MTN SMARTLINK UNVEILS KIT OF VOICE, DATA AND SMS

(L-R) GM, Corporate Communications, MTN, Funmi Omogbenigun; Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, MTN, Bola Akingbade and GM, Consumer Marketing, MTN, at the Media Launch of MTN New Value Proposition, held at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos.

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MTN customers on the Smartlink package, recently launched by the telecommunications company, will be entitled to a whopping 46% discount for subscribing to the bundle package targeted at accomplished individuals and entrepreneurs who have aspiration to enjoy a life that is truly special.

Customers under the Smartlink package can either enjoy the benefits of the basic plan or the bundled package. The bundle offering, which is an added value service to the basic price plan, enables the customer to have access to one month Blackberry service, one month MTN Fastlink service, 600 minutes of national calls, 100 minutes of international calls, 200 on-net SMS and free MTN back-up, all valued at a whooping discounted rate of N25, 000 instead of N37, 050.

Apart from the huge discount, the package also offers high value customers the convenience of accessing a combination of all the products with just a command on a phone. Invariable, this involves the activation of 2 separate sims (Blackberry sim and MTN Fast link data card sim) all from the comfort of a phone.

Another attraction under the MTN Smartlink package is the basic plan that offers regressive billing (MTN Talk -on) at no cost. This means the access charge on the basic plan is free. Under the MTN Xtraspecial offering which MTN Smartlink is replacing, the customer was charged an access fee of N3,000. 'Access fee is no longer applicable to migrate to the new package,' explained Kola Oyeyemi, General Manager, Consumer Marketing at MTN Nigeria.

MTN Smartlink customers will enjoy regressive billing rates which are highly competitive compared with existing packages. By simply texting 410 to 131, customers can make calls as low as 25k per second. It offers up to 50% discount on tariff, enabling the customer to pay less for more time spent. The customer is charge 50 kobo per second for the first 10-minute calls within the MTN network and the rate drops to 25 kobo per second for calls within the network for the rest of the day. On-net call on MTN Xtraspecial costs 33 kobo per second, while call to other networks remains 58 kobo per second and international call is charged at 67 kobo per second.

Oyeyemi also said that under the new MTN Smartlink, the customer is allowed to choose a preferred international destination in listed countries to be entitled to 50% discount, crashing the call rate to N20 per minute. The destinations are United States, United Kingdom, Lebanon, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and India.

Also included in the MTN Smartlink package is reduced SMS rate - from N7 for on-net SMS to N5. Off-net rate remains N15 per SMS.

During the launch of the new VPP, which also include MTN Happylink, MTN Funlink, MTN Prolink and MTN Bizlink, Oyeyemi explained that the attributes of the new offerings include greater value for money to customers, flexibility, affordability, tailored to customer needs (segmented offerings) and innovative offer of products and services beyond basic voice in a bundle at a value price.

He noted that MTN is the network of choice and would always remain committed to enriching the lives of its customers in different ways. 'With the new value offerings, MTN is consolidating on its leadership in the industry by giving customers services that will guarantee them greater value for money,' he further said.