Telecom
Stakeholders Urge Government to Put in Place Basic Infrastructures to Drive Digital Revolution
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) stakeholders have called on Federal Government to put in place basic infrastructures that will drive Digital Transformation in the country.
They made this call at the 9th edition of the eWorld Forum 2018, held at Oriental Hotel, Lagos.
Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) said that there cannot be meaningful digital transformation when basic infrastructure to drive the revolution are not in place.
He state that for Digital Transformation to be efficient there is need for deployment of infrastructure to enable speed of broadband delivery and quality of service while urging on government to provide legal framework that will enable businesses thrive.
According to him, “to aid digitization there is need for deployment of infrastructure to enable speed of broadband delivery and quality of service.
“Whilst businesses in eCommence; eHealth; eAgriculture and the rest may be coming up with better digital innovation, the issue is whether the current legal framework enables these businesses thrive?”
Adebayo who represented at the event by Eno Udoma-Eniang, Regulatory & Legal Committee Chairperson at ALTON, called on Government at each level to support the massive deployment of telecom infrastructure in their domain for efficient digital transformation of their day to day activities by looking at the long-term benefits of all the infrastructure in place for better service delivery to the citizen.
Adebayo noted that ALTON is committed to the smart cities initiative by which the States in Nigeria can all be transformed to digital operating States.
Muhammed Rudman, Chief Executive Officer, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, in his presentation titled “Nigeria’s Readiness for Digital Transformation” said that digital transformation is hitting the world in a big way and no government or business can thrive without incorporating technology in its core strategy.
He noted that since the invention of computers and later the Internet, the world has been on the march towards total digital transformation, adding that every aspect of our lives is affected by this transformation.
He stated that Nigeria’s journey to digital transformation began with the liberalization of the telecom sector which ushered in the first Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) operator and the award of the first Digital Mobile License (DML) in 2001.
He also urged government at all level to develop strategic roadmap towards digital transformation, which should be developed with input from all stakeholders.
Muyiwa Ogungboye, Chief Executive Officer, Estream Networks, explained that the readiness of Nigeria as a country for Digital Transformation rest largely with all tiers of government and relevant government agencies be it at federal, state and local government.
He noted that although the country has concretized its readiness for Digital Transformation with the works of Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) a lot still needs to be done in the drive to digitally transform the country.
Ogungboye also commended the government on the successes already recorded over the years in entrenching Digital Transformation in the country.
According to him,” Nigeria has since been ready for Digital Transformation with the establishment of NCC and NITDA, but there were challenges that have slowed down her speed of Digital Transformation.
“Before I mention some of the changes, allow me to mention some success that we have recorded over the years.
“At the federal government level, all payments now goes through a single treasury account called TSA via Remita Software from Systemspecs Nig Ltd.
“This move has made our government to realized billions of hiding monies.
“At the state level, most state government has installed various softwares that tracks the collection of various levies which has resulted to increased Internally Generated Funds.
“Another is Ghost workers has been reduced if not eliminated in some states.”
He also revealed that “At the private sector level, Nigeria has had an explosion of several Telecommunications and Software Companies that are adding value to the economy.”
He equally identified some challenges that is slowing down the country’s speed to Digital Transformation as “The will power of the Nigeria Government to implement Digital Transformation nationwide on whatever activities any citizen does.”
Other challenges he identified were Right of Way Issue, Multiple Taxation, levies and fees on the same existing infrastructure, Fragmented and limited distribution of fiber and telecom infrastructure to several areas of the country creating large swathes of un-served or under-served communities within States or Local Government Areas, Long delays in the issuance of permits for new infrastructure, Severe power challenges, Multiple agencies doing the same function.
Nigeria will criminalize the destruction of broadband fiber cables following repeated complaints by MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and other telecommunications companies that they are losing billions of naira, according to people familiar with the matter.
Federal ministry of works, which supervises federal road constructors, is finalizing the regulation that will be signed as an executive order by President Bola Tinubu, said the people, asking not to be identified as they weren’t authorized to comment.
While there are presently laws against vandalism, the authorities are aiming to regulate construction firms more closely.
The order will enforce stiff penalties on offenders, said the people, declining to provide more details or say when it will be signed.
“Telecom assets are critical backbone that supports the economy across sectors,” said Temitope Ajayi, a senior presidential aide, who noted that the Association of Telecommunications Companies (ATCON) has been demanding the classification for years.
New rules will provide “further assurance that the Nigerian government will protect their investments against vandals and criminal elements.”
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) estimates that the sector will make up more than a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product by the end of 2027, up from 13.5% in the third quarter of last year.
The move will help alleviate pressure on the telecoms sector, which is facing increased operating costs and sales pressures from a sharp depreciation in the currency and a threefold increase in energy prices.
Repairs and revenue losses from damaged cables is estimated to have cost the sector almost 27 billion naira ($23 million) last year alone, documents seen by Bloomberg show.
MTN Nigeria, the biggest wireless operator in Africa’s most-populous nation, and Airtel Africa Plc bore the brunt of the costs, the documents show.
MTN suffered more than 6,000 cuts on its fiber cable last year, the documents show. On Feb. 28, a cut on its network in three different locations by a road construction firm, an oil serving company and someone burning rubbish in a manhole meant customers faced more than five hours of data and voice outages.
The operator relocated 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) of vulnerable fiber cables between 2022 and 2023, at a cost of more than 11 billion naira – enough to build 870 kilometers of new fiber lines to areas without coverage.
A presidential order on the matter would be welcomed, said Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, president, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria.
“When it comes to communication infrastructure, they are destroyed at will, so we are eagerly awaiting the president’s order,” he said. “It would be a great boost to the industry, and it will also encourage investment.”
Telegram, the messaging giant founded by Pavel Durov and headquartered in Dubai, anticipates hitting a remarkable milestone of one billion active monthly users within the next year.
Durov’s departure from Russia in 2014, prompted by governmental pressures to stifle opposition communities on his VK social media platform, underscores Telegram’s commitment to neutrality despite geopolitical challenges.
With 900 million active users currently, Telegram stands as a beacon of free speech in the digital realm, particularly influential in former Soviet Union republics and pivotal during conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine standoff.
Durov’s staunch advocacy for freedom of expression and opposition to censorship by tech giants like Apple and Google reinforces Telegram’s status as a neutral platform.
Opting for the UAE as its base, Durov cites its neutrality and openness as conducive to Telegram’s ethos, serving both opposition groups and governments alike while maintaining impartiality.
In Durov’s vision, the pursuit of freedom eclipses material gain, shaping Telegram’s trajectory as a bastion of digital liberation.
To further strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have announced a collaboration on National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to enhance and create synergy between digital identity, payment ecosystem, and secure & seemless data exchange capabilities for Nigeria.
During the meeting between the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, and Director General of NIMC, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, with some management staff of both organisations, they discussed various initiatives, which include building DPI stacks for a secured and seamless data exchange and forming partnerships to transform the national identity system.
This collaboration also aims to harness the potential of the innovative ecosystem and emphasise the use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to drive digital transformation in Nigeria.
To ensure a smooth implementation, a 12-man committee was set up. This committee will play a crucial role in kickstarting and harmonising the initiatives. It is expected to deliver a comprehensive implementation report within the next 4 weeks
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