: Obinna Ibeawuchi

The Computer and Allied Products Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN) in collaboration with Mobilereg Nigeria has unveiled an anti-theft software solution called Fonreg.   In an event that which took place in Lagos recently, the market association’s leadership described the product as one of CAPDAN’s efforts to provide quality leadership and service delivery to the entire computer village and the general public by ensuring that devices purchased within the market, even as a used device, is authentic and from a trackable source. This development is coming on the heels of the incessant reports of cases of buying and selling of stolen devices within the market.

Speaking at the event in his opening remarks, the president of the association Mr. Ahmed Ojikutu said the collaboration with the providers of Fonreg became necessary owing to the fact that the association has faced a lot of challenges in recent times dealing with cases of stolen electronic devices like phones and tablets, and the importation of such items as London used phones.

The solution, Fonereg, is from a British Polish company, called MobileReg. The company was launched in 2015 with the aim of providing a safe environment where members can buy, sell, check IMEI numbers, and report loss or stolen mobile phones.

Fonreg maintains a database of registered Stolen and Loss phones in different countries, whereby members can check IMEI numbers for free to determine the status of any mobile phone. This will make it harder to sell stolen mobile phones aboard. IMEI numbers can also be verified on our Fonreg IOS and Android Apps or via SMS checking services.

When finally adopted, Fonreg will reduce the cases of buying and selling of stolen phones within and outside Lagos, as efforts are in top gear to take the campaign nationwide. The product he said would be a great tool in the hands of major Mobile devices dealers, the security operatives and the user of the devices in general.

In his unveiling remarks, the CEO of MobileReg Nigeria Mr Ayodele Thomas, who described the product as a very unique solution that is already in use in Europe, explained that it is a peculiar product and possess unique functionalities. The product allows for buyers of used to be able to their IMEI numbers, using their portal buyers, sellers and users can report lost or stolen phones. Fonreg allows for mobile phone tracking through the use of GPS. It also allows for device registration from the point of purchase to authenticate their devices.

Another unique thing about Fonreg is that it provides a very secure marketplace where buyers and sellers can do authentic business. Mr. Thomas said plans were in place to collaborate with the major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to enhance the total functionality of Fonreg which requires mutual understanding. In the area of Sim Block, the MNOs would allow for Fonreg to carry out the duty of blocking registered Sims on their database making it easier for the MNOs to focus on other things. Another is the big data analyses; here the data are just simple names and contacts of members on the Fonreg platform.

This solution is coming at a very critical time especially with the recent incessant incidences of accusations of extortions leveled against security operatives in the computer village over complaints of stolen mobile devices traced to the market. 

Via: CAPDAN Gazette

CWG Plc release latest figures for 2016...returns to profitability

In a remarkable turn-around that is almost alien for public quoted technology companies in Nigeria, CWG Plc has pleasantly surprised its shareholders as it has returned to profitability, recording profit before tax of N142 million for the year ended December 31, 2016.

A clear departure from its drastic losses recorded since going public, a situation it attributed to exchange rate losses, reduction in margins in traditional reseller business and inability to transfer increased cost of doing business, CWG’s bottom-line in 2015 resulted in low numbers. Although the company recorded a gross profit of N2.443 billion in 2015, it ended with a loss after tax of N1.796 billion.

But with the latest figures released, the profit-before-tax margin represents 108 per cent increase from the loss before tax reported in the same period in 2015. Highlights of the audited report and accounts of the company released at the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, showed that profit after tax stood at N127.68 million in 2016 against a net loss of N1.80 billion in 2015.

The company said in a note to the results that it drew on increasing operating efficiency, internal cost management and far-sighted foreign exchange risk management to reverse the loss position to profit. Further breakdown of the result showed that while turnover dropped by 34.8 per cent from N15.61 billion in 2015 to N10.17 billion in 2016, the management optimized cost of sales by reducing it by 41.6 per cent from N13.17 billion in 2015 to N7.69 billion in 2016. This resulted in N2.47 billion gross profit during the period from N2.44 billion in the previous year.

In an interview with CNBC Africa as monitored in Lagos, Mr. James Agada, Chief Executive Officer, CWG Plc, said the 2016 results reflected the continuing focus of the company on sustainable income streams, cost management and extraction of best value for the shareholders. According to him, “in the face of the tough operating environment, the Group made a strategic decision to focus on profitable IT solutions with less exposure to foreign exchange fluctuations and with predictable recurrent revenues”.

He noted that the decline in costs was as a result of several initiatives taken by the management to mitigate foreign exchange losses, reduce borrowings and improve receivable collections. Foreign exchange loss had stood at N600 million in 2015 while the company had also suffered inventory write-offs of N431 million and income reversals of N250 million in 2015.

CWG Plc is a pan-African technology company that is into systems integration, operating in Nigeria and other part of Africa.