At first, it was a tip-off from a reader. Then we set out to verify this, and by conducting a series of browsing tests, we are able to say that browsing via packet data (GPRS/EDGE, and for now 3G/3.5G) is currently being billed at between 14 and 20 kobo per kb.

There is no official announcement from MTN on this yet though.

The last few weeks has seen CDMA mobile giants Reltel Wireless and Starcoms running media campaigns – both claiming to be the largest CDMA network in Nigeria. Both networks are also claiming 1.5million subscribers on their respective networks.

The competition is good, if not carried too far. But one network will certainly emerge ahead of the other. Time will make that clear.

Both Reltel and Starcomms operate Unified Access Licences and are fast spreading their services across the country, rolling out in city after city. Reltel has stated that it will be present in every state of the federation in the next 6 months.

This CDMA slugfest is reminiscent of the battle for supremacy between MTN and the then Econet Wireless in the early days of GSM in Nigeria. In terms of subscriber base, MTN has won that battle beyond dispute.

Besides coverage, both Reltel and Starcoms are also rolling out EVDO services and enticing consumers with a range of services and products, including internet access, smartphones, and wireless PC cards.

The Nigerian Comunications comission has stated that 24% of GSM lines and 27% of CDMA lines in the country are dormant as at the end of March 2008. This translates to 13.87m lines out of the 57.72m lines sold as at that date.

Of course, this is not a surprise to industry watchers. With the poor quality of service on virtually every network, the low-entry costs, and all sorts of bonanzas and jackpots being peddled by the various mobile operators, many Nigerians have purchased more than one GSm line in the last one year. In many cases, a number of people have up to 4 – and only one is on active duty.