Archive for June, 2008

Transmission agency, Shumuk Industries clash over power lines

By Ibrahim Kasita
THE Uganda Transmission Company Ltd (UETCL) and Shumuk Aluminium Industries have clashed over Plot 148-152 on Makabya Road in Nakawa, Kampala. The aluminium giant is constructing a recreation park and an assembling plant for its pre-fabricated aluminum products and offices on the plot. This is said to affect the earth works around the UETCL tower, compromising the stability of the electricity pylons around the area. The development is threatening to prolong load-shedding in the city and the western region.
The two pylons are among the 1, 400km transmission lines installed with single mode optical fibre, which provides data and communication infrastructure to banks and telecommunication companies. To reconstruct a tower costs between sh30m and sh40m. This takes four weeks to complete. Eriasi Kiyemba, the UETCL head, in a letter to Shumuk, said the electricity pylons would collapse due to the weakening of the ground.

“We have been rather shocked at the rate at which work has started on the said plot without our consultation,” he wrote.

“As a result, the electricity pylons have been compromised and exposed and may easily collapse due to the weakening of the ground around it as its foundation has been weakened.”

Kiyemba explained that in the event that the pylons collapse, this will lead to a breakdown in the supply of power, creating a black-out in more than half of the country, which will take three to four weeks to rectify.

He instructed the aluminum fabrication firm to “immediately carryout immediate remedial measures to restore the integrity of the tower. The measures shall involve prior submission of civil work designs for the approval of
UETCL and the subsequent supervision of the works by UETCL.” “Submit a work-plan/schedule for the proposed development to enable UETCL monitor compliance with the conditions listed in earlier correspondences,” Kiyemba demanded.

“Failure to adhere to our immediate demands within one day from the above-mentioned date will leave us with no option but to commence criminal proceedings against you.”

However, Patrick Muheirweho, the Shumuk project co-ordinator, said: “We have discovered that our contractor erred by grading around the UETCL tower foundation without your engineer’s supervision.”

“We have stopped him and requested that our competent engineers in consultation with your engineers submit drawings pertaining to enforcing the tower foundation and that error should be corrected before our contractors embark on any other works.”

Muheirwoha said the firm had requested its contractor not to carry out any other works near UETCL installations without guidance. “We apologise for any inconvenience caused and we assure you we shall abide by our earlier agreed regulation,” he said.


Posted 27 Jun 2008 by narmadi
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du Blocks Skype

UAE telecom firm du has completed the blockage of the telephone aspect of VoIP provider Skype. Subscribers to the operator are now no longer able to make, or receive, calls to mobiles or fixed landlines from their computers. PC-to-PC calls are still possible.

All access to Skype for subscribers to Etisalat, the UAE’s other telecom operator, has been blocked for over two years. The ban comes as per the guidelines set forth by the UAE Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA). “du hasn’t blocked the use of Skype or its web site. du only blocked the ‘PC-to-phone’ and ‘phone-to-PC’ communication as per the TRA’s guidelines with regard to content filtering,” said a du spokesperson.

Earlier this year, du had placed a proxy on web sites that were not in compliance with the UAE laws. The most affected by this decision were companies based in Dubai’s free zones and residents of freehold properties. Skype is a popular web site worldwide used to make cheap calls from the PC to the phone and vice-versa. However, in the UAE, etisalat has already banned the web site and its features as per the TRA instructions.

“du blocked PC-to-phone and phone-to-PC communication shortly after the TRA issued its policy and directives in this regard. The time lapse between the issuance of the TRA directive and the actual blocking of the communication was due to the time required for systems designing and implementation in order to comply with the TRA’s policy,” read the du statement. Meanwhile, du has also launched its “Freetime Offer”. According to this offer, all subscribers will be credited with 1 fil worth of credit for every second of international phone call they make, allowing them to offset their monthly bill or add top up credit automatically.
Info: pcmag-mideast.com


Posted 19 Jun 2008 by narmadi
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TCS expands services to MetroPCS

TeleCommunication Systems has signed a multi-year contract agreement to provide Hosted Mobile Positioning Center and Hosted Position Determining Entity services for E9-1-1 to MetroPCS customers in Boston, New York City and Philadelphia. MetroPCS is provider wireless broadband personal communication services. According to Telecommunication Systems (TCS), its E9-1-1 solution enables wireless operators to comply with phase I and phase II of the FCC’s mandate, while providing the life-saving emergency services and security that wireless consumers expect.
Using open architecture of its Xypoint location platform, the company enables wireless operators to deliver wireless E9-1-1 call location information to the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). In addition to its proprietary technology platform, TCS provides operators with end-to-end support and all aspects of deployment, from switch integration, database management and geographic information services, to compliance expertise, services to PSAPs and cost-recovery assistance.

Dan Allen, senior vice president of service bureau for TCS, said: “A significant aspect of this deal is that MetroPCS continues to have the confidence and trust in TCS to provide vital E9-1-1 services to both existing as well as new markets such as Boston, New York City and Philadelphia.” By Staff Writer


Posted 05 Jun 2008 by narmadi
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Nigeria’s advertisement expenditure to register $862.1 mln in 2008

LAGOS,(Xinhua) Expenditure on advertisement in Nigeria may hit 100 billion naira (about 862.1 million U.S. dollars) in 2007 up from the 50 billion naira (about 431.1 million U.S. dollars) recorded in 2008, according to an official with the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON). Garba Kankarofi, the registrar of APCON, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the projection for the year was 80 billion naira (about 689.66 million U.S. dollars), but added that indications showed that the sector would record 100 billion naira (about 862.1 million U.S. dollars).
He said 60 percent of the advertising was done in the Lagos area while the rest of the country accounted for the rest 40 percent, while the biggest spenders are telecommunication companies. Kankarofi expressed unease on the influx of foreign firms into Nigeria’s advertising sub-sector without measures to protect the country’s practitioners and agencies, citing the overwhelming influence of South African based firms in the industry.

The registrar advocated greater Nigerian content in all forms of advertisements targeted at the country’s market.He said there had been significant improvement in the level of compliance to advertising regulations among advertisers and agencies alike.

The registrar said that cases of disregard of some of the regulations still persisted, especially in the area of security approval for advertisements prior to exposure and engagement of non-registered persons in advertising functions.


Posted 05 Jun 2008 by narmadi
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