Why is buying a Spectranet SIM card such a hard thing?

Have you ever tried to purchase a Spectranet SIM card standalone? I have. One phrase: Mission Impossible. I have been to up to four Spectranet outlets in Lagos in the last 9 months. Despite the fact that Spectranet’s Twitter handle assured me that I can buy a SIM card, each outlet tells me that they are unable to sell me a SIM card if I am not buying a modem or router. Sorry, guys, but I have no use for a new router or modem. I have a handful of those things lying around here at the office.

And so, till date, I have been unable to buy a Spectranet SIM card. Just two weeks ago, I sent a member of the Mobility team to a nearby Spectranet shop. It is just a stone’s throw from Mobility Nigeria’s office. He returned with the same error message: Spectranet wouldn’t sell us a SIM card without a modem or router purchase.

My good man, Fred Akinrelere, lives in Ibadan. By the way, Ibadan needs to decide whether it wants to remain ancient or become modern. We are tired. LOL. Anyway, Fred was at a Spectranet store in Ibadan today. After a lot of back and forth, he was finally able to purchase a Spectranet 4G SIM card. He called me to share the news and to narrate how he fulfilled the Tasks of Hercules before he could get that SIM card. Poor Fred. But I am happy at the good news.

Who knows – I might even drive down to Ibadan so he can take me to that shop that dared to buck the archaic trend of not selling SIM cards without modems and routers. At least, finally, I can get a Spectranet SIM card. That is all I want.

Spectranet SIM card and Huawei Mate 7

Every time I have asked Spectranet about their SIM card, they tell me that only the Huawei Mate 7 work with it. They know that is bullshit. I know that is bullshit. You know that is bullshit. But Spectranet keeps repeating this nonsense.

I must mention too that the Mate 7 is a 2014 smartphone. Why anyone who wants an up-to-date 4G smartphone would want to buy that in 2016 beats me. There are tons of newer, more advanced devices available in the market today. And quite a number of them cost less too.

Fred has his Spectranet SIM card working fine in his Infinix Hot S smartphone. Here are screenshots:

How Fast is Spectranet Internet?

He ran speed tests too. I wasn’t expecting anything fantastic and I wasn’t disappointed. Have a look:

Fred says he will share more details with me tomorrow.

Subscriber Acquisition Should Be Spectranet’s Goal

Dear Spectranet staff, talk to your bosses (the ones who call the shots). Tell them that you all will be out of jobs soon if they keep running the business this way. Spectranet is a service provider. Subscriber acquisition should be their focus. The service should be their priority. Putting hurdles before people who want to give you THEIR money for your service is a horrible business idea.

What every sensible 4G network in Nigeria needs to do is get their SIM cards into as many hands as possible, regardless of what 4G devices that those people want to use.

Just yesterday, someone asked if I have a beef against Spectranet because I left them out of my list of 4G mobile providers. No; I don’t. But Spectranet seems fixated on selling devices instead of getting its service into the hands of as many people as possible. A network is not mobile in the strict sense of the word if it keeps phones off it network the way Spectranet is doing. That goes for Swift too.

We are chasing after Spectranet now, begging that they to collect our money in exchange for SIM cards and subscription, but the brand seems to be more fixated on selling devices. One day, Spectranet might wake up too late and start chasing subscribers who are no longer interested. Remember the CDMA networks. History might just be repeating itself.

August 2019 Update on buying a Spectranet SIM card for use in 3rd party devices

I finally purchased a Spectranet SIM card two weeks ago and inserted it into my smartphone with LTE band 40(2300) support, but the SIM wouldn’t lock on to the 4G network. No matter the tricks I applied, it just wouldn’t connect. So, I called Spectranet customer care and the rep at the other end told me that a new Spectranet SIM card will not work in a non-Spectranet device.

Apparently, having a Spectranet SIM card, a compatible 3rd party device, and the correct Spectranet APN settings is not enough. Spectranet wants us to buy a mifi or modem from them first to activate the new SIM, after which we can use the card in any compatible 3rd party device. I am tired.

• Check out mobile data plans from MTN, Globacom, Airtel, and 9mobile.
• Like our Facebook page: facebook.com/mobilitynigeria
• Follow @MobilityNigeria on Twitter to stay up-to-date when we publish new articles.
• Follow @MobilityNigeria on Instagram for fun stuff.

Author: Mister Mobility

Mister Mobility, a techie with a passion for storytelling. I have owned, used, and reviewed hundreds of mobile phones since 2001. I started Mobility Nigeria Tech Blog in 2008.