Telecom
ATCIS Seeks NCC’s Collaboration to Strengthen Consumer Protection
Association of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers (ATCIS) has assured of its readiness to collaborate with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to promote the rights, interests and welfare of the ever-growing telecoms subscribers in Nigeria.
L-R: Aliyu Ibrahim, Head, Consumer Protection and Advocacy, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Hafsat Lawal, Head, Consumer Policy Development and Monitoring, NCC and Sina Ilesanmi, President Association of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers (ATCIS) during a courtesy visit by the association to the Commission.
Speaking through Prince Sina Bilesanmi, president of the group, at a meeting with NCC in Abuja, the group said that since one of the agenda of the Commission is promoting subscriber’s satisfaction, it was poised to advance a mutually-beneficial relationship with the Commission on all fronts, with respect to the protection of the over 185 million subscribers under its watch.
“We believe that working together, we will also bring the regulator closer to its core stakeholders (consumers) and make demands occasionally on behalf of the consumers. We believe this is a quicker way of getting to the regulator and to bridge the communication gap and promote co-operation,” said Bilesanmi.
Bilesanmi also appealed to NCC to try to reduce tariffs of data and voice services, and to ensure affordable and reliable Internet service for subscribers. The advocacy group also appeal to the Commission to ensure there is no automatic fix charge and non-charges for drop calls.
The group also request NCC to make MNOs to grant subscribers voice and data-free day every Independence Day (October 1) in Nigeria, as a way of appreciating the consumers, who are the important stakeholders of the telecoms industry.
Responding, the NCC said, though the demands brought forward by ATCIS to the Commission are multidimensional, it was ready to collaborate with any stakeholder that offer suggestions that may move the industry forward. He stressed that industry collaboration is part of the Commission’s 8-Point Agenda.
“We are all stakeholders and subscribers in the industry. Despite some challenges, we are always working with the operators to improve the quality of service,” said Hafsat Lawal, deputy director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, who led the NCC’s team to receive ATCIS delegation on behalf of Prof. Umar Danbattat, executive vice chairman of the Commission.
Lawal also stressed that the issue of quality of service (QoS) is a function of many factors, some of which are environmental. For instance, it is doubtful if “any operator will deliberately wish its consumers experience poor network or drop call on its network because those issues will affect the revenue of the operator.”
The challenges, according to her, have to do with vandalism of telecom infrastructure and closure of base stations by communities where telecom installations such as base stations and fibre optic cables are sited or laid respectively.
Lawal also told the ATCIS that its request for collaboration will be conveyed to NCC Management for review and necessary action.
Hotspot, Nigerian last-mile connectivity and tower operator, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a consortium led by Clear Blue Technologies, solar-power company to deploy 312 solar powered mobile sites across Nigeria.
Under the deal signed earlier this week at Mobile World Congress 2025, the sites will feature Clear Blue’s Illumience Smart Power solar solution designed for telecoms infrastructure.
The Clear Blue consortium also includes Empower New Energy, which provides clean energy project financing across Africa, and Netis, which specialises in operating and managing telecom infrastructure and will the installation, operations, and maintenance services for the project.
Miriam Tuerk, CEO, Clear Blue, said the consortium has the expert skills and capabilities to quickly design, build and operate the network, solar power and tower sites.
“As everyone active in the telecom market in Africa is aware, it is a difficult operating environment with challenging TCO targets. And yet, it is probably the largest untapped telecom market in the world with significant growth potential”, said, Morenikeji Aniye, CEO, Hotspot.
“Clear Blue brings an innovative technology and service capability which, together with an innovative business model and structure, enables us to deploy and operate these sites while meeting stringent service and TCO targets.”
Clear Blue noted that the deal is subject to final contract negotiations and signatures.
Assuming everything goes according to plan, Hotspot will roll out the solar-powered sites at the end of this year.
Technology company, Globacom, has been experiencing substantial increase in the adoption of its Bulk Data services by enterprise clients. This surge reinforces the appeal of Glo’s innovative data solution among corporate organizations, schools, and tertiary institutions.
Glo’s Bulk Data offering is a user-friendly self-service portal that enables enterprise customers to gift data to other customers. This feature allows sponsors to allocate specific data amounts for free navigation of mobile apps or websites, with the sponsor covering the costs.
The service is particularly beneficial for educational institutions, which can purchase the Schools’ Bucket Data plan for students’ academic usage, valid for 90 days.
The Gifted Data Plan on its part, is available for a 30 days validity and offers flexibility, allowing sponsors to gift data to multiple Glo subscribers in various sizes, ranging from 200MB to 10GB, depending on the Pack the Gifting customer has subscribed to.
Sponsors can also customize SMS notifications to beneficiaries, setting Glo’s product apart from others in the market. Beneficiaries can easily check their balance by dialing *127*0# on their devices.
Glo’s Bulk Data service has become an attractive solution for enterprise clients seeking efficient data management, thanks to its flexibility, customization options, and user-friendly features.
The Bulk Data service is designed specifically for bulk data buyers, including corporate entities, schools, and tertiary institutions.
MTN Nigeria, one of Africa’s leading ICT companies, has partnered with automobile giants, Nord and GAC Motors to reinforce its commitment to its local content policy and support made in Nigeria products.
MTN
This partnership involved the procurement of a combined total of 33 cars for MTN’s customer-facing teams in Lagos and the North, including 22 locally assembled vehicles from Nord and GAC Motors, highlighting a strong commitment to local manufacturing. The additional purchase of 11 other cars further strengthened this operational initiative. These cars, essential tools of trade, play a key role in MTN’s customer engagement strategy, allowing their teams to commute to the field easily to deliver on targets.
In July 2021, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) established the Nigeria Office for Developing the Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NIDOTS), an office charged with the primary responsibility of ensuring the promotion of indigenous content in the Nigerian telecoms sector, through the enforcement of the Nigerian National Local Content Policy. This national policy serves as the framework for MTN’s local content commitments, supporting the Nigerian Federal Government in developing sustainable local societies, while championing digital and financial inclusion.
At a handover ceremony held at MTN’s Lagos Headquarters, Lynda Saint Nwafor, Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Nigeria, expatiated on MTN’s content policy and the relevance of this partnership. “At MTN, we maintain a stance on promoting local content development in Nigeria by enabling local supply chains through local procurement.”
Saint Nwafor further detailed how this partnership supports MTN’s logistics model: “We had some challenges over the years. The logistics model we initially wanted to adopt didn’t work, so we had to revert to the old model.
“This model allows our sales and client success teams to better commute to customer locations.”
MTN Nigeria remains committed to creating shared value and playing a positive and meaningful role in creating a sustainable and inclusive country.
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