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Nominees for Beacon of ICT Awards

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CDMA OPERATOR OF THE YEAR

ZoomMobile: Leader and Preferred CDMA Operator

ZoomMobile is leader and most preferred wireless service provider in Nigeria.
Having distinguished itself through customer satisfaction, better quality service and strong brand image, ZoomMobile is the pride of telecommunications industry.
ZoomMobile, incorporated on August 25, 1998, as Reliance Telecommunications Limited (Reltel Wireless) hinges its operations on "PIICO", core values which translates to professionalism, integrity, innovation, commitment and one family.
With world class products and services, ZoomMobile is providing solutions to the challenges faced by his/her subscriber anytime, anyday and anywhere ensuring the subscriber uses its’ products & services always with a pleasing experience.
ZoomMobile’s financial performance and solid corporate governance are some qualities that make it a standout amongst their peers.
It is one of the companies enhancing their technologies and taking the telecom industry to a much higher growth state.
Vote, ZoomMobile: “ZoomMobile: CDMA Operator of the Year” by sending email to [email protected]

Starcomms: Simplifying Lifestyle with Outstanding Offerings

Starcomms, Nigeria’s leading telecommunications operator and leading "triple-play" (mobile, fixed wireless voice, wireless broadband) provider.
It is the first telecommunications operator in Nigeria to be listed on the domestic Exchange and also was the first company in Africa to launch EV-DO high-speed broadband services in June 2006.
The company is proud to be Nigeria’s largest CDMA 3G Mobile Network, a clear leader in the introduction of innovative products and services to the Nigerian market, continuously enhancing and simplifying the lifestyle of its customers.
Starcomms has a long standing history with CDMA and is on record as the first in Africa to implement CDMA ONE using the IS-95A in 1998, and in 2002 Starcomms expanded its platform and network to provide fully functional fax & data at 14.4 kbs – a first for Nigeria.
In recognition of its role, Starcomms has received various telecommunication awards for excellence based on its outstanding market performance, that is optimal network capacity, world class customer service and innovative & overall  quality of service in Nigeria.
Vote, Starcomms: “Starcomms: CDMA Operator of the Year” by sending email to [email protected]

 

Multi-Links: Setting the Pace for Others

Multi-Links is one of the major players in the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) space of the country’s telecommunications industry. Since its wholesome acquisition by Telkom of South Africa, there have been tremendous changes in the operations of the company ranging of expanded network rollout plan that saw Multi-links Telkom rolling out services in different cities of the country, as against what it used to be associated with as South West operator.
Multi-Links Telkom has remained the only CDMA operator with an optic fibre link from Lagos to Abuja linking all South West cities to the network. The optic fibre link has made it possible for Multi-Links Telkom to provide its subscribers with high quality voice calls as well as data services.
Among services offered by the operator includes 1x data service, EVDO Router, and Blue 3Gbroadband which offers its subscribers an incredible web browsing experience designed to achieve more no matter who you are or for whatever purpose you are using the internet.
The Blue broadband is powered by the Rev. A EVDO Technology is a personal wireless service designed for a wide range of customers from business people to students.
Vote, Multi-Links Telkom: “Multi-Links Telkom: CDMA Operator of the Year” by sending email to [email protected]

 

Visafone: Most Preferred CDMA Operator

Visafone is the youngest CDMA operator in name but the biggest in terms of number of subscribers on its network. Visafone came as a result of acquisition of CellCom, Bourdex telecom, and Independent Telephone Network (ITN) by Jim Ovia, managing director of Zenith Bank Plc.
Since its coming on board to CDMA space, Visafone has rewritten stories in the sector by becoming the first telecom operator to hit one million subscriber mark within six months of its rollout of service. Perhaps it is Visafone’s very clear calls, fast internet connection, variety of handsets, wide reliable network coverage and lowest international call rates that have endeared it to Nigerians.
According to recent NCC reports, Visafone leads the CDMA sub-sector with 3 million subscribers; Starcomms follows with over 2.3 million while Multilinks has 2 million subscribers. Visafone has been declared the largest CDMA operator and the 4th largest mobile telephone operator in Nigeria by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Visafone, an indigenous company won the license for operations in August 2007 and rolled out its network in February 2008.
Vote, Visafone: “Visafone CDMA Operator of the Year” by sending email to [email protected]

 

CSR COMPANY OF THE YEAR

MTN: Offering Quality Communication and Life
 

Since launch in August 2001, MTN Nigeria has steadily deployed its services across the country, earning on the way a reputation as the most reliable and subscriber centric operator.
MTN Nigeria is also widely known for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative aimed at reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development in Nigeria.
To institutionalize the initiative, it established in July 2004 the MTN Foundation.
Today, the Foundation is the vehicle through which MTN Nigeria implements its Corporate Social Investment initiatives.
The focus of the Foundation is to give back to society and impact the quality of lives in the communities where they operate in a meaningful and sustainable fashion.
The MTN Foundation partners with both public and credible private organisations to execute sustainable projects in each of the chosen focus areas.
The Foundation empowers Nigerians, not only by facilitating effective communications, but by ensuring that communities and ordinary Nigerians will have access to better education, good health and be economically empowered
Vote MTN, “MTN: CSR Company of the Year” by sending a mail to [email protected]

 

Globacom: People Oriented Company

The company strives to identify with social responsibility needs in all the markets in which it operates.
Although, its focus at the moment includes job creation and youth empowerment, it is in the area of sports development that it has distinguished itself.
Globacom is fast emerging as the biggest supporter of sports in Africa, with huge investments in football development and athletics.
For Globacom, CSR is a voluntary approach that it takes to meet or exceed stakeholder expectations by integrating social, ethical, and environmental concerns together with the usual measures of revenue, profit, and legal obligation.
Working with some of the best brains in this part of the world, Globacom’s CSR is focused on building understanding of incentives and pressure points, and on improving strategic interactions.
Vote Globacom, “Globacom: CSR Company of the Year” by sending a mail to [email protected]

 

Zain Nigeria: A Social Responsible Company

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has formed an integral part Zain Nigeria’s business.
This is out of the realization that operator need to give back to the society where it is operating and which is supporting them through the use of their services.
In this regard, the operator has executed projects as well as support communities in areas that are improving their life.
Notable among such efforts are commissioning of several projects worth $1,000,000.00 (one million USD) in University of Ibadan as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programmes and its brand philosophy of empowering Nigerians to enjoy a wonderful world.
The commissioned projects included a Solar Energy Centre, renovation of Mellanby Hall and construction of a Basketball Court in the Hall, and construction of Car Parks, convenience and offices on Oduduwa Road, all designed to help improve the lives and health of the University community.
Zain Nigeria has donated food and other household materials to 38 charity homes across the country in its bid to bring some succor to the less privileged during the yuletide season.
The charity homes, which are mainly orphanages, were drawn from the 36 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Alain Sainte-Marie, chief executive officer of Zain Nigeria, said, the philosophy of a wonderful world, which is espouse in Zain, is borne out of the desire to continuously improve the quality of life of people and make the world a better place to live. “This is not realizable, if we do not spare a thought for our less privileged brothers and sisters, especially at this time of the year-and that is what we have done with these donations,” he said.
He explained that Zain Nigeria operates a “No Gift” policy, which means that rather than give gifts to already well-off business associates, the company donates the value in kind to the less privileged. By the same token, these associates are encouraged not to give gifts to Zain employees, but instead donate the value to charities nearest to them, on behalf of Zain.

Vote Zain, “Zain: CSR Company of the Year” by sending a mail to [email protected]

 

CUSTOMER CARE COMPANY OF THE YEAR

Globacom: Putting Premium on Each Subscriber

Globacom values each and every customer.
As the saying in Glo “You are more than just a number to us at Glo; you are our most valuable asset. This is the reason we invest such a lot of time and resource into our customer care department”
Glo gives subscribers guaranteed satisfaction, reliability, and fast action with its round the clock customer care support.
The company also recently launched its new Self care service which enables subscribers access information about the network’s services via the telephone is now available in local languages, in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba languages.
The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) service, the first such offer in the market, gives subscribers the opportunity of learning about the company and its activities without going to the website or calling the Glo Call Centre on 121 or 200 to speak with a customer care representative.
Through the offer, customers can dial in and listen to basic static information on Glo products and services including its rich bouquet of value added services, promotional offers, SIM replacement and special numbers, among other things.
Globacom’s Customer Care Department compares with the best in the world. It is equipped with the latest technology and is manned by well trained and highly motivated staff.
Vote Globacom, “Globacom: Effective Customer Care Operator of the Year” by sending email to [email protected]

Zain: Where the Customer is King

Zain Nigeria revolutionized customer service delivery in the country with massive investment in cutting edge technologies which enable it provide up-to-the-minute solutions to its customers.
At Zain, the customer is king. The company strives to cater for customer’ needs by providing superior customer care experience.
This is the company’s focus and the core business. It is not just a technology company, the company is out to serve Nigerians.
Zain’s passion for customer service since its inception in 2001 has enabled the company to dominate the customer care category in industry awards.
From every angle, Zain has long standing good customer service and is happy about it.
Vote Zain, “Zain: Effective Customer Care Operator of the Year” by sending email to [email protected]

Multi-Links Telkom: Model Customer Care

Multi-Links Telkom, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operator, is a model telecom operator with one of the world class customer care.
Its flagship customer centre is a manifestation of the Telkom corporate identity detailing its logo type, corporate brand name, corporate culture projection in its interior and exterior looks and feel, visual languages and service delivery.
The total brand transformation is a product of intense analysis of brand equity and brand promise as well as the customers’ expectations.
Multi-Links Telekom customer care is an expression of the inner energy designed to make the customer well catered for.
As a foremost operator in the liberalized telecommunications market, its customer service delivery stands as the model customer care centre that further reinforces the leadership role of Multi-Links Telkom in that area.
Vote Multi-Links Telkom, “Multi-Links Telkom: Effective Customer Care Operator of the Year” by sending email to [email protected]

MTN: Moving Customer Care to the Next Level
The consumers of telecom products and services have many desires expected to be met. He wants services available at all times and at every place. The consumer wants the services to be of a good quality and affordable. The consumer wants the operator to respond at all times when he or she needs attention, and to provide explanations whenever anything goes wrong on the network.
All these are the objectives of Zain Nigeria customer care policy has set out to achieve. MTN has provided its subscribers with unmatched customer care service experience which has earned it several awards.
Customer satisfaction has been the bedrock of Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN) Nigeria customer care policy. This is responsible for the company’s revolutionary approach to customer care. MTN is the first Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) operator to introduce Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system at its call centres.
MTN believes that the best customer care service delivery is to provide subscribers with quality service which in turn will reduce the intensity of subscribers complaints, by so doing that the leading GSM operators recently upgraded its system through the implementation of a robust Internet Protocol based technology which has given the company capability to process over 500 million calls per annum. It noted that the upgrade has given the network enough capacity to process both voice and data services for the satisfaction of its subscribers.
Vote MTN, “MTN: Effective Customer Care Operator of the Year” by sending email to [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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PalmPay Joins Industry Leaders @ Digital Pay Expo 2026

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As digital payment adoption continues to grow across Nigeria and emerging markets, the next phase will depend not just on innovation, but on the strength, reliability, and trustworthiness of the infrastructure behind it.

While the ecosystem has made clear progress in recent years, trust remains a critical issue for users, businesses, and operators alike. Questions around resilience, security, interoperability and transaction reliability continue to shape how the market evolves and how confidently digital payments can scale.

These issues will be central to the deliberations at Digital Pay Expo 2026, where fintech leaders, payment operators, and other ecosystem stakeholders will gather under the theme, “Seamless Digital: Fostering Pan-African Market Expansion in the Era of AI.”

PalmPay’s participation reflects its continued commitment to building trusted and scalable payment infrastructure, while contributing to the broader industry efforts to strengthen systems, standards, and partnerships needed to support long-term ecosystem growth.

Speaking ahead of the event, Olorunfemi Hanson, Head of Marketing and Communications at PalmPay Nigeria, said: “As the financial services ecosystem continues to grow, trust and reliability become even more important.

“The industry’s next phase will be shaped not only by innovation, but by the strength of the infrastructure supporting it. Digital Pay Expo provides an important platform to address the resilience, interoperability, and trust issues that will shape the future of digital payments growth across Africa.”

The event, scheduled to be held from the 17th to the 18th of June, 2026, will feature Chika Nwosu, Managing Director of PalmPay Nigeria, alongside other distinguished guests, including the Director-General, Payment System Management Department (PSMD), Central Bank of Nigeria. The event will examine how the industry can balance innovation, regulation, and scalability while strengthening trust across the digital payments value chain.

For PalmPay, this event reinforces its role in supporting a more resilient, secure and scalable payments ecosystem for Nigeria and emerging markets more broadly.


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UK, Nigeria Launch £15m Growth Programme to Accelerate Economic Transformation

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The UK Minister for Africa and International Development, Baroness Jenny Chapman, has concluded a two-day visit to Nigeria, during which she announced a new £15 million Growth Programme, deepened cooperation on digital transformation and health, and visited communities benefiting directly from UK investment on the ground.

The visit, spanning Abuja and Kaduna, underscored the breadth and depth of the UK–Nigeria Strategic Partnership and marked a significant step towards both countries’ shared priorities.

The UK–Nigeria Growth Programme

The centrepiece was the meeting with Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele. During their meeting, they discussed the new UK–Nigeria Growth Programme. Over three years, it will accelerate economic transformation, unlock private investment and support Nigeria’s transition from macroeconomic stabilisation to sustained, reform-led growth.

Alongside the Growth Programme, the UK announced deeper collaboration on Nigeria’s digital economy through the SPRIRET initiative, delivered under the UK’s Digital Access Programme. SPRIRET will support digital governance reforms across five Nigerian states, reducing regulatory barriers and enabling greater investment and innovation in broadband, digital services and emerging technology.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele said: “We continue to value the UK–Nigeria relationship, one of the most important partnerships for both our countries. Today, that relationship extends beyond traditional ties and now focuses on development, growth, and shared prosperity.

“The UK–Nigeria Growth Programme helps bring this partnership to life—supporting capital market development, technology investment, small businesses, and technical assistance. We look forward to seeing how these opportunities deliver lasting benefits and drive progress for both countries.”

Trade and bilateral ministerial meeting

During the visit, Baroness Chapman met with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole. Discussions covered progress under the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP), including boosting exports via the Developing Countries Trading Scheme, fintech and capital markets links.

Kaduna: building on two decades of partnership

In Kaduna, Baroness Chapman met with Governor Uba Sani to take stock of over 20 years of UK–Kaduna partnership and explore how cooperation can deepen shared priorities. She heard from the business community and key institutional investors about their investment aspirations and the role of the UK in supporting investment mobilisation and enabling climate finance.

She met with community animal health workers and livestock breeders to discuss the UK’s support on breeding techniques, animal health and livestock vaccines. She also visited Unguwan Sanusi Primary Health Care Centre, which serves approximately 20,000 people in Kaduna South, hearing directly from patients and frontline health workers about the impact of UK-supported health programmes.

At the end of the visit, the UK Minister for Africa and International Development, Baroness Jenny Chapman, said: “This visit has reinforced everything I believe about the UK–Nigeria partnership.

“That it is deep, it is real, and it is moving in the right direction. From launching our new Growth Programme with Honourable Minister Oyedele, to meeting from frontline health workers in Kaduna — every conversation this week has shown me a country full of ambition and a partnership that is genuinely delivering for both sides.

“Nigeria is a partner that the UK is proud to stand alongside and I leave more convinced than ever that the next chapter of this partnership is its most exciting yet. The UK is here for the long term, and we are ready to grow together.”

 


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Mobile Internet Gender Gap Widest in Africa – GSMA

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More than 810 million women across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain offline, with Sub-Saharan Africa recording one of the world’s widest mobile internet gender gaps.

According to the GSM Association’s (GSMA’s) Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026, released this week, women in LMICs are still 12% less likely to use mobile internet than men, leaving an estimated 200 million fewer women connected than their male counterparts.

This is despite mobile internet becoming the primary gateway to the digital economy, according to new research from the GSMA.

The report reveals that of the 810 million women who remain offline globally, more than two-thirds live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia −regions that continue to experience the widest disparities in digital access.

The findings highlight significant implications for Africa, and the challenges facing governments, mobile operators and development agencies seeking to expand digital inclusion.

The report notes that Sub-Saharan Africa’s mobile internet gender gap stands at 26%, second only to South Asia’s 25%. The divide becomes even more pronounced outside major cities.

“In LMICs, the gender gap in mobile internet adoption tends to be two to three times wider in rural areas than urban areas. In 2025, across all LMICs, the gender gap in mobile internet adoption was more than three times wider in rural areas than in urban areas.

“There is also a difference at the regional level, where the gender gap in mobile internet adoption is wider in rural than urban areas of LMICs in every region except Europe and Central Asia.”

For Africa, the rural challenge is particularly severe, the report warns.

The GSMA found that the gender gap in mobile internet adoption reaches 34% in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, compared to 21% in urban centres.

Device challenge

Smartphone ownership remains a major obstacle to digital inclusion. The report found that women across LMICs are 13% less likely to own a smartphone than men, representing approximately 210 million fewer women with access to internet-enabled devices.

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, only 34% of women own smartphones, with the region recording a smartphone ownership gender gap of 22%, with access to internet-enabled devices remaining one of the most important factors influencing whether women eventually adopt mobile internet services.

“The type of mobile device a person owns matters, as it typically affects whether and how they use the internet. Once someone owns a smartphone, they are much more likely to be aware of mobile internet, adopt it and use it regularly and in a variety of ways. In fact, once women own a smartphone, these metrics more closely resemble those of men,” notes the report.

Barriers persist

Despite growing awareness of mobile internet and its benefits, women continue to face multiple barriers to meaningful participation in the digital economy.

The report identifies affordability, literacy and digital skills as the leading barriers preventing women from getting online.

Even after gaining access, women frequently report safety and security concerns, data costs and connectivity quality as obstacles to broader internet use.

The report notes: “Addressing rural gender gaps is essential to advancing digital inclusion for women overall. In particular, women who live in rural areas tend to have limited physical access to essential services and may have the most to gain from better access to mobile and mobile internet.

“Addressing gender gaps in mobile ownership, particularly of smartphones, and in mobile internet use can help women in rural areas benefit from these digital technologies to the same extent as men.”

Claire Sibthorpe, head of digital inclusion at the GSMA, warns that progress is not happening quickly enough and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence risk creating new forms of digital exclusion.

“While there has been a slow narrowing of the mobile gender gap since 2022, much more is needed to address the persistent and significant gender gaps in mobile internet adoption and use.

“We live in an increasingly digital world and the proliferation of technologies such as AI are creating greater digital divides and inequities, elevating the need to ensure digital inclusion for all.”


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