Telecom
Globacom Unveils Details of Agreement with Vodafone
Globacom has unfolded the details of its strategic partnership with Vodafone, assuring its subscribers of a new phase of innovation-leadership and unrivalled quality of service.
The mutually beneficial and reciprocal agreement was formally unveiled to the public at a high profile ceremony attended by top officials of the two companies, senior officials of British High Commission, top government officials, Globacom’s brand ambassadors, high net worth customers, captains of industry and other categories of guests at the Eko Hotel.
Under the Partner Market Agreement covering Nigeria and Benin Republic, Globacom and Vodafone will work together to significantly enhance the experience of individual and corporate customers in terms of access to more robust bouquet of telecom products and services as well as improved service quality levels.
Speaking just before a symbolic shaking of hands between the two telecom conglomerates to symbolise the partnership at the ceremony in Lagos, Mrs. Bella Disu, group executive director, Globacom, said: “This partnership is something that we both have been yearning for. Globacom is known to be a leader of innovations and, we really have the hunger to increase our subscriber experience to the highest level possible. Vodafone has the scale; it has the experience and we both have the same customer-obsession to make that experience even better for our customers. And we are very excited.”
Also speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Kamaldeen Shonibare, head, Corporate Sales, Globacom, said the partnership is consistent with Globacom’s commitment to improving access to affordable telecommunications services for all categories of Nigerians.
“We care about our customers, and we spare no resources to bring to them world-class telecommunications services. This partnership will give corporate and individual subscribers on the Globacom network in Nigeria and the Republic of Benin an edge, particularly in voice and data services. The partnership is in line with Globacom’s tradition of partnering with global leaders to avail consumers of the best telecommunications services,” Shonibare said.
According to him, Globacom has adopted a number of measures with a view to attaining the fundamental objectives of the partnership. These include strategically enhancing customer experience to boost engagement, loyalty and recognition of the brand, internal alignment of the entire organisation, expansion of reach and improvement of costs in order to deliver better value to customers. Shonibare said the partnership will consolidate Globacom’s position as an innovation leader in the African telecom market.
In a presentation on how the partnership will add significant value to subscribers, Mr. Femi Oduntan, Senior Manager, International Business, Globacom said this will include Machine to Machine (M2M) solutions, Application Services, Cloud Services and Mobile Money services, among a host of other products and services.
Also speaking, Vik Patel, Vodafone’s regional director, Partner Markets, said Globacom is a company that is as innovation-hungry as Vodafone.
He said the partnership will help deliver enhanced roaming benefits for Globacom’s consumer and multinational corporate customers. He said Vodafone will gain from Globacom’s expertise and deep understanding of African markets.
Mr. Thomas Arkwright, British High Commissioner, said the Globacom-Vodafone relationship is in continuation of decades of partnership between Nigeria and United Kingdom, manifesting in over two million people of Nigerian descent living in the UK, 18,000 Nigerian students studying there and five Nigerians serving as Members of Parliament.
Okechukwu Aninweke, Lagos Zonal Coordinator, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) expressed happiness that the partnership would boost quality of service and give customers much improved experience on the Glo network.
Nigeria has exactly 156,662 active fixed wired internet subscriptions as of mid-2026.
This is a tiny fraction compared to mobile GSM networks, which dominate the market with over 154 million subscribers.
The fixed wired market primarily consists of homes and offices using direct physical cables like fiber optics.
Fixed wired services use physical cables, like glass fiber or copper wire, to bring internet directly into a building.
It is like a dedicated, private water pipe for your home. It provides very fast speeds, unlimited data, and is reliable.
In contrast, mobile GSM uses radio waves transmitted from tall towers to phones, acting more like a sprinkler that sprays a signal across an entire neighborhood.
Because laying physical cables across cities is expensive and hard to do, these subscriptions are very rare.
However, the market has seen recent growth, driven largely by Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) services.
The top players are: MTN FibreX with 110,564 subscribers, which is roughly 88.7 per cent of the entire market.
SWIFTNG accounts for about 13,945 connections.
The others are ipNX and 21st Century Technologies which make up the number.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it is intensifying efforts to implement Nigeria’s planned 112 national emergency number following its approval by the National Economic Council (NEC).
NCC
The commission disclosed this during a meeting between Vice President Kashim Shettima and an NCC delegation led by the Chairman of its Governing Board, Chief Idris Ibikunle Olorunnimbe, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Briefing the Vice President, Olorunnimbe said the NCC had already established about 35 Emergency Communications Centres (ECCs) across the country to support a unified national emergency response system.
He said the next phase of implementation would focus on closer collaboration with state governments and emergency response agencies to ensure the effective rollout of the initiative.
The development follows the recent approval by the NEC, chaired by the Vice President, for the adoption of 112 as Nigeria’s single national emergency number across all tiers of government and emergency response agencies.
The council also approved the establishment of a multi-agency implementation committee to be jointly coordinated by the Office of the Vice President and the NCC.
Olorunnimbe stressed that the success of the initiative would depend on the commitment of state governments to support and maintain emergency communications infrastructure, as well as the readiness of response agencies to promptly attend to distress calls.
“We need commitment at every level of all response agencies—from top to bottom—including the Nigeria Police Force, ambulance services across the states and, at the national level, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),” he said.
Responding, Shettima directed the NCC to develop a comprehensive roadmap for the nationwide implementation of the single emergency number in line with international best practices.
He also urged the commission to work closely with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), citing the agency’s experience in disaster management, relief and rehabilitation.
The Vice President assured the commission of the Federal Government’s commitment to sustaining the initiative, saying funding would be mobilised through the National Economic Council and partnerships with the private sector.
He also called for greater dedication from all emergency response agencies to ensure the success of the programme.
The adoption of 112 is expected to harmonise emergency communications across Nigeria by providing a single number through which citizens can quickly access police, fire, ambulance and other emergency services.
The initiative is also expected to replace multiple emergency contact numbers currently in use and improve coordination and response during emergencies.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it was strengthening collaboration with state governments and industry players to develop a transparent, cost-based pricing framework for sharing telecom ducts as part of efforts to speed up broadband expansion across Nigeria.
Ayuba Shuaibu, director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, NCC, disclosed this at the Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja.
Shuaibu said the initiative was designed to build consensus among all parties.
“The primary purpose of this forum is to ensure seamless synergy between the Commission and all stakeholders,” he said.
The director said the consultation was prompted by longstanding complaints over permits, levies and other charges imposed by different levels of government.
He said bringing together state commissioners, telecom operators, tower companies and representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had helped improve understanding of the issues.
“This engagement is a work in progress. We expect more input from stakeholders before presenting the outcome to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum,” he added.
Dr Helen Adeneye, commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Kogi State. welcomed the consultation, saying Nigeria needs a harmonised policy that clearly defines the responsibilities of both the federal and state governments.
“We need a harmonised policy that allows states to collaborate better with telecom operators and creates a more business-friendly environment,” she said.
Dr Adeneye added that adopting the Dig-Once policy would establish a uniform pricing system and help resolve disputes over charges for telecom infrastructure deployment.
Chidi Ajuzie, chief executive officer, WTES Projects Limited, whose firm is conducting the consultancy study, said the proposed framework would introduce a common cost structure for duct sharing to support broadband investment and economic growth.
“The study is designed to create a uniform pricing model that will drive broadband growth, economic development and wider adoption across the country,” he said.
Ajuzie explained that the consultants had developed preliminary floor and ceiling prices to guide operators while allowing flexibility within the approved range.
He added that the recommendations remain open to industry input before the NCC finalises the framework.
The Dig-Once Policy is designed to reduce the cost and disruption of deploying broadband infrastructure by requiring fibre ducts to be installed whenever roads are constructed or rehabilitated.
The NCC is developing a cost-based pricing framework for sharing these ducts to promote fair pricing, reduce duplication of infrastructure and encourage investment.
The proposed model is expected to support the Federal Government’s broadband expansion targets while improving collaboration between telecom operators and state governments.
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