NCC Engages Stakeholders to Identify Measures Necessary to Improve Investment, Service Delivery

 

The Nigeria Communications Commission,(NCC) has engaged stakeholders to the first `Talk-To-The Regulator (TTTR) `Forum for the Year, 2023, holding in the South-South, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State to identify the measures necessary to improve investment and service delivery.

In his keynote speech, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) noted that the Commission, in keeping with its mandate, creates opportunities to interact with its licensees on industry issues and new trends via stakeholder fora, with a view to gathering relevant information that would further advance the development of the industry, while improving regulations and service delivery to telecom consumers.

Danbatta explained that the TTTR Forum in Yenagoa which was originally scheduled to hold in 2022 was postponed due to the dreadful flood disaster that hit Bayelsa and some other states in the year.

The Commission, therefore, he said, seized this opportunity to commiserate with the people of Bayelsa State and the entire nation on the worst flood disaster recorded in the history of the nation.

“We pray that such natural disasters shall not plaque our dear nation again, and equally believe that the state has made adequate preparations for any future occurrences,” he said.

EVC NCC affirmed that the telecom industry has witnessed milestones in more ways than one, including the rapid growth in technology, which is redefining service delivery, and creating wide and high expectations from all stakeholders.

According to him, to keep up to date with developments in the industry, the Commission has equally taken measures to improve regulations to accommodate the rapid and continuous development.

He listed some of the interventions and responses of the Commission includes but are not limited to: “Facilitating the Roll-Out of 5G Service provision; Introduction of Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) Licence to

bridge the gap between unserved and underserved areas; The Commission is currently reviewing the scope and structure of its existing licenses to make them more robust and to accommodate some of the identified new industry trends; In line with the Nigeria National Broadband Plan (NNBP 2020 – 2025), the NCC is providing industry leadership to facilitate the achievement of 90% Broadband penetration by year 2025, and well above 50% at the end of 2023. Currently, over a One Hundred and Fifty (I50) million Nigerians have access to the internet, while over eighty (80) million can access high speed internet.”

In his welcome address, Venny Eze-Nwabufoh, the Zonal Controller, Nigerian Communications Commission, Port Harcourt Zonal Office, said that the event, is coming at the heels of the licensing of the 5G network, and the effort by stakeholders to ensure the availability, accessibility and affordability of telecommunications services to all Nigerians.

Venny recounted that the event, is the second, in the series of the NCC’s engagement with licensees, in the South-South, having held similar forum, in Port Harcourt for the licensees in the South-East and the South-South geopolitical zones in 2021, with a brief hiatus in 2022, due to unforeseen circumstances.

He stated further that, as it were, the forum would afford the licensees an opportunity to be educated on topical issues of concern, which would help them comply with the licensing terms and conditions, in the various license categories.

The Zonal Controller, also enjoined them to take advantage of the opportunity provided by this forum, to engage in robust discussions, while proffering solutions to certain topical issues of concern that would be raised, in the course of this engagement.

In his speech, Mr. Adeleke Adewolu, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, NCC, noted that the essence of the forum is to create awareness about the activities of the Commission as a Regulator; obtain feedback from critical stakeholders on how the industry affects their daily lives; the role of the Regulator in enhancing same; as well as serves as an educational platform where misconceptions about the Commission and its processes are explained.

The Communications sector, Adewolu said is indeed the pace-setter sector as far as the expansion of the frontiers for national development is concerned, stressing that this was further underscored by the recent deployment of the Fifth Generation Technology (5G) services in the Country which the Commission believe will ensure that Nigeria maximises the benefit of the 4th Industrial Revolution whilst being sufficiently prepared for any attendant risk that may occur.

“A market study has shown that the deployment of 5G Technology Services will result in $13.2 trillion in global economic value by 2035, generating 22.3 million jobs in the 5G global value chain alone. Thus, the Commission has played an effective role in placing the nation at a vantage position in order to reap these benefits,” he said.

 

The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, highlighted that constant engagement with the Regulator is the path towards regulatory efficiency as it preserves the integrity of the regulatory instruments issued by the Regulator whilst securing the buy-in of all stakeholders.

“Recently, the Commission issued a regulatory framework for the licensing of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria as well as the requisite licence for such services and this has witnessed significant interest from prospective investors. New Market Entrants in this category can leverage on the growth and infrastructure in the telecommunications industry and it is particularly attractive to investors due to its low cost of entry in terms of capital expenditure,” he added.

In his opening remarks, the Director, Licensing and Authorization Department, NCC, Mr Mohammed Babajika revealed that TTTR is an annual stakeholder’s consultation forum and was conceptualized to achieve the following objectives: “To educate Licensees on their various license obligations; To provide a platform where Licensees can openly discuss challenges experienced in the course of operations and together with the Commission proffer solutions; To provide a platform where top Management of the Commission can receive feedback directly from the industry to aid in decision-making; To educate Licensees on topical regulatory issues and obtain feedback on the impact of the Commission’s regulatory policies; To guide in the identification and development of new categories of licences (for services not covered by existing licence categories); as well as to assess the impact of emerging trends in the Nigerian telecom space,” Babajika said.

The Commission, according to him, recognizes that technological advancements, in the industry such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Network as a Service (NaaS) and Internet of Things (IoT) are redefining service-delivery and therefore in line with global trends, it is currently reviewing its license categories.

He stressed that the Commission has also finalized the framework for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) and is currently in the process of licensing MVNOs.

“The licensing of MVNO will improve the telecommunication output of the country, enable the expansion and availability of quality mobile coverage and close the gap to the unserved and underserved population in Nigeria,” he said.

Babajika posited that while the Commission is fully committed in discharging its mandate, it can only achieve this with the cooperation and support of licensees, adding that the Commission therefore recognizes the importance of various service providers and seeks to constantly engage with these service providers and thereby protect the health and growth of the telecoms industry.

He urged the licensees to take advantage of the forum to seek clarifications with respect to any issues such as: license obligations, renewal processes and procedures and emerging trends in the industry and assured them that the Commission will take their recommendations on-board as has been done in the past and will ensure that ideas gleaned are implemented to impact the industry positively.