MTN Again? Uganda Fines MTN $622,000 For 'Anti-Competition Business Tactics'

It is not only in Nigeria that MTN has run foul of the rules. It is also in hot water in Uganda, going by this report by Uganda’s New Vision newspaper:
The Commercial court in Uganda has ordered telecom giant, MTN Uganda to pay a sum of Shs 2.3bn (about $662,000) in damages to EzeeMoney Limited for sabotaging its business.
Justice Henry Peter Adonyo on November 6, 2015 also ordered MTN to stop acting in unlawful and anti-competitive manner, which denies other businesses an opportunity to prosper.
Justice Adonyo said MTN should pay Shs 800m to EzeeMoney in general damages for loss of business. It should also pay a penalty of Shs 1.5bn in punitive damages to deter not only MTN but also warn other companies against uncompetitive business tactics.
It all started when EzeeMoney, which runs an e-money business, obtained a contract from MTN for the provision of digital transmission [E1] and 30 fixed telephone lines to carry out its mobile money business.
EzeeMoney then contracted Yo! Uganda Limited (YUL) to implement the service after Uganda Communications Commission, the regulator, approved it on December 2012, to use the 7711 short code to enable its customers to subscribe for e-money services.
But in 2013, MTN cancelled the contract, saying EzeeMoney was a direct competitor to its mobile money business. Through AF Mpanga and company advocates, EzeeMoney went to court, saying MTN’s action “restricted and distorted competition.”
EzeeMoney said MTN also damaged its ties with YUL and deprived it of services of other telecommunications operators. It argued that MTN used its exclusivity agreements to stop its agents from working for any other firm with similar business, further limiting competition.
‘ILLEGAL ACTIONS’
In a January 28, 2013 letter to EzeeMoney, MTN appeared to say its business would be disrupted if the former was given access to its platform.
“EzeeMoney is in direct competition with MTN in the provision of mobile money,” read the letter in part.
Justice Adonyo said the letter confirmed that MTN was stopping services of the company because it considered it a competitor.
“It is testified that when YUL required the defendant [MTN] to activate the plaintiff’s [EzeeMoney]short code on its platform, the defendant declined to do so on the basis that the plaintiff was in direct competition with it,” the judge observed.
“YUL then seeing that the plaintiff couldn’t carry out the business they had agreed together, by a letter dated 7/2/2013, did terminate all services with the plaintiff as YUL did not want to jeopardize its relationship with the defendant.”
David Mpanga, EzeeMoney’s lead counsel, said MTN’s action of not activating the short code and the subsequent cancellation by YUL led to loss of business.
“The denial of the use of the defendant’s [MTN] platform to the plaintiff [EzeeMoney] by the defendant would thus be an act which is prohibited within the meaning of section 53(1) (a) of the Act [Communications] for it limited competition,” Adonyo said.
AGENTS STOPPED
The judge also found that MTN coerced its agents to reject EzeeMoney. One witness, Sammy Mwathi, told court that he was an MTN money agent and he was restricted from dealing with other firms in the same business by signing exclusivity agreement.
“The perusal of the exclusivity agreement itself confirms the position that the defendant acted outside the law for it appears it used coercive methods like denial of services to its agents,” he said. “[This] prohibited fair competition… and [was] contrary to the provisions of the law.”

Road Crashs at Toll-Gate, Sango-Ota clamps lifes and leave many injured

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Ota, Ogun, said five persons had died and 12 others sustained injuries in two separate accidents at the Toll-Gate, Sango-Ota, on Wednesday.

The Unit Commander of the FRSC in the area, Mr Leye Adegboyega, told NAN in Ota that the first accident occurred at about 12:10 a.m., while the second one happened at about 6:40 a.m.

Adegboyega attributed the two crashes that occurred on the same spot to “carelessness” on the part of the drivers of the trucks involved in the accidents.

He said that the brake of a Larfarge trailer that was heading to Lagos from Abeokuta failed and rammed into eight vehicles which resulted in the death of five persons while four persons sustained various degrees of injury in the first accident.

“All efforts by the FRSC officials to get the registration number of the Larfarge truck proved abortive because the truck fell into a ditch.

“The drivers and the motor boys that were involved in the two accidents also absconded because of the weight of the offences they committed,” he said.

Adegboyega said the second accident which involved a truck with registration number KRD-215 XB loaded with gravels, was also heading toward Lagos when it lost control due to brake failure and crashed into eight other vehicles.

He said the total number of people involved in the two accidents was 17, while five died and four sustained various injuries in the first accident.

He said eight persons sustained minor injuries in the second accident.

“The five corpses had been deposited at the State Hospital, Sango-Ota, while the other four injured in the first accident are receiving treatment at the same hospital,” the unit commander said.

He appealed to the Federal Government to construct speed breakers along the toll gate and its environs to check speeding and reduce road crashes in the area.

Smart Man Proposes To His Girlfriend At NYSC Camp.

When a guy hears the kinds of things that some bad guys do to some loose girls (free transfer) inside NYSC camp, he can't help but make sure his woman is secured. Lol! This guy acted swiftly and sharply by going there to put a ring on his babe's finger right inside the camp in the presence of her friends and other Corners including the camp officials . #Lovebirds

UNILAG lecturer Akinfolarin Baruwa jailed for rape

A lecturer in the University of Lagos, Akinfolarin Baruwa, who allegedly molested an 18-year old admission seeker has been jailed.
UNILAG lecturer Akinfolarin Baruwa jailed for rape
Baruwa, who had been imprisoned ever since the incident earlier this year, was reportedly handed a 21-year jail sentence.
READ: ICPC To Persecute UNILAG, UNICAL Lecturers Over Rape Case
The 18-year old raped by Baruwa was said to be the daughter of one of his friends, who had come to him for help with admission.
A person who was familiar with Baruwa was quoted as saying:
“I just want to inform you that the Unilag lecturer that raped the daughter of his friend that wanted admission has been jailed on Friday November 6, 2015 for 21 years.”
“He stays in my estate, Abesan estate Ipaja; his whole family is still in shock and can’t believe the Judgement. His family are also saying it was his first wife that cursed him cos he left the woman with 4 kids before he remarried.”

Google Announces Offline Navigation And Search On Google Maps

Google Maps has rolled out a new offline mode allowing for driving directions and search, providing access to turn-by-turn directions and several other features in areas without a reliable cellular data or internet connection.
According to BBC reports, the new features will begin rolling out to Android users later on Tuesday, and Google says the iOS roll out will follow soon. Offline search and navigation was one of the biggest announcements, nearly six months later, that feature is finally reaching users.
The option to save certain areas has existed in Google Maps since 2012, but this is the first time they have been indexed for search and navigation. That means if you save the city you live in, you will be able to search for a place to have dinner and get a response without a cellular connection. Because of space constraints, the businesses stored will have names, star ratings, and phone numbers, but no photos or user reviews.
Similarly, directions will work from average traffic time rather than loading in real-time traffic data, although the route will update as soon as the connection is restored. The initial rollout does not include transit or walking directions, largely due to space considerations, but Google says those features will be added in the months to come.
The feature will be most useful for anyone navigating without a cellular connection, either in a dead zone or a foreign country that requires a second SIM. But project manager Amanda Bishop says even standard users will notice maps loading faster, because of the erratic nature of even the best data connections.
According to Google’s research, the average phone is offline for 10 percent of the day, much of which results from simple network congestion.