Friday 11 November 2016

Airtel, HNI unveil internet-free public service

Airtel, HNI unveil internet-free public service
Airtel Nigeria has partnered with Human Network International (HNI), to unveil the 3-2-1 Service, a call-in system that provides free, on-demand information – ranging from healthcare to good governance – to Nigerians, regardless of the kind of mobile phone or region.

The 3-2-1 Service is a search engine which provides public service information, on-demand, to mobile phone users in English as well as in Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Pidgin English, which depends on recorded messages by indigenous speakers. The Service is convenient for all Nigerians, regardless of age, education and literacy.

In his remark, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, said the telco is committed to creating platforms that will empower Nigerians as well as uplift telecoms consumers in the various communities where it operates.

Represented by Human Resource Director, Airtel Nigeria, Gbemiga Owolabi, Ogunsanya said: “As a major stakeholder, we are excited to partner with HNI to create a huge platform that offers a plethora of opportunities to enable millions of Nigerians across various communities to lead better and healthier lives. We are confident that the 321 initiative will help transform lives in many locations across the country.”

Similarly, Harriet Blest, HNIs Country Manager in Nigeria noted:“By turning simple mobile phones into search engines, Human Network International and Airtel are giving Nigerians an entirely new way to access information using technology they already own.”
Nigerians with little or no literacy can still leverage the service, and that makes it an incredibly powerful tool. We are delighted to have partnered with Airtel on this and look forward to reaching millions of Nigerians.”

The 3-2-1 Service provides public service information that is all relevant to both individuals and communities across Nigeria. The topics launched on the service include Agriculture, Commodity Prices, Family Planning, Good Governance, Health, News & Entertainment, Nutrition, Sanitation, and Weather.

The public service messages are created and curated by committees convened by HNI. These committees included representation from government ministries, plus Nigerian and international subject area experts, including, Action Aid, Catholic Relief Services, EarthNetworks, GSMA, MERCK/MSD, Novus Agro, Pulse.ng, UNFPA and the Federal Ministry of Health.

The call-in system will further be enhanced to cover more topics and messages such as entrepreneurship and financial literacy in the near future. By dialling 321 prepaid Airtel lines, users will connect the caller to voice prompts in any of the earlier mentioned indigenous languages or in English.

Airtel subscribers can use the service for up to ten times for free within a month after which a flat call rate of N10 will be applied. However, it is an endless free usage to use the USSD code, *321#.

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