ATCON to mentor emerging entrepreneurs

The Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON0 has identified an emerging generation of young entrepreneurs worthy of recognition and mentorship.

Leading a six-man member to the National Executive Committee to the 2011 Mobile Web West Africa conference in Lagos, the ATCON president, Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu made this assertion.

He said that ATCON having identified these budding young entrepreneurs is to structure a programme to further offer them a developmental assistance.

To this end, he said, ATCON would mobilize its members provide the necessary mentorship and training that will make them thrive in their endeavour to grow in business.

Executive Secretary, ATCON, Mr. Ajibola Olude in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online soon after the session, said plans are up to align this programme with existing ones with relevant stakeholder groups in the country.

“We are working on this along with our other established programmes of creating awareness on investment opportunities in broadband infrastructure construction for our members, all in close collaboration with the regulator and also with the executive and legislative arms of Federal Government,” he assured.

Noting that they also hope to identify areas of difficulty and resolve same for the benefit of investments in the sector.

Omo-Ettu who dwelt on ‘Harnessing the Potential of the Internet and Applications on Mobile Devices’ said that ATCON aligns with the vision of bringing young entrepreneurs together to meet the established players, and stimulating interaction between them.

“To instigating a more rapid spread of mobile web applications and services and a plethora of opportunities and benefits that exist for the entire eco-system,” he said.

The association, he also said, has started seeing the mobile phone, in particular, as a device for change, a tool for closing the digital divide, an ultimate closer of the gap between the rich and the poor, and between the rural and the urban.

“I want to hope that delegates at this conference will see the need to include in the discussion agenda the role of legislation, regulation, and the link between government and the private sector. That interests us as an emerging market that is in a hurry to catch up,” he said.

Omo-Ettu pointed out that by building the rapidly expanding mobile system to generate more business makes good sense.

“Yes, millions of SIM cards exist in the market and are supposed to be doing quite a lot beyond voice. Content creation is key and I am particularly concerned about how much of this can be locally targeted and locally produced,” he said.

ATCON, according to him, is not only concerned about some issues but is in a hurry about attaining set levels about them.

These issues, he enlisted to include attainment of more generic and stipulated levels of service and proliferation which will be brought about by a deeper understanding of problems and how to solve them.

Additionally, he said, the cards are areas of increasing productivity among young people, growing competition that handles antitrust effectively, regulating independently and fairly, understanding and getting ready to manage the frequency spectrum optimally, and of course growing mobile systems for optimum application.

ATCON under the present exco, he said, wants to deliver its mandate by leveraging on the passion of the young and the wisdom of the old – and the expertise of all – towards building an industry that would not only command better economic attention but one that will add to the socio-economic growth that Nigeria so desperately needs.

“Mobile Network Operators in many markets are known to be making huge amounts of revenues and profits from voice and text. However as competition, penetration and innovation increases these will hit a plateau and the new area of profitability will be data usage,” he observed, stressing that this is happening already with some experts describing it as an explosion.

“I am told that at the weekends in South Africa, 60 per cent of Google searches are made on a mobile telephone. For Operators to take full advantage of this they need to have content and services for their consumers to use. This is why the entire ecosystem needs to work together to enhance the development of the mobile web and applications,” he said.

ATCON boss said that citing mobile advertising as a case in point, saying that this is single biggest opportunity to monetize the mobile web and applications.

“Mobile marketing has created a new medium for advertisers; an entirely new way for them to reach out to and connect to consumers. Indeed, some experts consider it to be the superior way of marketing their products,” he said.

Remmy Nweke:
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D