A LTE BITE
TBY talks to Kent McNeley, CEO of Azerfon, on LTE-A technology, rebranding, and bringing Nar into the home for television and internet.
BIOGRAPHY
Kent McNeley served on Azerfon’s Board of Directors before being appointed CEO. He gained experience in Russia and the CIS as Group Chief Marketing Officer of VimpelCom, one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies by subscribers. He previously served as Vice-President and Global Chief Marketing Officer for Eastman Kodak and the Vice-President for Client Services and Marketing for Citibank in Puerto Rico and Singapore. He began his career working for Procter & Gamble in the US.Nar Mobile plans to present a LTE-A technology during 2016. What advantages does this new technology bring to mobile customers in Azerbaijan?
LTE-A is about more speed. The download speeds that are seen in laboratory tests for LTE-A can exceed 200 MB per second, whereas the laboratory speed of normal LTE is closer to 100. We demonstrated this technology at Bakutel in December of 2015 and are finishing the final installation preparations and expect to offer it shortly. LTE continues to be a leading technology and it will take time for this to be broadly used in the market, which is beneficial for early adopters. When LTE is not heavily used, speeds are going to be lightning fast. Unlike our two competitors, our SIM cards have been designed for several years to ensure a smooth switch to LTE. Our competitors have older SIM cards that cannot be transferred to new devices without physically changing the SIM. We launched this service in October and within two and a half months we established ourselves as the leading LTE operator in Azerbaijan.
Nar Mobile rebranded over 2015. What were the key initiatives in this effort?
A major part of the rebranding was an iconography facelift by trying to alter public perception of Nar Mobile as an old fashioned brand to something more modern, bolder, and contemporary. Research shows that we made dramatic improvements with our new logo and 90% of all consumers that we tested reported high levels of likeability. That gave us a strong foundation.
What are some of the specifics of Nar Garden's creative platform?
We situated our advertising campaign in the Nar Garden, depicting this Garden as a comfortable, safe place for family and friends, and a place where people want to help each other. This complements our focus on consumer service. The combination of the strong new logo and the background of the creative platform have worked together and helped stimulate our business. The Garden is consistent with a lot of Azerbaijani values such as a welcoming attitude, integrity and honesty, and a feeling of service. We are utilizing “Nar,” or “Pomegranate,” because it is the national fruit and we think this combination will help make us a more welcomed brand.
As the fastest-growing mobile network in Azerbaijan, how does your company stay competitive in a mobile phone market that has a 110% penetration rate?
You will never grow in a penetrative market without innovation. Therefore, we are constantly working on new ways to bring new services and capabilities to our customers. We go out and talk to our consumers, trade dealer partners, and distributors to find out how our products are performing. For example, we decided to drive to Ganja instead of taking a flight in order to visit 15 different cities on the way, stopping at 50 different shops and meeting shop owners. From their feedback we were able to introduce some changes. Providing services that meet the consumer's needs is a key part of how we will maintain growth.
What are your main projects and ambitions for this year in particular?
We continue to invest in our network, which has now passed the leading competitor in the market in terms of number of base stations. Over the last two years, we have almost doubled the size of network. Our network also has the broadest footprint of LTE and it continues to get more and more 3G stations. We will focus on strengthening our presence in the regions, especially since we have improved our network. We want consumers to return and experience Nar Mobile in a new way. Our second goal is centered around Nar Home, through which we have ambitious plans to bring Nar into the home from a television and internet standpoint. We want to provide single bundles for the home and mobile experience. We have recently acquired a stake in City Net, one of the largest and highest-quality internet providers in Baku, and are working with it to speed up this process.
A LTE BITE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Year In Review
Good Times Ahead
<strong></strong><strong>In a year dominated by the overarching theme of low hydrocarbons prices, Azerbaijan showed resilience and verve in putting in place bold measures both to counter the slump in energy prices and put its economy on a surer footing.</strong>
read articleReview: Diplomacy
Operation Outreach
In 2015, Azerbaijan's military budget increased by a notable 27%, to $4.8 billion, or 17.9% of the government's total budget for the year. The first Azerbaijan Defence Exhibition (ADEX 2014), drew over 200 companies from 34 countries, including Russia and the US.
read articleInterview
Rufat Mammadov, President, Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO)
TBY talks to Rufat Mammadov, President of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO), on large-scale events and their ability to attract FDI and the potential Iran may hold.
read articleReview: Banking
More Interest
In a sector faced with relatively flat growth for 2015-16, new opportunities are still there aplenty, led by the nascent Islamic banking sector, e-banking, and microfinance initiatives. Together, these areas should make banking more diversified and less reliant on a buoyant energy sector for its capital inlay.
read articleReview: Capital Markets
Taking Stock
As Azerbaijan grapples with the knock-on effects of low hydrocarbon prices, the Baku Stock Exchange (BSE) finds itself at the center of the country's efforts to stave off a budget deficit this year. In January, the government announced plans to sell $500 million worth of bonds on the BSE.
read articleReview: Industry & Mining
In The Bag
Industry in Azerbaijan is long established, diversified, and, in many areas, fast growing. Together, these qualities make the sector well placed to see through the global slump in commodity prices, while at home, the manufacturing industry continues to find ways to use its hydrocarbons expertise in other fields, including high technologies and research.
read articleInterview
Khanlar Fatiyev, , Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Ganja Automobile Plant Production Association
TBY talks to Khanlar Fatiyev, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ganja Automobile Plant Production Association, on the role of the plant in driving growth in the non-oil sector.
read articleReview: Transport
The New Node
With major new railways linking the region, the opening of the new Baku International Sea Trade Port Complex, the completion of a massive program of road building and upgrading, investment in state-of-the-art fleets ranging from Boeing 787s to rail locomotives, Azerbaijan can rightly claim the title as the Caucasus' transportation hub.
read articleReview: Agriculture
Lots More
Farms across the country are pursuing a policy of increased yields for year-round fruit and in the wheat harvest to stave off an over-reliance on imports. With carefully targeted increases in exports, better routes to port and to market, and greater sophistication of agricultural facilities, farming could soon be the morning star of Azerbaijan's diversified economy.
read articleReview: Health
Under One Umbrella
Life expectancy at birth (2015) is 75 years for women and 70 for men. The median age is 30. For both sexes, longevity increased by six years between 2000 and 2012. Azerbaijan is a relatively youthful country—an important factor in healthcare—with 22% of its populace aged under 15 and just 9% aged over 60.
read articleReview: Education
Baku to School
Azerbaijan's culture has always harbored a deep respect for educational values. This is embodied in the country's Azerbaijan 2020 mission statement, which seeks to raise standards across the sector and introduce ICT as a standard part of the learning experience at all levels.
read articleInterview
Elkhan Mammadov,, Secretary General, Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA)
TBY talks to Elkhan Mammadov, Secretary General of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), on the experience Azerbaijan is gaining in hosting international events.
read article