Twinkling Globacom, 15 years on!

THE Latinate expression “tempus fugit” captures the fleeting nature of time.

As days roll into weeks and weeks snowball into months, the clock continues to tick without fail.

For the game changer in telecommunications, Globacom, today, Wednesday, 29th August, 2018 marks the 15th anniversary of the inauguration of the company. In the last one decade and a half, Globacom, has blazed the trail in the empowerment of Nigerians with its People, Power and Possibilities policy. The first salvo from Globacom was the Per Second Billing(PSB) which many thought was impossible. PSB firmly put telephony in the hands of Nigerians with its affordability and crashed the cost to the extent that non elites can afford it.

A SIM card was even sold at N1 when others were selling at N25,000! Globacom also brought justice to telecommunications by making it much easier for Nigerians to get value for money by paying only for the exact time spent on calls.

Such was the impact of the Glo goodies that the International Telecommunication Union, an agency of the United Nations, commended Globacom for igniting the revolution in the Nigerian telecommunication industry.  PSB ultimately led to the rapid increase in the country’s telephone subscriber base.

Through the introduction of innovative products and services, Globacom has consistently supported efforts to empower the people of Nigeria and accelerate national development. Among the revolutionary products pioneered by Globacom in the country are Blackberry, vehicle tracking, mobile internet, mobile banking, multimedia messaging service (MMS), in-flight roaming services, voice SMS, Magic Plus and Text2email. The company played a leading role in the realization of government’s cashless society by providing the technological platform for the nation’s leading banks to launch mobile money services.

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Globacom was also the first network to launch the 4G-LTE network in the country and today Glo 4G is available nationwide with all the advantages of Long Term Evolution (LTE), which radically enhances data transfer rates, delivering unmatched mobile broadband experience and highest data speeds and reliability.

Globacom has also contributed to boosting international connectivity in Nigeria by building and launching an international submarine cable, Glo 1. It was the first time a single company would implement such a massive undersea project in Africa. In addition to boosting the provision of services to telecom end users, the facility is currently providing the much needed connectivity to critical sectors of the economy, such as oil and gas, manufacturing, banking, commerce, education and health, among others. Glo Gateway, Globacom’s international wholesale Voice and Data Exchange and Trading Business Unit, is a leading provider of telephone hubbing services for the rest of the world.

In sports, Globacom has seen it all. The company sponsored the Glo CAF Awards for over ten years. It variously powered the Lagos Marathon, Golf tournaments, Taekwando and other sporting events. The company sponsored the broadcast of all the 64 matches of the World Cup to Africans and regularly supports the broadcast of the English Premier League to Africans.

Globacom, has no equal in festival support. It  sponsors the annual Ojude Oba festival and Ofala festival. Glo has powered Lisabi, Oke badan, Ekimogun festivals at one time or the other. Globacom’s support for the arts and artistes is phenomenal  as it pioneered brand ambassadorship in the country. The brightest and best in the country’s entertainment firmament have, at one point or other, been Glo brand ambassadors.

Since inception, the television commercials produced by Globacom are top notch and inspiring while shows  organised by the company are high octane events that one cannot afford to miss for anything.

Undergirding the company is the powerful influence of the Chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga, Jr. guiding and piloting the company through the shark-infested waters of Nigerian business. It is commendable that today the company has retained most of its pioneer staff who consider Globacom, a jolly good place to work in.

At 15, Globacom is positively ready for 5G, widely touted as the next big thing in telecommunications with its compliant Band 28 channel and one can only wait with bated breath for the next magic from the grandmasters of data. Happy celebrations.

• Tanimu sent this piece from Lagos