By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has endorsed Univasa Nigeria Limited’s eSIM service, which provides air travellers with internet connectivity across more than 200 destinations worldwide.
The authority issued a “no objection” to the service, citing its potential to address connectivity challenges faced by Nigerian passengers travelling outside the country.
Univasa Nigeria Limited, an information technology and telecommunications company, provides seamless connectivity through more than 400 telecommunications networks globally.
The NCAA said the initiative would enhance passengers’ travel experience by enabling them to access internet services and communicate with family, friends and businesses while abroad.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the NCAA, Mr Michael Achimugu, disclosed the authority’s position at a Univasa-NCAA stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja on Wednesday.
Achimugu said the initiative was in response to the growing need for passengers to remain connected with their loved ones and businesses during international travels.
According to him, internet connectivity has remained a recurring challenge for Nigerian travellers, particularly those who have to purchase data after arriving in foreign countries.
He said the NCAA’s support for the service was also in line with the Federal Government’s policy of encouraging local businesses that develop solutions to identified challenges.
“When we identify a problem, we seek to solve those problems. To make the travel experience better for Nigerian passengers,” he said.
Achimugu 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 particularly interested in the initiative from the perspective of passenger experience.
Abdulmalik noted that passengers travelling into and out of Nigeria often encounter connectivity difficulties, stressing that reliable internet access could make communication and movement easier for travellers.
“From the customer angle, we think that this would help passengers improve their travel experience,” she said.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Univasa Nigeria Limited, Dr Ben Adeniyi, said the eSIM service was developed partly to enable international travellers to remain connected immediately after arriving 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, caters for phones that do not support eSIM technology.
Adeniyi said international travellers increasingly needed internet access to communicate with family and friends at home, as well as people in their destination countries.
He explained that the company’s competitive pricing was made possible by its ability to purchase data in large volumes.
Also speaking, the Vice President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and a partner with Univasa Nigeria Limited, Engr. Dr Halimat Adediran, said the company had agreements with several telecommunications networks globally.
She explained that the system could automatically switch between available networks when the quality of a particular network became inadequate.
According to her, the service provides an alternative for travellers who would otherwise have to purchase data or activate expensive roaming services from operators in their destination countries.
