MTN GlobalConnect steps up expansion in connectivity: Launches new customer success centres in Ghana, Kenya

The MTN group has set in motion a multi-pronged approach to conquer the market through its digital wholesale and infrastructure services company, GlobalConnect.

Launched in 2018, MTN GlobalConnect is the main driver for the consolidation of MTN’s international and national major wholesale mobility and fixed connectivity activities.

The Pan-African digital company has launched its new Customer Success Centres in Ghana and Kenya to enhance better customer experience globally, by enabling all support requests to be managed more efficiently.

The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, said the initiative was a bold step by MTN to bolster the government’s digitalisation agenda.

“Ghana has made tremendous strides in the digitalisation field. And one of the fruits of these strides is the decision to relocate the MTN GlobalConnect network operation centre in our country,” he said.

“This first tangible sign of Ghana’s digital transformation justifies the vision of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that Ghana should benchmark itself against the best in the world,” he added.

MTN GlobalConnect is leading the telco’s broadband offensive, which is expected to make the Pan-African mobile operator the number one fibre player on the continent.

The company says accelerating the pace of investments in digital infrastructure in Africa will ensure the growth of Africa's economies and livelihoods for years to come.

Accra and Nairobi

The Customer Success Centres in Accra and Nairobi will include the insourcing of their Network Operations Centre (NOC) and the establishment of a new Service Operations Centre (SOC).

This is the first step of their phased investment which forms part of the expansive plans for the region, with Ghana identified as one of their key markets.

The Deputy Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ama Pomaa Boateng, who was full of praise for the launch of the MTN GlobalConnect operations in Ghana, said the event marked another high point and an indication that the country had come of age as a digital hub on the continent.

“I commend the MTN Group and MTN GlobalConnect for making the centre possible and for choosing Ghana. The Communications and Digitalisation Ministry will continue to create the enabling environment to facilitate your operations,” she added.

MTN Group President and CEO, Ralph Mupita, said “MTN GlobalConnect’s commitment to connect Africa to the world aims to foster innovation and further grow the continent’s digital economy,” adding that “MTN GlobalConnect is bringing its network surveillance and assurance operations capability back to Africa from outsourced suppliers in India.”

“The onshoring of these operations demonstrates MTN’s confidence in Ghana and her people as the country accelerates work to develop the digital economy and overcome economic challenges,” he said at the launch of the new centre in Accra.

MTN GlobalConnect CEO, Frédéric Schepens, said the opening of the Customer Success Centres was a milestone in the expansion of their business on the African continent.

“Through our investments, we are committed to supporting both social and economic benefits that will drive direct and indirect job solutions.”

Connected life

He said the MTN GlobalConnect initiative was an investment that drove affordable connectivity on the African continent, making the highways of telecommunication accessible and available, enabling the belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life.

“Our Customer Success Centres will enable our business to have tighter control measures and enhance the quality of our customer experience globally, by enabling all support requests to be managed by our specialised MTN GlobalConnect employees.”

“Our new Customer Success Centres will contribute to the MTN Group’s strategic intent, Ambition 2025: Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress, furthering digital and financial inclusion on the continent we call home”.

Submarines cables

MTN GlobalConnect’s fixed connectivity business offers access to 15 submarine cables and operates fibre networks in Africa.

“Sub-Saharan is also the world’s largest free trade area. According to a GSMA’s prediction, we will have 623 million mobile subscribers in 2025, compared to 456 million in 2018. We need to provide the infrastructure Africa needs in the future to live a modern connected life,” he said.

Broadband market

The MTN Group has set its sights on the bulging broadband market across Africa, aiming to rollout a total of 135,000km of proprietary fibre by 2025, generating up to $1 billion of revenue, entrenching MTN as the number one African fibre player by building subsea scalable capacity and resilience.

MTN GlobalConnect hopes to provide affordable, high-quality broadband and coverage from East to West Africa that will foster innovation, expand the African digital economy, and contribute to socio-economic growth.

The company does this through its terrestrial fibre deployments, subsea cable landings as part of the 2Africa consortium, which is a subsea cable system that hopes to expand Africa’s internet capacity almost threefold by supporting the growth and development of 4G, 5G and broadband.