Ict/Telecom
NCC To Regulate Adverts On Telephones
The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) is set to reduce the number of adverts and promotions which telephone service providers send to subscribers to enable them to improve on service delivery.
Minister of Communications and Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, made this known in Abuja on Sunday when she fielded questions at a forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The Tide learnt that the promotions carried out by the operators affected the quality of service provided because when they embarked on promos, the number of subscribers on the networks increases and there’s pressure on the network.
The minister who admitted that GSM service delivery had been poor in recent times, said because of the growth of the sector, operators had been facing demand challenge.
She said the advertisements and promotions on telephones did not necessarily worsened service delivery, but that natural and man-made disasters that befell the country in the past few months also contributed.
“A couple of months ago in September we had a number of attacks on the base stations in the North-East part of the country. A lot of these base stations were taken out and of course that affects the quality of service in the northern part of the country.
“The floods actually affected the ICT infrastructure; we have cables that are buried underground, we have base stations with generators that were basically covered with water.
“So they had issues in the North-East, issues where the floods were in the southern part of the country; so this took out a fair amount of the network and so there were challenges so that’s why you see that the quality of service has actually got worse.
“One of the things that NCC is doing at this point in time is: we are looking at how do we reduce the pressure on the networks as they bail these networks out?
“One of the ways in which we can do that and which is going to happen in the next days or weeks is that we’ll begin to curtail the promotions because what the promotion does is that it either increases the number of subscribers unto your network or it increases the number of minutes of calls on your networks.
“Because that’s really what they are doing right now, they are all fighting for market share. We need to curtail that and we are going to do that so what that does is that it decreases the pressure on the network.
“There are other things which are the value added services that are run on the operators’ infrastructure and those are the messages and the SMS you get on people selling things, many of them unwanted.
“We need to look at that as well, while you and I may say they are unwanted, some people actually find them very useful and some of them are quite informative, but I think it’s something the regulator is looking at. Of course, it is really advertising.
“Many other countries don’t allow it, in the U.S. I don’t think it’s allowed, in the UK I don’t think you’re allowed to send unsolicited texts unto people’s phones so we need to look at that as well.’’
Johnson assured NAN that efforts were underway to ensure that service delivery got better.
She also said that to have better service delivery, the network operators had been given a mandate to meet certain criteria called quality of service indicators.
She stressed that although the industry was the fastest growing one in Nigeria, there was no room for laxity.
“The ICT sector is growing at 30 per cent year-on-year and it’s been doing that for the last five years, it’s the fastest growing sector in this economy today.
“That sector is growing; consumer demand is growing and what we see right now is that the network operators are not able to keep up with the demand that they are seeing.’’
“Last year or the year before, the NCC, the regulator, had defined some quality of service indicators; call drop rates, call termination rates, all of those things were defined and articulated and the network operatives were told that you have to meet these quality of service indicators otherwise there would be a consequence.
“In May, it was so bad that we had to invoke that consequence, so the operators were fined significant amounts of money and nobody likes being fined by their regulator; I mean, it doesn’t bode well of you.
“But we also know that there are significant investments being made in those networks. You will see that a number of the companies, network operators have been advertising, they are upgrading their network.
“While there is a supply problem, this infrastructure is actually very vulnerable at this point in time not only vulnerable to natural disasters, which we can’t control, vulnerable to deliberate acts of vandalism on this infrastructure.
“This is infrastructure that is required for business, for security, for government, but really and truly it is treated so lightly.’’
Johnson also gave the assurance that in a few months, the telephone networks would be made better, noting that the building of ICT infrastructure took time.
The minister also appealed to Nigerians to stop the vandalism of infrastructure and help to secure them instead.
“Those are the kinds of things that we’re discussing with the states and local governments to let them know that this ICT infrastructure is as critical as power.
“You never go to a transformer and just yank it out, so the way you treat a transformer, treat a base station like that, treat fiber optic cable like that.
“ This is infrastructure and so as we’re building out these networks it would take time and I would say that you would see discernible improvement in quality of service over the next few months.
“But in terms of when can you get to that quality of service that you can make a call and it won’t drop, you don’t have to dial four times to get through to the person. I think we are about three or six months away from that.
“ We’re working on it, we will get there because it’s not in their interest (service providers) to give poor quality of service and I think that the agitation from Nigerians is enough incentive for them and from the NCC we are putting them under pressure.
“It’s enough incentive for the network operatives to begin to do what they need to do with their networks.’’
Johnson said with the kind of service that would be provided soon, consumers would be the king.
Ict/Telecom
NCC Assures Safe, Accessible Digital Space
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has assured Nigerians of accessible, resilient and safe digital space in the nation’s digital economy.
The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management, NCC, Rimini Makama, gave the assurance at the NCC’s Digital Economy Sensitisation Forum, with the theme, “Leaving No One Behind: Digital Access, Equity and Empowerment” in Abuja.
Makama said that the commission remained committed to ensuring that Nigeria’s national telecommunications infrastructure remained resilient, accessible and secure.
“Digital empoScientists Advocate Shared Responsibility To Boost Food Securitywerment must be inclusive. Without inclusion and equity, the benefits of the digital economy will remain unevenly distributed.
“The commission, through its Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) and other initiatives, is actively extending digital opportunities to the unserved, underserved, physically challenged and vulnerable groups through several impactful programmes,” he said.
The Publicity Expert for the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Dr Nihinlola Fefa, said that the association had been an advocate of cyber security awareness and sensitisation over the years.
“ATCON has been a very key stakeholder in the ICT and telecom industry. We have always advocated for cybersecurity awareness and sensitisation.
“We have been giving our own input over the years. We interface with all the telecom companies. We do a lot of studies, and we also give our contributions in so many ways,” she said.
She commended the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, for deploying technology into rural communities.
According to her, though Nigeria is doing well in the area of cybersecurity, there is room for improvement.
“We are in a good position right now and we can do better from the government side,” she said.
Also speaking, the Head, IT and Cybersecurity, National Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Olorunisomo Isola, said that the commission had rolled out the necessary framework.
Ict/Telecom
Expert Tasks Nigerians On AI
An economist, Dr Chinedu Amadi, has urged Nigerians to leverage the opportunities inherent in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to become competitive in the global business and social spaces.
Amadi, who is also the President, Organisation of Youth in International Trade and Commerce (OY-ITC), gave the urge during an interview with newsmen , in Abuja, Monday.
Amadi noted that humanity has always advanced by expanding its intelligence and capabilities through technology across different eras pointing out that AI now drives economic systems, social interactions and competitive advantage among nations globally.
“The world is entering a phase where humans and intelligent machines will share cognitive functions, so Nigeria should innovate or risk being sidelined in the emerging global digital order.
“The next frontier extends beyond AI tools to a deeper relationship between human consciousness and machine intelligence. This phase has the dawn of shared human machine cognition shaping future innovation and development worldwide,” he said.
Amadi noted that countries like the U.S., Japan and China already integrated AI into national planning, logistics and defence operations.
He warned that a deeper wave of collaboration between humans and intelligent systems is rapidly emerging
urging Nigeria and other African nations not to remain passive observers in this technological transition.
“Nigeria must innovate urgently or risk missing another major industrial revolution. Future global leadership will favour nations that create, regulate and ethically manage advanced technologies,” he added.
He said that the youthful population is viewed as a potential cognitive economy capable of driving digital creativity.
He advised policymakers and institutions to develop indigenous technologies, reflecting national priorities and moral values.
The president, however, noted that energy and agricultural sector can gain efficiency through predictive AI and advanced computation, adding that governance can also benefit from digital systems that strengthen transparency and curb corruption.
While noting that neural interfaces and quantum processing would soon merge human thought with computationAmadi said that the evolution demands ethical guidance, empathy and deeper human conscience in education system.
According to him, nations worldwide are racing to regulate AI and Nigeria also needs to define its strategic position.
“The future beyond AI will favour societies that balance innovation with wisdom and uphold human dignity,” he said.
Ict/Telecom
NIGCOMSAT Expands Nigeria’s Digital Broadcast Subsector By 35%
The Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited says the country’s digital broadcast subsector has expanded by 35 per cent to 75 per cent utilisation in two years.
This, it said, represented a milestone in the country’s digital transformation drive.
The Managing Director, NIGCOMSAT, Mrs Jane Egerton-Idehen, made the remark at a retreat with the theme: ‘Aligning for the Future: Innovation, Collaboration, and Sustainable Growth”, in Abuja, Monday.
According to her the theme reflects NIGCOMSAT’s commitment to driving Nigeria’s digital transformation and positioning itself as a global satellite industry leader.
She said one of the notable achievements in its broadcast segment was the Digital Switch Over (DSO) project, describing it as not just a technical milestone but also a national service.
“This growth is a testament to the organization’s improved service delivery and stronger engagement with partners and clients.
“The DSO project, a collaborative effort with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), is a key milestone in Nigeria’s digital transformation.
“NIGCOMSAT’s contribution to the project is enabling digital broadcasting penetration across the federation, cementing the organisation’s position at the centre of Nigeria’s digital transformation,” she said.
Egerton-Idehen said the achievements were expected to drive revenue growth, with target of three billion naira in annual revenue and eight billion naira in revenue within three years adding that the organisation’s expansion of broadband services and private sector partnership was key to achieving the goals.
“We cannot move boldly into the future without addressing the weight of the past. Our debt profile — both financial and operational — is a reality we must confront with strategy, discipline, and creativity.
“These are our headwinds. We acknowledge them openly because honesty is the first step toward transformation.,” Egerton-Idehen said.
She said in spite of challenges such as economic barriers and competition, the organisation remained optimistic about the future.
“We must out-innovate the market, deepen partnerships, and build a culture of solution-focused, profit-driven, and people-centered excellence.”
“The key initiatives include transitioning to software-defined satellites, expanding broadband services, and the NIGCOMSAT Accelerator for the Space Ecosystem.
“The organisation is prioritising public-private partnerships, branding, and communication, as well as investing in its people,” she said.
The Chief Executive Officer, Data Science Nigeria, Olubayo Adekanbi, said satellite-based economy could revolutionise key sectors such as agriculture, health, and education, creating new job opportunities and increasing productivity.
“By providing internet access to remote areas, satellite technology can bridge the digital divide and ensure no one is left behind.
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