The new numbering plan is another attempt by Globacom to increase its subscriber base. Globacom's target is to register 30 million users by the end of 2007. Currently, Glo boasts of 15 million subscribers.

Second National Operator, Globacom Limited, has introduced a new numbering plan, 0705, for its customers, just as it targets 30 million subscriber base before the end of this year. Currently, Glo can boast of 15 million subscribers 12 million of which are active users.

The new set of numbers was unveiled in a chat with newsmen by Mr. Mohammed Jameel, Glo's chief operating officer in Lagos and that the company?s submarine cable, Glo-1 has landed in Senegal enroute to Mauritinia.

According to Jameel, Globacom plans to add over 150 base stations every week country-wide and would soon add 750 base stations to the existing 3,000 by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Mr. Yinka Akande, also of Globacom, said that the telco has invested over US $3 billion, about N373.5 billion, in the past four years with over 2,500 people directly employed.

He stressed that Glo is the first operator in West Africa to launch Gateway switches outside of Africa to carry International Voice Traffic (IVT) and has established points of presence (PoP) in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and United States with five state-of-the-art Gateway switches in Nigeria, with three located in Lagos and one each in Abuja and Port Harcourt.

The telco also plans additional Points of Presence in Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE and Australia. The company says its submarine cable has reached Senegal from the UK and work will soon begin on the Lagos Senegal route to link both cables.

Globacom also announced the completion of two additional customer care centres which will house 600 desks each in addition to the 700 customer care desks presently working in the first centre.

On the new number range, Mr. Akande, said that 0807 numbering plan having been exhausted and in order to effectively provide for the continued phenomenal growth on Africa?s fastest growing network, the acquisition of another numbering plan to cope with this growth has become inevitable.

"The introduction of a new number series, 0705, underscored Nigerians? growing preference for Globacom as the network of choice in terms of offerings, network reliability and subscriber appreciation," he said.

Glo's latest number plan, 0705, is coming after the 0805 and 0807 number series were discontinued.

Highway Africa News Agency