BY ROTIMI DUROJAIYE
When Globacom Limited, a Nigerian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Lagos started operations on August 29, 2003, nobody gave it a chance considering the fact that other operators had started out.
So, many thought it was a mirage and that success was light years away, if there was any chance for the new entrant.
But 20 years down memory lane, if not for Globacom, perhaps Nigerians might still be paying exorbitant amounts for mobile line connectivity.
If not for Globacom, perhaps Nigerians would still be under the stranglehold of the per-minute billing system.
If not for Globacom, perhaps the legacy operators would have maintained their hegemonic stance that per-second billing was ‘impossible.’
It is hard to imagine Nigeria’s telecoms sector without Globacom. It is hard to imagine the creation of massive jobs in the economy today without Globacom.
It is hard to imagine the ease of doing business environment made possible by Globacom’s high connectivity technology. Today, thanks to Glo, Nigerians have lightheartedly consigned the infamous remark, ‘Telephones are not for the poor,” where it belongs – in the trash bin of history.
It was the vision and audacity of one man – a man with a penchant for making the impossible possible, a man who dared to imagine the biggest and best telecommunications network in Africa – that has made all the difference.
The founder and chairman of Globacom, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr.,” knows his onions, especially when it comes to business.
Many didn’t know that the arrival of Globacom would become a game changer. Its excellent performances in the last 20 years has shown the visionary leadership and tenacity of the brain behind this conglomerate as Nigerians have seen with the impeccable telecoms services they have been experiencing in the last 20 years.
Since then, it has been more than two decades of transforming the telecommunications landscape, fulfilling dreams, and positively affecting the lives of millions of Nigerians.
Since inception in 2003, Globacom has been true to its resolve to provide world-class communications and digital services through constant deployment of latest technologies in line with the corporate promise to build a robust ICT network infrastructure that would consistently deliver value to its esteemed customers.
Globacom has been at the forefront of revolutionary changes in the telecommunication sector in Nigeria.
It crashed the cost of acquiring SIM cards in the country from about N25, 000 to just about N200.
The Per Second Billing, which the older networks said was not possible, was done by Globacom.
That made it the first network in Africa to launch on a per-second billing platform. With the Per Second Billing, the company became a household name in Nigeria and within nine months, the firm made history again as the first network to amass a million subscribers in that space of time.
Prominent among the innovations Globacom pioneered in Nigeria are Blackberry, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Magic Plus, Glo Direct, Glo Fonepals, Africhat, Glo Mobile Internet, GloFleetmanager, M-Banking and Glo Mobile Office.
Globacom was also the first to launch 2.5G, 3G and 4G LTE networks and became the first single telecommunication company in the world to own its submarine cable.
The high capacity Glo 1 optic fibre cable brings direct connectivity between West Africa, the UK and the rest of the world.
It also connects 12 nations in the West African sub region, including some of them that are landlocked.
Glo1 is credited with crashing the cost of internet services and is today the preferred cable system by global OTT providers. It connects thousands of kilometres of national fibre to all parts of Nigeria.
The company has over 61 million subscribers on its network as at June, 2023.
Speaking penultimate Saturday in Lagos at a press conference held at the company’s headquarters to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Chief Technology officer, Remi Makinde, also spoke on how the company is empowering SMEs with its services.
Makinde said the company has commenced the upgrade of its LTE sites with additional spectrum resources nationwide geared towards ensuring it always provides premium voice and high-speed data user experience.
At the media event, Globacom also showcased its outstanding contributions to the nation’s telecoms industry since its rolled out services in 2003, thus setting the tone for another milestone future.
The company’s transmission network exploits, according to Makinde, include; the completion of 6 kilometers of new fire route site in Nigeria, 9,000 advanced LTE sites that cover all the local government areas in the country, while there is progress on the Fifth Generation (5G) super network rollout, among other feats.
Later in the day at the Expo Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, venue of an event tagged “Evening with Glo”; eminent guests were left wondering what exactly the company had in store for them, mostly captains of industries, business associates and high net-worth customers.
The hall was decorated with a tone reflecting Globacom’s touch of green.
The speeches were few and short that night, while the fun was long and packed.
From the entertaining saxophonist Yemi Sax dishing out soft tunes from the cocktail segment to the engaging tap dancers’ performance on the stage, the evening was packed full of entertainment.
With rib-cracking jokes, an award-winning comedian, Godwin Komone, who stages as Gordons, set the venue on fire.
The ace comedian was the delight of captains of industry, business executives, government officials, entertainment stars and Nollywood legends at the hilarious event.
Anchored by Gordon, the event was truly an evening of fun and entertainment in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Globacom.
From comedy, music and dance, there was a ceaseless flow of entertainment generously enjoyed by the discerning guests.
Apart from Gordon, Yemi Sax, master saxophonist, excited the high-profile audience with enthralling performances, amid a show of creative ingenuity with his saxophone.
As well, Arinze Baba, a budding humour merchant, complemented the evening’s rich offerings with his free-flowing and mind-blowing jokes, while tap dancers from South Africa, with their energetic and acrobatic performances, ensured it was an all-round fun for guests who filled the venue to the brim.
But the excitement seemed unending until Asake and Chike, Glo ambassadors and music stars, climaxed the show with their electrifying performances.
Both home-grown artists had the audience on their feet, singing along with them and dancing into the early hours of the next day (Sunday) to Chike’s “Osondi Owendi ”, “If you no love”, and “Roju”.
Asake enthralled with his specials including; “Sungba”, “Joha”, among other songs.
The evening offered Globacom an opportunity to unveil its new communication direction, which focuses more on powering and driving ambition while ensuring success for the telecom company’s existing and future customers.
Moreover, the new communication direction is predicated on its new business focus of “Powering Your Ambition”, which is much more than just a proposition, but a promise that has seen Globacom partnering with its customers in delivering cutting-edge digital transformation of their businesses and innovative ideas.
“What was once deemed impossible is now the norm. As a digital solutions provider, we embrace these unlimited opportunities to serve our customers by constantly investing in the latest tools and technology”
For the company, ‘Powering Your Ambition’ showcases its preparedness and capability to power businesses and individuals with the right tools and services to enable them to set ambitious personal and business targets and realize them to the full.
In her address at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman, Globacom, Bella Disu, praised the subscribers, partners, stakeholders and all those who had stayed with the company since its inception.
“Tonight, I would like to acknowledge those who have been with us every step of the way – our dear partners and stakeholders – your contributions have been essential to Globacom’s success story over the past two decades, and our story would be incomplete without you,” she noted.
She explained further that the event was special for many reasons; one being that Globacom celebrated its 20th anniversary this past August, a feat, which symbolises two decades of the company’s commitment to excellent service delivery, quality, innovation, and outstanding communication strategies.
“This remarkable journey and the heights we have reached are all thanks to the visionary leadership and tenacity of our founder and chairman, Dr Mike Adenuga Jr.,” she said.
She disclosed that the pace of digital transformation is far quicker than what it was when Globacom started.
“What was once deemed impossible is now the norm. As a digital solutions provider, we embrace these unlimited opportunities to serve our customers by constantly investing in the latest tools and technology,” she said.
Speaking on the new communication direction, she explained that it focuses more on powering and driving ambition while ensuring success for Glo’s existing and future customers.
“Nigeria’s unlimited potential is forged in the ambition of the Nigerian Spirit, it is only right that Nigeria’s one and only unlimited network is at the heart and forefront of powering the ambition of our great nation. Your ambition is Nigeria’s greatest resource, and we are here to power it so that it catapults us all from the realm of ideas into the plane of reality,” Disu said further.
She also gave credit to the telecom company’s marketing team for the creative campaigns, saying, “They deserve it”.
But the creative genius steering the team and whipping up most of the ideas, according to Disu, is none other than Mike Adenuga Jr., Globacom’s chairman.
“I am not sure he would have wanted me to share that, but after 20 years of his creative direction, I think it is fair to let the cat out of the bag,” she said in appreciation of the chairman’s leading roles in the past two decades.
Projecting the future of the business, she noted, “We are excited about the next 20 years of serving our customers by pre-empting and fulfilling their needs in ways that help them achieve their ambitions. We count on you all to be by our side as we write tomorrow’s success stories”.
The evening also witnessed a raffle draw, which saw four guests winning an all-expense-paid business class trip to the United Kingdom courtesy of Globacom.
In 2022, Globacom gave out 20 brand-new houses, 20 brand-new cars, 1,000 fans and 200 sewing machines to its deserving customers in the country.
The feats also include the empowerment of players in the Nigerian creative industry; especially the many brand ambassadors, actors and actresses, who expressed their joy of being part of Glo family.
“I am a proud Glo brand ambassador. The company is real with their products and their services are of high quality,” Ebube Nwogbo, Nollywood actress, said.
For Titilola Ajayi, a celebrity, she cannot thank Globacom enough for considering her worthy to be the face of the company, a development that has opened more doors for her in the Nigerian creative industry.
“Thank you for using me as part of your family. Glo has been a lifesaver in terms of customer relations and easy credit. People love Glo because of its low cost per second billing,” she said.
On her part, Uche Jombo, a Nollywood actress and producer, said, “I have been a part of Glo for a long time. It has been an amazing family. The company has survived and stayed in the Nigerian business environment in the last two decades. I wish them a happy anniversary.”
The evening was well worth it and it is certain that with the new communication direction presentations preceding the fun aspects, the famed billionaire surely has something big up his sleeves for the good of Nigerians.
