From Huwaei to Airtel and 9Mobile, Ibikunle Peters explains how he spent 10 years ensuring phone calls go through
Ibikunle Peters has spent over 10 years making sure calls go through at different telcos. He shares how he works, and what it took to land a job at top telecom companies.
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From a subscriber’s perspective, making a phone call is a simple action. But after many years in the telecoms space, Ibikunle Peters understands just how critical calls are and the complex mechanics that make them possible.<br />
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He explains why connectivity must be up and running at all times. “Imagine the whole of the MTN network goes down, and people can’t make calls. A lot of panic will ensue across the country,” he says.<br />
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Peters has spent more than a decade as an IT and telecoms infrastructure expert working to ensure such panic does not occur.<br />
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What he describes simply as “keeping the lights on” is, in reality, a far more complex process. “When you pick up your phone to make a call, it is an entire value chain,” he says. Ensuring you have network coverage, good call quality, and that you are charged the correct amount all fall within his remit.<br />
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Much of Peters’s more than ten-year career was spent at Huawei, where he worked as a billing application engineer for over nine years. He has also worked at Airtel and 9Mobile (now T2 Mobile) over the years.<br />
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What happens behind the scenes when you make a phone call <br />
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Peters offers a crash course on telecoms infrastructure and how it works. “A lot happens when you pick up your phone and call someone. A key part of that process is the mast” <br />
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He explains that cell towers or masts — technically known as base transceiver stations (BTS) — play a vital role in the voice call process.<br />
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He likens them to Wi-Fi routers, strategically placed to serve people within a specific area. However, if you are too far from one, your signal weakens. Just like a router, the closer you are, the better your connection.<br />
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But these masts do not operate in isolation. They need to communicate with one another, which is where the base station controller (BSC) comes in.<br />
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