Buzzwords could sometimes sound esoteric and ultimately remain in the realm of the clouds because what they are held up to signify does not come to be. When phrases such as cloud computing, big data, the Internet of Things are bandied as holding the ace to a future that elevates mankind to heights hitherto unreached, some caution is indeed required.
However, some buzzwords are closer to the heights where mortals operate and can actually key into; or better still, see the evolution as it unfolds. The evolution from Telco 1.5 to Telco 2.0 in Nigeria is clearly discernible to telecoms subscribers in the country.
Whereas the previous era was characterised by basic services such as voice, the latter is driven by data. While in the past it took the better part of a full day to download a file of about 5MB, the same file size can now be downloaded in seconds. Many subscribers are able to stream video content on their computers and handheld devices, while services such as video conferencing are now possible in Nigeria.
Another feature of the Telco 2.0 era is the growth and consumption of applications predominantly on handheld devices. At the last count, there are more than 1.4million apps on both the iStore and Playstore owned by Apple and Google, respectively.
Outside these two major app stores other great apps exist. Without the change from basic services to a more data-centric platform, many of the services and platforms that telecoms subscribers have come to take for granted would not have been possible to access, or even be launched.
Telco 2.0, characterised by the availability of huge data capabilities, is driving the growth of the apps industry. The recent undersea cable connectivity laid between Nigeria and Europe has substantially enhanced the availability of internet to many more Nigerians at affordable rates.
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Little wonder that the number of people connected to the internet has crossed the 50million mark and continued to grow at a rapid pace. Other factors contributing to the growth of the internet in Nigeria include the increasing adoption of smartphones and a corresponding increase in application usability – the smartphone is no longer just a phone but could be the weather reader, compass, marketplace, among a host of other life-enriching applications.
A smartphone, after all, is not that smart without the apps that allow the device to be put to many uses to the benefit of the owner. The apps industry will be worth US$25billion this year, according to MarketsandMarkets, a global market research firm.
While the annual compound growth rate was 29.9 percent between 2009 and last year, this rate is expected to be exceeded as emerging markets like Nigeria create access for millions of people to be connected to the internet and join the race to launch relevant, locally developed apps.
Funmi Onajide, general manager, corporate affairs of MTN Nigeria, at the media event held to unveil the BetterMe app, said that for those familiar with the telecoms industry, the current product and service focus is moving from predominantly voice to data and digital services.
“In the past, the focus was on voice – that is the ability to connect people so that they could make phone calls. This industry has achieved that with well over 100million active subscribers in Nigeria of which MTN has 60million subscribers as at the end of 2014. That dispensation was known as Telco 1.5.
Now we are moving to Telco 2.0, which is characterised by full scale focus on data and digital services leveraging the power of the internet,” Onajide said. It is against this background that the launch of the BetterMe 2015 campaign and one of its major propositions, the MTN BetterMe 2015 app, can be viewed.
Nigeria’s leading company in the telecoms sector, which prefers to be regarded as an information and communications technology company, is leading the charge to put internet to greater use, to positively affect the lives of telecoms service subscribers.
While the BetterMe 2015 campaign will deliver greater value for money spent by MTN subscribers, the BetterMe 2015 app stands out for several reasons.
The app has productivity and lifestyle features, aggregating loads of information that are made available at the click (or touch) of buttons. Bayo Adekanmbi, chief marketing officer, said the application makes life interesting and at the same time rewarding.
“The My2015BetterMe app aims to enhance peoples’ lives with the power of the internet. It provides easy access to a variety of digital content and offers subscribers a single platform to access, view and share New Year resolutions and must-do, 2015 prophesies and events, news, daily deals, gossips, fashion, healthy living and lifestyle tips.
It is our desire that the app revolutionises the industry in the same way that MTN Callertunez service revolutionised the music industry by reducing piracy and ensuring that artistes get adequate remuneration for their talent,” said Adekanmbi.
MTN’s CMO expressed optimism that the app would allow bloggers and internet users get more value for their time, talent and energy spent using the internet for life enriching purposes such as shopping, education, entertainment, fashion, skill acquisition/learning a new language, spiritual and motivational content as well as tracking new year resolutions.
Advancing the rationale behind the catchy campaign, Adekanmbi said: “BetterMe is a progression of our current campaign, ‘Be better’, with the customer being the cynosure of focus, plus the enabling power of MTN innovative data and digital services.”
Available data, he said, point to growing internet use in the country. However, many Nigerians still do not know the benefits that internet avails people who put it to use. While close to half of Nigeria’s telecoms subscribers access the internet predominantly through their mobile phones, a greater majority (54 percent) say that they do not know how to use the internet.
While this is a challenge for the industry, Adekanmbi sees it as an opportunity to bring this huge subscriber figure into the new world of Telco 2.0. And herein lies MTN’s strategy to further strengthen its position as the leading ICT company in Nigeria.
While the BetterMe 2015 offering will avail subscribers’ bundled offers that include the traditional voice proposition, it also offers large data bundle that will empower them to access the internet, unencumbered by the fear of data depletion. This proposition combined with the BetterMe app will help subscribers have easier, much more interesting and rewarding internet experience.
It is evident that MTN is clearly focused on driving the evolution of the telecoms industry with its investment in data services. In the recent past, the company launched its app store, the MTN Next app store and quickly followed by the music+ app.
The company is also in partnership with Co-Creation Hub (CCHUB) to create the MXLab, which aims to improve the quality of local digital solutions, improve customer satisfaction and accelerate smart application of technology. In building apps, relevance is a major factor. Little wonder the BetterMe app is receiving rave reviews.
It was developed by NEO2 Ltd, a fully indigenous firm. Fola Akinmolayan, chief executive officer of NEO2 said that providing Nigerians with limitless access to the internet and the power to do more in 2015, MTN’s value propositions will help them every step of the way to become better farmers, doctors, teachers, traders, students, among others.
He added that mouth-watering bundle packages with various offerings such as free data, voice and SMS have been included in the app to make it more appealing to subscribers.
If the BetterMe app follows in the tradition of the MTN Music+ application, then it is safe to say that it will soon become quite successful. Music+ is now Africa’s premier music distribution platform which has, among other successes, curtailed piracy and restored pride and reward to intellectual property.
And with many subscribers in emerging markets upgrading their feature phones to smartphones, stated Juniper in its 2015 forecast, 160bn apps will be downloaded by 2017, up from 80bn in 2013. With MTN driving the evolution to Telco 2.0, many more Nigerian companies are certain to follow in the footsteps of NEO2 to develop life-changing apps.
BEN UZOR
