Early adopters of the newly introduced 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) nationwide network by Globacom have testified to the superior quality of the service. Areas of remarkable edge highlighted include speed, stability and indoor penetration.
Globacom formally launched Nigeria’s largest 4G LTE network at its head office in Victoria Island, Lagos last week. The launch took the advanced mobile technology to different geo-political zones of the country.
Over 15,000 subscribers registered for the service across the country within 24 hours of launch while the figure has grown significantly since then.
Precisely, the service came alive in Lagos- Lekki, Ikoyi, V.I, Ajah and Akoka (South West), Port Harcourt- Aba Road, Trans Amadi, Diobu, Old GRA and UNIPort, Warri, Eket and Benin (South South), Abuja- Maitama, Wuse, Asokoro, Garki/Central Business District and Airport Road and Jos (North Central), Yola – ABTI (North East) and Zaria- ABU (North West). The company said the network which offers the fastest internet speed, will be live in other cities in Nigeria in quick succession.
Information from the company’s Gloworld offices in the cities where the service is live indicates that there has been an upsurge in the footfall at the outlets, principally as a result of subscribers buying the 4G LTE SIMs or seeking information about how to upgrade to the newly launched 4G LTE.
Similarly, many Nigerians have poured encomiums on Globacom for the superior quality of the service and for making it available beyond the major commercial cities of Lagos, Port Harcourt and the seat of power, Abuja.
Njideka Okafor, an information technology specialist who was among the very first set of Glo subscribers to upgrade to 4G in Maitama, Abuja said: “I can certify that 4G is a lovely experience. The speed is phenomenal. And the indoor penetration is excellent. I have the signal in every part of my house. I was also among the first to upgrade my other line to 4G on another network. But the indoor penetration was poor and the phone only worked best near the front windows, ” she said.
Atitebi Ajijedidun, a Lagos business man was among the first set of Nigerians to upgrade to the advanced network in Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos. He described the experience as ‘wonderful’.
“I have had a 4G phone for a while now. I was using it with 3G services. I simply purchased a 4G SIM to enable me optimize the capacity of the phone, so to speak. The difference is clear, I tell you. My videos download without any delay. Glo has done very well with this one,” he said.
Titus Ojemba, a lawyer based in Port Harcourt described the speed of the service as ‘incredible’. He said he was simply “wowed by the speed and hope Glo can get this service to every nook and cranny of Nigeria soonest.”
Mohammed Aliyu, a secondary school teacher said he loved the flexibility of the offerings. He said he had initially thought the service would be expensive, but was pleasantly surprised that virtually anyone who can afford to buy a smartphone can buy a 4G data bundle.
“There is a package for everyone starting with N50. For example with N500, you can purchase a plan with a whopping 1.6Gb. It’s a bright idea to include a broad range of bundle options for subscribers,” he said.
The 4G LTE service enables Globacom to offer its subscribers data intensive applications, and will particularly be great news to individuals who consume huge volumes of data, as well as government and corporate organisations like banks, oil and gas companies, academic institutions and health institutions, which rely exclusively on seamless data transfer for their operations.
