Digital solutions company, Globacom, on Thursday, in Warri, Delta State, held the first draw of its ongoing consumer promo, Festival of Joy. The draw was conducted at Gloworld, Delta Mall, and was attended by Glo subscribers, the media and representative of National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Mr. Anwyuli Efejukwu.

Globacom said the lucky winners including, “the winner of a brand new Toyota Prado and winners of tricycles, sewing machines, generators and grinding machines will receive their prizes on November 21, 2024 at the same Gloworld”.

To participate in the promo, Glo advised new and existing subscribers to dial *611# and recharge (voice and data) during the promo period. It added that new subscribers can join by purchasing a new SIM, registering it, and dialing *611#.

“New and existing customers are required to recharge up to N100,000 cumulatively during the promo period to qualify for the draw for the Prado Jeep, N50, 000 cumulative recharge for Kia Picanto, N10, 000 in a month for tricycle and N5, 000 total recharge in a month to win a generator.

For the sewing machine, a total recharge of N2, 500 in a month is required, while for the grinding machine, a recharge of N500 in a day will be eligible for the draw”. The company said.

MTN Group has reported a lower service revenue for the nine months ended September 30 as regulatory registrations in Nigeria hurt subscriber numbers in the region.

MTN, with 288 million subscribers in 17 markets across Africa, said its group service revenue fell to $6.99 billion from $8.55 billion in the same quarter last year.

The group reported a 48.7% plunge in revenue from MTN Nigeria due to the devaluation of the currency, but noted that “the naira was less volatile on a sequential basis in Q3 than in preceding quarters”.

Its biggest contributor, MTN South Africa (MTN SA) grew marginally by 3.3% and Uganda followed suit with 5% growth helped by a firmer Ugandan shilling compared to last year.

The company said its subscriber base grew by 1.6% to 288 million, affected by “subscriber registration regulations in Nigeria and a decline in users in Sudan, where millions of people have been displaced by the conflict.”

A new report from global technology leader Ericsson highlighted that 35 percent of 5G users are willing to pay for premium services that exceed standard 5G offerings, driven largely by the demand for seamless performance in high-traffic areas and GenAI applications.

Ericsson’s findings revealed that consumer expectations are shifting; 5G users are not only seeking improved network quality but are also prepared to pay up to 35 per cent more for “differentiated connectivity” that assures consistent, high-speed performance.

Performance-sensitive activities like video calling, streaming, and generative AI are particularly driving this trend, opening new revenue opportunities for telecom operators.

The report indicated that by investing in premium connectivity options, telecom companies could see revenue increases of 5-12 per cent.

Ericsson suggested these operators could capitalise on this demand by introducing quality-on-demand APIs for application service providers, a strategy that could unlock innovative monetisation paths.

“Today, 5G users are looking for performance assurance on core services like video calls and streaming, while GenAI users are even more eager to pay a premium that is 35 percent higher than these core services,” Ericsson reported, underscoring the expanding role of high-performance connectivity in everyday digital experiences.

Ericsson also found that network quality is essential in consumers’ daily routines, with expectations for uninterrupted, high-speed access—especially in crowded environments like stadiums, transport hubs, and malls.

Forty two per cent of 5G users expressed a desire for improved connectivity in these high-traffic locations.

Additionally, user satisfaction has notably increased with 5G, with 38 per cent of 5G customers reporting high satisfaction levels—a 10-point improvement over 4G users.