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Tag: 9Mobile

  • 9mobile clears air on ownership

    The management of 9mobile has described as false, misleading, and malicious reports of acquisition and ownership of the telecommunication company.

    The management said following the eventual default on its loans to some financial institutions by previous owners, 9 mobile was acquired by teleology Nigeria limited.

    The acquisition, it said, followed internationally competitive and exhaustive bidding process led by Barclays Africa with participation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Communications Commissions (NCC) and thirteen Nigerian money deposit banks.

    The telecommunication company said contrary to public beliefs, one of its erstwhile partners, Teleology Holdings failed to meet up with its part of the agreement which eventually led to their parting of ways.

    Director, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Oluseyi Osunsedo, in a statement on Thursday, said the process of acquiring the telecommunication company was concluded with the initial deposit of $50 million and a further payment of $251 million as settlement to the bank who took over the company.

    He said these payments, as well as further due diligence and technical evaluations, led to clearance of the sale by the NCC and handover of 9 mobile to the owners, who announced a board on 12 November 2018 with his royal highness Prince Nasiru Ado Bayero as the new chairman.

    Osunsedo said: “Teleology Nigeria Limited is a consortium including several local and foreign investors.

    “While every partner in the consortium was delivering and meeting their obligations to the partnership in terms of financial resources, physical availability for crucial meetings and extensive network to help build the business, Mr. Adrian Wood’s Teleology holding limited which only owned minority stake in Teleology Nigeria Limited, failed severally and wholly to meet theirs.

    “Mr. Wood was not personally present for all the critical presentation made by the consortium during the bid process and failed abjectly with his financing arrangements with Swiss-based UBS Bank.

    “In all these failings, other partners in the consortium filled the gap and pushed ahead until the sale was completed.

    “Since taking over the company, and without any assistance from Mr. Wood or Teleology holdings, the board has revived and enhanced relationship with key vendors and core business account; improved business relationship and with suppliers; enhance its core network capability to deliver network efficiency competitively with other operators.

    Read Also: 9mobile commends Nigerians, promises better services in 2019

    “With the assistance of leading global consultant, the company is also undertaken a complete review of its operational, regulatory, financial and technical architecture.

    “On these basis 9 mobile has emerged from a period of uncertainty over the past two years to attain an active subscriber base of 16 million, by presenting a net increase of over one million subscribers in the last six weeks alone.

    “The company’s core strategy in the short to medium term shall be underpinned by cost efficiency, innovate product development, network efficiency and strategic technical partnership.

    “We believe that this approach towards organic growth is more sustainable in building a strong Nigerian telecom operator, which taps into the deep expertise of the Nigerian labour force than an approach motivated by short – term financial gain advocated by Mr. Adrian Wood and his associate”.

  • 9mobile promises exciting new year

    9mobile has promised exciting year ahead and expressed gratitude to its customers and indeed, all Nigerians, for their steadfast support and loyalty last year.

    Its Acting Managing Director, Stephane Beuvelet, in an end-of-year message, said the management was deeply grateful to customers and other stakeholders for their unwavering support and confidence in the telco amidst the operating challenges in the outgone year.

    He said the successful recapitalisation of the firm, whose outcome included a seamless change in shareholding structure and the inauguration of a new board and management, was dedicated to the customers, employees and other stakeholders for believing in the 9mobile brand.

    He said: “In the spirit of the season, I would like to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to you all our stakeholders, for keeping faith with us in the globally challenging and a uniquely blustery year. We have come this far only because we had you standing strong with us every bit of the way; and it is not just this year, but indeed, since our inception.”

    Beuvelet added that 9mobile management sincerely appreciated both the commitment of its internal stakeholders and encouragement from external stakeholders. “Our key stakeholders in one way or the other provided the critical lifeline that we needed to thrive. Most importantly, as our valued customers, you stayed with us, demonstrating unalloyed loyalty and confidence in 9mobile. As a result, today, we are here standing, and we are grateful,” he said.

    The Acting MD said in furtherance to 9mobile’s commitment to delivering superior customer experience, it is set to break many new grounds in 2019 by kick-starting a new strategic direction with bold initiatives that guarantee optimum value to customers.

    “From an aggressive enhancement of network capacity and innovative features to boost HD voice and video/data services, LTE network coverage expansion to 15 new cities, more innovative data offerings, including triple play and streaming service, to digital services that support your everyday needs such as our 9Pay payment service, we are set to break fallow grounds in emerging areas like Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning capabilities to drive superior customer experience,” Beuvelet said.

     

  • 9mobile commends Nigerians, promises better services in 2019

    9mobile, a telecommunications company, on Friday expressed gratitude to its customers and Nigerians for their steadfast, support and loyalty in 2018.

    The Acting Managing Director, of the company, Mr Stephane Beuvelet, offered the gratitude  in his end-of-year message in Lagos.

    He said the management was also deeply grateful to customers and other stakeholders for their confidence in the company, amidst the operating challenges in the outgoing year.

    He said that the re-capitalization of the company, the outcome of which includes seamless change in shareholding structure among others, was dedicated to the customers, employees and stakeholders for believing in the brand.

    He said:”In the spirit of the season, I would like to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to you all, our stakeholders, for keeping faith with us in the globally challenging and a uniquely blustery year.

    ”We have come this far only because we had you standing strong with us every bit of the way; and it is not just this year, but indeed, since our inception.”

    Beuvelet said 9mobile management sincerely appreciated the commitment of its internal stakeholders and encouragement from external stakeholders.

    ”Our key stakeholders, in one way or the other, provided the critical lifeline that we needed to thrive.

    ”Most importantly, as our valued customers, you stayed with us, demonstrating unalloyed loyalty and confidence in 9mobile.”

    The acting managing director disclosed that 9mobile planned to break new grounds in 2019 by kick-starting a new strategic direction with bold initiatives that guaranteed optimum value to customers.

    Read Also: N15.3b debt stalling 9mobile

    ”We plan to enhance network capacity and innovative features to boost HD voice and video/data services, long term evolution (LTE) network coverage expansion to 15 new cities.

    ”Also there will be more innovative data offerings, including triple play and streaming service, to digital services that support your everyday needs such as our 9Pay payment service.

    ”We are set to break fallow grounds in emerging areas like Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning capabilities to drive superior customer experience.”

    He further said that 9mobile would continue “to expand its 3G and 4G networks to bridge mobile broadband service gap.”

    Beuvelet also said that 9mobile would deliver cloud-enabled services to support SMEs and financial inclusion capabilities and deploy an array of innovative brand loyalty reward programmes.

    The acting managing director urged all Nigerians to enjoy the holidays and wished everyone a Happy New Year in.advance.

    NAN

  • 9mobile rewards CodeLagos Hackathon winners

    Innovative telecoms firm, 9mobile, has rewarded winners of the first CodeLagos Hackathon. This  is an initiative of the Lagos State government aimed at encouraging Lagos residents to innovate with tech-driven ideas and solutions that solve local problems.

    As a CodeLagos partner, 9mobile supported the initiative by awarding high-end devices to winners in the junior category, a competition designed to source best tech-driven ideas and solutions from among Lagos residents with the theme: Towards a Smarter Lagos.

    The junior category comprised students at the secondary school level between the ages of 14 and 17 years, while the other category for the competition – senior category, comprised interested members of the public and participants of the CodeLagos Out-of-School programme between the ages of 18 and 30 years.

    The winners were presented with fantastic prizes including tablets and smart phones at the CodeLagos Hackathon (Demo Day) event in Lagos.

    In the junior category, Badagry Senior Grammar School came first to emerge the category winner; Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja was the first runner-up while Childville Senior Secondary School emerged the second runner-up. For the senior category, Sharkbytes was the first prize winner; CodeDivas was the first runner-up while Secured Wellness Challenged (SWC) emerged the second runner-up.

    Commenting on the initiative, Ag. Director, Regulatory & Corporate Affairs, 9mobile, Oluseyi Osunsedo, said the telco was proud to partner with Lagos State Government on this initiative, and appreciative of the opportunity to empower more Nigerians by upscaling their skill-sets and providing them the leverage to be able to take up the jobs of the future which technology is enabling.

    “9mobile is passionate about enabling a prosperous future for Nigeria and the youth segment is the main anchor of that future; technology is the driver. Our commitment to promoting initiatives that empower and enable the youth to fulfil that role is dear to us. Therefore, we have supported CodeLagos project since inception two years ago, because it aligned with our vision that the future is a society where anybody, every child in every school, regardless of socio-economic status is given access to the knowledge and skills to compete in a technology-driven world”, she stated.

     

     

  • 9mobile rewards CodeLagos Hackathon winners

    Innovative telecoms firm, 9mobile, has rewarded winners of the first CodeLagos Hackathon. This  is an initiative of the Lagos State government aimed at encouraging Lagos residents to innovate with tech-driven ideas and solutions that solve local problems.

    As a CodeLagos partner, 9mobile supported the initiative by awarding high-end devices to winners in the junior category, a competition designed to source best tech-driven ideas and solutions from among Lagos residents with the theme, ‘Towards a Smarter Lagos.’

    The junior category comprised students at the secondary school level between the ages of 14 and 17 years, while the other category for the competition – senior category, comprised interested members of the public and participants of the CodeLagos Out-of-School programme between the ages of 18 and 30 years.

    The winners were presented with fantastic prizes including tablets and smart phones at the CodeLagos Hackathon (Demo Day) event held on Thursday, November 1, in Lagos.

    In the junior category, Badagry Senior Grammar School came first to emerge the category winner; Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja was the first runner-up while Childville Senior Secondary School emerged the second runner-up. For the senior category, Sharkbytes was the first prize winner; CodeDivas was the first runner-up while Secured Wellness Challenged (SWC) emerged the second runner-up.

    Commenting on the initiative, Ag. Director, Regulatory & Corporate Affairs, 9mobile, Oluseyi Osunsedo, said the telco was proud to partner with Lagos State Government on this initiative, and appreciative of the opportunity to empower more Nigerians by upscaling their skill-sets and providing them the leverage to be able to take up the jobs of the future which technology is enabling.

    “9mobile is passionate about enabling a prosperous future for Nigeria and the youth segment is the main anchor of that future; technology is the driver. Our commitment to promoting initiatives that empower and enable the youth to fulfil that role is dear to us. Therefore, we have supported CodeLagos project since inception two years ago, because it aligned with our vision that the future is a society where anybody, every child in every school, regardless of socio-economic status is given access to the knowledge and skills to compete in a technology-driven world”, she stated.

  • Online voting opens for 9mobile Photography Competition

    In a bid to select the best of entries for its Photography competition while creating excitement amongst photography enthusiasts, award-winning telecommunication company, 9mobile, has opened its portal to enable interested Nigerians cast their votes online for the winner of the ‘Voters’ Choice’ category, of the competition’s 2018 edition.

    The online public voting kicked off on Monday, November 5, and will run until Monday, November 19, 2018.

    Prior to this public voting, photographs submitted during the call for entries which held from September 17 to October 31, were evaluated by an internal evaluation committee in line with the competition’s entry criteria. The qualifying entries made the “Top 100”.

    The Top 100 images are now being displayed on the portal http://photo.9mobile.com.ng/ for a period of two weeks, for the public to vote their favourite images. The image with the highest votes will emerge as winner of a prize category of the photography competition, referred to as the ‘Voters’ Choice’ category.

    Similarly, out of the Top 100, a three-member judging panel will also select the “Top Three” images, and they will be categorized as the first, second and third prize winners respectively. The judges comprise creative photographer, Kola Oshalusi; documentary photographer, Bernard Kalu; and award-winning photo-journalist, Aisha Augie-Kuta.

    Speaking on the milestone achieved by the 9mobile Photography Competition so far, Director of Brands and Experience, Elvis Ogiemwanye, expressed excitement at the impressive higher number of images that were received, and noted that the positive enthusiasm elicited by the competition was a testament that many Nigerians appreciate photography as a rewarding activity.

    “The hundreds of entries received from all over the country made us truly excited. We are passionate about helping Nigerians to fulfill their dreams and develop their talents; and the 9mobile Photography Competition is one of such platforms that enable us deliver on this promise”, he said.

    Ogiemwanye added that the public voting is part of the innovation to make Nigerians own the competition and to further demonstrate the premium the telco places on its customers and stakeholders. He also stated that those whose entries made the Top 100 had been sent an email notifying them of their feat, while a link to their entries had also been shared so they can share with family and friends.

    The “Top 3” list will be announced on November 27, 2018, while the winner and the first and second runners-up respectively will be announced on December 6 this year.

    The theme of this year’s competition is ‘9ja: My Grind, My Hustle’, in celebration of individuals that labour daily to make ends meet, those who appreciate the importance of hard work, and have a drive for success and fulfilment.

    The 9mobile Photography Competition is a talent development initiative by the telco aimed to engage and empower budding photographers using the power of digital media.

    In 2017, budding photographer, Oluwaseun Otitoola, won the 9mobile Photography Competition with his entry titled “Fragment of CMS Bookshop Building”, while Amanda Ihemebiri (The NestOil Tower) and Taiwo Omotosho, (Lines Side by Side) emerged first and second runners-up respectively.

  • 9mobile affirms commitment to leveraging power of IoT

    Telecommunication company, 9mobile has said it is working with strategic partners and other key players within the digital services ecosystem to help Nigerian businesses deliver breakthrough results through the rapid adoption of Internet of Things (IoT).

    IoT allows a network of ‘things’ – any form of equipment or device with embedded electronic and powered by software – that are connected (via the Internet and other forms of connectivity) and designed to interact in a specific context (business, social, etc.) through the exchange of data.  It creates opportunities for businesses and governments to access real time information that can improve efficiency, responsiveness and overall performance.

    Speaking as a panel discussant on ‘Making Internet of Things Work for Business’ at the 2018 Nigeria Com Conference held in Lagos, Otuyemi Otule, 9mobile’s Chief Product and Information Officer, highlighted the benefits IoT can bring to businesses, and stressed that security and the people implications are as important in IoT considerations as are the drivers for adopting IoT in the first place.

    Otule further stated that businesses have to ensure that none of the components in their IoT network is vulnerable.

    “The best way to protect your business is to embark on this IoT journey with a partner who understands your threat landscape because it is illogical to focus your resources on dealing with the ever-changing threat landscape rather than on your core business. You therefore need to work with professionals who understand the industry and your business’ vulnerabilities,” he said, adding that protecting and securing businesses and customers start with securing the gateway or door.

     

    Otule, also highlighted the importance of IoT in industries including manufacturing, healthcare and logistics, disclosed that the benefits of IoT services to Nigerian enterprises include quality improvement, cost effectiveness, and speed in service delivery.

    He however enjoined organisations to also factor in the people element in the adoption of IoT.

    Despite the incredibly high cost of maintaining infrastructure, Otule affirmed the commitment of 9mobile and its partners to deepen investments in cutting-edge technology and innovation aimed at creating the solutions that will enable businesses and individual customers embrace IoT securely and cost-effectively.

     

     

     

     

     

  • 9mobile Photography Competition calls for entries

    Telecommunication company, 9mobile has called for entries for the 2018 edition of 9mobile Photography Competition. According to the company, submission of entries will commence today,  September 17 and will run until October 31, 2018.

    With the theme of the competition this year being ‘9ja: My Grind, My Hustle’ in celebration of individuals that labour daily to make ends meet, those who appreciate the importance of hard work, and have a drive for success and fulfilment. Interested participants are to visit the portal http://photo.9mobile.com.ng/

    Speaking about this year’s competition, Director, Brand and Experience, 9mobile, Elvis Ogiemwanye, disclosed that the “Top 100” will be selected from November 5 to 19, through a voting process by the general public.

    He added further that images received from the pool of entries will be pre-approved by an internal evaluation committee guided by the entry criteria. The qualifying entries will then be shared with the public, and the best 100 images will be selected through votes.

    The image with the highest number of votes will emerge as the Voter’s choice winner.

    “A Judging panel will also select the “Top Three” images from the Top 100. Winners from the panel and public voting will be rewarded with exciting prizes, while image submissions of the finalists will be showcased during a winner’s announcement,” Ogiemwanye stated.

    The winner of the competition will be announced on December 6, 2018.

    Ogiemwanye said that the objective of the 9mobile Photography Competition is not only to position the telco as a supporter of young budding photographers, but also as a brand that gives back to the community and promotes advancement.

    “Photography has become part of our culture when it comes to creating lasting memories, and with the technological advancements, the art of capturing photos keeps evolving,” he said.

    “A lot of creativity has gone into the art of contemporary photography in Nigeria, and this competition seeks to spark even more creative vision in participants who are expected to capture images of Nigerians’ daily hustle in an inspired and fun way.”

    Last year, budding photographer, Oluwaseun Otitoola, emerged winner of the 9mobile Photography Competition themed ‘Capturing Solid Memories in 9ja’, with his entry titled “Fragment of CMS Bookshop Building”, while the other two finalists were Amanda Ihemebiri (The NestOil Tower) and Taiwo Omotosho (Lines Side by Side).

  • Shareholders: don’t sell 9mobile over $43m debt

    Some shareholders of Etisalat (now 9Mobile) have cautioned against the sale of the firm in view of a pending case before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and others are involved in a negotiation to sell the telecommunication firm.

    The shareholders – Afdin Ventures Limited and Dirbia Nigeria Limited – warned the CBN and others of the legal consequences of selling Etisalat, despite a subsisting court order halting further activities regarding the sale of the firm.

    Afdin and Dirbia, promoted by businessman Dahiru Barau Mangal, issued the warning yesterday in letters written by their lawyer, Mahmud Magaji (SAN) to the six parties involved in the transaction,who are also defendants in the pending case.

    The parties are:: the CBN, Etisalat International Nigeria Limited and Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Karlington Telecommunications Limited, Premium Telecommunications Holdings NV and  First Bank of Nigeria Plc.

    Afdin and Dirbia said their letters were informed by recent media report, credited to Boye Olusanya (CEO, 9mobile) to the effect that “9mobile’s board was pleased with the progress made thus far and expects the acquisition process to be concluded as soon as possible.”

    Shortly after Afdin and Dirbia filed the suit, Justice Binta Nyako, on April 17, gave an order, directing “the maintenance of status quo as at today.”

    In the suit, Afdin and Dirbia, who claimed to be major investors in the telecommunication firm, said they were left out in the firm’s decision-making and want a refund of their invested funds estimated at $43,330,950.

    Part of one of the letters by Magaji reads: “Recall that Hon. Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court No. 4, Abuja made an interim order in suit: FHC/ABJ/CR/288/2018, Afdin Ventures Ltd & 1 other v. Karington Telecommunications Ltd & 6 others, restraining your office andother defendants from selling Etisalat Nigeria Ltd (now 9mobile) pending the outcome of the suit.

    “Upon service of the enrolled order on you, your office entered appearance and filed a statement of defence to the suit. Ogunmuyiwa Balogun, Esq made several appearance on behalf of your office in court.

    “Unfortunately, despite being aware of the subsisting court order, your office and the other defendants herein went ahead and concluded plans to sell off Etisalat Nigeria Limited (now 9mobile) in fragrant disregard to the subsisting order of court.

    “We have our clients’ further instructions to write and warn you of the consequences of disobeying lawful orders of court.

    “You are implored to put a hold on the transfer of ownership of 9mobile to any other investor pening the determination of the suit, failing which we shall be compelled to issue and serve you with Forms 48 and 49 with a view to commencing contempt proceedings against you in accordance with our clients’ instruction.”

  • Kwesé TV, 9mobile sign distribution agreement

    Kwesé TV, Nigeria’s newest satellite pay-TV network, and telecommunication company, 9mobile, have signed a distribution agreement for the sale of Kwesé TV decoders through 9mobile Experience Centres across Nigeria.

    With this partnership, prospective Kwesé TV customers can walk into any participating 9mobile stores and purchase a Kwesé kit comprising a dish, decoder, including one-month free subscription, and installation for N10,960. The participating centres are 9mobile Experience Centres situated at The Palms Shopping Mall, Ikeja City Mall, Adeola Odeku Street on Victoria Island, Mushin, Surulere and Festac Town; all in Lagos.

    Kwesé TV offers 70+ premium channels for family viewing with an extensive programming line-up including wholesome children’s programs, live sports, lifestyle shows, movies, series and so much more! Kwesé’s appeal is not only its world-class content but its innovative industry-first ‘pay as you watch’ payment model which gives customers the choice between purchasing 3-day, 7-day and 30-day subscription packages to its full entertainment and sports bouquet.

    Also, 9mobile subscribers would access the Kwesé iflix app through exclusive video data bundles for the Kwesé iflix 1-day, 3-day, 7-day and 30-day VIP passes.

    “This partnership extends our distribution network and makes our products accessible to even more Nigerian consumers,” said General Manager, Kwesé TV Nigeria, Elizabeth Amkpa, about the partnership.

    “We are currently operating in select 9mobile Experience Centres in Lagos, and we will soon be available in other major cities across the country in partnership with 9mobile.”

    Also commenting, Vice President, Marketing, 9mobile, Adebisi Idowu, said that 9mobile will continue to forge partnerships that enrich the lives of its teeming customers and enable them to enjoy best in class quality of service (QoS) at all times.

    “9mobile is determined to continue meeting the passion point of Nigerians, especially, customers on the network; and Kwesé TV offers yet another major platform to do so”, he said.