Starcomms Rings in More Cities



From Left: Vincent Ejikonye – Regional Manager North Business Solutions, Starcomms Plc; His Royal Highness, Mallam Muhammad Awwal Ibrahim (CON) Emir of Zazzau, Suleja and Tunde Odetunde, Head, Indirect Channel of Starcomms during the official launch of Starcomms service in Suleija, Kaduna recently

Starcomms in 50% Easter promo tariff discount

Nigeria’s code division multiple access (CDMA) operator, Starcomms Plc, said it is offering a 50 per cent discount in tariff for some top international destinations in the spirit of celebrating the Easter season with its loyal customers.

The promotion, which is known, as Starcomms Easter Basket comes with a double offer tailored to reward customers for loyalty.

The second offer in the Starcomms Easter Basket is the opportunity for existing and potential customers to get the Starcomms C118 mobile phone plus N250 airtime, plus free RUIM card at a price of N3, 499.

The chief operating officer of Starcomms, Logan Pather disclosed that customers during the festive period would be able to make calls to destinations like USA, Canada, China and India for as low as N6.00 per minute.

He said the offer, which is meant to make the Easter season a joyous one for customers when they call their families, friends and loved ones is also applicable to United Kingdom, South Africa, Ghana Pakistan, United Arab Emirate, Niger, Benin, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Lebanon, France, Italy, Malaysia, Hong Kong at discounted rate

According to him, the Easter promotion is designed to add value to the social life of all customers and it is available to customers in all cities where there is Starcomms coverage, adding that the promotion will run 2011.

“As listening network, we understand that Nigerians love to keep in touch with their loved ones, hence we are using this Easter period to reward the Christians on our network, but the non-Christians too,” he said.

Starcomms appoints EDs for HR, customers operations

Starcomms appoints EDs for HR, customers operations

Starcomms Plc, a leading fixed wireless operator listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), has announced the appointments of Messrs Bryan Morris and Peter Kingsley as human resources and customers operations directors.   Morris will be responsible for all human resources and administrative operations while Kingsley will be in charge of customers operations and service of the company. The appointment is part of the company’s strategy of strengthening its management team in the highly competitive telecommunication industry. Morris, an American, a graduate of The Ohio State University in the United States has had a range of senior management positions in his 18 years working experience. He holds a degree in Psychology and Organizational Development and Master’s of Labour, Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management as well as a GPHR certification, his career spans shipping, oil & gas, telecommunications and manufacturing sectors. Prior to joining Starcomms, Morris, who has had a quality exposure and vast experience in human resources, was a general manager: Human Resources and Administration with AP Moller-Maersk Terminals, Apapa, Lagos. His career, which has taken him through various levels of responsibilities while working in Senegal, Nigeria and the USA covers his broad specialization areas. Kingsley, the newly appointed customers’ operations director attended Technical College Kempton Park and Vaal Triangle Technikon for his post secondary education. He has over 35 years work experience in a cross section of organizations, covering telecommunication, consulting and utilities industries in top management capacity. Over these years, he had quality exposure and vast experience in customer and subscriber operations. Before joining Starcomms Kingsley was general manager in charge of customer operations with MTN International. He rendered support and backup in existing operations in Swaziland, Nigeria and Iran. The board of the telecommunication firm had recently approved the appointments of Logan Pather, chief operating officer (COO) and David Ordman as chief financial officer (CFO).

Starcomms invests N1.3b on network

Starcomms, a Code Division Multiple Access Telco has spent $9 million (N1.35billion) to improve capacity and strengthen its network in 10 Nigerian cities.　

The cities are: the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Oron, Akwa-Ibom State; Jaji, Kaduna State; Suleja, Niger State; Ikot-Ekpene and Eket, both in Akwa-Ibom State; Maiduguri, Borno State; Umuahia, Abia State; Tinapa, Cross River State and Agbor in Delta State.　

Addressing the media at the weekend, Chief Operating Officer of the company, Logan Pather, said the investment which covered equipment and logistics, among others, will see Starcomms rolling out services to other parts of the country where the company previously had no coverage and also improving capacity in congested sites in areas where it currently has coverage.　

He added that from today ( May 9) and for the next three weeks, commercial launches, commercial launch of Starcomms would kick-off in all 10 cities.

He said: "Starcomms has continued to make significant investments in the telecommunications industry, despite the difficulties that characterise the business climate in Nigeria.　"

Starcomms introduces 50 hours internet package

In apparent response to the clamour of its data customers for flexibility in the prices of data packages to allow them many choices on their subscription, Starcomms Plc, one of the telecommunication companies in data provision in Nigeria has introduced a 50-hour internet option.

The 50-hour package on iZAP according to Starcomms, costs N3990 while the 1x component costs N2500. The service will last fourteen days before a customer can recharge again. Before now, the lowest data subscription hourly plan for Starcomms internet access was 100 hours. To make use of the 50-hour package, customers can recharge with their recharged Starcomms phones with the aid of recharge card and through Starcomms’ website. The code for iZAP 50-hour plan is 249. This means that all a customer needs to do is recharge their Starcomms phones up to N4,000 and send SMS (*249*data device number*1234#) to 37938.

The plan, according to Nigerian Pilot investigations, is suitable for all customers, including students and budget conscious people who have been requesting for a data plan that they can subscribe to with out-of pocket funds.

Logan Pather, Starcomms’ Chief Operating Officer, said that the introduction of the 50-hour package is a direct response to customer’s demand for a value subscription plan on their internet access in order to stem long period of inactivity on their data account as a result of inadequacy of funds at the point of expiration of their last recharge.

“We observe that a large number of our data customers prefer flexibility in such a way that they can decide at the expiration of their default package to switch to something temporary and affordable while they get funds together for the higher priced packages. After due consideration of these concerns, we came up with the 50 hour package that is convenient and affordable. With it they can avoid unnecessary suspension of their internet access with little cost,” Pather said.

Starcomms has been in the providing smooth and fast internet access in Nigeria. For this, iZAP, the company’s premium internet product has been adjudged for three years consecutively as arguably the best internet product in the Nigerian Information Technology and Telecommunications Awards, among many other awards and recognition.

Children Savor Live Concert from Promasidor

L-R: CEO Balmoral International and promoter of the concert, Adejare Adegbenro   ;

one of the characters of the Little Big Club Concert Bob the Builder

and Managing Director of Promasidor Mr. Keth Richards

More than two hundred children from different motherless homes in Lagos got a chance of a lifetime at the weekend when they were given the opportunity like their counterparts in privileged homes to watch the Little Big Club concert, a show sponsored by Promasidor Nigeria Limited in partnership with Balmoral International Limited.

Apart from the free ticket that the orphans were given to be part of the show, Promasidor also conveyed the children from various locations in vehicles to a beach side marquee venue of the wonderful event.

According to the Brand Manager Cowbell Chocolate and Amila, (two of the Promasidor brands co-sponsoring the event), Biodun Ajiborode, the company extended this gesture to the motherless children because it believed that many of these children might not have the privilege of a premium show like it in their entire lifetime.

“Every festive season, Promasidor has a culture of giving motherless children a rare treat in several parts of the country. The Little Big Club show is part of the Easter celebration.  We note that children in the orphanages may not be able to afford the prize of the ticket for the show because of the premium nature of the ticket and the classy nature of the event.

“We also believe that the experience they gained at the show may have a great impact on their lives. So, we brought them to come and see it even before some of those who can afford the ticket will see it,” he said.

The Little Big Club Concert is a live music concert of singing, dancing and drama featuring comic characters like fireman Sam, Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Alice and Pingu, the large penguin. The team’s tour of Nigeria was sponsored by Promasidor for the entertainment of children in the festive season of Easter in conjunction with Balmoral International.

The managing director of Promasidor, Keith Richards said he considered the company’s partnership with Balmoral and HIT as a great privilege to bring joy into the lives of children in Nigeria who have been enjoying the Promasidor brands of Cowbell Choco, Cowbell flavoured drink and Amilla. He challenged the children present at the event to enjoy themselves as they were all served free cups of chilled Cowbell Choco drink and pop-corn.

The Little Big Club concert is the brainchild of HIT Entertainment, one of the world's top children's entertainment producers with lines of business spanning television, video and movie production, content distribution, and live children fun events. The company has gained popularity among children around the world. 

P&G Boosts Less Privileged Children Education

R-L Mrs Patricia Obazuwa, External Relations Head Procter & Gamble
Nigeria, with Claire Molyneux, Associate Marketing Director Procter & Gamble and
Otunba Femi Dinah, Vice Chairman sponsor a child organisation, at the press
briefing on Buy One Pack and Help Educate an Orphan in Lagos yesterday.

Procter & Gamble Nigeria (P&G), the world’s leading household products manufacturer in Nigeria has said it has concluded arrangements to give proceeds from sale of three of its brands to educate 3,000 children in 15 orphanages in Lagos.

Ms Claire Molyneux, Associate Director of Marketing of P&G who listed the three brands as Ariel, Always and Pampers disclosed this last week at a press briefing in Lagos, remarking that the initiative was part of Building Futures, an outreach programme of the company that has been donating learn-and-play centres to orphanages around the country.

She said the resources needed for the education of the targeted 3,000 orphans in the Lagos area is enormous, and that is why the company is engaging its consumers to be part of the worthy efforts of the company at giving back to the society.

According to her this initiative presents an opportunity for everyone to personally take a small step towards the education of a child that would normally not have the same privileges as their peers.  By simply purchasing P&G products that millions of consumers already know and love - Pampers diapers, Always Sanitary Pads and Ariel Detergent from the 9^th of May to the 9^th of June 2011, you will be playing a role in helping orphaned children to realize their full potential in life.

Under the Building Futures initiative, P&G donates pre-school early learning materials, text books for nursery, primary and secondary school level, computers and  learning software to orphanages in Lagos, which include: Love Home Orphanage, Heritage Homes, Hephzibah Home, Light of Hope Orphanage, Living Fountain Orphanage, Precious Pearls Orphanage, Compassionate Orphanage, Babes Salaam Muslim Orphanage, Bethlehem Charity and Orphanage Home, S.O.S. Children Village, Owu, Tunji Adebayo Motherless Babies' Home, Little Angels’ Orphanage, Centre For Destitutes’ Empowerment, National Orthopaedic Hospital Special School and Arrows of God.

As part of the programme, P&G in partnership with Sponsor A Child, a Non-governmental Organization (NGO) has been donating resource centres equipped with books, computers and play materials to some orphanages in Nigeria. Five of the orphanages, one each in Lagos, Ibadan, Benin and two in Kaduna have already been inaugurated for the children’s use by the company.

Sponsor a Child (SAC) Coordinator, Olatoun Williams, said literacy is a primary concern of the NGO, having seen the level of illiteracy and what damage it is causing to the development of the society, remarking that the organisation is therefore partnering with P&G in this initiative to deliver educational opportunities to the less privileged and at risk children in Nigeria.

According to her, absence of literacy in the society can be linked to all the ills that affect the society. “Scourges like poverty, exploitation, poor health and illiteracy go hand-in-hand. It is not a coincidence that where illiteracy is high people face other, often dire, challenges,” she said.

She said the current initiative of P&G is therefore an effort to tackle the situation from the perspective of the underprivileged of the society.

Williams stressed the need to mobilize resources and the political will to eliminate illiteracy in the country, noting that if Nigeria have to move forward, there is need to eliminate illiteracy.