Justin Opara
“When you talk of telcos with reliable data services, please leave Glo out of it,” says John Oluigbo on Facebook. This perception is what is driving subscribers away from Nigeria’s indigenous telecommunication company, Glo.
Despite its claim as grand masters of data, the market reality is that the company struggles to provide seamless data services. Oluigbo said he had to port his Glo line to another provider just because he does not enjoy their data services.
Another subscriber, Ishaya Ibrahim, tried to port his Glo line to another network owing to the sluggish service delivery. After filling out the process, Glo refused to release his number to his new telco of choice. “I did not want to lose my number because it is unique, so I tried to port it to another network which people say its internet speed was far better.
The process requires that your old service provider will have to release your line to the new one. Glo refused. I’m stuck with them,” he said. Glo struggles to live up to its claim of being grand in providing reliable data services. Though generous, subscribers lament they don’t get to exhaust their data before it expires due to poor service. “I have been using Glo for donkey years now.
I can say it is economical and also they offer the cheapest data bundle. Though the network is not stable at some parts in Nigeria. Always frustrating and fluctuating at those kinds of areas,” says Emma Chinta on Twitter in response to this article.
But his experience differs from that of Olarenwaju Adeyemi. “Glo data service is ultra slow,” Adeyemi said. “Glo provides the cheapest data service in the country, and their data plans last longer than those of the other network providers.
Although in few places and sometimes their network really sucks,” Adeyemi said. A respondent, who called himself Calamari Boy narrated his ordeal with the network provider with screenshots. “N5000 data recharge got exhausted 23 hrs after purchase but a 3.5GB lasts me about a week.
Called the helpdesk and was referred to chat online; I did that and still got referred again to the help desk! This needs attention ASAP,” Calamari said on Twitter. Even though the network responded to his complaints, it, however, did not resolve the issue.
Calamari said this has left him in a quandary as to whether to continue patronizing them. The company, which revolutionized voice call in Nigeria when it introduced per second billing to the telco ecosystem, seems hamstrung by unidentified forces in rectifying whatever is wrong with its data service delivery.
“All I have to say is: They give you enough data, then seize the network so you end up not using it,” a respondent said. Glo is struggling to replicate the same excellent voice service it did when it launched in August 2003 in its data services. Charles Ikoh-Abasi, a Glo spokesperson contacted for this article, refused to comment on the issue but, however, asked the writer to send an email to one Andrew Okeke. As at press time, Okeke is yet to respond to an email sent to him.
