The Transformation of Airtel Nigeria – Visualizing The Different Changes in Ownership

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Why We L👀ked Into This »🎨 It is almost 20 years since telecommunications licences were given to GSM (Mobile) operators in Nigeria. We designed a timeline to summarize the journey of the telcos. Airtel has gone through different changes as a brand. These visuals chart the changes the company had gone through.

Econet Wireless

• In December 2000, Econet Wireless Nigeria Ltd  (‘Econet’) was among the initial 5 applicants that bid for the auctioning licencing exercise held in January 2001. This was a company from Zimbabwe that was listed on the Zimbabwean Stock Exchange at this time.
• Econet started its GSM operations on the 7th of August, 2001.

 

Transition Dates of Airtel

• The change in ownership of Econet Wireless Nigeria Limited became a subject of litigation.
• Each previous owner spent an average of 2 years.
• Vodacom had the shortest time-span of a 2-month ownership after terminating an agreement with Vee Networks Limited (previously known as Econet Wireless Nigeria Limited).
• In 2006, Zain acquired 65.702% of V-Mobile in Nigeria. However, MTC (as it (Zain) was then known) rebranded the network to Celtel.
• Celtel was further rebranded to Zain in August 2008 (In the Middle East, Iraqna and MTC-Atheer merged in 2007 which led to a Group new identity called Zain).
• Bharti Airtel entered into an agreement in 2010 to acquire Zain’s interests in Africa. The latter sold its operations in 15 African countries to the former.
• Airtel has been the longest owner of the network in Nigeria. This year (2020) makes it a ten-year stay of ownership in Nigeria.

 

The Taglines of Airtel

• ‘Life’ or ‘about you’ is a dominant feature of the previous owners of Airtel Nigeria.
• This indicates that the previous owners had an element of personal touch to their consumers.
• Econet and Zain talked about the consumers’ world.
• Vodacom and Celtel talked about the consumers’ lives.
• V-Mobile was all about the consumer.
• Airtel’s present tagline is the first tagline that uses an object (smartphone) to describe it.

 

Seeing Through Red

 

 

• As at the time Vodacom took over in 2004, they had the blue, green and white color combinations. Today, Vodacom uses Red and White.
• Zain was the only previous owner that had a completely different color from the previous tradition of either blue or red.
• Red is the most featured element in previous owners of Airtel Nigeria. 3 out of the previous 5 owners used this color option on their brands. Today, Airtel is also branded with the red color.