Chairman of Association of Licensed Operators of Nigeria, (ALTON), Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, has commended Globacom for its pacesetting strides in the industry.
This was as the firm won yet another laurel at the 10th anniversary of the Beacon of Information and Communication Technology (BoICT) Awards, Globacom, at the event held on Saturday night at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. Globacom won the ‘Most Innovative Mobile Player of the Year” and was also inducted into the ICT Hall of Fame at the event for its huge contributions to the growth of Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
While presenting the award to Globacom’s representatives, Eric Uwaoma, Head, Enterprise Solutions, Oluwakemi Akinyele of Training Development Unit and Raj Narayan, Head, Mobile Money, at the ceremony, the ALTON chairman described Globacom as the game changer of the industry.
Adebayo, who took the audience made up of the notable figures in the nation’s ICT world through the trajectory of Nigeria’s telecommunications industry from the analogue dispensation to the present Digital Switch Over (DOS) era, said that but for the rule-changing innovation of Per Second Billing (PSB) system introduced by Globacom, the industry would have taken longer time to achieve that feat.
“I want to personally congratulate Globacom for winning the Most Innovative Mobile Player of Year award tonight. Though Globacom came at a later date, its introduction of PSB system at a time earlier operators said it was not achievable, changed the rule of the game. For that unique innovation and many more others it has introduced since then, Globacom deserved this award”, he said.
The ALTON chairman, who had in his earlier remarks at the ceremony urged all the awardees to see the awards as a recognition of their achievements and contributions to the development of the industry, which he described as the “most reliable” sector in the country and a “major driver” of the economy, also admonished the award winners to extend their frontiers and bring about more dynamic services and innovations to their customers and the nation at large.
Also, he called on the government to look into the issue of multiple taxations in the industry and make conscious efforts to protect the industry’s critical infrastructure; just as he described the threat by the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority to close down operators’ base stations as a threat to national security which will have grave consequences for the country.
In his welcome address, Ken Nwogbo, founder and CEO of Communication Week Media Limited and organisers of the BoICT Award Series, said that in the last 10 years, “Beacon of ICT Awards Series has become widely regarded as the last most prestigious annual event available in the ICT industry in Nigeria”.
The 2019 edition of the event was attended by key players in the nation’s telecom sector such as the industry’s legend, Dr. Chris Uwaje, President of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olusola Teniola; Managing Director of Vodacom Business, Wale Odeyemi; Managing Director of Systemspecs, Mr. John Obaro; Managing Director of Rack Centre; Tunde Coker, and Muyiwa Ogungboye of e.Stream Networks Limited.
The BoICT Awards, initiated in 2009, is designed to reward individuals and corporate firms that have helped to develop ICT in Nigeria and make life more meaningful through seamless information technology .