Telco introduces Smart Number service

Airtel has introduced 'Smart Number' service that allows customers to use additional line/ number on their original Airtel SIM card, yet maintaining a single mobile phone.

The Enterprise Director, Airtel Nigeria, Ms Tawa Bolarin said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday.

Airtel, one of the mobile telecommunication services providers in Nigeria, said the initiative empowers owners of small businesses, entrepreneurs, top executives and professionals to improve their productivity.

It added that the service would help separate their professional/social and personal mobile lines while maintaining the use of a single phone and SIM card.

According to the statement, the Smart Number is a virtual number mapped to customer’s primary mobile line, so that both lines can be used on a single phone.

It said that with the service, customer could define and determine the period when the smart number was made active and reachable, in order to make or receive calls and send or receive Short Message Service (SMS).

''Airtel is intensely interested in defining new path and innovative ways of empowering and improving the productivity of professionals, top executives and business owners.

''The smart number service is intended to make life better, simpler and more enjoyable for business professionals. It is an innovative way of boosting productivity and driving business performance.

''Airtel will continue to pioneer new initiatives that will empower entrepreneurs and business professionals'', said the statement."

Other features of the smart number included voice mail, call transfer, and value-added services, such as conference call, group SMS, etc.

The statement also said that Airtel customers using smart number could conveniently maintain privacy and security, by screening unwanted calls.

It said the smart number, which came in two different packages, 'Basic and Plus' was available on monthly subscription for both pre-paid and post-paid customers.

''To subscribe for the package, customers can send ‘SUB’ as text to 619 and reply with either 1 or 2 to choose either the 'Basic' or 'Plus' package.

''Customers can also call the IVR on 618 and listen to the menu option to subscribe and manage the service.

''The smart number can call/send text to all networks except international calls/text.

''To make calls or send through the smart number, the subscriber is required to dial/text 66 before dialling the recipient’s number.

''Inbound call on the smart number is identifiable as 66 prefix and appears before the 11 digits of the caller’s number,'' the statement said.

It also said that the smart number, however, cannot be directly recharged with airtime, hence, the airtime was drawn from the customer’s primary line.

The statement said that customers would need to register the smart number to ensure full KYC compliance.