Globacom at 21: Adenuga and the Telecom Voyage

By Chidiebere Nwobodo

“Many people can reach for and achieve excellence. To do this consistently is what separates masters and geniuses from everyone else.”
— Paul Russo

The lifespan of a vision is determined by amount of fuel of enthusiasm that propels it. In the same vain, the ultimate measure of mastery is not just success but longevity of excellence, because greatness itself is repeated excellence.

The story of Globacom, Nigeria’s first indigenous mobile operator, exemplifies this philosophy rooted in the ideology of “impossibility is just a word”; anything is possible where the willpower matches the vision.

When Dr. Mike Adenuga, Jr., envisioned the idea of giving Nigerians cheaper access to mobile telecom services using Globacom as the vehicle, he knew the voyage would not be a walk in the park, but in his mind; he imagined more than a mobile telephony entity.

The consummate investor saw a telecom company that would serve as a catalyst to propel massive growth in the country’s telecommunications industry and beyond. He put his power of imagination to work to: “Build Africa’s biggest and best telecommunications network”, the phrase was adopted as Glo’s vision statement.

21 years down the line of this telecom voyage, I can categorically state that Globacom has been a huge success. Despite daunting challenges in the sector, Adenuga’s brainchild, Glo, has revolutionized the nation’s mobile telephony market and internet hemisphere, and energized Nigerians to glo with pride.

The entrance of Glo in the market ignited spiral effects that pushed number of active mobile telephone subscribers from mere 400,000 in 2001 to over 150 million, today. Glo brought the needed boost the telecom sector yearned for at that nascent period.

August represents a special month, not only in the life of Globacom Limited, but the nation’s telecom industry. It was in August, 2003, that Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr. took the gauntlet and inaugurated Globacom Limited as the first indigenous mobile operator in Nigeria.

The entrance of Globacom in the ring broke the duopoly of the two legacy operators, untied the oligopolistic hold on the sector, and changed the game. Glo introduced cheaper mobile lines, and most importantly, Per-Second Billing (PSB). This initiative was what Nigerians thought was impossible in the industry at that time, Globacom made it possible.

GSM services became affordable to Nigerians irrespective of social and economic class. The grand entrance of ‘The Bull’ (Glo) in the game altered permutations, sparked fierce competition amongst mobile operators, drove massive investment in telecom infrastructure and heightened the scramble for new subscribers with its attendant positive effect on job creation and effective telecommunications.

Recently, I was caught up in a social media argument as regards boom in the online marketing. I was flabbergasted that a lot of young people (Gen Z), especially those born in the late 90s and early 2000 were yet to grasp the extent of contribution Mike Adenuga made via Globacom to give Nigerian youth access to social media vis-a-vis internet and other telecom services.

Shockingly, they got the information from me, at least for the first time. I took out my time to inform them regarding development in the telecom sector in the last two decades. I made it crystal clear to most of them that if not for intervention of Globacom that disrupted the market by breaking duopoly of legacy mobile operators, GSM services might be very expensive for many Nigerians to afford today.

Some of them acknowledged they had heard more about Adenuga’s philanthropic gestures but not really much about national strides and gains of his intervention in telecom industry via Glo, until I enlightened them. The honest feedback left me more puzzled. I questioned: “how could you have heard a lot about a man’s generosity without knowing his “biggest” philanthropic gesture to Nigeria?

I reminded them, again. Dr. Mike Adenuga’s biggest philanthropy to Nigerians was made on 29th August, 2003, when he floated Glo with the aim to give Nigerians cheaper access to GSM services. If not Globacom, Nigerians might still be paying exorbitant amounts for mobile lines. If not for Globacom, Nigerians would still be under the strangulating hold of the per-minute billing system.

If not for Globacom, the two legacy operators would have maintained their hegemonic stand that per-second billing (PSB) was impossible, exactly what DSTV is still doing with pay TV as a result of the near monopoly it enjoys today. It was the vision of one man to build the biggest and best telecommunications network in Africa that made all the difference.

That vision and the commitment to withstand challenges in the course of the sojourn, brought needed change in the telecom industry. I agree with some pundits who are of the school of thought that the industry should have surpassed where it is today if not for spiraling inflation, naira depreciation, etcetera.

But everyone, irrespective of the end of the intellectual spectrum he or she belongs, at least we can come to a consensus that we are no longer where we used to be as a nation in respect to mobile telephony services. Just close your eyes in one minute and imagine Nigeria’s telecom sector without Globacom.

Imagine absence massive jobs created in the economy today. Imagine lack of ease of doing business made possible by high connectivity. Imagine Nigeria’s internet space without a huge infrastructure like Glo 1, solely constructed and exclusively owned by Globacom.

While Globacom is celebrating its 21st anniversary, Glo 1, its biggest single telecom investment so far, not too long ago marked eight years of uninterrupted connectivity. Since 2016, the facility has not experienced any down time in its operations, thereby ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for individual and corporate customers who rely on it for their internet requirements.

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.
Glo 1 submarine fiber cable infrastructure has also been upgraded to ensure maximum utilization and enhanced service delivery.

Glo 1 connects directly to London with 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.

As one of Glo’s active subscribers, I have been experiencing increased internet connectivity and calls owing to the latest upgrade being carried out by the mobile operator on its network to ensure an improved quality of service for its customers.

Beyond telecom industry, Globacom has extended its support to other aspects of the nation’s national life using the instrumentality of its corporate social responsibility. From sports to entertainment to art and culture, Globacom’s footprints of excellence are too conspicuous to be ignored.

Glo’s talent shows have produced a lot of stars who have gone on to become global icons in music, movies, comedies, etcetera. Glo has never shy away from celebrating the nation’s rich cultural heritage anytime the occasion arises. It is evident in Ojude Cultural Festival, Ofala Cultural Festival and a host of others.

*Chidiebere writes via chidieberenwobodo@yahoo.com