By Seun Adams
The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has expressed optimism, that with the breathtaking strides being deployed
by the Commission through the reduction in cost of Right of Way (RoW), reduction in multiple taxation and protection of critical telecommunications infrastructure will inevitbly result in data services becoming more affordable to Nigerians.
The NCC boss made the disclosure on Friday at the first virtual Telecom Consumer Parliament which held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
He said: “The Commission is hopeful that with the reduction in RoW, which will automatically result in reduction in Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) by the network operators, telecom companies will sooner or later reciprocate the gesture by making their services in particular, data services more affordable to Nigerians.
He however acknowledged that with the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic, activities carried out through the internet, network usage inevitably skyrocketed, adding that with many network operators reporting large increase of data usage and with volume of voice calls is also increasing by the day.
Prof. Danbatta, said: “As we all are aware, telecoms is highly capital intensive and as such, continuous network upgrade and expansion are very key to operators’ ability to deliver top-notch Quality of Service (QoS) to their consumers.
“For instance, if operators are not able to expand or they are incapacitated to expand and upgrade their network in the face of spike in traffic, as occasioned by the pandemic, it will definitely have potential grave impact on Quality of Service delivery.”
According to the EVC, despite the pandemic and the lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19 virus, NCC on our part have also not relent to ensure that the quality of telecom services is sustained during and post Covid–19 period.
Some of the critical steps taken by the Commission in conjunction with the supervising Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy towards mitigating the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on service delivery by the network operators are, he stressed include, the development of e-platforms where all licensing requests, consumer complaints and base transceiver station (BTS) investigation requests are channeled and also provided designated e-mail addresses to be used for such requests throughout the pandemic period.
“Similarly, the Commission approved and encouraged resource sharing among network operators. These shared resources include fibre optics cables and ancillary resources, the aim is to ensure that there is no destruction to service provision in the event of fibre cut and related incidence.
“The Commission also secured Right of Passage (RoP) for all telecommunications officials and staff for easy movement during the lockdown and movement restriction in order to be able to service their base stations and keep them active to provide services for telecom consumers who increasingly rely on their networks to work from home.
“In the same vein, the Commission also secured Right of Passage for suppliers that are involved in supplies of fuels, food and other essential services to telecom operators during total lockdown.” He added.
With the intervention of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Ibrahim Pantami, Prof. Danbatta, explained that state governors are now aligning their Right of Way charges to N145 as approved by the Federal Economic Council (FEC), reducing below N145 per linear of fibre laid by the operators in their states.
While others pegged their RoW charges below the N145 set by the FEC while some state governors have totally waived RoW charges in their states.
All these, he said, are aimed at encouraging network operators to deploy telecoms/broadband infrastructure faster in their states with a view to deepening digital access.
“As Covid-19 evolves, a new world order where more activities are conducted online and robust broadband access is central is emerging. In effect, most of the state governors have appreciated the centrality of robust broadband infrastructure as work-from-home measures by government persists.
“The Minister acted on this issue speedily by obtaining presidential approval directing Security Agencies to protect ICT and telecom facilities as critical national assets. It is pleasing that this action helped to safeguard telecom infrastructure for the greater role telecom has to play with the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.”