₦airaland Forum

I would suggest holding off on any hardware investment until about July. Main One has landed, and should go live in June. That should affect the entire ISP landscape. The internet in general should start to get faster next month, and cheaper in the next three months. If I was in your shoes, I would wait till the dust has started to settle before pitching my tent in anyone's camp.

Main One seems to have landed.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=173565

Main one partners with Seacom

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/telecoms/12264-International-bandwidth-boom-SEACOM-EASSy-Main-One-WACS.html

For GSM, CDMA, Wimax operators and ISPs, Glo 1 offers extremely attractive prices on both short and long term basis.

    * Attractive rates and long term partnerships resulting in enhanced profitability for the customer through flexible terms of contracts tailor made for the customer type and requirement.
    * Globacom's extensive terrestrial network in West Africa enables Glo-1 to give end to end connectivity including last mile, thus providing a One stop Shop for customers requirements.

http://www.gloworld.com/Nigeria/Content/Details/566

At least now we know they plan on selling the bandwidth to direct competitors.

Bump.

It seems as though we have quite a few gamertags here, but I only ever played once against someone here. I am thinking we can organize a night when we can all meet up online and play. Halo 3 seems to be the most popular game, but when online the game can be decided. If interested, you can suggest a date and time.

I currently use Swift home plus in Lagos. A few ISPs should be able to handle the service, because the lowest quality version runs at 600kbps. All the HSPA networks should be fast enough to handle it(they would just be expensive), and even the service I use should be able at times to handle it. The speed test below was taken while writing this response.


https://www.speedtest.net/result/665155600.png

Has anybody tested the Sky Player in Nigeria? I got as far as the test channel, and it works fine with low quality on Swift home plus in Lagos(I also got netflix to work). Has anybody actually signed up for the service and tested all 21 channels? The people I know in the U.K all have single view, so they can't help me.

Any info, especially about the checks the full service does on IP addresses would be greatly appreciated

Has anybody tested the Sky Player in Nigeria? I got as far as the test channel, and it works fine with low quality on Swift home plus in Lagos(I also got netflix to work). Has anybody actually signed up for the service and tested all 21 channels? The people I know in the U.K all have single view, so they can't help me.

Any info, especially about the checks the full service does on IP addresses would be greatly appreciated

https://www.speedtest.net/result/655532057.png

Speed test done while writing, just so I can feel among.

I have used both MTN and Glo(currently using Glo), and the only thing in my mind separating the two is the fact that I had a Glo Sim before I got a blackberry. Glo either got rid of, or greatly increased the data limit(I don't know which cause for some reason my line works for free, don't plan on doing anything to mess that up, like posting it on a public website.)

I would suggest picking based on the line you currently have(Glo or MTN). If you have neither or both, I would suggest MTN because I know for sure there is no limit there. I also hear MTN is better for roaming internationally, but the Glo ability to only pay for a week at a time might come in handy if you plan on being out of the country for like 2 weeks(you would save N1,800).

The one thing I can say for sure is don't punish yourself with zain.

@Mavor

I'm in the land that will not spoil my guy, Lagos.

I use Hotspot shield as well when I need to be(imagine ellipsis here)  did a lot of research into this when I went to China(the great firewall is a b%^*h). I found these two articles that might help you out.

http://techpp.com/2009/07/09/top-5-free-vpn-clients/

http://techpp.com/2009/10/27/10-more-free-vpn-services-for-anonymous-browsing/

If anyone can help me with a free or pay VPN that give you a British ip, it will be much appreciated.
Before someone attacks me, it's for watching sky TV on the xbox 360.

@stanloski

Thanks for the info, would it be possible to find out from this guy how exactly broad access will work. If he is saying he will give you his modem, that must mean it is a wireless solution. Will it be based on Their GSM technology? What exactly will the wireless protocol be for data delivery? Also, could you ask if they are planning to go wired down the road. Thanks.

I think the logical thing to do at this point is forget about Glo-1. I will just look towards June 2010 and the lighting up of main-1. Anything that happens before that will just be a pleasant suprise.
This Funke woman seems serious, the interviews I have seen, and all I have read point towards this thing being delivered on time. Their website actually has updates on progress, bar charts people, BAR CHARTS!!!

http://mainonecable.com/project_room.html

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=155738

Barely three weeks after the historic landing of Glo-1 in Lagos, the world's first submarine optic fibre cable to be built by a single individual company, Globacom, today  extends its historic pursuit of economic transformation for Africa as the cable lands in Accra, Ghana.

With all this recent activity, dare I say I'm hopeful?

I hate to be negative, but until I hear about it from someone other than "Jameel", I will not believe it. Does anyone know if the actual building to receive the cable has been built? Has the equipment been installed? It took them two and a half years to get to Lagos(allegedly), I wonder how long it will take to get them to Bonny.

http://www.234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Money/Business/5445342-146/story.csp

Globacom spokesman, Tunde Babalola, told NEXT that the cables would land in Nigeria soon, although, he did not provide further details.

“The Glo-1 Submarine cable is still in Ghana and is to land in Lagos soon,” he said.

Other company sources say the cables will run along the coastal lines in Lagos from Bar Beach and terminate in Lekki and onwards to Port Harcourt, in Rivers State.

However, when NEXT visited the proposed site at the Lekki beach, Lagos, there was no evidence of preparations to receive the cables “soon”.

Frank Udoh, a resident in the area said; “I have not seen or heard anything about Glo constructing a project here.”

http://www.234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Money/Business/5444979-146/story.csp

Mohammed Jameel, Globacom’s chief operating officer, said the Glo-1 Submarine cable project was first publicised in Accra, Ghana in July, 2008.

http://itrealms..com/2007/08/glo-undersea-cable-lands-in-senegal.html

August 2007

Chief Operating Officer (COO), Globacom, Mr. Mohammed Jameel gave this insight at a get together for media practitioners in the country held in Lagos at the weekend [. . . .] In accordance with the Globacom’s outline, he revealed that the Glo’s undersea cable has now reached Senegal and would soon be concluded.

The under sea cable, also called Glo 1, he said, is being laid across West Africa sub-region up to Europe, adding that the transcontinental cable would reduce the challenges of communications in Africa, thereby making voice and data connections easy and at better rates.

“So, as we celebrate we decided to begin with our friends in the media,” he said.

This Jameel guy has spent too much time in Naija.

Ok, I am officially off the Glo-1 bandwagon, and buying my ticket for the Main-One express. See you in June 2010.

@tomcat Thanks for the info, It's good to hear from sources outside "official"released statement. Any update?

There have just been so many lies by Glo. If I ever get my hands on that Jameel guy,  Broadaccess/Glo 1 January 2008 my ass(first time he got me, but it wouldn't be the last).

Plus does anyone know the actual capacity of Glo-1? I've heard 318 Gb and also heard they upgraded to twice that.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES, with the dam, and the underwater bombs, and the electrified seaweed, and the find the damn rope, and the, God I hated that game

I have no friend O, I just got tired of the lack of info so I actually went to the event. I was there for about 40 mins asking the guy why Globacom lies so much. There was a guy from glo gateway(told me about Glo-1 and broadaccess), and their value added service department(he was the one that told me about prepaid 3g)

I read about 21st century as well, have not heard anything about that. I suspect it will be expensive though, and I only see it coming online when either glo-1 or more likely main-1 has landed.

@netotse I heard the same thing, but then I heard the NCC might be renewing it's call to bar the three major telecoms firms from buying Nitel.

@lynxnoon The guy at the WAfrITC thing said that the 3g will soon be both pre and postpaid. It will be the exact same plans, but prepaid. The guy did not say anything about a new billing system, so I'm not sure how well it will work. I'll wait for other people to give me their verdict.

The problem I have with wireless is that it is not built to be the primary last mile solution. 3g works in other countries because most people have some variant of dsl or cable or FTTH at their place of residence or at work(they have no problem with the data download limit). They also have land lines which decreases the burden on the gsm networks. Until these companies start seriously pushing some form of "wire"to the home, we will never be able to truly advance. We are trying to skip the last mile infrastructure, but technology progresses based on the assumption that it exists.

http://leadershipnigeria.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2003:glo-is-wafict-biggest-sponsor&catid=18:business-news&Itemid=77

Spoke to someone at the Glo stand at the Wafict. For those interested, they say it should be fully operational before November(Lord willing). He said they have landed in Ghana(if true, then they weren't lying about Ghana in may), and are currently working on the Ghana Nigeria leg. The guy also mentioned something I hope is wrong, he said glo broadacces will be a wireless solution.

bump

Anyone have any new info? It seems as though Globacom isn't talking about it anymore.

Swift Home Plus.

https://www.speedtest.net/result/479935947.png

Has anyone noticed the data account balance when checking your balance with glo prepaid? Does anyone know what it means? New data bundles, or part of a system wide upgrade in preparation of glo-1(a guy can dream )?

I stopped by the tetrazinni on Awolowo road this morning and was stunned. I was about a fourth of the way through downloading an episode of Heroes, and it took me about 5 mins to finish it(usenext). I saw max speeds of 1MB(big B) per second, and it hovered at about 800KBps for most of the download. From what I gathered it's free for the rest of the week. It is the most bandwidth I have seen in one place in Nigeria, top end of about 8Mbps. If anybody gets the chance, they should check it out.

@ Image123 Ah, the comma ,  It's funny how single minded people become when they are trying to prove a point. You are right, it does mean something different.
Thanks

And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

--Matthew 19:28

@~Lady~ Thanks for answering my question, I have some more though. In light of the response you gave, could you explain the earlier part of the verse. What do you think regeneration means? Does it refer to something he did while he was alive? Plus if it refers to offices, I would think they would be handed over once someone dies, just like Mathias took the place of Judas. So what happens when you have 3 office holders fighting for 1 throne. I am not trying to argue, I really just want to understand.

And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

--Matthew 19:28

I love reading these types of threads.

I saw this passage in different parts of the thread and had to ask something. It speaks of twelve thrones, but who exactly is the twelfth guy? Judas?

Does anyone that works for glo, or has friends or family that work for glo know anything about it's(submarine cable) progress. The last bit of information released had the cable ready for commercial launch in March 2009.
Also, anyone know anything about their market strategy. Will they keep the bandwidth for themselves or sell to other ISP's? How will that compare to current prices?

http://allafrica.com/stories/200811180271.html