When Nigeria’s telecommunications market was emerging in the early 2000s, owning a mobile phone was a luxury reserved for the wealthy. High costs and restrictive billing structures kept connectivity out of reach for most people. It was in this market, dominated by South Africa’s MTN and Econet Wireless (now Airtel), that Nigerian billionaire Mike Adenuga stepped in to compete. Many people thought he stood no chance. But fast-forward 23 years, and he has proven them wrong.
Before 2003, the dominant mobile telecom operators in Nigeria priced out a large segment of the population. SIM cards could cost as much as N25,000, and calls were charged on a per-minute billing basis, which meant every second over a minute was rounded up and charged as a full minute. Now, to give you more context on the cost, N25, 000 was approximately $178 in 2003, since the average dollar exchange rate back then was N129 per dollar. Fast-forward to 2026, and the naira has depreciated to N1,420 per dollar. So, assuming that the cost of getting a SIM card kept pace since 2003, Nigerians would be spending the equivalent of $178, which would be N252, 000, (or more… most definitely) just to buy a SIM card.
Interestingly, it currently costs between N100 and N500 to get a new SIM card in Nigeria as of 2025.
Breaking the Telecom Monopoly
Globacom Nigeria was the first major indigenous telecom operator launched in the Nigerian market. Right from the start, the company introduced per-second billing (PSB) at a time when incumbents insisted it was impossible to implement. By charging subscribers only for the actual time they used on calls, Globacom dramatically reduced costs for ordinary users.
Affordable Connectivity and Market Competition
The market responded swiftly. Globacom’s disruptive pricing forced competitors to adopt similar billing systems and pricing models, contributing to a broader reduction in telecom costs across the industry. What had once been services for the wealthy suddenly became accessible to the masses.
In less than two decades, Nigeria’s active mobile lines soared from roughly 400,000 in the early 2000s to over 200 million subscribers. That transformation was not just about phones, but about enabling mass adoption of mobile data, setting the stage for the digital economy we see today.
Adenuga’s vision did not stop at phone calls. Under his leadership, Globacom was among the early adopters of mobile data services, pushing beyond voice to embrace features like mobile internet, mobile banking, and smartphone-ready services that would become pillars of digital life.
These services are the backbone of many sectors that define Nigeria’s digital economy today, from fintech and e-commerce to social media, content creation, and mobile-first financial inclusion. Affordable data and widespread internet access allowed Nigerians to use their phones not just to connect with loved ones but to do business, learn, bank, shop, and work online.
Infrastructure and Expansion
Beyond pricing strategy, Globacom also invested in infrastructure that supported broader connectivity. The company extended its network into underserved regions, bringing LTE speeds and public Wi-Fi to areas that previously had limited connectivity. For example, a recent rural rollout near Abuja connected around 12,000 residents with mobile access, schools, and clinics for the first time.
In Lagos, the company’s partnership to roll out public Wi-Fi in high-traffic urban areas aims to ease network congestion and broaden internet access for hundreds of thousands of users.
Laying the Digital Economy’s Foundation
Affordable mobile connectivity, whether for calls or data, has far-reaching effects. In Nigeria, where the vast majority of internet access occurs via mobile devices, lower telecom costs have enabled widespread participation in digital services. From mobile banking and fintech platforms to content creation and online entrepreneurship, access to affordable mobile data fundamentally shifted the opportunities available to millions.
It’s not an overstatement to say that many of today’s tech innovations in Nigeria, including fintech solutions, digital marketplaces, and creative digital industries, rely on the groundwork laid by widespread mobile connectivity. Without affordable access to mobile networks and data, these services would struggle to reach the scale and diversity they have today.
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Mariama Bâ
Biggest Selling Title: So Long a Letter
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