IN commemoration of the 13th anniversary of the next-generation network, Globacom, I dug into my archives to revalidate the hope I reposed in it from the outset and by extrapolation reaffirm my unflinching belief in its pacesetting trajectory. It is apposite to point out that all the figures here have changed over the years and keep flourishing. This dynamism does not subtract from the profile illimitability of this institutional icon with about 40 million active subscribers (comprising 26 million internet users) at the last check.
The first article below was initially published Friday, October 8, 2005, Daily Sun, Back Page
SHORTLY before Glo Mobile, the GSM branch of Globacom Network—the second national carrier—commenced operations in August 2003; I knew that it was going to blaze a trail because of its local content base and the typical Nigerian entrepreneurial fervour that seeks to excel in the harshest of circumstances, most especially when challenged. This perception was responsible for my response to one of its copious advertisements for premium manpower in 2003 before my subsequent tours of duty.
After the rigorous and cerebrally tasking series of interviews for the position of Public Relations Manager that culminated in my first encounter with Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr. at the last stage, my cousinship (bother not about the unfortunate details), I strongly suspect, made me to lose the opportunity despite previous assurances by the groups’ top managers and consultants, who were overwhelmed by my mastery of marketing communications concepts and a robust scholastic-cum-professional pedigree. Blow your own trumpet! Ever since, I have always kept a tab on the activities and phenomenal transformation of this indigenous GSM service provider.
Going by the present ascent of Glo, it is only a question of time before it conquers the entire local telecom space. Who would have believed that a SIM card would cost as low as N1 in the year 2004? With that amount, a subscriber gets a Glo line. As Nigerians savour Glo’s quintessence, it should address some consumers’ complaints bordering on spiral exhaustion of their credit value, particularly during promotions.
Such suspicious marketing strategies create distrust. What has happened is that the other service providers are jostling to catch up with the last entrant into the market! This pacesetting revolution is confirmatory of the fact that Dr. Adenuga Jnr. brings enthusiasm and excellence to whatever he engages in. His aristocratic taste applies optimally to everything about him, including Romanesque residential and official architecture and a holistic lifestyle of taciturnity and profundity devoid of the obscenity of flamboyance or obnoxious display of inestimable opulence. The Bull’s recluse nature is a testamentary nugget for existentialism.
With a target of four million subscribers by December 31, 2004, Glo lines, I envisage, would be free from January 1, 2005. It is also possible that the firm could begin to give out customized handsets from 2005. This kind of socio-economic empowerment will go a long way in attenuating the hardship foisted on Nigerians by a visionless, vicious, querulous and garrulous leadership.
It is equally amazing that Glo was the first GSM operator to offer subscribers free multimedia messaging service and free mobile Internet service. Of course, free SMS has become an integral component of its various innovative packages.  Anytime it comes out with a novelty, its competitors scramble to introduce similar products. The GSM market leadership battle on these shores started in December 2003 with Glo’s TalkNow and within one year of debut has gone beyond the one million subscriber benchmark, an unprecedented feat. Who ever thought in this country that per second billing was feasible until the advent of Glo?
Globacom had, right from inception, been offering tremendous value-added services to the Nigerian telecom consumer. With its long list of innovations including Pay by the Second, TalkNow, MagicPlus, glo mms, glo mobile internet and glo direct, Glo Mobile has opened new vistas in the telecom domain. By its second anniversary in 2005, Glo’s edge would be at the summit. Everything points towards that reality.
Come, glo with pride as I do. It is our essence, by one of us and for us! It is indeed the pacesetter you have been waiting for. On August 19, 2004, Globacom launched its International Gateway Operation and Point of Presence in Britain, a development that added another feather in its trail-blazing cap. With its 2.5G network, the company now has the most advanced GSM facility in Nigeria.
Glo should expand its rollout plan to cover more cities and towns and ensure quality service delivery. Of all the innovations so far, the one that thrills me most is the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) which was launched in Abuja on September 27, 2004. It is confirmatory of the paradigm shift which the 1.3 million members of the Glo family have been experiencing.  Perhaps, the next thing to expect from Globacom Chairman is airtime tariff reduction and a more user-friendly billing system! I also look forward to a trebling of the present 90 cities and towns comprising 150 communities that are already hooked on to the rave of the sector in the years ahead. With an envisaged capacity of five million lines by the end of 2004, an optical fibre backbone of 10,000km and a subscriber base of 10 million by the end of 2005, Glo will remain a pride to Nigeria! And an indescribable source of joy and fulfilment for Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr., The Sun Man of the Year 2004.

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