The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Airtel Nigeria

  • HIV/AIDS: Community hails Airtel Nigeria for support

    HIV/AIDS: Community hails Airtel Nigeria for support

    …As Airtel conducts free tests and counselling for Nigerians

    Residents of the Ilaje community in Costain area of Lagos state have hailed leading telecommunication services provider, Airtel Nigeria for its efforts in the control and prevention of HIV/AIDS in the area.

    This commendation was made by the residents in December 2016 when the telco rolled out its HIV/AIDS awareness campaign outreach in the area.

    Airtel Nigeria in partnership with the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) embarked on a community-wide awareness campaign in Ilaje to sensitise the residents and educate them on HIV/AIDS, provide free testing and counselling as well as distribute medications and relief materials to members of the community.

    With over 80 testers and counsellors on hand to attend to the community, the elated residents turned out en masse to benefit from this awareness campaign which is aimed at preserving the lives of members of the community.

    Lanre Babalola, a resident of Ilaje community hailed the smartphone network for remembering his community. “I am very happy that Airtel is in our community today because it feels good to be giving service to a community that is less serviced. Things like this rarely happen for us here and today Airtel has put a smile on our faces.

    “Another resident Bishop Okoro said “I love Airtel because they have remembered little people like us who live in this area. We at Ilaje are usually forgotten but today a large corporate organisation like Airtel Nigeria has remembered us.

    “Also speaking at the event, the Baale of Ilaje community, Chief Oladipupo Arowojolu noted that the community has a health challenge and Airtel in partnership with LSACA have come to their aid. Arowojolu said “Health is wealth and with this HIV/AIDS awareness we are given a chance at a better and healthier life. With Airtel’s help, Ilaje and Otubara community will pursue good health in order to preserve the lives of members of our community.”

    As a reputable corporate organisation, Airtel Nigeria is committed to improving the lives of Nigerians by creating a better, healthier and more prosperous society, where everyone will be treated equally as well as respected irrespective of their status, social class and location.

    [news_list display=”tag” tag=”Airtel” count=”6″ show_more=”on”]

  • Airtel excites customers with video streaming, download platform

    Airtel excites customers with video streaming, download platform

    …Offers access to over 3000 exclusive music, comedy and gossip videos

    Airtel Nigeria subscribers are in for exciting times as the telecommunication service provider partners with Africa’s foremost music media brand, TRACE, to launch a first of its kind ‘free to browse’ video streaming and download platform, ‘TRACE Plus,’ offering consumers unfettered access to exclusive video content.

    With TRACE Plus, Airtel Nigeria subscribers will be able to access a huge variety of top rated content from the latest music videos to comedy skits, celebrity news and gist.

    Subscribers will also have the option to stream or download content based on their preference. With over 3,000 videos, TRACE Plus represents one of Africa’s largest digital content libraries with contributions from the world’s renowned content producers such as Clarence Peters, award winning Mark Angel and the very best of TRACE Naija.

    Airtel customers can subscribe to ‘TRACE Plus’ by visiting TRACE Plus, dialling *62012# or texting “HELP” to 62012 for as low as N40 inclusive of data charges.

    After subscribing, customers will have access to content on celebrity gist, comedy skits, lifestyle, sports news as well as exclusive music videos featuring some of Nigeria’s top rated celebs including rave of the moment Tekno and Timaya.

    While commenting on the partnership with TRACE, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Ahmad Mokhles, said “Airtel is constantly exploring new frontiers to develop innovative products specifically designed for the youths who are dear to the brand.

    “The new ‘TRACE Plus’ is a testament to our commitment to providing our consumers top-notch content at very affordable cost. Beyond entertainment, the product is also an empowerment tool as it gives content producers and developers the opportunity to generate income for themselves while doing what they love doing best”.

    “TRACE Plus’s videos on the go platform represents another mobile innovation in TRACE’s digital evolution, made to fit the demands of the smart generation. We are widening our reach from TV to engage Airtel subscribers and the vibrant creative community and connect them in a fun and viral way, we hope you enjoy!” commented Olivier Laouchez, Founder and CEO TRACE Group

  • Airtel Nigeria, firm partner on free public service messages

    Airtel Nigeria, firm partner on free public service messages

    Airtel Nigeria, has partnered with global development organisation, Human Network International (HNI), to unveil the 3-2-1 service, a call-in system that provides free, on-demand information – ranging from healthcare to good governance – to Nigerians, including those in rural communities.

    The 3-2-1 service provides public service information, on-demand to mobile phone users in English as well as in Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Pidgin English.

    Using recorded messages by indigenous speakers, the 3-2-1 service is convenient for all Nigerians, regardless of age, education and literacy.

    By dialing 321 on their Airtel prepaid lines, users will connect the caller to voice prompts in any of the aforesaid indigenous languages or in English.

    Speaking, in Lagos, at a formal ceremony to announce the call-in system, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, said the telco is committed to creating platforms that will empower Nigerians as well as uplift telecoms consumers in the various communities where it operates.

    “As a major stakeholder, we are excited to partner with HNI to create a huge platform that offers a plethora of opportunities to enable millions of Nigerians across various communities to lead better and healthier lives. We are confident that the 321 initiative will help transform lives in many locations across the country,” said Gbemiga Owolabi, HR Director, Airtel Nigeria, who represented the CEO.

  • Accessing free health, other information on new Airtel service

    Accessing free health, other information on new Airtel service

    Airtel Nigeria has unveiled the 3-2-1 Service – a call-in system that provides free information – ranging from healthcare, Family Planning, Nutrition & Sanitation – to Nigerians, including those in rural communities in partnership with a global development organisation, Human Network International (HNI).

    The 3-2-1 Service provides public service information, that is relevant to both individuals and communities across Nigeria to mobile phone users in English as well as in Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Pidgin English.

    The 321 service can be accessed on any Airtel prepaid sim for free for up to 10 times.

    How to access the free 3-2-1 service

    • Get an Airtel SIM or on existing SIM
    • Dial 321 and listen to the voice prompt
    • Select the preferred language; English, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo or Pidgin English.
    • Select the information needed from a range of topics such as News & Entertainment, Health, Agriculture, Commodity Prices, Good Governance, Weather etc.

    In addition to health information, other topics that users can access on the 3-2-1 service include Agriculture, Commodity Prices, Good Governance, News & Entertainment and Weather.

    Note, the service is entirely free using the USSD code *321#.

  • Airtel makes case for reading culture

    Airtel makes case for reading culture

    • Telco donates books to adopted School

    Airtel Nigeria has donated over 1,000 books to students of one of its adopted schools as part of its Reading for Leading campaign, an initiative to promote the reading culture among students across primary schools in Nigeria.

    According to the telco in a statement, the Reading for Leading initiative demonstrates its commitment to promote quality education and academic excellence in Nigeria and also provide educational opportunities for less privileged children.

    The book donation exercise was held on Tuesday, November 15, 2016, at the St. John’s Primary School, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, a school adopted by Airtel.

    Speaking during the event, Head Teacher of St. John’s Primary School, Mr. Adeniyi Odufoye, commended Airtel for its support to developing the educational sector, urging other corporate organizations to emulate the telco.

    “I sincerely hope that other corporate organizations will join Airtel in supporting education and providing opportunities for children.

    “I must say that since Airtel adopted St. John’s Primary School in 2013, it has raised the standard of education, here. And with this book donation, it becomes easier for children to take to a reading culture.”

    Also speaking, an elated Surajudeen Sukuratu, a primary six student of St. Johns Primary School, said: “Airtel Nigeria, thank you very much for providing books for me and my friends. I promise to read it and also share it with my brothers and sisters.”

    In his own submission, Olukayode Samuel, a Primary five student expressed excitement, saying, “Now I have a textbook I can always use to study at home. My mummy will be happy because she likes to see me read. Thank you, Airtel.”

    In addition to donating books to the school, Airtel employees also bonded with the kids, taking turns to read and share in exciting educational games.

    Airtel’s Reading for Leading campaign was borne out of the telco’s passion in assisting the less privileged children and also improve the standard of education in Nigeria. The initiative was flagged off by renowned author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in June 2016.

    The Airtel ‘Reading for Leading’ campaign is in partnership with Longman and Macmillan Publishers. Under the initiative, Airtel employees have purchased over 3,000 high quality and relevant textbooks for students in the company’s six adopted schools.

  • Airtel, HNI unveil internet-free public service

    Airtel, HNI unveil internet-free public service

    Airtel Nigeria has partnered with Human Network International (HNI), to unveil the 3-2-1 Service, a call-in system that provides free, on-demand information – ranging from healthcare to good governance – to Nigerians, regardless of the kind of mobile phone or region.

    The 3-2-1 Service is a search engine which provides public service information, on-demand, to mobile phone users in English as well as in Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Pidgin English, which depends on recorded messages by indigenous speakers. The Service is convenient for all Nigerians, regardless of age, education and literacy.

    In his remark, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, said the telco is committed to creating platforms that will empower Nigerians as well as uplift telecoms consumers in the various communities where it operates.

    Represented by Human Resource Director, Airtel Nigeria, Gbemiga Owolabi, Ogunsanya said: “As a major stakeholder, we are excited to partner with HNI to create a huge platform that offers a plethora of opportunities to enable millions of Nigerians across various communities to lead better and healthier lives. We are confident that the 321 initiative will help transform lives in many locations across the country.”

    Similarly, Harriet Blest, HNIs Country Manager in Nigeria noted:“By turning simple mobile phones into search engines, Human Network International and Airtel are giving Nigerians an entirely new way to access information using technology they already own.”

    “Nigerians with little or no literacy can still leverage the service, and that makes it an incredibly powerful tool. We are delighted to have partnered with Airtel on this and look forward to reaching millions of Nigerians.”

    The 3-2-1 Service provides public service information that is all relevant to both individuals and communities across Nigeria. The topics launched on the service include Agriculture, Commodity Prices, Family Planning, Good Governance, Health, News & Entertainment, Nutrition, Sanitation, and Weather.

    The public service messages are created and curated by committees convened by HNI. These committees included representation from government ministries, plus Nigerian and international subject area experts, including, Action Aid, Catholic Relief Services, EarthNetworks, GSMA, MERCK/MSD, Novus Agro, Pulse.ng, UNFPA and the Federal Ministry of Health.

    The call-in system will further be enhanced to cover more topics and messages such as entrepreneurship and financial literacy in the near future. By dialling 321 prepaid Airtel lines, users will connect the caller to voice prompts in any of the earlier mentioned indigenous languages or in English.

    Airtel subscribers can use the service for up to ten times for free within a month after which a flat call rate of N10 will be applied. However, it is an endless free usage to use the USSD code, *321#.

  • Airtel unveils support plan for entrepreneurs, SMEs others

    Airtel unveils support plan for entrepreneurs, SMEs others

    Airtel Nigeria has announced the launch of ‘Nigeria with Airtel Business’, a bouquet of bespoke services designed for global, large and medium organisations, both in the public and private sectors.

    According to the telecommunications services provider, ‘Nigeria with Airtel Business’ offers end-to-end telecom and connectivity solutions to companies under one roof, thereby eliminating the challenge of dealing with multiple vendors and integration issues associated with same.

    Speaking in a statement, Airtel noted that the solution is aimed at considerably improving the ease of setting up a business in Nigeria, given the critical role telecom and connectivity solutions play in today’s environment. Airtel’s global telecom network and integrated product portfolio are perfectly placed to offer a seamless one stop solution to companies and improve their go- to-market speeds.

    ‘Nigeria with Airtel Business’ offers a complete suite of ICT services Including Mobile Voice and Data, National and International Network Connectivity on leased line, MPLS and VSAT, IP Transit, IP Access, Data Centre, Cloud, Managed Services, M2M Solution Mobile Advertising and extensive suite of Value-Added Services.

    Airtel will offer global companies, particularly those in the digital space, extensive market reach through joint go-to-market programs.

    Commenting on the launch of “Nigeria with Airtel Business”, Director Enterprise Business, Tawa Bolarin said: “Given the impetus from the Government’s ‘Made in Nigeria’ initiative, Nigeria is fast becoming a definite strategic market for multinationals across the globe.

    ”With Airtel’s integrated product portfolio, we believe that we are uniquely placed to seamlessly serve the connectivity needs of companies looking to set up businesses in Nigeria. Also, companies can leverage Airtel’s deep understanding of the Nigeria Enterprise market and our vast customer and distribution network.”

    As the 3rd largest Mobile operator in the world with over 320 Million Subscribers across 18 countries, 17 MPLS POPS across Africa, 1,000 Global Carrier Partnerships, 225,000 RKMs of global fibre, 24 International Cable Consortium across 50 countries and 5 continents, Airtel is Nigeria’s leading and most trusted provider of ICT services, offering a diverse portfolio for global, large and medium organizations, both in the public and private sectors.

  • ADVAN: Airtel’s CEO encourages practitioners on digital advertising

    ADVAN: Airtel’s CEO encourages practitioners on digital advertising

    Airtel Nigeria’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Segun Ogunsanya, has called on advertising practitioners to pay close attention to digital advertising as part of efforts to connect with the target audience and ensure maximum returns from advertising spend.

    Ogunsanya, who was speaking at the 2016 ADVAN Awards for marketing excellence held at the weekend in Lagos, noted that with the ubiquitous nature of mobile devices, digital advertising is the future of advertising.

    According to him, there are over 5 billion people with access to mobile phones; hence, a mobile device remains the easiest way to connect with people, especially the youths who are the leaders of tomorrow.

    He noted that Millennials are looking at many different screens for advertising. They are now concentrating on digital media, and advertising has to move to the digital space.

    We, the clients, can no longer rely on strategies counting on users to just watch our messages on TV or listen to the radio anymore. Nor can we be so sure that consumers will watch a prime time show at the prime time, or in their homes, or out of work hours, he said.

    While speaking on what brands should do differently, the Airtel CEO urged advertising practitioners to ensure that engagement with the targeted audience is personal and relevant just as he noted that brands must always adopt a two-way communication (conversation) with their target audience so as to get feedback.

    The Airtel helmsman also recommended that organisations must measure and evaluate their advertising campaigns in order to test the effectiveness, saying that this will aid the direction of future advertising campaigns.

    The event, which held on Saturday, October 29, 2016, at The Muson Centre, Lagos, was a night to celebrate brands that have done extremely well in the field of advertising.

    At the awards, Airtel’s Smart Connect 2.0 campaign was the co-first runner-up in the Campaign of the year category, an award they jointly won with Grand Oak Limited, makers of Lord’s Dry Gin.

    The President, Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), David Okeme, who declared the event open, highlighted the importance of advertising to individuals and the economy.

    Okeme noted that Advertising unlocks economic activities, thus boosting a country’s GDP.

    ADVAN is the umbrella association for all advertisers (Corporate organisations that engage in major advertising) in Nigeria, established in 1992 as National Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria and in 1994 was renamed Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (ADVAN)

  • Airtel heightens customers’ excitement, offers ovajara bonus

    Airtel heightens customers’ excitement, offers ovajara bonus

    • Customers to also enjoy free social, family & friends bonus

    Airtel customers will get more than six (6) times the value of every recharge on their line, as the telecommunications services provider, rejigs its SmartConnect package, to offer additional bonuses to customers on every recharge beginning from today (October 26th).

    SmartConnect is Airtel’s premium default bonus plan specifically designed for new prepaid customers.

    Once a customer buys a new SIM, registers and inserts it into a device, he/she begins to enjoy the 6 times bonus in addition to other bonuses on every recharge of N100 and above.

    When a customer recharges with N100, he/she gets N100 in his main account and receives a bonus of N250 for voice calls to all networks, N250 for data (50MB), with an additional N100 airtime to call family & friends, and an extra bonus of N100 for Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook and BBM, which makes a total of N800 airtime on every N100 recharge.

    Similarly, a recharge of N1000 gives N2,500 bonus for calls to all networks, another N2,500 bonus for data (500MB) and N1000 airtime for calls to family & friends. Customers will also receive extra N1000 airtime for access to social media.

    To enjoy the family and friends bonuses on every recharge, Customers should add up to four Airtel numbers as Family & Friends, by dialling *311*2*Airtel Number#. To enjoy the free social bonus on every recharge, customers need to install Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook and BBM on their phones.

    According to Airtel in a statement on Wednesday, airtime in the main account will remain valid until exhausted while all bonuses have a 7-day validity. Customers can roll over all bonuses as long as they recharge within 7 days else all unused bonuses will be lost.

    Commenting on the newly revamped SmartConnect package, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Ahmad Mokhles, said the company is committed to providing real opportunities to empower telecoms consumers to achieve their dreams and actualize their desires regardless of income level, status or location.

    According to him, Airtel will continue to deliver easy, simple, practical and innovative products and services that will help customers to stay connected to business associates, friends and family members, noting that the SmartConnect package comes with unmatched benefits, especially at this point when customers demand more value on every naira spent.

  • Airtel transforms customer experience

    Airtel transforms customer experience

    Airtel Nigeria has unveiled a new interactive USSD self-service short code, *121#, for easy usage and improved customer service delivery.

    With the new short code, customers can access all the services on the network faster, activate and deactivate services as well as have unlimited access to the exclusive value offerings available. Quick and convenient data purchase is also available on the new USSD short code.

    Indeed, the introduction of the new short code demonstrates Airtel’s commitment to providing customers with innovative solutions and providing them proactive customer service.

    The short code will save subscribers the trouble of having to remember multiple short codes associated with different services, as they would be able to access all the services with the single self-service short code.

    Airtel subscribers can now access all the services available on the network by simply dialling *121# from their mobile devices. This gives users access to a comprehensive self-service menu from where they can carry out a wide range of functions at the touch of a button.