Expansion or upgrade in business is a necessity which any active company must undergo. This fact leads Globacom, Nigeria’s very own, to shake hands in agreement with Huawei Technologies, a globally recognized ICT solutions provider, to carry out a $750 million (N116.25 billion) upgrade of its network.
Speaking at the signing of the partnership agreement in Lagos, Globacom’s Group Chief Operating Officer, Mohamed Jameel, explained that the network enhancement project was part of the 10th anniversary plan to enhance the experience of the millions of subscribers on the Globacom network.
“After 10 years in business, we decided to upscale our network 10-fold to the very latest technology in global telecommunications.
“The massive expansion project will involve network upgrade and overhaul of infrastructure across the country as well as expansion and densification projects that will on completion in six months, enable the network to cater more for its existing and potential subscribers,” Jameel said.
He said 2013 is a special year for Globacom. “It is our 10th anniversary and we have been the network of choice for Nigerians because of the unprecedented manner with which we pioneered various technologies and products in the market,” he stated.
In their statement, Huawei Technologies stated that this is the biggest network expansion project it will handle in Nigeria and commended Glo for the privilege.
“This is a huge expansion project. We promise Globacom and its teeming subscribers that we will meet their expectations and deliver a network they will all be proud of. Globacom is definitely going places,” said David Fan, Huawei’s Vice-President, West Africa.
He highlighted that Globacom and Huawei were ethically common as worldwide brands from emerging markets, adding that they would provide the company with Long Term Evolution (LTE or 4G) services that would give Globacom the competitive edge.
The expansion will have Globacom build new switches, increase mobile switching centres to ease congestion, as well as construct an optic fibre cable of 4,000km in distance to add to its existing fibre optic facility, which is the most extensive fibre coverage of Nigeria.
Glo has a full graded IP/MPLS and TDM technologies (30 gigabyte capacity) to meet requirements of enterprise customers, video, voice and data services. The TDM network will also be upgraded to a fully integrated Generalised Multi-protocol Label Switching (GMPLS).
The upgrade will also entail setting up three new mini call centres across the country to take care of the vast increase in subscriber figures; the installation of new base stations and densification of existing ones; and upgrade of the radio access network which will ensure that data customers enjoy unparalleled speed and reliability.
“This is in line with our commitment to provide our customers world-class information, communication and technology (ICT) services through constant deployment of latest technologies.
“We will stay committed to our corporate promise at inception that Globacom would build a robust ICT network infrastructure that is comparable with the best in the world, and would consistently deliver value to its esteemed customers,” said Jameel.
Finally, Globacom’s Executive Director, Legal Services, Mrs. Gladys Talabi, gave the vote of thanks and stated that the partnership was formed to provide subscribers on the network with unlimited possibilities.