Way forward for telecoms sector growth, by NCC, operators
THERE were strong indications last week that the Nigerian
telecommunication sector will start sailing on smoother waters if
suggestions, ideas and inputs made by the stakeholders in the telecom
sector at the just concluded national stakeholders consultative forum
were fully implemented.Last Friday, the regulatory authority, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, invited key stakeholders in the sector to discuss critical issues expected to drive growth in the sector five years thence. The aim of the national stakeholders consultative forum was to ensure that critical inputs from key stakeholders were considered in the development of a five-year strategic management plan for the commission.
For the participants, a robust strategic management plan (SMP) was not only imperative but expedient. The new five-year SMP being developed with series of strategic planning meetings, interactive sessions and forums from both internal and external stakeholders if well implemented would put the sector on the right plans for digital inclusion.
For majority of the speakers at the event , except issues like broadband deployment, protection of telecoms infrastructures, right of way approval, multiple taxation among others were given priority attention, rural inclusion may be derailed.
Current challenges
In his keynote speech, Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Eugene Juwah told the gathering that the achievements of the industry in the last 10 years notwithstanding, the sector is currently facing some challenges which all critical stakeholders need to address in order to achieve pervasive service availability and ultimately, improved quality of service.
“The achievement of telephone penetration of 95, 886, 714 lines and a teledensity of 68. 49 is burdened and dwarfed by worsening quality of service, multiple taxation, multiple regulation, deteriorating power supply, extraneous regulatory issues by other agencies of government and a host of other issues,” he told the participants.
Despite the fact that current challenges are part of global issues even at the just concluded Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona with the ITU Secretary-General, Dr Hamadoun Toure, calling on governments not to kill the telecommunications industry with taxes, he noted that some of the issues were peculiar to Nigerian environment, adding that they need to be tackled head-on for quick resolution.
“Although the problem of quality of service (QoS) looked intractable for a while, I am relieved to announce that some definite measures are being taken to bring it under control. One of such measures is the recent approval and gazetting of the Quality of Service Regulations by the Federal Ministry of Justice,” he announced.
According to him, NCC would o take some severe measures when service providers are found wanting, even as he announced that the Commission had engaged the services of seven Drive-Test contractors to carry out quality of service drive-testing in the six geo-political zones and Lagos. explained.
He disclosed that the Commission would commence service fully by early April. “It is expected to lead to comprehensive and across the country quality of service monitoring. In addition, our Monitoring and Enforcement Personnel have been very busy lately, either shutting down the activities of illegal users of spectra or engaging importers of handsets that are not type-approved.
No professional banditry
While warning that the Commission will not permit professional banditry in the industry as fully empowered by the Communications Act to deal with issues of compliance and assurance standards, he said that the Commission as a matter of tradition institutionalized formal strategic planning in the management of her operations in its efforts to ensure that the goals and objectives of the Commission as set out in the NCA 2003, the NTP 2000 and other enabling legislations were met.
Broadband for rural inclusion: For the Managing Director of Main One, Funke Opeke who has been preaching broadband penetration, unless broadband is taken to the rural areas of the country, digital Nigeria may be far fetched.
“We are still a consumer nation in ICT services. Broadband is growing. Penetration is still less 10%. Services to draw e-commerce are still not here. Nigerian inability to privatize is one of the reasons for low broadband penetration. Lack of national backbone is the challenge for broadband. We not have common carriers . Infrastructures are still not shared” she said
Infrastructure sharing
Lamenting that users in the rural ares of the country can still not download content from the internet as part of their school work, she suggested that NCC should put a framework for infrastructure sharing. “Regulatory intervention is required in infrastructure sharing. If we must join G20 or attain Vision 20-2020, NCC must address broadband deployment to the rural areas.”
She reasoned that if you do not share infrastructure, distribution of services may not be possible.
Rural telephony
For majority of GSM service providers who spoke at the event, multiple taxation, right of way approval remain the biggest issue affecting rural telephony. These issues, according to the service providers need urgent intervention by the NCC and the government.
In his intervention, MTN’s Akinwale Goodluck, told the gathering that rural telephony should be part of the roadmap.
“We cannot talk of inclusiveness without rural telephony. The future lies in the rural telephony. Rural telephony should be a major target of the regulatory authority. We need to plan our networks in the rural areas. The rural communities need to feel like other Nigerians living in commercial nerve centers of the federation,” he add.
Similarly, Osondu Nwokoro of Airtel Nigeria was of the view that for Nigeria to achieve Vision 20-2020, there was need to provide affordable telephony in the rural areas but noted that access roads and rural electrification were required.
More base stations needed
Part of the strategic management plans for the next five years that received the attention of the participants was base stations.
While warning that multiple taxation may derail telecoms growth in the country, chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo noted that much may not be achieved in the march for telecom revolution in the country unless more base stations were built.
According to Adebayo, at least 60,000 more base stations were needed for rural inclusion, adding that protection of telecoms infrastructure must be given priority attention, otherwise street urchins will cause more harm than good.
Also speaking, the President of Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria, Engr. Titi-Omo-Etu said that issue of quality of service should be taken serious so as to harness the full potentials of liberalization of the Nigerian telecoms sector said to be one of the fastest growing market in the world.
He said government should penalize service providers for poor quality of service but added that right infrastructure should be put in place to achieve service delivery.
