₦airaland Forum

Bump

I have seen a few people on-line, but not more than one or two at a time. I want to organise an on-line meeting of all the Nairaland members on Xbox Live(or any Nigerian gamer you know). I was thinking this Sunday, the 21st of November at 9pm. We can setup a Nairaland party, and everyone can break up into whatever games they have in common.

My gamertag is "Jbankole"

@ritchboy

I've had a bunch of games(given some away, sold some, lost some), but currently I have

Halo 3
Gears of War 2
Halo Reach

Mostly playing Halo Reach.

LMAO

Actually, It's been over 4 years and I just crossed 2000 like last week.

No be 100m dash, na marathon. I go get there.

bump.

@abhosts I think you mean 8Mbps==1MBps. It's the b/B that differentiates between bits and bytes, so Mbps and Mb/s are the same.

Spoke to someone that says bandwidth on Glo1 is being marketed right now, and it is being sold 25% less than main one. That means if Main One is selling an E1 at $1,050 in Nigeria like it is in Ghana, Globacom is selling at about $750. That means one can buy 1Mb for $375, When I called suburban last year about 10Mb, the told me $3000/Mb(I know it would have been cheaper if I wanted more bandwidth)

http://news.myjoyonline.com/technology/201009/52503.asp

@Smanuel could you try the east coast of the U.S. and London. Thanks

Noticed this on Main one's website

http://www.mainonecable.com/clients.php

As I understand it, they will be coming out with new plans once they launch. There was an e-mail sent out to that effect as well as blaming 20% of customers for using 80% of network resources(they say the average user only uses about 3GB a month). It is looking like they might implement some sort of data cap or sliding scale.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/tribune-business/10925-swift-network-showcases-survey-broadband-usage-in-nigeria



They have not accepted any new customers in the last 6-8 months, so they could implement their "4g Wimax" network. I have never heard of a Nigerian company turning away business for whatever reason.

I have no idea what the average speed will be when they come out of beta testing, but these guys seem serious and it is looking like it will be greatly improved.

@flyuche

I am in Lagos, the guy I spoke to there said they bought capacity on main one but refused to tell me how much. The modem is the Huawei Echolife BM635. Like I said, they are testing the network so there are probably very few people using it.  Having said that, it is still very fast . I have no idea what to download now.

This is with IDM

This is downloading from usenext.

In regards to the effects of main one, I got a call from swift broadband to be part of their beta testing before launching their "4g wimax".

picked up the modem this morning, and just got a chance to take my first speedtest.

https://www.speedtest.net/result/960921884.png




Will try actual downloads a little later, and put up screen shots.

@omowaleit & @samir101ng

Thanks for the info.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/09/globacom-crashes-call-rates/

I currently use swift, and I was told they would be switching to new modems this month(whatever you buy might be worthless). It might pay you to wait till next month when I am told they will begin taking on new customers.

It looks like Etisalat is on main one.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=179152

@Flyuche. lol, I was thinking exactly the same thing, of all networks Etisalat wants to talk. They have a unified license, so I guess there is stuff they could do. I don't understand the rush to integrate though.

What really interested me was the fact that he was saying Etisalat has the bandwidth from main one. That should mean that MTN and Starcomms also have the bandwidth, and the smaller ISPs should either already have it or get it very soon.

Until I hear another telecoms company or ISP independently confirm that they have bought capacity on Glo 1, I will not believe it is up and running.

Best bit of news I have seen in a while.

"Those pre-construction customers ,  that have taken up our services to date are Etisalat, [b]MTN [/b]and Starcomms," Main One chief executive Funke Opeke told investors and telecoms executives at a launch ceremony in the commercial hub Lagos.

Steven Evans, chief executive of Etisalat's Nigerian arm, told Reuters his firm was testing the cable and would go live on it within a day or two.

"We are working very hard at the moment to go live on the network, hopefully within the next 24-48 hours ,  so that we will be one of the first people to be having broadband on the main network in Nigeria," Evans said.

I really need to get in touch with all these your freedom people . I don't understand why Zain was not a pre-construction customer.




http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE66K0LT20100721

It's looking like Main One is actually launching commercially tomorrow. I just heard that there is an event marking it at the Eko le meridian. I guess going live and commercially launching are two different things.

The National Operator on Tuesday took journalists on a facility tour of the Glo 1 landing station in Lagos and noted that the multi-million dollar cable which has been tested and is now ready for commissioning has customised services to address the requirements of a wide segment of clients including telecom operators, oil and gas companies, manufacturers, government, education and medical institutions.

http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12933:glo-1-submarine-cable-goes-live&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18

The only reason I am putting this up is that it says the journalists actually saw the landing station(that has to be a run-on sentence, it just has to be).

I wasn't trying to argue with you, I actually found it funny. I am just trying to find out the cost per MB to an ISP(for personal information, not because I represent some large company)

Djcn:
Glo 1 is already up for grabs. The truth is that only big enterprises might be able to purchase the bandwidth except you go through resellers. Pls you can confirm yourself. For those interested in bandwidth purchases just call 08032031645 or 08032608970 and discuss with the guy.

I just find the fact that this person uses a/an MTN line funny. Did you get an idea of price per MB from the guy?

@naijatoday

They might have no other choice but to sell to other telecoms companies and ISPs. I read somewhere that they intend on having the entire 640Gbps lit on day one. That is entirely too much bandwidth to have sitting idle(I would search for the article to link it, but this is Glo and it was probably a lie anyway).

The era of the single submarine cable in Naija is about to come to an end . If anyone notices any improvement on any ISP tomorrow, please let me/us know. We can use that to identify those that purchased capacity.

Haven't seen anything online, can anyone confirm if Glo-1 launched today.

There are a bunch that are running Wimax, but the ones I know for sure are Swift networks, and MTN. There are others, but I don't know them for sure. Swift is actually in the process of upgrading all their equipment.

Dear Esteemed Customer,



I am pleased to announce that we have signed a turnkey (design, deploy, optimize and support) agreement with Huawei Technologies to implement our network upgrade to the 4G Wireless Broadband Access Network standard, based on the IEEE WiMAX 802.16e protocol. This upgrade project commenced today and will be implemented in phases over the next six months to avoid service disruption.



With this project, we shall quadruple our current network capacity and improve service coverage to offer you unmatched 4G broadband speed and reliability. This upgrade will also prepare our network to bring the advantages of the impending improved  international backbone capacity availability in Nigeria to our customers. In addition, our customers will enjoy the benefits of converged telecommunications services, using the most efficient and cost-effective wireless broadband technology available in our industry today.



We have taken every precaution to ensure that your current service quality is not be affected during the period of upgrade. We shall cut you over to the new network on a new and technologically superior modem to be exchanged for your current modem from SWIFT. This new modem will come to you free of cost.



Huawei is fast emerging a world leader in the provision of wireless technology solutions, serving 36 of the world’s 50 top telecom Operators including Sprint Nextel, Clearwire, China Mobile (the biggest mobile operator in the world), Vodafone, Orange, Telecom Italia and Deutsche Telecom among others. It is the number one Vendor in the West African region with 36% market share and also the leading Supplier to Nigerian Operators with 39% market share. Huawei is the leading Supplier to MTN, Zain, GLO, Etisalat, Starcomms, Visafone and Multilinks and with 39% share of the Nigerian market.



I will revert periodically to you with updates on this subject and will be pleased to provide any further clarifications you may require from us. Meanwhile, we will be pleased to learn of any comments or suggestions you may have to help us serve you better. I urge you to take a minute to participate in a brief customer satisfaction survey that will help us be a better company and serve you better. To participate, please log on to http://int.swiftng.com/survey.htm.



Once more, I thank you for your business and support all these years. It is my hope that we shall continue to evolve our business to meet your evolving telecommunications needs.



Thank you,



Charles Anudu

Managing Director

SWIFT NETWORKS LIMITED

An article I found on LTE in Nigeria.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201005120025.html

July 1st, Main One launches

http://www.telegeography.com/cu/article.php?article_id=33307&email=html

Etisalat purchased bandwidth

http://www.itnewsafrica.com/?p=7853

Chief Executive Officer for Estisalat, Steven Evans, said that efforts would be made to secure supplies by patronising two cable operators at the same time, with both suppliers serving as back up to each other.
”We have already bought capacity from Main One and there are other cables coming into Nigeria with more capacity, so we are not going to build a cable of our own, we don‘t see that as necessary,” he said

Starcomms as well it seems

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201005251215693

The Chief Executive Officer, Starcomms Plc, Mr. Maher Qubain, is of the view that the cost per megabyte will be five times lower when Main One cable commences operations in Nigeria and seven times lower when WASC takes off before the end of the year.

He says, ”Broadband cost per megabyte is going to drop five times from what it is today when Main One commences operations. This is the impact Main One cable will have on the cost of internet connection. It will also allow Starcomms to reduce prices too because we have already signed a contract with Main One Cable Company.”

Thats all I have found.

@djcn
You can not compare a network like At&t with any network in Nigeria. When they roll something out, it is usually in about 20 or 30 of their largest markets. Here in Nigeria it would simply be Lagos and Abuja. The coverage would also be a whole lot less, Nigeria is about the size of Texas  I think. The total upgrade cost should not be nearly as much as At&t's projected 10 billion(plus any Nigerian company would not even cover the entire country). Everyone might think it stupid, but imagine from an advertising standpoint being the only company offering "4G" in Nigeria with the bandwidth that everybody is expecting.

The only reason I said anything is because the person I spoke to would be in a position to know this(he told me this before the Airtel deal was announced). I am not trying to sell anybody on anything, I am just writing what I have heard. There is no need to make it seem like it is simply not possible, stranger things have happened.


I could not find anything about Nigeria, but Zain is going into LTE

http://www.bi-me.com/main.php?id=44320&t=1

SAUDI ARABIA. The Networks business of Motorola, Inc. today signed a contract with Zain Saudi Arabia to deploy the first Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in the Kingdom. 

Motorola will be deploying the largest LTE network for Zain in the capital city, Riyadh and will provide an end-to-end LTE solution including radio access network (RAN), evolved packet core (EPC), devices and optimisation and integration services. 

Deployment will begin in the second quarter enabling Zain to offer high-speed mobile broadband services to its customers.

@flyuche

I think it was/is a bandwidth issues. They could only afford to allot so much bandwidth at a certain price for a certain number of consumers. With Main One, that should no longer be a problem(lord willing). By going to LTE, they might be raising the ceiling but that also raises the floor. The crappiest service we get with LTE should be better than the crappiest service we get with HSPA.

I read an article that says Etisalat also bought bandwidth on Main-One. Based on an e-mail I received, I think swift might also be with them. What really interests me is the Price. Initially, I was hearing $400 for an E-1(this was back in 2008). As of 2009, I was hearing under $2000 for an E-1(with differing levels depending on amount and duration). I just wonder what they are quoting customers today.

One last thing, I spoke to someone high up in Zain, and he says they are currently upgrading their network to LTE. He says it should be launched in the next 2 months.