“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
— Buckminster Fuller
Over a century ago, when Scottish inventor cum scientist, Alexander Graham Bell, was experimenting in his laboratory, he thought he was testing the validity of an idea that raced through the neutral pathways of his brain, little did he know that he was birthing an innovation that would later alter human existence, positively.
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell’s hitherto thoughts became reality. The Scottish engineer delivered to the world the first patented telephone transmitter which changed communications in the face of the earth and beyond. He stepped it higher, co-founded American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885, that commercialized his invention for larger benefit of humanity.
Similarly, Dr. Mike Adenuga, Jr., can be likened to Alexander Graham of Nigeria. Though he is not an inventor but an investor that joined the relay race, took over the baton from the pathfinders and pushed further the idea of getting the world connected, by pioneering a telecommunication revolution that ensured that GSM services was not only democratized but made available and affordable to everyone in Nigeria and beyond.
In August, 2003, when Dr. Mike Adenuga, Jr., sailed the ship of Globacom Limited as the first indigenous mobile operator to take a dive into the ocean of telecommunication industry, like Alexander Graham Bell, he thought he was only coming to break the duopoly of older mobile operators—MTN and Econnet Mobile, and give Nigerians better option, little did he know that his bold moves and sterling ideas would serve as catalysts that would herald telecommunication revolution in the continent.
Before the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) anchored on the shores of Nigeria in 2001, the nation’s telecom sector was in a quagmire and trapped in doldrums of stagnation with only 400,000 active telephone lines. Imagine the biggest economy in Africa, the most populous black nation with then population of over 150m people, left to grapple with a mere 400,000 active lines.
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God answered their prayers. Like biblical Moses, God sent Dr. Mike Adenuga, Jr., to come to the rescue of Nigerians. The quintessential investor beckoned to the clarion call, assembled crew of experts, descended into the cockpit and took off the flight of Globacom Limited on 29th of August, 2003. Despite the turbulence and volatility of the weather—operating environment, The Bull, as he is fondly called, being the pilot in charge of “Flight Globacom”, began working miracles in the telecom industry.
Globacom made things that older mobile operators deemed “impossible“ possible. The first indigenous mobile operator under the eagle-eyed visionary leadership of Dr. Mike Adenuga, Jr., brought fierce competition in the industry. Glo began selling cheaper lines which awakened the consciousness of hitherto unconnected Nigerians to join the global village of interconnectivity. It also introduced Per Second Billing (PSB) which became a game changer in the industry.
And followed it up with massive and unprecedented level of rollout of telecom infrastructure across cities and villages of the country, with improvement in GSM technology. Glo was the only operator in Africa, at that time, to launch its operations on the superior 2.5G network which enabled the convergence of voice, data and multimedia technologies. This development intensified the competition and gave subscribers better quality of service than what was obtainable before Globacom was born.
Other mobile operators became rattled yet The Grandmaster of data, The Bull—Dr. Mike Adenuga, Jr., was not shaken, rather he switched the gear and took the technological chess game higher from 2.5G to 3G. While other operators played catch-up, Glo introduced 4G LTE network in Nigeria, thus putting the country in the league of nations where Long Term Evolution (LTE) continued to gain ground. 4G LTE has fast-paced broadband penetration with unmatched highest data speed and reliability.
You cannot talk about broadband revolution vis-a-vis internet penetration in Nigeria and beyond, without properly highlighting the impact of Glo 1 and its magical possibilities. Globacom was the first mobile operator in Africa to build and launch an international submarine cable. 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, health, etcetera.
Globacom was the first mobile operator in Africa to launch gateway switches outside the continent to carry international voice and data traffic. This milestone positioned it as a leading provider of telephone hubbing services for the rest of the world. Glo has invested massively in the expansion of telecom infrastructure in the past nineteen years of existence, running into billions of dollars.
In the foregoing quest to boost its infrastructure, not too long ago, Glo signed a collaborative deal with Eutelsat Communications, a global leader in satellite communications. Signed in the presence of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris, was a multi-year, multi-Gbps wholesale capacity contract that would enable the firm to extend its coverage beyond the reach of its terrestrial infrastructure, leveraging the Eutelsat Konnect satellite.
With this deal, a new dawn beckons for the industry. It means that Nigerians in the far-flung areas with difficult topography, will no longer be left behind. Anyone from every nook and cranny of this country will be connected to the ecosystem where data is the new oxygen.
As Globacom celebrates its 19th anniversary, it can confidently pat itself on the back for the humongous successes achieved so far. As a result of the fierce competition introduced by Glo via Per Second Billing and massive rollout of telecom infrastructure, the nation’s active lines have skyrocketed astronomically from just 400,000 in 2001 to over 100 million in 2022.
This impact has leapfrog the growth of Nigeria’s telecom industry from 1.5 contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2001 to over 17% of the GDP in 2021. The spiral effects of this growth has cascaded to other sectors of the economy. Millions of direct and indirect jobs have been created for the teeming populace as a result of technological revolution in the sector.
Even during Covid-19 pandemic, when the global economy took a nosedive, the telecom industry in the country was positively impacted, as people increasingly made use of internet-based interaction platforms to stay socially connected during lockdowns. In the last two decades of GSM services in the country, almost every aspect of the economy has gained a lot from its corresponding technological advancement.
From banking to information technology to healthcare to sports to entertainment, etcetera, life has been made pretty easier by mobile telephony services. Take for example, banking sector. Before the advent of mobile telephony technology propelled by broadband penetration, the only option then to deposit or withdraw money in the bank was through physically working into any of the branches.
But today, I can comfortably make all my banking transactions on my phone applications without leaving my bedroom. Millions of Nigerians use the shortcode platform to access banking services via their phones. Globacom’s launch of Money Master Payment Service Bank, has aided Central Bank of Nigeria’s cashless policy, which has helped to improve our financial system.
Even in the media, GSM revolution has democratized information dissemination. A lot of Nigerians today, especially younger generation depend on social media to get their news. Branding, advertisement, narrative management, etcetera, happen on social media. All these milestones achieved, so far, would have been stunted if the cost of owning a line and making calls were not drastically reduced by Globacom.
Thank God that Dr. Mike Adenuga, Jr, came to the rescue of the masses, if not, mobile phones would have remained status symbol of the rich and mighty in the society. Happy Anniversary to Globacom Limited. It has been 19 years of indelible footprints on the rock of times.
VANGUARD
