Glo plans big for Benin network

Glo Mobile in Benin Republic has advanced plans to expand the capacity of its switch to accommodate increased projected 2 million mark before end of its second year of operation, encouraging its subscribers in both Nigeria and Benin to optimize the recently introduced one-network.

ITRealms Online recalls that Globacom Limited, the Second National Operator (SNO) in June last year, launched commercial service in Benin Republic, just as the network has gained about 750,000 subscribers.

Acting Chief Operating Officer and Sales Manager, Glo Mobile Benin Republic, Mr. Femi Ogunlusi, made these disclosures while addressing a joint corp of Nigerian and Benin Republic media who were on facility tour of the telco’s installations, last week, at the Cotonou office.

He said that at present since the commencement of the one-network on the platform, any Beniniose subscriber on Glo network who travels to Nigeria can now receive voice calls free of charge and can make calls at local rates.

This, he also said, applies to Nigerians who have reason to be in Benin Republic.
Ogunlusi, equally said that currently, Glo Mobile embarked on this one-network project in order to assist its subscribers to enjoy the network and increase the business traffic among Nigerians and Beniniose.

“The human traffic between the two countries would be encouraged,” he said, stressing that roaming is thereby removed for all subscribers across the two countries.

According to him, Glo Mobile Benin has achieved about 85 per cent coverage of the country, while there are three completed Glo World scattered in the major cities of Benin Republic, even as the fourth one is underway and has been advanced and would be completed soon.

He listed the cities where the Glo World, which is the customer care centre for the network are located to include Cotonou, Portnovo, Parakau and Abomey, revealing that a second Glo world centre is being contemplated in Cotonou before the end of this year.

Expressing optimism on the growth of the network in Benin, he said, his dream in the next one year is to double the current subscriber-base by end of this year, which is in line with the growth of the parent operation in Nigeria.

Corroborating Ogunlusi, the Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Mr. Souleymane Konate, “We have capacity for 1 million in our switch and would, very soon upgrade the switch to two million capacity.”

Mr. Konate also said that with the operation’s centre in place, Glo Mobile Benin is capable of monitoring its switches against any failure or drop in quality of service.

Accompanied by the Roaming Manager, Glo Mobile Benin Republic, Mr. Lanzo Kossi, the CTO explained that at the moment, there is Short Messaging Service (SMS) available locally, but as par the roaming, SMS is presently available for postpaid subscribers, while the pre-paid counterpart would begin very soon to enjoy that aspect of the Value Added Service (VAS).

In addition, the one-network would automatically switch on prepaid while the postpaid subscribers on entering Benin from Nigeria have to do manual search of the network to log-on, promising that the differences would be harmonized in no distance future.

He explained that although Globacom had subsisting roaming contact with Benin Cell (BG Cell) before it was bought over by MTN, therefore, when Nigerians enter Benin Republic what appear on their mobile phone is BG Cell.

He assured that they should not worry over this since the contract still subsists and there is no cause for alarm as Glo has the capacity technically to ratify this without much ado, stressing that with this development Glo subscribers now have choice of roaming on BG Cell or Glo directly, which would be taken care of at the backhaul.

Konate further advised Nigerians and Beniniose subscribers on Glo to feel free to use their lines across the two nation’s borders.

The visiting team were later conducted round Glo facilities and Glo World centre, where they interacted with some of the employees drawn from across West African countries.

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