Ict/Telecom
Subscribers Welcome Ban On GSM Promos, Lotteries
Subscribers Welcome Ban On GSM Promos, Lotteries
GSM subscribers on Wednesday
welcome the ban placed on promos and lotteries by the industry regulator,
saying they preferred quality services to the freebies being offered by the
telecom operators.
President of
National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS), Chief Deolu
Ogunbanjo, told newsmen in Lagos, that
the ban was a “welcome development.”
‘’It is a welcome development, although it is a mixed
feeling for subscribers, because some subscribers are being empowered with the
lotteries and promos, and promos also bring down tariffs.
“However, we cannot compromise good quality for promos;
we prefer good quality services than promos. So there is nothing wrong with
what NCC had done,’’ Ogunbanjo said.
He said that promotions could resume when the operators
had stabilised the networks to the required capacities.
The NATCOMS President urged the telecom service
providers to do all within their capacities to offer their customers value for
money.
Also, an Information Technology (IT) expert, Mr Lanre
Ajayi, commended the NCC on the ban.
Ajayi, Chief Executive of Pinet Informatics, said in
Lagos that there was the need to reduce congestion on the networks for better
service experience. He said that network congestion was as a result of higher
demand than supply capacity as the networks were unable to carry the volume of
traffic.
“There are two ways to address congestion on the
networks: it is either you expand the networks capacities very quickly, so that
they can accommodate all the traffic.
“You can also reduce the traffic on them and a way of
reducing traffic on the networks is to limit those promotions,’’ said Ajayi,
who is also the President, Association of Telecommunications Company of
Nigeria.
He, however, called for a “slow down” on the promos,
saying that a complete ban might be inappropriate.
‘’The trend of the promo is about reducing tariffs and
giving incentives for people to make more calls; so, if you don’t lower those
tariffs beyond reasonable level, then unnecessary calls will not be made,’’ he
said.
Ajayi spoke in his personal capacity.
Mr Akinwale Goodluck, MTN Corporate Services Executive,
told NAN that the company just received a letter on the ban from NCC.
“We are still reviewing it and we will make our position
known in the next day or two,’’ Goodluck said.
Reacting to the ban, Mr Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of the
Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said
that the telecom umpire had exercised its statutory duty as a regulator.
Our corespondent reports that the Nigerian
Communications Commission (NCC) on Monday announced the ban of all promotions
by telecommunications operators, as well as lotteries being carried out on the
GSM networks.
NCC Director of Public Affairs, Mr Tony Ojobo, said in a statement that the
ban, which took immediate effect, would remain in force until such a time as
might be determined by the Commission.
He said that recently, NCC had been inundated with
several complaints from consumers and industry stakeholders against the various
promotions offered by telecommunications operators.
According to him, the Commission carefully evaluated the
complaints received, especially against the backdrop of sustaining the
integrity of the networks.
He added that the complaints were evaluated in the
general interest of the consumers and against the backdrop of the
socio-economic impact of these promotions on operators and other relevant
stakeholders.
‘’Having observed that these promotions have increased the
number of minutes available to subscribers for use within a limited period of
time, thereby creating congestion in the networks as subscribers try to use up
the available minutes within the stipulated time.
‘’That on-net calls were now being offered by operators
at tariffs well below the prevailing inter-connect rates, thereby introducing
anti-competitive practices and behaviour.
‘’That termination of calls were becoming increasingly
difficult from one network to another and overall consumer experience on the
networks has become very poor, thereby making it extremely difficult for
subscribers to make calls successfully.
‘’The Commission, therefore, has banned all promotions
by telecommunications network operators, as well as lotteries being carried out
on such networks,’’ the NCC director said.
He said that the ban covered all proposed and approved
promotions and lotteries on which the Commission had given approval further to
the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into with the National Lottery
Regulatory Commission (NLRC).
Our Correspondent reports that the telecom operators affected by the
ban include Globacom, MTN, Intercellar, Visafone, Etisalat, Airtel and
Multilinks.
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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