The Changing Face of Telecoms In Nigeria
The increasing takeover of calling and Short Message Service by over-the-top players, or apps, such as WhatsApp and Skype , is eating deep into voice revenue of telecommunications companies in Nigeria by as much as 50 per cent, The PUNCH has learnt. A report from brokerage Credit Suisse on Wednesday stated that the threat to traditional voice and messaging business of telcos in the country from communications apps, offering free calls and messaging using the Internet, was fast rising. “Proliferation of over-the-top content services such as Skype and WhatsApp , among others, could trigger whopping 30 to 50 per cent revenue hit on Nigerian telecoms companies’ voice services in the coming months. “Telco messaging revenues have already taken a 30 per cent hit, thanks to OTT players,” the Credit Suisse report stated. This development, our correspondent gathered from employees at Etisalat, was forcing it and other major telecoms ...