The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) today explained how it’s overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic to provide digital services to Nigerians.
The telecom regulator said it, and the supervisory ministry have left no stone unturned towards ensuring that telecom service providers provide good quality service despite the covid-19 pandemic and improve the quality of experience of the consumers.
In an opening remark by the executive Vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) professor Umar Danbatta at the first virtual edition of the Telecoms Consumer Parliament held at the Commission’s office in Abuja laid out the various ways the Commission has tackled challenges that Covid posed to the industry.
The event titled: “Impact of Covid-19 on Telecoms Service Delivery” was held to provide opportunity telecom industry stakeholders, to have a quick look at how the pandemic is impacting service delivery in the telecommunication industry, which currently provides the digital platform for the economy to remain afloat.
Danbatta generally listed six key steps the Commission had embarked on during the Covid era to push the frontiers of the digital economy. The steps include:
- Developing 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.
- Approving and encouraging 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.
- Securing 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.
- Securing Right of Passage for suppliers that are involved in supplies of fuels, food and other essential services to telecom operators during total lockdown.
- Reducing below N145 per linear of fibre laid by the operators in states and waiver of ROW in some states thereby encouraging network operators to deploy telecoms/broadband infrastructure faster in states with a view to deepening digital access.
Danbatta said 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 also spoke about the presidential approval directing Security Agencies to protect ICT and telecom facilities as critical national assets, an action which he said would help to safeguard telecom infrastructure for the greater role telecom has to play with the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.
Danbatta cited a report released by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in May 2020, which examine the impact of the pandemic on the telecoms sector, “Covid-19 virus has presented a stress test for Governments worldwide with the Internet playing a crucial role in keeping critical infrastructure and resources connected and available.”
“The report further noted that reliable, high-speed Internet is key to ensuring that hospitals and medical institutions have access to global information and resources necessary to fight the virus. Broadband connectivity is also absolutely crucial for educational institutions and businesses to continue to provide essential services.
“According to the report the unprecedented global health emergency is tasking mobile networks and digital platforms to the limit, with some telecom operators and platforms reporting demand spikes as high as 800% since the outbreak of the pandemic in their respective countries”, he said.
In his own address the director of Consumer Affairs Bureau, Mr Efosa Idehen noted that the Commission has been receiving complaints about the quality of service being rendered by the network operators and asked them to reexamine their processes with a view to correcting operational and services delivery challenges.
He acknowledged the challenges facing the network operators especially because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, saying however there is the need for operators to find solutions to the numerous complaints received from consumers with regards to the poor Quality of Service delivered especially in the voice and data segment.
