Telecom
We are Ensuring Utmost Commitment to Customer Service Excellence – Ajay
Ajay Awasthi, chief executive officer, Spectranet spoke on how the telecommunications services provider was able to deliver quality service during the lockdown and challenges operators face is expanding capacity.
This pandemic lockdown presents huge opportunities for telecom and e-commerce companies as virtual communication and online transactions have become the order of the day. How is Spectranet faring?
The lockdown has presented more challenges than opportunities. Spectranet being a 24×7 service provider, the challenges are pretty much unique and related to ensuring site uptime in remote corners, ensuring call center operations with strict distancing rules, attending to customer complaints in their premises. All this needs to be done while ensuring safety of our people.
Cost of operations has gone up significantly as urgent network upgrades have to be done to ensure un-compromised customer experience while browsing. We have also seen an upsurge in call center volumes with customers enquiring about where to renew. This means deployment of more manpower.
Humbling to mention that team Spectranet, with its utmost commitment to customer service excellence, has fared well in countering these challenges in double quick time
In terms of traffic, how is your network coping with your consumers?
The Data traffic in the network has increased over 30%. While this is a happy situation to be in, the sudden increase in traffic poses a challenge in terms of keeping up with the quality of service. In order to ensure that our customers experience is not compromised, Spectranet has acted fast and invested significantly to enhance capacities on the access and backhaul network.
By what are the major areas or products you have received the largest traffic on your network?
The traffic for Video applications (like Netflix, You tube) has shown a significant increase and so has the Facebook related traffic.
Also, we have observed trends wherein the traffic during night time has started overtaking the daytime traffic. We are happy that our Mega Value Plans offering anytime data plus free and truly unlimited night time browsing are becoming a big hit with our customers.
With the closure of business premises, how have your consumers being able to recharge their modems?
Being a technology company Spectranet has been investing heavily in building up Digital channels. Our customers can effortlessly pay through any of our digital channels available on Self Care.
Telcos may be making money from this lockdown, but in terms of telecom equipment importation and network rollout, how will it affect telcos like Spectranet?
In order to increase our access and backhaul network capacities, as mentioned earlier, we had to invest significant amounts and incur extra costs for ensuring 24X7 availability of network and call center operations.
To sustain this growth in traffic, fresh equipment is required to be imported. With tight FOREX supply, we are finding it extremely difficult to get access to FOREX to pay for this equipment. This will result in delayed projects and consequent degradation of services.
Have you experienced are challenges like refueling your base stations or movement of your essential staff from law enforcement agencies?
Telecoms being one of the essential services, the law enforcement agencies have been extremely cooperative. This has helped us in keeping the vital operations like re-fueling of cell sites, carrying out repair and maintenance work going without any hindrance.
What lessons can we learn from the current situation to get things done better as businesses and as a country?
This pandemic has completely changed the way work used to be done and transformed how companies engage and interact with their customers. Digitalization is the way forward. It is not only more cost efficient but also act as a turbo charger for productivity. Critical to add that a move towards digitalization will also need robust framework for data security and privacy related concerns.
Recently, the Naira was devalued, how does this affect your business?
Devaluation of Naira has certainly increased the cost of doing business. All the dollar denominated CAPEXes have suddenly got inflated by the devaluation. Similarly, cost of importing modems and other devices have increased. The devaluation is going to put significant financial burden on smaller operators. Similarly, cost of importing modems and other devices have increased. The devaluation and scarce availability of FOREX is going to hamper expansion of operations in a significant manner for smaller operators.
How has the lockdown impacted on telecoms services on the part of Spectranet?
The lockdown has presented quite a few challenges. Spectranet being a 24×7 service provider, the challenges are pretty much unique and related to ensuring site uptime in remote corners, ensuring call center operations with strict distancing rules, attending to customer complaints in their premises. All this needs to be done while ensuring safety of our people. Cost of operations has gone up significantly as urgent network upgrades have to be done to ensure un-compromised customer experience while browsing.
We have also seen an upsurge in call center volumes with customers enquiring about where to renew. This has resulted in deployment of more manpower. Humbling to mention that team Spectranet, with its utmost commitment to customer service excellence, has fared well in countering these challenges in double quick time
Checks showed that Spectranet customers are largely enterprises, I mean corporate bodies, but these entities are not opening offices, with most staff working from home. What is the percentage spike in traffic, either low or high?
Spectranet has a fair mix of enterprise, retail 4G LTE and HomeFiber ( FTTx) customers. While the traffic from enterprise customers has reduced, we have seen an upsurge in traffic from retail customers.
Overall, the data traffic in the network has increased over 30%. While this is a happy situation to be in, the sudden increase in traffic poses a challenge in terms of keeping up with the quality of service. In order to ensure that our customers experience is not compromised, Spectranet has acted fast and invested significantly to enhance capacities on the access and backhaul network.
What strategies is Spectranet putting in place to remain up and doing this period?
This pandemic has completely changed the way work used to be done and transformed how we engage and interact with our customers. Digitalization is the way forward. It is not only more cost efficient but also act as a turbo charger for productivity. Being a technology company Spectranet has been investing heavily in building up Digital channels. The pace of digitalization needs to be hastened up now.
Going forward, what is the fate of Tier 2 operators in the country?
Spectranet by virtue of its robust network with industry leading uptime figures, excellent customer service and an extremely strong brand, will continue to play its role as a leading Internet Service Provider. Our recent diversification into FTTx an WTTx based Fixed line services has further strengthened the position of the brand as numero uno in the industry. We will continue to invest in cutting edge technologies to offer high speed broadband in Nigeria, at par with international broadband standards.
Anambra State Government has begun a crackdown on illegal Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operating across the state, citing concerns over data breaches, poor service quality, and environmental defacement.
The enforcement, led by the Anambra State Physical Planning Board (ANSPPB) and the Anambra State ICT Agency, follows numerous complaints about unauthorized road excavations and the indiscriminate erection of poles, which deface infrastructure.
Investigations revealed that several ISPs were operating without approval or submitting deployment plans, a violation of regulations governing telecommunications infrastructure.
Authorities stress that the objective is not exclusion but compliance, ensuring only registered ISPs approved by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) operate in the state.
Residents are urged to report unlicensed ISP activities via the dedicated hotline 02014143039.
Speaking on the development, Barr. Chike Maduekwe, Executive Chairman of ANSPPB, said: “This isn’t about shutting anyone out but about ensuring everyone follows the right process. If you want to offer internet services in Anambra, go through the proper channels. We will support those who comply, but we will not tolerate shortcuts.”
Similarly, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata (CFA), Managing Director/CEO of the Anambra State ICT Agency, emphasized: “The internet is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. Governor Soludo has implemented a zero right of way policy to encourage players, but the first step for any ISP must be regulatory approval. The people of Anambra deserve services from providers they can trust.”
The Anambra State Government remains committed to fostering a safe, fair, and well-regulated digital landscape where residents can enjoy secure, high-quality internet services without fear of exploitation.
The enforcement drive signals a new era of accountability in the state’s fast-growing digital space.
In a significant step towards enhancing online safety for teenagers, Meta is proud to announce the launch of Teen Accounts on Instagram in Nigeria. This initiative is part of Meta’s broader commitment to ensuring safe, private, and positive online experiences for teens across Africa.
As more Nigerian teens join Instagram, it is crucial to prioritise their safety and privacy. Parents want to feel confident that their teens can use social media to connect with their friends and explore their interests, without having to worry about unsafe or inappropriate experiences.
Teen Accounts were designed to better support parents and give them peace of mind that their teens have the right protections in place. Teen Accounts have built-in protections that limit who can contact them and the content they see, and we’ll automatically place teens in Nigeria into Teen Accounts, and teens under 16 will need a parent’s permission to change any of these settings to be less strict.
Key protections offered with Teen Accounts include:
Private Accounts: Teen accounts are set to private by default and teens under 16 can only change this setting with parental guidance.
Messaging Restrictions: Teens can only receive messages from people they are already connected to.
Sensitive Content Control: Teen Accounts are automatically set to see less sensitive content in search results and recommended content in Explore, Feed and Reels.
Limited Interactions: Teens can only be tagged or mentioned by people they follow, and the strictest anti-bullying feature, Hidden Words, is enabled by default.
Time Limit Reminders: Notifications prompt teens to exit the app after 60 minutes of daily usage.
Sleep Mode: Enabled from 10 PM to 7 AM, this feature mutes notifications and sends automatic replies to DMs overnight.
“We’re excited to bring these features to Nigeria and help families navigate online spaces safely. Teen Accounts are designed to give parents peace of mind, allowing teens to connect with friends and explore interests without worrying about unsafe experiences,” said Sylvia Musalagani, Safety Policy Manager, Africa, Middle East & Turkey (AMET) at Meta.
Since Meta started reimagining its apps for teens with Teen Accounts globally in September 2024, Meta has enrolled 54 million teens into Teen Accounts on Instagram, with 97% of those aged 13–15 remaining within the strict default protective settings.
While Teen Accounts come with built‑in safety protections, Meta understands many parents want to take a more active role in their teens’ online experiences. With the enhanced supervision tools, parents can:
See who their teen has interacted with: While message content remains private, parents can now view a list of people their teen has messaged over the past seven days.
Set daily time limits on Instagram: Parents can decide how long their teen can spend on the app each day. Once the limit is reached, Instagram will be inaccessible for the rest of the day.
Schedule downtime from Instagram: Parents can block access to Instagram during specific hours, like bedtime, with just a tap.
View the topics their teen is exploring: Parents can see which age-appropriate interest areas their teen is choosing to follow and engage with.
“Meta’s new policy aligns with several core priorities outlined in NITDA’s strategic roadmap, particularly concerning data privacy and protection for minors, now under the purview of the Nigerian Data Protection Commission, and child online protection and digital well-being, which we have collaboratively addressed with our sister agency, the Nigerian Communications Commission.
“NITDA has been a strong advocate for child online protection through various initiatives, including national strategies and proposed legislation, such as the Online Harms Protection Bill, which addresses age verification and parental controls.
“This policy reinforces the need for age-appropriate online experiences and promotes digital well-being.” commented, Barr. Emmanuel Edet – Director Regulations and Compliance Department, NITDA
To mark the launch, Meta hosted an exclusive event where parents, content creators, policy stakeholders, media and teens could engage on the available safety features and tools.
Meta remains committed to developing tools, resources and partnerships that protect teens and foster safer online experiences for families in Nigeria.
For more information about Teen Accounts and updates to parental supervision tools, visit here
Telecommunication companies have threatened to withdraw their Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD), services from banks over what they called misinformation.
MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom and 9Mobile- the telcos disclosed that the banks’ notice to their customers on the new billing system and airtime deductions for USSD services was misleading.
Also, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) also denied that the directive was from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
USSD is done via shortcodes on mobile phones and allows bank customers to make transactions in places with limited or no internet service.
Recall that banks earlier this week claimed that NCC has directed them to begin charging them from their airtime rather than from customers’ accounts.
The notice from the banks read in part: “In line with the directive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), please be informed that effective June 3, 2025, charges for USSD banking services will no longer be deducted from your bank account.
“Going forward, these charges will be deducted directly from your mobile airtime balance in accordance with the NCC’s End-User Billing (EUB) model.
“Under this new billing structure, each USSD session will attract a charge of ?6.98 per 120 seconds, which will be billed by your mobile network operator.
“You will receive a consent prompt at the start of each session, and airtime will only be deducted upon your confirmation and availability of the bank to fulfil this service.
“If you do not wish to continue using USSD banking under this new model, you may choose to discontinue use of the USSD channel.”
Reacting, ALTON, umbrella body of telecom operators in Nigeria, said the banks’ notice is a gross misinformation deliberately hatched to suit their selfish interests.
Hence they threatened to withdraw network support to the banks’ USSD services.
Engr Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of ALTON told Vanguard: ” I don’t understand why the banks are twisting agreements and distorting information just to favour their selfish interests. In the first place, the information wasn’t a directive from the NCC but a joint regulatory agreement between the NCC and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN witnessed by the telcos and the banks. The agreement was that if the banks finally cleared all USSD debts owed to the telcos by June 2, 2025, they are free to migrate to the end-user billing method, so long as the model of migration is transparent and agreed upon by the telcos.
“The reason for that clause was because the telcos insisted that the process of migration is such that will not allow a customer to be billed twice; in other words, that a subscriber would not have his airtime deducted and also have his or her money deducted for same services from his or her bank account.
” As we speak, some of the banks have cleared their debts, but the majority are yet to do so. So, even if all the modalities of migrating to end-user billing have been perfectly carried out, the implementation cannot even begin because the banks are yet to clear the USSD debt owed to the telcos.
“Our position now is that if that is the way the banks want to treat the agreement, we may withdraw support for their USSD services. It is not a must-have. They can do without it. But, they should clear the debts as agreed,” he added.
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