NCC laments level of vandalism of telecoms infrastructure

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3 years ago

Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Danbatta

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that it receives over 40 vandalisation reports on telecom structures across the federation daily.

It said the situation underlines the need for all stakeholders to put hands together toward protecting the structures as theirs.

This was stated by Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, the Vice Chairman of the NCC, during a telecoms consumer conversation, the village square dialogue with the theme, ‘Protection of Telecoms infrastructure for improved quality of service, the role of residents,’ organised by the NCC in Kano State.

Represented by Mr Bako Wakili, NCC Director, Technical Standard and Network Integrity Department, at the event, Danbatta said that the commission is sensitising the public on the need for communities to own up the structure.

He said vandalisation of telecoms structures reduced the quality of service as well as coverage area leading to dead spots on the network, which results in poor quality of service, adding that it also discouraged investors from investing in Nigeria should their infrastructure be continuously vandalised or stolen.

Similarly, Mr Malam Shu’aibu Swade, NCC zonal controller, Kano, said there is the need for robust sensitisation to solicit communities’ cooperation in protecting and guarding telecoms structures for improved quality services to consumers.

He further stated that there is a need for the communities to understand that it is a duty for them not to damage telecoms infrastructure and also to allow installation of equipment and maintenance and or repairs on sites by the technical staff of service providers for quality telecoms service delivery.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has hosted the second edition of the Nigerian Telecoms Leadership Summit, in line with its tradition and commitment to engage with stakeholders in the telecoms ecosystem with a view to pursuing proactive regulatory interventions targeted at ensuring an enabling operating environment and improving investment climate in the Nigerian telecom industry.

The event, which took place recently at the Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos, was an assemblage of key industry stakeholders with the central objective to analyse the current state of the sector, process the issues, and chart new pathways to a more effective and sustainable regulatory regime for the stability and growth of the Nigerian telecom industry.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Professor Umar Danbatta, said that the theme of the Summit: “The Future of Telecom Regulation in Nigeria,” presented a unique opportunity for the Commission to interact with critical stakeholders.

Through such interaction, the EVC said the Commission would be able to brainstorm and migrate to new frontiers of visionary regulations that will galvanise and foster desired growth in the industry.

Danbatta explained that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered political and socio-economic uncertainties globally and underscored the crucial role of digital connectivity in keeping societies functioning, as online life became, essentially, a new way of life.

He stated that with the increased dependence on digital platforms, the theme of the event had become necessary in order to put in place a broader regulatory framework that will enhance and protect the integrity of the industry in the emergence of the digital economy.

In this context, the EVC said the NCC will continue to diligently pursue the implementation of policy frameworks such as the Nigeria National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025; and the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030 which are consistent with NCC’s regulatory interventions such as the Commission’s Strategic Management Plan (SMP), 2020-2024 and Strategic Vision Plan (SVP), 2021-2025, among others.

Danbatta said all the policies and regulatory frameworks principally seek to provide a platform for Nigerian citizens to engage in innovative developments for the telecoms industry and improve the nation’s ability to compete in the ever-competitive global space.

Explaining further the transformation happening as a result of the expanding spectrum of the digital ecosystem, Danbatta said the industry is witnessing new business delivery and breakthroughs due to the expansion of boundaries of digital Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), especially fintech and e-commerce firms. The EVC said those consequential ecosystems have contributed to the growth of the Nigerian digital economy riding on telecoms infrastructure.

Danbatta aptly reckoned that digital services and content provided by these SMEs will leverage broadband infrastructure and the upcoming deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) network being driven by the Commission to deliver more innovative and high-quality experiences to consumers.

“The Commission’s successful auction and licensing of the 3.5GHz spectrum licences in the last quarter of 2021 for the deployment of 5G technology is set to create many opportunities for the development of the industry and as a regulator, we are conversant with the fact that a dynamic regulatory environment is needed to sustain this industry growth.

“Therefore, it has become imperative for us, as critical stakeholders, to appraise the progress made so far as an industry and chart the course for the future of the telecoms industry in the country,” he stated. The EVC also informed that one of the sectors that had been positively impacted by the digital transformation is the financial services sector,” Danbatta said.

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