By Cyriacus Nnaji,
Having commenced business in Nigeria in 2003, Globacom, a wholly indigenous Telecoms operator, was classed as the third entrant into the Nigeria’s modern Telecoms sector. Her coming unarguably changed the trajectory and significantly improved Telecommunications services in Nigeria with its more daring competitive services, offering Nigerians, the per second billing system, the first of its kind in the telecommunications firmament on the soil of Nigeria.
There is no argument that Globacom disrupted the market with pioneering offerings. The introduction of per second billing was the game-changer, democratizing mobile services for Nigerians. That singular innovative approach revolutionized the telecommunications landscape in Nigeria, making mobile services accessible to a wider audience.
With her innumerable unique service deliveries, there is no doubt that Globacom has become a dominant force, with a market share of more than 26.78 % and also with a subscriber base of more 60.76 million, Globacom has maintained a very close second position for several years running, and has contributed immensely to the growth of the telecoms sector and to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
As at year ending 2023, Telecommunications sector has continued with its constant upward trend of percentage contribution to total real GDP. In 2023 it contributed 14.38%. This growth and development was not unconnected with Globacom and other telecoms operators’ dedication and innovation in the sector.
No wonder, as an indigenous telecoms company, it was crystal clear while coming on board that the company understood the needs of Nigerians and designed its services to suit the diverse audience, while still operating within its legal confines.
Her deliverables which come with quality and affordable services to its customers mark the company out as a telecommunications industry with a difference and has carved a niche for itself marked by significant milestones, technological advancements and a profound impact on the lives of millions of Nigerians. Yes, the company entered the telecoms market which was already dominated by established players. However, with a bold vision and a customer-centric methodology, it rapidly expanded.
Just recently Globacom’s Glo 1 celebrated eight years of uninterrupted and flawless operations. It is also on record that the recent undersea cable disruption which affected network providers in Nigeria and some other neighbouring countries did not affect GLO operations. Since 2016, Glo 1 has provided seamless internet connectivity, ensuring that both personal and business users enjoy uninterrupted service and high-speed access, the company said in a statement.
According to the company “Since its launch, Glo 1 has provided continuous connectivity for both individual and corporate customers, ensuring reliable internet access without any downtime, Glo 1 boosts capacity for enhanced service delivery.”
It read, “It will be recalled that even in March this year when most submarine cables in Nigeria and West Africa experienced cuts which caused widespread internet disruptions, Glo 1 remained unaffected throughout the period and was running as usual. Glo 1-powered financial institutions, internet service providers, and data consumers, all carried on with business as usual.
“Industry observers were of the view that Glo 1 International Submarine Cable’s resilient construction and durability were the reasons the damage did not compromise the cable.”
The Glo1 submarine fiber cable infrastructure has also been upgraded to ensure maximum utilization and enhanced service delivery. “Glo 1 connects directly to London with the lowest latency, which refers to the length of time it takes for data to travel from one point to another across a network. This guarantees ultra-fast and reliable internet connectivity.
“The Glo 1 capacity boost effectively compliments the ongoing technical expansions and upgrades of Glo network infrastructure to ensure unique calling and browsing experience on the Glo network,” a statement from the company said.
In 2019, Glo emerged the telecom global brand of the year at the 2019 World Branding Awards held at the Kensington Palace, London. This was not an easy feat considering that the annual World Branding Awards is the premier awards programme of the World Branding Forum, a registered global non-profit organisation set up to advance the standards, skills and education of the branding community for the good of the industry and consumers.
How was the selection done? Over 230,000 consumers participated in the poll conducted to decide winners and more than 4,500 brands from 57 countries were nominated for awards in multiple categories. Of these, only 351 brands from 49 countries were declared as winners
Of course, to appreciate how huge this was, it is necessary to emphasise that global brands such as Cadbury, Carlsberg, Nokia, DHL, Adidas, Ferrari, Rolex, Sportify, Japan Airlines, Shell, Apple, Netflix, Aurora and other top brands from the United States of America, Spain, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Mexico, competed and won awards in different categories, just to tell you the credibility of the award.
Globacom has also declared its readiness to helping the Federal Government to drive its digital economy initiative in Nigeria. Globacom’s Executive Vice Chairman, Mrs. Bella Disu, reaffirmed the company’s preparedness to spearhead the Federal Government’s digitization programme, during the launch of Nigeria’s Digital Economy Report with the topic “Driving Economic Growth through Digital Transformation” at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, sometime ago.
She revealed Globacom’s strategy to support technological growth in Nigeria while underscoring the significance of Nigeria continuing to harness the transformative possibilities of emerging technology. In her words: “We see the current challenges in the sector as a responsibility to be at the forefront of enabling tech advancement. We are at the moment doing two things which key into the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy’s strategic blueprint. Under the pillar of Knowledge, the ministry is planning to have about 3m technical talents by 2027 and also increase digital literacy. In Glo, we have a Glo learning management solution which has the capacity to train up to 100,000 users a month on different skill sets from digital marketing and other professional courses some of which we plan to offer as CSR and also on courses covering Python, blockchain, AI to really push digital literacy.
“Under innovation, we plan to have four innovation hubs, with one to be rolled out in Lagos in the fourth quarter of the year, and three to be commissioned by the second quarter of 2025 in PH, Ibadan, and Abuja. We see these hubs as being an eco-system and a catalyst for technological advancement where we have hubs for tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, incubators and accelerators to really collaborate, thrive and learn”, she added.
GLO’s Bonanzas and CSR are second to none, its Berekete Bonus remains unbeatable, Festival of Joy is a flagship, the Ofala sponsorship, other bonanzas, are incredibly too far to reach by GLO’s competitors in the Telecommunications space.
Globacom’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has also attracted a study because of its far reaching impact on the people. The corporate social responsibility strategies adopted by GLOBACOM and another telecom organization and how the strategies have affected their image in Rivers State were studied. In the end, findings of the study showed that they all had corporate social responsibility strategies in varying degrees in Rivers State; but the strategies adopted by Globacom differ from the other. The study found out that Globacom employed such strategies as consultation with various stakeholders, organized town hall meetings periodically as well as ensured community participation whenever projects were executed in Rivers State. Based on the findings of the study, the strategies adopted by Globacom seemed more acceptable in its operational environments; hence its image and reputation seemed more acceptable in Rivers State than other Communications Techs. On the basis of the findings of the study, Globacom has endeared itself to the people hence it enjoys acceptable image rating in Rivers State and by extension across the country.
Many have described Glo’s success as braving the odds to grow Nigeria’s economy, of course its coming into Nigeria’ telecommunications sphere became a positive disruptor and changed the country’s digital landscape.
Just recently Globacom’s Glo 1 celebrateed eight years of uninterrupted and flawless operations.
It is also on record that the recent undersea cable disruption which affected network providers in Nigeria and some other neighbouring countries did not affect them GLO. Since 2016, Glo 1 has provided seamless internet connectivity, ensuring that both personal and business users enjoy uninterrupted service and high-speed access, the company said in a statement.
According to the company “Since its launch, Glo 1 has provided continuous connectivity for both individual and corporate customers, ensuring reliable internet access without any downtime, Glo 1 boosts capacity for enhanced service delivery.”
It read, “It will be recalled that even in March this year when most submarine cables in Nigeria and West Africa experienced cuts which caused widespread internet disruptions, Glo 1 remained unaffected throughout the period and was running as usual.
“Glo 1-powered financial institutions, internet service providers, and data consumers all carried on with business as usual.
“Industry observers were of the view that Glo 1 International Submarine Cable’s resilient construction and durability were the reasons the damage did not compromise the cable.”
The Glo1 submarine fiber cable infrastructure has also been upgraded to ensure maximum utilization and enhanced service delivery. “Glo 1 connects directly to London with the lowest latency, which refers to the length of time it takes for data to travel from one point to another across a network.
“This guarantees ultra-fast and reliable internet connectivity.
“The Glo 1 capacity boost effectively compliments the ongoing technical expansions and upgrades of Glo network infrastructure to ensure unique calling and browsing experience on the Glo network,” a statement from the company said.
The Company’s Berekete Bonus remains unbeatable, Festival of Joy is a flagship, the Ofala sponsorship, other bonanzas, are incredibly too far to reach by GLO competitors in the Telecommunications space.
The company’s My-G data Bundles, a set of lifestyle data offers targeted at the youth population in the country gives subscribers the freedom to express themselves and keeps them connected at the most affordable rates.
With My-G data Bundles, Glo subscribers can enjoy access to their favourite music and entertainment media applications such as WhatsApp, Tiktok, Snapchat, BoomPlay, Audiomack, Instagram and GloTV.
The bundles are denominated in N100, N300, N500 and N1,000. The N100 bundle, which has a 1-day validity, comes with a data offer of 400MB. The N200 bundle, with a 3-day validity, gives the subscriber 1GB data.
For subscribers who opt for the N500 bundle, which has a 7-day validity, they have 1.5GB data. The N1,000 bundle has 30 days’ validity with 3.5GB data.
On any My-G Bundle, the subscriber gets 1 hour of extra data which can be used on WhatsApp, Tiktok, Snap Chat, BoomPlay, Audiomack, Instagram or GloTV. The company statement added that the introduction of My-G bundles was meant to “address the data needs of young people today.” .
“My-G Bundles are open to all existing and the new customers and can be shared with or gifted to friends and family members in order to spread the fun”, Globacom added.
CNN International’s magazine programme, African Voices Changemakers, sometime ago hosted five well-known figures in African music.
The 30-minute show was supported by Globacom, Nigeria’s leading telecommunications company.
Among them are Glo ambassador, songwriter, singer, and actor Chike Ezekpeazu Osebuka, better known by his stage name, Chike; the gifted singer and rapper Candy Bleakz, whose real name is Blessing Akiode; Damilola Abdul Rasak Afolabi, a.k.a. L.A.X; Ekeh Chiaka Joseph, better known as Majeeed; and Ghanaian singer, Wendy Shay.
Chike, 31, is an alumnus of Covenant University. He rose to fame as a result of his appearances on a reality talent hunt TV programme. Apart from music, he has also made a mark in acting. Known for his hits, Chike earned the 2020 City People Music Award’s Album of the Year laurel for his 14-track debut album, Boo of the Booless.
L.A.X, who is also 31 years old, graduated with a master’s degree from the University of Manchester in the UK. In a trio known as Flybois, he began his career as a rapper.
Rapper Candy Bleakz also started her career in music in 2013 with her debut album “Blessing Sky,” but in 2020, she signed with Chocolate City Music. Majoreet earned a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications from Iscom University in the Republic of Benin. Two promotional singles, “Gee for Life” and “Rocky Lo,” launched his musical career.
Wendy Shay, 28, is the Ghanaian on the show this week. She is a registered nurse who also studied music in Bernhausen, Germany, to further her musical abilities. Her 2018 career began with the release of her debut single, “Uber Driver.”
The programme will be on DSTV Channel 401 on Saturday at 8.30 a.m. and will be repeated the same day at noon. Other repeats follow on Sunday at 4.30 a.m. and 7.00 p.m., on Monday at 4.00 a.m., and on Saturday next week at 8.30 a.m. and 12 noon. It will also air again on Sunday at 4.30 a.m. and at 7.00 p.m. and on Monday at 4.00 a.m.
Globacom would forever be remembered for presenting its information and communications technology solutions to staff and students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
The package, presented in conjunction with global technology company, Huawei, comprised routers for the school and smartphones loaded with Glo data for the five best performing students of the institution.
According to a statement, authorities of the University of Benin and the student beneficiaries of the ICT solutions commended Globacom for its good services in the campus.
Receiving the package, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Ikponwonso Omoruyi, who represented the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Faraday Orunwense, commended Globacom for its innovative products and services which he said ensured that most students and staff members of UNIBEN had Glo lines.
Promise Ekpo Osaine of the Department of Computer Engineering, who spoke on behalf of the student beneficiaries, said: “I feel amazed. In fact, I don’t know the adjective to describe how I am feeling right now. All through my five years in school, I have never experienced an event such as this where students are rewarded for academic excellence. All I see is social event. This has really encouraged me in pushing myself further in my academic pursuit and ensuring that I graduate in flying colours. I will encourage those who are not Glo subscribers to join the network.”
Globacom’s Regional Manager, Activation, Obiora Ezeora, who made the presentation on behalf of the company, thanked the University of Benin officials for the warm reception and restated Globacom’s commitment to improving service delivery at the university and its environs.
