FreeLists / gsmtoday / [GSMToday] September 15 2006 - Celtel vs Glo: Battle of the FIRSTS

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               Nigeria's FIRST GSM Newsletter
                "Makes GSM Simple and Easy."
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            A Fr-ee Weekly E-zine Newsletter By 
           Wonderful Counselor Nigeria Limited   
                "Our Ideas Give You The Edge"
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Volume 5, Issue 20                  September 15 2006
Editor: Sagai "CoolApostle" Adam    Subscriptions:  1,202
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           CELTEL VS. GLO: BATTLE OF THE FIRST?S
                         By Coola
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  "Welcome to the Nigerian GSM space 
B-a-t-t-l-e of the Firsts. 
  On the left corner, weighing in at over 
5 million subscribers is... the network 
that makes life better... C-e-l-t-e-l.
  And on the right corner, weighing in at 
9 million subscribers... is the network 
that glows with pride... the one, the only 
G-l-o-b-a-c-o-m M-o-b-i-l-e
  Your Referee for this monumental encounter 
is... G-S-M T-o-d-a-y."
   
  CELTEL FIRSTS, ACCORDING TO CELTEL
==================================
  First to introduce free voicemail retrieval
First to introduce toll-free 24-hour customer care line-111
First to introduce free account balance check
First to start free validity enquiries
First to commence subscription-free conference calling service
  First to commence free Calling Line Identification
First to launch service in all the six geo-political zones in the country
  First to introduce N500 recharge card
First to commence emergency service (Celtel 199)
First to introduce monthly free SMS
First to introduce monthly airtime bonus
   
  GLO?S FIRSTS, ACCORDING TO GLO
==============================
  First to introduce pay-by-the-second billing
First to introduce Mobile Banking in Nigeria
First to introduce Fleet Manager (Vehicle Tracking) in Nigeria
  First to introduce free SIM in Nigeria
First to establish international gateway switches outside Nigeria 
First to introduce world-class fibre optic backbone in Nigeria
  First to establish GPRS enabled network in Nigeria
First to install and operate a 2.5G network in Nigeria
First to introduce Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
First to have 1 million subscribers within 9 months of operation
  First and only private enterprise operated national carrier 
First to cover over 30,000 communities across Nigeria in 
only three years of operation
  First to introduce mobile internet in Nigeria
First to introduce Blackberry in Nigeria
   
  AND NOW THE AUTHENTIC FIRSTS, ACCORDING TO GSM TODAY
====================================================
  The marketing folks in our networks are at it again and we 
need to set the records straight on this I-am-First 
business.
  This Series was triggered by the crafty marketing by MTN 
Nigeria of the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire TV Game Show 
to the common folks in the cities on Nigeria. GSM Today 
wrote a mild critique two weeks ago.
  It seems the Marketing Departments are re-writing the 
history of GSM in Nigeria right before our very eyes and 
creatively inventing achievements out of thin air.
   
  CELTEL STRIKE-OUTS
================== 
  Celtel pads its list of Firsts with a lot of fluff. It is 
celebrating vapour -achievements that don?t mean anything 
in the final analysis.
 
The following don?t count: introduction of standard Value-
added Services like Voicemail, Caller Line ID, 24-hour 
Customer Care, Account Balance check, Validity Enquiries 
and Conference Calling service
  To celebrate basic services like that after 5 years of GSM 
technology does not make any sense.
   
  FREE-THIS-FREE-THAT
===================
  The key operational word is "free". 
  Celtel (in its Econet Wireless Nigeria ?EWN- lifetime) is 
trying to remind us that they were the first to OFFER SUCH 
SERVICES FOR FREE when rival MTN Nigeria was charging for 
them.
   
  Trust MTN to (M)ilk (T)hose (N)igerians. When they rolled-
out, there was a one-time "setup fee" for Caller Line ID 
and Call Holding and Waiting. 
   
  Calls to retrieve voicemails cost N10/min Voicemail, 
calls to check validity and account balance cost N6/min and 
calls to Customer Care remained at N6/min until last year 
when it was changed to N25 for the entire call.
   
  Econet Wireless was instrumental to MTN Nigeria changing 
its strategy in December 2001. And so, while we are forever 
grateful to EWN for what they did back in 2001, it does not 
mean these achievements should not be expressed accurately.
   
  Something like, "First to offer basic Value-Added Services 
free of charge" is better. Or something like, "More free 
Services than other networks." 
  But then, that will wipe?off Six "Firsts" from the list...
   
  DEAD ON ARRIVAL
===============
  Let?s look at two services that are only talked about but 
never used in Nigeria: Voicemail and Conference Calls.
   
  Voicemail was never popular and will probably never be 
popular in Nigeria simply because of the high tariffs.
   
  GSM calls were N50-N60/min in 2001. 
It is still N48/min in 2006, five years later. 

  Because of this, the vast majority of Nigerians use small-
time Commercial Pay Phone Operators for calls. 
  When a call goes to voicemail, the caller is quickly drawn 
into an argument over whether to pay for such a call or 
not. 
   
  During the very first congestion season in September 2001, 
  your call was forced to voicemail and the caller paid to 
  retrieve it. MTN made money in both scenarios. No wonder the 
  majority of subs turned it off.
   
  Many Nigerians prefer to hear a caller-not-available 
message than a voicemail greeting. The few of us that used 
voicemail got criticized by relatives and friends until we 
turned it off. 
   
  The same tariff problem made sure Conference Calls never 
went beyond the pages of newspaper adverts. 
   
  In my five years of using a GSM phone (celebrated this week 
by the way) I have been in a conference all only once and 
the initiator worked with a GSM network. But check this 
out: Network Guys don?t pay the commercial rates.
   
  For these reasons, there is no prize for introducing 
services that no one uses.
  
CELTEL?S ADJUSTED FIRSTS, ACCORDING TO GSM TODAY
===============================================
  Ok, here is Celtel?s list again. X marks strike-outs:
  X First to introduce free voicemail retrieval 
X First to introduce toll-free 24-hour customer care line-111 
X First to introduce free account balance check
X First to start free validity enquiries
X First to commence subscription-free conference calling service
   
  X First to commence free Calling Line Identification
First to launch service in all the six geo-political zones in the country
   
  First to introduce N500 recharge card
First to commence emergency service (Celtel 199)
First to introduce monthly free SMS
First to introduce monthly airtime bonus
   
  MORE STRIKE-OUTS
================
  Well, 6 X?s already and we are just getting warmed up as we 
dissect Celtel?s list of Firsts. 
   
  "First to introduce N500 recharge card?" 
  Hmm... What is so special about the N500 card?
   
  At launch in 2001, there was no N500 recharge card on both 
networks. The lowest EWN denomination was N1,000 (while 
MTN?s was N1,500.) 
   
  So, if Celtel is celebrating N500 card, then what about the 
new, lower, N100/N200 denominations that have been 
introduced in the past one year? 
  No, Celtel. Strike that out.
  
"First to commence emergency service?"
   
  There is nothing special about the Celtel Emergency 
Service. In fact, they should be penalized for it. 
  Instead of sticking to the standard GSM Emergency Service 
number of 112 they duplicated the service as Econet Crisis 
Centre.
   
  This collaboration with International NGO Critical Response 
International (CRI) required registration before the 
subscriber could enjoy the service. Meanwhile, the official 
toll-free 112 Emergency number was not promoted or 
advertised. 
   
  Five years later, the use of the Emergency Service number 
112 remains virtually unknown to the majority of Celtel 
subscribers. 
   
  (By the way, 112 is not totally abandoned -just neglected.
  I called 112 on Celtel a few months ago to report an armed 
  robbery situation along the Abuja-Lokoja highway and was 
  delighted to discover someone at the other end of the line.)
   
  So, since the 112 number is a standard facility expected of 
all GSM networks, the 199 is Celtel?s fancy jamboree. No 
wonder, no other network has bothered to do a similar 
duplication of service. 
   
  No prize for that Celtel. Strike out.
   
   
  FREE SMS AND AIRTIME BONUSES
============================
   
  We will reluctantly concede these two until we can confirm 
that Celtel was first to provide them. If true, then Celtel 
can truly beat its chest over these achievements.
   
  Free monthly SMS is a major achievement since SMS prices 
have remained unchanged in the past five years in Nigeria. 
Free airtime bonuses on a regularly basis is also good. 
Bonuses during promotional seasons don?t/won?t count. 
   
  We will also allow the prize for being first to launch in 
the six political zones in Nigeria because this condition 
was part of the roll-out agreement binding on the networks. 
   
  Interestingly, MTN could have easily won this prize since 
they were in 5 geo-political zones by January 2002, after 
just six months of operation:
  Lagos (SW)
Onitsha (SE)
Enugu (SE)
Aba (SE)
Asaba (SS)
Port Harcourt (SS)
Abuja (NC)
Kaduna (NW)
   
  Nearly one year later, in November 2002, EWN arrived Bauchi 
State -its first city in the North East- and started 
claiming this prize.
   
   
  CELTEL GENUINE FIRSTS, ACCORDING TO GSM TODAY
=============================================
  Ok, here is Celtel?s final list with all the marketing 
fluff removed. 
   
  First to launch service in all the six geo-political zones in the country
First to introduce monthly free SMS
First to introduce monthly airtime bonus
  NOTE: The last two are unconfirmed.
   
   
  SUMMARY
=======
  Dig deeper Celtel, we are sure there are a few "Firsts" you 
Guys may have over-looked. 
   
  Or better still, instead of being first, why not go for:
"Most popular xxxx Service"
"Most affordable yyyy Product"
   
  It will take some sweat to have a popular service with 
tangible subscriber numbers that is glaringly clear for all 
to see. 
   
  We believe Celtel can do it, especially now that there 
is all that petro-dollar from parent MTC available for 
spending.
   
  Beats this creative use of words to concoct achievements. 
   
  LINKS
=====
  Celtel's list got from http://www.mobileafrica.net/n1661.htm
  Glo Mobile's list got from ThisDay September 7 2006 on Page 23.
  An Example of Marketers on rampage in MTN Nigeria's advert 
  campaign for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire TV Game Show:
  
http://www.mail-archive.com/gsmtoday@xxxxxxxxxxxxx/msg00197.html 
   
  NEXT WEEK: Glo?s Genuine Firsts, According to GSM Today.
  UPCOMING ARTICLES: 
The GSM Today Genuine LIST OF FIRSTS
Who made the first GSM call?
  
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