Etisalat subscribers who have benefited in the ongoing special promotion package are full of praises to the telecommunications company for the promo.

The promo offers two months free subscription at the purchase of any of the blackberry devices – BlackBerry bold 9000, Storm 9500 and Curve 8900 on the unique BlackBerry Internet Service plan.

The promo opened to new and existing customers on both prepaid and postpaid will run till January 20, 2010.

For Idris Muhammed who bought his package from Etisalat’s Experience Centre at SilverBird Galleria, it was an opportunity that could not be allowed to slip by. “I have always wanted to buy a Blackberry but was not really sure from which of the networks to go for, but the promo is a kind of encouragement coupled with a friend’s experience on the package. It has been an experience worth the money and I will simply encourage anyone to go get it because it works for me”.

 Chiahmen Philomena a student of University of Abuja said that the promo provided the opportunity she has been waiting for to join the leagues of big girls in her school; and she would encourage her friends to also subscribe to the package because it is really worth the money spent. “Look, the promo just came at the right time when my father wanted to give me a Christmas gift. The experience has been wonderful and I cannot wait to get my friends to join the big girls’ league. Etisalat Blackberry service is quite functional and cool”.

According to John Uwana a businessman who subscribed to the Blackberry internet service plan at Etisalat’s Temp shop in Enugu, continuous subscription to the package after the promo is non-negotiable as it will be ridiculous for anyone to get the package only for promo and discard afterwards. According to him, “Fine, the promo gives one some kind of easy entrance, but I will sure continue to subscribe and enjoy the service because it is very fast. The promo actually hastened my subscription because I have been dilly-dallying before now.”  

“I find the free subscription attractive really, may be I would have delayed buying if there was no promo; again the experience is worth recommending to others. The internet service is quite efficient; it is different from the one I was using before. I will sure continue to subscribe after the promo because I need the service to keep ahead in my business,” said Folayemi Cardoso, an Aviation executive who bought her package at Etisalat shop at Mega Plaza.

 Explaining the rationale for the promo, Wael Ammar, Etisalat chief marketing Officer, said “the BlackBerry Internet Service promo reflects a continuous drive by Etisalat in providing the necessary tools and devices for our customers in order to gain that competitive advantage in their business and family relationship. It will also help our customers in expanding the value derivable from mobile telephony far beyond internet and data transmission but also enhanced connectivity”.

Etisalat Nigeria in October 2009 partnered with Research In Motion (RIM) to launch the BlackBerry® solution which offered the latest in Blackberry smartphones, the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900 and BlackBerry® Bold™. Both exceptional smartphones with built-in Wi-Fi® support and advanced multimedia capabilities. The BlackBerry solution brings together industry-leading smartphones, software and services to provide powerful and easy-to-use email, phone, calendar, web and multimedia applications, as well as access to thousands of other mobile business and lifestyle applications.

The company recently introduced the pre-paid variants of its Elite World package in response to the yearnings of its numerous customers who desire the benefits of the elite package without the commitment of a post paid contract.