Smile Telecom Goes Live in Abuja with Superfast Internet

The city of Abuja is still agog days after the memorable launch of first true 4G LTE (4th Generation Long-Term Evolution) broadband internet service by Smile Communications Nigeria Limited.

The Abuja roll-out, coming barely one year after Smile’s 2013 commercial launch of its network in Ibadan, and months after Lagos; follows more than three years of extensive testing and development.

It is expected that Abuja residents will hugely benefit from the Ibadan and Lagos experience  which users have adjudged as a great success.

4G LTE is the most recent and advanced technological standard for wireless data communications, and represents a major shift when compared to older technologies such as 3G.

Tom Allen, chief operating officer of Smile Group,  said that Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria is very strategic in the company’s growth, and that Smile has taken its time to ensure the service is at its best in the capital city.

“Our vision of becoming the broadband internet provider of choice in Nigeria has guided us in everything from selecting our people and partners to developing relevant products and services. We are confident and excited, and we are ready to share the promise of digital citizenship with Abuja residents and millions of Nigerians.”

According to Allen, Smile’s Nigerian customers are already experiencing global standard speed and quality, adding “Our customers will experience average speeds in excess of 6Mbps, and some customers are already running at average speeds in excess of 20Mbps, which is substantially faster than the speed that can be achieved in other parts of the world, including the United Kingdom.”

He said that Abuja residents are expected to benefit from a raft of several new innovations in its offerings from day one.  Allen noted that key to Smile’s vision is creating a memorable experience for the customer. 

Some of these innovations include a customer’s ability to select the speed of his preferred Smile service from his *MySmile* portal. A strange thing no doubt for a company that sells data, but Smile’s approach is to help customers use the internet efficiently and effectively.

Smile has also introduced *SmileON*. It was gathered that with SmileON, if one’s data bundle runs out before the end of its validity period, one can still enjoy restricted access to the Smile service.

Allen further stated that some of the fantastic new innovations are unprecedented as they are not available from any other operator in the world.

The introduction of Smile 4G LTE broadband internet in Nigeria, he added, represents a considerable investment, and reflects Smile’s confidence in and commitment to the country’s development.

Smile Nigeria is expected to create more than 400 highly specialized Nigerian jobs during 2014 alone, with more to follow as the company expands its network throughout the country.