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Tag: Mr Tony Ojobo

  • Ministries of education, communication urged to upgrade ICT curriculum

    Ministries of education, communication urged to upgrade ICT curriculum

    Mr Tony Ojobo, the Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged stakeholders in the ministries communication and education to pull resources together to upgrade schools’ curriculum on ICT education.

    Ojobo made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

    He said that the stakeholders should work together to fashion out a way to upgrade schools’ curriculum from the primary school level to enhance ICT education.

    He said that there was an urgent need to review schools’ curriculum to improve the content of ICT education to make the country to be at par with global standard.

    “Advancement in technology’s today makes it expedient for the ministry of education to look into schools’ curriculum and improve the content of computer education to meet global trends.

    “There is a need for the ministry of education to be involved so that we can look at the curriculum and involve ICT experts and professionals to improve and add things that will put pupils and students on the path of innovation.

    “So there is a need for capacity building, we also need to train trainers, capacity building is very important and we believe that this capacity should be built from the primary school level.

    “And to secondary and the tertiary education, there should be a review of the content in the curriculum in such a way that it is progressive to the point that students will begin to apply technology tools.’’

    Ojobo said that many developed countries started from the cradle to teach their young people about technology and they are also encouraged to create things on their own, “Nigeria should do the same’’.

    “I’ve heard the minister of communication saying from time to time that oil is becoming scarce like a diamond, and ICT is the next oil.

    “We have statistics that are coming from the ICT industry and I give you an example; Facebook, for instance, is a technology brand that started 12 years ago.

    “Today Facebook is worth more than 350 billion dollars, a 12-year company, started by a 16-year-old boy.

    “Now our entire reserve in terms of how much we have as a nation, the last result showed that we have about 31 billion dollars.

    “We need to begin to shift our focus from the natural resources to our mental resources as the way forward and that will take us out of the woods and bring us to technological advancement,’’ he said.

  • NCC debunks membership of Etisalat’s new board

    NCC debunks membership of Etisalat’s new board

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it was not among the members of the new board of Etisalat.
    The Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo said this in a statement on Saturday in Lagos.
    Ojobo said that the attention of the commission had been drawn to a report by some media organisations to the effect that NCC was represented on the new Board of Etisalat.
    “The commission hereby makes it clear that it is not on the Board of Etisalat.
    “As the regulator of the telecommunications sector, there was a recommendation suggesting that NCC should be on the new board of the company but the commission declined.
    “The NCC considered it necessary to bring this to the attention of the general public,” he said.
    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Etisalat Nigeria on Tuesday, July 4, confirmed the appointment of Boye Olusanya, a former Deputy Managing Director of Celtel Nigeria (now Airtel Nigeria) as its Chief Executive Officer.
    The telecommunications company said that Olusanya was replacing Mr Matthew Willsher, who stepped down as the CEO on Monday, July 3.
    It also said that Mrs Funke Ighodaro had been appointed as the Chief Finance Officer, to take over from Mr Olawole Obasunloye, who also resigned on July 3.
    “Etisalat Nigeria today confirms that as a result of the ongoing restructuring efforts, a new board has been constituted.
    “A Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Dr Joseph Nnanna, will be the Chairman of the board, taking over from Hakeem Bello-Osagie, who resigned, as part of the agreement reached for a seamless transition.
    “Other members of the board comprise of Mr Oluseyi Bickersteth, Mr Ken Igbokwe, Mr Boye Olusanya and Mrs Funke Ighodaro,” it said.

  • Data Hike: NCC consulting widely with stakeholders

    Data Hike: NCC consulting widely with stakeholders

    Mr Tony Ojobo, the Director of Public Affairs, Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) on Wednesday said the commission was consulting widely with stakeholders on data floor price.

    Ojobo said this in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the recent increase and suspension of the price of data.

    On Nov.29, some telecom service providers sent messages to their subscribers that NCC was planning to increase data tariff.

    The announcement elicited wide criticisms from subscribers including the National Assembly, which prompted the commission to issue a statement on the suspension of the data price increase.

    “In order for us not to have a failure and to have good quality data services, there is the need for intervention by the regulator.

    “And what we have said is that it has been suspended, for now, the commission is going to undertake a study and consult widely with all stakeholders before a final decision is taken,’’ he said.

    Ojobo said that in terms of pricing, Nigeria was not doing badly, adding that “NCC is responsible and responsive to it duty’’.

    He said that the commission was also looking at the benchmark across other African countries on how they regulate theirs before fixing the floor price.

    Ojobo said that the world had gone the internet, therefore there was the need for huge investment to ensure that the country enjoyed these services.

    “The operator pays for the bandwidth it gets and it is going below the cost price, then something is wrong.

    “And it will bring a distraction and contribute to market failure, so it is important we understand all these,’’ he said.

    Mrs Josephine Amuwa, the Director of Policy and Economic Analysis said that the commission carried out a cost study to determine the situation on the ground and what could be done as regards data floor.

    “We carried out a benchmarking in African countries to see what was happening and the cost of data services in these countries and in all these consultations, we involved operators.

    “We wrote to them to start a consultation for price floor and all those to be involved in it and they wrote to us for the need for a price floor.

    “And we had a consultation with 28 operators on Oct. 19, later it was left for NCC to take the decision and we decided that 90 kobo was an appropriate interim figure.

    “Somebody who is paying N5 will pay 90k and somebody who is paying 45k will pay 90k, it then balances out and that is why we introduce a price floor.

    “We have gone back to our cost study to see how fast we can fast track it, we cannot do without it because we don’t want the industry to fail,’’ she said.

  • NCC suspends directive on data price hike

    NCC suspends directive on data price hike

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Wednesday said it has suspended any further action on the directive to introduce price floor for data segment of the telecommunications sector beginning from Dec. 1.

    The Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo, announced in a statement in Lagos that the decision to suspend the directive was taken after due consultation with industry stakeholders and the general complaints by consumers across the country.

    Ojobo said that the commission had weighed all of these and consequently asked all operators to maintain the status quo until the conclusion of study to determine retail prices for broadband and data services in Nigeria.

    He said that the regulatory body wrote to the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on Nov. 1, on the determination of an interim price floor for data services after the stakeholder’s consultative meeting of Oct. 19.

    According to him, the decision to have a price floor is primarily to promote a level playing field for all operators in the industry, encourage small operators and new entrants.

    “The price floor in 2014 was N3.11k/MB but was removed in 2015. The price floor that was supposed to flag off on December 1, 2016, was N0.90k/MB.

    “In taking that decision, the smaller operators were exempted from the new price regime by virtue of their small market share.

    “The decision on the price floor was taken in order to protect the consumers who are at the receiving end and save the smaller operators from predatory services that are likely to suffocate them and push them into extinction.

    “The price floor is not an increase in price but a regulatory safeguard put in place by the telecommunications regulator to check anti-competitive practices by dominant operators.

    “This statement clarifies the insinuation in some quarters that the regulator has fixed prices for data services.

    “This is not true because the NCC does not fix prices but provides regulatory guidelines to protect the consumers, deepen investments and safeguard the industry from imminent collapse,” he said.

    The director said that before the new suspended price floor of N0.90k/MB, the industry average for dominant operators including MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, EMTS Limited (Etisalat) and Airtel Nigeria Limited was N0.53k/MB.

    He added that Etisalat offered N0.94k/MB, Airtel N0.52k/MB, MTN N0.45k/MB and Globacom N0.21k/MB.

    The smaller operators/new entrants charge the following: Smile Communications N0.84k/MB, Spectranet N0.58k/MB and NATCOM (NTEL) N0.72k/MB.

    Ojobo said that the NCC as a responsive agency of government took into consideration the feelings of the consumers and decided to suspend the new price floor.

  • Unsolicited messages: NCC warns operators

    Unsolicited messages: NCC warns operators

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Monday warned mobile telephone operators to desist from bombarding subscribers with unsolicited text messages, saying that it was set to protect the rights of subscribers.

    The commission maintained that it would ‘protect subscribers from the nuisance and irritations of unsolicited text messages and calls from mobile network operators’.

    Its Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo, noted in a statement, that in spite of earlier warnings to telecommunication service providers to activate their Do-Not-Disturb facility which gives subscribers the freedom to choose the messages they receive, the Commission is still inundated with complaints by subscribers of continuing text harassment by operators.

    Said the statement: “The Direction issued to industry operators to activate the 2442 Do Not Disturb Short Code took effect from July 1, 2016.”

    Ojobo explained that the Direction mandates the operators to take immediate action which will allow the subscribers to take informed, but independent decisions on what messages to receive from the networks.

    He observed that industry compliance doesn’t seem to match the seriousness of the Direction thus, compelling the Commission to issue a final warning to the operators.

    According to him, the Direction takes into cognizance the broad range of services, which include: Banking/Insurance/Financial products, Real estate, Education, Health, Consumer Goods and Automobiles, Communication/ Broadcasting/ Entertainment/ IT, Tourism and /Leisure, Sports, Religion (Christianity, Islam, others), and directed the operators to give the necessary instructions and clarifications that will enable subscribers subscribe to a particular service/services/none at all.

    Said Ojobo: “In fact, a Full DND which is SMS ‘STOP” to 2442 does not allow the subscriber to receive any unsolicited messages from the operators at all.

    “Below are the various options:

    “SMS 1” for receiving SMS relating to Banking/Insurance/ Financial Products to 2442

    “SMS 2” for receiving SMS relating to Real estate to 2442

    SMS 3” for receiving SMS relating to Education to 2442

    “SMS 4” for receiving SMS relating to Health to 2442

    “SMS 5” for receiving SMS relating to Consumer Goods and Automobiles, to 2442

    “SMS 6” for receiving SMS relating to Communication/ Broadcasting/ Entertainment/ IT, to 2442

    “SMS 7” for receiving SMS relating to Tourism and Leisure to 2442

    “SMS 8” for receiving SMS relating to Sports to 2442

    “SMS 9” for receiving SMS relating to Religion to 2442

    Ojobo called on the service providers to immediately comply with the Direction as further complaints from the subscribers would be taken as serious infractions to a major regulatory intervention by the Commission

  • NCC to license five Infrastructure companies

    NCC to license five Infrastructure companies

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Tuesday said it would soon commence the second phases of the licensing of five new Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) in the country, to bridge existing broadband gap.

    The Director, Public Affairs of NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo said in a statement that the licensing of the five InfraCos would bring to seven, the total number of companies issued with the licence.

    “NCC on behalf of the Federal Government announces its intension to commence Phase 2 – license of Infracos for North East, North West, South-South, South West and South East zones.

    “The InfraCos will deploy metropolitan fibre infrastructure within its assigned territory on an open access, non-discriminatory, price regulated basis,” Ojobo said.

    He said that the open access model had been examined and found to be an appropriate model for optic fibre backbone infrastructure deployment in Nigeria to bridge the current broadband gap.

    According to him, “the model will help deliver fast, reliable broadband services to households and businesses.

    “It is envisaged that this initiative will address the challenges of congested transmission network and also mitigate the challenges arising from infrastructure sharing and Rights of Way issues.

    “In this project the Federal Government shall provide financial support in the form of subsidy, which shall be competitively determined to facilitate rollout obligations,” he said.

    Ojobo said that the Request for Proposal (RFP) document, detailing the commercial principles, key licensing conditions and technical specifications would be advertised soon.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that MainOne and IHS were in 2014, licensed to deploy infrastructure for Lagos area and North Central, respectively.