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Our Channel Partners are Proud of our Brand – Airtel’s COO

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Tolu Ojo, chief operations officer of leading communications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has said the company’s channel partners are proud of the Airtel brand and very happy with the company.

Ojo, who was speaking recently at the 2014 Edition of the Airtel Channel Partners’ Awards held at the prestigious Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos, said its business partners are actually proud and happy with the company, and ready to offer their continuing support for the success of the Airtel brand in the country.

According to him, Airtel enjoys a strong bond and very cordial relationship with its business partners, as all its channel partners are committed to building the Airtel brand and expanding its retail and service footprints to the most distant part of Nigeria.

Citing the well-attended Channel Partners Award as a reflection of the trade partners’ affinity to the brand, Ojo noted that majority of the channel partners graced the event, which is an indication of their unflinching support and commitment to the company.

“Without a doubt, our channel partners are proud and happy with us and ready to take part in the success of Airtel. Our future is great and the future of our partners is great as well,” he said.

He also applauded the channel partners for their commitment, loyalty and significant contributions towards the success of the Airtel brand in Nigeria, saying that Airtel has earned the commitment of its channel partners to work together in order to achieve greater results for the business year.

The Airtel Chief noted that all the awardees merited the awards because they have put in a lot of hard work through the year to ensure success of the brand and to guarantee that Airtel consumers enjoy product availability.

“Because of the commitment and industriousness of our channel partners, our products are available in every nook and cranny of this country, even in very remote areas. Indeed, our channel partners put in a lot of efforts to make this happen,” he said.

Ojo also assured that Airtel, in line with its corporate vision of becoming the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians, will continue to reward its channel partners as well as exceptional business performance.

“Airtel will always strive for continuous improvement. We don’t rest on our past laurels and achievements, we are always looking forward to improving on our efforts. We cannot do it without our dealers and channel partners. We believe we are going to grow and expand, so next year’s award will depict the kind of growth and achievement we attain,” he added.

Some of the special guests who graced the occasion include Interswitch Divisional CEO, Mr. Charles Ifedi; Hon. Commissioner for Commerce & Industry, Lagos State, Mrs. Sola Oworu and Hon. Commissioner for Commerce & Industry, Ogun State, Otunba Abimbola Ashiru among other top dignitaries.

The event, which attracted over 150 Airtel Channel Partners drawn from across the country, featured special musical and comedy performances from top Nigerian artistes and comedians including Duncan Mighty and Bovi.

Prizes presented to the winners included brand new Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), luxury cars, utility vans, computers, generators and motor bikes, among others.


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Nigeria Has World’s Most Affordable Data Costs – GSMA

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Nigeria has an average data cost of $0.38 per gigabyte, making her the most affordable countries globally and one of the cheapest in Africa for mobile data services.

Nigeria Has World’s Most Affordable Data Costs - GSMA

United States averages $6 per gigabyte and South Africa with $1.77 per gigabyte rank the highest globally and in Africa respectively.

According to the GSMA, Nigerian data costs, as a percentage of Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, are among the lowest across Africa.

The reports by the body lends weight to telecom operators advocacy for tariff adjustments to address economic pressures threatening the sector’s sustainability.

The GSMA report, titled “The Role of Mobile Technology in Driving the Digital Economy in Nigeria,” highlighted Nigeria’s competitive data pricing, which is significantly lower than other African nations, such as Kenya ($0.59 per gigabyte), Ethiopia ($0.68 per gigabyte), and South Africa ($1.77 per gigabyte).

By contrast, the United States averages $6 per gigabyte, underscoring Nigeria’s advantage in offering cost-effective connectivity.

The cost of mobile data in Africa varies greatly by country and region.

Data costs can refer to the cost of mobile data or the cost of acquiring, maintaining, and using business data.

In 2023, the average cost of 1 GB of mobile data in Sub-Saharan Africa was $3.31, while in Northern Africa it was $0.86.

Telecommunications operators in Nigeria have been requesting some policy changes as well as tariff rebalancing to enable them deliver support to the Government’s digital economy objectives.

They have called for the simplification and improvement of the Right of Way (RoW) charging and administration process, harmonised across the country

According to them, all government authorities (at national and sub-national levels) should apply the national maximum RoW fee of N145 per/LSQM adopted by the National Economic Council (NEC) for the deployment of fibre across all states in Nigeria.

There should be a single point of contact in each state for the RoW application process while the duration for the approval process should be digitalised and limited to a maximum of one month.

Simplification and reduction of the tax burden on the mobile sector

On tariff, recall that the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) had urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to consider reviewing tariffs upward to address rising operational costs.

Nodding in agreement, Bismarck Rewane, chief executive officer, Financial Derivatives,  said the proposed tariff hike by telecommunications will help reduce inflation in the country.

He said it would help to reduce inflation because it increases productivity, stressing that the price of MTN shares went up by 10% to 220.

Rewane reiterated that investors had already factored that in, adding that they are expecting a lot of good goodies.

“But more important to think about is the fact that because of an increase in tariff and an increase in investment to make the industry sustainable, they’re going to see an increase in productivity, not directly but indirectly.

“Any increase in productivity and output is likely to allow inflation to moderate, which is the goal. So, we heard from the policymaker, Bosun Tijani, who was very clear that we want a sustainable sector. But we also heard from the regulator saying that we will hold these guys to quality of service.

“We also heard from the operators, MTN that they are all revving up. So in all, there are economic benefits because of increased output and productivity. Two, policymakers are aligned because they want this to lead to a moderation in inflation,” he added.

He further said that it was not a bad deal and re-echoed the minister’s comment that the tariff hike will not be 100 per cent.

“Will they get 100%? No, they will definitely not. We suspect that we are going to likely see something between 40 and 50% which is fair after so many years of static changes,” Rewane added.

 

 

 


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Bismarck, Economist Claims Planned Tariff Hike by Telcos Will Reduce Inflation

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Bismarck Rewane, chief executive officer, Financial Derivatives, has said the proposed tariff hike by telecommunications will help reduce inflation in the country.

Bismarck, Economist Claims Planned Tariff Hike by Telcos Will Reduce Inflation

Rewane made this statement on Channels Television’s Business Morning on Thursday.

Recall that Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) had urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to consider reviewing tariffs upward to address rising operational costs.

On January 3, Karl Toriola, chief executive officer (CEO), MTN Nigeria, said telcos want a 100 percent tariff hike.

According to Rewane, who previously supported the plans for a tariff hike, the move will make the sector more sustainable.

He said it would help to reduce inflation because it increases productivity, stressing that the price of MTN shares went up by 10% to 220.

Rewane reiterated that investors had already factored that in, adding that they are expecting a lot of good goodies.

“But more important to think about is the fact that because of an increase in tariff and an increase in investment to make the industry sustainable, they’re going to see an increase in productivity, not directly but indirectly.

“Any increase in productivity and output is likely to allow inflation to moderate, which is the goal. So, we heard from the policymaker Bosun Tijani, who was very clear that we want a sustainable sector. But we also heard from the regulator saying that we will hold these guys to quality of service.

“We also heard from the operators, MTN that they are all revving up. So in all, there are economic benefits because of increased output and productivity. Two, policymakers are aligned because they want this to lead to a moderation in inflation,” he added.

He further said that it was not a bad deal and re-echoed the minister’s comment that the tariff hike will not be 100 per cent.

“Will they get 100%? No, they will definitely not. We suspect that we are going to likely see something between 40 and 50% which is fair after so many years of static changes,” Rewane added.


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Microsoft to Spend $80Bn on AI Data Centres

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In a bid to build AI-enabled data centres, Brad Smith, vice chair and president, Microsoft has disclosed the company’s plan to spend approximately $80 billion in its current financial year (to end in June), with more than half of that investment designated for the US.

Smith in a blog post, explained the tech giant plans to use the data centres “to train AI models and deploy AI and cloud-based applications around the world.”

Smith welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump to his second term in office, he cautioned against “heavy-handed regulations” that could slow down the private sector.

“The most important US public-policy priority should be to ensure that the US private sector can continue to advance with the wind at its back,” Smith stated.

He further explained that the U.S. “needs a pragmatic export control policy that balances strong security protection for AI components in trusted data centers with the ability for U.S. companies to expand rapidly and provide a reliable source of supply to the many countries that are American allies and friends.”

Stating that the US is well-positioned to flourish in its development of AI due to solid technology development and an innovative private sector.

“If the Trump Administration can develop a strong national AI talent strategy and use AI to make the government more effective and efficient, it will put the country on a promising path.”

He stated the U.S. is in a strong position to “win the essential race with China by advancing international adoption of American AI.”

Smith further claimed U.S. “products are more trusted than their Chinese counterparts, and our private sector is unmatched in its ability to invest in infrastructure around the world.”


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