Comium’s recent entry into the mobile market
in The Gambia is set to change the face of communications.
The company recently introduced the first 2G
GSM mobile phone network
Comium commenced formal business operations
in 1994 and has since earned a firm position
in the upper echelons of the Middle Eastern
and African telecommunications sectors. Paramount
to the group’s success has been customer-focused
organization, strategic expansion planning,
and a wide range of telecom services. Offering
mobile phone, Internet, e-commerce, and data
operations technologies, the group currently
boasts one million customers in Africa alone.
In over a decade in operation, the group has
learned the value of nurturing relationships.
The operative word for discussing Comium’s
philosophy towards others is care. The group
cares for its customers by providing friendly
staff and high-quality products; looks after
its employees by creating healthy work environments
that offer avenues for advancement; helps support
the environment and local communities by funding
social and green initiatives; looks out for
its shareholders by offering a high degree of
transparency in its operations; and lastly,
watches over its business partners by engaging
in committed, honest relationships.
Comium views the African continent as a largely
untapped market. With less than 14% of the mobile
market penetrated, and a mere 3.6% of the Internet
market penetrated, Comium is committed to helping
Africa develop its telecom sector. The company
presently has business interests in Ivory Coast,
Sierra Leone and Liberia, among other nations.
In The Gambia, Comium is furthering its expansion
by introducing new, advanced telecom technologies
that will reshape the way Gambians communicate.
Adaptation to market trends and fluctuations
will ensure the continued evolution of Comium.
The group develops technologies to meet the
needs and desires of its customers. The customer-centered
approach is apparent in its careful development
and introduction of technologies according to
country and region. Strategies such as product
branding are culturally tailored to local markets.
For example, in The Gambia, one prepaid line
of phones is called “Nakam,” which
translates as “How are you?” in Wolof,
one of the local dialects.
Not surprisingly, their targeted strategies
have paid off. Within its first six months of
operations in The Gambia, Comium secured a quarter
of the market share, tallying more than 100,000
subscribers. The group has plans for further
expansion in The Gambia, beginning with an aggressive
effort to offer service in rural, underserved
regions of the country. The initiative coincides
with the group’s commitment to improving
the lives of citizens by opening communication
channels for previously out-of-reach customers
and to promoting the economic development of
the country by offering better coverage, lower
prices, and more services, encouraging Gambian
business on a whole.
Comium recognizes corporate social responsibility
as one of the most important elements in its
success as an international venture. A large
portion of its profits is due to the relationships
the organization has forged with local cultures.
Respect for regional values, culture, and heritage
has solidified trust between the customer and
the group.
To achieve its full potential in the future,
the group plans to expand network coverage,
to introduce more added-value services, and
to identify new challenges and opportunities.
The goal is to build on past successes and expand
into new markets and countries. Comium hopes
its products and services will transform and
improve the lives of people across the globe.
