Smile Communications Nigeria Limited, is expanding service coverge across the country, in furtherance of its drive to boost broadband penetration.
The city of Abuja is still agog days after the memorable launch of first true 4G LTE (4th Generation Long-Term Evolution) broadband internet service by the telecommunications company.
The Abuja roll-out, coming barely one year after Smile Communications’ 2013 commercial launch of its network in Ibadan, and months after Lagos; follows more than three years of extensive testing and development. Abuja residents are however expected to hugely benefit from the Ibadan and Lagos experience of which users in these areas have adjudged a great success. 4G LTE is the most recent and advanced technological standard for wireless data communications, and represents a major shift when compared to older technologies such as 3G and 2G.
Tom Allen, group chief operating officer, Smile, says the capital city of Nigeria, Abuja is very strategic in the broadband company’s growth, and Smile Communications has taken its time to ensure the service is at its best in the capital city. “Our vision of becoming the broadband internet provider of choice in Nigeria has guided us in everything from selecting our people and partners to developing relevant products and services. We are confident and excited, and we are ready to share the promise of digital citizenship with Abuja residents and millions of Nigerians.”
According to Allen, Nigerian customers are already experiencing global standard speed and quality. “Our Nigerian customers will experience average speeds in excess of 6Mbps (megabits per second), and some customers are already running at average speeds in excess of 20Mbps, which is substantially faster than the speed that can be achieved in other parts of the world, including the United Kingdom (UK)”
He said that Abuja residents are expected to benefit from a raft of new innovations in its offerings from day one. Allen noted that key to Smile’s vision is creating a memorable experience for the customer. Some of these innovations include a customer’s ability to select the speed of his preferred Smile service from his MySmile portal.
A strange thing no doubt for a company that sells data, but Smile’s approach is to help customers use the internet efficiently and effectively. Smile has also introduced SmileON. With SmileON, if your data bundle runs out before the end of its validity period, you can still enjoy restricted access to the Smile service. All in all, Allen stated that some of these fantastic new innovations are unprecedented as they are not available from any other operator in the world.
The introduction of Smile 4G LTE broadband internet in Nigeria represents a considerable investment, and reflects Smile’s confidence in and commitment to the country’s development.
Ben Uzor
