The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has commended Univasa Nigeria Limited for its eSIM service designed to provide air travellers with internet connectivity across more than 200 destinations worldwide.
The NCAA has given a ‘no objection’ to the service, citing its potential to address connectivity challenges faced by Nigerian passengers travelling abroad.
Univasa Nigeria Limited is an information technology and telecommunications company with connectivity to more than 400 telecommunications networks across the world.
Speaking in Abuja, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, Mr. Michael Achimugu, said the authority’s position was informed by the need for passengers to remain connected with their loved ones and businesses while travelling internationally.
According to him, internet connectivity has remained a recurring challenge for Nigerian travellers, particularly those who need to purchase data after arriving in foreign countries.
He said the initiative was also in line with the Federal Government’s policy of supporting local businesses providing solutions to identified needs.
Achimugu said the NCAA would support Univasa because the service addresses a connectivity challenge among Nigerian passengers.
‘When we identify a problem, we seek to solve those problems. To make the travel experience better for Nigerian passengers.’
He also disclosed that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, uses the service while travelling abroad, adding that some chief executives in the aviation sector also use it.
The NCAA’s Special Adviser to the Director-General, Mrs. Ifueko Abdulmalik, said the authority was interested in the initiative from the passenger-experience perspective.
She said passengers travelling into and out of Nigeria often experience connectivity difficulties, adding that access to internet services could make communication and movement easier for travellers.
‘From the customer angle, we think that this would help passengers improve their travel experience,’ Abdulmalik said.
On his part, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Univasa, Dr. Ben Adeniyi, said the service was developed partly in response to the need for international travellers to remain connected when they arrive in a new country.
He said the Univasa eSIM provides connectivity in more than 150 countries and over 200 destinations, while its physical SIM, known as P-SIM, is intended for phones that do not support eSIM technology.
Adeniyi said international travellers increasingly require internet access to communicate with family and friends at home and with people at their destinations.
He added that the company’s pricing was based on its ability to purchase data in large volumes.
Speaking from the passenger-experience perspective, Engr. Dr. Halimat Adediran, Vice President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and a partner with Univasa Nigeria Limited, said the service had agreements with several telecommunications networks globally.
She said the system could switch between available networks when the quality of a particular network became inadequate.
Adediran also said the service could provide an alternative for travellers who would otherwise have to purchase data or roaming services from operators in their destination countries.