FAQ | Nigeria | Airtel Africa

The Social bundle is specially designed for Whats app, BBM, Twitter, Facebook, wechat and 2go, the bundle cannot be used to surf the internet onyour regular browser.

Data Offers

Data Plan
Smart Data Plans
Super Binge Data Plan
Unlimited EBB

Home Broadband (WiFi) Devices

Pocket Wifi
Router Bundles
Smartbox Outdoor Unit (ODU)
Unlimited EBBQ

Data Services

Data Internet Settings
Data Share & Gifting

How can I conserve my data?

Check your phone’s background data settings, disable any application running in the background that is not in use.

Do you have an internet-enabled device?

Our HBB (Home Broadband Devices) allows you to connect multiple devices to the internet at once. Kindly visit https://eshop.airtel.com.ng/home to purchase any from our range of routers, mifis, smart routers or outdoor units.

Is there a platform where I can manage my mifi/router, sim or other Airtel products?

MyAirtelApp provides you a platform to manage, track, recharge and monitor usage on all your Airtel products. Simply click on the link to download based on your device type: https://bit.ly/31Or10M

How do I subscribe to the SMS Pack?

Dial *160# and Select your desired bundle

How do I make cheap calls to all networks in Nigeria?

Enjoy a flat rate of 25k per sec on all your local calls

How can I subscribe for a data bundle?

Simply dial *312# to view all the available bundle types.

How can I buy the talk more bundle?

Dial *234# and Select your preferred option

How can I check my voice bundle balance?

Dial *234*8# to view your voice bundle balance

How can I activate caller ring back tones?

Dial *790# and follow options to select your desired tone

How can I check my airtime?

Dial *310# to view your account balance

How do I qualify for airtime Loan on the network?

A minimum age of 2 months on the network is required If the desired amount is 50, 100, 200 or 500 and Recharge of the desired amount at least 3 times monthly for 2 consecutive months.If the desired amount is 1000 – 2000 - Recharge of the desired amount at least 5 times for 2 consecutive months is required.

How do I locate the nearest Airtel shop?

Dial*386 # to view list of shops and KYC locations

How do I activate/Deactivate End of call notifications?

Dial *362*1# to Activate.

Dial *362*2# to Deactivate.

How can I activate or Deactivate SMS Based services billied on my line?

Simply dial *305# and select either START or STOP to Activate/Deactivate your preferred SMS Based service.

How can I transfer credit from my line to another line?

Dial *321# and follow the options to transfer credit

How do I stop promotional messages from coming into my line?

Text HELP to 2442 to receive a list of options to stop promotional SMS, however for FULL DND to stop all Promotional messages, Simply text STOP to 2442

How do I activate a data plan?

Dial *312# to activate a data plan.

How do I change my Me2u PIN?

The default PIN is 1234. To change the PIN Dial *321# and

• Select 'PIN MANAGEMENT'

• Select ‘CHANGE PIN’

• Enter Current PIN (This will be the default PIN if the PIN has never been changed before)

• Enter New PIN

• Confirm New PIN

How do I check my bonus?

Kindly Dial *310*1# to see your bonus breakdown

How can I check my data balance?

Dial *323# to view all your data subscriptions.

How do I know my number?

Simply Dial *121# and

• Select Manage your Line

• Select My number

How can I view my loan balance and Payback my loan?

Dial *310# to view your loan balance and *303# and select ‘Repay loan’

How can I transfer data from my line to another line?

Dial *321# and select Data Gifting & Sharing.

How can I activate a data bundle myself without calling the call center or removing my SIM from my Mifi/Router?

Data bundles can be activated using the following medium:

MY AIRTEL APP

Download the My Airtel App on mobile device.
Register mobile number on the App.
Select the option to buy bundle.
Input Router/Mifi number.
Select preferred bundle.

HBB PORTAL

Visithttps://airtel.com.ng/broadband/#/user/login
Register Data Line.
Login.
Select Option to Top Up/ Buy Bundle.
Data SIM Manager Dial *370# on mobile device.

How can I change my Router/MiFi Name & Password?

Connect your 4G Router/MiFi device to your computer.
Input 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 on web browser.
Click on login and input default username & password admin.
Click on "Settings.”
Click on the menu "Wireless Settings" on the left bar.
Look for the SSID field on the screen. The SSID is the name of the wireless device and can be changed to any name of choice.
Leave the security mode as "WPA2-PSK.”
Change password to the preferred password that can be remembered easily.
Hit the "Save" button to apply changes.

How can I confirm my account balance on my Router/MiFi Line?

1. Visit https://airtel.com.ng/broadband/#/user/login

2. Login using mobile number (If not registered, click register and register).

3. MiFi/Router account balance will be displayed upon login.

How can I confirm Total Data Used by my MiFi/Router?

Go to https://airtel.com.ng/broadband/#/user/login
Login with Mobile Number and Password.
Click the Menu Option at the top most right.
Select Manage my Account.
Select Wi-Fi Settings.
Choose your device type (after doing this, you'll be redirected to another page).
Input admin as Username/Password.
Go to Settings.
Select Data Usage - This will show current Data used on the Router/Mifi; Customer can reset and set Data Usage Limit.

I bought a router but I can't afford to purchase data bundles due to the recession. Can I return the router and get a refund?

We hope things get better and normalcy restored soon. However, there is no return policy for the router.

What bundles can I activate on my MiFi?

• Airtel Pocket Wifi

• Binge Bundle

• Monthly Plans

• Smart Data Plans

How can I manage the number of users connected to my device?

The maximum number of users for MiFi/Router is 10/32 users respectively. To change this number to a lesser number, Connect laptop/mobile device to MiFi/Router.
Go to web browser and input the following IP 192.168.1.1 OR 192.168.0.1
Click on Login; Password is admin.
Go to Settings; Wi-Fi Settings.
Edit the segment Max Number of Users and input desired number of users.
Click on Apply to effect changes.

What bundles can I activate on my Router?

Airtel Router Bundles

Why do I get billed PAYU after depletion of my data bundle?

This should not happen, unless you selected the option to “Continue browsing from airtime after bundle depletion” at the point of activation. Upon activating a data bundle, when prompted with the question “ What should happen when your bundle finishes?” select “Stop my data” to avoid PAYU charges. Always check this before you move to the next step of activation.

How can I manage data when browsing with my laptop?

To manage data usage on a Laptop/Desktop; please go to the settings and do the following;

Turn on 'Set as Metered Connection’
Set Data Limit (could be daily, weekly or monthly).
Turn off Background Applications and allow only the desired application to run.
Disable Settings Synchronization.
Turn Off Microsoft Store Auto-Update.
Pause Windows Update.

Since I migrated to 4G network, my data doesn’t last for long, why?

4G networks are generally faster than 3G. This results in the use of more applications making the data deplete faster.

Because 4G offers fast transfers of heavy amounts of data – App software updates, synching of photos and videos, streaming on high definition, data depletion will happen faster than when on 3G or 2G. It is estimated that 1hour of streaming videos can use up to 350mb (non-HD) and 1GB (HD), 1 hour of streaming music 60MB and an email sent or received with attachments – 500kb (This will depend on the size of the attachment)

Also, most of the popular media platforms are designed to provide you with the best user experience, and so they would automatically present you with the highest quality videos (HD) once they recognize that you are on a fast connection.

Some social media sites like Facebook , twitter and instagram can help you reduce the amount of data the app uses when you select the Data saver mode to set preferences in settings

Data Bonuses explained

Bonuses on some data plans are stated in the data subscription table.

Emails

Fetching mails frequently may also result in fast data depletion. You can configure your phone to your preferred interval for fetching mails. Mail accounts support something called ‘Push’ and ‘Fetch’, which can be found in the settings app. Push means the email servers will automatically deliver your emails as they arrive. Fetch means that your Phone will regularly check for mails. If it finds any, the emails will be downloaded.

Know Your Data balance, validity and grace period

When Data bundles expire, Airtel gives grace periods for the extension of validity periods for unused data. 7 days for monthly plans, 3 days for weekly plans, and 1 day for daily plans. Expired data cannot be used within the grace period unless the bundle is renewed. To rollover unused data, you must renew the same bundle before the period lapses. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of data value.

Threshhold notifications

Data thresholds are predefined on the system and alert you when your bundle diminishes to (75%, 50%, etc... but state actual data value left 500MB, 200MB, 50MB, IMB of your data usage. All regular data bundles (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Binge, Bonuses) are summed up to send threshold notifications. For example, If a customer buys N300 data for 1GB and also N100 data for 75MB, the 500MB threshold notification will be triggered when the total data balance is at 500MB.

Streaming & Downloads

Live streaming on social media sites such as Facebook,Youtube and Instagram or multiple video downloads on WhatsApp result in higher data consumption especially with 4G SIMs which offer amazing speed.

You can monitor your data usage by choosing the resolution of your video downloads. The higher the HD resolution, the better the quality of the video and the higher the data consumption. Click on settings to choose your preferred resolution.

Smart phone updates can deplete your data

Restrict/Limit background app refresh and disable Wi-Fi assist by setting apps to update while on WIFI only.

Are you experiencing fast data depletion?

Videos and downloads will increase data consumption.

You can check your data usage in your phone settings and set a meter for control and monitoring.

To set a data usage limit:

iOS

Open Settings > Screen Time (or Settings > General > Restrictions for iOS 11 and below)
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions (iOS 12+). Screen Time tracks your device usage.
Enter your Screen Time passcode.
Scroll down and locate "Cellular Data Changes".
Tap "Don't Allow Changes".

Android

Open your phone's Settings app.
Tap Network & Internet > Data usage.
Tap Mobile data usage > Settings.
If it's not already on, turn on "Set data limit". Read the message and tap OK.
Tap Data limit.
Enter a number.
Tap Set.

Apps

Some background apps consume data even when not in active use? To checkmate this, go to your data settings and restrict app background data. Also keep auto-sync disabled for high data consuming apps.

Why does my data disappear even when I am not online?

Data is consumed when you;

Browsing the internet – the more pictures, videos or graphics on the websites visited, the more data is used,
Downloading and uploading files (pictures, documents, videos, etc.) – the larger the file, the more the data consumption,
Instant Messaging and Social Media – like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram etc.
Streaming music/ videos on YouTube, Hulu, Netflix and other channels,
Sending and receiving emails
Games – games use a lot more data than most people imagine, due to the intense graphics and algorithms that power them,
Video-chatting and conferencing applications like Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp Video, etc.

Also, smartphones are configured to automatically search for, and download software updates, app synching, uploads, updates, etc. Your data is therefore consumed by your phone without your knowledge when there are software upgrades and updates to apps on your device. To stop this from happening, you have to disable automatic updates.

How can I optimize my mobile device's data usage for email?

You can optimize your mobile device's data usage for email by setting your email app to sync less frequently and disabling automatic downloads for attachments.

How can I check if I have exceeded my mobile data limit?

You can check if you have exceeded your mobile data limit by going to the "Data Usage" section in your device's settings and looking for the data usage graph or by dialing *140#.

How can I reduce my data usage on my mobile device?

You can reduce your data usage on your mobile device by turning off automatic app updates, disabling background app refresh, using Wi-Fi whenever possible, and disabling auto-play videos and high-quality streaming.

How can I optimize my mobile device's settings for data usage?

You can optimize your mobile device's settings for data usage by turning off auto-sync for certain apps, disabling location services, and turning off push notifications.

How can I check if an app is using too much data on my mobile device?

You can check if an app is using too much data on your mobile device by going to the "Data Usage" section in your device's settings and looking for the app that is using the most data.

How can I reduce my mobile device's data usage while watching videos?

You can reduce your mobile device's data usage while watching videos by lowering the video quality, downloading the video for offline viewing, or using a data-saving app.

Why does my Data deplete even when I am not using my phone?

Some background apps consume data even when not in active use?

To checkmate this (on Android devices):

Open settings and tap on Data usage
Scroll down to view a list of your apps already sorted out per data usage
Tap the app(s) you don’t want to connect to mobile data and select Restrict app background data.

For iOS:

Open Settings and select General > Background App Refresh.
You can turn this off for all apps, or select the apps you wish to disable background data use

How can I monitor my data usage on my mobile device?

You can monitor your data usage on your mobile device by going to your device's settings and looking for the "Data Usage" section. You can also download third-party apps that can help you monitor your data usage.

How can I reduce my data usage on my mobile device?

How can I save data while browsing the internet on my mobile device?

You can save data while browsing the internet on your mobile device by using a data-saving browser, turning off image loading, and using a ad-blocker

How can I monitor my data usage on my mobile device?

How can I optimize my mobile device's data usage for social media apps?

You can optimize your mobile device's data usage for social media apps by disabling auto-play videos and turning off notifications for certain apps.

How can I reduce my mobile device's data usage while using GPS navigation?

You can reduce your mobile device's data usage while using GPS navigation by downloading maps for offline use and turning off automatic map updates.

How can I enable Data saving feature on Apps

Use the data saving feature for social media apps where available. Some examples are provided below:

For Twitter:

Settings and Support > Settings and privacy > Accessibility, display, and languages > Data usage > Data saver

For Instagram:

Settings > Account > Data usage > Use less cellular data

For Facebook:

Settings & Privacy > Media. Here you can adjust Video Quality (Data Saver), and Autoplay (On Wi-Fi Only)

For WhatsApp:

Settings > Storage and Data. Here you can turn on Use Less Data for Calls, and adjust the Media Upload Quality (Data saver)

For iPhone:

Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data) > Cellular Data Options (or Mobile Data Options) > Low Data Mode

How can I check my airtime balance?

To get your airtime balance, please dial *310#

Enterprise Business

How do I enjoy My voice Bonus?

This is only available to customers on Ovajara Xtra. Recharge between N100 – N5000, and get 200% bonus split equally between voice and data. Dial *414*2#

New customers on the network also benefit from voice bonus. A one-off activation bonus of N1000, double data reward on selected data plans and 200% airtime bonus on all recharges.