Zain is offering the South-South Region residents - particularly students, travellers and those who live and work in places where access to traditional mobile phone is restricted - an opportunity to communicate with the launch of Fixed Phones in that area.
The newly launched Zain’s Fixed Phone or unmanned payphone in the region is also expected to increase the options available to customers and remove barriers to access to communication services including the need to own a mobile phone, which have prevented several people from enjoying the benefits of the ongoing telecom revolution in Nigeria.
The company became the first operator to introduce Fixed Phones in Nigeria when it rolled out the device in April 2008, at the Covenant University, Ota and Redeemer University, Mowe, both in Ogun State; and in various villages including Awgu and Ogwute in the South-East Region, and Ikom in South-South.
According to Imeh James, Zain Nigeria’s general manager, South-South Region, the Fixed Phone is designed to provide Nigerians in the area unrestricted access to telecoms services irrespective of their income level, social status, age, job, and location.
He said the introduction of the service further demonstrates Zain’s commitment to empowering all Nigerians to communicate, adding that the launch of Fixed Phone has opened a fresh opportunity for more Nigerians particularly youths, rural residents and low income earners in the region by offering them easy and convenient access to telephone service at an affordable rate.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony in Benin City, Imeh said the introduction is also expected to boost businesses in the region by creating jobs for many youths in the area and reinforce family and business ties including helping traders keep tap on market prices and helping students stay in touch with their parents while at school.
Zain has deployed Fixed Phone in several cities and communities across Nigeria to improve access to telephone in both rural and urban areas particularly in Universities, Polytechnics, secondary schools, hospitals, camp grounds, among others.
Zain’s GSM Fixed Phones are wireless devices or terminals which are accessible to users all the time and do not require human control and use of mobile handset.
Users of the service do not need to own a mobile phone and can make a call on the Fixed Phone terminal with a special SIM card which has the attributes of a regular SIM card.
Calls can be made on the Zain Fixed Phone terminal by inserting the special SIM card into the device and dialling the numbers on the keys. Users can also send and receive SMS, retrieve voicemails, check credit balance, send and receive "Credit Me" and "Call Me Back" SMS (Value Added Services) on the Zain network.
The benefits of the service include ease of use, ability to monitor calls, elimination of the need to buy handsets, removal of the hassle of carrying phones, accurate and transparent billing, easy access to communication services, ability to call customers on other networks, opportunity to make and receive calls, send and receive SMS, credit, etc.
More so, users of Zain Fixed Phones can migrate to Zain’s offerings including its newly introduced "Tru Package," a stylish product designed to suit the lifestyle and aspirations of youths and the young-at-heart. With Zain Tru Package, phone users can bring down their call and SMS costs significantly, dropping call tariff to 21kobo on weekends and 25 kobo during week days and lowering SMS rate to N3 for up to 10 friends and family members who must be registered for the programme.
The company has recently extended its Fixed Phone rollout to the North Central and South-East regions of Nigeria.
"It is also deployed with those who reside or work in locations where access to phones are either limited or restricted, and those who would like to take advantage of the unique benefits of the service; in mind," he said.
