In it’s bid to carry out it’s regulatory roles and ensure compliance with standards,the Nigerian Communication Commission,NCC has paid scheduled visits to operators in the industry.
At the head of the visit which took the commission to headquarters of the Mobile Network Operators was Barrister Adeleke Adewolu,Executive Commissioner Stakeholders Management and other top functionaries.
The visit is part of the novel initiative to strengthen and deepen regulatory engagements and relations with operators and to inspect their technical infrastructure and other facilities.
According to NCC,the delegation was in Lagos for a weeklong exercise essentially to get first-hand information about MNOs’ operations as well as verify challenges the MNOs may be dealing with in order to make recommendations to appropriate stakeholders towards addressing the challenges.
It will be recalled that the inspection, the first of its kind in the history of the Commission and an initiative of the Office of the ECSM of NCC, was part of the Commission’s efforts to ensure operational efficiency and improvement in the regulatory framework in achieving the objectives of the national digital economy and other policy initiatives of the Federal Government.
The team visited headquarters of operators among which are Airtel, 9Mobile, Globacom, MTN, and Spetranet, where the NCC delegation engaged managements of the telecom companies in robust discussions to gain insights into their operational issues. The delegation equally visited the operators’ data center facilities, assessed their compliance with the National Identity Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) linkage exercise at their customer care centers, and also inspected the landing stations of international submarine cables.
The NCC delegation recalled that it was received warmly and guided on the tour of the facilities by Airtel’s Chief Commercial Officer, Godfrey Ofeuhobo; 9Mobile’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Juerjen Perchel; Globacom’s Head of Regulatory Services, Michael Toluhi; MTN’s Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola; and Spectranet’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ajai Avasthi respectively.
The operators commended the Commission for ensuring an effective telecom regulatory regime towards addressing challenges confronting their operations. The operators also beseeched the NCC delegation to continue to develop initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of their major operational challenges on the service delivery and their revenues.
The MNOs listed areas were increased and more decisive interventions are needed from the Commission to include the issues of willful and inadvertent fibre cuts; theft of telecoms equipment; non-availability and inadequacy of, as well as unstable power supply; multiple taxation and regulations across all the three tiers of government; damages caused undersea cables by marine transportation systems; scarcity and difficulty in accessing Foreign Exchange (FOREX); as well as insecurity which has impeded network rollout, especially in some parts of the country.
Barrister Adewolu, commended the operators for their cooperation on the implementation of NIN-SIM integration directive.
In the view of the executive commissioner the telecoms sector has played a significant role in ensuring the delivery of the mandate of the National identity Management Commission (NIMC) through collaboration facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
He also implored the operators to ensure compliance with all regulatory guidelines, directives and to ensure prompt and efficient delivery on their licensing conditions as good corporate citizens. He promised that NCC will continue to take proactive measures that would improve their operations and will equally forged necessary collaborations to ensure sustainability of the sector and its contribution to the growth of nation’s economy.
Adewolu explained further that the tour of operators’ facilities was in line with NCC’s effort to ensure effective stakeholders interface necessary for the achievement of the objectives detailed in the Commission’s Strategic Management Plan (SMP) 2020-2024 and the Strategic Vision (Implementation) Plan (SVIP) 2021-2025.
Said he,“The main purpose of this inspection tour of MNOs’ head offices and key facilities is to measure impact of regulatory efforts and operational effectiveness of the initiatives in the telecom ecosystem. The tour is also to assist in deepening understanding of the issues that are negatively affecting the ability of licensees to operate optimally; and it certainly offered opportunity for interacting and networking with executive management of MNOs in order to enhance operator-regulatory purposeful interface,” Adewolu said.
It will be recalled that participants during the visit and tours remarked that the exercise constitute a groundwork for continuing and prompt issues-resolution on a day-to-day basis, and with a clear promise for knowledge update on infrastructure situation and business cases among senior personnel of the Commission toward a more effective regulation.
