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  • As Nigeria prepares for machine-to-machine revolution — Technology — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

    As Nigeria prepares for machine-to-machine revolution — Technology — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

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    Last week in Lagos, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) gathered industry eggheads to discuss regulations regarding the full deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT) in Nigeria. ADEYEMI ADEPETUN, in this report, writes about the planned move.

    Advancement in computing power and wireless Internet connectivity appears to be fast transforming the globe. It is fast making the world smarter! From America to Europe, Asia to Australia down to Africa, devices are getting connected and becoming smarter.
       
    It is noteworthy to say that technological innovation is fast helping the world to realise the potential of machine-to-machine interaction, where computers speak to another device seamlessly. The technology behind this has been the Internet of Things (IoT). Analysts believe IoT will be useful across all sectors, from industry to manufacturing and telecoms to engineering, among others.
      
    For Nigeria to be part of this global movement and ensure that the benefits are not eroded, there must be regulations, as seen in countries where IoT is in full deployment.

        
    As such, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) brought stakeholders together last week in Lagos to discuss the “Regulatory Roadmap for IoT Ecosystem in Nigeria.”
    What is IoT?
    IoT, which was first coined by Kevin Ashton in 1999, is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring any human intervention (human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction).
      
    IoT is a network type that enables objects to communicate and perceive each other with the surrounding environment through embedded technology. But basically, it still stays in the connection, communication, and data interaction between electronic devices. Subsequently, the definition of IoT began to focus on the use between humans and electronic products. Therefore, in addition to the sensors of electronic products, the data collection and usage patterns of human use of electronic products are also included in the definition of IoT. In addition to being connected to the product, it can track various usage data of the user, such as the user’s biomarker.
    Relevance to Nigeria

    In his opening remarks, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami, said new technologies are critical to developing a digital economy.

    Pantami said IoT is part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which is driven by emerging technologies, including 5G, Cybersecurity, Quantum Computing, Cloud Computing, Augmented Reality, and Artificial Intelligence, among others.
      
    The minister said all the technologies are disruptive in nature and thus require adequate regulations. According to him, since 2019, the regulatory approach from the ministry had been developmental and flexible, targeted not to restrain the sector’s growth. As such, he said regulations for IoT, which was the centre of discussion at the forum, would enable the country to prepare adequately well, especially as it moves to the era of 5G.
      
    While it was noted at the forum that IoT had started gradually in some cities of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano, the Minister noted IoT is very important in 4IR and disruptive technologies because it brought to the fore the issue of degasification.
       
    He emphasised the need for the type of consultations and brainstorming being hosted for IoT, as the International Data Cooperation (IDC) revealed, “By 2025, there will be about 46.1 billion IoT devices that are going to be interconnected globally…and through this connection, the data to be generated will be up to 79.4 Zettabytes.”

      
    At the event, which saw the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Houlin Zhou, who reviewed one of the books authored by the minister, joining virtually from Geneva, Switzerland, Pantami said globally, a huge amount of data is generated and Nigeria is not an exception. Therefore, “there should be a kind of regulation to avoid abuse. Already, there is Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) and there is National Data Protection Bureau with a National Commissioner to oversee that affair. But we need to be more specific in our regulation, which would ensure innovation is not stifled.”
      
    Further rallying the industry, the Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said IoT is increasingly becoming important in the scheme of activities across most sectors of the economy, which includes education, security, military reconnaissance, commerce, governance, inventory management, health, surveillance and smart city initiatives etc.
       
    Danbatta said the application of IoT is far-reaching. “In the home, IoT can be used for home automation and control, lighting, temperature measurement and entertainment amongst others. Similarly, in industrial settings, IoT unites assets, advanced analytics and workers by using connected industrial devices to monitor, collect, exchange, and analyze insights to drive faster and better decision-making processes. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) can be used to track inventory, improve the monitoring of product quality, and automate factories to make them run more efficiently,” Danbatta stated.
      
    According to him, with the advent of 5G technologies, “we are going to witness another dimension in the IoT Ecosystem as 5G technology is going to enable Massive Machine Type Communication (MTC).”
      
    Referencing GSMA Intelligence forecasts, the NCC EVC said that IoT connections would reach almost 25 billion globally by 2025.  He said with the pace of growth, it had become imperative to prepare for the regulation of this important technology.
       
    He said IoT might be deployed as a standalone network of sensors, actuators and controllers or rely on a mobile operator’s network. He added that licensed or unlicensed IoT are all spectrum-dependent and will certainly require “our attention and that of our partners in this industry.”
      
    Danbatta explained that, in the process of undertaking its responsibility of regulation, the NCC has made it a consistent practice to interact with experts and key players in the industry on how best to facilitate the development of robust regulations for emergent technologies in the country.

    Regulations and readiness
    Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, NCC, Bako Wakil, said with IoT challenges such as security, interoperability, and safety among others, regulation is required.
       
    In terms of readiness of the country, Wakil disclosed that the commission was already type-approving devices. He stressed that there was, however, the need to scale up skills needed to operate the technology, adding that consumers must also be protected against exploitation.
       
    Wakil said lots of aviation devices have been type-approved by NCC to ensure no interference.
         
    From his perspective, the Head of Spectrum Administration at NCC, Abraham Oshadami, said by nature, that anything that is regulated works better.
     

       
    “No IoT without interoperability. This is because its value chain is a complex one and does not stand alone. Investment in IoT will thrive if there is proper regulation,” he added.
         
    To NCC Deputy Director, Technical Standards, Usman Aliyu, noted that regulation is already on, “what is needed is to make it enabling, flexible and IoT will explode. However, there must be standardization to meet global standards.”
      
    Chief Technical Officer, Mafab Communications, Kingsley Uwazie, said there is need to regulate smartly (adaptive and cross border). He said though some regulations were already in place, “they need to be adaptive in nature.”
       
    With multiple regulations envisaged across industries, Uwazie said there must be multi-sectoral meetings, where such issues must be resolved.
        
    Speaking on the IoT ecosystem: “Consumer Requirements, Regulation and Challenges,” Prof. Emmanuel Eronu of the University of Abuja, said policymakers must ensure that consumers are not negatively impacted with regulations.
       
    You, who said there must be underlying infrastructure, which must be sustained, stressed that fears of consumers must be addressed.
      
    Addressing consumers, Eronu said regulations must cut across collaboration from the NCC, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
        
    According to him, these agencies must resolve challenges around interoperability, data security/ privacy, standardisation, complex liability and responsibility chains; data collection and usage, among others.
       
    From the end-user perspective, Eronu said adherence is key, but there must be a way to protect non-knowledgeable users.

    Place of Satellite
    Dissecting “The IoT Ecosystem: Satellite Perspective,” Levin Born McCall of Regent Square Group, USA, said from the point of view of the satellite IoT service provider, deployment is cheap, quick to deploy, software-focused, adaptable and always evolving.
       
    On key priorities of a new framework, Born-McCall said there is a need to build a direct relationship with satellite operators; implement a smaller fee structure; allow satellite and space segment players to exist independently of the legacy operator, that is the MNOs and ISPs.



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  • 4-year-old killed in Russian missile attack mourned as Ukraine prepares offensive

    4-year-old killed in Russian missile attack mourned as Ukraine prepares offensive

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    The latest:

    • Ukraine says it is preparing for a southern counterattack in the coming weeks.
    • Both sides describe progress on lifting blockade on Ukrainian grain exports.
    • Russia’s invasion dominates meeting of G20 finance ministers in Indonesia.

    A Ukrainian city far from the front line grieved on Friday for its dead, including a four-year-old girl, a day after a Russian missile attack killed at least 23 people and wounded scores.

    Ukraine said Thursday’s strike on an office building in Vinnytsia, a city of 370,000 people about 200 kilometres southwest of Kyiv, had been carried out with Kalibr cruise missiles launched from a Russian submarine in the Black Sea.

    The attack was the latest in recent weeks of a series of Russian hits using long-range missiles on crowded buildings in cities far from the front, each killing dozens of people.

    Residents placed teddy bears and flowers at a makeshift memorial.

    Flowers and toys left by people on Friday are seen at the place where 4-year-old Liza was killed by a Russian missile strike in Vinnytsia. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

    Among the dead was Liza, a four-year-old girl with Down syndrome, found in the debris next to a pram. Images of her pushing the same pram, posted by her mother on a blog less than two hours before the attack, quickly went viral.

    Her severely injured mother, Iryna Dmitrieva, was being kept in an information blackout at a hospital for fear that finding out about her daughter would kill her, doctors said.

    “She is suffering from burns, chest injuries, abdominal injuries, liver and spleen injuries. We have stitched the organs together; the bones were crushed as if she went through a meat grinder,” Oleksandr Fomin, chief doctor at the Vinnytsia Emergency Hospital, said. Were she told of her daughter’s death, “we would lose her.”

    President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s wife, Olena, tweeted that she recognized the girl, who had once been among a group of disabled children who painted Christmas ornaments with the first lady in a holiday video.

    “Look at her, alive, please,” Olena Zelenska wrote.

    Liza is pictured in Vinnytsia in this undated handout image. (LogoClub Children’s Center/Reuters)

    The building housed an officers’ club, which Russia’s defence ministry said was being used for a meeting between military officials and foreign arms suppliers. It added: “The attack resulted in the elimination of the participants.”

    Ukraine said the club functioned as a cultural centre. The building also housed shops, commercial offices and a concert hall, where musicians were rehearsing for a pop concert planned for that night. A nearby medical centre was destroyed.

    A security camera captured debris flying at the moment of the blast, with two cyclists diving for cover before a cloud of dust darkens the sky.

    WATCH | Zelenskyy calls attack ‘Russian terror’:

    At least 23 dead after Russian missile strike on central Ukrainian city

    Russian missiles struck the central Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia Thursday, far from the front lines of the conflict. Ukrainian officials say at least 23 people were killed.

    Zelenskyy called Russia a terrorist state, urged more sanctions and said the death toll could rise.

    “Unfortunately, this is not the final number,” he said in a video address to an international conference aimed at prosecuting war crimes in Ukraine. An official in Zelenskyy’s office said 11 people were missing, and 197 people had sought medical treatment.

    Ukraine preparing counteroffensive

    Authorities in the southern city of Mykolaiv, closer to the front lines, reported fresh strikes on Friday that wounded at least two people. They released video pictures of firefighters battling the blaze in the rubble.

    “This time, they hit Mykolaiv around 7:50 a.m., knowing full well that there were already many people on the streets at that time. Real terrorists!” Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych posted on social media.

    The stepped-up Russian attacks on cities far from the front come at a time when momentum appears to be shifting after weeks of Russian gains.

    Since capturing the eastern industrial cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in battles that killed thousands of troops on both sides, Russia has paused in its advance. A Ukrainian general said Kyiv had not lost “a single metre” of territory in a week.

    Ukraine, meanwhile, has unleashed new HIMARS rocket systems received from the United States, striking targets deep in Russian-held territory. It appears to have blown up depots of ammunition that Moscow relies on for massive artillery barrages.

    The first M270 systems that will give Ukraine additional multi-rocket firepower have arrived in the country, Ukraine’s defence minister said on Friday. Russia fired its own multi-launch rocket system at Slovyansk on Friday, the eastern city’s mayor said.

    Ukraine says it is preparing for a counterattack in the coming weeks to recapture a swath of southern territory near the Black Sea coast.

    Progress on grain exports

    Despite the bloodshed, both sides have described progress towards an agreement to lift a blockade restricting the export of Ukrainian grain. Mediator Turkey has said a deal could be signed next week.

    When asked if that timeline was realistic, a senior Ukrainian official told Reuters, “We really hope so. We’re hurrying as fast as we can.” The source asked not to be identified.

    A farmer harvests wheat near Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine on Friday. (Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images)

    Russia’s defence ministry said an agreement was close. Russia’s negotiator, however, cautioned that a grains deal will not lead to a resumption of peace talks.

    A deal would probably involve inspections of vessels to ensure Ukraine was not bringing in arms, and guarantees from Western countries that Russia’s own food exports are exempt from sanctions.

    Moscow welcomed a written clarification by Washington on Thursday that banks, insurers and shippers would not be targeted by sanctions for facilitating shipments of Russian grain and fertilizer.

    Tensions at G20

    The war dominated a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Indonesia on Friday. The conflict involving two of the world’s top grain exporters and one of its main oil and gas producers is causing inflation, financial crisis, global shortages of food and energy, and, potentially, hunger.

    “By starting this war, Russia is solely responsible for negative spillovers to the global economy, particularly higher commodity prices,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.

    G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meet at a summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Friday. (Made Nagi/Pool Photo via AP)

    Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told Russian officials at the meeting that she held them personally responsible for “war crimes,” a Western official told Reuters.

    Russia calls its Feb. 24 intervention a “special military operation” to disarm Ukraine and root out nationalists. Kyiv and its allies call it an attempt to reconquer a country that broke free of Moscow’s rule in 1991.

    Britain summoned Russia’s ambassador after Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine said a British man in their custody had died of health problems. The separatists, who captured Paul Urey, 45, in April, had accused him of being a mercenary. A British relief group, Presidium Network, described him as a humanitarian volunteer.

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