Nigeria: Etisalats’ offering hard to resist

Nigerians are finding Etisalats dynamic 3-in-1 package hard to resist. The product offerring tagged 080uchoose (08098246673) empowers subscribers with the choice to secure free personalised numbers on the network, free SIM card and free monthly airtime for life.

This is even as most value added service offerings of dominant operators are focused on mass and youth segment market and the chief products are entertainment based .

Business Day checks reveal that Nigerians are already taking advantage of this special offer as the Etisalat website has witnessed unprecedented increase in on-line traffic which is a vivid reflection of the power of innovation.

Rasheed Shonubi, an undergraduate of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) said: “I am particularly trilled by what Etisalat is offering to Nigerians but what do you expect from a telecoms company that is faced with the challenge of breaking into an already competitive telecommunications market”.

“A friend told me they rolled out last week. He also told me about the Etisalat offer, this kind of thing will only attract more Nigerians to the network. My concern is about quality of service. Do they have the infrastructural capacity to cope?” Cosmos Nwankpa, a business man said.

Uchechukwu Okeke, brands expert noted that though early and dominant operators have a significant and sustained market-share advantage over later entrants, still, late entrants can succeed by adopting distinctive positioning and marketing strategies.

“I personally believe they can compete favourably in the Nigerian market because experience has shown that innovation and financial muscle are major factors for acquiring subscribers”, he added.

Chinwe Nwaheri, a banker observed: “The personalised number offer is fantastic and particularly appealing to me. With a company that has such proven record in the Middle East and Asia, this is just the beginning of good things to come.”

“Etisalat is a clear leader with innovative products with foot prints in the Middle East market and many years of experience and good financial position. They are a formidable organization and can take on any challenge”, she added.

Speaking at the event to mark the flag off, the company’s vice president, marketing, Wael Ammar said that Etisalat is offering every Nigerian an opportunity to be special; to stand out, to have their phone numbers mean more to them than just a random set of numbers.

The company has promised its customers to expect the best in world class services in the tradition of Etisalat Group, which serves 64 million subscribers in 16 countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Industry watchers say that for late entrants to quickly find their voices in the complex and competitive Nigeria Telecoms market, they need to study the Mobile Value added services product portfolio offerings of the existing market leaders, Market environment and positioning.

Lucas Dada, Director, products and services of Etisalat pointed out that the company is set to raise the bar of top notch service a little higher in Nigeria.

Source: Business Day