What do you think about when you hear, “Triple-play”? My bet is that your mind goes to something “recreational”, whatever it is. Suburban, the people who built Legend.ng want their brand to come front and center in your mind, the second you hear the phrase.
They’ve described themselves as an “exclusive multi-media brand that offers Premium cable TV entertainment, unlimited Internet access, local and international voice calls, and home management & security services”. Simpler put, they are what would happen if Netflix was also your Internet service, voice call and smart home security provider.
Legend’s thesis is that users who can afford it prefer to get all three services from the same company, delivered over the same Fibre-Optic network, as opposed to having to deal with three different companies and their various wahalas. In the same vein, they recently launched the service in Abuja.
I visited their website a few weeks ago, after learning about them through my “sauces”, and I had a few questions for them (as all the surviving curious cats usually do). They were kind enough to answer promptly, and as you probably figured out, I’ve reproduced their answers below. Enjoy.
P.S. Some answers have been edited for clarity/succinctness.
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1. Who are the people behind Legend? Don’t tell us they are a myth, please…
Legend is a product brand of Suburban. Suburban has been in existence for over 15 years and is run by some of the most experienced hands in this multi-media value chain space.
2. Next obligatory question. How and why did Legend come about?
Suburban has built a comprehensive fiber-optic network infrastructure in Abuja, Lagos and select parts of the country. We decided to set ourselves apart by not just providing INTERNET, but by providing access to a better, more enhanced lifestyle through a multi-media broadband service that is incredibly fast and super reliable as a product. We named it Legend, especially because this service works!
Our research shows us that Nigerians want more than “just Internet service”, they deserve superior technology, unrestricted connectivity and access to premium content and Legend is making this a reality in Abuja.
3. Why is this better than say, watching DSTV, and buying internet data separately? Or buying internet data and subscribing to Netflix?
Legend provides a platform that allows you access to a lot of content on a single connection. Interestingly, there isn’t as much content on cable television as on the Internet. So, with Legend it is a whole new experience. We are able to aggregate content both from the Cable TV and the Internet. That sets us apart. What form of entertainment do people want? Movies; our platform gives you access to over 3000 movies at your fingertips, and unlimited fast internet with no buffering issues, to stream and view an unlimited amount of content online.
In essence, Legend offers Premium Television entertainment, with unlimited Internet access, local & international voice phone calls, and home automation & security services, all on the same wired connection. It is an innovation in the multimedia value chain in this part of the world.
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4. How do you get the content for Legend TV? Are you buying rights from the people who make it or you’ve struck a partnership with another Video On-Demand platform?
We have partnered with providers of content to get the best content available anywhere. We want our consumers to stand shoulder to shoulder with people anywhere. We will soon launch a live TV service with over 40 channels.
5. Will Legend create its own content at some point?
Yes, that’s the dream! We are seeking out local content producers, to produce some exciting stuff!
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…and I’m looking forward to watching Legend’s “exciting stuff!”
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6. Talking about your internet service, how unlimited is unlimited? No throttles or fair usage caps?
Legend Internet is ‘Truly Unlimited’; there are NO data caps, throttles or fair usage policies. Legend Internet is also ‘Always On’; users get 24-hour access to the same Internet experience.
7. You launched first in Abuja, why? Why not hmm, Lagos?
Our infrastructure capacity is more established in Abuja and we are capitalizing on this, while we build more capacity in Lagos before roll out. It is our plan to reach a lot of people at once rather than in piecemeal.
Legend will be available in Lagos very soon and then other parts of the country.
8. What happens when the user uses up the 5 hours of VoIP calls you give them per month? Do you have a refill plan or they have to buy another bundle?
Users can load up their accounts and will be charged affordable rates per call, up until the account subscription is renewed.
9. Which of the services in the triple play is your cash cow? Video on demand, Internet service or Home Security? My thinking is that two of them exist so you can attract users to the third, more lucrative option.
All of the services come bundled together, although, there are added costs to executing the Home Automation services, as every home requires a bespoke setup.
10. There’s an outdoor experience element called Legend Zone. That obviously requires lots of hotspots to work properly. How dense is your coverage footprint?
Legend Zones are our Wi-Fi hotspots which ensure you enjoy the same incredible high speed and unlimited premium HD content at key locations. We have set up 12 zones across the nucleus of Abuja and we hope to expand to over 100 hotspots in a very short time. Ultimately, the plan is making Abuja a WiFi-city. Anywhere you go, Legend is available to you. It makes life easier and much better.
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Oh, you’re still here.
Since you made it to the end, I’m going to reward you with the scoop. Shh…you see, it’s entirely possible that Bankole will visit the ‘Buj, to meet with Legend executives and take a tour of their top-secret-but-not-really-top-secret HQ in the coming days. It’s also entirely possible that he will publish the results of said tour as one of his famous long reads soon after. I ain’t no snitch though. <_<
The only way to find out if I just fibbed is to subscribe to our Daily Digest, follow Bankole on Snapchat, Instagram and his Twitter. Hell, follow my Twitter too, for no good reason.
Later.
