Over the years Nigerian own companies providing infrastructure based services have found it difficult to expand outside the country, basically, because of harsh operating environment in the country. Most of them that have survived in the country could not muster the required financial muscle to invest in expanding their operations at least in other countries in Africa.
These challenges and jinxes were surmounted and broken by Globacom, an indigenously telecommunications company. Globacom within seven years of operation survived competition with experienced operators such as MTN and Zain in the country, and has also expanded its operations to other African countries such as Benin Republic, Ghana, Senegal and Ivory Coast which is not a small achievement.
Sunday August 29th 2010, Globacom celebrated Seven years of its operation as a telecommunications company in the country. Globacom, Nigeria’s second National Operator launched its operations on August 29, 2003 two years after digital mobile telecommunication was introduced into the country. However, with its entry into the Nigerian market with the Pay by the second billing platform, the company has continued to dictate the pace both in terms of services delivery, extent of coverage and innovations. It was founded, and indeed operates with the passion to re-ignite the African spirit. The network has proved, in just seven years of operation, that Africans can match the best anywhere in the world. Globacom is building a network that reflects the resilience, the energy, excellence and true nature of Africans; one that will make Nigerians proud and ultimately pride of the government.
Founded on a vision of being the largest and most successful company, had acquired over 22 million subscribers with coverage extending to over 70,000 cities, towns, and communities. These are records still unbroken in the history of telecommunication in Africa. It is perhaps its impact on the people that resonates throughout the industry. Globacom immediately forced down the cost of telephone services with the crashing of GSM tariffs and SIM costs making telephony more accessible. Nigerians have not yet forgotten how Glo gave them the golden opportunity to be charged either by minute or by second. Indeed, that over 40 million Nigerian students, artisans, and countryside dwellers can today use the telephone is hugely attributable to the Globacom revolution. Through its value added services, the company has brought to Africa more benefits of modern technological innovations.
Mobile handsets have become a tool for empowerment, entertainment and connectivity to the worldwide web.
How fast time runs. How splendid, Globacom, the idea of Otunba Mike Adenuga concieved some eight years ago has helped Nigerian telecommunications operations in no little ways. He deserves kudos because if he was a politician, he may had ferried the idea to another country, just the same way we witness corrupt government officials ferry our money, their loot, into foreign countries, thereby resulting to the impoverishment of the citizenry.
It is believed that one thing that has brought smiles to the management of Globacom and its subscribers is the achievement the Globacom has made within seven years in the telecommunications operations.
Like many entrepreneurial industries that suffer loss, Globacom has not entertained fear of such since its emergence in August 29, 2003. Rather, it is focusing on new things to be achieved, being optimistic that what it has achieved so far is the beginning of success, and thereby emboldening the stoic spirit of its subscribers on high-ranked services.
In this regard as well as to prove that it is thoroughly an African network of choice that the company has started extending its operations to neighbouring African countries in line with its philosophy of bringing joy of communications required for them to rule their world as well as empower them with the tools of communications.
To this end, it has launched Global System for Mobile communications services in Republic of Benin, preparing to launch in Ghana and has won operating license in Senegal, Ivory Coast and Gambia.
This feat has positioned Globacom as Africa’s network operator and not only Nigeria operator.
On the gateway business, Globacom is one of the largest carries of voice traffic In Africa carrying over 5 billion international minutes annually. At the local scene, Glo is the gateway for most network operators in Nigeria and has built strategic partnerships with 45 Tier One Carries (35 TDM and 8 VoIP) with a total of 618 ELs. Telcos like AT&T, BT, France Telecom, Sprint use Glo to connect to their customers in Africa.
The Globacom 9,200km international submarine cable, Glo 1, configured from Portugal to Lagos, which will berth in Bonny, Ghana among other countries is expected to be commercially rolled out in few days.
The submarine cable would enhance quality of its services and provided in abundance the much needed bandwidth for other operators in the country. When all the phases are completed, the cable would pass through 15 countries.
According to Globacom, the submarine cable would enable Glo to provide quality service through multiple redundant and high quality direct links to various countries across the world. It would enable it to interconnect with many international networks and leading traffic carriers in the West African region.
According to the company, more countries have indicated interest in getting connected to Glo through the international submarine cable, and Glo had already started exchanging communication with some of these countries on how they could latch on to the facility as soon as possible.
The company said that Glo 1, the first submarine cable in the world to be individual financed, was being built by Alcatel, a provider of cable.
Glo’s international roaming services involving 193 networks in 98 countries provides service on the voice, short massage service (SMS), general package radio service (GPRS) roaming and BlackBerry services. It also provides bulk sale of bandwidth and offers access to 804 networks in 174 countries via International SMS.
With the success story of Globacom, within this short period, it has grown from an ordinary GSM company, to a giant company that its biography cannot contain in a 1000 page book. With total solution, Globacom is on the ebullient side to still empower its over 22 million subscribers as it rolls out its fixed line services commercially in Abuja and Lagos. This would follow the completion of the national fibre optic ring project in most parts of the country.
Globacom has being ahead of competition in spite of the fact that it started behind its competitors, having acquired the third Generation project license, otherwise called 3G, which is the advanced technology to the 2.5G technology, the company was among the first operators that demonstrated the technology explaining the capacity of its network to deliver 3G services to its teeming subscribers.
The duty of the 3G is to promote telecommunications services with capability for seamless transmission. It allows for the transmission of high quality sound, data and picture massages by fixed and fast-moving subscribers.
Globacom’s growth in Nigeria has being phenomenal. The network has become the fastest growing in Africa and the Middle East region and is the third fastest growing network in the world. In 2006 alone, Globacom added six million subscribers to its network.
Aside building a strong telecommunications network in Benin Republic and Nigeria, Globacom has also exhibited that affinity with the society which is the company’s second nature. It lives and breathes with the people.
Although it made business sense to launch into the market, never in the history of Nigeria has any organization displayed such deep sense of responsibility and commitment to the development of the Nigerian states than Globacom. From its corporate persona through its business decisions to the huge deployment of resources; to the unbroken support for Nigeria and Nigeria’s interests, Globacom has come to represent the can-do Nigerian/African spirit.
Globacom as the foremost network in Nigeria adopted a strategic focus on people-resonant initiatives in education, health and the development of the Nigeria community. The network’s sponsorship of sports is predicated on the role of sports as a national unifier. With soccer, in particular, all the ugly characteristics of tribe and nepotism give way to unity and comradeship.
To support this national idea, Globacom has to date committed over N20 billion on football and other sports. For two consecutive years Nigerian league had no sponsors and the Nigerian Football Association, now Nigerian Football Federation was finding it difficult to organize the competition. It was at this stage that Globacom gave the league life line it required for survival. Glo signed a 4 year deal with the Nigerian Football league worth about N4 billion for the sponsorship of the Globacom Premier League.
Globacom recognizes that in a match, victory is not only won by the strength of the players but also by the cheers of the supporters, and to enhance the performance of the Nigerian teams, the company took over the sponsorship of the Nigerian supporters club.
There has also being a major partnership between Globacom and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), towards eradication of poverty in the region. The programme, tagged Self Employment Business Support provides employment opportunities for youths in the region. The initiative is to empower Nigerians and help them become self-reliant. This effort is complemented with another partnership with Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC), to assist unemployed youths of the oil producing communities but impoverished Niger Delta region set up their own businesses.
Indeed, Globacom has within seven years of operations achieved a lot in both in its core business of building telecommunications infrastructure in Africa which will help it stamp its feet in the world’s telecommunications landscape. Nigerians are wishing the company well and encouraging it not to relent in its effort.