Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Connect with us

Telecom

Celtel to Zain, Unification Rebranding

Published

on

Kindly share this post

The recent rebranding of Celtel Nigeria to Zain may be viewed by many as one too many having changed name about four times. The company began operation as operator of Global System of Mobile communication in 2002 as Econet thereafter changed its brand name to Vodacom when Vodacom bought into then Econet. This was short lived as Vodacom pulled out of the acquisition contractual agreement thereby living the company in the hands of Nigerian investors that are not financially strong to provide the required finance to compete with the likes of MTN and Glo. As an interim arrangement, the company hurriedly changed its name to Vmobile while sorting for core investor. Vee networks the company incorporated name entered into acquisition talk with Celtel Africa the African operation of then MTC the parent company of Celtel Africa. The outcome of the talk was acquisition of majority stake in Vee Networks resulting in the rebranding of Vmobile to Celtel.

Celtel International was not originally owned by MTC group, it acquired 85% of equity in the then leader is cellular operation in sub-Saharan Africa in 2005. Under the terms of the agreement, MTC acquired 85% of the issued equity with commitment to purchase the remaining 15% of the shares in two years, which happened last year making the whole deal worth $3.4 billion.

MTC’s acquisition of Celtel has helped it achieved a big part of its ambitious vision of becoming a global cellular operator, opened up many promising markets and secured leadership for MTC in sub-Sahara telecom market.

“MTC has built on Celtel’s expertise in sub-Sahara markets to continue its expansion plan in emerging Africa market,” said Dr. Sa’ad Al-Barrak, chief executive officer MTC group.

It is pertinent to note that, the underlining cause of these rebranding to Celtel was as a result of change of ownership, which distinguished the recent rebranding from Celtel to Zain. The recent rebranding is precipitated by the desire of the parent company then MTC of Kuwait to change its name to Zain in September 2007; this led to Middle East operations of the company changing its name to Zain while African operations still retained Celtel.

Owners of the telecommunication giant felt that there is need to unify its brand required for harmonious operation, and good quality of service that led to rebranding of all Zain operations in Africa to Zain which as well affected its Nigeria operation.

To some industry watches the rebranding of Celtel to Zain is a good opportunity for the company to change the battered image of GSM operators, if it will match it with actions by improving on its quality of service.

Presently, GSM operators are facing with quality of service issues where many are expecting that the new entrant Etisalat will do the magic by offering them better quality of service. The rebranding and trading with a new name will make most uninformed people to believe that it is a new GSM operator. For instance, this writer had an encounter with some people who were in a hot argument about the emergence of another GSM operator with the name Zain, they are five in number three are arguing that Zain is a new GSM operator that president Yar’adua brought from Arab country to change the face of GSM that is saddle with poor quality of service while the other two more informed, argued in the opposite that it is Celtel that has changed its name to Zain. It took this write a lot of explanation to convince these three gentle men that it is their own Celtel Nigeria that is now Zain Nigeria. This could give the company a good face in view of the public perception about GSM operators in the country.

To mark the launch of its new colourful identity across Africa, Zain also announced the creation of the world’s first cross-continental borderless network, extending and linking its ‘One Network’ service between Africa and the Middle East. The service will be available to 500 million people stretching from the west coast of Africa to the Middle East, covering an area larger than the United States of America. One Network allows Zain customers affordable cross-border communications, helping friends and families stay connected.

According to Al-Barrak, ‘this truly is a defining moment in the history of global telecommunications. The connecting of One Network across two continents demonstrates how under one brand, Zain is able to offer enhanced mobile telephony services. Going forward it will now be easier and more affordable for people to keep in touch and support cross-continent trade and enterprise. This is the essence of the Zain brand promise to create ‘A wonderful world’.

This allows all Zain customers (pre-paid and post-paid) in Africa and the Middle East using ‘One Network’ to enjoy the benefits of being treated as a ‘local’ customer wherever they are. Customers can make calls and send messages at local rates when communicating with a travelling Zain customer who will receive incoming calls free-of-charge and be able to make calls back home at local rates. Pre-paid customers can also top up their phones with recharge cards bought from either their home country or more than one million outlets available in one of the 15 One Network countries. The One Network service is automatically activated upon crossing the geographical border into one of the countries, with no prior registration required or sign-up fee.

Zain is a leading emerging markets player in the field of telecommunications aiming to become one of the top ten mobile groups in the world by 2011.

 Zain was established in 1983 in Kuwait as the region’s first mobile operator and was known as MTC until September 2007. From modest beginnings in Kuwait, the company now has more than 16,000 employees serving over 50 million customers in 15 African and seven Middle Eastern countries including Ghana and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the company will launch its mobile telecommunications networks in the coming months.

Since 2003, it has grown significantly becoming the 4th largest telecommunications company in the world in terms of geographic presence with a footprint in 22 countries spread across the Middle East and Africa.

In Africa, Zain now operates in 15 sub-Saharan African countries namely: Ghana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo. Others are Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The company’s mobile telecommunications operations in Ghana will begin this year.

In the Middle East, Zain operates in: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Sudan and soon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In Lebanon the company manages the network on behalf of the Lebanese government and operates as MTC-touch.

Zain is renowned for its pioneering role in bringing technical innovations and modern telecommunication services to the markets it serves. For instance, the launch of its ‘One Network’ service in September 2006 offering Zain customers’ affordable and effective cross-border communications was a world first. Zain also launched the world’s first nationwide 3G and WiMAX network in Bahrain. The company plans to role out modern technologies to its African and Middle East operations where the need and demand arises.

It promised to continue to pioneer ‘One Network’, the world’s first borderless network, which has already broken new ground as it is now available for the first time across two continents – Africa and the Middle East.

Corporate Social Responsibility continues to be high on Zain’s agenda, given its historic role in supporting the communities it serves. Zain is committed to helping to open up an exciting world of new possibilities and opportunities, in culture, health and education, and acting responsibly in the communities where it operates. Zain has pioneered a range of education-based initiatives across Africa and is partnering with governments and communities to help them achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. For example, in the last one year, Zain has donated millions of dollars worth of books and educational supplies to government-owned schools in Africa. The company recently partnered international establishments in bringing telephony to 400,000 people in remote areas of Africa and has many community projects across both continents.

The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). The company had a market capitalization of US$ 25 billion on 30 June 2008. Financial results for H1 2008 are available on www.zain.com.

 

 

 


Kindly share this post

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Comments

Telecom

MTN Mulls Establishment of Fintech Firm in Nigeria, Others

Published

on

Kindly share this post

MTN Uganda is seeking input from stakeholders on a plan to structurally separate its mobile money service, MoMo, from its core telecoms business.

According to the company, the proposed change will be discussed at the upcoming extraordinary general meeting on July 2.

If approved, the telco’s fintech business will be run by a new company controlled by MTN Group Fintech Holdings B.V. and a trust benefiting minority shareholders following a merger.

Additionally, the restructuring also aligns with MTN Group’s ambition 2025 strategy which aims to unlock value, attract new investors, and strengthen regulatory compliance by creating standalone fintech entities in Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria.

The company’s fintech division has over 13 million customers, with an 18.4% revenue increase in the first quarter of 2025, driven by 19.0% growth in mobile money services, 19.8% growth in transaction volumes, and a 31.4% increase in transaction value.

Reports say the decision is part of the telco’s compliance with the National Payment Systems Act 2020, which mandates mobile money businesses to operate as standalone entities, and to align with MTN Group’s regional fintech strategy.

MTN Uganda, which is led by CEO Sylvia Mulinge, highlighted that the implementation of the proposed transaction will be subjected to a number of conditions and regulatory procedures.

“The implementation of the proposed transaction shall be subject to a number of conditions, including the company and MTN MoMo receiving all required regulatory approvals and no-objections and complying with any regulatory conditions,” said MTN Uganda in notice.

 


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Telecom

ngCERT Issues High Alert to Nigerians Using Android Phones

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) has raised alarms over a new wave of advanced cyberattacks targeting Android mobile phones through a malware campaign dubbed Tria Stealer.

ngCERT Issues High Alert to Nigerians Using Android Phones

The malicious software is designed to infiltrate Android devices, hijack messaging accounts, intercept One-Time Passwords (OTPs), to steal sensitive personal and financial data.

According to ngCERT, Tria Stealer spreads primarily through deceptive tactics, such as fake event invitations distributed via popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.

Unsuspecting users are enticed to download an infected  (APK) file, often disguised as a harmless system application, to evade detection.

Once installed, Tria Stealer requests extensive permissions, including access to SMS, call logs, and app notifications.

It immediately commences data harvesting activities, sending stolen information to a Command and Control (C2) server operated via Telegram bots.

This trojan spreads through fake links, usually disguised as wedding or event invites, and tricks users into downloading malicious APK files

“Account takeover of messaging platforms. Impersonation of victim for fraudulent money transfer requests. Compromise of banking and financial applications. Identity theft and credential harvesting.”

In plain terms, if your phone is compromised, the consequences could be catastrophic.

Your financial apps are vulnerable, your reputation could be ruined by impersonation and even simple personal messages could be twisted into tools for scams.

Here’s what users should be doing now:

Don’t download apps outside the official Play Store.

Be suspicious of random invites or links, even from people you know.

Turn on 2FA for everything—banking, emails, social platforms.

Get a reputable antivirus and keep it updated.

If you run an organisation, you should already be taking this seriously.

ngCERT’s guidance says you should raise awareness, monitor mobile devices, and not let your team click on unverified links.

“Deploy network monitoring for suspicious outbound connections to known C2 domains,” it said, meaning, keep an eye on every digital door in and out.

This isn’t one of those cases where you wait to see if it affects you. By the time you realise it, it may already be too late.

 

 

 


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Telecom

MTN and Ecobank Launch Chess Championship to Empower Nigeria’s Youth

Published

on

Kindly share this post

MTN Nigeria is set to host the National Schools Team Chess Championship, Nigeria’s largest inter-school chess competition, scheduled to take place from June 26th to 28th, 2025, at the Ecobank Pan African Center in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The championship, organised in partnership with Ecobank and the Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF), aims to promote intellectual development, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among young Nigerians, while also identifying and nurturing future chess champions.

The championship is open to primary, secondary, and tertiary level students, and this year’s edition will host an impressive 1,600 students from 400 schools across 36 states and the FCT.

The competition will feature team-based play, with each team comprising four players from the same school. A significant prize pool of over N40 million is at stake, with winning schools also having the invaluable opportunity to represent Nigeria internationally.

Onyinye Ikenna Emeka, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at MTN Nigeria, expressed the company’s commitment to the initiative, stating, “Our investment is driven by our commitment to fostering youth development, just as our shared value initiative.

“By supporting, we not only contribute to the growth but also engage with the younger demographic in a meaningful way, as we believe we are good together”.

MTN’s sponsorship of the National Schools Team Chess Championship is a natural extension of its long-standing dedication to empowering young people through various initiatives in sports, education, and skill development, including programs like MTN Champs and MTN Campus Invasion.

The company aims to establish itself as the leading driver of youth empowerment, education, and strategic thinking through chess in Nigeria.

The event will also feature the presence of Tunde Onakoya, a renowned chess master and inspiration, who will join the championship week to share his experiences and further inspire the young participants.

His involvement underscores the profound impact strategic thinking can have on transforming lives and building dreams.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Trending