Telecoms firms get final caution on unsolicited messages

Peeved by the apparent disdain for its earlier directive, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has again warned Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) operators, especially the quartet of MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat, to halt fortwith unsolicited messages (SMS) to subscribers.
The regulator noted that despite its earlier warnings, the menace had maintained an upward swing.
The commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Tony Ojobo, observed yesterday that telecommunications service providers appear not to have fully activated their Do-Not-Disturb (DND) facility which gives subscribers the freedom to choose the messages they receive, adding that “NCC is still inundated with complaints by subscribers of continuing text harassment by operators.”

Samsung to sell its printer business to HP for $1.05bn

Following rumors that first started to circulate last week, Samsung has now confirmed that it intends to sell its printer business to HP in a deal worth $1.05 billion.
Samsung’s board of directors approved the sale of its Printing Business Unit during a meeting in Seoul today, with a follow-up meeting with shareholders scheduled for October. If given the go-ahead from shareholders, Samsung says it will spin-off its printer business into a new standalone entity on November 1, with HP purchasing a 100 percent stake in the newly formed company. Samsung will then source its printers from HP and continue to market them under the Samsung brand in Korea.
Today’s news comes less than a year after the former company Hewlett-Packard split into two entities — Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co, and HP.
“When we became a separate company just 10 months ago, it enabled us to become nimble and

Alphabet and Sanofi in $500 million diabetes joint venture

French drugmaker Sanofi and Google owner Alphabet’s life sciences firm Verily are to invest about $500 million in a diabetes joint venture combining devices with services, an example of growing ties between the pharma and tech sectors.
Sanofi, which made the announcement on Monday, said last year it was working on a partnership with Google in diabetes.
“The company will leverage Verily’s experience in miniaturized electronics, analytics, and consumer software development, with Sanofi’s clinical expertise and experience in bringing innovative treatments to people living with diabetes,” the two companies said in a statement on Monday.
The Sanofi deal comes just after a month after British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline and U.S.-based Verily – formerly Google Life Sciences – created a new company focused on fighting diseases by

Samsung shares plunge over smartphone explosion debacle

A woman walks past billboards of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (L) and Galaxy S7 (R) at a mobile phone shop in Seoul on September 12, 2016.(AFP)

Samsung shares plunged Monday after the South Korean electronics giant urged global consumers to stop using its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone due to a spate of exploding batteries that raised alarm around the world.
Stepping up its warnings, the world’s largest smartphone maker on Sunday told Note 7 users worldwide to immediately turn the device off.
Samsung Electronics on September 2 had announced a recall of its oversized “phablet” after faulty batteries caused some handsets to burst into flames during charging.
Since then, airlines and air safety agencies around the world have warned passengers against using them on flights. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission Friday urged Note 7 owners to stop using the device.
Shares in the firm — South Korea’s largest by value — dropped 7 percent to close at 1.46 million won ($1,318) on the Seoul stock market — the lowest in two months.

Amazon and Pandora set to launch new music streaming services

Amazon.com Inc and Pandora Media Inc are planning to launch new versions of their streaming music services in coming weeks, the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing several anonymous people with knowledge of the matter.
Pandora could announce its plans this to expand its $5-per-month platform this week, with possible features including skipping more songs or storing several hours of playlists, the newspaper said. The company plans to launch a full-fledged on-demand platform by Christmas.

Facebook, Google and Twitter want US to transfer control of ICANN to global community

Major technology companies including Facebook, Google and Twitter are urging US Congress to support a plan for the U.S. government to cede control of the internet’s technical management to the global community, they said in a joint letter dated on Tuesday.
The U.S. Commerce Department has primary oversight of the internet’s management, largely because it was invented in the United States. Some Republican lawmakers are trying to block the handover to global stakeholders, which include businesses, tech experts and public interest advocates, saying it could stifle online freedom by giving voting rights to authoritarian governments.
The years-long plan to transfer oversight of the nonprofit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, is scheduled to occur on Oct. 1 unless Congress votes to block