MTN and UT bank offer ‘Mi-Life mobile insurance (Ghana)
Telecom operator MTN is offering users Mi-Life insurance services in collaborations with UT bank. According to reports, James Bukari, Commercial Manager of Sales, explained at the launch that MTN had realised several products like vehicle traffic devices, Mobile money and others to help their customers not to carry monies in their bags, and students not to walk far away for their school fees.
He said the insurance would help customers to prepare for the unexpected, as it allows every person to insure a loved one, which he said, would work through MTN mobile, where the person receives a confirmation by SMS message.
Bukari indicated that when two persons contribute $0.52 every month for over three, and the unfortunate thing happens, or one dies, $210 will be paid for the other partner as insurance, according to a report by MobileMoneyAfrica.
Furtehr, when they contribute $1 a month for over three months, $420 will be paid to the other person. He further noted that Mi-Life insurance provides money in the event of death of the subscriber or the next of kin.
As per the report, the premium payment for insurance will be deducted from the user’s MTN Mobile Money wallet once per month, while one receives an SMS of the deduction of the monthly premium as the insurance cover is renewed. According to him, once the premium is deducted, the insurance cover lasts for one month until the next monthly premium is deducted.
Airtel Ghana offers rebate on data bundles (Ghana)
Mobile operator Airtel Ghana has introduced 50 percent bonus on all prepaid data bundle rates between 12 midnight and 5 am on its network. Airtel, which has the lowest pay-as-you-go rates in the country, is hopeful that the reduced rates will drive data usage on its network, as reported by Business Ghana.
Oare Ojeikere, Marketing Director at Airtel Ghana explains that the offer, adding to Airtel Ghana’s already low rates, is meant to encourage current customers to do more with Airtel’s internet and to encourage new users on the network. Ojeikere adds that what they want to offer their heavy users and young people in schools engaged in research is to get more for less on other 3.75G network.
Ojeikere added that the reduced rates would be especially beneficial to young people and students who often want to download large music and video files. What they have noticed is that a lot of their student and young customers have quite a large plethora of music files and videos that they follow and download and we know that by offering them half price on browsing, we will be making life a bit easier on their pockets.
Head of Corporate Communications and External Affairs at Airtel Ghana, Donald Gwira said with the increasing popularity of social media especially among the youth, the 50 percent discount would come in handy to the large segment of young people on our network and those who use data as part of their everyday life. With the introduction of Ghana’s first 3.75G internet network two months ago, Gwira said Airtel is positioned to offer the fastest and most affordable rates to enrich the lives of customers. Customers can subscribe by simply dialing *125# to experience life in real time with Airtel’s amazing and affordable Internet services.
Vodacom launches low flat rates for Africa roaming (Africa)
Vodacom customers can expect huge roaming savings when travelling to 6 African countries where Vodacom and Vodafone operate. These countries include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania. Vodacom is leveraging its presence and that of its parent company Vodafone in these African countries, to provide customers who travel to these countries with reduced rates applicable across the Vodacom and Vodafone networks.
The flat rates have resulted in roaming data rates being reduced by more than 70 per cent, from $ 2.2 per MB to only $ 0.64 per MB. In addition, roaming customers will also enjoy free incoming calls when they travel in these countries.
Commenting on the new Africa roaming service, Romeo Kumalo, Chief Commercial Officer at Vodacom said that they know that people want to remain connected whether they are at home or on holiday in Mozambique, and that nobody likes the headache of worrying about roaming bills. What they’re launching today is a solution to give their customers peace of mind when travelling. They now have one low roaming rate across our African family of networks and an especially aggressive data rate – just in time for the Easter holidays.
These rates are only applicable when roaming on the Vodacom Lesotho, Vodacom Mozambique, Vodacom Tanzania, Vodacom DRC, Vodafone Ghana and Safaricom Kenya networks. The reduced rates will automatically apply to all customers who are roaming on the networks above. Standard roaming rates will apply if roaming on a non Vodacom or Vodafone network in these countries.
MTN to work towards better voice quality and data services (Ghana)
South Africa based mobile operator MTN, is working towards improved the voice quality and data services offered to consumers. According to reports, Michael Ikpoki, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Ghana Limited, said it has initiated key infrastructure investment to support voice quality, capacity and data growth of the company.
He said the infrastructure provided was lower in the first half of last year, due to operational supplier difficulty. Ikpoki added that the company would focus all its energies on improving customers experience by investing in network improvement, hiring experienced staff, providing quality service, improving distribution networks and brining on board more value-added services, among other things.
He said that the MTN Group will continue to provide competitive voice offerings aimed at maintaining market share as lower traffic and mobile termination rates, mainly in South Africa and Nigeria impacted revenue growth.
Ikpoki said MTN Ghana has delivered a solid performance as subscribers increased by 16.5 per cent to 10.2 million subscribers owing to attractive promotions. He noted that the market share declined marginally to 52 per cent from 53 per cent, but that could be attributed to the competitive nature of the market.
He said the company would continue its efforts to strengthen its position on the non-voice service and maintain and improve customer experience.
Vodafone Ghana offers lowest call rates across networks (Ghana)
Mobile operator Vodafone Ghana is offering users the lowest call rates in the country, under its 138 plan, in an effort to give customers more value for money. According to reports, the operator offers users lowest rates made to calls across all networks.
Kyle Whitehill, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Vodafone Ghana, said that Vodafone customers are given a greater choice of call plans which best suits their lifestyle and does not restrict the value they get from their choices. This is because the organisation is obsessed with understanding the needs of their customers.
Tara Squire, Head of Consumer Marketing, Vodafone Ghana, said that they believe their customers should get more out of the credit they buy. The fact that this call plan is doing extremely well proves that they are tapped into the needs of their customers. They can be assured that whatever call plan they offer them will be the best in value in the market.
He also said the new plan incorporates valuable customer insight which has informed the reduction in Vodafone to Vodafone calls in the early mornings between 5-7am and late night between 9-11pm.
Squire added that the needs of the customer are central to all their product designs. Ghanaians are family centric and like to use the weekend to stay in touch with their family; the reduced tariff makes it easy for customers to make calls without having to worry about the cost of the call.
MTN extends managed services contract with Ericsson (Africa, Sweden)
South-Africa based mobile telecommunications company MTN has extended its managed services contract with Sweden’s Ericsson for its Ghana operations. According to company reports, the contract was originally signed between the two companies in 2009 for the roll-out of MTN’s 3G network in Ghana. As per the agreement, MTN will retain full ownership of the network and responsibility for its strategic direction, while Ericsson will manage the network operations, optimization and field maintenance for MTN’s 3G sites.
Jon Hoffmann, Chief Technical officer, MTN Ghana said that their first two years together achieved the results they were hoping for: they could focus on subscriber growth, and Ericsson delivered network reliability and efficiencies.
Valter D Avino, Head of Managed Services, Ericsson, has said that MTN and Ericsson collaborate in many areas across this and other regions for several years now and in Ghana they are especially pleased to have been part of the journey towards 10 million subscribers. With Ericsson continuing to run the operations of the network, MTN will be able to dedicate even more time and focus on delivering innovative products and services relevant to the needs of their customers.
Bharti Airtel contemplates mobile service launch in South Africa and Cameroon (Africa)
India’s leading telecommunications operator Bharti Airtel may be planning to expand its network in South Africa and Cameroon, as learned through industry sources. Airtel is a dominant player in the mobile industry with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa.
Mobile penetration has steadily been increasing in African countries, and with most of the global markets being saturated, emerging markets such as Africa provide mobile operators with new opportunities to increase their subscriber base and enhance their revenue.
Currently Airtel offers services in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Madagascar, Niger, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. By adding South Africa and Cameroon, two of Africa’s fastest growing mobile economies to the list, Airtel aims to strengthen its position in Africa.
Airtel is the leading mobile operator in India and is well known for its innovative and competitive tariff pricing. The operator’s entry into these new markets is expected to take the mobile industry by storm and introduce an unprecedented level of competition.
Airtel presently offers services in 15 cities in India and with the population of one Indian city being similar to that of one African country, South Africa and Cameroon have the potential to be extremely lucrative for Bharti Airtel.
Further, sources claim that rival operators currently offering services in these economies such as MTN, Vodacom and Orange are already working on strategies to maintain their market share and offer stiff competition to Airtel.
Glo Mobile plans to launch services in Ghana by January 2012 (Africa)
Nigerian telecom operator Glo Mobile has reportedly announced that it will launch its commercial services in Ghana by January next year. According to reports, George Andah, Chief Operating Officer, Glo Mobile has said that the company will pre-empt the launch by holding a series of activities designed to ensure that Glo Mobile’s superior services get the launch they deserve.
The operator had received its licence in November 2008 and had initially planned to commercially launch its services in November 2011. However, sources claim that Glo Mobile is planning an aggressive entry strategy and expects to go live with 100 percent coverage in January 2012. Further, the operator claims that they have already invested US$ 600 million in Ghana with initial capacity for at least ten million customers initially which could be expanded later.
