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Tag: gsm

  • Kano to address leadership crisis in GSM market

    Kano to address leadership crisis in GSM market

    The Kano State Government on Friday set up a Caretaker Committee to manage the GSM Farm Centre market with immediate effect.

    Alhaji Ahmad Rabiu, the state Commissioner for Commerce, Industry, Cooperatives and Tourism, disclosed this at a news conference in Kano.

    He said the establishment of the committee became necessary to forestall breakdown of law and order in the market.

    Read also: Kano to introduce special programme for physically challenged

    Rabiu said the objective was to harmonise all factions of traders, create uniformity of purpose, ensure smooth commercial activities, sanitise the environment and ensure physical development control, among others in the market.

    He urged traders and business organisations in the market to give all the necessary cooperation to the committee for peace and tranquillity to prevail.

    Rabiu said that the committee was expected to perform its assigned task within six months.

    NAN

  • Internet users decline to 91.2m in January – NCC

    Internet users decline to 91.2m in January – NCC

    The number of internet users in Nigeria’s telecommunications networks declined to 91, 274,446 in January, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said.

    The NCC made the disclosure in its Monthly Internet Subscribers Data for January 2017 on its website on Tuesday in Abuja.

    According to the data released, internet users dropped to 91,274,446 in January as against 91,880.032 users recorded in December 2016, showing a decline of 605,586.

    The data also showed that the GSM service providers lost 605,586 internet customers after recording 91, 274,446 in January as against 91,880,032 users in December 2016.

    The data revealed that MTN had 31,015.45 subscribers browsing the internet on its network in the month of January.

    It explained that MTN recorded a drop of 737, 964 internet subscribers in January after recording 31,753.369 in December 2016.

    Airtel had 19,618.485 internet users in January, adding 254, 94 customers to its December record of 19,363.545.

    In Etisalat, the data showed 13,564.284 customers who browsed the internet in January revealing a decrease of 188.656 users against the 13,752.940 users recorded in December 2016.

    The data showed that Globacom had 27,076,272 customers browsing the internet on its network in January.

    This amounted to an increase of 66,094 users from the 27,010.178 users of the internet on the network in December 2016. (NAN)

  • GSM subscribers complain at Ebonyi forum

    GSM subscribers complain at Ebonyi forum

    When Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi took his turn to host the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Consumer Outreach Programme, phone users came with a barrage of complaints.

    The event is an avenue for mobile phone users to air their views on the quality of service they receive from network service providers.

    At Abakiliki, the state capital, where the event held, subscribers criticised the network providers, condemning what they their shoddy services, including dropped calls, unsolicited SMS as well as alleged illegal credit charges.

    Governor Umahi said Information Communication Technology has an important role to play in advancing the growth and development of the economy, adding that the opportunities offered by the new media, if well harnessed, can put the nation on the path to economic recovery.

    He said, “If the NCC as the ombudsman could properly regulate unsolicited text messages, ring tones and arbitrary reductions of monies by service providers from users, it will be a catalyst for economic growth.

    Represented by his Deputy Mr. Kelechi Igwe, a lawyer, the governor expressed dismay over the way and manner the service providers treat their customers without apology.

    This he said poses great consequences to the growth of the industry.

    He also blamed ignorance on the part of the consumers for some of the alleged misconduct of service providers.

    “So, I think that these complaints are what NCC as a body has to look at with a view to encouraging the service providers to resolve the issues,” he stressed.

    He said that the state government as a result of its unequivocal commitment to developing the ICT sector established the Ebonyi Telecom Infrastructure Compliance Agency to ensure there are legal and proper ways of developing Telecom infrastructure in the state.

    Earlier in his address, the Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau in the NCC, Abdullahi Maikano represented by his deputy, Joseph Atoyebi said the commission has identified Consumer education as one of the most-effective mechanism that provides and guarantees consumer protection.

    He stated therefore that to ensure that the Telecoms consumer is well Protected, Informed and Educated (PIE mandate), the commission has developed series of initiatives with the main goal of empowering Consumers with appropriate information that will ensure that their rights are not only protected but their choices provide them with value for money.

    He further stressed that the commission recognises that the rights of every telecoms consumer must be protected and one of the fundamental rights of the telecom consumer is the right to be informed and educated.

  • GSM at 14: So far, so fair

    GSM at 14: So far, so fair

    As operators of the Global System for Mobile Communication, GSM, mark 14th anniversary, Bukola Aroloye reports on the high and low points of the burgeoning telecoms sub-sector

    The launch of the Global System for Mobile communications in 2001 liberated Nigerians from the shackles of the once powerful, but now virtually insignificant, national telecoms monopoly, NITEL. Thus Nigerians breathe a sigh of relief when Econet (now Airtel) and MTN Nigeria launched their GSM mobile services in 2001.

    The revolution brought to bear on the life style of Nigerians several characteristics such as talking to oneself on the street while walking, which actually means that the person is receiving call through via a wireless earpiece.

    With the trend came also laws such as no phone call driving rule meant to regulate the use of mobile phones by motorists. But all that is now history, as Nigerians have come to realise the magic that GSM brought into their life.

    The auction ran from January 17 to 19, 2001 with Radio Spectrum International (RSI), Charles Rivers Associates, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) and Mr.Paul Usoro (SAN) as consultants to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

    The auction’s success set a very important precedent by conducting the world’s first ascending clock spectrum auction which convinced the global community of transparent government processes by informing the public of the details of the auction exercise.

    The new telecoms era has been supported with the Nigerian Communication Act, 2003, which provides regulatory regime for investors and all the players, even as the country has remained and will continue to be an investment haven in years to come, according to a Pyramid Research study.

    Analysis of the developments in the sector in the last 14 years is a pointer to the positive impacts the sector has been having on all sectors of the economy, notwithstanding existing challenges, which the industry still contends with.

    “From whatever point of view one looks at it, the telecoms industry remains one of the most outstanding sectors going by available statistics in the industry,” observes a telecoms industry analyst, Mr Akin Akinbo.

    The sector has recorded tremendous growth with multiplier effects being felt in all other sectors of the economy, ranging from banking, education, e-commerce/retailing, agriculture, medicine, media, oil and gas, among others, he said.

    Industry experts said for the sector to have recorded a growth from 450, 000 connected lines in 2001 to over 135 million active subscribers as at the end of 2014, the industry has, indeed, fared very well.

    Not only this, backed by the NCA 2003, the deregulation has resulted in geometric growth in the local and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow.

    According to the former Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr, Eugene Juwah, “Over $32 billion investment has been recorded in the sector as at June 2014 from $50 million in year 2001. The investment stood at $18 billion in 2010 and $25 billion in 2012.”

    With this investment, telecoms companies have been able to successfully deploy 68,124 kilometre of fibre optic cabling as at the end of December, 2013 while in 2014 alone, additional 38, 000 kilometre of fibre optic cables were laid, according to NCC.

    Experts say this represents an increase of about 44.2 per cent investment in fibre optic cabling by the telecoms companies last year alone.

    Meanwhile, in the last 14 years, telecoms companies in Nigeria have also increased their base transceiver stations (BTS) expansion efforts from few thousands to over 27, 000, making it possible for more people to have access to telephone services thus covering many hitherto unserved and underserved communities across the country.

    Beyond carrying voice signals, the industry operators are also making their BTS either 2G-enabled or 3G-enabled to be able to carry adequate data services, with the country relying on the 11 terabyte of internet capacity brought into the country by the likes of Main One, Glo1, West African Cable Systems (WACS), among others.

    According to data from the Ministry of Communication Technology, between 2013 and December, 2014, 2G-enabled sites have increased from 22, 578 to 28,289 while 3G-enabled sites have increased from less than 10,000 to 15,048 during the same period.

    However, a backbone infrastructure project, started by the NCC, through the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), has also continued to bridge the gap between the served and underserved or unserved areas in the country, especially areas not considered commercially viable by the telcos.

    Through the project, former Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, said about 1, 200 kilometres of fibre optic cabling has also been run so far.

    According to Mrs. Johnson, over 170 base stations, in total, had been deployed only through the USPF to un-served and underserved areas by the end of 2014, with each of the base stations serving a cluster of communities.

    These metrics have, thus, made Nigeria the fastest growing telecommunications country by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ratings for five consecutive years, a feat attributed to the robust and transparent regulatory regime engendered by the NCC.

    Perhaps, one area that has been of significant measure of how the industry has fared in the last 168 months of its revolution has been in the area of service tariff, cost of owning communication devices and cost of acquiring Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card or telephone line.

    The NCC adopted in 2013 ‘progressive reduction interconnect termination rates’ whereby new entrants and small operators had termination rates for voice services pegged at N4.90 in April 2013, N4.40 in April 2014 and by April this year it will drop to N3.90 for all networks.

    Also, SIM cards are almost given pro bono by telecoms networks today, whereas, 14 years ago, Nigerians were paying between N25, 000 and N20, 000 to acquire a SIM card with only net-worth individuals being able to own telephone lines.

    In the same vein, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Secretary, E-Payment Providers Association of Nigeria (E-PPAN), Mrs Regha Onajite, noted that the increasing volumes of e-banking transactions, being driven by the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), “are all resting on the shoulder of the telecoms industry.”

    In a similar submission, Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr Gbenga Adebayo, said the telecoms sector has performed well as an enabler of most of the ICT-driven activities that have brought about efficiency in the country.

    However, while insisting that the sector has not done badly in the last 14 years, the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) noted that the industry is still bedeviled with myriad of challenges, which, if addressed with the needed velocity, will add a fillip to the sector’s performance in the coming years.

  • GSM operators get seven-day ultimatum to deactivate pre-registered SIMs

    GSM operators get seven-day ultimatum to deactivate pre-registered SIMs

    Worried by the seemingly intractable security situation in the country, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has handed down a seven-day ultimatum to Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and other network providers to deactivate all pre-registered Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) cards or face sanctions.

    This was the fallout of a meeting between Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Department of State Service (DSS), the network operators and the NCC. The meeting which took place at the NCC boardroom in Abuja, took into cognizance crimes committed against members of the public either by kidnappers, terrorists, robbers and threats to lives, through the use of such unregistered SIM cards across all the networks.

    Operators were however told to notify such subscribers before deactivation of their SIM cards.

    At the meeting were the representatives of the NSA, Group Captain, Ibikunle Daramola, DSS, Mr. Godwin Ometu, the immediate past NCC Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Dr Eugene Juwah, Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Engr. Ubale Maska and representatives of MTN, Globacom, Etisalat, Visafone , Airtel and others.

    A statement by NCC Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo who was also at the meeting said specifically that: seven days’ notice is hereby given for deactivation of all invalid/improperly registered SIM cards; these include all SIM cards without or improperly captured facial pictures and or finger – prints; and affected subscribers to be notified to regularize their registrations.

    The meeting resolved that henceforth, all registrations must conform to the Data Dictionary, Technical Specifications on finger prints and facial images and the business rule agreed by all stakeholders; all registration records must be validated before sending to the Commission; thus eliminating all invalid records that does not conform new registrations and indicate same in the monthly reports sent to Commission; it was also resolved that operators will be held liable for cases for cases of pre-registered SIMs; earlier grace of 21 days given by the Commission has lapsed.

  • NCC gives seven days ultimatum to telecom operators

    NCC gives seven days ultimatum to telecom operators

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Wednesday handed down a seven-day ultimatum to Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and other network providers to deactivate all pre-registered Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) cards or face sanctions.

    The Nation gathered that the deadline was informed by the need to step up efforts towards improving on the security situations in the country.

    According to a press statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs of NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo, the ultimatum was the fallout of a meeting between Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Department of State Service (DSS), the network operators and the NCC.

    Ojobo said the meeting took into cognizance crimes committed against members of the public either by kidnappers, terrorists, robbers and threats to lives, through the use of such unregistered SIM cards across all the networks.

    The statement noted that operators were however told to notify such subscribers before deactivation of their SIM cards.

    At the meeting were the representatives of the NSA, Group Captain, Ibikunle Daramola, DSS, Mr. Godwin Ometu, the immediate past NCC Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Dr Eugene Juwah Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Engr. Ubale Maska and representatives of MTN, Globacom, Etisalat, Visafone , Airtel and others.

    The statement reads; ” Seven days’ notice is hereby given for deactivation of all invalid/improperly registered SIM cards; these include all SIM cards without or improperly captured facial pictures and or finger – prints.

    “Henceforth, all registrations must conform to the Data Dictionary, Technical Specifications on finger prints and facial images and the business rule agreed by all stakeholders.

    “All registration records must be validated before sending to the Commission; thus eliminating all invalid records that does not conform new registrations and indicate same in the monthly reports sent to Commission.

    “It was also resolved that operators will be held liable for cases for cases of pre-registered SIMs.

    “Earlier grace of 21 days given by the Commission has lapsed.

    “Accordingly, the Commission has commenced monitoring as from Monday, August 3, 2015.

    “Sanctions for default will apply in accordance with the SIM registration regulations.”

  • Two female suicide bombers hit GSM market in Potiskum

    Two female suicide bombers hit GSM market in Potiskum

    Five people including two female suicide bombers were killed after a noon attack yesterday on a GSM market in Potiskum, Yobe State.

    According to eyewitness, the bombers were dropped off by an unsuspecting tricycle rider near the market.

    They later detonated the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) they hid under their clothes in the midst of unsuspecting crowd, killing themselves in the process.

    A nurse at the Potiskum General Hospital said: “We have three dead bodies at the moment. The two suicide bombers also died. There are so many people wounded. There are 46 people that are wounded. With the number of these people wounded, there is a possibility that the death toll will rise because some of the injuries are critical.” the source informed.

    “Five persons were brought to the morgue of the Potiskum General Hospital from the scene of the bomb blast, including two females who were said to have detonated the explosives.

    “The 46 persons brought injured with varied injuries are currently receiving treatment at the hospital (Potiskum General Hospital).”

    ”With the severity of injuries, the death toll may rise as some are “holding on to a tiny thread of life.”

    Describing the scene of horror, Adamu Saidu, a trader in the market who escaped the attack said the sound of the blast set the whole market in confusion.

    “I was attending to a customer in my shop when I heard a loud sound. I fell down but woke up to see many people running in all direction. Everybody was confused. I saw some people on the ground in pains. I saw the bodies of the two female suicide bombers cut into two,” Saidu explained.

  • Beyond impressive statistics

    Beyond impressive statistics

    •Telecom firms make wealth but leave a trail of complaints

    It is cheering that Nigeria’s telecoms sector has witnessed an exponential growth in investment   from a modest $500m at its inception in the country in 2001, to the over $32bn that it is today. It is equally cheering that the country today boasts 129 million active telephone subscribers, while over 50 million Nigerians have access to the Internet, compared to the 400,000 telephone lines in the country before the advent of the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM).

    According to Eugene Juwah, Executive Vice Chairman of the sector’s regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), “Already, the telecommunications industry that started from its humble beginning in 2001 with a paltry investment of $500m now stands at over $32billion.”

    The commission said it came about the figures during a recent anti-corruption interactive session with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Juwah added that the commission is a toast of foreign investors due to the international approval it has been able to get as a result of its operations. That is not all; the NCC said Nigeria has a tele-density of 92 per cent even as the telecommunications sector’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product has shot up from 4.5 per cent to 8.69 per cent in the recent re-based GDP.

    These no doubt are very impressive statistics. The issue however is whether the statistics have translated into high quality of service (QoS) for telephone subscribers. We are afraid the telecoms impressive statistics are like other posted statistics by government which are at variance with reality. The question of QoS has been a knotty one since the advent of GSM in Nigeria. Initially, Nigerians who had hitherto lamented the inefficiency of the Nigeria Telecommunications Ltd (NITEL) were ecstatic with the new experience that GSM offered: they could stay in the comfort of their rooms, shops or offices and make calls to anywhere in the world. This was quite an experience. But the euphoria began to die down when what telecoms subscribers initially regarded as teething problems that would disappear with time appear to have acquired the Nigerian character; they are here to stay.

    Without doubt, GSM has revolutionised the way we live, work and even play. It is incontestable too that things are far better today than they were in 2001 in the telecoms sector. Telephone tariff has dropped from N50 per minute in the early days of the GSM in the country; we now have per second billing engendered by competition, etc. Even at that, the telecoms firms are not giving Nigerians value for their money. Call drops, apparently due to congestion in the networks, are as rampant as ever, just as subscribers get billed for text messages that are either not delivered or delivered days after they were sent, among many other headaches faced by telephone subscribers.

    We understand some of the peculiar challenges faced by the telecoms firms, including power infrastructure, multiple taxation, the activities of vandals and ‘area boys’, etc. that constitute hindrances to their operations. But these and other challenges notwithstanding, the service providers still have to improve on their operations while the governments at all levels are also implored to address the issues. The telecoms operators can collaborate in some areas of their operations to reduce their overhead.

    The role of the NCC in ensuring that subscribers get value for their money is important. Its Act 2003 saddles it with promoting the provision of modern, universal, efficient, reliable, affordable and easily accessible communications services.

    We acknowledge the commission’s international approval, while this is important in the sector, local approval is also important. Indeed, it is what will ultimately confirm whatever international approval the commission might have garnered because the consumer is supposed to be king in all transactions. This cannot be said of the telecoms sector in Nigeria. It behooves the NCC to be more alive to its responsibilities in line with the expectations of the statute that created it.

     

  • Whither value for money?

    Whither value for money?

    •This is the question for DSTV, GSM, power firms, etc. Regulators, save Nigerians

    In other climes, the issue of value for money goes beyond merely being the article of faith governing the relationship between the consumer and the relevant service provider. It is, in fact, its directing principle. In Nigeria, it is at best a catch-phrase; an elusive quest as one chasing a lone piece of needle in a haystack – no thanks to the hordes of predatory private sector operators with their unbridled, institutionalised exploitation of the Nigerian consumer.

    From the relatively less-organised informal market, where transactions are governed by the rule of the thumb in the absence of standard weight and measures, to the so-called world-class service providers, the story of the crass exploitation of the Nigerian consumer is not just familiar; there is a common denominator in non-delivery of value for the kobo spent. The tragedy is that it has since been accepted as the way we live – the norm, so to speak.

    As it appears, no sector of the economy is spared. In the telecommunications industry, subscribers are billed not just for dropped calls but also for calls that were never made; this is aside the countless unsolicited value-added services that get charged into their accounts. In the electricity sector, Nigerians are as familiar with the nightmare aptly described as ‘crazy bills’ as they are of the contentious issue of ‘fixed’ charge routinely slapped on them for being hooked on the grid whether or not services are provided.

    This is no less applicable in the home entertainment sector where the major players are known to bill their subscribers during long, unbroken downtime periods, even when service disruptions are at the instance of the service provider.

    Clearly, there is a sense in which some of the obnoxious business practices can be attributed to the absence of real competition given the relatively few number of service providers. A good example is the home entertainment industry where only one dominant player calls the shot. Here, the tariffs are not just among the highest in the world, it is arguably one of the most uncompetitive in terms of what is put on offer when compared with what obtains in other climes.

    In the telecommunications industry where we have a semblance of competition, theirs has been one of failure to expand capacity in the face of ever-growing demand. As for the electricity sector, what we have is a club of disparate players segmented along geographical boundaries, with no signs of improvement in quality of service on the horizon. The missing elements in all the cases are competition, self-regulation and commitment to global best practices.

    We aver that effective regulation can make a whole of difference. We understand that even in the best of competitive environment, the activities of service providers would still need to be regulated to prevent players from preying on hapless consumers. However, what obtains in the country today is a regulatory vacuum that is at once being exploited by different classes of service providers to the detriment of the ordinary consumer. Unfortunately, the Federal Government was until recently, part of the racket.  It is about time it addressed the issue once and for all.

    To be sure, the issue isn’t so much about the existence of several regulatory bodies, which more often than not, are missing in action when it matters most. Rather, it is about giving the different bodies the teeth to be able to perform their statutory duties. It goes without saying that our regulators have a lot to learn from other jurisdictions in terms of what should be the responsibility of the service providers to the consumers. At the moment, we do not see the multiplicity of regulatory agencies as doing nearly enough to ensure that Nigerians are availed full value for their money’s worth.

     

  • Aba traders tell GSM operators to shape up

    Aba traders tell GSM operators to shape up

    The 63rd edition of Consumer Outreach Programme organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Aba, Abia State has given GSM service providers something to think about, and work on.

    Participants at the event, mainly  business men and traders called on GSM network operators to address issues of perennial  network failure and general poor service delivery usually experienced by telecommunication subscribers in the commercial nerve of the state.

    They called for improved service delivery by the network providers, alleging that inconsistency in network signals and poor service delivery by majority of the network providers in the commercial city have adversely affected their business.

    Some of the stakeholders including the chairman, Ariaria International Market, Elder Lucky Akubueze lamented that congestion and inability of traders in Ariaria and other markets in Aba to communicate easily with their customers and suppliers of goods and products remains a threat to their businesses.

    Akubueze thanked NCC for providing mobile phone users the opportunity to meet their operators and expressed hope that the meeting would yield to better services as it has as well provided the operators firsthand information on the areas where they needed to improve their services to the Aba business community.

    Earlier in a welcome address, Mrs. Maryam Bayi, Director Consumer Affairs Bureau represented by her deputy Mr. Joseph Atoyobi  described the theme “Customer Care Help Lines: A Veritable Platform For Effective Service Delivery” said that the aim of the stakeholders’ meeting was to provide a platform for stakeholders to deliberate on topical communication issues as it affects the interest of consumers, adding “to address this concern, the Commission decided to host this consumer forum today at Aba to deliberate and proffer solution on ways of improving the accessibility of the service providers’ customer-care help lines by the consumers.”

    Atoyobi, blaming network operators of self-centered said “The industry growth shows that there is incredible emphasis by the service providers to connect new consumers because of the available untapped markets in the country. However, the same level of emphasis not seen in the provision of after sales support to existing consumers” and further alleged “Report from survey conducted by the Commission on the accessibility of Service Providers Customer Care help lines and complaints received from Consumers via NCC Call center and Consumer Outreach Programmes revealed that the Service Providers’ Customer Care help lines that we expected to be the first call for a Consumer in distress are either not easily accessible or not dysfunctional.”

    NCC deputy director stressing the need for more rural service center outreach lamented “Even in situations where the help lines are accessible, the waiting time for a consumer who opted to speak to a live agent remained unending and most often results into drop call and more worrisome are the difficulties experienced by the rural consumers who reside in remote locations where there are no provisions for walk-in customer contact centres by the service providers. This is not acceptable to the Commission and has to be addressed with a great sense of urgency.”

    Various service providers’ representatives who spoke in turns at the event explained how they have been able to tackle some of the problems raised by consumers and assured of improved and quality services for their customers not only in Aba, but the country as a whole.