MTN Nigeria on Thursday announced its offer of free international calls and text messages to all existing prepaid and postpaid customers due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This comes as Russian troops push further into Ukraine, with hundreds of thousands, including Nigerians, stranded and fleeing the country for safety.
Until Russia’s recent hostility towards Ukraine, the latter had been the latest go-to place for study for Nigerians with the country being relatively cheap compared with other European countries.
MTN Nigeria chief executive Karl Toriola said in a statement that the telco was aware that some of its customers in Ukraine experienced challenges in contacting their loved ones.
He noted that the offer is aimed at supporting customers to stay in touch with their loved ones while eliminating associated international direct dialling (IDD) costs due to high international telecommunication regulations (ITR) to Ukraine.
“As a result, we have stepped in with support to ensure that our customers, both at home and in Ukraine, are still able to connect with family and friends,” Toriola said.
“All of our customers will benefit from the waived SMS and voice call fees to and from Ukraine. This blanket waiver has been put in place as an immediate response to the need.”
The offer is expected to be valid throughout the month of March.
Although, the company does not have operations in Ukraine, its statement said it “heeded the call to remain responsive to our customers in their time of need.”
