CEM REPORT, TELECOMMUNICATION | Nigerians have been provided with the opportunity to own a 4G or 5G device of choice through MTN Nigeria partnership with Intelligra.
The partnership which also includes Stanbic IBTC and Slot Distribution Company provides ease of smartphone financing to its customers in Nigeria.
Announcing the partnership agreement in Lagos, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Nigeria, Adia Sowho, noted that the smartphone device comes with a monthly bundle of voice calls and data plan.
He added that the cost of the smartphone device will be spread over a period that will enable the customer to pay a certain amount for the voice call and data plan that ranges from N7,000 to N18,100 monthly, depending on the plan that the customer subscribes to.
Sowho noted that during the financing period any customer who loses his or her smartphone or experiences a broken smartphone screen during the financing period, the customer automatically gets a replacement.
She stated that qualification of customers for the financing depends on the financial lifestyle of the MTN customer on the MTN network.
Furthermore, she expressed optimism that the partnership will help MTN customers to achieve financial freedom and have access to 4G and 5G smartphones of choice at affordable prices.
“So far, MTN has financed 20,000 devices and the partnership with Intelligra will enable us to finance 1,000 devices each day, beginning from 2023.”
Commenting on the partnership the Chief Executive Officer of Intelligra, Tayo Ogundipe, said the partnership, which officially started in January this year, had finally been sealed to offer credit access to Nigerians to own a smartphone device of their choice, without making a one-off payment, which might be too expensive for many Nigerians.
He explained that “the idea of smartphone financing is not just to sell the MTN broadband data, but to enhance digital and financial inclusion by making it easier for MTN customers to own a smartphone and tool that will help them shape their social media lifestyle, and enable them to innovate and have a business lifestyle of their choice. The total package comes with a smartphone device, monthly voice and data plan and other value-added services.”
He further explained that the financing would allow customers to choose any smartphone from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) like Samsung, Tecno, Infinx, itel, and Nokia, from retail shops like Slot, when the online transactions are completed.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer, of Slot Systems, Nnamdi Ezeigbo, said Slot would use its retail outlets as points of physical collection of the smartphone device of choice after the online registration and transactions are concluded.
“Our mission is to create value for our customers and we will be offering quality smartphones to MTN customers from our 75 retail outlets spread across the country.”
He commended MTN and Intelligra for the initiative, which he said, would put smartphones in the hands of many Nigerians.
To benefit from the financing, MTN customers will first register online, fill the necessary documents online and get qualified for the smartphone financing.
