Chale, where (did) my credit go?

Mobile Data under Phone's Settings

Mobile internet bundles have contributed to the low patronage of Internet Cafes in Ghana. The other 'culprit' in this regard are the modems from the telecommunication networks.

Inasmuch as these mobile bundle services have increased the convenience of users, a number of grievances still abound.

A trivial one has to be with 'stolen' credit when users buy credit vouchers and find out they can't bundle data because 'they don't have enough credit units'.

Really?

Take my friend Kofi, who bought a GHS20 worth of  Vodafone airtime the other day. He loads it onto his phone, and enters the short code to begin the bundle process. All goes accordingly until the final step, where he chooses the bundle that he wants (1.6GB), and is told he has insufficient credit.

Surprised, he checks his balance and realises it's GHS1.99456! He starts cussing.

Chale, where my credit go?

I'm sure we've experienced this before. I know I have.

I approach Kofi and ask him if his mobile data is on. With confusion drawn on his face, I take his phone from him and show him the mobile data in his phone's settings page. In other phones, this is simply known as Background data.

His mobile data was on, so I had to explain to him how leaving the data on before recharging airtime isn't a good idea. You see, once your mobile data is on, it allows apps on your mobile phone to access the Internet in the background. This uses your airtime.

Kofi was grateful for this hack that I showed him.

Rivalry among telcos killing courtesy?

Credit: www.valuesphere.com

Yesterday, a couple of my friends and I had to trim a Vodafone SIM card so it could be slotted into a new smartphone. The phone was delivered to us at a location closer to Ridge, and so we decided to visit the MTNcenter (that shares the same building with the Fidelity Bank's Head Office).

That was our mistake.

I approached a lady and asked if the service could be rendered. She asked for the SIM card, took it, and asked that I wait a bit (as the guy who would 'cut' the SIM was attending to a client).
Some seconds later, the guy asked to see the SIM card, whispered, "Vodafone!", and said, "No, I can't help you."

I was shocked.

I thought to myself, "Is this how fierce (and pedantry) the rivalry between the telcos is?" Especially between MTN and Vodafone!. Hmm.

I thanked the guy -- and lady -- and walked out of the building. No long tin.

Consider this scenario:
You are at the Tema (Community 2) SSNIT office, and suddenly you fall ill -- or need medical attention. Should the SSNIT Clinic below the office say because you are not a staff (or relation of one) of SSNIT, they won't treat you?

I understand the service is free. So can't they have a service fee for all those who are not subscribers of MTN, but request for the service? They can. Everybody wins that way, no?

To think that I even purchased their Huawei Ascend Y210 android phone -- which I decoded of course. But I bought it just because of the courtesy with which a  marketing officer of theirs advertised the phone.

This experience brings to mind the banana seller in front of the Bank of Ghana, who refused to sell her ground nuts to me because I already had some bananas on me.

As for me I won't argue o. I only take my 'troubles' away.

BlogCamp 2012 -- The Experience

Blog? Social Media? What has the Law got to do with Social Media? Oh, can I really make a living from blogs?
If these are questions you find yourself asking, then you should have been at the first-ever -- yes, you heard me -- first-ever Blogcamp event in Ghana, which took place at the AITI-KACE. The theme was Voice of a New Generation.

A Blogcamp is actually a gathering of bloggers (newbies and oldies) to discuss the world of blogs, share ideas, and find ways of using social media to impact their communities in a positive way. The event was organised by the largest association of bloggers in Ghana, BloggingGhana. Almost 400 participants 'invaded' the venue -- the burning passion and quest for knowledge was simply overwhelming.

I had awakenings, epiphanies and inspirations throughout the event.

Highlights

• The first highlight of the event for me, was when we had the pleasure of interacting with Brett Morgan of Google via Google+ hangout, as he talked on "Making blogs graphical with HTML5" -- 'twas really cool.
• The second was when Nana Yaw Asiedu was called upon to talk on "Social Media and the Law". I know a lot of the attendees share what I'm about to say. He was introduced as a lawyer and so the 'Ghanaian' mind expected to see an 'old' (used relatively) individual. But no, we saw this unassuming young man step up, take the mic, and 'school' us on the topic with undiluted authority. Mindblowing! I dubbed him, "The Coolest Legal mind at the event". ;-)
• The breakout session on Photoblogging was amazingly handled by Nana Kofi Acquah.
  Mac-Jordan Degadjor's session on Social Media for Corporate bodies was engaging. I particularly love the point he momentarily turned the session into a 'mini movie theatre' by playing a video on 'What a Blog is'!
• The main sponsor of the day, Vodafone Ghana had three raffles and gave prizes to winning participants. The prices included Android torres phones, Mi-Fis, and Web Boxes! Others also won free BloggingGhana T-Shirts -- myself inclusive. :-)
• The biggest highlight for me was the launching of the Social Media Awards by Golda Addo.

Memorable Quotes

The day had its fair share of quotes that should be in ink:

We never really know where it'll lead us, but we have to start from a place of integrity.

~ Nana Kofi Acquah

" It's impossible to be politically correct as a blogger and be taken seriously. "

~ Nana Kofi Acquah

" You need to take a stance. It's either you are a mouse or a cat, you can't be a mat. "

~ Nana Kofi Acquah

" Truth is the best defence in defamation, but it should be truth you can prove. "

~ Nana Yaw Asiedu

" Those in most need are the ones to really exercise their democratic franchise. "

~ @kinnareads

" If for nothing at all, joining BloggingGhana allows you a lot of reach. "

~ Kajsa Hallberg Adu

" It annoys me that a lot of people are interested in poverty in Africa. "

~ Kobina Graham

It was a great event -- thanks to the organisers and the sponsors.
In the words of the in-law in a Ghanaian TV advert, I end by saying, "mE ba aha dabia abE didi"!

I know you folks have got other exciting experiences to share about the BlogCamp event. I'd love to hear them. Do leave a comment, and let's get interactive.

Expresso CliQ modem -- my experience

Competition in the telecommunication industry in Ghana has been rife in the last couple of years, forcing telecom companies to strive to satisfy their customers. Customers now have a great deal of alternatives to choose from.
One area where competition has been keen is the provision of Internet/Web services. This is due to the fact that a great number of Ghanaians own mobile phones and PCs for personal use. This has seen the introduction of modems by these companies. A lot of grievances have been made by friends of mine who have used one or the other of these modems by the various telecom networks/companies.
Personally, I have used only two of such modems: the ones provided by the tigo and expresso networks; I must say I enjoy the expresso service better. A couple of reasons why:
- for the same data plan (eg. 1GB), expresso is cheaper (GH¢15 as compared to tigo's GH¢25).
- the connecivity of expresso is more stable and faster than that provided by tigo.
I am sure other users who have experienced the Internet/Web service provided by expresso may add reasons as to why or not they enjoy the service.
The last couple of days, however, have seen me undergo a negative experience with my CliQ modem.
I couldn't connect to the Internet albeit I had 300+MB of data usage left! I therefore recharged with an amount of GH¢5 and was able to connect. The same thing happened a while later -- I had 200+MB data usage left. I checked my credit balance and it was GH¢4.93. After another try, I was connected. Checking my balance after another disconnection showed I had 93MB left. I therefore decided to recharge with GH¢15 -- the required amount for the 1GB data plan. Surprisingly, my request for the data plan was not confirmed. . I was frustrated. I called the customer service and after a while I was connected.
I later conferred with a friend who apparently has had the same unfortunte experience. I believe this is one of the few cases expresso has to deal with. That notwithstanding, I think the Internet/Web service provided by expresso is among the best -- if not the best -- in Ghana.
I'm waiting for Globacom's Internet/Web service(s). Who knows, I may just be blown away.

Ghanaians embrace Glo

Dr. Adenuga’s Globacom entered the Ghanaian market in a quiet fashion earlier today.
The network mostly allowed prospective customers to reserve numbers they would like to use on the network. Customers were to send an SMS of their desired number (in the format: 0233******) to the service number, 0230010100.
The reserved numbers will be available for a period of 7 days after the official launch of the network.
This move allowed customers to have a feel of Glo’s messaging system, which by the way has an impressive response time (less than a minute).
It is expected that phone calls would be made by customers on the network by a month’s time.
There’s a lot of expectations though. What services is Glo going to provide that would give them a competitive edge over existing providers? The major point of curiousity, I reckon, is the urge to experience their Internet service which is supported by their fibre optic framework.
Welcome Glo. Glo: Rule Your World.