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The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? - Phones (4) - Nairaland

Nairaland ForumScience/TechnologyPhonesThe Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? (34683 Views)

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Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by bizhop01: 11:25pm On May 07, 2025
Your story is not complete without V-mobile
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by googi: 11:29pm On May 07, 2025
Bad bele no go kill una.

Give credit to where credit is due. But for Obasanjo and his Administration, the best military Government ever in Nigeria, Nigeria could have perished the way it is going today.

Soludo said it, Tinubu as much as I cannot stand his character, inherited a dead Economy.

Small small boys conjuring statistics from their empty brains.

Bola Ige asked the rich and privileged that first had GSM before Obasanjo liberated or demystified it, why they are bragging with it. When market women and men were using it in Cotonou across the border freely.

omonnakoda:
Obasanjo just happened to be the President at a time when that specific technology came

All this praise singing is ridiculous

He did not invent the mobile phone technology

We do not praise any president for being there when Land telephones, electricity came to Nigeria , When Television came, When Flushing toilets came , when water started flowing from taps, when the motor car came,

These are ubiquitous technological advancements. whose time has come
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by onuman: 11:30pm On May 07, 2025
omonnakoda:
Obasanjo just happened to be the President at a time when that specific technology came

All this praise singing is ridiculous

He did not invent the mobile phone technology

We do not praise any president for being there when Land telephones, electricity came to Nigeria , When Television came, When Flushing toilets came , when water started flowing from taps, when the motor car came,

These are ubiquitous technological advancements. whose time has come
SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY TO THE PUBLIC IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.

Okay, Obasanjo didn't invent GSM. He did not make campaign promise of providing Nigerians with GSM communication technology. But Nigerians got GSM communication system under Obasanjo administration.


Buhari or Tinubu did not invent public electricity supply.
Buhari and Tinubu made campaign promise of providing Nigerians with sufficient electricity supply.
Buhari and Tinubu have failed to provide sufficient electricity supply to Nigerians after about 10 years they are in power in Nigeria. How?
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by franvincoop: 11:36pm On May 07, 2025
ADJUSTED FOR TINUBULATION

Econet Wireless charged:

• ₦200,000 connection fee

• ₦21,000 monthly access fee

• ₦200,000 for handsets

MTN Nigeria charged:

• ₦270,000 connection fee

• ₦210,000 access fee

• ₦270,000 for handsets

with dollar @ 125 to naira maximum during OBJ tenure but most important of all, na Atiku as VP get this runs.
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by HacheNoire: 11:42pm On May 07, 2025
The first call was DEFINITELY made by a nobody.

Yes, official call you can claim to have someone, but several test calls were executed before the official first call.
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by IbeOkehie:
happney65:
Then it was something else and not mobile phones. Because the fact of the matter is that it was May 6,2001 that mobile telephony came into Nigeria
Mobile phones were available in Nigeria in the 1980s but it was too expensive. And it was provided by NITEL, but I don't know if they were called MTEL at the time. I'm sure of it because I spent my last school vacation in Nigeria in the home of a rich family who had mobile phones. I used to ride in front with his driver while he made calls sitting in the back. I do wonder if they NITEL was using some sort of terrestial satellite service. Maybe it was a radio technology? Who knows.

At that time I also got to spend time around the richest man in my hometown, he also had it. Mobile phone was definitely available.

For those deriding President Obasanjo's role in bringing GSM to Nigeria, well electricity is an old technology and it's still scarce in Nigeria just like mobile phones were scarce in the 1980s and 1990s. The difference is government ownership and control. President Obasanjo and PDP abolished or severly curtailed government control of telecoms, cement, airlines, universities and broadcasting. The real problem with Nigerian electricity is that it's still COMPLETELY controlled by the Federal Government.....yes there's a new law that passed a few months ago, but the details and implementation are kinda murky now.

Good Luck to Nigeria.
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by Blackdisciple(m): 11:47pm On May 07, 2025
And Gen Z will be like what's this again 😲😲
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by 7arrows: 11:48pm On May 07, 2025
omonnakoda:
Obasanjo just happened to be the President at a time when that specific technology came

All this praise singing is ridiculous

He did not invent the mobile phone technology

We do not praise any president for being there when Land telephones, electricity came to Nigeria , When Television came, When Flushing toilets came , when water started flowing from taps, when the motor car came,

These are ubiquitous technological advancements. whose time has come
E dey pain u? Others had the opportunity but didn't make it happen.
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by beejay85: 11:51pm On May 07, 2025
gbaskiboy:
Omo for this life just take it easy, life na turn by turn. If they have told me that mobile will be accessible today I will ever deny it. But today, it is everywhere with almost every family in Nigeria have one.

Below is the Sagem My X-2 that got many of us frenzied but today no one dare to use as it becomes obsolete.
I flex life with Trium phone
Back in D days grin
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by Sirianese: 12:09am On May 08, 2025
Who gives a sh#t
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by Mistersolar: 12:30am On May 08, 2025
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by Mistersolar: 12:31am On May 08, 2025
yaradua shoort time can
happney65:
Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Obasanjo alone, because of the restart of Telecoms sector in 2001,and improvement it brought into our daily lives and business efficiency, reduction in travel time, GDP grew by 15.3%.

The Nigerian Economy took a 360 degree positive turnaround

Obasanjo achieved that and more. But these useless people who have absolutey nothing to offer except to improvish the Nigerian People and play nothing but ethnic politics.

Till tommorow,They cannot lace Obasanjo's shoes
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by Mistersolar: 12:32am On May 08, 2025
soutbern african countries gained independence lates 80s or early 90s, does that means african countries getting ndependence 60s shouldnt be praised
omonnakoda:
Obasanjo just happened to be the President at a time when that specific technology came

All this praise singing is ridiculous

He did not invent the mobile phone technology

We do not praise any president for being there when Land telephones, electricity came to Nigeria , When Television came, When Flushing toilets came , when water started flowing from taps, when the motor car came,

These are ubiquitous technological advancements. whose time has come
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by hslbroker2(m):
I bought my sim card for N18, 500 that was exactly 24 years ago 08033-52-3818

any time I called that line, na Fulani people they pick the call, they go dey say I wan talk to senator. And I will be telling them this is my line I bought myself, they will be telling me to shut up. I stop calling that line. I don't want to die.

Nigeria is a jungle.
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by hslbroker2(m): 12:43am On May 08, 2025
happney65:
Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Obasanjo alone, because of the restart of Telecoms sector in 2001,and improvement it brought into our daily lives and business efficiency, reduction in travel time, GDP grew by 15.3%.

The Nigerian Economy took a 360 degree positive turnaround

Obasanjo achieved that and more. But these useless people who have absolutey nothing to offer except to improvish the Nigerian People and play nothing but ethnic politics.

Till tommorow,They cannot lace Obasanjo's shoes
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by DMerciful(m): 12:48am On May 08, 2025
What made you take 2yrs break? I mentioned you to ask whether you are still alive grin...I was like this controversial man went on hiatus before the illegitimate president was sworn in grin
omonnakoda:
What is your point

What you have written is long and rambling

Is there a point?

When did the US get electricity, TV, Trains , Airplanes and so on

Again

What is your point?
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by Omoawoke(m): 1:20am On May 08, 2025
happney65:
Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Obasanjo alone, because of the restart of Telecoms sector in 2001,and improvement it brought into our daily lives and business efficiency, reduction in travel time, GDP grew by 15.3%.

The Nigerian Economy took a 360 degree positive turnaround

Obasanjo achieved that and more. But these useless people who have absolutey nothing to offer except to improvish the Nigerian People and play nothing but ethnic politics.

Till tommorow,They cannot lace Obasanjo's shoes
So if obasanjo had not done this, we won’t have phones in Nigeria?

Do you know how much that baba looted from this project?
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by Omoawoke(m): 1:21am On May 08, 2025
omonnakoda:
Obasanjo just happened to be the President at a time when that specific technology came

All this praise singing is ridiculous

He did not invent the mobile phone technology

We do not praise any president for being there when Land telephones, electricity came to Nigeria , When Television came, When Flushing toilets came , when water started flowing from taps, when the motor car came,

These are ubiquitous technological advancements. whose time has come
Will you mind them?
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by CaptainFM1: 1:23am On May 08, 2025
Who made the first call?

GSM himself!

Governor Seyi Makinde.
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by austynbch(m): 1:40am On May 08, 2025
Omoawoke:
So if obasanjo had not done this, we won’t have phones in Nigeria?

Do you know how much that baba looted from this project?
you're seriously not making any point here. There many things that you'll think other government would have done, yet have not accomplished and you still give them excuse. Ordinary petrol price still keeps increasing, dollar to naira still a problem. These were tins that could lead to protest then. I'm sure if tinubu was in government then, even if hm manage introduce am, u must pass hm front desk before you collect sim card
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by epainos: 1:41am On May 08, 2025
Seun, I believe you were born in the year you know the history of telecom in Nigeria. Many kids are using your forum, and it is good to find a way to put history in the right way. Look at what kids who don't know anything writing on the front page of this forum about this topic distorting information. Kids after you are so many and they are deliberately misinformed on your forum. You need to find a way to use AI to address this issue. This is one reason matured people have left your forum.

Goodluck!
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by Slytiger: 1:43am On May 08, 2025
omonnakoda:
Obasanjo just happened to be the President at a time when that specific technology came

All this praise singing is ridiculous

He did not invent the mobile phone technology

We do not praise any president for being there when Land telephones, electricity came to Nigeria , When Television came, When Flushing toilets came , when water started flowing from taps, when the motor car came,

These are ubiquitous technological advancements. whose time has come
Exactly.
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by Slytiger: 1:45am On May 08, 2025
aworatak:
Obasanjo did well by ensuring that the Nigerian factor of ineptitude and bureaucracy did not derail this revolution. Imagine if he had used this same zeal in the electricity sector? Our economic woos would have been half solved.
Same Obj spent 16 billion dollars on the power sector with nothing to show for it.

Electricity is not wireless. You need massive infrastructures and poles almost every 90meters with enough cables.
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by LabStores: 1:54am On May 08, 2025
omonnakoda:
Obasanjo just happened to be the President at a time when that specific technology came

All this praise singing is ridiculous

He did not invent the mobile phone technology

We do not praise any president for being there when Land telephones, electricity came to Nigeria , When Television came, When Flushing toilets came , when water started flowing from taps, when the motor car came,

These are ubiquitous technological advancements. whose time has come
Thanks for this post.
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by Omoawoke(m): 2:09am On May 08, 2025
austynbch:
you're seriously not making any point here. There many things that you'll think other government would have done, yet have not accomplished and you still give them excuse. Ordinary petrol price still keeps increasing, dollar to naira still a problem. These were tins that could lead to protest then. I'm sure if tinubu was in government then, even if hm manage introduce am, u must pass hm front desk before you collect sim card
The phone was a technology that was unstoppable..

Obasanjo or no obasanjo, Nigeria would have gotten a phone..
What did he do specially? Did he invent the phone? Did he establish the telecoms industry?
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by anonimi: 2:13am On May 08, 2025
omonnakoda:
Obasanjo just happened to be the President at a time when that specific technology came

All this praise singing is ridiculous

He did not invent the mobile phone technology

We do not praise any president for being there when Land telephones, electricity came to Nigeria , When Television came, When Flushing toilets came , when water started flowing from taps, when the motor car came,

These are ubiquitous technological advancements. whose time has come
Bad belle is the stuff that winchious people use to shortchange themselves and their lives.

Did every one of the almost 200 countries of the world have GSM 24 years ago? Learn to appreciate, respect and celebrate progress so that you don’t miss the opportunity to progress in your own life.

PDP’s deregulation, privatisation and free market policies of capitalist governance made the difference in our economy for 16 years of prosperity from jobs growth and productivity. Atiku’s consistency in capitalist policies remains the tonic for Nigeria instead of socialist impoverishing policies that are wrapped in fake progressive garbs of propaganda and corruption from big government ownership and control of businesses.

How did we allow the Lagos magician landlord to mislead us into extreme poverty shege by telling us it was change? 10 years later, what has changed for better in this country? Where is the better change promised by ebilokan and his Abacha PTF a-looter comrade of IntegriThief?

thisweekng:
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Chief Olawale Edun has said the last time Nigeria’s economy looked stable was about a decade ago.

He made this statement during his maiden press conference as Minister of Finance where he outlined President Bola Tinubu’s vision, agenda and strategy for the economy.

He said, “I think as we all know, we are not where we should be. The economy is barely growing above the rate of population growth.

“But it was not always so, and I think in trying to look at the way forward, if we now have a situation of slow growth, double-digit inflation, weak/depreciating exchange rate, as well as security concerns that are resulting in an economy that is not growing and not taking Nigerians out of poverty.

“If we think back to the last time when the economy was stable- when it was growing, when inflation was low, and the interest rate was affordable, that period was about a decade ago. Growth was about 6% in 2013 and 2014.”
Private sector to drive the economy

https://thisweekng.com/the-last-time-nigerias-economy-was-stable-was-about-a-decade-ago-wale-edun/
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by anonimi:
aworatak:
Obasanjo did well by ensuring that the Nigerian factor of ineptitude and bureaucracy did not derail this revolution. Imagine if he had used this same zeal in the electricity sector? Our economic woos would have been half solved.
He and Atiku used the same deregulation and PDP privatisation zeal for NNPC petrochemicals and refineries but Yar’Adua reversed the refineries’ sale, which Jonathan could not do because of the chochocho noise of communist labourers in the unions, acting the script of clueless socialists who are pseudo progressives playing politics with our lives, just to get access to loot our treasury.

Thankfully the Dangote private refinery survived APC 2012 orchestrated protests. Can you imagine how much we would be paying for imported fuel without the private refinery, now that the Chicago bookkeeper removed subsidy and devalued our Naira?

Omooba77:
…says Nigeria experienced economic development during Jonathan’s administration

A former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on Tuesday, said the protest that trailed the fuel subsidy removal during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012 was due to political interests.

Fayemi said this in his keynote address delivered at a national dialogue organised to celebrate the 60th birthday celebration of the founding National Secretary of Alliance for Democracy and Fellow, Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Professor Udenta Udenta in Abuja.

The programme was attended by Jonathan, former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili; former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, among others.

The PUNCH reports that on January 1, 2012, President Goodluck announced the removal of fuel subsidy and adjusted the pump price of petrol from N65 per litre to N141.

The decision sparked mass protests, tagged ‘Occupy Nigeria’ across major cities of the country.

The price was later re-adjusted to N97, after more than a week of protests.

Petrol price was later reduced to N87 in 2015.

Jonathan faced serious backlash for the fuel price adjustment, especially from leaders of the All Progressives Congress, who were then in different opposition parties, including the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressives Congress, All Nigeria Peoples Party, and All Progressive Grand Alliance.

https://punchng.com/breaking-fuel-subsidy-we-played-politics-with-2012-occupy-nigeria-fayemi/
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by anonimi: 2:35am On May 08, 2025
MICHEALADEX:
Talking nonsense, what abacha had completed before his sudden demise.
If you are not a propagandist liar labouring in vain to take PDP’s glory for telecom deregulation, then why did Abdusalami Abubakar fail to launch it for one year after Abacha’s sudden demise?

The reality is that APC corruption of pseudo progressive dash dash economy of palliatives is damaging our economy and ruining our country for the past decade.


anonimi:
Neo-black Problem: Must Blacks Be Ruled by Whites in Order to Prosper?

In short, the neo-black dilemma may be framed as follows: is it better to live under white rule without political dignity but with basic life-sustaining standards for many;

or to live under black rule with illusory political dignity and without basic life- sustaining standards for the majority?
@
@
The path forward for Africa lies in cultivating higher and adequate levels of personal and communal agential integrity as well as full personal responsibility and productivity. Not to mention creativity (including epistemic creativity), productive justice (such as merit and freedom), harmony and reconciliation at local and international levels, and a proper domestication of capitalism and other related values and institutions.

Africa must stop wasting her time on dreams of socialism because it is a system of wealth distribution primarily. Whereas, capitalism is a system of wealth creation primarily, and wealth has to be produced before it can be distributed.

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2024/10/12/neo-black-problem-must-blacks-be-ruled-by-whites-in-order-to-prosper/
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by anonimi: 2:44am On May 08, 2025
nairalanda1:
Obasanjo did nothing. All he did was essentially allow the GSM companies charge their prices, and set their prices. THat enabled them make huge profits that attracted more investment. And back then people complained a lot about it. Add the fact that service was poor initially....at one point you could not even call between networks self. (that is why many Nigerians started having two lines).

Electricity back then was run by government, who essentially sold power at very cheap rates. Also, a recurring theme was that the grid was overloaded....back in the 1980's and 90's...many state governors connected a lot of villages to the grid in the name of giving everyone electricity...and of course most of them could not pay for the electricity they used at all...

Also, unlike the phone, where you have to pay something before you use it....electricity can be gotten in nigeria by the illegal connection. Usually secured by a bribe.

All in all, that brought about chronically low revenues...which is why the power sector then and now does not work.
What is your confusion about?

You said that telecom deregulation and privatisation of capitalist PDP is nothing but then you say the power sector needs to be deregulated and privatised instead of the [b2pseudo progressive scamdemic socialist government ownership and control. [/b]

What is it that you want huh
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by wildernessVoice: 2:46am On May 08, 2025
Edimakan:
grin
My darling president OBJ.
God go bless you nyafunyafu.
I joined mobile phones with Nokia 3310 in 2003 when Glo was launched.
Today some people said Social Media is a terrorist organization
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by anonimi: 2:51am On May 08, 2025
googi:
Bad bele no go kill una.

Give credit to where credit is due. But for Obasanjo and his Administration, the best military Government ever in Nigeria, Nigeria could have perished the way it is going today.

Soludo said it, Tinubu as much as I cannot stand his character, inherited a dead Economy.

Small small boys conjuring statistics from their empty brains.

Bola Ige asked the rich and privileged that first had GSM before Obasanjo liberated or demystified it, why they are bragging with it. When market women and men were using it in Cotonou across the border freely.
What military dictatorship did Obasanjo and Atiku run in 1999 to 2007 under PDP’s umbrella huh
Re: The Birth Of GSM In Nigeria: Who Made The First Call? by ariesbull: 3:00am On May 08, 2025
The Igbo man ERNEST NDUKWE was the man in charge of the NCC and he ensures that telecom was introduced to Nigeria
1 2 3 4 5 6 Reply

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