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  • Hypo Emerges 2021 Brand Of The Year, As Haier Thermocool, MTN, Others Also Win Big At ADVAN Awards

    Hypo Emerges 2021 Brand Of The Year, As Haier Thermocool, MTN, Others Also Win Big At ADVAN Awards

     

    Hypo has been declared the Brand of the Year at the 2021 Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) Award for Marketing Excellence held on Sunday 21st of November, 2021 at the Muson Centre, Lagos.

     

    Hypo beat Haier Thermocool and MTN to second and third place respectively.

     

    In the Campaign of the Year Category, MTN-We Move was declared the winner while Coke and Colgate got the second and third positions.

     

    Haier Thermocool won the Innovation Campaign of the Year Category while Star Live won the Experiential Campaign of the Year.

    Hypo Emerges 2021 Brand Of The Year, As Haier Thermocool, MTN, Others Also Win Big At ADVAN Awards

     Bigi was crowned winner in the Indigenous Brand Category as Nirvana Water won the Public Relations Campaign of the Year.

     

    In her welcome address, the president, ADVAN, Mrs. Bunmi Adeniba said the Awards for Marketing Excellence which is in its 10th year is to collectively promote brands and individuals who are contributing to the growth of the Nigerian marketing industry and to redefine the baseline.

    Hypo Emerges 2021 Brand Of The Year, As Haier Thermocool, MTN, Others Also Win Big At ADVAN Awards

    Also speaking, Adia Sowho, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN, said technology has redefined how brands do business and relate with the consumers because consumers now have direct interaction with brand and businesses, bypassing channels through technology and there is a need for business to tap into technology as communication is no longer centralized but decentralized.

    Hypo Emerges 2021 Brand Of The Year, As Haier Thermocool, MTN, Others Also Win Big At ADVAN Awards

     ‘’Technology is here to work for us, not against us. Decision-making is no longer centralized but decentralized. Your brand now belongs to users, they talk about your brand than you. It is no longer the sole property of the organisation alone.’’

    Hypo Emerges 2021 Brand Of The Year, As Haier Thermocool, MTN, Others Also Win Big At ADVAN Awards

    She added that brands need to be data-driven and evidence-led so as to stay relevant in business.

     

    Also speaking, Lagos state governor, Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, represented by Lagos state commissioner for environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, commended the players in the marketing communication industry for their contributions to the positive perception of the country. According to him, ‘ the reward for hard work is more work especially when it comes to branding. There are positive and negative perceptions of the country but it is the duty of advertisers to promote the goodwill of the country. We are brand ambassadors of Nigeria, so whatever we say or do will go a long way in shaping the country’. He said.

    Hypo Emerges 2021 Brand Of The Year, As Haier Thermocool, MTN, Others Also Win Big At ADVAN Awards

    The ADVAN Awards also saw leaders in the marketing communication industry awarded the Icon of Marketing Award.

     

    Those awarded are Mr. Niyi Babatunde, Aare Fatai Odusile, Kola Oyeyemi, Idonrenyen Enang, David Ukeme and Folake Ani-Mumuni.

     

  • Buhari Asks MTN to Reduce Cost of Data

    Buhari Asks MTN to Reduce Cost of Data

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari has asked MTN Group to conduct a downward review of data price for its Nigerian subscribers.

     

    Buhari said this while receiving members of the board of MTN led by its President/Chief Executive Officer, Ralph Mupita, at the state house in Abuja, on Friday.

     

    The president assured MTN that his administration was doing everything possible to have a conducive environment for doing business in Nigeria.

     

    “Nigeria is your most lucrative market in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the source of a third of the income of the entire MTN Group. As such, we urge you to offer top-of-the-range and affordable service to Nigerians,” he said.

     

    “As we seek to make broadband widely available and affordable, we urge MTN to continue to support our efforts by expanding high-quality connectivity to Nigerians in unserved and underserved areas.

     

    “I recently unveiled and launched the national policy for the promotion of indigenous content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector. I call on MTN to support the implementation of this policy and train and engage more Nigerians in your company.

     

    “In particular, we would like you to continue to support our efforts by improving the quality of service and enabling a downward price review of the cost of data and other services, in view of your large market in Nigeria.

     

    “We also urge you to step up your Corporate Social Responsibility programs and support Research and Development that will enhance your services in Nigeria.”

     

     On Wednesday, Karl Toriola, chief executive officer of MTN Nigeria, had informed customers of a possible delay in service delivery amid rising insecurity in the country. However, the telecom giant said it would strive to deliver a seamless and uninterrupted high-quality network experience to meet customer’s needs.

  • MTN Loses 5 Million Subscribers, Records $385.1bn Revenue In Q1 2021

    MTN Loses 5 Million Subscribers, Records $385.1bn Revenue In Q1 2021

     

    Telecom provider, MTN has recorded a service revenue growth by 17.2% YoY to N385.1 billion during the first quarter of 2021. This is up 5.4% from the N365.2bn of the previous quarter.

     

    Karl Toriola, MTN CEO announced: “We made good progress in the first quarter of 2021 despite the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

     

    As revealed in its reports the tremendous feat can be credited to the huge growth of data and voice revenue despite the impact of the pandemic and a decline in subscribers.

     

    The report further reveals that voice revenue, which generated 63% of the total sum, grew by 8.0% from N226.5Bn to N244.6Bn. This growth was supported by the 8.7% increase in traffic and customer value management initiatives. Data revenue saw even higher growth. The report shows that it maintained the positive momentum from Q4 2020, rising by 42.6% YoY to N105.6Bn.

     

    Expenses rose by 14.8% to N180.7bn, mainly driven by a 19.2% increase in operating expenses arising from an accelerated site rollout and the effects of Naira depreciation on lease rental costs.

     

    Similarly, Capital expenditure in the quarter was N89.9 billion, up 19.3% mainly due to site rollouts, while free cash flow increased by 18.9% to N114.7 billion.

     

    MTN explained that the effect of the SIM ban on voice revenue was offset by increased usage by active SIMs in its base and migration to a higher quality of experience.

     

    This was fueled by increased usage, traffic, the boost in 4G penetration and increased network capacity following the acquisition and activation of an additional 800MHz spectrum in March 2021.

     

    Insights from the report show that that data traffic increased by 86.7% with the addition of the 800MHz spectrum enhancing output by 79%.

     

    With the huge revenue MTN raked during the quarter, its profit should have been higher than the N73.7 bn reported. The dropped was caused by the double-digit growth in expenses.

     

    The telco however said the overall increase in expenses was partly mitigated by the comparatively moderate growth of 7.8% in the cost of sales following the suspension of new SIM sales and activations.

     

    Additionally, the report also shows that Mobile subscribers declined by 5 million to 71.5 million while Active data users declined marginally by 71,000 to 32.5 million.

     

    According to the Telco giant, the 4-month NCC ban on new SIM sales and registration effectively curtailed subscriber growth. During the ban, MTN lost a total of 9.2 million subscribers – representing 75% of the 12.2m subscribers it added in the entire 2020.

  • Banks Lift Blockage of USSD Transactions on MTN

    Banks Lift Blockage of USSD Transactions on MTN

     

    Commercial banks have reconnected MTN customers earlier denied access to the unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) payment channels.

     

    In a letter seen by TheCable, on Sunday, Karl Toriola, Managing Director And Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, announced a decision to revert discount offered to banks on airtime sales to 4.5 percent commission.

     

    The mobile network operator (MNO) had reduced banks’ commission from an average of 3.5 percent to 2.5 percent, this led to a disagreement between MTN and commercial banks.

     

    “Our virtual meeting between yourself (Wigwe) and Segun Agbaje (MD of GTBank) on the one hand and myself (Toriola) and Modupe Kadri (chief financial officer of MTN Nigeria) on the other refers,” the letter read.

     

    “In an attempt to resolve the current USSD recharge impasse, given the interventions from our regulators, we hereby agree The Banks revert to the status quo of 4.5% commission.

     

    “However, the banks and MTN Communications Nigeria Plc, shall sit to agree on various options that will result in the reduction in the costs on 6th of April 2021.”

     

    Commercial banks had asked MTN to reverse its action to the old commission or would block MTN airtime recharge services in both mobile banking applications and unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) payment channels.

     

    Due to MTN’s refusal to revert back the commission percentage, commercial banks except Zenith Bank, which is connected directly to the MNO, denied customers access to the USSD platform, leaving many subscribers stranded and frustrated as they were informed to recharge their lines with physical cards.

     

    On Friday, Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, had said the issue encountered by MTN users through the USSD channel will be resolved soon.

     

    On Saturday, MTN had offered alternative channels for its subscribers to use in recharging their lines such as dialling *904# and *606#, and other electronic payment platforms.

  • MTN Unveils Revamped Pulse

    MTN Unveils Revamped Pulse

    MTN has unveiled a range of features and offerings giving subscribers access to affordable data rates under its recently revamped Pulse proposition for Nigerian youth.

     

    This is part of the company’s commitment to support Nigerian youths with platforms that will ignite their passion and creativity.

     

    A statement by the telco explained that the new Pulse plans include Instagram and TikTok bundles of 350MB for N100, valid for 1 day and 1GB for N200, valid for seven days respectively.

     

    It stated that the nightlife bundle of 250MB for N25 also allows subscribers to buy up to 2GB usable between 11 pm – 6 am daily.

     

    In addition, subscribers will also earn Pulse points when they buy IG/TikTok bundles, subscribe to MusicTime, or buy data via myMTNApp.

     

    The points are accumulated and can be exchanged for free data.

     

    Commenting on the Pulse revamp plans, Acting Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, Anthony Obi said: “Nigerian youths are diverse, with varying interests. They are constantly seeking platforms, plans, and opportunities to enable them to do more.

     

    “In addition to the important need for our youth to socialise, especially in these unusual times, many of them now use the platforms as their digital office to earn a living.

     

    “We have created the new Pulse to support them in their quest to stay connected and live their dreams”.

     

    MTN Pulse is a prepaid tariff plan that allows customers to enjoy low call rates across all local networks, nightlife bundles of up to 2GB for N200, and accumulate points, which can be exchanged for free data.

  • Minister Lauds MTN For Appointing Nigerian CEO

    Minister Lauds MTN For Appointing Nigerian CEO

    The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, has commended MTN Nigeria for appointing a Nigerian to lead the telecommunications and ICT services provider.

     

    According to a statement issued on Sunday, Pantami gave the commendation during a courtesy visit by MTN’s Chairman, Ernest Ndukwe, Chief Executive Officer-designate, Karl Toriola, and Chief Corporate Services Officer, Tobechukwu Okigbo.

     

    The statement said the aim of the visit was to officially introduce the CEO-designate to the minister and to demonstrate commitment to the MTN Nigerianization Agenda – an initiative geared at increasing local participation in the telco’s top management and promoting local content.

     

    Ndukwe gave the assurance that plans were underway to give Nigerians more access to the MTN opportunity.

     

    “In spite of the current limitations, we are working with stakeholders to increase local ownership of MTN Nigeria and at the same time increase equity in Nigeria’s capital markets,” he added.

     

    Pantami also praised MTN Nigeria for its corporate social investment activities through the MTN Foundation.

  • MTN Expands NIN Enrolment Capabilities To Rural Areas

    MTN Expands NIN Enrolment Capabilities To Rural Areas

    MTN has said it is exponentially increasing capacity to provide National Identity Number enrolment services across its customer interaction touch points pan-Nigeria, rural locations inclusive.

     

    The telco in a statement issued on Thursday said it had deployed an onsite appointment booking system designed to limit indoor crowding, alongside standard COVID-19 safety protocols at its service centres, adding that it planned to launch an online version shortly.

     

    The company said this was to further support the Federal Government and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy’s efforts to drive the NIN registration.

     

    According to MTN, a reliable and sustainable national identity management system would deliver multiple benefits to the telecoms industry and the country as a whole by aiding national economic planning and enhancing security, governance and service delivery at all levels.

     

    MTN reiterated its commitment to roll out thousands of enrolment devices across all geo-political zones, noting that it had already commenced enrolment for NINs at a limited number of its service centres across Nigeria.

     

    “We seek the continued patience and understanding of our esteemed customers and the public as we continue scaling up capacity,” said the Chief Customer Relations Officer for MTN Nigeria, Ugonwa Nwoye.

     

    He gave the assurance that the telco was working with the NIMC and Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to expand the number of enrolment centres, and ensure they provided an access point for as many Nigerians.

     

    “This involves close collaboration between other Mobile Network Operators and NIMC to ensure certification and technical integration is seamless while offering maximum possible protection from COVID-19,” Nwoye added.

     

    He said MTN was committed to collaborating with the government to ensure Nigerians had access to a location where they could enrol in the NIN system, while simultaneously registering their SIM cards, which he noted was critical to the expansion of the digital economy.

  • MTN Begins NIN Enrollment In Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt

    MTN Begins NIN Enrollment In Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt

    MTN Nigeria said it has commenced enrollment for National Identification Number, NIN.

     

    MTN’s Senior Manager, External Relations, Funso Aina, said that the telco had secured Nigerian Identity Management Commission licence for NIN enrollment and had begun enrollment at some of its centres in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja.

     

    He noted that MTN had invested in acquiring devices aligned with NIMC standard.

     

    He also assured that the number of locations would increase with time.

     

    Aina said, “We have commenced enrollment for NIN at a limited number of locations.

     

    “This number will rise as certification and other dependencies on the Nigerian Identity Management Commission for roll-out of such locations are addressed.

     

    “We have applied for and secured NIMC licence for enrollment. Additionally, we have invested in acquiring devices aligned with NIMC standard.”

     

    “We continue to work with NIMC, NCC and other stakeholders towards resolution of issues which are outside our control, but are nevertheless key dependencies for further roll-out.”

     

    The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria, ALTON Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, said in a matter of weeks every operator would start NIN enrollment.

     

    He noted that operators had commenced preparatory arrangements in the regard of procurement, licensing and deployment.

     

    Adebayo said, “There are still administrative issues that are now being concluded.

     

    “There were procurement issues which was taking a little bit of time to start, but once operators start, we’ll ensure that the enrollment would commence and be wrapped with full speed.”

     

    Adebayo added that regardless of the difference in time, the entire industry were all committed to the exercise.

     

    Nigerians have been crowding NIMC registration centres in the bid to beat the Federal Government’s February 9 deadline for integration of subscribers’ numbers with their NINs.

     

    This prompted NIMC to license the telcos and other entities to provide identity numbers to those that have not been able to secure their own from the limited registration centres.

  • NIMC Gives MTN, Airtel, Others Licence To Provide NIN

    NIMC Gives MTN, Airtel, Others Licence To Provide NIN

    Telecommunications companies have been licensed to register people who do not have National Identity Numbers so as to reduce the large crowds at the offices of the National Identity Management Commission, the NIMC has said.

     

    Director-General, NIMC, Aliyu Aziz, said some other private and public organisations had also been licensed by the commission to provide NINs in order to address the crowds at commission’s offices.

     

    This came as workers of the commission said on Tuesday that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, had constituted a committee to address the demands of NIMC employees.

     

    NIMC workers had downed tools on January 7, 2021 in protest against the poor welfare issues at the commission, but their strike was suspended after the intervention of the minister.

     

    Responding to an enquiry as regards measures taken by NIMC with respect to complains by citizens and the crowds at the commission’s offices, Aziz said mobile network operators had been empowered to also give the identity numbers.

     

    “We have licensed private and public sector organisations including telcos (telecommunications companies) so as to create more centres,” he stated in a WhatsApp message to our correspondent.

     

    On December 15, 2020, the Federal Government declared that after December 30, 2020, all SIMs that were not registered with valid NINs on the network of telecommunications companies would be blocked.

     

    It later extended the December 30, 2020 deadline following widespread opposition against the earlier announcement and gave three weeks’ extension for subscribers with NIN from December 30, 2020 to January 19, 2021.

     

    It also gave six weeks’ extension for subscribers without NIN from December 30, 2020 to February 9, 2021, but many organisations had called for further deadline extension or outright suspension of the NIN registration process due to the large crowds who had yet to have their NINs.

     

    On the meeting between NIMC workers and the communication minister, the President, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, NIMC Unit, Asekokhai Lucky, said some resolutions were reached.

     

    He said the minister told the union that some of the demands being presented by the workers were new to him, as he only took over the supervisory role of NIMC in October 2020.

     

    “So what he (Pantami) did was to set up a seven-man committee to work on the issues and submit a report to him in two weeks’ time,” Lucky stated.

     

    Lucky said the 21-day ultimatum earlier issued the management of NIMC was still in force, although there had been calls for the union to step down the ultimatum.