Glo Unveils Multiple New Offer

Telecom subscribers on the Glo network are in for exciting times as the total ICT solutions provider has unveiled three exciting offers meant to enrich their communication experience.

The offers are 200 per cent bonus airtime and data, Glo Bounce and Data Bundles on Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and Samsung Galaxy S6 Flat smart phones.

They were unveiled at a press conference held at Globacom’s headquarters in Lagos by the company’s Regional Chief Marketing Officer, Ashok Israni.

On the 200% bonus, he explained that any recharge of N200 and above instantly gives Glo subscribers 200 percent bonus which, unlike other offers in the market, can be used to call any network at any time of the day within seven days.

They will also get extra N200 which they can use to call 10 family and friends. The Family and Friends feature is activated by dialing *101*1*phone number of the family or friend#.

The subscriber also gets 15MB of data instantaneously as well as one minute free for every three minutes of call to one person. For subscribers who load N100, they get instant bonus of 100 percent and 5MB of data.

Israni explained that the 200 Percent Bonus offer was aimed at empowering Globacom subscribers to derive much more value and satisfaction from using the network. All subscribers need to do is to dial *200# to get on the bonus platform.

On Glo Bounce, he said the product allows subscribers who sign up to the platform to call each other at a heavily discounted rate of 11 kobo per second. This, he stated, would facilitate seamless and affordable communication among young telecommunication subscribers.

The Bounce product, which has been significantly enhanced, also has a feature tagged ‘Campus Zone’ which when activated by customers will enable them to call other Glo lines at the rate of 11 kobo per second.

In addition, they get 15MB for every recharge of N200 and above. They also get free, unlimited SMS with the offer.

On how to get on the Bounce platform, Israni explained that subscribers are required to dial *170*4#.To opt for Campus Zone, they are to dial *170*9#.

Subscribers can also choose to migrate to Generation G to enjoy 200 percent bonus on every recharge of N500 and above; 100 percent bonus on recharges of N200; and 50 percent bonus on recharges of N100. To get on Generation G platform, customers need to dial*170*5#.

The third offer launched at the press conference is on the latest Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, comprising Samsung Galaxy S6 Flat and Samsung Galaxy Edge.

They have both been bundled with free SIM and 4.5GB data upon activation by customers. The customers will subsequently get 500MB of free data per month for 12 months when they purchase a data plan from Glo.

The package also comes with free accessories and Samsung Warranty coverage for 24 months.


Global Report Shows Big Strides in Reducing Numbers of Unbanked
From 2011 and 2014, 700 million people became account holders at banks, other financial institutions, or mobile money service providers, and the number of unbanked individuals dropped 20 percent to 2 billion adults, according to the 2014 Global Findex report.

Between 2011 and 2014, the percentage of adults with an account increased from 51 percent to 62 percent, a trend driven by a 13 percent rise in account ownership in developing countries and the role of technology.

In particular, mobile money accounts in Sub­Saharan Africa are helping to rapidly expand and scale up access to financial services, according to a World Bank press release.

“We have set a hugely ambitious goal — universal financial access by 2020 — and now we have evidence that we’re making major progress,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim.

Still, the report noted, more than half of adults in the poorest 40 percent of households in developing countries were still without accounts in 2014.

Moreover, the gender gap in account ownership is not significantly narrowing: In 2011, 47 percent of women and 54 percent of men had an account; in 2014, 58 percent of women had an account, compared to 65 percent of men.

And in India, 43 percent of adults with an account made no deposits or withdrawals in the past year. Only 18 percent of adults in South Asia own a debit card, compared with 31 percent in developing countries on average.

Account ownership was up in all major regions, according to the Global Findex;
-in East Asia and Pacific, adult account ownership rose to 69 percent, up from 55 percent three years earlier;
-in China, 79 percent of adults owned an account in 2014, up from 64 percent in 2011;
-in Europe and Central Asia, account ownership among adults increased from 43 percent in 2011 to 51 percent in 2014.

-in Latin America and the Caribbean, 51 percent of adults now have an account, up from 39 percent in 2011, though 210 million remain unbanked;
-in the Middle East, account ownership expanded to 14 percent of adults, up from 11 percent in 2011, though 85 million remain unbanked;
-in South Asia, 46 percent now own an account, up from 32 percent three years ago; and
In sub-­Saharan Africa, 34 percent of adults now have an account, an increase from 24 percent in 2011. Findex reports that 12 percent of adults in the region have a mobile money account compared to just 2 percent globally.