uj_sizzle:
Finally a sensible Nigerian

Finally a senseless nigerian

kilo234: the op is so on point. but i blame airtel to have let us known b4 blocking it, they should have just blocked it without letting us know as mtn has been doing ever since

Airtel acted in a professional way by informing its subscribers before blocking it. That's an evidence to prove that they value their customers.

A dick, OP.
Go choke on one.
Your having spare cash doesn't mean you have to come out and spout shit about others.
I saw the 'cheap android phones' line. Are you one of those BB users who are still butthurt about Tecno's upheaval of the mobile phone industry?
Get out, OP. Fegs aren't needed here.

texazzpete:

Airtel does N2000 per month for 500MB, for example. Since low cost Android smartphones are sweeping the market now, and these are data intensive, I'd suggest doubling this to N2000 for 750MB. It's currently N1000 for 200MB, perhaps an upgrade to 350MB?

Nigerian data plans aren't the most expensive in the world, but we DO have a significant population that aren't too well off.

Either way, this isn't an issue for me since I always go for the large data caps (Etisalat 8GB for N8k, shared between my phone and my iPad).

Please kindly throw more light on how to share etisalat data plan.

Heavenly Bang: A dick, OP.
Go choke on one.
Your having spare cash doesn't mean you have to come out and spout shit about others.
I saw the 'cheap android phones' line. Are you one of those BB users who are still butthurt about Tecno's upheaval of the mobile phone industry?
Get out, OP. Fegs aren't needed here.

This is not about calling the OP names or using abusive words towards him, it is all about facing the reality on ground. Our threats about breaking airtel's sim card here will never make airtel to change the policy. If we all will channel our energy to make telecom operators reduce subscription charges and increase the data cap, we might achieve something.

Who even told you airtel blocked there bis for android users?
last time I checked, i was typing this very massage from my HTC vivid smarter phone via airtel bis

texazzpete: Guys, we get it. You're upset that the exploit you've used to use BIS data on your cheap Android phones is being closed by Airtel. You're upset that now, you'll have to start paying for your data bundles like the rest of the populace. Yes, data plans are not cheap.

But please, can you people STFU for once and stop this incessant whining?

The problem is not with Airtel. The problem is that the data plans we have from our carriers are rather expensive, especially on the low end. Instead of making this all about Airtel, take on ALL the carriers and take your complaints to the NCC.

FACT: Airtel Data plans are not more expensive than plans from Etisalat or MTN. Saying you'll break your Airtel line over this is just plain childish. If MTN gives you better service, why not port over with no fuss?


FACT: Complaining here on Nairaland will not change anything. If you really feel aggrieved at this situation, why not tweet at NCC Nigeria (@NgComCommission), for example, to complain about high cost of data plans.

I have zero stake in Airtel. In fact, I ported my Airtel line to Etisalat some months ago thanks to poor internet data speeds in my region. I voted with my Naira. Do the same with minimal fuss if you feel aggrieved.

Ok we ve heard ur sarcastic msg, bt u 4got one thing, u re nt one bit better than anybody, OTHERWISE U WOULDNT HV COMPLAINED ABT OTHER PPLES INCESSANT WHININNG BY WHINNING INCESSANTLY...

ThoniaSlim: So I decided to do a bit of research on the plans and rates offered by the same Nigerian telecomm operators in other countries. Below are screenshots of their various packages. Airtel screenshot is from Kenya operations, Globacom screenshot is from Ghana operations and MTN screenshot is from Rwanda. Convert the rates to Naira and you'll understand why I'm so pissed right now! I think NCC should take this up!

See life..they offer them cheap data packages and thereafter advice them on how best to use it.

These guys are mad.they keep exploiting us.I receive no less than 5 texts per day telling me to send a useless code to a useless number to win a useless price quoting how lucky I am to have been selected..and this big mouthed toothpazte op is speaking for them like his father owns Airtel.

People don bid tire for Airtel. Millions will bid for a useless imaginary cway water dispenser or a mobile phone,like we would be on their network if we had no phones..

Don't know how to hate these service providers.dey seem more like corporate fraudsters to me.

And how on earth will the regulatory body checkmate them when the thing we all call money must have exchanged hands?

Ogbeni O.P why have you chosen to speak on behalf of Airtel? And don't you think this topic is on the first page cos you made sense,you didn't..its only there cos it centers on an issue that's quite attractive at the moment..ode

Rasheed02:
By the grace of God,you shall never become a leader in Nigeria,so because u have got some stinking change in ur monkey pocket,u think d nxt thing u can do nw is to sarcastically make jest of ppl who sees nairaland as a voice for the voiceless nigerians.this dollop-head is one of those killing d confidence of our youths in voicing their dismay at the exploitative nature of our communication companies among other social decays.so,d fact that Airtel general data plans are fairly cheaper than her counterparts is an excuse for blocking a plan that is indisposable to all and sundry? Anyway i'm not surprised,an adage says,WHEN LIFE IS GOOD FOR A MAN,HE BECOMES BAD.by d grace of God,i knw we shall survive dis sudden deprivation,eni tio se bi alaaru loyingbo kole se bi adegboro loja oba.if u dnt have any meaningful thing to write on a topic,u had better take caution with ur seemingly retarded fingers or maybe brains,selfish ppl like u are d one of d problems affecting d nigerian populace.olowo igbo.#mtchewww#

Why are you not fighting other networks that didn't allow this service to run for just one month? Is it a must that airtel must allow the service to run? How about other network operators?

na wah ooo

Da_b¤§§.:
if they decide to block non Bb access fine!
Fact: more than half of their current subscribers don't use their sim cards for calls so I don't see that happening but Let's watch and see.

It had happened already.

write2obi: Who even told you airtel blocked there bis for android users?
last time I checked, i was typing this very massage from my HTC vivid smarter phone via airtel bis

It was possible because you subscribed before the law came into effect. Subscribe today or tomorrow and give us feedback. When your current subscription expires you will come face to face with reality on ground.

confusion247:
It was possible because you subscribed before the law came into effect. Subscribe today or tomorrow and give us feedback. When your current subscription expires you will come face to face with reality on ground.

well i wouldn't subscribe again, cos Etibaba bis now works on Android. confusion you and Op make una carry una badbelle comot here osiso.
Bis working on Android is not a coincidence, its a market strategy.
and "when two elephant are fighting the ground are suffering" right?
wrong! the ground go they get manure

When people who are not well trained from their homes open a thread you will know.Let me make it clear to the poster that if you don't know how to address a society that is made up of the poor and the rich i.e by using well coordinated humble words, then your life will surely end you in a fiasco.See there is a way you will address people who are sad and it will turn to happiness even when the problem is not solved.There is a problem and people are looking for the solution you now come with your problem again instead of helping them find the solution.Please poster go and learn how to address people who sad because of a particular problem, thanks.

texazzpete: Guys, we get it. You're upset that the exploit you've used to use BIS data on your cheap Android phones is being closed by Airtel. You're upset that now, you'll have to start paying for your data bundles like the rest of the populace. Yes, data plans are not cheap.

But please, can you people STFU for once and stop this incessant whining?

The problem is not with Airtel. The problem is that the data plans we have from our carriers are rather expensive, especially on the low end. Instead of making this all about Airtel, take on ALL the carriers and take your complaints to the NCC.

FACT: Airtel Data plans are not more expensive than plans from Etisalat or MTN. Saying you'll break your Airtel line over this is just plain childish. If MTN gives you better service, why not port over with no fuss?


FACT: Complaining here on Nairaland will not change anything. If you really feel aggrieved at this situation, why not tweet at NCC Nigeria (@NgComCommission), for example, to complain about high cost of data plans.

I have zero stake in Airtel. In fact, I ported my Airtel line to Etisalat some months ago thanks to poor internet data speeds in my region. I voted with my Naira. Do the same with minimal fuss if you feel aggrieved.

You're annoying as your presentation. were you paid to cause more chaos?

True talk OP. I benefited fro it too cos I practically converted my blackberry torch 3 to a wireless router using the hotspot to connect my other devices.

Insulting Airtel for discontinuing it means that our leaders have the right to loot us dry. The point I'm trying to make here is that for the fact that there is a loophole in the system doesn't mean we should use it 4 our personal satisfaction only. We are doing the same thing our leaders are doing but just on a different level.

I know a lot of people will disagree but it is the truth. The idiots amongst us can go ahead n insult me now

texazzpete:

Airtel does N2000 per month for 500MB, for example. .

Sucks**

Glo gives you 800MB for N2000.

Glo...UNLIMIED!!

The true fact is nobody is going to pay ngn1200 for a 1gig data plan when their competitors offer 3gig for a cheaper price. The usage of that plan across any kind of mobile device was the attraction since it isn't there anymore what is the point ?

All the screaming here won't change anything Etisalat stopped youtube streaming on their blackberry plan I was expecting a revolution to my surprise only one person made a thread about it and like six people commented.

I bought my android phone for 13,800. e cheap die, yet e beta pass bold 5

mickonzo112: True talk OP. I benefited fro it too cos I practically converted my blackberry torch 3 to a wireless router using the hotspot to connect my other devices.

Insulting Airtel for discontinuing it means that our leaders have the right to loot us dry. The point I'm trying to make here is that for the fact that there is a loophole in the system doesn't mean we should use it 4 our personal satisfaction only. We are doing the same thing our leaders are doing but just on a different level.

I know a lot of people will disagree but it is the truth. The idiots amongst us can go ahead n insult me now

ofcoz u know u deserve an insult,..but silence will be better for u..always know that anything paid should never be refer to has cheat,talk about magic sim,thats a cheat.its all a market strategy to extort customers.

Heavenly Bang: A dick, OP.
Go choke on one.
Your having spare cash doesn't mean you have to come out and spout shit about others.
I saw the 'cheap android phones' line. Are you one of those BB users who are still butthurt about Tecno's upheaval of the mobile phone industry?
Get out, OP. Fegs aren't needed here.

Is there really ANYTHING in my OP or subsequent posts that tells you I am a BlackBerry user?

I wish you people could keep your personal insecurities and biases out of this discussion.

jice:
You're annoying as your presentation. were you paid to cause more chaos?

Pay me to make a post on Nairaland? For the Airtel network I ported away from 3 months ago? Hilarious

ThoniaSlim: So I decided to do a bit of research on the plans and rates offered by the same Nigerian telecomm operators in other countries. Below are screenshots of their various packages. Airtel screenshot is from Kenya operations, Globacom screenshot is from Ghana operations and MTN screenshot is from Rwanda. Convert the rates to Naira and you'll understand why I'm so pissed right now! I think NCC should take this up!

You know, this sums up the brainless 'horde mentality' here in this discussion. Thonia helpfully posted a comparison chart to show that ALL the Carriers in Nigeria have data plans much more expensive than in several other African countries. If nothing else, this is a clear indication that this is not an Airtel issue and that this battle should be fought at NCC level.

Such a lazy, entitled lot we have here...when Rogers in Canada decided they would not carry the BlackBerry Z30, they were bombarded with tweets and emails from irate Blackberry fans and Rogers customers until they decided to back down and carry the phone. How many of you indignant fellows have bothered to mail, tweet at NCC or call in on early morning radio to exhort the NCC to step in?

confusion247:
Please kindly throw more light on how to share etisalat data plan.

Just head over to any Etisalat office. Basically they'll create a clone of your SIM for use as a data only SIM. So you can use the same package for your phone and your modem/Tablet.

babsalux09:

ofcoz u know u deserve an insult,..but silence will be better for u..always know that anything paid should never be refer to has cheat,talk about magic sim,thats a cheat.its all a market strategy to extort customers.

so u didn't insult me because you are being civil or because you didn't want to place yourself in the "idiots" category? So the fact that you paid for it makes it right? I guess you've never paid for anything in your life so paying for Airtel BIS to you is like buying shares in the company.

texazzpete:

Thank you for mirroring my very words. If you don't like Airtel's service (including their data plans) move away from the network. It took me less than 2 hours to port from Airtel to Etisalat.

This has nothing to do with me 'having change in my pocket'. Airtel BIS was never intended for use in Android phones. People were taking advantage of an exploit that has now been closed. This backlash IS unwarranted.

That said, my OP addresses the main reason why the exploit was so vigorously pursued in the first place. People wanted cheaper Internet for their Android devices. The real conversation here is the provision of more affordable data bundles to the people who aren't exactly high income earners. That discussion is best held at the level of the NCC, or with all the carriers taken on at once (Glo, MTN , Etisalat, Airtel).

Targeting Airtel alone is unfair, unreasonable and useless.

Do you people know that if everyone here contributes a minimum of N1000, we can take out a half page ad in Guardian Newspapers to write an open letter to the NCC and all the carriers?

abeg tell them

Well this one now is what D'banj will call "u on the long thing" I ve already quietly sold my android phone and airtel sim on wednesday and bought my self a new bold 5 with mtn 1k BB subscription. Mehn MTN is the bomb there ntwwrk is blazing fast, I no longer have to come outside anymore whenever. I want to browse with my android/Airtel subscription come join their slow netwrk. Guys use ur heads like dustbin ohhhhhhhhhh

mickonzo112:

so u didn't insult me because you are being civil or because you didn't want to place yourself in the "idiots" category? So the fact that you paid for it makes it right? I guess you've never paid for anything in your life so paying for Airtel BIS to you is like buying shares in the company.

hey u retard maggot,now see how u just prove urself as d real *idiot* here,i wont mock u for ur poor reasonin faculty coz u know nothin about how much i spend on internet and things i pay for,bcoz you are payin this cheap amt on ur blackberry crap device make u assume bullshit,or bcoz u are so dumb on how to use ur money to get what is equal to its optimum value should make u think like a nonentity,payin for airtel bis wont be my first and wont be my last,u dont av any say over me bcoz we pay d same amount even if i dont pay much more coz of my device,and for d self-satisfyin greedy reason why airtel choose to block d usage is their cup of tea coz av gat alternatives,and doesnt mean i've cheated them,d payment goes into their account not mine,for categorizing anybody countering ur comment as an idiot shows u already know u avnt said any thing really sensible,coz if u do..people will only correct u,and not insult u..no court in d world will accuse me on cheatin them,i paid for it,and they render the service to me,they decide not to offer me d service anymore,i look else..simple business transaction.

danny402: Well this one now is what D'banj will call "u on the long thing" I ve already quietly sold my android phone and airtel sim on wednesday and bought my self a new bold 5 with mtn 1k BB subscription. Mehn MTN is the bomb there ntwwrk is blazing fast, I no longer have to come outside anymore whenever. I want to browse with my android/Airtel subscription come join their slow netwrk. Guys use ur heads like dustbin ohhhhhhhhhh

atleast u said something meaningful..switchin to blackberry bcoz u wanna minimize cost and going for a better network not stickin to a slow network we are managin coz android/iphone sack..those who prefer android still will av a choice of goin for mtn #2500 or something fair,or get better still get a blackberry for internet stuff and reserve d android/iphone for more advance purpose,for those who av d money though..u switchin blackberry + mtn network is d best alternative decision u make,not someone tryin to defend airtel poor network or blockage of bis bcoz android/iphone user patronize them but we think they were sensible in makin d bis work in respect to other network choosin to be stingy wit it,best of luck bro,enjoy ur bb...coz even if i go for it,that doesnt still make it a better device than cheap androids that OP said.

God help me to leave this shit country

I wonder why rich guys are not considering the poor,are our pockets the same? hlook!like it or not airtel is selling faster than any network in nigeria due to thier bis for non blackberry phones and if u dont like it go away!

From a slumdog using iphone

Me I think the Dec 3rd announcement by airtel was a marketing strategy
True new subscribers won't be able to join their bb plans
But for those that have active accounts, as long as you keep renewing your data plan, you are good to go

Now can you imagine the amount of money they are making since November 30th till date, for people renewing their subscription!!!!!!!!