Etisalat Nigeria has renewed its growth plans for the Nigerian mobile telecommunications, saying it would continue to invest despite the challenges in the sector even as its subscriber base reached 12 million just three and half years after launching its operation in the country.
Mr. Steve Evans, the Chief Executive Officer of the company made this declaration after the unveiling of its Masterbrand campaign in Lagos saying that it is adding 1000 additional base transceiver station (BTS) to the over 3000 BTS that is live connecting its network across the nation. He said by the end of 2012 Etisalat would have surpassed 4000 base stations on its network.
He said “because of the amount of investments you have to make upfront, the timelines in the mobile industry you don’t think about something like two or three-year business or five or six-year business or eight or nine-year business, it is a 15-year plus business.’
Evan said the operator was investing heavily into the marketplace, to build its network, “We are on the way to doing that and by the end of the year I hope very close if not passed 4000 sites. It is a big machine, it is a big civil engineering machine and we have lots of partner companies helping us. There is an army of people working for Etisalat.”
He said it costs Etisalat typically over $200,000 (over N30million) to build a single base station, taking about nine months from conception, planning, sourcing for the venue, getting approvals from different levels of government and actual building of the tower.
Since launching in 2008, Etisalat has continued to deliver on its promise to offer Nigeria high quality, innovative products and services supported by best in class customer care. “This we couldn’t have done without meeting the aspirations of our customers and challenging the status quo, and what had become the accepted standard for mobile operators.
“In just three years of operation, we have established a special place in the lives of Nigerians with a customer base of 12 million. We are simply the fastest growing telecoms company in Nigeria. As a truly Nigerian brand, we realised early in our business that distinguishing ourselves using our unique products and services would offer customers greater opportunities.
This strategy paid off and has made it possible for us to effectively compete with the older players in this market,” he said.
Evans noted that Etisalat has paid a great deal of attention to building a quality network, and this is evident in the awards and endorsements it has received. “Today, we are unveiling a new campaign to further reinforce our uniqueness and also reinforce that Etisalat’s difference is not replicable, it is about an attitude and culture, and is simply a way of life,” he concluded.
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