Globacom’s impactful 20 years amid harsh operating environment

THOMAS IMONIKHE

 

With over 61 million subscribers on its network currently, Globacom which will mark its 20^th anniversary on August 29 has certainly come of age, contributing immensely to the growth of the nation’s telecommunications industry, its socio-economic development, pioneered several innovations and being at the forefront of Nigeria’sdigital revolution.

Beginning from its establishment in 2003 by billionaire business mogul Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., GCON, company came strong to challenge other registered Global System for Mobile Telecommunications, GSM operators, churning out unique and quality value-added services not only to enhance customers’ experience but also make a statement that a truly indigenous carrier could compete effectively with foreign-backed counterparts in the information and communications technology, ICT sector.

And that tenacity of purpose and consistent service delivery in the past two decades has attracted customers’ loyalty, huge patronage and stand out the telecommunications giant among its peers in an apparently competitive and harsh operating environment where operators continue to source their own electricity from generators and make to pay multiple taxes and levies.

It is therefore not surprising that today, to the delight of subscribers, Globacom has the cheapest tariff in the industry for both voice and data services as well as the largest 4G LTE network while the company’s major areas of focus include e-Health, Smart Cognitive Learning, Smart Energy, Industrial IoT, and Cloud Applications offering and secured and specialized IT solutions according to, stakeholders, including Chike Onwuegbuchi, National Chairman, Nigeria Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA)

But the company’s successful narrative wasn’t attained overnight but an outcome of deliberate strategic investments, a growth-friendly ecosystem and dint of hard work by its founder Otunba Adenuga, his management team and employees who left nothing to chance in their determination to give their best efforts.

Consequently, most subscribers can recall with nostalgia several innovations introduced by the company especially its Per-Second Billing system and its initial slogan ‘Glo with Pride’ which instantly won the hearts of most Nigerians, who were told before then that such billing was impossible in the telecommunications market. The slogan however changed to ‘Rule Your World’ many years later. This incredible feat also earned the Chairman, who provided state-of-the-art equipment and needed funding for its smooth operations the name game changer in the industry.

With the versatile and workaholic Mrs. Bella Disu, (Adenuga’s daughter) as Executive Vice Chairman in charge of running the company, it has continued to

grow by leaps and bounds accounting for millions of both internet and voice subscribers nationwide, providing cutting-edge services and making tremendous positive impact as agents of social and economic transformation in its 20 years of existence in the Nigerian telecommunications industry.

Described as a trail blazer, it became the first telecommunication company to build an $800 million high-capacity fibre-optic cable known as Glo-1, a submarine cable from the United Kingdom to Lagos, Nigeria,  the first successful submarine cable from the UK with Glo Mobile, Glo Broad Access, Glo Gateway and Glo-1 as strategic business units.

Recall too that Glo Mobile, a subsidiary of Globacom, in its first year of operation, had no fewer than one million subscribers in over 87 towns in Nigeria before spreading to other African countries including Benin and Ghana.

According to the records, Globacom is the first individual African company to embark on a successful submarine cable measuring 9,800 kilometers from Bude in the UK to Alpha Beach in Lagos that has facilitated high-speed internet services, faster, more reliable and cheaper telecom services, foreign investment, and employment opportunities, especially to Africans. The facility has also improved teleconferencing, distance learning, disaster recovery, and telemedicine among several other benefits for Nigerians and the people of West Africa.

But one of the major attractions of the company over the years is its capacity to facilitate on a regular basis, various empowerment promotions with valuable prizes like houses, cars, tricycles, electronics, huge sums of money, and tools of trade such as sewing machines among others up for grabs by subscribers.

In other words, many subscribers can vouch for Globacom’s legacy of uncommon empowerment through such promotional schemes as Glo Festival of Joy which had transformed the lives of many including under privileged members of society majority of whom have sweet tales to tell. Its dealers too had not been left out in the life-touching largesse.

 

Again, courtesy of the telecommunications giant is the Green Lotto Service which allows Glo subscribers to buy their favourite lottery tickets through their lines and pay through airtime, right from the comfort of their homes or anywhere and at any time of the day; the launching of a new marketing initiative tagged: “PalmPay Bonanza – Recharge Glo and Win,” which offers Nigerians who buy Glo data and airtime bundles via the PalmPay platform, the chance to win fantastic prizes from July 21 till September 14, 2023, in line with the company’s goal to provide unparalleled value and experiences.

Similarly, it is note worthy, of the applause that trailed the special data roaming offer in  Mecca availed Nigerian pilgrims who performed the last Hajj which gave them the opportunity to enjoy Glo data roaming services in the Holy land for as low as N5/MB. The initiative by Globacom, in partnership with Zain Saudi Arabia, gave subscribers the chance to enjoy and share their Hajj experiences with their family and friends back home.

It also has a roaming partnership in many countries including United Kingdom, United States, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Netherlands, France, Cameroon, Ghana, Germany, Kenya, Italy, South Africa, South Africa, Cote D’Ivoire, Switzerland, Niger, Croatia, Greece, Sweden, Senegal, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Malta, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Turkey, Benin, Luxembourg, Morocco, Hong Kong, Iceland, Poland, Vatican, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Monaco and and several others.

Meanwhile, a few months ago, the digital services company also unveiled a new MiFi, Router offer that connects up to 32 Wi-Fi-enabled devices including smartphones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs, and game consoles as well as gives subscribers “free 60GB and 180 GB data upon purchase and activation of a MiFi and Router respectively”.

Apart from ensuring faster downloads, faster music, and movie streaming, faster gaming experience, and seamless video calls on various smart devices, the devices according to the company, can also be used by students, corporate employees, small and medium-scale businesses, or by individual subscribers on the go seamlessly.

Globacom’s unbeatable record of sponsorship of sports events, cultural festivals, budding artists and entertainment events as well as media advertorials remains unassailable to date among players in the telecommunications industry as well as its sole sponsorship of African Voices on CNN whose objective is to project game changers in Africa and promote the brand globally. It has also regularly engaged the promotional services of youths and celebrities, both as brand ambassadors and for their technical know how including P-Square, Fatuntele Tunde, Phyno, Wizkid, May7ven, Tobi Amusan, among others.

Interestingly, Globacom’s two decades of impactful existence is coming a few months after its founder, Otunba Adenuga Jr., GCON, clocked 70 years on April 29 and days after it emerged as the winner of 2023 “Nigeria’s Most Popular Brand” in a Top of Mind (TOM) Survey conducted by Top 50 Brand Nigeria. Before then, it bagged the 2023 ‘Africa’s Beacon of ICT Excellence/Leadership Award’  in recognition of the mobile network operator’s pioneering innovations in the Nigerian telecom industry.

But stakeholders are unanimous that beyond the successful narrative of the company, the government should leave no stone unturned in addressing the numerous challenges limiting telecommunications sector growth in the country among them right-of-way, access to funds for rural expansion, scarcity of foreign exchange to import communication equipment following the massive devaluation of the naira, insecurity, multiple taxations, inter industry indebtedness as well as pilfering and vandalism of operators’ equipment.

This will pave the way for operators in the sector to inject fresh investments into the sector, guarantee quality service delivery and substantially boost internet and data penetration nationwide.

 

 

For a better society

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