General News
ZoomMobile Brand is Provocative – Aigbinode
Ken Aigbinode, executive vice chairman, ZoomMobile has one passion and that is to sell his brand. This veteran banker turned telecommunications executive is also experienced in corporate governance, corporate re-structuring, marketing, and brand re-positioning. Aigbinode is focused on establishing ZoomMobile as the pre-eminent telecom operator in Nigeria. He spoke to chike onwuegbuchi and hilary okeke on a wide range of issues.
Idea about ZoomMobile
ZoomMobile is the product of the evolution of Reliance Telecom (Reltel). By this, I mean we have customers that we survey from time to time; we have shareholders (new and old) whom we also interface with and of course, our staff and the reaction they get from the market as they push our products. A combination of these factors led to our taking a strategic step towards repositioning our brand. Repositioning the brand requires that we take into cognizance the effect of the name on our label in the pack, particularly when you consider that we have just obtained our Unified License and have become fully mobile throughout the country. We said that it was time for us to re-evaluate our brand, vis-à-vis this positive development. I must say that it was timely because the impact has been very positive. We felt it was the right thing to do to response to our stakeholders who requested this change.
Chinese Company Investing in ZoomMobile
We do not have any direct foreign equity investors in the company today. That does not mean that we do not have that possibility as we keep searching for the best value for existing owners and our customers. There is Chinese involvement in our company in the form of supply of equipment (core network equipment) in the way of management through managed service contract, to oversee our core network elements and ensure that we maintain our quality. Beyond that, there is not a direct equity investment as I already mentioned, from any external party. ZoomMobile is wholly Nigerian owned operator and indeed, effectively wholly Nigerian managed at the most senior level.
Managing New 0707 Series
Those are good questions. You would recall that when GSM was licensed in Nigeria, the Nigerian Communications Commission introduced the eleven-digit numbering plan for GSM operators until unified licensing came into being recently. The erstwhile so called PTOs did not have the eleven-digit numbering plan but with the introduction of Unified Licensing and full mobility for qualified PTOs, the NCC released the 0702 to this unified operators. However, the 0702 string is fairly anonymous. Sometimes it is difficult to tell which network it is coming from. That is quite confusing. It is also in our opinion, perpetuated in the belief that the CDMA operators are opposed to the small operators. We were given the 07023 and other PTOs, who perhaps I am not permitted to mention in this interview, also had an extra digit to the same system. Whereas GSM could be differentiated with 4 digits, CDMA operators, largely the PTOs had to identify themselves with an extra digit, giving us a five prefix numbering plan. For our size today and for the size of our ambitions and aspirations, we thought that we should not be limited to just a million lines; so we applied for a block of 10 million lines. It was the first time that a CDMA operator will be applying for a complete block of line. Perhaps, fortuitously 0707 was available. We applied for it, did not have to pay any premium and I think perhaps, it is the most unique number in Nigeria today. It is easy therefore, to identify us looking at the first four digits: 0707. No longer will any subscriber or caller be confused about the identity of 0707 as no other network in Nigeria will have the 0707 prefix. The 0707 platform signifies our arrival on the scene to play as a full mobility telecom operator throughout Nigeria.
Youth Image of ZoomMobile Brand
As you know, our new name is ZoomMobile; the short form is Zoom and it is registered with the Trademark Commission. The name itself is descriptive and if you like, provocative. It connotes movement, dynamism, desire to move towards an aspiration and in our opinion, the people who exhibit some of these attributes generally are the youths and our definition of the youth is anywhere between 1 year and about 120 years, depending on how your mind works and the goals you set out to achieve and the drive for you to achieve them. Just like our company has been refreshed by this renaming ceremony; just like our profile has been reinvigorated; just like our scope has enlarged; we want to also carry our subscribers (both existing and potential) along on this journey and ensure that we provide the facilitation that will enable those who still have aspirations to whatever it is in life and achieve them expeditiously. As we say in this new era, "full speed ahead." We want to be that ‘wind beneath the wings’ of our subscribers as they all move towards their aspirations and goals.
Building Capacity and Expansion
Today, I can tell you that we have an installed capacity that is upgradeable to 5 million lines. We are in discussion with our vendors to further enhance that capacity to well over 15 million. That implies that we are planning ahead for the envisaged rush for these special numbers. We are very conscious of the quality of service and are not in a hurry to add more subscribers when the capacity is not there to accommodate them and service quality indices that we have internally are great which even the regulator has testified to. Accordingly, these new numbers will be rolled out in batches; we are not going to push out the whole 10 million into circulation; we will match them to the capacity of the network as each city is ready and as capacity improves from city to city. Right now there is rush for the special numbers, very soon we are going to be broadcasting to existing and potential subscribers, the way to get the special numbers. These are numbers that people would like to keep forever but they are limited. There will be the Platinum range, Extra Special, Gold range and the Silver category. But believe me, whether you possess the Platinum, Gold or Silver range or not; the prefix 0707 marks you out as somebody who is serious about what he is out for and it is a unique mark of identity. Interestingly in our religious conscious society and the traditional African religion, 7 is a very important number. People have ascribed perfection to that number and I do not think that we are so far from that. It is spiritually relevant and we will ensure that we live up to expectations of those people who come on the network.
Manpower Development
On the manpower side, we are constantly hiring hands and training as well as retraining. We are making our contributions to various institutions that support ICT. You probably would know that the founding chairman of this company, Senator Anni Okonkwo, has a foundation that is targeted at helping ICT students go through their programmes effortlessly. We have also established a pipeline as well as introduced a conveyor belt that is constantly open to people to come here and do their internship with our engineers. We are working closely with the owners of the CDMA technology, a company called Qualcomm to further develop not only our staff but some bright and upcoming IT students that we have identified. Incidentally, soon there will be a training programme to which we have subscribed and we are sponsoring about 12 candidates to help them boost their skills and capacity on ICT generally but particularly on CDMA which is our chosen technology.
Customer Care Department
We just prepared 15 engagement letters for call centre operators. They will be joining another 40 that we have already hired. We have just established a new call centre in Mainland Lagos and it has the capacity to sit about 120 operators. Our objective is to minimize resort to the call centre; it is to migrate people to where they can interact with our technology using their devices. But occasionally, they are unable to have such interactions and they need to reach a human being. So, we have created that capacity to begin to meet those needs. If we discover that we are becoming more of a call centre than a telecommunication operator, we might then begin to outsource it to people who do it as their primary business. The logic should remain that you should render your services so smoothly that people would rarely have any need to begin to call you and the way to achieve that is to be in constant dialogue with your customers, find out what they need, provide good services and products that are tailored to meet their desires and aspirations. Once that is done, you have created capacity. You address coverage issues; you put into the market devices that are easily understood and are available. I think you will find that the number of people calling into your customer care centre will thin-out over time. I have studied the data coming into the call centre – we have a couple of people calling in to check if it was real and they were pleasantly surprised at the speed of connection and the response from well trained staff handling this area of our business. Like I said, you should actually work towards upgrading the skills of your people and also that of your subscribers to the point where they can easily interact with your systems and get transactions done. We need to save time for every person because ‘time is money’ and Zoom is all about saving time; it is about speed so that people can achieve what they set out to achieve.
New Offering to Subscribers
When we looked at re-branding, one of the considerations that drove that decision was the bouquet of services and products that we are about to introduce and we thought that the kinds of products we want to introduce in the market will be better sold under a stronger brand – a brand that will be suggestive of the attributes and qualities of those products. We are coming to the market with our push e-mail service. It is not entirely new in this market but it has been packaged and sold as something for high net worth individuals; it had been packaged and sold as something that most Nigerians cannot have access to unless they have certain devices. We want to break that and make push e-mail a mass market product and very soon, you will be hearing a lot about that. Our name is ZoomMobile and our tagline is "Full Speed Ahead." We want to enhance voice connection – you should not wait for more than 2 seconds to get connected. You want to have access to the Internet; you should have almost instantaneous connection. When you have made that connection itself, you should have the same experience while surfing because nobody wants to go on the Internet and begin to stare at his screen, waiting for pages to open. Now we are installing EVDO across the country. EVDO is the broadband Internet service on the wireless CDMA technology. It is also not a first, I must say because some other networks have deployed it. However, they have deployed EVDO in just some particular areas. This is why we are taking our time to ensure that when we make the announcement that broadband services are available, every Nigerian in all the major cities where we operate should have access to this service. We are looking at how we can leverage on our technology to assist in the Micro-finance Banking area. Technology is an enabler. Telecommunication, especially in this information age is an enabler of economic transactions. We think that we can bring in our technology – CDMA – which is very data friendly further into ridding Nigeria of cash; pushing us closer to the cashless society like most of the developed and developing countries have done. So, you will be seeing products in that area very soon, which will enable people move cash around, complete transactions without necessarily having to either take risky trips carrying cash across long distances or having to go to banks when they do not need to. You can actually carry out these transactions from your handsets. These are things that are coming to the market and we want to be on the cutting edge of the introduction of services that add real value. If you follow the evolution of telecommunication, it started first with voice. We need to reach the unreached in Nigeria especially the rural areas; every person should have a right to become part of the information age. W have added SMS; we have added some amount of Internet and I think we are getting to that stage where we need to pole-vault ourselves to greater deployment of these technologies, devices and applications that add a lot more value to our lifestyle and businesses.
Expansion Plan
We are hoping to connect about 51 cities and towns, that is, up from the present 36 cities and towns before the end of the year. We would be launching Calabar, Ikot-Ekpene, Ikot-Abasi, Eket and Uyo very soon. Benin, Sapele, Warri would be joining the family in a couple of weeks from now.
Kashifu Inuwa, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has called for stronger collaboration among government regulators to accelerate the establishment of Nigeria’s National Regulatory Sandbox, describing inter-agency cooperation as the cornerstone for building an innovation-friendly regulatory ecosystem.
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, represented by the National Coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), Mrs. Victoria Fabunmi, delivering his remarks at the National Regulatory Sandbox Governance and Implementation Planning Workshop held in Abuja.
Speaking through the National Coordinator of the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), Ms. Victoria Fabunmi, at the National Regulatory Sandbox Governance and Implementation Planning Workshop in Abuja, Inuwa said the success of the initiative depends on regulators working collectively to develop a framework that promotes technological innovation while preserving regulatory integrity and public trust.
He noted that the workshop marks a significant transition from the design phase of the project to its implementation stage, where regulators are expected to jointly refine and validate the proposed governance structure before its rollout.
According to him, ONDI has spent several months laying the foundation for the initiative through extensive stakeholder consultations, ecosystem mapping, regulatory assessments and the preparation of a draft governance and implementation framework.
“The work completed so far provides a solid foundation, but the National Regulatory Sandbox can only achieve its objectives through collective ownership by all relevant regulatory institutions,” he said.
The NITDA Director General explained that the Technical Working Group was deliberately established as a collaborative platform to harness the expertise, experience and statutory mandates of participating agencies in shaping a regulatory model tailored to Nigeria’s innovation landscape.
He said the workshop was designed to critically review the proposed governance framework, test its assumptions and incorporate practical recommendations from stakeholders to ensure that the final model is inclusive, effective and adaptable to the country’s rapidly evolving digital economy.
Inuwa observed that while government institutions have different regulatory responsibilities, those differences should be viewed as strengths that can support the development of a coordinated and flexible implementation framework capable of responding to emerging technologies.
He further stated that the engagement would also establish clear implementation pathways, strengthen institutional partnerships and identify priority actions required to operationalise the National Regulatory Sandbox.
Expressing optimism about the outcome of the deliberations, the NITDA boss said the workshop would help build a shared national vision for the initiative while creating an enabling environment where innovators can safely develop, test and scale new technologies under appropriate regulatory supervision.
He commended participants for their commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital innovation ecosystem and encouraged them to make meaningful contributions that would shape a practical, innovation-driven regulatory framework capable of supporting sustainable economic growth and enhancing the country’s global competitiveness.
Speaking on the National Regulatory Sandbox journey and current worksream, Ms Ojonoka Yusufu, Implementing Partner Druve, said the initiative would provide a coordinated framework through which innovators and regulators can work together to test emerging technologies while ensuring compliance with existing laws and regulations.
She explained that the workshop was convened to build a shared understanding among participating regulators and stakeholders, develop consensus on the Sandbox’s operating model, identify implementation gaps before rollout and agree on the next steps for its successful implementation.
“We do not have anything set in stone yet. The idea is to work together to build a common understanding and ensure that all participating regulators and stakeholders are aligned on the objectives and implementation of the National Regulatory Sandbox,” she said.
Highlighting the importance of the initiative, Yusufu noted that Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector remains one of the country’s highest contributors to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while the nation’s startup ecosystem continues to attract significant global investment.
She observed that Nigerian startups are creating jobs, attracting foreign investment and positioning the country as a leading innovation destination in Africa. According to her, the rapid expansion of startups beyond traditional sectors such as financial technology into healthcare, mobility, agriculture and other industries has made closer regulatory coordination increasingly necessary.
Yusufu added that the National Regulatory Sandbox is backed by the Nigeria Startup Act, providing the legal foundation required to drive responsible innovation and improve the country’s regulatory environment.
She described the Sandbox as a collaborative, multi-agency innovation governance mechanism that complements, rather than replaces, existing regulatory institutions.
Techeconomy, a leading technology and digital economy publication, will celebrate its ninth anniversary with a one-day conference and awards ceremony aimed at promoting conversations on Nigeria’s digital economy and recognising excellence in innovation and technology leadership.
Techeconomy
The anniversary event, scheduled for Sept. 24 at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, will feature GrowthX by Techeconomy, a conference expected to bring together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, investors and innovators to examine the future of Nigeria’s digital economy.
The event will also host the Technology Innovation and Leadership Awards (TiLAwards), which will honour organisations and individuals for outstanding contributions to innovation, leadership and digital transformation across various sectors.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by Peter Oluka, Editor of Techeconomy and organiser of the event, said, the anniversary celebration is intended to reflect on Nigeria’s technology journey over the past nine years while fostering dialogue on emerging opportunities and challenges shaping the country’s digital future.
Oluka said the event would provide a platform for stakeholders from the public and private sectors to exchange ideas on technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, digital policy and economic growth.
He added that the conference would feature keynote presentations, panel discussions and networking sessions involving industry experts, government officials, business executives and technology entrepreneurs.
According to him, the TiLAwards will recognise outstanding organisations and individuals whose innovations and leadership have significantly contributed to the growth of Nigeria’s technology and business ecosystem.
As part of activities marking the anniversary, Techeconomy has invited media organisations to partner with the event through news coverage, publicity and participation.
The publication also expressed appreciation to members of the media and industry stakeholders for their support over the past nine years, describing their collaboration as instrumental to its growth and continued coverage of Nigeria’s technology, business and digital economy.
The organisers said details of the conference programme, speakers and partnership opportunities would be unveiled ahead of the event.
International Trade Union Confederation, (ITUC-Africa), representing trade unions from countries in Africa, has called on Nigeria and other African governments to ensure that industrialisation translates into improved living standards for workers and ordinary citizens.
According to ITUC-Africa, economic growth must lift Nigerians and other Africans out of poverty rather than deepen inequality, frowning at Nigeria’s government plans to remove subsidy on electricity.
Delivering his opening remarks at the New Energy for Africa 11 Convening: African Workers’ Contributions to Energy Sovereignty, Green Industrialization, and a Common African for COP31, Akhator Joel Odigie, general secretary of ITUC-Africa, said, industrialisation remains central to Nigeria and Africa’s liberation and development agenda but warned that it would be meaningless if it failed to improve the welfare of the continent’s people.
He faulted the plans by the Nigerian government to remove so-called subsidy on electricity in 2027, arguing that it is aimed at satisfying the Bretton Woods institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, IMF, and the World Bank.
According to him, such removal would worsen the poverty rate in Nigeria and regress any marginal progress towards industrialisation. Subsidy removal will make electricity inaccessible to workers and the majority of the citizens.
He said, “As we speak now, Nigeria is talking of subsidy removal on electricity. The plan is not to satisfy or help Nigerians, but IMF, World Bank and other donor countries. The talk that subsidy is bad economics is a lie. All developed economies depended on public sector-driven electricity and not private sector.
“For us as Africans, industrialisation is central to our liberation and development. It is part of our aspiration to define our own identity and achieve shared prosperity through an industrialised Africa. Unfortunately, that vision has yet to be realised.
“We have also come to understand that lamenting our circumstances is not enough. Identifying the barriers to Africa’s development or pointing fingers at those who may be responsible does not move us forward. The more important question is: What next? What solutions can we pursue together?
“It is from that perspective that we confront the reality that more than 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity, while privatisation continues to deny many people affordable access to energy. This compels us to ask: What can we do differently?”
According to him, organised labour believes industrialisation can be achieved without worsening the climate crisis if governments, workers and development partners commit to energy justice.
Odigie noted that “When we speak about sustainable industrialisation, we are asking how Africa can industrialise without increasing environmental degradation or worsening the climate challenges our people already experience every day.
“We know this is possible. But it will require negotiation, compromise and genuine partnerships. It demands serious discussions on technology transfer, skills development and financing.”
He stressed that developing technical skills and mobilising investment for energy infrastructure are essential if Africa is to industrialise sustainably, saying “These are not impossible skills to acquire. With the right investment and commitment, Africa can build them. Equally important is access to finance and the resources needed to develop the infrastructure that will support sustainable industrialisation.
“An industrialised Africa has little meaning if it does not improve the lives of our people. Our vision is an Africa where prosperity is shared.
“We must reverse the growing phenomenon of the working poor. We must end the situation where women, children and older persons bear the greatest burden whenever governments attempt to balance national budgets.
“What does prosperity mean if ordinary people cannot enjoy a decent quality of life? A worker who returns home after a long day’s work should be able to switch on a fan during hot weather, watch television, listen to the news and spend meaningful time with family because electricity is available, reliable and affordable.
“If our people cannot enjoy these basic necessities, then what kind of prosperity are we really talking about?
“Energy justice means energy that is accessible, affordable and capable of improving people’s lives.”
Odigie also renewed ITUC-Africa’s campaign for stronger public participation in Africa’s energy sector, citing Finland as an example of how governments can ensure affordable electricity while working with private investors.
“Recently, we visited Finland, where we observed a successful model that combines public and private participation, with strong public leadership. Energy there is affordable. In fact, electricity costs less in Finland than it does here in Nairobi.
“Our hosts explained that this is possible because the state retains an important role in the energy sector, including the ability to influence pricing to ensure affordability for everyone.”
Ahead of the COP31 climate negotiations, he called for closer collaboration between organised labour and the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), saying trade unions are partners in governance rather than adversaries.
“Trade unions are not antagonistic to governments, even though we are sometimes misunderstood.
“Our responsibility is to strengthen accountability and help governments perform better because, from time to time, leaders can become too comfortable.”
Using a metaphor that drew applause from participants, Odigie likened the role of trade unions to keeping leaders “close to the fire.”
“Our responsibility is to keep the feet of our leaders close to the fire so that their heads do not become too cold. We want them to continue thinking clearly, making sound decisions and remaining connected to the realities faced by ordinary people.
“That is why we are not in opposition. We are not enemies.”
He said organised labour’s partnership with the AGN is intended to ensure African governments enter international climate negotiations with the full backing of workers across the continent.
Speaking, Dr Nana Amoah, chair of the African Group of Negotiators, AGN, said Africa’s energy transition presents both an urgent challenge and a historic opportunity, lamenting that “More than 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity, even though our continent possesses exceptional solar, wind, hydro and geothermal resources. Yet Africa continues to receive only a very small share of global clean-energy investment.”
Represented by Dr George Manful, AGN Senior Advisor, Amoah, said: “This imbalance must be corrected if the transition is to support Africa’s development rather than reproduce existing patterns of dependence, extraction and inequality.
“For the African Group of Negotiators, a just transition cannot be measured solely by installed megawatts, emissions reductions or new electricity connections. It must also be measured by the quality of jobs created, affordability of energy, protection of workers, participation of women and young people, development of local industries, and the capacity of African countries to retain value from their natural resources.
“Initiatives such as Mission 300 must therefore go beyond expanding access. They must strengthen public institutions, mobilise affordable and debt-sensitive finance, support local manufacturing and skills development, and guarantee that no worker, community or vulnerable group is left behind.
“Africa’s critical minerals must similarly become a foundation for green industrialisation—not another chapter of raw-material extraction. Our policies must promote local processing, technology transfer, decent work, environmental integrity and equitable participation in global value chains.”
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