The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NCC

  • NCC: Enter Dare, multi-media digital journalist

    NCC: Enter Dare, multi-media digital journalist

    Sunday Dare, Special Adviser and Chief of Staff of National Leader of the All Progressive Congress(APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari as Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), is a multi-media expert with bias for digital journalism.

    His 25-year journalism experience spans the whole gamut of print, broadcast and new media.

    A foundation staff of respected The News/Tempo/ PM News group, he rose to become the General Editor of the group before leaving for further studies in the United States of America(USA).

    For nine years he served as Chief of the Hausa Service of the Voice of America in Washington DC where he supervised International radio broadcasters and coordinated the work of about 20 journalists spread across sub-Saharan Africa.

    Upon return to Nigeria briefly in late 2010, Dare served as the

    Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Prof. Dora Akunyili at the Ministry of Information and Communication, which supervised the NCC.

    In August 2011, he joined Tinubu as special adviser media and Chief of Staff.  He was also a key member of the APC media and political strategy team.

    The visiting Scholar, Journalism, New York University went through a one- year academic study in Media and Public Policy under the prestigious Neiman Journalism Fellowship Oxford University.

    He also undertook a six- month academic research fellowship in digital communications (Web 2.0 technology) and citizen journalism.

    Dare is author of several books, one of which won the Sigma Delta Chi International Journalism award in the United States.

    Some of his books are:Making a killing- The Business of War; Guerrilla Journalism- Dispatches from the underground; We are all Journalists; Africa in the Age of Social Media and Datelines- A journalists Narrative.

    Dare obtained a Bachelor of Science in International Studies from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

    He bagged a Masters in International law and diplomacy from the University of Jos.

    The 50-year-old convener of the Social Media Clinic is married with three daughters.

     

  • Ogun, NCC settle dispute over 47 shut BTS

    Ogun, NCC settle dispute over 47 shut BTS

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Ogun State government have resolved all outstanding issues that have kept  47 base transmission stations (BTS) under lock and had degraded service quality in the state and its environs.

    The Executive Vice Chairman, NCC Prof Umar Danbatta who spoke after a visit to Governor Ibikunle Amosun in Abeokuta,  yesterday said the development would positively impact on the access to telecoms services in the state.

    He said: “We have succeeded in resolving a contentious matter leading to sealing of 47 BTS in the state. The BTS are going to be unsealed immediately. This would enhance the challenge we have of providing telecom access in the state.”

    Speaking further, Danbatta expressed satisfaction with the assurances given by the governor in tackling the concerns of multiple taxations and right of way, which are among the non-technical factors conspiring to degrade quality of telecoms services in the country.

  • NCC seeks African leaders’ commitment to broadband infrastructure

    The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has urged African leaders to focus on the development of broadband infrastructure as a way of combating the twin-evil of poverty and debt.

    Its Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Prof Umar Dambatta, who spoke on the sidelines of this year’s edition of Nigerian Telecoms Awards in Lagos, at the weekend, said with the huge contribution the telecoms sector has made to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), if other African countries make special efforts to develop the sector by providing broadband infrastructure, the continent will be better for it.

    He said Africa is still very promising for investments. Telecoms investors have huge opportunities to explore the African continent, which still has huge potentials for returns on investment. He said the developed parts of the world are almost saturated with different types of telecom services, stressing that Africa stands a chance to make desirable impact in the next few years if necessary steps are taken.

    He said: “In a period where Africa is burdened by poverty and debts, telecommunications has become one of the key sources of improving the GDP of the African economies. Currently, telecom and ICT (information communications technology) contribute up to 10 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP. The recent report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has put the contributions of the telecommunications sector to the GDP at N1.4 trillion in the first quarter of this year­— almost the size of our national budget.

    “This is a positive indication that more investments, more deployments and more economic activities around the sector will continue to impact positively on the sector. This is a good reason for various agencies of government, and governments at all levels in Africa, to show greater understanding and support for the quest by various regulators in Africa to improve the telecommunications environment.”

    He said the global expectations of the impacts of broadband and efforts by various countries to achieve fast deployment of broadband infrastructure cannot be overemphasized, adding that broadband is an enabler of other economic and human activities. The World Bank and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) have made recommendations about broadband that cannot be ignored by any progressive telecom regulator, Prof Dambatta added.

    He said: “The Broadband Commission, while emphasising the importance of broadband for future economic development of every nation, referred to the World Bank research that indicates that, “for high-income countries, a 10-percentage-point rise in broadband penetration adds a 1.21-percentage point rise in economic growth – or an added 1.38 percentage points for low- and middle-income countries. This is more than any other type of communication service.

    “This is one of the reasons why broadband is on the top of the Eight-Point Agenda of the NCC under my leadership. I believe that many African countries are giving serious thoughts and actions towards the provision of broadband to make it available, accessible and affordable for the citizens of the continent, and in the process, impact positively to their national economies.

    “In Nigeria, our target is already set for 30 per cent penetration in 2018, against the current 10 per cent penetration across the country. We have already outlined our plans, which include the licensing of fibre infrastructure providers in the remaining five geopolitical zones of Southwest, Southeast, Southsouth, Northwest, and Northeast. Two companies are already licensed for Northcentral and Lagos, which is considered a zone on its own right as the commercial capital of this country with huge demands for telecom services. We have successfully sold some slots of frequencies in the 2.6GHz Spectrum Band, and will continue to commit efforts towards efficient management of resources to achieve the various targets expanding the frontiers of broadband and improving the telecom sector.”

  • NCC pays N70b into treasury

    NCC pays N70b into treasury

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has remitted N70 billon into the Federation Account in the last one year.

    “This is in addition to the N30 billion paid by MTN Nigeria as a part payment of the N330billion fine slammed on it by the commission.

    Mr Yakubu Musa, Special Assistant on Media to the chief executive of the commission, stated this in a statement in Abuja yesterday.

    It also said the NCC won the European Award for Best Practices 2016.

    “ The ceremony, which held in Brussels, Belgium, was hosted by the European Society for Quality Research (ESQR), an affiliate of the European Union (EU).

    The statement added that no fewer than 63 countries participated in the award out of which the NCC won the European Award for Best Practices 2016.

    It said that the award, which was in the Gold category, was in recognition of its outstanding commitment, support and results in quality management strategies.

    It said Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice-Chairman of the commission, will address a Retreat on Revenue Generation scheduled to hold from July 13 to 15 in Kano State.

    Danbatta, a Professor of Telecommunications Engineering, is also expected to share NCC’s experience with the participants.

  • NCC remits N70bn into Federation Account

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Monday said it has remitted N70 billion into the Federation Account in the last one year.

    This is in addition to the N30 billion paid by MTN Nigeria for SIM card infraction, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    The Special Assistant on Media to the chief executive of the commission, Mr. Yakubu Musa, said this in a statement in Abuja.

    It also said the NCC won the European Award for Best Practices in 2016.

    “ The ceremony, which was held in Brussels, Belgium, was hosted by the European Society for Quality Research (ESQR), an affiliate of the European Union (EU),” NAN quoted the commission spokesman as saying in the statement.

     

     

  • FUTMinna team wins NCC grant

    A research team of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, has won the 2015 Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) research grant for the fabrication of GSM Communication Based Walking Cane Robot (GWCR) for enhancing ambulation, worth over N3 million.

    A letter addressed to the leader of the team, Prof Abiodun Aibinu, and signed by NCC Director, New Media and Information Security, Haru Alhassan, stated that the grant includes the design and stimulation of various surfaces as well as the working condition of GWCR.

    He said the grant was to assist the team to cover the cost of all works necessary for the timely completion of the contract.

    Congratulating the university research team for winning the grant for the second year running, Alhassan urged them to work assiduously for the completion of the project on schedule.

    Speaking to The Nation, Aibinu said the team is committed to quality research and development projects that would enhance the global ratings of the institution.

    “Winning NCC research grant award back-to-back shows that FUT, Minna is at par with other universities around the world and a force to reckon with in terms of research and development,” he said.

    Aibinu equally appealed to other corporate bodies in Nigeria to emulate NCC by instituting annual research grants for tertiary institutions in order to bridge the gap between industries and universities.

  • Disruptive technologies challenge telcos, says NCC

    Disruptive technologies challenge telcos, says NCC

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said the evolution of the telecoms industry, which has led to the emergence of disruptive technologies, is capable of threatening traditional telephony, short message services (SMS) and the bottomline.

    Speaking on the Role of Disruptive Technologies in Catapulting Africa’s GDP in Lagos, at an event tagged: NITEC 2016,  NCC’s  Director, Public Affairs, Tony Ojobo, said a 2013 report by McKinsey co- titled: Disruptive Technologies: Advances that Will Transform Life and Global Economy, identified 12 items in the gallery of disruptive technologies. These include mobile internet; internet of things (IoT); cloud; advanced robotics; autonomous vehicles; renewable energy storage and others. Some of them fall under the genre of over-the-top (OTT) services, which are carried over the networks, delivering value to customers.

    According to him, OTTs offer service without any carrier service provider being involved in planning, selling, provisioning or servicing them, implying that traditional telcos cannot directly earn revenue from such services.

    He said: “These OTT services include services such as internet protocol (IT) telephony, live (video) streaming and other social media applications.

    “Many traditional service providers are of the opinion that traditional telephony and SMS revenues are under threat from newer IP based alternatives such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Skype, Viber, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and others. Similarly, third party web content and social networking companies such as Google and Facebook are increasingly generating huge revenues and driving high levels of data, which ride on the broadband network of traditional network operators even if the latter still have all the money to upgrade their networks to accommodate the OTT intruders.”

    Globally, he added,  there is a continuing surge in growth, meaning that the industry must be heading towards a positive direction.

    According to him, a well implemented ICT agenda, which incubates new ideas, will take the industry to the next level.

    He said: “Several reasons are responsible for this optimism. The curators of some of these technologies, aptly described as disruptive, are the youths. The continent and Nigeria in particular, has a rambunctious gathering of youths, they are bold, audacious and creative.

    “The United Nations (UN) 2015 Population Facts say there were 226 million youths between the ages 15 and 24 in Africa. The figure does not include ages 25 to 45. Wikipedia records 33,625,424 for ages between 18 and 35 for Nigeria alone, while Country Meter has the following age structure: 75,584,144-young people under 15 years; 103,288,688-between the ages of 15 and 64 and 5,762,467-above the ages of 64, also for Nigeria. What this means is that quite a number of figures in the demography fall into the age of creativity and audacity,” Ojobo said.

    He said in spite of the hermetic strictures created by legacy failure in governance, challenging human capital development environment and the inability of African leaders to address the adverse factors that affect their ecosystem, African youths will always stand their own because of their resilience and the elastic ambition to dream and dare the unknown.

  • FUTMinna team wins NCC grant

    A research team of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, has won the 2015 Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) research grant for the fabrication of GSM Communication Based Walking Cane Robot (GWCR) for enhancing ambulation, worth over N3 million.

    A letter addressed to the leader of the team, Prof Abiodun Aibinu, and signed by NCC Director, New Media and Information Security, Haru Alhassan, stated that the grant includes the design and stimulation of various surfaces as well as the working condition of GWCR.

    He said the grant was to assist the team to cover the cost of all works necessary for the timely completion of the contract.

    Congratulating the university research team for winning the grant for the second year running, Alhassan urged them to work assiduously for the completion of the project on schedule.

    Speaking to The Nation, Aibinu said the team is committed to quality research and development projects that would enhance the global ratings of the institution.

    “Winning NCC research grant award back-to-back shows that FUT, Minna is at par with other universities around the world and a force to reckon with in terms of research and development,” he said.

    Aibinu equally appealed to other corporate bodies in Nigeria to emulate NCC by instituting annual research grants for tertiary institutions in order to bridge the gap between industries and universities.

  • N780b NCC fine: MTN pays N30b

    N780b NCC fine: MTN pays N30b

    MTN yesterday said it has paid N30 billion into the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC’s) Treasury Single Account (TSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as part payment of the fine imposed on it by the NCC.

    Last year, a total fine of N1.04trillion was slammed on the telco over subscriber identity module (SIM) card registration infraction concerning some 5.2million improperly registered lines on its network.

    The fine was first reduced to N780billion by the Federal Government but was later reduced to N330 billion. The telco first paid N50billion in ‘good faith’ after withdrawing the court case it instituted gainst the regulator.

    The final resolution of the impasse was that the balance of N280 billion would be paid by the telco in six tranches between this year and May 31, 2019.

    Its CEO, Ferdi Moolman, said: “I am pleased to announce that the first payment of N30 billion in the terms of settlement has already been disbursed to the NCC in addition to the earlier payment of N50 billion which we paid in good faith and without prejudice on February 24, this means we have now paid a total of N80 billion.”

    Meanwhile, after the payment of N18.96billion licence fee for the 2.6 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum to the NCC, MTN said it has obtained the letter of award of the spectrum from the regulator.

    The licence for the spectrum which guarantees superior performance for wireless networks, especially 4G long term evolution (LTE) services, has a 10-year life span.

    MTN was the only telco that participated in the bid that took place last month as other telcos shunned the auction. NCC had earlier confirmed that MTN’s bid was in full compliance with the relevant provisions of the Information Memorandum (IM) for the exercise.

    Although Nigeria is one of 28 African countries that currently offer 4G/LTE services, the rate of penetration is restricted to a few major cities. As such, MTN’s success in this auction is a big boost to its plan to deliver global mobile broadband and LTE 4G services to over 60 million customers in the country.

    MTN also plans to use Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) networks in addition to its existing Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX) over time division duplex (TDD) networks, as this provides for greater consistency with existing 2G and 3G deployments.

    “After complying with all the requirements for the 2.6GHz auction and making the licence payment of N18.96 billion to the NCC, MTN has been issued a letter of awar,” Moolman said.

  • Disruptive technologies challenge telcos, says NCC

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said the evolution of the telecoms industry, which has led to the emergence of disruptive technologies, is capable of threatening traditional telephony, short message services (SMS) and invariably, the bottomline.

    Speaking on the Role of Disruptive Technologies in Catapulting Africa’s GDP in Lagos, at an event tagged: NITEC 2016,  NCC’s  Director, Public Affairs, Tony Ojobo, said a 2013 report by McKinsey co titled: Disruptive Technologies: Advances that Will Transform Life and Global Economy, identified 12 items in the gallery of disruptive technologies. These include mobile internet; internet of things (IoT); cloud; advanced robotics; autonomous vehicles; renewable energy storage and others. Some of them fall under the genre of over-the-top (OTT) services, which are carried over the networks, delivering value to customers.

    According to him, OTTs offer service without any carrier service provider being involved in planning, selling, provisioning or servicing them, implying that traditional telcos cannot directly earn revenue from such services.

    He said: “These OTT services include services such as internet protocol (IT) telephony, live (video) streaming and other social media applications.

    “Many traditional service providers are of the opinion that traditional telephony and SMS revenues are under threat from newer IP based alternatives such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Skype, Viber, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and others. Similarly, third party web content and social networking companies such as Google and Facebook are increasingly generating huge revenues and driving high levels of data, which ride on the broadband network of traditional network operators even if the latter still have all the money to upgrade their networks to accommodate the OTT intruders.”

    Globally, he added,  there is a continuing surge in growth, meaning that the industry must be heading towards a positive direction.

    According to him, a well implemented ICT agenda, which incubates new ideas, will take the industry to the next level.

    He said: “Several reasons are responsible for this optimism. The curators of some of these technologies, aptly described as disruptive, are the youths. The continent and Nigeria in particular, has a rambunctious gathering of youths, they are bold, audacious and creative.

    “The United Nations (UN) 2015 Population Facts say there were 226 million youths between the ages 15 and 24 in Africa. The figure does not include ages 25 to 45. Wikipedia records 33,625,424 for ages between 18 and 35 for Nigeria alone, while Country Meter has the following age structure: 75,584,144-young people under 15 years; 103,288,688-between the ages of 15 and 64 and 5,762,467-above the ages of 64, also for Nigeria. What this means is that quite a number of figures in the demography fall into the age of creativity and audacity,” Ojobo said.

    He said in spite of the hermetic strictures created by legacy failure in governance, challenging human capital development environment and the inability of African leaders to address the adverse factors that affect their ecosystem, African youths will always stand their own because of their resilience and the elastic ambition to dream and dare the unknown.