Professor Tayo Popoola of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Department of Communication has published a tribute marking 23 years of Globacom's operations in Nigeria, reflecting on how Mike Adenuga built one of Africa's most recognisable telecommunications brands after an early licensing setback.
Adenuga's Persistent Entry into Telecoms
Adenuga's entry into telecoms was not straightforward. In 1999, his company received a GSM licence during Nigeria's first telecommunications licensing round, only for it to be revoked shortly after. Rather than exit the sector, he returned in 2002 and bid for the Second National Operator licence through Globacom, which he won. The company launched mobile services on August 29, 2003, the professor noted.
By the time Glo launched, MTN and Econet had already spent roughly two years building their customer bases and infrastructure in Nigeria. Globacom responded not by copying its rivals but by questioning one of the market's basic rules.
Per-Second Billing and the 'First Charge of the Bull'
From its first day of operation, Glo billed calls by the second rather than by the minute, a move that forced rival operators to eventually introduce similar options. The company also pushed down the cost of acquiring a SIM card, widening access to mobile services.
Popoola described this as "the first charge of the Bull," arguing that Glo's willingness to challenge accepted practice gave it a competitive opening that size and early entry could not provide.
Infrastructure Beyond the SIM Card
Globacom's ambitions extended well past mobile subscribers. The company invested in the Glo-1 submarine fibre-optic cable, a roughly 9,800-kilometre link connecting Lagos to international landing points including Accra and Bude in the United Kingdom. The cable entered service in 2010, giving Globacom direct ownership of international connectivity infrastructure rather than relying on third-party capacity.
The company also built a cultural presence alongside its network. Globacom's sponsorship of the CAF African Player of the Year Awards, which began in 2005, extended the brand's reach into sport and popular culture across the continent.
23 Years of Resilience and Forward Movement
Professor Popoola, however, noted some challenges in the telecom industry, which he said has been reshaped since 2003 by smartphones, mobile internet, streaming, digital commerce and rapid technological change, all of which have placed growing demands on operators.
"Longevity, therefore, should not be confused with perfection. It should be recognised as resilience," the professor wrote.
Adenuga's nickname "the Bull," he argues, is less about aggression than about forward movement: a refusal to accept closed doors or market rules as permanent limits.
Twenty-three years after Globacom launched, Popoola concludes, the tracks of that forward movement remain visible in Nigeria's telecommunications landscape.
