By Cyriacus Nnaji
With numerous mouthwatering customer-centric service deliveries that are aimed at impacting positively on its subscribers, there is definitely no way Glo will not in the nearest future overtake its competitors in all fronts.
The future is here already. Since inception, the wholly indigenous Telecoms giant, Glo, as Nigerians proudly call it, has constantly and consistently been categorized first in data based classification, with an eye on all frontiers of telecommunications performance indices classifications in the country. This feat was not granted, but a result of serious hard work on the part of the Chairman, management, staff and partners whose collaborations and contributions to the Glo master plans are strategically and consistently implemented, hence the positive results the company rolls out year in year out.
With its stronghold on the top position of the data subscription categorization for many years, life is good for its subscribers. Of course, in this age and time, data is life; any individual, organization, company, government that is out of data is out of life, out of operations and out of circulation; data improves businesses, and this is where Glo is called the grand master of data. The efficient data service delivery by Glo from inception marked it out as a company with consciously designed effort to live the dream of its customers and subscribers alike, empowering them to realize and excel in whatever their aspirations are through Glo business intuitions and innovative ingenuity.
From its per second billing (PSB), its high tech sophistication, service delivery, its Corporate Service Responsibilities (CSR) to her unique mouthwatering bonanzas which none of its competitors dares to attempt, Glo is the grand master, a pacesetter, Glo leads while others follow. Globacom came with operational standards that changed the trajectory of telephony in Nigeria, the per second billing; that singular audacity filled with local content was the game changer, an eye opener, a one in a million master stroke that transformed an entire nation’s telecommunications landscape.
In 2023, according to the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) Nigeria holds a substantial 82 per cent share of telecom subscriptions in Africa and contributes to 29 per cent of the continent’s internet usage. It is therefore, not gainsaying the fact that Glo as a Telecoms giant has contributed immensely and substantially to this record breaking leap in the sector.
The surge in data utilization, the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT), the advent of artificial intelligence and the emergence of cutting-edge technologies are all traceable to Glo’s immense contributions to the growth of the Telecommunications subsector of the economy. The company constantly navigates and innovates in its general operations towards ensuring a transformative era as it makes strategic investments and cultivates an environment conducive to growth for itself and its highly esteemed customers.
It has been two decades and still counting, of momentous operation in Nigeria where precursors of GSM in Nigeria came with shylock intentions, yearly maximizing profits and repatriating profits to their founding mother countries rather than developing the land that laid the golden egg. This is where Globacom ranks highest, with 100% Nigerian content, the Chairman, Chief (Dr) Mike Adenuga Jr., a man who is so passionate about his country, is father. He makes sure that what is made as profit in his tech company is maximally ploughed back into the company and country’s development.
The Telecommunications giant is still scoring firsts and expanding new frontiers every day, for the benefit of an ever-expanding customer and client base. Today, millions of Nigerians and indeed citizens of some West African countries are grateful to Glo, they are using its many platforms, products and offerings to rule their sphere and in the process discovering boundless possibilities in their businesses, careers, education, health and wellness, and relationship engagements.
Indeed Globacom has blossomed into a globally recognised corporate entity and an undisputable pacesetter in telecoms industry. Between August 2003 and now it has been great experience for anyone that has come in contact with Glo, be it management, staff and customers. Globacom is the facilitator that transformed the mobile telecommunications environment in Nigeria, and placed its entire economy on the pedestal it is today. A forward looking company, the success of the Globacom stemmed from its love for innovation, taking calculated risks which bring big results.
When GSM strolled into the Nigerian telephony world, the Nigerian thing of how we do things, like in the NITEL days persisted, where good things appeared to be the exclusivity of only the rich and middle class, but when in 2003 Glo walked in majestically, like the lion in a tribe in the bible, it gloed. The bible said when you light the candle you do not place it under the table, rather it is placed on the table that it illuminates the environment so that the people can see and comprehend. That is the parable of Globacom in Nigerian Telecommunications industry today.
In two decades, Nigeria’s active phone lines zoomed up from the narrative of 400,000 in 2001 to over 200 million plus as of today. Internet access rose from less than 1% broadband penetration in 2001 to 48% (which translates to 157 million subscribers). And while other mobile operators cumulatively lost about 100,000 internet subscriptions in one month, according to the industry regulator, Globacom gained over 200,000 subscriptions in the same period in 2023. Today, if you are not ready for competition you simply get away, because a company that truly understands the heartbeat of her people with local content, customer centric offerings, Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) and bonanzas is in the arena.
Globacom network’s phenomenal growth has been underpinned by its willingness to consistently invest in and deploy cutting-edge technology in the markets where it operates, thus ensuring that its subscribers benefit from the advances made in telecommunications and information technology for personal, social and business prosperity.
Let’s take a few seconds to get into its growth trajectory. Globacom was the only operator in all of Africa to launch its operations on the superior 2.5G network which enabled the convergence of voice, data and multimedia technologies – an innovative platform that not only ensured unparalleled voice clarity and low drop calls, but also enabled the offering of value-added services previously unavailable on the 2G technology – such as vehicle tracking, mobile internet, mobile banking, multimedia messaging service (MMS), voice SMS, Magic Plus and Text2email.
Globacom determinedly established the network as the undisputed pacesetter in the industry when it announced the introduction, amid fanfare, of the 3G plus technology, which marked the second time that Globacom would be at the forefront of birthing latest transmission network in Nigeria. This new technology enabled a much faster transmission of data, voice, broadband internet and multimedia services over a range of frequencies, and it allowed customers to make video calls, video streaming and high-speed mobile internet access, amongst others, just from their 3G mobile handsets.
Of course, most indisputably Globacom became first network in the country to test the 4G-LTE network, a revolutionary fourth-generation mobile technology, that enhanced and still enhances data transfer rates, delivers unmatched mobile broadband experience and the highest data speeds and reliability, by so doing made Nigeria one of the nations where long-term evolution (LTE) has continued to gain grip.
Glo’s commitment to relentless network expansion, in terms of both quality and quantity in the last 20 years, indicates that it has invested billions of dollars in extending its long reach to the last mile, notably through its deployment of the most extensive fibre optic backbone across the country. The fibre optic cable was built to further enhance voice and data transmission for mobile and fixed telephone operations in the country, and is complemented by a microwave backbone that serves as backup. The cable helps to ensure that calls on the network are crisp and clear, without the interference of breaks and drops.
As that was not enough, the company came up with another innovative first, the launch of Glo-1, the intercontinental submarine cable linking Nigeria with the outside world. This was not just a record breaking feat, but also costing over $250 million dollars at the time. This also was seen as the first time a single company in Africa would implement such a massive undersea project. Glo-1 is an expansive trans-Atlantic cable designed to provide internet connectivity between Europe, America and the West African coast. The 9,800 km-long cable has landing points in Lagos, Accra (Ghana), Dakar (Senegal), Nouakchott (Mauritania), Casablanca (Morocco), Vigo (Spain), Bude (England), among other points. Glo-1 delivers a much faster and robust connectivity for voice, data and video.
In sponsorships and CSR, Globacom is first, what can we say about its sponsorship of the Ojude Oba Festival and the Onitsha Ofala Festivals? The company has produced stars who have gone on to become global icons in music, movies, comedy and so forth, Globacom’s sponsorship trail is everywhere, Not long ago, for example, Globacom launched an online streaming app., known as GloTV, it is an innovative TV streaming service on Android, IoS and Web for watching live TV; video on demand; and Catch-up with premium content.
Globacom, since its inception, supported Nigerian football in various ways so much so that such support culminated in the triumph of Nigeria’s Super Eagles in the 2013 African Nations Cup (AFCON). Globacom was, for many a season, the sole sponsor of the Glo/CAF Awards which honoured individual and team excellence from the continent.
Today, many Glo subscribers are house owners, car owners, generator owners via giveaways by Globacom. Glo’s Everyday Bonanza and Glo Jumbo SIM were some of the bonanzas that made Glo first among equals; Glo, Palmpay, ‘Recharge and Win’. What of Joy Unlimited Extravaganza, Data bonuses, free airtime, among other giveaways.
With such customer centred approach to business since inception, there is no way Globacom will not, in the nearest future, overtake its competitors in overall telecoms classifications in Nigeria.
Latest in the array of Globacom bonanza is the promo whereby subscribers who had recharged a minimum N50,000 over 30 days period were rewarded with return tickets to Europe.
January got onto a splendid start for some more Globacom subscribers as they received their Business Class return tickets to Europe (Lagos-Paris-London-Lagos) at three separate events in Abuja, Lagos and Warri.
To qualify, these subscribers had recharged a minimum N50,000 over the last 30 days of the promo and were consequently drawn as winners among the pool of other qualifiers. Every subscriber who recharges N50,000 in a month is qualified to be drawn for the promo that can land them Business Class return tickets to Europe.
Friday’s presentation of the flight tickets to the new set of winners in Lagos was witnessed by Hon Bayo Balogun, Member, House of Representatives, from Ibeju Lekki; Engr. Abdulai Sesan Olowa, Chairman, Ibeju Local Government; and Mr Arinze Ezeani, from the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC).
Guests at the Abuja event included the Chairman, Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives, Honourable Bamidele Salam, while in Warri, the Delta State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Dr. Odinigwe Daniel Odigie, Chairman of Isoko North Local Government Area, Hon. Christian Iteire, representative of National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Mr. Awhana Innocent, and Nollywood actors and Glo Influencers, Eriata Ese and Ricardo Agbor were in attendance.
At the Lagos presentation, Mr Abiodun Hundeyin, a retired Deputy Comptroller-General of Immigration was among those presented their tickets. In Abuja, the winners included Shittu Tanko, a 44-year old staff member of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and an Abuja-based architect, Mr Sola Dani, while in Warri, the winners were Anambra-born Mrs Elizabeth Chukwujekwu, Mr. Samson Efenudu, a Computer Analyst from Ughelli South in Delta State, and 45-year old Mr. Abimbola Fasoranti, an Electrical Engineer with Anudu Plastics Ltd, Asaba.
