We’re investing more in data services, says MTN

The General Manager, Corporate Affairs, MTN,
Funmi Onajide, says that a huge part of the
company’s investment in the quality of service for
2015 will shift from voice to data and digital
services.
She said this at the introduction of the company’s
‘BetterMe’ campaign with the unveiling of the
‘My2015BetterMe’ app and three 2015 ‘BetterMe’
bundle offerings for customers across all strata.
“In the past. the focus was on voice – that is the
ability to connect people so that they could make
phone calls. This industry has achieved that with
well over 100 million active subscribers in Nigeria
of which MTN has 60 million subscribers as of the
end of 2014,” Onajide noted.
She, therefore, stated that the telecoms company
had moved from Telco 1.5 to Telco 2.0,
characterised by full-scale focus on data and
digital services leveraging the power of the
Internet.
“That is why we launched a thematic campaign
called ‘Better Me’. The “Better Me’ campaign will
show how ordinary Nigerians can use the power of
the Internet to do extraordinary things in ways that
make for a better life in all sorts of ways.
“As you know, Nigerians are very innovative and
millions of people, especially our youths are
already very familiar with the Internet.
“The ‘Better Me’ campaign will build on that and
we will expose Nigerians from all walks of life to
how they can use the Internet to do all sorts of
things that are relevant to their peculiar
circumstances and show them how various digital
and data products and services can make their
lives better,” she said.
She added that the product/service would
introduce to Nigerians Internet content that they
may not be aware of, for example, local content
websites like pidgin-based websites, local
language news and a variety of useful information,
which should help people to see the positive value
on the Internet.
When asked if the company was planning any
reduction in the cost of its essential services, like
the data and digital services, considering the
prevailing economic crunch in the country, Onajide
said competitive forces within the industry over the
last three years had led to a sharp decline in tariffs
across the industry.
She said, “In addition, MTN has a variety of
bundled products that offer real value and
competitive pricing. A few examples of such, which
were recently launched late 2014 in different parts
of the country, are MTN Shikena in the North; MTN
Akanchawa in the South East; and MTN 777
targeted at the South West.”
Onajide said the telecoms company targeted
products and services that addressed segments of
the markets according to their purchasing power.
“In line with our brand philosophy, we have
continued to deploy a variety of promos,
sponsorships and Corporate Social Responsibility
initiatives that afford Nigerians an opportunity to
enrich their lives and open new opportunities,” she
added.