Telecom
Zain Nigeria Wins Global Award for Rural Telephone
Zain Nigeria has won a global award in London, the United Kingdom, for introducing a rural telephone micro franchise programme, aimed at empowering rural people to communicate and create wealth and employment
The company got the global recognition in the "Emerging Markets Expansions Innovation award" category with its Rural Acquisition Initiative (RAI), beating competition from other big players in the international telecom industry.
The organizers of the award explained that Zain’s RAI which was first introduced on a pilot scale in the South East region of Nigeria in 2006 followed by a national rollout in 2008 is the first of such an approach to serve rural consumers in Africa.
Also, Zain Group, the leading telecommunications company in Africa and the Middle East, won the Global Telecoms Business Wireless network infrastructure innovation award for ‘One Network’, the world’s first borderless or roaming free mobile telecoms network service.
The awards were presented in a glittering ceremony at the Sheraton Park Lane hotel in London, to the architects of the most innovative projects in the global telecom industry. The ceremony which was organised by Global Telecom Business attracted many high profile players in the industry.
Zain RAI which is targeted at low income consumers in most rural and poorest parts of Nigeria is a massive but still under-tapped market centres on an innovative micro-franchising plan for base stations management. The telecom franchise programme initiative is designed to involve rural residents in base station management and distribution programme, creating jobs, wealth, and improved products and services availability in the process.
Franchisees selected for the programme are the drivers of the programme as local entrepreneurs and in turn recruit representatives from their locality to sell services and protect local base station at the centre of their area. They are given necessary technical, marketing, sales and financial support by Zain to help grow their businesses.
Lars Stork, chief operating officer, Zain Nigeria, said that RAI demonstrates the company’s commitment to empowering the 50% of Nigerians who live and work in rural communities to communicate and boost their businesses.
According to him the award is an acknowledgement of the success of the programme which has brought about sustainable job creation, local wealth generation, and improved availability of Zain’s products and services as well as reduction in security threat by unemployed youths in many local communities.
On the other hand, ‘One Network’, the world’s first borderless mobile telecoms network service was adjudged a ground breaking innovation and hence deserving of the award.
Zain ‘One Network’ service reduces the cost of making telephone calls by allowing customers to communicate freely across geographical borders and continents without roaming call surcharges and without having to pay to receive incoming calls wherever they travel in the 16 countries that currently participate in Zain’s One Network. In addition the customers are able to top up their prepaid accounts with airtime purchased from more than 1 million sales outlets in any of the countries in which One Network is operational.
In acknowledgement, Dr Saad Al Barrak, Zain chief executive officer, said the the award is testament to the considerable investment and commitment to a project that connects customers across the many countries in which Zain operates. "The GTB Innovation Award also honours those whose hard work has gone into the One Network initiative, which delivers on our promise to provide unique and innovative products and services for Zain customers," he said.
MTN Nigeria Communications PLC has announced that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved the renewal of the spectrum lease agreement between MTN Nigeria and Natcom Development and Investment Limited (NTEL).
Uto Ukpanah, Company Secretary in a statement released recently said that the agreement covers the lease of NTEL’s 5MHz frequency division duplex (FDD) in the 900MHz spectrum band and 10MHz FDD in the 1800MHz spectrum band, which spans 19 states.
The renewal is for another two-year period, effective 1 May 2025. Additionally, the NCC has approved a one-year lease expansion of the spectrums, covering the remaining 17 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), effective 1 January 2025.
Commenting on the transactions, MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola said, “We are pleased with the renewal of the spectrum lease agreement with NTEL, which now includes coverage for all states, including the FCT.
“The lease enables us to enhance our 3G and 4G user experience as we improve coverage and capacity by utilising the spectrums.
“This positions us to capitalise on the growing demand for data and improve the delivery of services to our customers.”
Nigeria’s technology company, Globacom, has extended warm felicitations to Nigerians on the occasion of the 2024 Christmas celebrations.
In a goodwill message released in Lagos, Globacom urged Nigerians to embrace the spirit of love and kindness during the festive season, especially in the face of prevailing economic challenges.
The company emphasized the importance of practicing the teachings of Jesus Christ, particularly the virtues of obedience to God and loving one’s neighbor as well.
“Christ taught many virtues including obedience to God and loving one’s neighbour as oneself”, the company said, adding, “Now is the apt time to practise these teachings by sharing with the needy”.
Globacom also encouraged Nigerians to extend the conviviality of Christmas beyond the festive season by fostering love, peace, and harmony, as demonstrated by God through the birth of Jesus Christ.
Assuring its customers of uninterrupted services throughout the Yuletide period and beyond, Globacom urged them to take advantage of its innovative products and services to stay connected and share the memories of the season with loved ones.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have ordered Deposit Money Banks and Mobile Network Operators to settle the long-standing N250bn USSD debt dispute before January 2, 2025.
The CBN and NCC also directed banks to pay the pre-Application Programming Interfaces (API) debt before July 2, 2025.
They also ordered that post-API debts be settled before December 31, 2024.
The directive was issued in a joint cirular titled, “2nd Joint Circular of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission on the Resolution of the USSD Debt Issue Between Deposit Money Banks and Mobile Network Operators.”
The circular dated December 20, 2024, was signed by Oladimeji Taiwo, acting director of the Payments System Management Department, CBN, and Chizua Whyte, head of Legal and Regulatory Services, NCC.
The regulators said, “In view of the foregoing, the CBN and the NCC hereby direct DMBs and MNOs as follows: 1. That 60 per cent of all pre-API invoices must be paid as full and final settlement.
“Payment plans (lump sum or installments) must be agreed upon between a concerned DMB and MNO by January 2, 2025. Installments must be based on equal monthly payments, with full payment due by July 2, 2025.
“DMBs must pay 85 per cent of all outstanding invoices issued after the implementation of APIs (i.e., February 2022) by December 31, 2024.
“Similarly, 85 per cent of future invoices must be liquidated within one month of service.”
According to the regulators, the transition to end-user billing will be activated only for DMBs and MNOs that comply with the payment conditions cobtained in the circular.
CBN and the NCC said they would provide further guidance on public enlightenment initiatives related to the transition.
The regulators also directed MNOs to implement the “10-seconds rule” for USSD invoicing.
This implies that any session lasting less than ten seconds will not be billable.
The regulators added, “Failure to comply with the terms outlined in this directive will attract necessary sanctions, ensuring that both DMBs and MNOs uphold their obligations.”
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