The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has backed an eSIM service by Univasa Nigeria Limited, saying the solution could help address internet connectivity challenges faced by Nigerian air travellers abroad.
The authority gave a “no objection” to the service, which provides internet connectivity across more than 200 destinations worldwide.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, Mr Michael Achimugu, said the authority’s position followed the need to improve passengers’ travel experience and enable them to remain connected with family, friends and businesses during international travels.
Speaking at a UNIVASA-NCAA stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja, Achimugu said the decision was based on the need to support solutions to challenges affecting passengers, adding that feedback from users had been positive.
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He noted that internet connectivity had remained a recurring challenge for Nigerian travellers, particularly those who needed to purchase data after arriving in foreign countries.
Achimugu said the initiative also aligned with the Nigerian government’s policy of supporting local businesses that developed solutions to identified needs.
“When we identify a problem, we seek to solve those problems. To make the travel experience better for Nigerian passengers,” he said.
He disclosed that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, used the service while travelling abroad, adding that some chief executives in the aviation sector also used it.
The NCAA’s Special Adviser to the Director-General, Mrs Mrsekoo Abdulmalik, said the authority was interested in the initiative from the passenger-experience perspective.
She noted that passengers travelling into and out of Nigeria often experienced connectivity difficulties, adding that access to internet services could make communication and movement easier.
“From the customer angle, we think that this would help passengers improve their travel experience,” Abdulmalik said.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Univasa, Dr Adeniyi, said the service was developed partly in response to the need for international travellers to remain connected when they arrived in a new country.
He said the Univasa eSIM provided connectivity in more than 150 countries and over 200 destinations, while its physical SIM, known as P-SIM, was designed for phones that did not support eSIM technology.
Adeniyi explained that international travellers increasingly required 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.
Also speaking, Halimat Adediran, Vice President, Nigerian Society of Engineers, and a partner with Univasa Nigeria Limited, said the service had agreements with numerous telecommunications networks globally.
She explained that the system could switch between available networks when the quality of a particular network became inadequate.
Adediran 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.
