Globacom marks 23 years by highlighting its challenge to Nigeria’s telecom market

Globacom’s 23-year history is being presented as a story of persistence, market disruption and long-term investment under founder Mike Adenuga, known by the nickname “the Bull”. Adenuga’s first attempt to enter Nigeria’s telecommunications market came during the country’s initial GSM licensing process in 1999, when his company received a licence that was later revoked. He returned to the sector in 2002 through Globacom and won the Second National Operator licence.

Globacom began rolling out services the following year, entering a market already shaped by MTN and Econet. Although it joined after those operators, the company sought to distinguish itself from the start by introducing per-second billing, at a time when mobile calls were largely charged by the minute. It also reduced the cost of obtaining a GSM line.

The move prompted rival operators to introduce their own per-second billing options, changing the competitive terms of the market. Globacom later invested in infrastructure through the Glo-1 submarine fibre-optic cable. The approximately 9,800-kilometre system links Lagos with international landing points including Accra and Bude in the United Kingdom, and entered service in 2010.

The cable gave Globacom direct ownership of an international telecommunications infrastructure asset. The company’s network also includes domestic fibre and microwave infrastructure, according to its own description. The account says Globacom expanded its brand beyond network services through football and entertainment.

Its sponsorship of the CAF African Player of the Year Awards began in 2005 and became one of its most prominent international sporting associations. The company has operated through major changes in telecommunications, including the growth of smartphones, mobile internet, streaming and digital commerce. It has also faced competition, infrastructure challenges, regulation and changing consumer expectations.

The account characterises its continued presence after 23 years as resilience, while noting that longevity does not mean uninterrupted success or perfection.