| 3G ARRIVES FINALLY
Glo begins commercial 3G Plus services in Lagos as
NCC approves tariffs
By SOLA FANAWOPO
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
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Adenuga
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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After all the media blitz that accompanied the introduction
of 3G services by a few GSM service providers, Globacom has
announced that its 3G Plus services launched last year is
now available to subscribers in Lagos area. This follows the
approval of the tariffs for the service by the Nigerian Communication
Commission (NCC).
The national operator said prepaid and postpaid subscribers
with 3G phones on the network can now access the 3G Plus services
by sending 'Activate' to 444 via SMS, while others without
3G phones can procure 3G compatible devices and 3G HSDPA data
cards by visiting the Gloworld outlets in Lagos.
Globacom said the areas in Lagos where 3G Plus is available
are Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki, Lagos Island, Murtala Mohammed
Airport, Alaba, Ikeja Mainland and Surulere. Others are Apapa,
Berger, Egbeda, Ejigbo, Festac Town, Okota and Lagos State
University.
With the development, Globacom has become the first network
in West Africa to commercially launch 3G HSDPA services. The
company launched the service formally at Banquet Hall of Eko
Hotel and Suites in Lagos. The operator listed the services
immediately available on 3G Plus as Video Calling, High Speed
Internet (HSI), Mobile TV and Video on Demand.
Also known as "videophone", Video Calling enables
two subscribers with 3G video phones to talk to each other
while viewing real-time 2-way live video between each other.
To be able to use this service, the caller and the recipient
are both required to be within the Glo 3G coverage areas.
“Our subscribers in Lagos can now make and receive live
video calls to friends, family members and colleagues across
the Glo 3G Plus network,” Globacom stated. The service
attracts N50 per minute or N1 per second for both prepaid
and postpaid subscribers, with only the calling party being
charged.
The company, however, said that Video Calling is being offered
at a promotional offer of N30 per minute or 60 kobo per second
during the first 30 days of launch. Thereafter, the N50 a
minute or N1 per second charge takes effect.
With Glo 3G Plus Mobile’s High Speed Internet Access,
subscribers are able to browse the World Wide Web directly
on their handsets’ browser or laptops/ home computers
at speeds of up to 3.6Mbps within the Glo 3G coverage area.
The company said the service offered is aimed at upwardly
mobile individuals who have a requirement to stay in the know
and ‘always connected’ to the internet 24/7 with
the latest 3G handsets or laptops. These users are thus able
to surf the internet at phenomenally fast speeds. This, Globacom
explained, is charged with a monthly rental of N15,000, or
with a browsing rate of 35kobo per kilobyte at peak times
and 20kobo per kilobyte at off-peak times, depending on the
subscribers desired package. The company also said that a
promotional 3G data card package is also available for the
first 30 days of launch.
The third service, Mobile TV, otherwise called Video Streaming,
allows users to watch premium TV channels anywhere within
the Glo 3G coverage areas on your 3G phones. CNN and Silverbird
are immediately available on the service, while Fashion TV
and other channels will be added to the bouquet shortly, Globacom
said. The service could be accessed at 7 kobo per kilo byte.
“By providing Nigerians with high speed internet access,
video calling and mobile TV, among other services, we are
empowering our subscribers to enter the next generation of
technological innovations made in advanced countries and this
will inevitably benefit the lives and businesses of the subscribers
who utilize the products,” Globacom stated.
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