The Nation Newspaper

Tag: telcos

  • Telcos blame govt for low service quality

    Telecoms operators have blamed the government for the poor telecoms services in the country.

    The operators, acting under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said the actions of government and its agencies contribute to low service quality.

    Its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo who spoke on the sideline of the last Telecoms Consumer Parliament (TCP) in Lagos, lamented that some state governments have turned telecoms infrastructure to bait with which they extract funds from the telcos.

    He cited Ogun State where no fewer than 25 Base Transmission Stations (BTS) had been sealed up by the state government and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),  where carriers had been denied approval to expand capacity through the building of new BTS.

    He said: “We have problem with Ogun State government over site approval payment and also what they call the grant rental payment and what has happened in the last six months is that our members that provide services there have had issue with the planning authority there.

    “By last count, 25 sites have been shut down by the government of Ogun State; two of those sites are hub sites providing services to neighbouring states of Oyo and part of Lagos. The impact of that will be bad consumer experience; we are engaging them, and we do hope that the matter will be resolved in matter of days. But more than closure of sites and reopening of sites, what is worrisome is the trend of site closure due to the issue of revenue collection, and I think these are issues that should be clearly separated.

    “The government is looking for money; let them do so by other means not by services that will have security implications. For the fact that there are no services in those parts of the state as we speak , the people there are open to all kinds of experiences which they may not be able to report to police and other security agencies.”

    According to Adebayo, these developments underscore the need to have tlecoms infrastructure classified as national security and economic infrastructure where nobody at any level of government will have right to shut down.

    “We have written a letter to the governor of the state but it sends a very bad signal   because the fact that sites are being made as baits to extract money from service providers, is not the right thing to do and we think the level of our development has gone far beyond that,” he had said.

    Speaking on carriers’ challenge in Abuja, he said the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority (FCDA) said the masterplan of the FCT did not foresee the emergence of mobile telephony and made no provision for its infrastructure.

    “What we were told was that when the masterplan was made, there was no provision for telecoms infrastructure understandably so because 40 years ago, there was no popularity of mobile services. So, we have been engaging with the authority of the FCTDA for the purposes of approval of sites but the fact is that none of that has happened I got information from the director of NCC (Nigerian Communications Commission) now that a meeting was held about two weeks ago and the minister had committed to getting something to happen soon but the experience we have in Abuja is a function of the fact that we don’t have sufficient capacity to support subscribers in Abuja,” he said.

  • Telcos, subscribers seek NCC’s SIM reg requirements review

    Telcos, subscribers seek NCC’s SIM reg requirements review

    Increasingly, telecoms subscribers are showing interest in the quality of services (QoS) they get from their carriers. The monthly Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has become a veritable platform for both consumers and the regulator to cross-pollinate ideas on how to develop the industry. The 81st edition of the TCP, which was held in Lagos, provided an opportunity for the telcos and subscribers to seek a review of the subscriber identity module (SIM) card registration guidelines of the NCC, among other issues, writes LUCAS AJANAKU.

    Telcos and subscribers have complained bitterly about the strict subscriber identity module (SIM) card registration requirements by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

    Particularly, they complained about the rigorous process they have to pass through when trying to retrieve lost SIM cards from their service providers.

    Subscribers, who spoke during the 81st Edition of Telecoms Consumer Parliament (TCP) in Lagos at the weekend, said the regulator should do something about the strict guidelines, which are hurting them.

    A subscriber, who identified herself as Angela, complained about her experience with her service provider two months ago. According to her, her mobile phone was stolen and she promptly notified her service provider about the development, asking the carrier to block the line from making or receiving calls because she did not want criminals to use her phone number to make calls.

    “After getting the line blocked, I went to the customer service centre of my telco for SIM swap. I was completely shocked by the very hard and fast rules spelt out for me to meet. I was asked to name three numbers I usually call, present an identity card (either a valid drivers’ licence, international passport, national identity card or a permanent voter’s card (PVC). As at the time of making efforts to retrieve my SIM, aside my international passport, which was with the South African embassy for visa application, I also had my staff identity card. After deposing to an affidavit that the SIM card belonged to me and that it was stolen, my service provider insisted that I should present my great grand-father death certificate, who died four decades ago.

    “The most frustrating aspect of the issue was that efforts by officials of the Public Affairs Department to intervene proved abortive. These requirements are too hard and fast in a dynamic industry,” she said on the sideline at the forum.

    Reacting at a panel discussion, which had representatives of the telcos and the NCC, the telcos lamented,  had written to the regulator about subscribers’  complaints over the issue, but had not got any reprieve.

    The telcos blamed the pains subscribers go through on the SIM registration requirements of the NCC.

    A Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, at NCC, Ephraim Nwokenneya, explained that some unscrupulous elements leveraged the loopholes in the system, impersonating people and committing fraud.

    Also speaking, NCC’s Director, Licensing and Authorisation, Ms Funlola Akiyode, said the regulator received a letter from the telcos, but said the NCC will look at the issue, arguing that the regulator will not rush to change the rules.

    She said the fact that the telcos had written would not make the regulator change the rules overnight, insisting that the regulator is proactive and is abreast with developments in the sector.

    Starting in 2007, the NCC begun the process for SIM registration, but the process only got finalised in 2011 with the enactment of SIM Registration Regulations.

    Key objective of the exercise is to create a central database of all users of telecoms services in Nigeria, regardless of medium. Other objectives include facilitating know your customer (KYC) for adjacent agencies, such as Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and others.

    NCC’s actions, Akiyode said, were hinged on assisting law enforcement and security agencies to fight the growing level of insurgency in the Northeast and criminality (in the South), noting that some subscribers abused anonymity to embarrass, defraud or carry out illegitimate activities.

    “Unregistered SIMs have been implicated in acts of kidnapping, financial crimes (419) and others while registration/location information have been used successfully to track down criminals. It was also discovered that SIMs can be used to detonate explosive devices,” she said.

    NCC’s SIM Registration Regulations set forth very clear requirements for subscriber registration. For biometric information: four fingerprints; and clear facial image of the subscriber collected in accordance with the agreed registration specifications.

    Personal information:  full names;   mother’s maiden name; gender; date of birth; residential address;  nationality; state of origin;  occupation and  contact details.

    Proof of identity: any of the following must be sighted: National Identity Card, International Passport; Driver’s License; Letter of authentication by traditional ruler/community leader affixed with passport photograph (in rural areas).

    Data quality must be in accordance with registration specifications in digital image standards, data dictionary and others.

    Confidentiality of registration information: personal information not to be released without subscribers’ prior written consent, or transferred abroad without NCC’s prior written consent.

    Represented at the event by the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management, Sunday Dare, NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Prof Umar Dmabatta, said the telecoms consumer remained central to the commission, adding that it informed the declaration of the year as that of the telecoms consumer, which is consistent with the eight-point agenda set out in 2015 when he mounted the saddle.

    “The number two and six items of the agenda are the core drivers of the NCC year of telecoms consumer initiative. While the number two of the agenda addresses improved quality of service, item six is concerned with protection of and empowerment of the telecoms consumers.

    “It must be emphasised that all NCC initiatives such as SIM card registration, mobile number portability, broadband policy implementation, development of 2442 and 622 short codes as well as various consumers awareness campaigns are to ensure consumer satisfaction and protection.

    “The NCC has declared 2017 the Year of Telecom Consumer. The focus of the declaration are: continuous improvement of quality; ubiquitous and affordable service to the consumer; increasing our consultative engagement with the consumer to always service the needs of the consumer positively; ensuring that services yield the result of improving consumer experience by supporting better access to life changing and improvement opportunities, access to governance services, business and career development, quality education and social engagement; increasing consumer information and education as well as consumer-centric regulatory governance and policy administration,” Dambatta said.

    A short video vox pop conducted by the regulator and played at the event showed that many telecoms consumers are still far from getting the quality of service they expected from their service providers. While a subscriber alleged that his service provider gives only data but no service. “If I get a call and I want to pick it, I will just hear message,” she said.

    A female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Enitan, lamented very poor data quality while another, Esther, lamented poor service quality at Okelewo, Abeokuta. Other subscribers, Jonathan, Supo, Ajewole and Olanrewaju were also not happy with the current tariff regime, which they claimed is too expensive. They urged the NCC to set a timeline for improved service  stiffer punishment for nonperforming telco. According to Olanrewaju, who resides in Akure, Ondo State, most text messages from the thelcos were  unsolicited ones.

    While some subscribers lauded NCC regulatory intervention, others want it to do more in creating awareness about 2442 and 622 short codes, whose existence they claimed ignorance of.

     

  • Telcos: 100% tariff hike on data, calls is inevitable

    The rapidly declining average revenue per user (ARPU) for voice calls, continued constraint on access to foreign exchange (forex), government policy, naira devaluation, revenue loss to Over The Top (OTT) and others are reasons why a 100 per cent tariff hike on calls and data by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) would be inevitable from the perspective of telcos.

    Since 2004, ARPU has decreased from just over $15 per month per subscriber to a new low of $4 due to the current economic crisis. This has eroded the bottom line of telcos which have resorted to job cuts.

    Also, over the last one decade, a drastic reduction had been recorded in call and data tariffs because on-net and off-net per minute tariffs which now stand at N12.01k and N12.64 respectively used to be N24 and N75.30k.

    In the light of this development, telcos are alleged to have started a push to convince the NCC to tinker with existing call and data tariffs.

    Source said if the NCC agrees to such increase, subscribers will now pay close to N24 per minute and about N2,000 for one gigabyte of data per month, from N1000 currently being charged by most operators.

    The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) had complained of decreasing revenue of its members due to increasing operating cost and intrusion of Over The Top (OTT) services.

    Its chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, said increasing usage of OTT services by customers was adversely impacting on traditional telecoms platforms.

    He quoted Ovum, the independent analyst and consultancy, as saying the growing adoption of OTT services by customers instead of traditional telecoms services will occasion global revenue loss of $386 billion over a period of six years (2012 – 2018) for the traditional telecom operators, thus endangering network development.

    Engr Adebayo confirmed that the core voice and SMS revenues were decreasing continuously due to impact of OTT players who offer voice, video and messaging services free of charge to their users.

    The increasing adoption of OTT applications by telecom subscribers is also negatively impacting on incoming international traffic as well as SMS at huge cost to the telcos but generating revenue to OTT, he added.

    But the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) has advised NCC not to accede to any such demand from the telcos.

    Its President, Deolu Ogunbanjo, said the review of the rates is unnecessary in view of the present economic situation of the country.

    “I don’t think this is the right time to do any upward review. Government and its agencies, and the operators should be sensitive to the plight of the people.

    “‘They should understand that we are just coming out of recession and subscribers shouldn’t be confronted with this again,” Ogunbanjo said.

    He said instead of reviewing the rates upward, the regulatory body and the operators should consider a downward review.

     

  • Forex scarcity: Telcos on brink of extinction

    Despite assurances by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) that it has secured a concessional foreign exchange (forex) access window for telcos from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN, the telcos at the weekend raised the alarm that they were on the brink of collapse because of forex challenges.

    The carriers, acting under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), lamented that the failure of the CBN to grant them concessional forex access window was taking a terrific toll on their operations.

    Its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, who spoke during a breakfast meeting with Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) in Lagos at the weekend, lamented that the industry is facing major challenges in purchasing forex to fulfil contractual obligations to equipment suppliers and foreign vendors.

    This situation is adversely impacting the network operations and also some recent developments in the industry have alluded very clearly to the risks at hand, he warned.

    The prevailing scarcity of forex has occasioned a situation where the banks are unable to obtain forex for an upward period of six months, he lamented.

    According to him, carriers are similar to manufacturing firms and deserve to be treated in the same manner because the core network equipment and other auxiliary equipment procured for providing voice and data services are equivalent to plant and machinery acquired by the manufacturing firms for the production of goods and services in the country.

    He said items classified as plants and machinery that are procured and imported into the country by carriers include Radio Frequency (RF) coverage equipment (Base Transmission Station (BTS), Base Station Controller (BSC), Node B, Radio Network Controller (RNC); and core equipment comprising Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Media Gateway, Radio Management Centre (RMC), Charging Control Node (CCN), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM), Packet Core, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Nodes; transmission equipment such as microwave, optic fibre, RF planning tools.

    Others are customer contact equipment such as subscriber identity module (SIM) cards; and network tools such as planning and monitoring tools.

    “These equipment are subsequently integrated to form a network to provide services of voice/data/SMS/VAS/enterprise solutions/leased lines – which are finished goods in the telecoms sector.

    “In addition, telecoms sector is termed “infrastructure of infrastructures” and social overhead capital which propels productivity in other sectors of the economy.  The multiplier effects of efficient and reliable telecommunications services on other spheres of the economy, such as banking, aviation and hospitality cannot be over-emphasised.

    “ALTON is of the opinion that the telecoms sector deserves to be supported through direct forex allocation from the CBN interventions.  This will facilitate the deployment of pervasive broadband network nationwide and ensure that the country retains its prime position, as the largest Telecommunications market in Africa,” he said.

    He said the exemption of telecoms equipment and services from items to be accorded priority in the allocation of forex by the banks has adversely impacted the industry as it has increased operating cost (opex). “In the absence of local substitutes for its plant and machinery, telecoms service providers are constrained to source forex from interbank market at higher rates compared to other sectors such as manufacturing, aviation and agriculture accorded priority in forex allocation at reduced rates by the CBN.  Owing to the prevailing economic situation in the country, ALTON members cannot transfer the increased cost burden to the consumers, thereby contracting profitability and ability to make further investment to drive growth in the industry,” Adebayo said.

    Another effect is unfavourable credit terms which has made it very challenging for telcos to honour their obligations to foreign vendors as at when due.  This has occasioned delayed payment to equipment suppliers and other foreign vendors, who have now resorted to imposing unfavourable payment terms on telcos in the country.  “Some of the foreign vendors had issued Notice of Disconnection of service, which could disrupt service availability with attendant impact on customers’ experience,” Adebayo added.

    He said the forex situation has led to delayed implementation of network enhancement and improvement initiatives. According to him, ALTON members had made commitments intended to ensure the implementation of National Quality of Service (QoS) Fixing Project.  He said it is a coordinated network investment plan supervised by the NCC at designated locations nationwide over a period of time by the carriers to ensure improved QoS.

  • Finally, telcos docked

    Is the chicken coming home to roost for thieving telcos in Nigeria? And why not, a wise saying of the East suggests that when a matter gets too troublesome, you wag your finger at it. Another such saying comes with a more cynical, if not sinister imputation. It insists that when a totem begins to take itself too seriously the people would simply make a bonfire of it just to prove that it’s a piece of wood after all.

    The telecommunications companies, especially the majors in the global system of mobile (GSM) communications firms, seem to have morphed into some rascally deities that have forgotten that they are man-made after all.

    In the last few years, major telcos like MTN, GLO, Airtel and Etisalat have grown from taking their subscribers for a ride to outright picking the pockets of their customers through various guises and trickeries. It is not enough that they pilfer credit, they also give access to all sorts of rogues they term service providers to also help themselves.

    This criminality known as Value-Added Service (VAS) would never thrive in another clime. For instance, they bombard you with messages or some silly information you neither requested for nor care about; you ignore them and they start charging you. When you complain, they advise you to opt out through a complex operation. But you never opted in! And what happens to tens of millions of our illiterate population who do not do sms and thus cannot opt out? They are ripped off in perpetuity.

    Can you imagine N50.00 in multiples of ten million every week? Expand that in four or five different scams and you realise this is worse than armed robbery. And it does not matter what people say; the GSM firms are not even ashamed to be called thieves anymore. The money is too much for them to care and let the profit wash away the shame!

    The regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), pretends to be stupid and deaf about subscribers’ pains; it feigns ignorance of the gross violation of subscribers’ privacy. But the truth is that they are sharing in the illicit profit of the telcos. It’s booty.

    But there is some respite now. The Abuja division of the Court of Appeal has made an example of the leading telco, MTN. It recently upheld the judgment of a lower court which ruled that messages sent without the consent of a subscriber violate his fundamental right to privacy of his telephone as guaranteed by Section 37 of the Constitution.

    MTN was slammed with N3 million fines. Now don’t just sulk, go to court!

  • Telcos seek access to forex, end to multiple taxation

    Nigeria’s carriers are seeking easier access to foreign exchange (forex) to expand infrastructure across the country and improve end user experience on the networks. They are also appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to end the reign of multiple taxations and regulation that have inhibited the growth of the sector.

    The telcos, through their umbrella body, the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), warned that more workers in the telecoms industry may be axed if the issues and other obnoxious policies are not addressed.

    In an email, its President, Olusola Teniola, said: “Our members seek easier access to USD$ and the removal of multiple taxes in order to further grow the sector and its contribution to the economy going forward.

    “Any recovery in Nigeria will be slow and difficult, especially with uncertainty in the value of naira to the USD$. Threats to capital expenditure remain very high and even with the amount budgeted to stimulate infrastructure development, Government still needs to address the imbalances in the need for fiscal increases to support government spending and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) required to continue to develop much needed infrastructure in ICT, which will remain predominately foreign dependent for the next three years at least.”

    Speaking when he led the association’s Executive Council on a working visit to the General Manager, Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Authority (LASIMIRA), Babajide Odekunle, in Lagos, Teniola lamented that revenues from voice calls have declined sharply while data that was supposed to have provided alternative revenue stream is being challenged by a myriad of factors, including operating cost.

    He lamented that the free fall in the value of the naira against the dollar has ensured that roll-out of new base transmission station (BTS) and expansion of existing capacity remained impossible.

  • Why telcos may shun spectrum auction

    If the economic recession affecting the country,  dearth of foreign exchange (forex), as well as falling value of the naira are not addressed, any attempt by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to auction spectrum may not attract responses, it has been gathered.

    According to industry sources, the Federal Government must act to stabilise the ever-depreciating value of the naira, fix the forex problem and restore international confidence in the economy.

    MTN, the only telco that bided at the auction, emerged winner of six slots in the 2.6 GHz frequency spectrum auctioned by the NCC late last year.

    The spectrum guarantees superior performance for wireless networks, especially fourth-generation (4G)/long-term evolution (LTE) services.

    Director, Spectrum Administration at the NCC, Autin Nwaulume, said a post-motem on the dismal performace has been carried out, adding that report has also been submitted to appropriate quarters.

    Speaking on the sideline of spectrum auction forum, Nwaulume said NCC would have wished the whole slots were bought by telcos, adding that the regulator was worried by the development.

    He said the report submitted showed that the state of the economy was topmost, adding that the average revenue per user (ARPU) on data services was also low and a disincentive to acquring slots in the frequency.

    He said the rollout obligation attached to the spectrum by the regulator was also discovered to be too high while the forex problem didn’t help matters.

    According to the DSA, the reserved price for the spectrum was also considered to be too high by prospective buyers. The requirement of taking a minimum of 10 megahertz (MHz) was also high as some were willing to have something less.

    The NCC had on May 20,, last year, stated that since there was only “one qualified bidder”, that wanted six slots out of the 14 available for sale on the 2.6GHz spectrum, there was no need to conduct an auction again.

    The commission had set a reserve price of $16million (N3.2billion) for a slot of the frequency spectrum. One lot or slot of the frequency is made up of two portions of 5MHz.  MTN paid a total of $96million (N19.2billion) for the licence – a cumulative 30MHz in the 2.6GHz frequency.

    “We are doing a post- mortem and we have not yet met with the operators to find out why they did not bid, except one operator.

    “The intention is to be able to know their reasons and to know in what way the regulator can come in to relax some of the conditions in the process, and if this relaxation can lead to more operators going for the remaining eight slots.

    “I am sure the commission will be disposed to looking at the reasons that prevented other operators from coming forward to bid, except only one,”the Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Prof Garba Danbatta had said.

    He explained that the regulator incorporated elements of flexibility in its dealing with the operators in order to continue to sustain the growth in the sector, which he said, had the potential to provide an alternative to oil and gas.

    Danbatta said the NCC was happy with the level of compliance with regulatory stipulations in general, “minus the MTN incident, which cast some sort of shadow on our regulatory derive to ensure sustainability and stability of the industry.”

  • Lagos urges telcos, others to play by rule

    Lagos urges telcos, others to play by rule

    The General Manager, Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA), Mr. Babajide Odekunle, has urged telcos and other infrastructure providers to obey planning rules. He warned that end has come to the era where they operate beyond the government’s approval.

    Speaking on the sidelines of the stakeholders’ forum organised by the agency at Renaissance Hotel, Isaac John Street, Ikeja, he said the agency decided to embark on Utility Infrastructure Audit in the state to have a reliable data about the infrastructure level, lamenting that some service providers have abused their right by exceeding what they asked and got approval for.

    He said: “The cost of not having the audit of infrastructure in the state is a lot. Operators apply for permit of one kilometer and ended up taking between two and three. The simple thing is that they have been shortchanging the state. It is not right and we will not accept that. If you have been given the right of way (RoW) of one kilometer and you have used two or three, you must pay for the extra.”

    He said the approach of the agency at regulating the activities of infrastructure providers in the state is anchored on four pillars identified as business enabler; health and safety; community partnerships; and urban control.

    “As business enabler, while we take our statutory role as a regulatory agency very seriously, we have a defined procedure for issuing permits for our areas of operations. We are a one-stop shop for all operators irrespective of the area of operation in the state. We ensure that no local government area/local development area demands for the same permits that are issued by LASIMRA, he said, adding that the agency’s administrative model of operations has become a case study for other states.

    He said the orderly management of the built environment remained important to the agency.

    “In the areas of overground and underground infrastructure, we are determined to sanitise the infrastructure erected on the ground and underground. We stand to partner with all stakeholders in order to achieve harmony and peaceful coexistence. Our Stakeholders’ Engagement Unit seeks to engage stakeholders in the areas of project information, environmental impact, community development, communication and project awareness,” he said.

    He added that the agency is saddled with the task of ensuring controlled development of communications, power, gas and water infrastructure in the state because they are critical to an orderly urban environment. “Our approach will be to engage on a sustainable basis, all our stakeholders in order to achieve an environment that is liveable and prosperous,” Mr Odekunle said.

  • 2.6GHz spectrum: Telcos seek equitable auction process

    2.6GHz spectrum: Telcos seek equitable auction process

    Nigerian carriers yesterday sought a more equitable spectrum auction process.

    They blamed the dismal response to the auction of the 2.6gigahetz (GHz) spectrum carried out by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) about three months ago on current unpredictable investment climate, free fall in naira value and the punitive cost of the spectrum.

    The NCC had advertised the availability of 14 slotsi n the 2.6GHz spectrum for operators to bid for in an auction. It set a reserve price of $16milion for a slot of the frequency of the spectrum. One lot or slot of the frequency is made up of two portions of 5megahertz (MHz).

    Only MTN expressed interest in the process.The telco paid a total of $96million (N19.2billion) for the licence – a cumulative 30MHz in the 2.6GHz frequency. Disturbed by the development, NCC CEO, Prof Umar Dambatta promised to convene a forum to do a post-mortem which held yesterday at Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja.

    Speaking on the occasion, its Director, Spectrum Administration, Austin Nwaulune lamented that the response to the auction process of the legacy spectrum “fell below expectation” necessitating the forum. He urged the carriers to speak out on the way forward.

    Spectranet CEO, David Venn, said the process was skewed in favour of the telco that had the ‘deep pocket’, arguing that the ‘beauty contest’ model appeared to be less transparent.

    He said while the success of the global system for mobile communication (GSM) revolution was driven by the influx of foreign direct investment (FDI),  much more funding was needed to push broadband revolution.

    He said the cost of the spectrum was on the high side, lamenting that the cost of deployment was another challenge, especially now that the investment climate has become so unpredictable. He urged the regulator to explore revenue sharing formula.

    Director, External Affairs at ntel, Osondu Nwokoro said the foreign currency element of the bid price was a big challenge. According to him, some years ago, the naira exchanged for N250 to a dollar. He said it currently exchanges for N500. He urged the Commission to look into how it can provide a ‘hedge’ as it has become difficult to get forex. He agreed no less with Venn that high spectrum cost constrains roll-out.

    Osondu called for the re-examination of the spectrum management policy. He urged the NCC to also take second look at the secondary spectrum market, amend the colocation rule to allow active infrastructure sharing.

    Regulatory and CSR head at Etisalat, IkennaIkeme, said the telecom sector was not insulated from ongoing economic recession, lamenting that attracting local funding has been Herculean as the banking industry has also been feeling the heat. He urged the regulator to explore the use of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to assist the operator in this regard.

    Represented by Director, Public Affairs, Tony Ojobo, the NCC CEO restated the commitment of the Commission to ensure the achievement of the 30 per cent target of the National Broadband Plan.

    He said broadband penetration in the country has improved to over 20 per cent, adding that the Commission will continue to catalyse growth in the industry through consistent and predictable regulatory interventions.

  • Telcos terrorism 2

    Last Monday was terrifically hectic. The day was so long it could have fitted into 48 hours. The intensive rains of the last couple of months seem to have wielded diggers on some parts of Lagos roads, leaving potholes. These holes grow by the day into vengeful craters, causing debilitating traffic snarls.

    After a back-breaking day in office and rendering at least two hours to and fro to the god of traffic, one was always late getting home. As always, an ensemble of neighbourhood generators were in session playing their late night orchestra and upsetting already raw nerves. Not even dinner, a late one at that, would cheer up a thoroughly battered body. Well crashing into bed finally, a little before midnight, must have brought some mirth upon the heart.

    About an hour later, the telephone began to ring, piercing the room, jarring all the chords of early sleep. One woke with a start, fearing the worst as the ringing phone remorselessly assaulted the tender night. One had been lax putting off the phone as one was wont each night before bed.

    I reached the little night ogre as quickly as I could and checked the caller identity – it was a wonder one did not develop an instant heart issue. The caller’s number was 55515. Of course it is the service number of one of the networks used for promotional messages. If I had picked the call, they would have tried to sell me one stuff or the other – at about 12.45 am!

    Consumed by impotent rage, I tossed the phone away almost damaging it. Now I was as awake as a night gnome and cursing like a fishwife. Sleep of course, had quietly slinked away from my eyes (in a manner of speaking) and perhaps from the bedroom too! For many hours I rolled and tossed – my pain and frustration knew no bounds.

    Recall that a few days ago, Hardball had written about this same matter of unsolicited calls. How a network using proper 11-digit numbers had called as he was driving and how he almost swerved off the road in an attempt to pick it.

    Even as one wrote this piece, 55515 rang. It rings at an average of half a dozen times daily; it doesn’t matter that one stopped picking it the network seems to derive some sort of pleasure hounding one with these calls.

    Nigerians must have taken the streaming of unsolicited short messages into their phones as part of GSM culture. As they bombard with messages, they also pick your wallet because you never know when they trick you into contracts that involve charges. Here is an example: “Entertainment Factory club has been successfully renewed at NGN50 valid until 04-10-2016. To deactivate send STOP EF2 to 55357.”

    I never activated any subscription, I do not care about entertainment neither do I receive any such news streaming.

    Why would networks do this and where on earth is the regulator, Nigeria Communication Commission, NCC?