Nigerian telecoms service provider, Globacom, has recently been listed to have gained 53 percent more new internet subscribers of the four major networks in the last one year.
Experts say this could be linked to the ongoing campaign concerning the constantly depreciating value of the naira, the debate as to whether or not the Federal Government should devalue and law makers appealing to Nigerians to patronise our own to make the Nigerian currency stronger.
A telecoms industry report just released on the Nigerian Communication Commission’s (NCC) website has attributed more than half (53%) of new internet users in the last one year to the indigenous network, Globacom, which consolidated the gains it made in 2015, as Nigeria’s preferred network for data services.
According to the new industry figures showing the number of new data customers, each of the four major operators added to its base in January, Globacom topped as 354,178 subscribers joined its internet customer base.
The figures published on the website of the industry regulator represent 94.7 percent of the total number of 373,835 new internet customers for the four major operators.
In the same vein, MTN Nigeria witnessed a downward slide in its data customer base with 1,705,878 internet users leaving its network in January, while Etisalat lost 94,115 internet customers in January and Airtel gained 19,657 new subscribers that same month.
Analysts say that this revelation is not surprising, especially since Adebayo Shittu, minister for communication, had last week promised that his ministry would foster a conducive atmosphere for indigenous telecoms service provider, Globacom, to continue providing first-class services in its bid to rule the continent.
According to Shittu, Globacom, which is proudly Nigerian, is reputed for consistently introducing a string of innovations in the telecom industry and has powered the telecom revolution in the country.
“Nigeria owes a debt of gratitude to Glo, and we shall support you until you become an Octopus on the African continent. Given what you have done in Nigeria, I am not surprised that Glo is conquering Africa now. I urge you to continue to play your role, and Africa will continue to show appreciation to you for liberating the space for telecommunication services,” Shittu said.
An analysis of the 12 months figures shows that Globacom added a total of 7,251,657 new internet users during the period, which is 53 percent of the total 13.644 million new customers who subscribed to internet services of the four major operators. Etisalat came a distant second with a total of 5,431,190 new internet customers, while Airtel was placed third with 961,548 new data customers in the 12 months period.
On the other hand, MTN recorded a net loss of 1,059,160 data subscribers in the last one year, as more data subscribers left the network than those who joined.
The January 2016 figures are a reflection of the trend witnessed in the last quarter of 2015. A summary of the industry figures for that quarter showed that it was only Globacom that recorded an increase in its internet subscriber base in the period. The network had 23,285,454 internet users in October, 24,952,559 in November and 25,082,066 in December, which is an addition of 3.2m new internet subscribers in the quarter.
Leo- Stan Ekeh, Chairman of Zinox Group said that Nigeria was too dependent on importation and has therefore neglected exporting our goods and expertise which should not be so.
“The country is hugely dependent on imports as it were and with the status quo ante, any attempt to devalue the currency will only usher in inflation and leave the country at the mercy of the vested interests in the global economic set-up who have been voluble in their calls for devaluation
“We should rather focus our collective energies on workable ideas and a sound framework on which to base the diversification of our present mono-economy to re-ignite the country’s hitherto-forgotten status as a continental exporter.
“This is the time to create knowledge incubators around the country which does not cost much to empower Nigerians to create digital wealth which has near zero-incubation period and value our own,” he said.
According to industry experts, this is a significant achievement for Nigeria’s only indigenous telecom service provider as internet data has increasingly become very important in this generation, gradually making voice calls less important.
Speaking on the significance of internet data in Nigeria, David Venn, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Spectranet 4G said that with the rate at which we see the growth of Internet of Things (IoT) everything will be dependent on the availability of data and a few years from now, telecoms providers will focus less on voice calls.
“In a few more years, Nigerians will no longer have to pay for voice calls if our broadband services are up to standard as the case is in the United Kingdom and other foreign countries.
“In about 3 years, everyone would just be paying for data bundles because there are different apps such as skype, facetime, viber and even whatsapp call now that helps you communicate clearly with voice without paying for voice calls. In the UK there are bundles with unlimited voice calls and sms, all that needs to be paid for is your data,” he said.
Globacom says that the steady growth in the number of data subscribers on its network is as a result of its massive infrastructure including the Glo 1 undersea cable and the extensive fibre optic cable that transverses the length and breadth of the country.
