Inactive phone numbers in Nigeria increase to 76 million – NCC

Inactive telephone numbers in the country increased from 67,331,498 in June to 76,164,149 in July, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) revealed, Thursday.
In its “Monthly Subscriber Data’’ report released in Lagos, the commission said there were 8,832,651 unused numbers during the period, making up the total inactive lines.
It showed that of the 226,426,215 connected lines, only 150,262,066 numbers were active.
The report stated that of the 76,164,149 inactive numbers, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks had a share of 72,732,130.
The Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA mobile) operators had a share of 3,240,313 while the Fixed Wired/Wireless networks had a total of 184,819 unused lines.
Similarly, of the 150,262,066 active lines, the GSM networks had 149,708,077 numbers, adding a

Apple seeks fresh momentum with iPhone launch

With new iPhones hitting the markets Friday, Apple is seeking to regain momentum and set new trends for the smartphone industry and tech sector.
The newest versions of the California-based technology giant’s lifestyle-changing iPhone aim to win over users with sophisticated camera technology, water resistance, more power and other improvements.
But Apple has raised eyebrows by eliminating headphone jacks in what executives heralded as an embrace of a wireless future for its new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
The devices with boosted memory capacity will be sold at roughly the same price as the models they replace, starting at $649 for the iPhone 7 for US customers, with deliveries in some 25 countries launching Friday.
What remains unclear for Apple is whether it can generate the same kind of excitement that surrounded previous versions of the iPhone, amid stiff competition from Samsung and other

Subscribers threaten to drag NCC to court over unsolicited SMS

The National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) has threatened to institute an action against the telecoms industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in court over the regulator’s failure to sanction telecoms operators and Value Added Service (VAS) providers who consistently send unsolicited text messages, otherwise known as Short Message Service (SMS) to subscribers.
The warning came on the heels of the recent statement credited to NCC that it would continue to protect telecoms subscribers from unsolicited SMS by operators.
NCC had last week, issued a strong warning to telecoms operators to respect the rights of consumers and put an end to unsolicited SMS, but the warning rather angered subscribers, who felt NCC no longer have the feelings of subscribers, hence it kept ‘barking without biting’ on the issue of unsolicited SMS, which they said, had lingered for too long, without any definite action

Uber debuts self-driving cars

There’s a new kind of car on the streets of Pittsburgh. Uber has taken a huge step into the future, unveiling a small fleet of autonomous, self-driving vehicles for the exclusive use of its most loyal customers.
The company wants to put autonomous driving to the test in a city already known for its driving challenges.
“Pittsburgh is an old city, it has an organic road network, it has real traffic problems, it experiences extreme weather so we really feel that Pittsburgh is the double black diamond of driving,” Said Director of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Centre, Raffi Krikorian.
The challenges are many and various. Critics say self-driving cars are not safe enough yet….that

Apple says it’s not buying Tidal, but doesn’t deny talks

It’s been rumored for months that Apple was thinking about buying Tidal, the music streaming service started by Jay Z, but the iPhone maker now says a deal certainly isn’t on the cards.
Speaking to BuzzFeed News, Apple Music head Jimmy Iovine didn’t deny that the two companies had held discussions, but said that no acquisition was forthcoming. “We’re really running our own race,” Iovine told the publication. “We’re not looking to acquire any streaming services.”
The first rumor of a deal was reported by The Wall Street Journal in June, with Apple said to be particularly interested in Tidal’s close relationship with high-profile artists.
The streaming service has been home to exclusives from a number of musicians including

Sophos boosts partner programme for MEA with new resources

Global leader in network and endpoint security, Sophos, has revealed a new partner programme for resellers in the Middle East and Africa (MEA).
The firm said the new initiative will help channel partners achieve their growth objectives with competitive margins, dedicated marketing and sales support.
The core objective of the Sophos partner programme is to equip partners with resources and training that enable them to sell, market, distribute and implement the company’s award-winning cloud, network, server and end user protection solutions to organizations of all sizes.
The new Sophos partner programme provides access to the company’s comprehensive portfolio of market-leading endpoint and network security products, which have been engineered keeping its partners in mind. Partners are now able to manage all Sophos solutions for every customer through a centralized management platform, Sophos Central. Within Sophos Central is Sophos Central-Partner, a specialized dashboard that allows partners to distribute licenses, add new customers on demand, cross- and up sell services, drive recurring revenue and have a clear, real-time perspective on all customer activity. Partners can respond to security incidents faster

HP buys Samsung’s $1 billion printer business

United States of America’s computer giant HP has struck a deal to take over Samsung’s $1 billion (£750 million) printer business.
HP said the acquisition would help it to “disrupt and reinvent” the $55 billion copier industry, a segment that “hasn’t innovated in decades”.
It is buying a big printing presence in Asia, as well as Samsung’s laser printing technology and patents.The deal comes days after HP’s sister company sold its software business to rising UK tech champion Micro Focus.
Hewlett-Packard split into two businesses last year: HP Inc, which focuses on printers and computers; and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which sold its software business to focus on data storage.
“When we became a separate company just 10 months ago, it enabled us to become nimble and focus on accelerating growth and reinventing industries,” said Dion Weisler, chief executive of HP Inc.

Facebook and Twitter join over 30 tech and media companies to tackle fake news

Facebook and Twitter have joined a network of over 30 news and technology companies to tackle fake news and improve the quality of information on social media, the group said on Tuesday.
First Draft Coalition, formed in June 2015 with the backing of Alphabet Inc’s Google, said it would create a voluntary code of practice, promote news literacy among social media users, and launch a platform where members can verify questionable news stories.
The platform will be launched by the end of October, Jenni Sargent, managing director of the coalition, said in an email.