Info Tech
Twitter Expands Reach Beyond Internet
NEW YORK – Social media giant Twitter, has announced their plans to expand their international market beyond their current users to reach those without Internet access. Singapore-based U2opia will partner with Twitter to bring some of Twitter’s features to people in remote locations without Internet access and those with lower-grade cell phones that are not capable of accessing the Internet.
The Twitter announcement of their new service comes after one of the other big social media giants, Facebook Inc., made a similar deal with U2opia. The Singapore company said that more than half a million users without Internet Access from around the world now access Facebook every month. U2topia says that Twitter’s new service will follow Facebook as a text-only service as pictures and videos won’t be viewable on the entry-level cell phones.
Twitter has grown their company that is now popular enough to boast a staggering 218 million world-wide users. Users in the U.S. only account for 20 percent of Twitter’s new-customer growth. This slow of new-customer growth in the U.S., is because Twitter has now penetrated at satisfactory numbers in the U.S. market. To maximize new growth potential, Twitter is concentrating on countries with smaller existing numbers of users.
Twitter recently held their first public offering which valued the social media giant at approximately $25 billion. In October, Twitter filed an S-1 form with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of its IPO, listing foreign countries that have been targeted to expand the company’s numbers of users. On page 16 of the document, Twitter names their target countries as being: Argentina; France; Japan; Russia; South Africa; and Saudi Arabia. The deal with U2topia making Twitter available to cell phones without access to the Internet will certainly help Twitter to reach their goals and possibly beyond their projected numbers.
J. P. Morgan estimates that U.S. penetration of Twitter sits at around 22 percent, while the rest of the world’s market is only estimated at a low of nine percent. By concentrating on the new markets Twitter hopes to increase the average revenue for foreign users that now sits at a mere $0.30 per international user, while the U.S. users are estimated at $2.17. Twitter estimates these figures based on the revenue generated per 1000 timeline views.
To increase their users, Twitter has already been partnering with small regional telecommunication carriers to bring their service to those without data capabilities. Pakistan’s Mobilink has already offered the service to their pre-paid customers earlier this year. Mobilink is one of the biggest carriers in Pakistan. Similar deals have been completed in India also.
In a deal with Deutsche Telekom, Twitter gets high priority on the telecom’s smartphone homescreens. A widget on the user’s mobile allows them to easily access Twitter to keep up with trends. Deutsche Telekom’s customers are in countries in which Twitter has particularly low market penetration. The service with Deutsche Telekom will cover countries such as: the Netherlands, Croatia, Greece and Romania. They will also be prioritizing the Twitter widget in Germany where the economy is doing rather well compared to other countries that Twitter is targeting.
The Singapore service is called “Fonetwish” and already has over 11 million users. The current Fonetwish users have been accessing Google Talk and Facebook on their mobiles that do not possess data connections. All that U2opia customers will need to do is enter a simple code and they’ll receive the popular trending topics from Twitter. The user will be receiving Tweets pertaining to the customer’s current location.
The recent deal with U2opia is just one way Twitter will be expanding their reach beyond the Internet and with a creative and aggressive market strategy like Twitter’s, one will begin to see many more users from foreign markets.
In efforts at spicing up the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, the management of ITREALMS Media has partnered with E-waste Producer Responsibility Organization of Nigeria (EPRON) membership organisations for a day-long collection scheme of small electronic waste on Friday, December 15, 2023.
The EPRON members aligning their partnership with 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue are EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited and WEEE Eco-Friendly.
ITREALMS’ day-long collection scheme is part of the commemoration of 2023 international E-Waste Day (IEWD) within the ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue with the theme “You Can Recycle Anything with a plug, battery or cable” at Welcome Centre Hotels, International Airport Road, Lagos.
Revealing this collaboration, the Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media, the organisers of the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, Sir. Remmy Nweke, urged mobile device enthusiasts to come along with their devices that have reached their end-of-life to the venue for proper disposition by professionals who would also be on grounds to address some topical issues.
The collection of small electronic wastes especially mobile phones and like-devices, would be carried out by EPRON member organisation, EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited as facilitated by ITREALMS Media group as part of this year’s ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue on Friday, December 15, he added.
He disclosed that the exercise would commence at Welcome Centre Hotel by 9am till close of work hours the same day.
Nweke pointed out that the collection of small e-waste items would include mobile phones, pointers mouse, earpieces, rechargeable torches, phone chargers, to name a few.
Further, he said, that this initiative has become time-serving because some people may have missed any other opportunity before now for the year-long campaign, hence this awareness on e-Waste has to be continuous, “ITREALMS came up with this scheme.”
Nweke beckoned on Nigerians, especially mobile phone users, to leverage the opportunity in disposing of their mobile devices they no longer use, of course in exchange for a voucher or gift item.
In her reaction to this year’s day-long small waste collection, EPRON Executive Secretary, Mrs. Ibukun Faluyi, described the initiative as commendable, expressing confidence it would intensify the collection of end-of-life devices for proper disposition.
Mrs. Faluyi, also urged Nigerians to take advantage of this day-long collection of small wastes courtesy of ITREALMS Media.
Recalling for instance that in October 2022, EPRON had partnered SLOT alongside some UN agencies for collection of small e-waste items in Lagos, including the United Nations Information Centres (UNIC), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).
This is even as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Dr. Aminu Maida and Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Aliyu Jauro, would both lead speakers at the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue slated for this Friday, December 15, in Lagos.
Today, September 12, the tech corporation Apple will introduce the iPhone 15, their newest iPhone model.
According to a Forbes story, this model, which will be introduced at the company’s “Wanderlust” event in Cupertino, California, will be available in four variations: the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Here are five things you should know about the new iPhone 15 model.
1. The new model is made of titaniu, not stainless steel as some other Apple smartphone models, Senior research analyst at DIGITIMES, Luke Lin reports.
2. The Pro Max model will feature double the optical zoom on the iPhone 14 as it comes with a newly-introduced ‘periscope lens upgrade, performing 5-6x optical zoom.’
3. The Pro models will carry an A17 bionic chip expected to make it perform faster.
4. The iPhone 15 model will feature a USB-C charging port, the same port featured on some Android phone models.
5. Due to its titanium shell, the new model is anticipated to be more expensive to purchase. The following is the speculated price list, as reported by Forbes:
The iPhone 15 starts at $799, the iPhone 15 Plus at $899, the iPhone 15 Pro at $1,099 ($100 increase), and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at $1,299 ($200 increase).
In an effort to reduce the exorbitant cost of Premium Motor Spirit, better known as petrol, the Infrastructure Bank Plc announced its collaboration with FEMADEC Group on Monday to offer 500 buses powered by autogas (Compressed Natural Gas).
Partners in the agreement claimed that the project was created to provide citizens with dependable, affordable, and environmentally friendly travel options, taking into account the negative effects of the nationwide increase in PMS costs.
Under Decree No. 51 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1992 Constitution, the Infrastructure Bank, originally known as the Urban Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, was founded in 1992 to promote the quick development of infrastructure throughout the nation.
In a statement issued in Abuja on its partnership with FEMADEC, the bank said, “The preliminary offer extended by TIB lays a solid foundation for the expansion of FEMADEC Group’s CNG bus fleet.
“With plans to introduce 500 CNG buses within the next five years, commencing with an initial batch of 50 buses in the forthcoming year, this proposal stands poised to instigate significant change.
“The acceptance of this proposition by FEMADEC Group, notably championed by Fola Akinnola, the Group Chief Executive Officer, is a testament to their zeal and dedication to this alliance.”
The bank described the partnership as a “pivotal endeavour that is primed to redefine Nigeria’s public transportation landscape, offering dependable, cost-effective, and ecologically conscious travel alternatives for citizens, while harmonising with the nation’s broader sustainability ambitions.”
“This partnership represents a remarkable stride towards a more ecologically aware future for Nigeria’s transportation sector, highlighting the shared commitment of both TIB and FEMADEC Group to sustainable advancement and progress.”
It said FEMADEC Group’s strides in operating Compressed Natural Gas buses, including the existing fleet of 20 CNG buses under LAMATA, underscored their unwavering dedication to ecologically sound solutions, a commitment predating the fuel subsidy removal.
“Their leadership within the CNG value chain is undeniable, and the new alliance with TIB underscores their foresight.
“This partnership seamlessly aligns with TIB’s sustainability objectives, echoing their resolute endorsement of the government’s net-zero and climate change agenda.
“The bank’s aspiration to champion Nigeria’s infrastructure progress is evident in its endorsement of pivotal initiatives like this, yielding expansive positive impacts on both the environment and society,” the bank stated.
The bank added that it would continue to make a significant contribution to the country’s growth as a leading financial institution committed to advancing effective and long-lasting infrastructure projects.
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