ALTON Wants Laws, Policies For ICT Dev

The Association of Li
censed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has demanded an overhaul of the telecommunication legal framework to further make the sector attractive and investment friendly.
ALTON’s chairman, Mr Gbenga Adedayo, made the demand while speaking with newsmen at the Association Extra-ordinary Annual General  Meeting (AGM) held in Lagos, recently.
Adadayo said for the country to be competitive in a world where competitiveness is determined by knowledge, the necessary policies, laws and regulations  must be created, stressing that the enabling environment must also be created to maximise private sector investment in the ICT sector.
He said that investment in the sector was very significant to the economy of the country and cautioned government against actions that are increasingly becoming a dis-incentive to investment in the sector.
He said that to reverse this trend, an empirical evidence in form of clear, verifiable statistic of the sector’s contribution to the economy should be presented to government.
Adedayo also listed other areas of challenge to the sector as the negative impact of government’s action or inaction on the development of the sector.
He said that the quality of service across the various networks continued to record significant improvement since 2013 as members of the association continued to invest in network elements to enhance good quality.
He said that through the intervention of critical stakeholders they were able to tackle the issue of imposition of illegal  levies and taxes on telecommunications operators.
The ALTON Chairman said that the membership strength of the association had reduced from 22 to 15 and attributed the reduction to the challenges of the operating environment amongst other related factors.
He said the telecommunication sector was not immune to the challenges faced by other businesses in the country, stressing that without patronage, they cannot forge ahead.
Adedayo said the sector was not buoyant as people see it from outside, adding that some of these telecommunication companies would not close down if the industry was buoyant.
He called on government to put necessary framework in place to ensure effective and efficient services from the industry.