It was another glorious moment for Nigeria’s second largest telecom operator, Globacom, on Saturday night as it was rewarded with an award and inducted into the ICT hall of fame for its unwavering support for the telecom industry.
All these happened at the 10th anniversary of the Beacon of Information and Communication Technology (BoICT) Awards held in Lagos on Friday.
Globacom got the ‘Most Innovative Mobile Player of the Year’ award at the colourful ceremony attended by distinguished Nigerians from all walks of life.
In addition, Globacom was inducted into the ICT Hall of Fame for its remarkable contributions to the growth of Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.
Globacom’s representatives, Eric Uwaoma, Head, Enterprise Solutions, Oluwakemi Akinyele of Training Development Unit and Raj Narayan, Head, Mobile Money, received the award on behalf of the company.
The Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, described Globacom as the game changer of the telecom industry.
Adebayo said the innovation of Per Second Billing (PSB) system introduced by Globacom fast-tracked telecom growth in the country.
He congratulated Globacom for winning the Most Innovative Mobile Player of the Year award. He said though Globacom came at a later date, its introduction of PSB system at a time earlier operators said it was not achievable, changed the rule of the game.
“For that unique innovation and many more others it has introduced since then, Globacom deserved this award”, he said.
The ALTON chairman described the telecom sector as the “most reliable” sector in the country and a “major driver” of the economy.
Adebayo called for protection of the sector by the government to enable it thrive in the interest of the country. He urged the government to look into the issue of multiple taxation in the industry and make conscious efforts to protect the industry’s critical infrastructure; just as he described the threat by the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority to close down operators’ base stations as a threat to national security which will have grave consequences for the country.
Founder and CEO of Communication Week Media Limited and organisers of the BoICT Award Series, Ken Nwogbo, described the Beacon of ICT Awards Series as the last most prestigious annual event available in the ICT industry in Nigeria.
The event attracted the industry legend, Dr. Chris Uwaje, President of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olusola Teniola; Managing Director of Vodacom Business, Wale Odeyemi; Managing Director of Systemspecs, Mr. John Obaro; Managing Director of Rack Centre; Tunde Coker, and Muyiwa Ogungboye of e.Stream Networks Limited, among numerous others.
