Category: Vodafone

The early days of 2019 saw an announcement from Vodafone saying they had secured a 4G spectrum from the National Communications Authority(NCA) for $30 million dollars.

Further down the year, it is anticipated that the 4G connection would be available in the second quarter. But what does this all mean for the telecommunications giant? Can the move be expected to generate more revenue? Will it be a mishap? And what can Vodafone do to exploit this opening?

The year was 2014, and Ghana was finally joining the 4G train 2 years after the introduction in the UK and the Ghanaian owned Surfline was the ish. Surfline had dominated the industry of 4G for a mere 2 years before MTN joined the bandwagon.

MTN’s announcement of 4G was a much bigger appeal because of the network’s huge base of customers in the country. Now 3 years later, Vodafone attempts to do the same when the world is clearly preparing to move into 5G. Is it too late?

Probably not, Ghana is very unlikely to push the move to 5G until 2020 and considering the price of the technology, probably longer. It does mean though, that Vodafone is going to have to try and increase its market share before then.

Also, the move would mean only AirtelTigo would be left on 3G which is a plus for Ghana. Since the Airtel Tigo merger, Vodafone now has the least market share among the 3 networks and must work extra hard (by riding the 4G wave) to increase its share.

Can the move be expected to generate more revenue? Well, it is unlikely. With a change from 3G from 4G, data gets relatively expensive. When Surfline was first introduced, it was regarded as the most expensive data provider.

Then came Busy with almost double the rate of Surfline which needless to say didn’t help the situation. MTN was expensive and is still expensive but because it doubles as a network provider, it worked like a charm and Vodafone should be keen to recreate it.

All that said, If Vodafone is expected to make a solid move into the 4G era here are a few ideas that could work:

Improve its network connectivity.

Despite not having a 4G connection, Vodafone’s network coverage is very shady. It can be fast and it can be slow at times. Customers are always complaining on social media and they should ensure that with the switch to 4G that it improves around the country.

Personally, I sometimes switch to MTN if my Vodafone network is unstable. If possible, it should give extremely good network connectivity in the major cities of the country as it tries to catch up to MTN.

Keep tariffs attractive

When there was an increase in tax late last year, the networks decided to increase the charges on their respective data plans. This didn’t go too well for the Vodafone X users.

Despite the increase in the price of the bundle, it was still insufficient for a month. The Vodafone X set of bundles is very popular among university students. Vodafone can ensure that its tariffs stay the same during its transition or even better, last longer.

Broadband future

Lastly, with the introduction of 4G, Vodafone can aggressively cement its place as the king of broadband.

MTN, Surfline and other data providers always had an edge over Vodafone but with the advent of 4G, Vodafone can hope to even the playing ground. By giving promotions, and selling more routers, Vodafone can hope to regain their throne.

Vodafone seems late to the 4G party but with the right amount of effort they can still make it a success.

Vodafone Ghana has appointed Patricia Obo-Nai as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with effect from 1st April 2019.

Patricia is a member of Vodafone Ghana’s Executive Committee and is the first Ghanaian to be appointed CEO of Vodafone Ghana.

An Engineer by profession, she comes into her new role with 22 years of experience in Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunications. In addition, she has extensive commercial experience in the telecommunications industry.

Until her appointment, Patricia was the Director of Fixed Business and Customer Operations of Vodafone Ghana.

She also led the company’s Consumer Business Unit. Patricia joined Vodafone Ghana as Chief Technology Officer and a member of the Executive Committee in January 2011. Prior to that, she had worked for 14 years with Millicom Ghana Limited, operators of Tigo.

Commenting on her appointment, Patricia said; “I am looking forward to taking up my new role and leading the company in the next phase of its development. My focus will be to continue to push the boundaries of innovation and position Vodafone as a key challenger in the market. Together with the outstanding staff, we have at Vodafone Ghana, I am confident that the company will remain a strong competitor in the industry here in Ghana.”

Patricia’s appointment follows the return of Yolanda Cuba, the current CEO to Vodacom Group in South Africa in April, after successfully serving her three-year tenure in Ghana.

During this period, she concluded the acquisition of 4G spectrum, the restructuring of the company’s balance sheet and drove enhanced commercial performance in the market. Vodafone Ghana’s shareholder relationships also benefited from her guidance.

During Yolanda Cuba’s tenure as CEO, Vodafone maintained network superiority and introduced a number of innovative products including the launch of the first ever Fibre services To The Home (FTTH) in Ghana, “Ekikimi”, 10x and initiatives like Express WiFi with Facebook to improve connectivity for all.
She ensured a highly engaged customer base to keep Vodafone as the number two mobile operator in Ghana by revenue share, even after the merger of two operators in the market.

Operationally, she led significant growth in key revenue lines as well as improved operating efficiency and profitability for the business through her focus on operational effectiveness.

Her passion for inclusiveness and a purpose-led organisation under the banner of ‘igniting Ghana’s digital revolution’ gained wide recognition as evidenced by the numerous awards to the business during her tenure.

Yolanda said; “I congratulate Patricia on her new appointment. I believe that Vodafone is well positioned and will continue to prosper under Patricia’s leadership. The adoption of 4G technology will bring new services to customers and propel the company to the next level. I have enjoyed my tenure in Ghana and I wish Patricia and the team great success.”

Patricia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), an Executive MBA in Project Management from the University of Ghana, Legon, an Executive Education from Instead, France and also from the Kellogg School of Management, USA. Patricia is a member of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, (GHIE) and a passionate lover of movies.

Vodafone Ghana is set to launch Express Wi-Fi by Facebook in underserved areas across the country.

Express Wi-Fi is a program that helps retail entrepreneurs to offer fast and affordable Wi-Fi services at hotspots spread across their communities. Express Wi-Fi is deployed in countries including India, Kenya, Indonesia, Nigeria and Tanzania.

The project serves as an extension of Vodafone Ghana’s strategy to ignite a digital revolution in Ghana by leaving no one behind.

The technology is available on Wi-Fi enabled devices. Customers need to connect to any available Vodafone Express Wi-Fi hotspot within Accra.

Some connected communities include Nima, James Town, Kanda, Pig Farm, Abossey Okine and many others.

Additionally, customers can also purchase Express Wi-Fi data packs from a branded & accredited Vodafone Express Wi-Fi Retailers in these communities.

How to connect and use ExpressWi-Fi

Connecting to the Vodafone Express Wifi service is very simple. Go through the processes below to enjoy fast, affordable internet in your community.

Put on your Wi-fi on your smart device (phone, laptop, tablet, etc.) and connect to Vodafone Express Wi-Fi hotspot in any Express wifi connected community.

The Vodafone Express Wi-Fi portal will automatically open, which you will have to input your mobile number (either Vodafone or any other networks)

An SMS will be sent to the mobile number, which, the customer would use to log onto the internet to proceed to browse.

Every first-time user will enjoy a jumpstart data of 100MB and can purchase data from as low as GHS1.

Visit the nearest branded and accredited Vodafone Expresswifi Retailer in your community to purchase the affordable data packs.

Vodafone Ghana has officially reached an agreement with the National Communications Authority (NCA) for the purchase of one slot of the 2×5MHz frequency spectrum in the 800MHz band for mobile services.

The slot, purchased at the cost of US$30million, was awarded to Vodafone following successful financial negotiations with the NCA, in line with the Authority’s published programme for the bid process. The award paves the way for Vodafone to operate an LTE 4G spectrum frequency to enhance the user experience for its customers.

Commenting, Yolanda Cuba, Chief Executive of Vodafone Ghana, said:

“We are excited that after three years of persistent constructive engagement with the regulator and policymakers, we now have the opportunity to operate an LTE 4G licence in Ghana. We are happy that our customers will finally experience faster data speed starting next year. Vodafone is committed to continuously work with the regulator to promote digital inclusion in the country, for which the 4G spectrum will play a critical role. It will also enable Vodafone to work with the government on its agenda of digitising Ghana’s economy.

I would like to thank our shareholders – the government of Ghana which has 30 per cent shares, and Vodafone Group with 70 per cent shares in Vodafone Ghana – for their commitment to our operations and their support in our quest to deploy 4G in Ghana. With such a strong partnership between our shareholders, Vodafone Ghana is optimistic about a great future for our customers and the country”.

Vodafone believes that the access to 4G spectrum that it has now will contribute to its vision of igniting Ghana’s digital revolution. The company is set to commence an active technical process in the coming weeks to align its infrastructure to deliver 4G to its customer base early next year. The licence also highlights a positive end to the year for Vodafone Group, which is celebrating a decade of existence in Ghana’s telecoms industry.

For a lot of Ghanaians, 1st July is Republic Day and just that.

However, Vodafone Ghana seems to just concentrate on their 10th Anniversary and reward their customers with 10 hours of free calls.

You remember a few days ago, Vodafone gave 2 hours of free calls and said a big surprise was coming on the 1st of July. (more…)

Vodafone X is one of the biggest and popular data packages. If you don’t know already about Vodafone X, check out all you need to know about the service as well as this great guide on bundling for the various packages. As part of Vodafone X’s 3 years Celebration, there is the super exciting Vodafone X Shake for Xtra promotion.

Vodafone X brings you more rewards in an exciting way. Shake to buy your favourite X bundle and unlock Xtra rewards.

How to Shake and Get Rewards

1. Download the My Vodafone App
2. Register with your phone number on the App
3. Wait for the verification code to be sent to you. The app should automatically verify your number when you have your Vodafone SIM in the phone.
4. Tap on the “Shake on Vodafone X” tab at the top to get started.

Rewards

The higher the subscription of Vodafone X you are on, the more likely you are to get higher rewards. A lot of Subscribers are already sharing testimonies on the Vodafone X Shake for Xtra promo.

Below are social media posts of users who have enjoyed some rewards.

https://twitter.com/mzzAy_mhe/status/931436040484683776

Would you participate in the Vodafone X Shake for Xtra Competition? Let us know in the comments section.