Showmax unlocks easier payments for Nigerian subscribers via Baxi by Onafriq - ITREALMS

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Showmax, Africa’s leading streaming service, has expanded its payment options in Nigeria through a partnership with Baxi by Onafriq, giving customers an easier and more convenient way to subscribe and stay connected to world-class streaming entertainment.

Starting Monday, 22 December 2025, existing Showmax customers can log into the Baxi by Onafriq app, select and pay for any of Showmax plans including: Showmax Entertainment Mobile, Showmax Entertainment (All Devices), Showmax Premier League Mobile, Showmax Entertainment (All Devices) + Premier League Mobile, Showmax Entertainment Mobile + Premier League Mobile. 

NCC to Service Providers: You must inform subscribers of outages - ITREALMS

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a directive requiring telecom licensees to notify consumers about major service outages on their networks through media channels, reports ITREALMS.

A press statement available to ITREALMS and endorsed by Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, Acting Head of Public Affairs at the NCC which details include on the cause of the outage, affected areas, and estimated restoration time.

Alert! NCC cautions operators, subscribers on WannaCry virus

ITRealms:

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has alerted the licensed operators and subscribers in the country of the recent outbreak of a Ransomware virus also known as “WannaCry” across the world, reports ITRealms.

This alert, NCC officials told ITRealms was in fulfilment of its statutory mandate to assure the security and integrity of the national telecommunications network in the country.

The Ransomware, ITRealms gathered, is capable of infecting and encrypting all files on a system or any smart device until an amount is paid for a decryption key, or other means of retrieval which may lead to data loss are used to recover the system as an alternative.

This situation, NCC said, demands that proactive measures be taken by all players in the telecommunication eco-system to forestall the hazards of critical data loss, financial losses and ultimately network/business disruption. ITRealms also reports that the NCC in a public service notice, therefore advisd that the following protective measures be taken, amongst others to obtain software patch released by Microsoft in March 2017 to fix the Ransomware Virus; to plan scheduled penetration tests on the networks and systems to ensure protection and availability at all times.

And for subscribers who use their smartphones as substitutes to computers for internet access, NCC said, they should protect themselves and their devices by “Not opening e-mail attachments/links from unknown sources; Not clicking pop-ups and applets on unknown websites; and installing effective antivirus software for their mobile devices.”

Furthermore, the NCC said it has taken proactive measures in fulfilling its statutory mandate including advising Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to initiate regular assessment and audit of their cybersecurity readiness.

“All operators should continue to ensure that their backup/ disaster recovery strategies are in place and up to date,” NCC stated.

In addition, the Commission noted it has further advised all operators to ensure continued deployment of effective firewalls, login passwords and antivirus management regime.

The Commission also stated, its working towards creating a link with the Cybersecurity Alert System on its website so that current information on global cyber threats/incidents could be immediately communicated to stakeholders.

NCC emphasized that the Commission will continue to provide more cybersecurity training for its staff.  

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Etisalat parleys subscribers in Kwara State

ITRealms:

Acclaimed Nigeria’s most customer-friendly telecommunication company, Etisalat has hosted its customers in Ilorin, Kwara State to a parley, at part of its quarterly exercise, reports ITRealms.

The Etisalat Customer Forum, ITRealms gathered, is an interactive feedback session aimed at engaging customers to deepen relationships, just as the session provides a platform for valuable engagement with customers through constructive feedback on their experiences from using various services and products on the Etisalat network.

Speaking at the interactive forum, held during the week in Ilorin, the state capital, Director, Brands and Experience, Elvis Ogiamwanye, said the forum further underlined Etisalat’s recognition of its customers as being very important to the continued growth of the network in Nigeria.

While stating that the Customer Forum initiative was launched in 2010 with the objective of receiving feedbacks from customers across a wide range of issues, he revealed that feedbacks received at previous customer forums have helped the company in developing innovative products and services that solve every day problem for the customers. 

 

“At Etisalat, we are passionate about delivering value to our customers. This is why we come to them regularly so they can speak with us about our products and services. The feedbacks we get from them serve as a major input that has accelerated our growth in the Nigerian telecommunication industry,” Ogiamwanye said.

A customer who works with a fashion publication, Christina Odigie, commended Etisalat for the superior quality of its data service in Ilorin, and said this has empowered her to do more in view of the nature of her vocation. “I work for a fashion magazine, so I am always online 24/7 so I can stay ahead of fashion trends. I love to stream videos, download media, check Instagram and other social media platforms. I must say that Etisalat data quality is second to none”, she enthused.

Kwara State Commissioner for Environment, Otunba Taiwo Joseph, also commended Etisalat for its swift response to solving customers’ complaints. “I had some challenges with my line, it was fixed in no time after I complained at the Etisalat Experience Centre on Stadium Road here in Ilorin. Since then I have been enjoying both data and voice services without complaint”, he said. 

Ayo Midele/GEE 

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Pix: L-R: Specialist, Customer Experience, Etisalat Nigeria, Sowari Akosionu;Etisalat Customer, Titus Olorunnisola and Director, Brands and Experience, Elvis Ogiemwanye during Etisalat Customer Forum held in Ilorin, Kwara State, recently.

Glo subscribers urge extension of 4G LTE to hinterland

ITRealms:

Reports reaching our newsroom indicate that the Glo 4G LTE network has continued to generate more interest from impressed subscribers nationwide as the clamour for more coverage areas in the hinterlands by telecom subscribers is becoming unprecedented, reports ITRealms.

This is coming as the Christmas season draw nearer, even as ITRealms gathered that already, Globacom has rolled out the service in close to one hundred locations nationwide.

Some of these locations include Lagos (Lekki, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Ajah and Akoka), Port Harcourt (Aba Road, Trans Amadi, Diobu, Old GRA and UNIPort, Warri, Eket and Benin), Abuja (Maitama, Wuse, Asokoro, Garki/Central Business District and Airport Road), and Jos in North Central), Yola – ABTI (North East) and Zaria- ABU in North West.

A number of the Glo 4G LTE subscribers, who having experienced the speed of the service, described it as second to none in the country in terms of quality and coverage, and urged Globacom to rapidly spread the network to suburbs and villages.

One of the respondents, Titilayo Lawal, a fashion designer based in Adeniran Ogunsanya area of Surulere Lagos, praised the Glo 4G LTE service. Lawal who had ported to Glo from another network for reasons relating to poor data service said her experience so far on Glo network is remarkable and impressive. “It is good.  It is very fast no matter the amount of attachment you are sending.  I love the service.” She urged Globacom to extend the 4G LTE service to some other locations especially where she spends most of her time.

Stephen Obembe, who resides in Wuse 2, Abuja who also ported to Glo could not hide his excitement at the 4G LTE service. “It’s been great. Glo 4G has been good, very good. I use a lot of data for my business and I am really satisfied with the service. I am very happy I ported to the Glo network”, he said.

For Maniru Saminu, a Bureau De Change operator based in Zone 4, Wuse, Abuja, the Glo 4G LTE service is a new dawn in data and internet network in Nigeria. He enthused that Glo has become the network of choice for him.

“I really appreciate Glo 4G service. It is very fast. I am enjoying the internet service, I do not experience delays doing streaming and downloads. I also do my internet banking transactions with ease,” Saminu said. He explained that the clear difference he experienced spurred him to encourage his friends in the BDC business to subscribe to Glo 4G.

“I even gave my old Samsung S7 Edge phone to one of my friends to use and he has subscribed. The second person will soon subscribe. I want to urge Globacom to bring the service to Kano, my home state so we can enjoy it over there also,” he said.

Globacom in a statement encouraged Nigerians to switch to its 4G LTE network and begin to enjoy superior quality. “Glo LTE network is one of the very best you will find anywhere in the world. Apart from an expansive, nationwide state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure which our 4G LTE  network is predicated on, it is also riding on the much sought-after spectrum band 28. This gives it a strong edge,” Globacom explained.

Nenye Dom/GEE 

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Glo 11k per second for all excites subscribers

ITRealms:

The celebrated grandmasters of data, Globacom, has adduced reasons why it gave subscribers more talk time to communicate with family, friends and business associates locally and internationally, which led to introduction of its well-received product, 11k Per Second For All, reports ITRealms.

Head, Usage and Retention at Globacom, Sola Arowogbadamu said in a press statement made avaialble to ITRealms that the product allows Glo customers to make local and international calls at the flat rate of 11 kobo per second among its four products.

Arowogbadamu also said that the new product was among several others carefully conceived and designed to give customers unbeatable value for money.

"11k Per Second For All can be enjoyed by all prepaid customers who pay a daily access fee of N5," he said, stressing that it was conceived to reduce expenses on calls by Globacom customers, especially at these austere times.

He pointed out that for international calls, Glo subscribers on the plan could call thirty destinations at 11 kobo per second. Just as the international destinations are Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, China, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, French Guiana, Guam, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Luxembourg, Malta , Mongolia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Puerto Rico, Reunion Island, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea,
Spain, Sweden, UK, US.

Arowogbadamu further said that Globacom's new and existing customers could take advantage of of this plan by migrating by merely dialing *211#.

“This is the best deal ever and it is in sync with our forte of making life sweeter for our esteemed customers to enjoy our rich bouquet of offerings and products at pocket-friendly rates as they cope with the economic recession in the country,” he said.

Remmy Nweke/ED, Ops

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Ojobo reiterates NCC resolve to protect subscribers from unsolicited messages

ITREALMS:

The Nigerian Communications Commission has reiterated its readiness to protect subscribers from the nuisance and irritations of unsolicited text messages and calls from mobile network operators.

Mr. Tony Ojobo, Director, Public Affairs, noted in a statement, that in spite of earlier warnings to telecommunication service providers to activate their Do-Not-Disturb facility which gives subscribers the freedom to choose the messages they receive, the Commission is still inundated with complaints by subscribers of continuing text harassment by operators.

The Direction issued to industry operators to activate the 2442 Do Not Disturb Short Code took effect from July 1, 2016. Ojobo explained that the Direction mandates the operators to take immediate action which will allow the subscribers to take informed but independent decisions on what messages to receive from the networks.

He observed that industry compliance doesn’t seem to have matched the seriousness of the Direction thus, compelling the Commission to issue a final warning to the operators.

According to him, the Direction takes into cognizance the broad range of services, which include: Banking/Insurance/Financial products, Real estate, Education, Health, Consumer Goods and Automobiles, Communication/ Broadcasting/ Entertainment/ IT, Tourism and /Leisure, Sports, Religion (Christianity, Islam, others), and directed the operators to give the necessary instructions and clarifications that will enable subscribers subscribe to a particular service/services/none at all.

In fact, a Full DND which is SMS ‘STOP” to 2442 does not allow the subscriber to receive any unsolicited messages from the operators at all.

Below, he said, are the various options:

“SMS 1” for receiving SMS relating to Banking/Insurance/ Financial Products to 2442

“SMS 2” for receiving SMS relating to Real estate to 2442

SMS 3” for receiving SMS relating to Education to 2442

“SMS 4” for receiving SMS relating to Health to 2442

“SMS 5” for receiving SMS relating to Consumer Goods and Automobiles, to 2442

“SMS 6” for receiving SMS relating to Communication/ Broadcasting/ Entertainment/ IT, to 2442

“SMS 7” for receiving SMS relating to Tourism and Leisure to 2442

“SMS 8” for receiving SMS relating to Sports to 2442

“SMS 9” for receiving SMS relating to Religion to 2442

Ojobo called on the service providers to immediately comply with the Direction as further complaints from the subscribers would be taken as serious infractions to a major regulatory intervention by the Commission.

Pix: Tony Ojobo

NATCOMS demands compensation policy for Nigeria telecom subscribers

ITRealms:

The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) has demanded from the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), a compensation policy for nation’s telecoms subscribers, reports ITRealms.

National President, NATCOMS, Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo made this appeal as part of the group’s message in commemoration of the World Telecommunications Day (WTD) 2016, in addition to a recent appeal made by the Director General, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Mrs. Dupe Atoki, when she paid a courtesy call to the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta.

He also said, the NCC should come up with a special compensation scheme to reward subscribers for poor quality of service being experienced by Nigerian telecoms consumers. 

“We are appealing to Nigerian Communications Commission helmsman to ensure that a ‘Subscriber’s Compensation Policy’ which will compensate subscribers with free airtime; a soft-fine anytime the telecoms operators perform below the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) parameters as set by NCC,” he said.

Ogunbanjo said the current practices where telcos fall short of KPI parameters are made to pay huge fines, which goes only to government coffers.

This, NATCOMS said, is to say the least, very unsavory of the subscribers who suffers the injury and the brunt of poor quality service and other unauthorized deductions.

NATCOMS further pointed out that this kind of compensation has been enthroned in Bangladesh, India among others.

Urging NCC to use this gift to telecom subscribers as the commemoration of the World Telecommunications Day holds.

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Spectranet unveils new logo, offers 5GB free data

ITRealms 

Chief Executive Officer, Spectranet 4G LTE, David Venn, at a media launch in Lagos, announced a monthly rollover of any unused data and a minimum of 5GB free data for its subscribers as it unveils a new corporate identity targeted at providing fast and affordable internet connectivity to Nigerians, ITRealms reports.

ITRealms gathered that Venn, speaking at the event said consumers all over the world, including Nigerian consumers, are increasingly embracing the Internet as the next revolution in gaining access to information and entertainment, deepening social relationships, as an alternative to traditional means of communication and directly making their voice heard in public debates.

“Internet has become part of our lifestyle in Nigeria and we can see its impact felt in almost every facet of our lives. The individual is now a major player in the happenings around him, powered by Information Communication Technology.” He said.

The Internet Service Provider CEO, ITRealms learnt also described the new logo as the hallmark of a new spirit, noting that the firm understands the needs of its customers very well and has kept on improving services to offer the best internet solution in the country.

ITRealms gathered that Spectranet has gone beyond 3G and is the 1st 4G LTE Network in Nigeria which brings numerous benefits that provide a powerful internet broadband experience that is way beyond current 3G performance.

Daniel Nsolibe/Ed, Ops.

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Etisalat, NCC to boost investments in local innovations

ITRealms

Vice president, Regulatory and Public Affairs, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Ibrahim Dikko, at a quarterly seminar organised by the Nigeria Information and Communications Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA) in Lagos, said it would partner with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to boost growth of Nigeria’s telecom sector by promoting investments in local innovations as it has increased its subscribers’ base to over 22 million in less than six years of operation, ITRealms reports.

ITRealms gathered that Mr. Dikko, represented by the company’s spokesperson, Chineze Amanfo, noted that to enhance local capacity building in the sector, the company, as part of its innovative strides, instituted the Etisalat Prize for Innovation Award which encourages indigenous software developers to create apps that will enhance the growth of the mobile industry.

Executive Vice Chairman NCC, Dr Eugene Juwah, represented by the NCC executive commissioner, Dr Mike Onyia, ITRealms learnt said that innovation from a regulatory point of view, has catapulted growth in the sector to the height that it has achieved today, with the uncountable number of apps riding on telecom networks.

“NCC adopted technology neutrality in its licensing process to provide opportunity for creativity and innovation in the provision of services. Restriction of service to specific technologies, as we discovered, may not allow for innovation, so we have allowed for choice of technologies for multiple operators using regulatory tools designed to encourage local innovation in the provision of services.” He said.

Juwah, ITRealms learnt, also added that innovation provides mutual benefit to bother the service provider and consumer of the service, adding that NCC would continue to encourage innovations in all aspects of the industry, as it is appropriate to predict that when broadband services become very much available in Nigeria as planned, it will also come with inevitable push for more innovations in the ways services are delivered today.

ITRealms also gathered that Etisalat Nigeria is partnering with the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, in association with Etisalat Academy in Dubai and Billmort University, United Kingdom to train Nigerian engineers towards developing a pool of manpower for the telecom industry.

Daniel Nsolibe/Ed, Ops.

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Why Glo unveiled Overload, Allawee promos

ITRealms:

Nigeria’s telecommunications giant, Globacom, has unveiled two mega promos, Glo Overload and Glo Allawee as a way of rewarding its subscribers this yuletide season, reports ITRealms.

Glo Overload, ITRealms also reports, automatically credits subscribers with 200 per cent airtime and data bonus and offers them an opportunity to be 100 times richer every time they recharge with N200 or more. 

Regional Chief Marketing Officer at Glo, Mr. Ashok Israni, told ITRealms that subscribers also stand a chance to win N120 million cash prizes during the promo.

“Glo Allawee, on its part gives every new customer N18,000 worth of free airtime for calls and text messages,” he said.

The two offers, he explained to ITRealms, are part of a series of promos being unveiled by the company to create unprecedented excitement for millions of subscribers on the network.

  

Israni equally told ITRealms, these promos are Globacom’s way of rewarding its esteemed customers for their consistent loyalty, and also for thanking new customers for choosing the network, moreso at this season.

He urged telecommunication subscribers across the country wishing to benefit from Glo Overload to dial *200# on their phones. They will consequently be admitted to the promo platform and be able to enjoy all the promised benefits.

The second promo, Glo Allawee, he said, enables subscribers to get free airtime of N50 everyday when they use N50 or more on calls, text messages or data before 10pm. The bonus is credited the following day and can be used to make calls or send text messages to Glo lines only. 

Globacom’s National Sales Coordinator, David Maji, “Glo Allawee was developed to encourage and empower teeming subscribers to join the network and begin to enjoy many other benefits which Glo provides on a daily basis.”

“Subscribers who activate a new SIM and achieve the usage target of N50 before 10pm on a day will get an additional N50 airtime and can earn up to N18,000 worth of free airtime in one year of activation,” said Maji.

To enjoy the benefits of Glo Allawee, customers are encouraged to buy a new Glo sim, dial *170*7# and use up to N50 on calls, data or sms.

Glo Allawee is one of the many innovations the Glo Network has introduced as part of its commitment to promoting friendship through efficient communications among Nigerians. “We will continue to provide innovative services to Nigerians at affordable rates. It is a commitment we have made in serving our subscribers better.” he concluded.

Globacom explained that these offers, among many others lined up for release, are coming after a massive nationwide network enhancement and modernization project that has seen major components of the network swapped with state-of-the-art equipment.

As a result of the expansion and modernization, Globacom said the capacity of the Glo network and quality of service have significantly been boosted, thereby guaranteeing Globacom subscribers enjoyable experience on the network during and after the promotions.

 

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