FreeLists / gsmtoday / [GSMToday] September 22 2006 - Celtel vs Glo: Battle of the FIRSTS (Round 2)

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               Nigeria's FIRST GSM Newsletter
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            A Fr-ee Weekly E-zine Newsletter By 
           Wonderful Counselor Nigeria Limited   
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Volume 5, Issue 21                  September 22 2006
Editor: Sagai "CoolApostle" Adam    Subscriptions:  1,202
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     CELTEL VS. GLO: BATTLE OF THE FIRST?S (ROUND II)
                         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 
7 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 

Your Referee for this monumental encounter 
is... G-S-M T-o-d-a-y."


"Last week, Celtel suffered a major set back. Its initial 
list of "firsts" was downgraded from 11 to just three. 
Celtel's troubles are far from over as the Ref says two out 
of the three are still provisional. 

"All eyes are on golden boy Glo...as he struts and jabs to 
the centre of the ring..."


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
====================================================

Let's begin with some re-arrangement to the list:

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 introduce mobile internet in Nigeria

"GPRS enabled network" and "2.5G network" all mean the same 
thing and will be merged into one.


GLO VAPOUR AWARDS
=================

Next we quickly cross-out all vapour awards.
 

X FIRST TO INTRODUCE FLEET MANAGER (VEHICLE TRACKING)

REASON:
What's so special about Fleet Manager? 
Has it reduced car theft? 
Is the Nigerian Police using it to catch car thieves?

How many cars are using it?
Is it not better for an independent company to provide this 
service? Empower someone Glo.


X FIRST TO ESTABLISH INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY SWITCHES OUTSIDE 
NIGERIA 

REASON:
The keyword is "outside" Nigeria. We fail to see how it has 
helped Glo Mobile's international call tariffs as it is 
neither the most popular or most affordable. 

Despite the launch of Glo Gateway International Prepaid 
Call Cards, the best deals are coming from the FWA networks 
using CDMA technology. 
 

X FIRST TO INTRODUCE WORLD-CLASS FIBRE OPTIC BACKBONE 

REASON:
Nope. Nitel has that prize forever.

There is nothing "world-class" about Glo's fibre-optic 
network. 

(But we are forever grateful to Glo for making MTN Nigeria 
start digging-up and laying its own fibre-optic network 
even when it is yet to fully complete the last phase of its 
Radio Transmission backbone.)


X FIRST AND ONLY PRIVATE ENTERPRISE OPERATED NATIONAL 
CARRIER 

REASON:
Glo is awarding accolades to itself for being the Second 
National Operator. Nice attempt.


X FIRST TO COVER OVER 30,000 COMMUNITIES ACROSS NIGERIA IN 
ONLY THREE YEARS OF OPERATION

REASON:
There can only be one prize for the largest coverage. Even 
though we take all the info put out by the MTN Nigeria 
marketing folks with a pinch of salt, we still think MTN 
Nigeria has that prize.

Glo should remove "in only three years of operation" and 
try to over-take MTN Nigeria. 

Then they can brag.


X FIRST TO INTRODUCE BLACKBERRY IN NIGERIA

REASON:
I have been asking this everywhere: 
"What's so special about the blackberry?"

-it is elitist
-it has a scandalous N10,000 monthly access fee
-it requires configurations to your corporate email 
software
(See the url to the discussion on the subject at the end of 
this article.)

Or maybe Glo is celebrating the "push" mail feature? (Where 
your mail is sent to you.)

Or is Glo celebrating the Blackberry device instead of the 
benefits? If so, MTN Nigeria has the prize for offering the 
first (and only ever) properly branded phone: the Sendo 
S200. We don't hear MTN Nigeria making noise about that.


GLO'S ADJUSTED FIRSTS, ACCORDING TO GSM TODAY
=============================================

Ok, here is Glo's list again. X marks cancelled duds:

First to introduce pay-by-the-second billing
First to introduce Mobile Banking in Nigeria
First to introduce free SIM 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

X First to introduce Fleet Manager (Vehicle Tracking) in 
Nigeria
X First to establish international gateway switches outside 
Nigeria 
X First to introduce world-class fibre optic backbone in 
Nigeria


X First and only private enterprise operated national 
carrier 
X First to cover over 30,000 communities across Nigeria in 
only three years of operation

X First to introduce Blackberry in Nigeria

? First to introduce mobile internet in Nigeria
(As with Celtel, this Awards still need further 
confirmation.)


SUMMARY
=======

Not bad, Glo. Not bad. But we all know Glo Mobile has been 
at the fore-front of innovation in the Nigerian GSM space. 
All the others have been reacting to Glo's bold moves in 
the past three years.

And so, Celtel suffers a Technical Knock-Out at the hands 
of golden boy Glo mobile in the Nigerian GSM battle of the 
Firsts.




------------------------
Read Round 1 of CELTEL VS. GLO here:
http://www.mail-archive.com/gsmtoday@xxxxxxxxxxxxx/msg00198.html

Read about GSM Today's review of Glo's First Anniversary 
plus several records:
http://www.mail-archive.com/gsmtoday@xxxxxxxxxxxxx/msg00143.html

Discussion of Glo Blackberry and "push" feature at the 
Proudly Nigeria Thread @ Esato.com:
http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=70823&start=6645


Talk about this article with 150+ GSM subscribers:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/letstalkgsm

Read hundreds of past GSM Today articles
INCLUDING LAST WEEK'S issue:
http://www.mail-archive.com/gsmtoday@xxxxxxxxxxxxx/ 

=---
Sagai "CoolApostle" Adam covers the GSM space in Nigerian 
Telecoms in GSM Today E-zine, Nigeria's ONLY GSM newsletter.







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