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Tag: Airtel Nigeria

  • Airtel launches 4G network in A’Ibom

    Telecoms giant, Airtel Nigeria, has launched a 4G network in Akwa Ibom State to boost internet usage in the area.

    Speaking at the formal launching which took place at Emjim hotel in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, the Managing Director and Chief Executive office, Mr Segun Ogunsanya said that the launch serves as a testimony of their commitment to empower the people of the state.

    “This launch serves as a glowing testimony of our commitment to partner and empower the good people of Akwa Ibom State”

    He added “Ours is a 4G service that is not only fast and reliable but a 4G service that works”

    Ogunsanya explained that the 4G holds enormous benefits for the People and government, as it will aid and accelerate economic and commercial activities.

    “4G comes with tons of benefits: It will accelerate economic and commercial activities; it will boost personal and professional productivity; it will help in creating more entrepreneurs; it will offer the youth a big leverage to express their creativity and talent; it will improve the overall quality of life and connect more people to their dreams.

    “With 4G, Airtel will also power people, business and aid governance through technology”

    He hinted that the journey of building the network began last year, adding that they have recorded major milestones through the launching of the network in Ibadan and Abuja

    “Last year, we began an interesting journey of building the largest and most robust 4G… network in Nigeria. And we have made great progress on this journey, connecting many towns and cities, pan Nigeria. Specifically, on the 13th of February, 2018, we recorded a major milestone with the pioneer roll-out of our 4G network in Ibadan to the delight of many Nigerians who live in the ancient city. On Thursday, 4th May, 2018, we also launched our 4G service in Abuja,  the nation’s capital.

    Read Also: Airtel expands number range

    Also speaking, the governor represented by the Secretary to the State government, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem thanked the service providers for coming into the state to build the 4G network adding that the network will boost productivity of the government.

    “I will like my fellow citizens in Akwa Ibom State to know that 4G is not for fun. It is for productivity, business, growth, for enhanced performance.

    “As we say in ICT Industry that there is a speed, you assess a reservour of knowledge, which is broad band Internet.

    “And the ease which you transfer the knowledge which you acquire to any field of human endeavour, that is what gives you an edge over others.

    “Thanks to former Olusegun Obasanjo, of the PDP administration. This is PDP accomplishment. In ICT we say productivity in Ubequity, that is is how broad band works. The time has come for Airtel to pioneer broad band .

     

  • Airtel, Girl Effect, iSON Group to empower vulnerable girls

    Airtel Nigeria has announced a partnership with Girl Effect, an international non-profit organisation and iSON group, the largest Information Technology Group in Africa, to empower rural and vulnerable girls in matters relating to finance, entrepreneurship, health, economic empowerment and safety, among others.

    With the partnership, Girl Effect and iSON Group will leverage their highly successful Girls Connect initiative to give rural girls a voice. Girls Connect is an innovative interactive voice response (IVR) service that enables girls to listen to pre-recorded stories on their mobile phones before connecting to a specially-trained role model to answer their questions.

    Girl Effect and iSON Group ran a successful pilot of Girls Connect across five locations in Kano last year. No less than 44,000 calls were made to the service during the eight-week campaign, five times more than originally expected. Since July, last year, the programme has been live state-wide across Kano and Edo, in both Hausa and Pidgin.

    Commenting on the initiative, its Director, Corporate Communications & CSR, Emeka Oparah, said: “Airtel is proud to be associated with Girl Effect and iSON on this exciting journey to empower and liberate girls across the country.

    “At Airtel, we are intensely interested in connecting our esteemed stakeholders to the people, information, resources and opportunities that will enable them succeed and realise their full potentials. With the Girls Connect initiative, it our hope that more girls will be inspired, empowered and encouraged to do more, achieve more and change the world.”

    Hadeezah Haruna-Usie, Deputy Country Director at Girl Effect Nigeria, said: “Girls Connect is an innovative campaign that is empowering girls.’’

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Airtel Nigeria marks customer service week

    Airtel Nigeria has commemorated the October 1st International Customer Service Week with carefully planned activities in honour of its customers.

    It used the annual event to demonstrate its passion to service excellence as the week featured lectures, seminars, a 4km walk, and various reward initiatives targeted at its customers.

    During the week, the leading telco reaffirmed that it will continue to extra mile in providing excellent customer service across its touch points to its customers, noting that happy and satisfied customers are key to the success of any organisation.

    A major highlight of the week was the 4km 4G Walk, an exercise to create awareness for the telco’s wide 4G coverage in Nigeria.

    Its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Segun Ogunsanya, said the telco is currently building the largest and most reliable 4G network in the country

    Ogunsanya, who spoke during a courtesy call on Rivers’ Governor, Nyesom Wike, last month, said Airtel was rolling out its 4G technology in major cities and towns across Nigeria, making it the largest 4G network in the country.

    The Customer Service Week was an annual event to celebrate the important role customer service plays in every organisation’s success. It also had the objective of celebrating internal and external customers as well as customer service professionals.

  • Airtel to create more entrepreneurs in Nigeria — CEO

    The management of Airtel Nigeria has assured Nigerians of its commitment to create more entrepreneurs and “connect more people with their dreams’’ in the country.

    Mr Segun Ogunsanya, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, gave the assurance at the flag-off Airtel’s 4G LTE in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

    According to him, Airtel which rolled out the product in February 2018 is also determined to maintain its position as “the largest and the fastest of the 4G network in Nigeria’’.

    Ogunsanya, who also described his organisation as the most modern communication network in Nigeria, said he was proud that the network “works all the time’’.

    He also noted that the deployment of 4G in Port Harcourt was a testimony of the telecommunication company’s commitment to partner and empower the good people of Rivers.

    “4G comes with tons of benefits: it will accelerate economic and commercial activities; it will boost personal and professional productivity; it will help in creating more entrepreneurs.

    “It will offer the youth a big leverage to express their creativity and talent; it will improve the overall quality of life and connect more people to their dreams.

    “With 4G, Airtel will also power people, businesses and aid governance through Technology,” he said.

    Read Also: Airtel’s 4G Internet service for Delta

    The event was attended by King Dandeson Douglas Jaja, Treaty King Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Opobo Kingdom and King Leslie Eke, Eze Gbakagbaka of Evo Kingdom among others.

    Ogunsanya had earlier during a visit to the Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers, said Airtel had rolled out its 4G technology in major cities across Nigeria to make the organisation the largest 4G network.

    “We bring our 4G Network to you and the people of Rivers State! I make bold to say we have the best and largest 4G Network in Nigeria.

    “It is a sign of our regard for and commitment to the government and people of Rivers State that we have chosen this state and indeed this city, as one of the early and biggest beneficiaries of this innovative system of mobile telecommunications.

    “We are not resting on our laurels as we are still connecting more cities and towns in Nigeria to our 4G network,’’ he said.

    Wike also commended Airtel for its 4G roll out and assured that his administration would continue to provide a conducive environment for investors and corporate organizations.

    “We want to partner with you (Airtel) and give you all the necessary support.

    “Rivers State abhors multiple taxation and we will do everything to protect investors, corporate organisations and businessmen and women,’’ he said.

  • Airtel empowers widow

    Telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has fulfilled its pledge to a widow who lost her husband in a fatal accident while on duty as a police officer. Through its on-going Touching Lives platform, Airtel has provided the widow, Mrs. Omowunmi Sasere, and her six children, with accommodation, a furnished two-bedroom apartment in Magboro, Ogun State.

    The company also provided her with professional kitchen equipment so that she can start a catering business. Other items donated to Sasere include a 3.5 KVA generator, freezer, television set, catering utensils, gas cooker, cylinder, pots, among other appliances. “After what happened to my husband, life has become unbearable for me; the extended family of my late husband abandoned me and my six children. House rent became a very big problem; feeding my children is with the grace of God, life has been unbearable but I thank God for this day, because God has used Airtel to bless me and my family. Airtel searched and paid for a two-bedroom flat, furnished it and provided all other household items for us. God will bless Airtel for their support,” said an elated Sasere

    Sasere’s nominator, Mr. Fagbiyi, was surprised with what Airtel did for his relative. “I nominated my sister when I saw what she was passing through. And I did not believe Airtel Nigeria, through its Touching Lives initiative, can do what they have done today. This is wonderful! May God bless Airtel for their support,” he said. Airtel made the donation recently. Airtel Touching Lives is an inspiring corporate social responsibility initiative that seeks to offer practical relief, succour, hope, opportunities and credible platforms to liberate and empower the underprivileged, disadvantaged and hard-to-reach persons in the society.

     

  • Airtel unveils 4G LTE

    One of the leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, at the weekend launched its 4G LTE network in Abuja with an assurance that the latest technology would empower more Nigerians, stimulate economic activities across all sectors as well as provide unfettered access to affordable and reliable mobile broadband.

    Airtel’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Segun Ogunsanya, while speaking during the event said the 4G LTE is a technology that puts power in the hands of its users because it provides a superfast mobile broadband to Nigerians.

    He said the telco has in the past seven weeks upgraded and modernised its network infrastructure in the nation’s capital to improve productivity, spread prosperity, and help telecoms consumers in Abuja to fulfill their potentials as well as realise their dreams.

    “Ours is a 4G service that is not only fast and reliable but a 4G Service that works! We are enabling mobile first, mobile only access to the Internet. If you have only one TV in your household, you don’t have to argue over remote control. Your Phone equals Your TV!

    “Already, I have started getting some positive reviews of the Airtel 4G service in Abuja. We pioneered GSM in Nigeria. First GSM call in Nigeria was made on our Network in 2001. Now we are launching the best 4G network in Abuja. We keep connecting people and businesses,” he said.

    Ogunsanya also noted that since the 4G was first launched in Ibadan in February this year, the positive feedback from users, friends and other stakeholders in Ibadan have been excellent attesting to the speed of the network.

    He said the company plans to extend the technology to all over the country before the end of the year, making it the widest 4G network in Nigeria.

    In his presentation, Airtel’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ahmad Mohkles said the potential for 4G network in Nigeria is huge as only about 100 million of the 139 million mobile phone users have access to internet. He said the 4G technology would be around for a long time, and urged Nigerians to swap their old Airtel SIM cards to the latest technology to enjoy superfast mobile Internet.

    The Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, applauded Airtel for deploying 4G in the Federal Capital City, Abuja. He said that it is indeed a major milestone for Airtel in providing leadership in setting the technology standard for 4G services by rolling out its cutting edge network in line with its corporate vision of becoming a first class mobile Internet service provider in Nigeria.

    “The federal government is happy to celebrate with Airtel on this milestone and on other effort aimed at achieving robust and extensive network coverage in Nigeria.”

    “I am happy with this development because it aligns with the federal government’s plan of empowering Nigerians and democratizing mobile broadband by making it affordable to all,” he noted.

  • Airtel ’s campaign relives love, mother-child bond

    Airtel ’s campaign relives love, mother-child bond

    Airtel Nigeria has relived the inestimable love and bond between mother and child in its newest campaign.

    In the advert themed: ‘How We Mada 10x Anyhow’, the telco captures the fact that mothers are overly predisposed to desiring the best for their children and how they view prayers as the best gift and carrier of blessings they can offer their beloved as they grow older.

    The new campaign by Airtel, which was a call to customers to express themselves more during the yuletide season, featured renowned Nollywood actress, Idowu Philips aka Iya Rainbow and her son, Segun, having a long day conversation on phone.

    In the Ads, Iya Rainbow discovered that her youngest son Segun far away in the city has sent her a Christmas hamper overflowing with goodies that gladdens her heart. Knowing that her phone had recently been recharged with Airtel SmartRecharge – assumedly remotely by Segun himself – she called Tunde at the earliest sign of daybreak and pours her most moving prayers on Segun, never minding the ordeal this puts on Segun from dawn to dusk.

    A super reprisal at the end of the ad which has been touted as one of the most engaging twist of the commercial was when Mama breaks the 4th wall with her prayer and begins to engage the announcer of the commercial with her prayer, demonstrating the power of Airtel SmartRecharge.

    Recall that Airtel recently launched 10x SmartRecharge that gives 10 times the value of customers’ recharge as data and calls to all networks. The bundle which is open to new and existing Airtel customers and can be enjoyed by simply recharging using the special code: *220*PIN#.

    According to the telco, with SmartRecharge customers get great value for both calls and data in one single convenient recharge. In addition to the 10 times value, the package also gives customers extra data value. For instance, a recharge of N100, gives N500 for calls and N500 for data while N500 gives N2000 for calls, N3000 for data & extra N3000 for data.

    The Chief Commercial Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr Ahmad Mohkles, said the new package themed #DoAnyHow is to give more freedom and reward to the customers.

    “As a customer-centric brand, we, at Airtel Nigeria are committed to making life better for all our customers by offering products and services that suit everyone. 10x Airtel Smart Recharge is just one of the new packages introduced to give our customers more freedom to connect with their family and friends”, he said.

    On the unique benefits of Airtel 10x Smart Recharge, Mr. Mohkles explained “50% of voice value will be available to call all networks and 50% is available to call Airtel lines while unused bundle value can be rolled over before the validity expires”.

     The CCO added that value is offered in bundle accounts for calls and data usage.

    Airtel through the plan is also encouraging customers to connect more with their family and friends with the rewards on the package.

  • Airtel wins best company in stakeholder engagement

    Airtel wins best company in stakeholder engagement

    Airtel Nigeria has been awarded the Best Company in Stakeholder Engagement at the Sustainability, Enterprise and Responsibility Awards (SERAS) 2017 for its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative dubbedAirtel Touching Lives.

    Airtel Touching Lives is an inspiring CSR initiative that offers practical relief, succour, hope, opportunities and credible platforms to liberate and empower the underprivileged, disadvantaged and hard to reach persons in the society. The activities of Airtel Touching Lives are recorded and produced for national television with a view to promoting the spirit of giving, self-sacrifice and love among Nigerians.

    The award came six days after the telco bagged the CSR of the Year Award at the maiden edition of the Nigeria Technology Innovation & Telecom Awards (NTITA).

    Airtel’s Director of Corporate Communications & CSR, Emeka Oparah; HR Director, Gbemiga Owolabi; Head of Public Relations, Erhumu Bayagbon; Head of Customer Experience, Olubunmi Abejirin and CSR Manager, Chioma Okolie, received the awards on behalf of the company.

    Airtel wins
    L-R: Mr. Gbemiga Owolabi, Executive Director, Human Resources, Airtel Nigeria; Ms. Chioma Okolie, CSR Lead, Airtel Nigeria and Mr. Emeka Oparah, Director, Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel Nigeria with the Best Company in Stakeholder Engagement Award for its Touching Lives initiative at the SERAS CSR Awards 2017 in Lagos.

    Speaking at the ceremony, Oparah said the award is a testament of Airtel’s efforts at connecting with stakeholders in the various communities where it operates, noting that the telco was committed to earning its social license through its corporate philanthropy and sustainability initiatives.

    The SERAS – CSR Awards is an annual project, which aims to promote as well as raise awareness about the roles organizations plays with an emphasis on their responsibility towards stakeholders and the social development of Africa.

    SERA aims to substantiate the case that corporations who are socially responsible stand to gain huge benefits in regards to the triple bottom line – economic, social and environmental capital.

    The 11th edition of the Awards which took place in Lagos on Friday, November 17, 2017 brought together sustainability experts, public relations practitioners, brand owners and public office holders.

  • Airtel promotes freedom, bonding in new smartrecharge offer

    Airtel promotes freedom, bonding in new smartrecharge offer

    Airtel Nigeria is encouraging Nigerians to express love as well as bond with friends and family in celebration of this year’s Yuletide as it announces the launch of a new offer, SmartRecharge.

    SmartRecharge, which is anchored on the philosophy of freedom, bonding and friendship, allows Airtel customers – both new and existing – to enjoy ten times the value of their recharge whenever they refill their lines through the *220*PIN# recharge string.

    For instance, a recharge of N100 will earn a customer N1,000 value, valid for three days. A recharge of N200 will earn a customer N2,000 value, valid for seven days. While for a recharge of N1000, a reward of N17,500 (N10,000 plus N7,500 extra data) is given, valid for 14 Days. Value can be utilized for data and calls to all networks.

    Airtel says this new offer will give customers unfettered access to friends, family members, business associates and help them stay connected to the larger world via the mobile Internet.

    Commenting on the SmartRecharge package, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Ahmad Mokhles, said the company is committed to creating specific value offerings that will offer telecoms consumers real value and enable them to stay connected to those they love as well as their business associates.

    “Yuletide is special as it brings family and friends together to enjoy the best life offers. Airtel’s SmartRecharge offering is focused to engender happiness, freedom and encourage Nigerians to express love in celebration of Yuletide,” he said.

    Customers can access Airtel Smart Recharge by recharging their lines using the special code: *220*PIN#. Customers can check their SmartRecharge account balance by dialling *123#.

    The offer is available to new and existing prepaid subscribers on the Airtel network.

  • Airtel, Lagos partner to curb domestic, sexual violence

    Airtel, Lagos partner to curb domestic, sexual violence

    Airtel Nigeria has announceed a partnership with the Lagos State government to curb the menace of domestic and sexual violence across the metropolis.

    Through the Shortcode, 6820, both organizations are encouraging victims and other residents to report cases of domestic violence, sexual violence and child abuse.

    No doubt that Lagos is leading the campaign through the Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) while Airtel is providing network resource for the short-code and other telecoms related support.

    Speaking at the launch of the initiative today (16/10/16), the Director of Citizens Right, Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Clara Omotilewa Ibirogba, who also chairs the DSVRT, said the use of technology in combatting sexual and gender based violence is the first of its kind in Nigeria, noting that Lagos state is optimistic that the short-code will yield great results in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence.

    Explaining how the short-code is used, Ibirogba said victims or eyewitness can either dial *6820# or send an SMS to 6820 using the key word, child abuse. Upon sending the SMS, users will receive information on steps to take for the respective case (rape, child abuse, domestic violence, etc).

    The short code will enable the government gather information that can be used for the formulation of prevention policies for Lagos state.

    “A report would also be logged and forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement Agency or Ministry,” she said.

    She also commended Airtel Nigeria for its support to the campaign and for backing the State to fight the ugly incidents of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual abuse.