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  • MTN paid 275bn SIM infraction fine — NCC

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Tuesday said that MTN has paid N275 billion SIM infraction fine as balance of N55 billion was due this month

    Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta, made this known in a statement in Abuja

    Danbatta spoke on the state of MTN fine payment at the valedictory service organised for the Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu in Abuja.

    He said following a negotiated reduction of the N1.04 trillion fine on MTN Nigeria to N330 billion and in line with the staggered payment arrangement, MTN has, so far, paid N275 billion to the Federal Government.

    Danbatta said that part of the fallout of the negotiated terms of payment of the fine is the listing of MTN on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), and this is being done.

    “What this means, according to the staggered arrangement, is that May 31, 2019 would be the deadline for the telecoms company to pay the sixth and final tranche of the balance of N55 billion.

    “After six months of negotiation and re-negotiation over the fine which led to the reduction to N330 billion, it was agreed that MTN would pay a balance of N280 billion in six tranches.

    “This was in addition to the “goodwill” payment of N50 billion earlier made by MTN to the government.

    “Specifically, MTN began the payment structure with the payment of N30 billion into NCC’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) 30 days from the date of the agreement dated June 10 2016.

    “Subsequently, MTN paid N30 billion on March 31, 2017; N55 billion on March 31, 2018; N55 billion on December 31, 2018 and on March 31, it paid N55 billion.

    “The balance and final tranche of the payment will be paid by May 31, 2019, in line with the staggered payments structure agreed by MTN and Nigerian government.

    It will be recalled that the NCC on October 20, 2015, imposed a fine of N1.04 trillion on MTN for infraction of the provision of the NCC Telephone Subscribers Registration Regulations 2011.

    For failure to disconnect 5.2 million improperly-registered Subscriber Identification Modules (SIM) lines within the prescribed deadline because these lines had economic activities on them without proper registration.

    He said that in the agreement reached by the parties involved in a way to avoid decision likely to cripple business interest of the operators the commission regulates.

    Read Also: NCC pays tribute to sportsmen

    It was also agreed that MTN shall apologise to Nigerians, subscribe to the compulsory observance of Code of Corporate Governance for Telecoms Industry; as well as undertake immediate steps to ensure its listing on the NSE.

    Danbatta also said the commission had succeeded in empowering Nigerians “to control, manage and own telecommunications companies in Nigeria by owning shares in MTN Nigeria.”

    He explained that, through the MTN’s listing on the NSE, the commission had translated into action, an important function which is to promote local investment and ownership in the telecom sector.

    According to him: “MTN listing on the stock exchange, we have given reality to that important function of the commission.

    “Through this listing, Nigerians will be empowered to control, own and manage one of dominant telecommunications companies in the country.

    “With MTN shares available in the capital market, Nigerians will buy shares and by purchasing the shares of MTN, they will be financially empowered and be socially transformed.

    “We consider these very important milestones in translating the function of the Commission into reality, as enshrined in the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.”

    NAN

  • NCC set to improve telecom broadband

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it has concluded plans to re position the telecommunications industry in Nigeria to ensure network spreads to everywhere in the country.

    The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta  said this during an annual stakeholders’ consultative forum on selected licence categories in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital on Wednesday,  tagged, ‘talk to the regulator, 2018’.

    Danbatta who was represented in the meeting by the Director, Licensing and Authorisation, Ms Funlola Akiode noted that the commission has licensed infrastructural companies to commence shared access broadband infrastructure across the country on an output based incentive system.

    He said  “Our framework will ensure that telecom subscribers truly get added value when they sign up for such services, and that all stakeholders along the value chain are treated equitably so that the industry can grow.

    “Our expectation is that licensees will compliment interventions like these from the commission in instituting best practices while running their activities.”

    He called on the operators to key into the commission’s technology neutral regulatory focus policy for a better service delivery.

    According to him “The technology neutral regulatory focus of the Commission is a plus in this regard. It is something licensees should exploit when thinking solutions to the challenges faced in the sector.”

    The forum was aimed at addressing identified problems hindering broadband penetration targets in the country.

    “This forum is aimed at fostering harmonious relationship with licensees, identifying their challenges and providing feedbacks on licensees’ fulfillment of their licence obligations and to re-emphasis the role of licensees in ensuring good quality of service and partnership towards the achievement of the Broadband penetration targets.

    “It is noteworthy that the Nigerian telecommunications industry has continued to make giant strides which is evidenced in the progressive growth of mobile telephony and internet penetration/data usage. However, there are concerns on the telecom/internet quality of service by subscribers.” Akiode added.

    Read Also: NCC donates 70 e-pads to FEDPOFFA School

    Meanwhile licensees in the industry urged the commission to facilitate moves for investments to boost economy.

    In an interview with newsmen at the event,  a lincensees, Mr.  Basil Njoku observed that most rural areas in the country are still neglected in terms of Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

    He noted that the development is affecting negatively the growth of the industry and the economy.

    He said, “The rural areas are being neglected. The ISPs are not there and this is one of the major areas government needs to be interested in, to support the licenses and see how we can get into such areas because individuals cannot achieve that project alone”

    “The licenses also need to know what is currently obtainable in the industry, digital world is evolving and NCC is not doing anything to educate and retrain the lincensees to embrace this developments but we hope that this forum would address such challenges.”

  • NCC donates 110 laptops to Fed. School of Statistics in Manchok

    The Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) on Monday donated 110 units of laptops to the Federal School of Statistics in Manchok, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    Receiving the items, Sen. Danjuma Laah (PDP Southern Kaduna), said the equipment would be used for the establishment and maintenance of a fully furnished Information Communication and Technology (ICT) center.

    This, he said, would further tend to support teaching, learning and research in the institution.

    Laah said the laptops, donated through the office of the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, would be beneficial, especially in producing highly skillful, efficient and proficient manpower.

    According to him, the gesture would go along way in serving both public and private sectors in the country.

    Read Also: NCC blames subscribers apathy for unsolicited messages

    “The upgrading of the facilities in the institution is also aimed at possible conversion of the school to the status of a Degree awarding institution in the near future.

    “To this end, the bill for upgrading and the conversion of the school to Federal University of Science and Technology, with catchment areas spread to some North-Central and North-East states of the country, is already being considered in the Senate floor,” he said.

    Earlier, the School’s Rector, Mr Mangbon Amos, said ICT was highly needed in the production of statistical data.

    He, therefore, asked for more support from relevant Federal Government’s agencies in the construction and provision of lecture theatres, Business Resource and Entrepreneurship Centres and Internet services.

    “We also need assistance in the construction and provision of Computer and Statistics laboratories, provision of sporting facilities and equipment, among others,” he said.

  • NCC, CBN sign MoU on payment system

    The Nigerian Communication Commission ( NCC ) and the Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN ) on Tuesday in Abuja signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) on payment system.

    Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, said the signing of the MoU between NCC and CBN was a landmark in the digital transformation process that the commission was mandated courtesy of act establishing it.

    Danbatta said the MoU, which was on mobile money service and financial inclusion followed useful work done by a committee made up of the two organisations.

    He said the digital transformation process targeted governance and transformation of key services sector of the economy and one of such sector was the financial sector.

    Danbatta said the signing of the MOU was also a positive statement that NCC and CBN were making about their content to ensure digital transformation process in the country and all other sectors of the economy.

    “And how the organisations can bring this experience to bear in other sector of Nigeria’s economy like education, transportation and other key service sectors including the delivery of good governance to the citizens of the country.

    “NCC is committed to this transformation process which we are daily thinking of what to do to ensure we reach the desired destination by making sure our people participate in the digital economy.

    “In a way and manner that they will be empowered to leverage on information and Communication Technology ( ICT ) to conduct their daily businesses,’’ he said.

    Mr Godwin Emiefele, the Governor of CBN, said the intention of the MoU between both organisations was to see how they  could work together toward driving the payment system in the country.

    Emiefele said the MoU was geared toward reducing cash transaction and enhancing cashless operations in the country.

    He said the signing of the MoU would also help to facilitate financial inclusion and drive a more robust payment system in the country.

    “I am very delighted because with this signing, we are now very sure and certain that we will very easily improve the level of financial inclusion from the level it is today which is about 48 per cent.

    “And we will set a target for ourselves that by 2020, which is in three years or below that the level of financial inclusion should increase to 80 per cent.

    “ I can assure that this signing provides framework for licensing of payment service provider,” he said.

    Emiefele said the MoU was also a framework that would guide the working of those who were stakeholders both in the banking industry as well as the telecommunication industry.

    He added that this was not just for mobile payment but also the payment system in the country.

    “We look forward to many more years of close collaboration between the CBN and banking system on one hand and the NCC, telecommunication industry on another hand.

    NAN

  • SIM fine: MTN pays N165bn out of N330bn – NCC

    The Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC ) said that MTN has paid N165 billion out of the N330 billion fine imposed on it due to its inability to disconnect improperly registered SIM cards.

    Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC said this on Monday in Abuja when MTN Group, led by its Chairman in Nigeria, Dr Pascal Dozie visited the commission.

    In October 2015, the telecom regulator imposed a fine of N1.04 trillion on MTN Nigeria for not complying with government’s rule on deactivation of unregistered SIM cards.

    Also, the fine was imposed on MTN for not disconnecting about 5.1 million improperly registered lines in its network within the stipulated deadline.

    After several appeals and negotiations including diplomatic intervention by the South African government, the fine was reduced to N330billion.

    It initially made a commitment payment of N50billion to the government while the remaining balance of N280 billion was to be paid in six tranches in accordance with the agreements between the regulator and MTN.

    “I am happy to inform you that our agreement with MTN on how and when to pay the fine has been adhered to.

    “Just last month, March, we received a cheque of N55billion from MTN as part of the fine payment plan.

    “This brought the total fine paid by MTN Nigeria to N165billion, that is, more than half of the fine

    “It is a whopping sum of money and they have not defaulted and these payments they are making is consistent with the terms of agreement we reached with them ‘’ he said.

    He said that the installmental payment was in line with the terms of agreement reached between MTN and the regulatory body.

    According to Danbatta, the fine is aimed at ensuring that it is not business as usual but to ensure that the rules of engagement are respected.

    “It is also to ensure that the rules governing the telecom sector of the economy is adhered to.

    The NCC boss said that the commission would continue to cooperate with the telecom company because of its major contributions to the economic and digital growth of the nation’s economy.

    Earlier, Chairman of MTN Nigeria said Nigeria was one of the largest contributors to its market and the visit was to cement the relationship between it and NCC.

    Dozie appealed to NCC to auction more spectrums to further open up the ICT space and improve the country’s economy.

    NAN

  • NCC moves to regulate use of satellite communications services

    Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC ) said the commission would create a legal framework to regulate the use of satellite communications services and networks.

    Danbatta represented by Mr Austin Nwulune, the Director, Spectrum Administration Department, NCC said this at the Public Inquiry on the Commercial Satellite Communication Guideline and the Draft Consumer Code of Practice Regulations (as Amended).

    According to him, the draft commercial satellite communications guidelines are aimed at creating a legal framework to regulate the provision and use of satellite communication services and networks.

    “In whole or in part within Nigeria or on a ship or aircraft registered in the country.

    “The intention behind the development of the guidelines is to ensure a well-developed and organised satellite communications market in Nigeria.

    “With appropriate legal framework that meets international best practices, encourage innovation and guarantee public safety, ‘’ he said.

    Danbatta said the guidelines would ensure effective management of scarce frequency resources, especially bands where frequency is shared between satellite and terrestrial systems.

    He said the guidelines would also encourage use of satellite connectivity to unserved areas that lack terrestrial transmission infrastructure backbone.

    The NCC boss said on the draft Consumer Code of Practice Regulations was an amendment on the previous regulations made in 2007.

    He said the guidelines would provide a more robust framework, effective and efficient processes /procedures to be followed by licensees in developing their individual consumer code to govern the provision of services and other related consumer practices.

    “This to ensure that consumers are adequately informed of the type of services being offered by operators, thereby aligning with the commission’s function of protecting the interests of consumers  against unfair practices.

    “Furthermore, these regulations have been amended to reflect best practice in the industry,’’ he said.

    Danbatta said the public inquiry forum was part of the commission’s rule-making process  aimed at ensuring wide consultation in the development of regulatory instruments in accordance with NCC Act, 2003.

    He said over the years, the process had proven invaluable in sourcing the opinions and inputs of stakeholders toward the development of sound regulatory frameworks for the Nigerian telecommunication industry.

    Mrs Yetunde Akinloye, the Director, Legal and Regulatory Services, NCC while speaking on the overview of the amended Consumer Code of Practice Regulations said all codes must be submitted to the commission for approval.

    Akinloye said approval should be granted within 30 days of submission of a code, unless the commission informs the licensee to amend the submitted code.

    She said an approved code shall be published in two national newspapers within 30 days of approval.

    “Licensees are required to provide a copy of the approved code to consumers on request,’’ she said.

    NAN

  • NCC seeks govs’ assistance on broadband penetration

    NCC seeks govs’ assistance on broadband penetration

    The Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC ) has called on state governors to assist it in achieving the 30 per cent broadband penetration target by 2018.

    The Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo, made the call during an interview with newsmen in Lagos, on the sideline of the 2017 Dinner and Awards of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations ( NIPR ).

    Ojobo was awarded the “PR Personality of the year 2017” by NIPR.

    He said that the governors and their various agencies should assist by ensuring easy approval for Right of Way ( RoW ) for the deployment of infrastructure.

    According to him, the industry has challenges of deployment of base stations in the states because of the issue of the Internally Generated Revenue ( IGR ).

    “A lot of approvals are delayed, in terms of siting base stations in the states this year. We have had base stations shut down, we also have had issues with the Rights of Way.

    “There had been reluctance with the various agencies under various levels of government to give approval as quickly as possible for the deployment of infrastructure.

    “The Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, has made a presentation at the Governors Forum on how these challenges are actually contributing to the poor quality of service, and that there is need for us to have pervasive rollout of base stations.

    “Pervasive base stations deployment can narrow the areas that don’t have coverage, so that the issue of access and broadband penetration target can be realised.

    “Unless we do that, we will keep having challenges in being able to meet with the government policy of 30 per cent by 2018,” he said.

    Read also: NCC gives out N17m to winners of tennis championship

    Ojobo said that by 2018, it was expected that the country would have 30 per cent broadband penetration, but some of the challenges were slowing down the process.

    “But we believe that in 2018, some of these challenges will be tackled, especially as governors are beginning to appreciate the importance of these infrastructure in their states.

    “We believe that these challenges will begin to fizzle out,” he said.

    On his award as the PR Personality of the year, Ojobo said it was a call to do more on his responsibilities.

    He said that NCC would continue to put what it was doing on the public space and improve on it.

    “We will make sure that we say it as it is all the time and also ensure that we take back the feedback we get from the people we serve, that is our stakeholders, to our management.

    “This is so that areas that need improvement will be improved upon, so that consumers and the generous stakeholders will be better for it.

    “I want to thank God for this award. It is humbling when you are recognised by your professional group for contributions to the professional practice of public relations in Nigeria.

    “I dedicate this award to God and to the Nigerian Communications Commission that has given me the platform to express, in terms of the ways I carry out my responsibilities,” he said.

    Ojobo said that NCC was regulating an industry that was very difficult, an industry that was serving about 153 million active subscribers.

    He said that the subscribers were utilising the services on a 24/7 basis, hence, there were always issues to talk about.

    According to him, the challenge has been how to talk to the people who are facing challenges because of the services they are receiving.

    “We can’t tell them there are no challenges, we can’t assume we have not seen that they have problems.

    “But what we have continued to do is to identify with the challenges they are going through in this industry.

    “We have also tried to communicate that the industry is a work in progress, we have not gotten to the place we should be.

    “The most challenging part of this job is when we are having issues in the industry and how to address those issues and still speak the truth to the people,” he said.

    Ojobo said that the commission had used all its platforms, both the social media platforms and the mainstream media in trying to communicate, to make the people know what it was doing.

    NAN

  • NCC gives out N17m to winners of tennis championship

    NCC gives out N17m to winners of tennis championship

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given out N17 million to winners of its Tennis Cup 2017 competition.

    The Executive Vice-Chairman, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said at the grand finale of the tournament in Lagos that the competition had given the commission satisfaction and fulfillment. The tournament which started in July featured 12 teams.

    Team Civil Defence defeated Muller 4 – 0, to win the NCC’s Tennis Cup 2017 competition, hence, carting the star prize of N7million.

    Team Muller came second, and went home with N5 million, Team Offikwu won the third prize of N3 million, while Team Ndoma-Egba came fourth, winning N2 million cash prize.

    Danbatta represented by the Director, Research and Development, NCC, Mrs Iyabo Sholanke, said that the championship had been dubbed the greatest and biggest addition to Nigeria’s sports since 1960.

    “We are proud to have used this opportunity to engage a number of Nigerian youths in very fruitful and engaging enterprise with a bright future outlook.

    “We are even prouder to have taken quality tennis to different locations in the country and to see the players improving by the day, due to the regular competitions the league offers,’’ he said.

    He said that it was gratifying to note that some young Nigerians who were part of the tennis cup had got scholarships and sponsorships to tennis academies abroad.

    Read also: NCC seeks partnership of advocacy groups on toll-free 622 line

    He said that they would further their studies and their professional tennis careers in those academies.

    “The NCC Tennis Cup is a team tennis competition that is open to all, including the very best male and female tennis players in Nigeria.

    “I am glad that the cream of the best and promising Nigerian male and female players are all participating in the league and that a good number of them are now ranked on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour.

    “These are some of our expectations and we hope that the players will take full advantage of this NCC Tennis League Cup to excel,’’ Danbatta said.

    He said that NCC’s major objective in promoting the competition was to contribute to the overall development of the nation through sports, particularly, tennis.

    According to him, tennis has the potential to engage, motivate, entertain and keep the youth physically fit and mentally focused.

    He said that above all, tennis created opportunities for the players to earn a decent living and a chance to be famous.

     The grand finale featured special tribute to the late Dr Alex Ekwueme, a former Vice- President of Nigeria and special awards to some players of the competition, as sponsored by MTN Nigeria.

    The corporate relations executive, MTN Nigeria, Mr Tobe Okigbo, said that the company’s involvement in the competition was in line the value addition and youth’s talent development agenda of MTN.

    “We like supporting value addition projects. In this case (NCC Tennis Cup competition), we saw that what NCC is doing and it makes a lot of sense to be part of it.

    “We saw it as an opportunity to support ambitious young Nigerians, especially, in developing their skills and talents,’’ Okigbo said.

    The 12 teams that participated are: Team Ofikwu, Team Ndoma-Egba, Team Goshen, Team CBN Fututos, Team Yetade and Team Tech-Vibe.

    Others are Team Civil Defence, Team Kolatari, Team Muller, Team Opti Web, Team VGC Lions and Team Qualifier.

    NAN

  • Broadband penetration: NCC plans new spectrum auctions

    Broadband penetration: NCC plans new spectrum auctions

    The Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC ) says it will soon auction and assignment new spectrums to boost broadband penetration in the country.

    The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta made this known in Lagos during the Telecom Executives and Regulator Forum, organised by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).

    The theme of the forum is: “Removing Barriers To Growth And Innovation”.

    Represented by the Deputy Director, NCC Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Mr Bako Wakili, Danbatta said that spectrum was a critical mobile infrastructure.

    He said that the commission would strive to provide the required frequency spectrum capacity needed for broadband deployment.

    According to him, the process for new spectrum auctions and assignments to drive mobile and wireless broadband is ongoing.

    “The commission will facilitate the re-farming of existing spectrum held by operators to provide broadband services without impacting their Quality of Service (QoS) delivery.

    “We will auction the 2.5/2.6 Gigahertz (GHz) spectrum for Fourth Generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) capacity requirements.

    “The commission will also auction the 700 Megahertz (MHz) band once available, for 4G LTE coverage requirements and will open up and assign other spectrum bands in an open and transparent manner,” he said.

    Danbatta said that according to the Nigerian Broadband Plan, Broadband within the Nigerian context was defined as an internet experience where the user could access the most demanding content in real time, at a minimum speed of 1.5 megabit per second.

    According to him, broadband also means high-capacity networks that can deliver very large amounts of information simultaneously, as a result, they can deliver voice, data and video all at the same time.

    “The broadband industry ecosystem comprises of government policies and programmes, regulatory frameworks and environment, then the supply and demand sides of the services.

    “The industry is currently seeing the trend of increasing use of data enabled devices such as smartphones, dongles, MiFis, among others.

    “With pervasive voice services objective largely achieved, the operators now focus on growth of data services and provision of optimal QoS delivery,” he said.

    Danbatta said that the current status of broadband infrastructure in Nigeria showed that there was adequate international bandwidth from International submarine cable landing on the country’s shores.

    He said that optimal deployment of broadband infrastructures was critical to driving broadband availability, accessibility and affordability in Nigeria.

    According to him, the availability of broadband infrastructure will unlock new opportunities and drive a second wave of growth in the telecommunications industry and the economy.

    He said that broadband was a productivity enabling technology and its penetration rate was 21 per cent as at February 2017.

    Danbatta said the commission was optimistic towards achieving the 30 per cent broadband penetration target by 2018.

    NAN