Etisalat Hits 2 Million Subscribers As It Celebrates One Year in Service

O’ Lekan Babatunde- It was indeed a special evening for the promoters of EMTS business – owners of Etisalat Nigeria, friends and associates of the telecom operator as the company held stakeholders and guests to a uniquely packaged first year anniversary dinner in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. The celebration itself was an uncommon 3-in-1 occasion as the company clocked one year of commercial service in the highly competitive but definitely equally rewarding Nigerian telecoms market. Other highlights of the celebration, according to its Welch Managing Director, Mr. Steven Edward Evans, include the fact that the company, in a timely and stylish fashion, hit the 2 Million subscriber mark precisely two days before its anniversary. The company equally used the occasion to unveil its post paid service targeted at high net-worth individuals. It was indeed a perfect occasion for the launch, as the carefully selected invitees provided a captive audience for the new product. According to the experienced Edward Evans, the EMTS journey into what is proving to be arguably the largest telecoms market in Africa commenced in January 2007 when the company bid and won its mobile license in Africa’s most populous nation. Etisalat was selected as its network partner based on the latter’s track record of successes in different markets. As a distant fifth entrant into the Nigerian market, coming five years after the initial take-off of the first set of operators, the managing director says the challenge has been “the personification of challenge to breathe life into the industry,” especially in the area of service quality, creating downward pressure on price and innovation. These have paid off as Evans reveals that a recent survey by National Communications Commission (NCC) to assess the quality of network operators saw Etisalat emerging top performer in four of the five identified categories. Innovation, for him, is the word that cuts across every facet of the network’s operation. “It is a word we are seeking to own and that has become a part of our operation. It is visible in our quality delivery and our campaigns. These include Etisalat’s ‘easy starter’ – a youth vibrant proposition launched in less than six months of operation, ’9jillion’ promotion and, recently, the brand’s 0809ja campaign that won the “Commercial of the Year Award” at the LAIF Awards. All these are said to reflect the innovative stance of the brand. To Keem Bello-Osagie, Chairman, EMTS, “the full year’s scorecard reveals promises fulfilled.” The vision and mission of the company, according to the Chairman, was to avail subscribers the best in innovation and service excellence. “Within the first 365 days, we are in 30 states of the Federation, including the FCT.” This reflects Etisalat’s penetration and exponential growth in the face of very difficult financial challenges the country has witnessed in 10 years. The company has so far invested over $2 Billion building its network in the Nigeria. Apart from covering 40% of the country’s entire landmass and building 500 active cell sites across the country, in the most innovative way and within the short time under review, Etisalat has been outstanding in its Corporate Social Responsibility. It devotes enormous resources to education, its main CSR platform. It has adopted three schools in the spirit of Lagos State’s Adopt a School Initiative. It has also given scholarships to 300 students of Universities across the country. Going forward, with over 900 (and still growing) staff, the commercial success of the brand is not about to wane. “In our spirit of care, simplicity and optimism, we intend to continue to be the driver of innovation in this market,” in the interest of our present and would-be subscribers,” says the Chairman of the organization, Mr Keem Bello Osagie.