In its continuous bid to give customers better and superior experience, Starcomms Plc has expanded its network by deploying more cell sites on air in diverse locations across the country. This new step will boost the quality of service that customers enjoy on the Starcomms network.
Cell sites are responsible for the transmission of radio waves, to which calls are converted, from one cell phone or data device to another phone or data device on the same network or on other networks. Where there are enough cell sites to cover a wide area, the range of each is set to ensure that there is enough overlap for "handover" to and from others.
The size of a site depends on the area of coverage that’s needed and the number of calls that are made in that area. Increasing the number of sites implies that Starcomms has the capacity to accept and transmit more number of calls as well as cover a wider geographical range, giving out clearer signals.
With the new network expansion drive, customers of Starcomms can now begin to enjoy the best Quality of Service in places like Lagos, Enugu, Jos, Bauchi, Umuahia and Onitsha where many of the new sites have become operational. This means that call interruptions or “dropped calls’, are now a thing of the past on Starcomms network.
The chief Commercial Officer of Starcomms, Tushar Maheshwari said: “Telecommunications customers that preferred Starcomms network are increasing in number by the hour. This has put us on our toes. More sites often imply not just better coverage but also a better quality of service.
For instance, for us to provide services that will delight customers in areas where mobile phones used on our network are numerous and where there is more demand on us to deliver fast data services we need more sites.
That is why in keeping with our commitment to our teeming customers, we began this network expansion project. Our intention is to raise technological bar at all times with the sole purpose of attaining maximum efficiency for our customers all over the country.”
Starcomms has in recent times been delighting its customers with various innovations and enhanced services. Recently, before the ongoing network expansion activities of the company, it launched the Internet Protocol Call Centre, a state-of-the art customer service tool for better interactions with its customers.
Starcomms’ IPCC comes with a multilingual Interactive Voice Record service (IVR), which offers customers services in five languages: English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and pidgin. This allows Starcomms’ voice customers anywhere in the country to have the option of asking questions in any of the languages.
Such questions may include balance inquiries, tariff inquiry, tariff charge for roaming customers, dash me credit together with Caller Ring Back Tune (CRBT). The dedicated lines allow customers to directly enter into the self-care portal to get the help as they may require.
“We are aware of the need to be proactive in our line of business because we know that technological advancement is most pronounced in it. So as our customers increase, their needs are definitely increasing. So we meet them in their large numbers and at the very point of their needs,” said Meheshwari.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Zain boosts SMEs with new package, Mybusiness
Zain Nigeria has launched Mybusiness, a new package that is specially designed to enhance the efficiency and productivity of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the country.
The new value adding offering which was introduced into the market today in Lagos by the leading mobile operator is expected to help business owners irrespective of their location within Nigeria, take full control of the cost of phone calls by their company while also giving them the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of value added services.
Some of the other benefits include free staff to staff calls (workers in the same enterprise), lower rates for calls to top five international destinations and exclusive Internet offers, among other advantages.
The Chief Operating Officer of Zain Nigeria, Deepak Srivastava, explained that Mybusiness is a revolutionary package that is intended to positively impact and transform small and medium scale enterprises in the country, adding that that company has put in the hands of the owners of SMEs the tool to manage their communication cost, increase the volume of business transactions and meet the communication needs of their employees.
“Mybusiness is a clear demonstration of Zain’s commitment to enrich the lives of business owners and managers across the country as it comes with a Master line concept that empowers entrepreneurs to monitor and control communications cost in their businesses,” said Srivastava.
The Zain Mybusiness package is offered to businesses identified as SMEs with staff strength of between 1-50 employees. The package is sold with two lines (master line and associate line) and pre-provisioned on the service class with enough credit included to cover the first month minimum commitment fee of all the lines.
Additional lines can be added to the group if required. The master line or business owner’s name can have as many as 49 associate lines attached to it while minimum number of lines in a group is two.
To connect to the Mybusiness package, new users are required to buy a Zain My Business line which comes with two SIM packs: master line and associate while existing customers can migrate their existing lines by visiting a Zain shop nearest to their houses or business places.
Srivastava added that the Mybusiness offer is designed in a simple fashion as existing Zain customers who are entrepreneurs can connect to the offer by dialing *600# from the Master line while non Zain SME customers can purchase a Zain prepaid SIM to connect to the package.
The master line or main line in the Zain Mybusiness offer is the first line that joins the group and it adds the other lines (workers’ lines) to the group. It is the only line that can migrate, add and delete the workers’ lines just as it is the only line that recharges each month to cover the access charge for all other lines in the group. The master line (in most cases) belongs to the owner of the business.
All lines under the Zain My Business package have access to the usual prepaid Zain VAS at the standard rates (Me2U, one network, roaming, Pay4Me, Voicemail, WAP, information services, MMS, social network, inspirational services, caller ring back tone, data roaming, etc.)
The new value adding offering which was introduced into the market today in Lagos by the leading mobile operator is expected to help business owners irrespective of their location within Nigeria, take full control of the cost of phone calls by their company while also giving them the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of value added services.
Some of the other benefits include free staff to staff calls (workers in the same enterprise), lower rates for calls to top five international destinations and exclusive Internet offers, among other advantages.
The Chief Operating Officer of Zain Nigeria, Deepak Srivastava, explained that Mybusiness is a revolutionary package that is intended to positively impact and transform small and medium scale enterprises in the country, adding that that company has put in the hands of the owners of SMEs the tool to manage their communication cost, increase the volume of business transactions and meet the communication needs of their employees.
“Mybusiness is a clear demonstration of Zain’s commitment to enrich the lives of business owners and managers across the country as it comes with a Master line concept that empowers entrepreneurs to monitor and control communications cost in their businesses,” said Srivastava.
The Zain Mybusiness package is offered to businesses identified as SMEs with staff strength of between 1-50 employees. The package is sold with two lines (master line and associate line) and pre-provisioned on the service class with enough credit included to cover the first month minimum commitment fee of all the lines.
Additional lines can be added to the group if required. The master line or business owner’s name can have as many as 49 associate lines attached to it while minimum number of lines in a group is two.
To connect to the Mybusiness package, new users are required to buy a Zain My Business line which comes with two SIM packs: master line and associate while existing customers can migrate their existing lines by visiting a Zain shop nearest to their houses or business places.
Srivastava added that the Mybusiness offer is designed in a simple fashion as existing Zain customers who are entrepreneurs can connect to the offer by dialing *600# from the Master line while non Zain SME customers can purchase a Zain prepaid SIM to connect to the package.
The master line or main line in the Zain Mybusiness offer is the first line that joins the group and it adds the other lines (workers’ lines) to the group. It is the only line that can migrate, add and delete the workers’ lines just as it is the only line that recharges each month to cover the access charge for all other lines in the group. The master line (in most cases) belongs to the owner of the business.
All lines under the Zain My Business package have access to the usual prepaid Zain VAS at the standard rates (Me2U, one network, roaming, Pay4Me, Voicemail, WAP, information services, MMS, social network, inspirational services, caller ring back tone, data roaming, etc.)
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Starcomms celebrates Nigeria with “50 Good Calls, 50 Good Causes” Promo
To commemorate Nigeria's 50th independence anniversary, the country’s leading and innovative telecommunications company, Starcomms Plc has launched a special ground breaking promo tagged "50 Good Calls and 50 good causes", The promo, which will last for up to fifty days began on October 1, 2010.
In the promo, every customer of Starcomms Plc that buys and recharges his phone with a minimum airtime voucher of N500 will get a 50 per cent bonus for all calls to all network or international calls. In addition customers buying N100 and N250 recharge will get a 50% on net bonus. The company is also supporting 50 good causes across the country as part of its corporate social responsibility effort in support of Nigeria’s 50th Independence anniversary
Chief Commercial Officer of Starcomms, Mr. Tushar Maheshwari disclosed that Starcomms Plc as a truly Nigerian company which values its customers’ patronage is excited about the progress the country has made in all spheres of life in the last 50 years. Therefore, the company is celebrating the 50th independent anniversary with its customers by giving them the bonus recharge of 50 per cent and supporting 50 good causes.
Maheshwari however disclosed that the "50 Good Calls" is not applicable to tele-centre operators noting that Starcomms is giving out the bonus to enable its customers to send goodwill messages to their loved ones during the anniversary period celebration adding that as a company that associates with the joy of its customers, it is prepared to do all to bring smiles to their faces.
It has always been the tradition of Starcomms Plc to celebrate special occasions with its customers. Just recently, the company had the N4 Ramadan promo, which enabled Starcomms customers to enjoy generous tariff discount during the Ramadan period. The offer turned out to be a very exciting experience for Starcomms customers as they used the tariff-slash to share warm thoughts during the period.
Maheshwari also explained that as a responsive network, Starcomms understands that the sharing of feelings during a period of celebration is important stressing that it is a period when people think more warmly about each other.He expressed confidence that 50 Good Calls, 50 good causes promo will go a long way encouraging people on Starcomms network to bond more during the one month period of the promo. In his words, “this is just part of our numerous ways of making our people happier during the festive period, as a network that speaks their language”.
In the promo, every customer of Starcomms Plc that buys and recharges his phone with a minimum airtime voucher of N500 will get a 50 per cent bonus for all calls to all network or international calls. In addition customers buying N100 and N250 recharge will get a 50% on net bonus. The company is also supporting 50 good causes across the country as part of its corporate social responsibility effort in support of Nigeria’s 50th Independence anniversary
Chief Commercial Officer of Starcomms, Mr. Tushar Maheshwari disclosed that Starcomms Plc as a truly Nigerian company which values its customers’ patronage is excited about the progress the country has made in all spheres of life in the last 50 years. Therefore, the company is celebrating the 50th independent anniversary with its customers by giving them the bonus recharge of 50 per cent and supporting 50 good causes.
Maheshwari however disclosed that the "50 Good Calls" is not applicable to tele-centre operators noting that Starcomms is giving out the bonus to enable its customers to send goodwill messages to their loved ones during the anniversary period celebration adding that as a company that associates with the joy of its customers, it is prepared to do all to bring smiles to their faces.
It has always been the tradition of Starcomms Plc to celebrate special occasions with its customers. Just recently, the company had the N4 Ramadan promo, which enabled Starcomms customers to enjoy generous tariff discount during the Ramadan period. The offer turned out to be a very exciting experience for Starcomms customers as they used the tariff-slash to share warm thoughts during the period.
Maheshwari also explained that as a responsive network, Starcomms understands that the sharing of feelings during a period of celebration is important stressing that it is a period when people think more warmly about each other.He expressed confidence that 50 Good Calls, 50 good causes promo will go a long way encouraging people on Starcomms network to bond more during the one month period of the promo. In his words, “this is just part of our numerous ways of making our people happier during the festive period, as a network that speaks their language”.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
STARCOMMS IPCC TO GENERATE MORE JOBS FOR NIGERIANS
Nigeria's innovative telecommunications company, Starcomms Plc has said that its recent investment in the introduction of Internet Protocol Contact Centre (IPCC) is part of the company’s strategy of tackling unemployment in the country, besides delivering the most effective customer care service.
The IPCC is a user friendly internet base customer care contact centre that has two dedicated self-care lines through which Starcomms customers access vital information, latest news about Starcomms products and services as well as lodge their complains. The Chief Commercial Officer of Starcomms, Mr. Tushar Maheshwari said that the deployment of the IPCC is in a way part of Starcomms response to the growing number of customers and their changing needs, which will therefore require the engagement of more people to handle these challenges. He said that the process is a continuous exercise adding that since Starcomms will continue to improve on it, more jobs will therefore be created through it from time to time. Maheshwari also said that as a publicly quoted company, Starcomms commitment in the industry goes beyond ensuring that Starcomms customers continually get superior experience through the IPCC, stressing that it is also committed to the growth of the Nigerian economy, hence it is using the IPCC to create jobs.
He said that the IPCC, which has two dedicated Self-Care lines: *444 and 07028000444 comes with a multilingual Interactive Voice response service (IVR) which offers customers services in five languages: English, Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo and pidgin.
The newly unveiled IPCC, according to him, gives prepaid voice customers the option to make balance inquiry, tariff inquiry, tariff charge for roaming customers, dash me credit together with Caller Ring Back Tune (CRBT). The dedicated lines allow customers to directly enter into the self-care portal to get the help they require.
He further said that with the IPCC data customers on Starcomms broadband services are now able to carry out inquiries about the services they desire, check their balances and validity. And post paid, know their credit limits, billed amount, unutilized amount, due date, last payment details using the IVR of the IPCC.
Describing it as a crucial aspect of customer care in Starcomms, he said that the IPCC is an essential aspect of effective delivering of customer care service relying on cutting-edge technology to give Starcomms customers value for their money.
The IPCC is a user friendly internet base customer care contact centre that has two dedicated self-care lines through which Starcomms customers access vital information, latest news about Starcomms products and services as well as lodge their complains. The Chief Commercial Officer of Starcomms, Mr. Tushar Maheshwari said that the deployment of the IPCC is in a way part of Starcomms response to the growing number of customers and their changing needs, which will therefore require the engagement of more people to handle these challenges. He said that the process is a continuous exercise adding that since Starcomms will continue to improve on it, more jobs will therefore be created through it from time to time. Maheshwari also said that as a publicly quoted company, Starcomms commitment in the industry goes beyond ensuring that Starcomms customers continually get superior experience through the IPCC, stressing that it is also committed to the growth of the Nigerian economy, hence it is using the IPCC to create jobs.
He said that the IPCC, which has two dedicated Self-Care lines: *444 and 07028000444 comes with a multilingual Interactive Voice response service (IVR) which offers customers services in five languages: English, Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo and pidgin.
The newly unveiled IPCC, according to him, gives prepaid voice customers the option to make balance inquiry, tariff inquiry, tariff charge for roaming customers, dash me credit together with Caller Ring Back Tune (CRBT). The dedicated lines allow customers to directly enter into the self-care portal to get the help they require.
He further said that with the IPCC data customers on Starcomms broadband services are now able to carry out inquiries about the services they desire, check their balances and validity. And post paid, know their credit limits, billed amount, unutilized amount, due date, last payment details using the IVR of the IPCC.
Describing it as a crucial aspect of customer care in Starcomms, he said that the IPCC is an essential aspect of effective delivering of customer care service relying on cutting-edge technology to give Starcomms customers value for their money.
NCC TO DEPLOY ECC TO ACCIDENT MANAGEMENT
The Emergency Communication Centres being established by the Nigerian Communications Commission in all the State capitals and Abuja FCT will be deployed for effective management of accident emergencies as well as collating information about various types of emergencies in the country.
Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, who disclosed this in Abuja when the executive members or the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, paid a courtesy visit to the Commission in Abuja, said the Commission has put up enormous resources to achieve this given the critical roles that such centres will play in times of emergencies.
“NCC is very much involved in trying to redress the handling of emergencies in the country and in that regard, we are establishing thirty seven Emergency Communication Centers where emergency calls from different accidents will be received, dispatched to dispatch agents and the dispatch agents will contact the respective responsive agencies. We are going to include the police, road safety, fire service, ambulance and other agencies”, he said.
According to him, the centres will not only respond to emergencies, they will also collect and collate information about the various emergency situations so as to equip government to respond adequately, as such data collected over time will enable relevant agencies to respond more adequately”, he said.
Dr. Juwah said the Commission will support RTEAN very adequately in all its programmes aimed at curbing road accidents and other issues related to the safety of passengers on the Nigerian roads, including its plan to acquire ICT facilities including computers to enable them discharge their responsibilities to members and the Nigerian public.
In what appeared as an endorsement of the Commissions’ efforts to establish a data bank for phone users in Nigeria through the registration of SIM Cards, the organization sort the assistance of the Commission in furnishing them with such computerized information that will contribute to the smooth management of passenger handling and passenger movements.
National President of RTEAN, Dr. Abubakar Sadiq said the union wishes to “to seek the partnership of the Commission, particularly in the area of information management as regard accident victims and data collection system in respect of passenger manifest for the purpose of sharing information with victim’s family.
“We observed that your Commission will be of great help to us in this direction, counting on your network and capacity”, he said.
Dr. Sadiq traced the history of the organization as a trade union to 1978, with a mandate to establish and protect the interest of all commercial transport operators, and owners in Nigeria whose vehicles are used for socio-economic activities as service providers in public transportation system in Nigeria.
RTEAN President also sought for the support of the Commission in sponsorship of media programmes in respect of safety campaign and advocacy materials in partnership with RTEAN and Federal Road Safety Commission, to raise the safety consciousness of road users and drivers during festive periods.
Dr. Sadiq who led representatives of RTEAN drawn from all parts of the country to the courtesy call, said the union operates democratic leadership and system of administration and is operational in the Thirty Six States of the Federation and FCT- Abuja with membership strength and population of about One Million spread across the six geo political zone.
Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, who disclosed this in Abuja when the executive members or the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, paid a courtesy visit to the Commission in Abuja, said the Commission has put up enormous resources to achieve this given the critical roles that such centres will play in times of emergencies.
“NCC is very much involved in trying to redress the handling of emergencies in the country and in that regard, we are establishing thirty seven Emergency Communication Centers where emergency calls from different accidents will be received, dispatched to dispatch agents and the dispatch agents will contact the respective responsive agencies. We are going to include the police, road safety, fire service, ambulance and other agencies”, he said.
According to him, the centres will not only respond to emergencies, they will also collect and collate information about the various emergency situations so as to equip government to respond adequately, as such data collected over time will enable relevant agencies to respond more adequately”, he said.
Dr. Juwah said the Commission will support RTEAN very adequately in all its programmes aimed at curbing road accidents and other issues related to the safety of passengers on the Nigerian roads, including its plan to acquire ICT facilities including computers to enable them discharge their responsibilities to members and the Nigerian public.
In what appeared as an endorsement of the Commissions’ efforts to establish a data bank for phone users in Nigeria through the registration of SIM Cards, the organization sort the assistance of the Commission in furnishing them with such computerized information that will contribute to the smooth management of passenger handling and passenger movements.
National President of RTEAN, Dr. Abubakar Sadiq said the union wishes to “to seek the partnership of the Commission, particularly in the area of information management as regard accident victims and data collection system in respect of passenger manifest for the purpose of sharing information with victim’s family.
“We observed that your Commission will be of great help to us in this direction, counting on your network and capacity”, he said.
Dr. Sadiq traced the history of the organization as a trade union to 1978, with a mandate to establish and protect the interest of all commercial transport operators, and owners in Nigeria whose vehicles are used for socio-economic activities as service providers in public transportation system in Nigeria.
RTEAN President also sought for the support of the Commission in sponsorship of media programmes in respect of safety campaign and advocacy materials in partnership with RTEAN and Federal Road Safety Commission, to raise the safety consciousness of road users and drivers during festive periods.
Dr. Sadiq who led representatives of RTEAN drawn from all parts of the country to the courtesy call, said the union operates democratic leadership and system of administration and is operational in the Thirty Six States of the Federation and FCT- Abuja with membership strength and population of about One Million spread across the six geo political zone.
CUSTOMERS LAUD STARCOMMS OVER INTERNATIONAL ROAMING
Customers of Starcomms Plc., the only telecommunications company quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, who have taken advantage of the company's recently introduced inter-standard roaming service have praised it for its innovations and the superb quality service which allows them to travel around the world and still retain their numbers. While speaking on their experiences, they stated that the relatively affordable service has in a short period of time had positive impact on their businesses and lives. Chris Omosive, a chartered accountant and businessman residing in Lagos, while expressing satisfaction over the introduction of the international roaming service by Starcomms said that he is happy he was able to travel with his Starcomms phone and was in touch with his colleagues and family.
He particularly commended Starcomms for the pocket friendly tariff and the hassle free process of getting hooked to the international roaming service. He said that his experience shows that the introduction of the service is of great advantage to businessmen who want to stay in touch with their business associates using their known mobile phone numbers while out of the country, noting that Starcomms’ innovation in this regard has added value not only to their lifestyle but also to their ability to keep in touch with business associates and their families. Elated Omosive, said that he has always believed in the ability of Starcomms as a leader in the telecom industry stating that his continuous patronage of the award winning telecom company was a result of the value its innovations have been adding to his life. Another customer, Theophilus Osaruyi, a university lecturer, who just returned from a seminar in Europe described the innovation as highly beneficial and a boost to Starcomms customers stressing, that it is a worthy service that all customers of the leading telecommunications operator will cherish.
He said that customers of Starcomms who had before now had to worry about using or getting another phone to stay in contact with their friends and business partners while out of the country have every course to thank Starcomms for the innovation and especially for making roaming easily accessible to prepaid customers.
The introduction of the international roaming service by Starcomms was as a result of an agreement signed on March 23, 2010 with MACH, the leading provider of hub-based mobile applications exchange solutions and Accuris Network, the leading provider of Inter-standard and converged solutions.
The implication of the service is that over 3.2 million and those about to join now have the rare opportunity of seamless access to international mobile roaming on wireless technology networks.
And that is because the agreement allows Starcomms’ customers the global advantage of connecting to about 600 networks in over 100 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, America and the Middle East.
The ISR solutions from MACH and Accuris Networks is delivered through a proven services infrastructure and offers turnkey inter-operability between wireless technologies, including CDMA, 1xEVDO, GSM, GPRS/UMTS, WIFI, WiMax and soon, LTE. The solution, which can be implemented using existing connections, offers end-users all services that are available on their home network, even when they are traveling. With end-to-end one-number interoperability, operators can provide complete voice and messaging services easily.
He particularly commended Starcomms for the pocket friendly tariff and the hassle free process of getting hooked to the international roaming service. He said that his experience shows that the introduction of the service is of great advantage to businessmen who want to stay in touch with their business associates using their known mobile phone numbers while out of the country, noting that Starcomms’ innovation in this regard has added value not only to their lifestyle but also to their ability to keep in touch with business associates and their families. Elated Omosive, said that he has always believed in the ability of Starcomms as a leader in the telecom industry stating that his continuous patronage of the award winning telecom company was a result of the value its innovations have been adding to his life. Another customer, Theophilus Osaruyi, a university lecturer, who just returned from a seminar in Europe described the innovation as highly beneficial and a boost to Starcomms customers stressing, that it is a worthy service that all customers of the leading telecommunications operator will cherish.
He said that customers of Starcomms who had before now had to worry about using or getting another phone to stay in contact with their friends and business partners while out of the country have every course to thank Starcomms for the innovation and especially for making roaming easily accessible to prepaid customers.
The introduction of the international roaming service by Starcomms was as a result of an agreement signed on March 23, 2010 with MACH, the leading provider of hub-based mobile applications exchange solutions and Accuris Network, the leading provider of Inter-standard and converged solutions.
The implication of the service is that over 3.2 million and those about to join now have the rare opportunity of seamless access to international mobile roaming on wireless technology networks.
And that is because the agreement allows Starcomms’ customers the global advantage of connecting to about 600 networks in over 100 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, America and the Middle East.
The ISR solutions from MACH and Accuris Networks is delivered through a proven services infrastructure and offers turnkey inter-operability between wireless technologies, including CDMA, 1xEVDO, GSM, GPRS/UMTS, WIFI, WiMax and soon, LTE. The solution, which can be implemented using existing connections, offers end-users all services that are available on their home network, even when they are traveling. With end-to-end one-number interoperability, operators can provide complete voice and messaging services easily.
Vodafone Ghana outsources tower management
Vodafone Ghana said it has signed a ten year contract with African tower company Eaton Towers, to take over the operations and co-location management of 750 telecom towers for the Ghanaian operator.
Over the life of the contract Eaton expects to invest up to $80m on upgrading and improving the existing towers and on improving Vodafone’s coverage in Ghana. Eaton will also develop the existing infrastructure and build new towers.
Eaton will also be able to sell co-location and shared-infrastructure facilities to other mobile operators, generating future revenues from separate long-term contracts. Vodafone Ghana meanwhile, expects to immediately benefit from cost savings and significantly reduced capital expenditure.
Alan Harper, chief executive of Eaton said: “Our co-location offering ensures that Vodafone’s infrastructure will continually improve, whilst maintaining the lowest possible operating costs. Furthermore, our tower-sharing agreements will enable Ghana’s mobile operators to reduce costs, reach more subscribers and avoid the environmental impact of duplicating towers.”
Vodafone Ghana is the country’s third placed operator, with 2.9 million subscribers. MTN Ghana leads the pack with 9.1 million users, followed by Millicom with 3.5 million. Zain and Kasapa bring up the rear with 1.4 million and 172,700 subscribers respectively.
Over the life of the contract Eaton expects to invest up to $80m on upgrading and improving the existing towers and on improving Vodafone’s coverage in Ghana. Eaton will also develop the existing infrastructure and build new towers.
Eaton will also be able to sell co-location and shared-infrastructure facilities to other mobile operators, generating future revenues from separate long-term contracts. Vodafone Ghana meanwhile, expects to immediately benefit from cost savings and significantly reduced capital expenditure.
Alan Harper, chief executive of Eaton said: “Our co-location offering ensures that Vodafone’s infrastructure will continually improve, whilst maintaining the lowest possible operating costs. Furthermore, our tower-sharing agreements will enable Ghana’s mobile operators to reduce costs, reach more subscribers and avoid the environmental impact of duplicating towers.”
Vodafone Ghana is the country’s third placed operator, with 2.9 million subscribers. MTN Ghana leads the pack with 9.1 million users, followed by Millicom with 3.5 million. Zain and Kasapa bring up the rear with 1.4 million and 172,700 subscribers respectively.
NCC PARTNERS ATCON ON BROADBAND PROSPECTS FOR NIGERIA
Nigeria’s public and private sector segment of the ICT industry has given insight into the prospects and potentials of a broadband driven sector to sustain the gains of the past and launch Nigeria into real digital economy.
Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah; and President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu, appeared united in the direction of giving emphasis to the provisioning of this infrastructure when they spoke at the Telecom and ICT Evening hosted by the Institute of Directors at the weekend at the Golden Gate Restaurant, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Dr. Juwah who was the special guest at the event, informed the audience that the Commission under him will deploy all the necessary human and material resources to ensure the realization of broadband in its fullness in Nigeria and urged members of IOD to partake in realizing this objective using whatever platforms that the Commisson will set up.
“We will give emphasis to the deployment of broadband services across the country using various platforms, including public private partnerships. I am sure that members of this important body will have some supportive roles to play at the appropriate time to ensure that the nation attracts the kind of investments necessary for the success of this programme”, he said.
Dr. Juwah also raised the concerns of the Commission about the current state of the quality of service in the telecom network and promised to host the operators to discuss solutions to the problem.
Engr. Omo-Ettu who was the Guest Speaker at the occasion, discussed the topic titled to the topic “The Last Man at the Far End of the Last Mile”, used different analogies to appraise Nigeria’s transition from lack of basic telephony services to current pervasiveness of these services. However, he said the current population and telecom statistics of about 78 million lines where many people use more than one phone, shows that most Nigerians out of the 150 million population are yet to own these services.
“Until every Nigerian, including this last man, whom we may not even know who he is, or where he resides, owns a telephone, then, we will not say that we have wholly succeeded”, he said.
On the imperatives of broadband, Engr. Omo-Ettu made reference to a recent forum tagged BB4NG (Broadband for Nigeria) where presentations revealed that Nigerians are at various levels in awareness of, and demand for Broadband Internet access, and that Government needs to be told in clear terms that Nigerians need both ‘bread and broadband’.
Engr. Omo-Ettu said the key message from that forum was without equivocation. “Broadband is the critical and efficient medium needed for the timely delivery of MDGs, Vision 2020-20, and ICT4D.
“In order to ensure that Nigeria’s MDG commitments and Vision 202020 reach their target audience in ALL the 774 Local Governments, it will require a substantial completion of fixed Broadband infrastructure that gives optimum connectivity within the country and to the global Internet”, he quoted the report as saying.
He said that the last man at the far end of the last mile, needs to enjoy broadband for purpose of creating a livelihood and business opportunities offered by this service just as government can use this resource to implement effective e-governance.
He said the need to ensure wide spread availability of broadband services is apparent in its potentials to reduce cost of doing business. In doing so, he also proffered several solutions including the restructuring of the telecom, broadcast and computer industries for effective performance.
President of IOD, Mr. Chike Nwanze, in his welcome remarks commended the partnership that has existed between the institute and the Nigerian Communications Commission, which prompted the invitation of its new EVC, Dr. Juwah, to sustain this relationship. He said the sector is one of those worthy of celebration because it has revolutionalized the ways businesses are now done in Nigeria as well as become a major contributor to economic growth hence the emphasis given to it by the institute.
Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah; and President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu, appeared united in the direction of giving emphasis to the provisioning of this infrastructure when they spoke at the Telecom and ICT Evening hosted by the Institute of Directors at the weekend at the Golden Gate Restaurant, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Dr. Juwah who was the special guest at the event, informed the audience that the Commission under him will deploy all the necessary human and material resources to ensure the realization of broadband in its fullness in Nigeria and urged members of IOD to partake in realizing this objective using whatever platforms that the Commisson will set up.
“We will give emphasis to the deployment of broadband services across the country using various platforms, including public private partnerships. I am sure that members of this important body will have some supportive roles to play at the appropriate time to ensure that the nation attracts the kind of investments necessary for the success of this programme”, he said.
Dr. Juwah also raised the concerns of the Commission about the current state of the quality of service in the telecom network and promised to host the operators to discuss solutions to the problem.
Engr. Omo-Ettu who was the Guest Speaker at the occasion, discussed the topic titled to the topic “The Last Man at the Far End of the Last Mile”, used different analogies to appraise Nigeria’s transition from lack of basic telephony services to current pervasiveness of these services. However, he said the current population and telecom statistics of about 78 million lines where many people use more than one phone, shows that most Nigerians out of the 150 million population are yet to own these services.
“Until every Nigerian, including this last man, whom we may not even know who he is, or where he resides, owns a telephone, then, we will not say that we have wholly succeeded”, he said.
On the imperatives of broadband, Engr. Omo-Ettu made reference to a recent forum tagged BB4NG (Broadband for Nigeria) where presentations revealed that Nigerians are at various levels in awareness of, and demand for Broadband Internet access, and that Government needs to be told in clear terms that Nigerians need both ‘bread and broadband’.
Engr. Omo-Ettu said the key message from that forum was without equivocation. “Broadband is the critical and efficient medium needed for the timely delivery of MDGs, Vision 2020-20, and ICT4D.
“In order to ensure that Nigeria’s MDG commitments and Vision 202020 reach their target audience in ALL the 774 Local Governments, it will require a substantial completion of fixed Broadband infrastructure that gives optimum connectivity within the country and to the global Internet”, he quoted the report as saying.
He said that the last man at the far end of the last mile, needs to enjoy broadband for purpose of creating a livelihood and business opportunities offered by this service just as government can use this resource to implement effective e-governance.
He said the need to ensure wide spread availability of broadband services is apparent in its potentials to reduce cost of doing business. In doing so, he also proffered several solutions including the restructuring of the telecom, broadcast and computer industries for effective performance.
President of IOD, Mr. Chike Nwanze, in his welcome remarks commended the partnership that has existed between the institute and the Nigerian Communications Commission, which prompted the invitation of its new EVC, Dr. Juwah, to sustain this relationship. He said the sector is one of those worthy of celebration because it has revolutionalized the ways businesses are now done in Nigeria as well as become a major contributor to economic growth hence the emphasis given to it by the institute.
VISAFONE MARKS WORLD CUSTOMER CARE WEEK
As the world celebrates Customer Care Week between October 4th and 10th, Visafone has implemented plans to further recognize and appreciate its customers.
Known for its unequalled customer care initiatives, Visafone has unveiled a number of activities to mark the period, including giving customers special discounted prices on products and services, and incentives for purchases over defined amounts.
According to Lynda Amechi, Visafone Head of Customer Care, the period offers Visafone the opportunity to celebrate her customers whose loyalty and patronage has earned the telecoms its enviable position in the Nigerian telecoms terrain.
She noted that in today’s competitive environment, customer care plays a huge role in customer satisfaction and retention. Hence businesses continually need to innovate in customer service.
The 5-day event, which will feature town hall meetings, awards and special recognition, will also provide the opportunity to some customers to participate in a forum where they can share their experiences with the company, and identify areas of importance for further enhancing customer satisfaction.
Visafone, which started commercial operation in February, 2008, is Nigeria’s 4th largest mobile operator by active subscriber base. Visafone today covers 24 states and over 171 cities across the country.
The wholly Nigerian company operates with the service ideals of Quality, Clarity and Coverage. The network, which promises to renew the joy of communication and give Nigerians the passport to reach the world, recently upgraded its network capacity to 5 million.
Visafone has recorded several firsts since its establishment, the including its certification by CDG as the first Open Market Handsets (OMH) compliant network in Africa. Visafone has won several prestigious awards for excellence, innovation and customer initiatives
Known for its unequalled customer care initiatives, Visafone has unveiled a number of activities to mark the period, including giving customers special discounted prices on products and services, and incentives for purchases over defined amounts.
According to Lynda Amechi, Visafone Head of Customer Care, the period offers Visafone the opportunity to celebrate her customers whose loyalty and patronage has earned the telecoms its enviable position in the Nigerian telecoms terrain.
She noted that in today’s competitive environment, customer care plays a huge role in customer satisfaction and retention. Hence businesses continually need to innovate in customer service.
The 5-day event, which will feature town hall meetings, awards and special recognition, will also provide the opportunity to some customers to participate in a forum where they can share their experiences with the company, and identify areas of importance for further enhancing customer satisfaction.
Visafone, which started commercial operation in February, 2008, is Nigeria’s 4th largest mobile operator by active subscriber base. Visafone today covers 24 states and over 171 cities across the country.
The wholly Nigerian company operates with the service ideals of Quality, Clarity and Coverage. The network, which promises to renew the joy of communication and give Nigerians the passport to reach the world, recently upgraded its network capacity to 5 million.
Visafone has recorded several firsts since its establishment, the including its certification by CDG as the first Open Market Handsets (OMH) compliant network in Africa. Visafone has won several prestigious awards for excellence, innovation and customer initiatives
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