Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Connect with us

Telecom

Blame e-Banking, Other Services for Deteriorating QoS- Bello

Published

on

Eugene Juwah, EVC, NCC
Kindly share this post

Participants at Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) organized workshop for legislators at weekend were told that e-banking and services relating to cashless economy are putting a lot of pressure on the telephone networks leading to deteriorating quality of service (QoS).

Stephen A. Bello, principal partner, KayafasKonsult Limited, in a paper titled: “The Impact Of ICT Infrastructure on Economic Development- An Appraisal Of Existing Infrastructure,” said that the effect of extra traffic imposed on the existing networks pose serious degradation in quality of service.

Bello who started with a call for improved infrastructure, said that one of the main indices for measuring economic development is the growth achieved by a nation over a period of time.

He said that growth in turn can only happen if there is additional investment in an economy.

Bello said: “Countries and economic blocks constantly make effort to attract both local and foreign investment to themselves. Nigeria, like any other nation has to compete for the limited investible capital available in the world’s economic system.

“Investors generally establish criteria for selecting and deciding on where and how to invest their surplus capital, one of these is the infrastructure available in the country. Good infrastructure lowers the cost of investment, thereby generating more return on capital or greater shareholder value”.

He identified ICT infrastructure as helps to lower the cost of doing business, and has multiplier effect in encouraging investment in other industrial sectors.

While appraising existing ICT infrastructure in Nigeria in terms of their availability, affordability, quality and adequacy, he classified infrastructure in this regard into Physical and institutional infrastructure.

The physical he listed to include: telephone, internet, while Institutional infrastructure entail ICT regulations, laws, guidelines, acts of parliament and executive orders.

He said that equal emphasis should be placed on both types of infrastructure if the ICT sector is to have a balanced and accelerated development.

On affordability, Bello said, “Cost of intercity-transport and international access are still very high; cost of voice calls moderate but still a lot of room for improvement. Roaming cost is very high even within the ECOWAS sub-region.

“Availability: (a) signal is available to about 70% of the population and 50% of land area. There is still a lot of ground to be covered. (b)    A lot of international bandwidth is stranded in Lagos due to inadequate long distance infrastructure to carry it to the hinterland.

“Quality: the telephone network was designed and optimized for voice calls. It’s now made to carry a lot of extra traffic from smartphones, ( twitter, Facebook) which are data hungry devices.

“E-banking and services relating to cashless economy are putting a lot of pressure on the telephone network. The effect of this extra traffic is serious degradation in quality of service”.

Reeling out statistics on the internet structure in the country, he said that on availability only about 30% of Nigerians have access to the internet or have ability to use it, while the cost of internet service at about N1500/Gigabytes of data or N10,000 month for unlimited download is still too high.

“This translates to 55% of minimum wage as against 5% recommended by the International Telecommunications Union.

On quality, he said, “internet speed which averages about 100kbits/sec is grossly inadequate and service is also unreliable.

Bello told the participating legislator that, to address the challenges needs a review of the Acts establishing most of the institutional infrastructure under telecommunication circuit.

“Most parastatals that are concerned with the regulation or development of ICT have enabling acts which gives them legal authority to regulate the industry. However, many of these enabling laws are due for review in order to incorporate new technical development and services. ICT is a fast changing industry, hence enabling acts governing ICT should be reviewed every 10-15 years,” Bello said.

He further called for convergence hence the dividing line between ICT services is getting more blurred year by year.

The workshop organized by the NCC had as it theme: ‘’ ICT Infrastructure As A Key Driver For Economic Development: What Role For The Legislature?’’


Kindly share this post

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

Telecom

NCC Wins Global ICT Award for Digital Awareness in Schools

Published

on

L–R: Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, receives the WSIS 2025 Prize (Category C3: Access to Information and Knowledge) from the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin, following the selection of the Commission's Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) as winner of the category.
Kindly share this post

Nigeria, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has won the 2025 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) prize for its project, the Digital Awareness Programme (DAP), under Category C3, which is on Access to Information and Knowledge.

L–R: Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, receives the WSIS 2025 Prize (Category C3: Access to Information and Knowledge) from the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin, following the selection of the Commission’s Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) as winner of the category.

The DAP, one of hundreds of projects submitted for the WSIS Prizes competition 2025, received the highest number of votes in its category, earning it the top honour. The programme equips secondary schools across the country with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources and provide internet connectivity to support teaching, learning, and research. Since inception in 2006, over 300 schools across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones have benefitted from the programme.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, received the award during the WSIS Prizes Winners 2025 Ceremony held on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland.

In his acceptance remarks, Dr. Maida thanked the hosts, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and WSIS, for recognising Nigeria’s efforts in promoting inclusive digital access across Nigeria, noting that the award would serve as further motivation for the Commission.

“This recognition is more than a celebration of past efforts—it is an encouragement to press forward. It affirms that investing in digital inclusion is investing in national development, and that Nigeria’s work is being seen and valued on the global stage,” Dr. Maida said.

Four other Nigerian projects—the Women Techsters and the Advanced Digital Empowerment Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADEPTI) under Capacity Building, the Telecom-Based Research Grant Initiative under Enabling Environment, and the Digital Learning Initiative under e-Learning—were also celebrated for their nomination for the Champions Category of Projects at the WSIS Prizes Ceremony. Although they were not among the top-voted entries, they were acknowledged for their significant merit and impact.

The WSIS Prizes competition recognises and promotes projects that effectively leverage ICTs to advance sustainable development. The competition showcases how technology can serve as a powerful tool for addressing global challenges and achieving the SDGs. Projects from around the world are recognised annually, highlighting diverse approaches to building an inclusive information society.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a United Nations (UN) initiative aimed at building a people-centred, inclusive, and development-oriented information society. It provides a multi-stakeholder platform to address issues related to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and their role in achieving sustainable development.

The Forum is an annual event that brings together high-level representatives from governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, the technical community, and international organisations. It serves as a global platform for implementing the WSIS Action Lines, which are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Telecom

No More Excuses: NCC Sets Tough August Deadline to Tackle Telecom Hitches

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given telecom tower operators in the country August 2025 deadline to fix persistent network hitches in their facilities or face regulatory sanctions.

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, reportedly gave the ultimatum during a high-level meeting with key industry players, attended by representatives of IHS Towers, American Tower Corporation (ATC), and Pan-African Towers, and mobile network operators (MNOs) in Abuja

According to sources, discussions at the meeting focused on the recurring challenges in the telecoms sector, particularly power failures, equipment malfunctions, and insufficient site maintenance, that have been causing poor Internet and call services in the country

Specifically, Maida tasked the tower operators on the imperative of complying with the NCC’s updated Quality of Service (QoS) framework, which now extends performance obligations to infrastructure providers, not just telecom service providers.

According to him, the timeline given by the commission is more than enough time for all parties to align with the performance standards expected of them.

Recently, to ensure compliance with the standards, the NCC introduced a Major Incident Reporting Portal for real-time outage disclosures; developed public performance dashboards to enhance transparency; mandated that telecom tower companies meet strict Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Although the tower operators had previously cited delayed payments from MNOs as a reason for service lapses, the NCC had dismissed the justification, insisting that all parties must meet their obligations.

The EVC maintained: “Operators must fulfill both their technical and financial responsibilities. Poor service delivery—regardless of internal disputes—will attract consequences.”

Available data on the telecom tower infrastructure shows that IHS Towers has the largest assets with 16,000–19,000 sites, (62% market share); compared to American Tower Corp’s (ATC’s) about 8,270 towers; and Pan-African Towers’ 760–1,000 sites nationwide.

The latest NCC’s August deadline is believed to be putting pressures on the tower operators to improve the quality of their facilities for improved services as the commission had hinted of its plan to sanction defaulting operators with fines or stricter regulatory actions.

Industry experts believe that the NCC’s directive is a welcomed development as it will ensure reliable Internet connectivity and improved services quality for telecom consumers in the country.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Telecom

NCC to Chart MVNO Growth Path at Telecom Sustainability Forum 6.0

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is set to play a pivotal role at the upcoming 6th edition of the Telecom Sector Sustainability Forum (TSSF 6.0), where it will lead a critical discussion on the sustainable growth of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria.

Set against a backdrop of innovation and opportunity, this forum, organized by Business Remarks, aptly themed “Unlocking Nigeria’s MVNO Potential: Status, Trends, Investment, and Future Prospects,” is scheduled for August 26, 2025. This event reinforces the nation’s commitment to fostering a robust, competitive, and inclusive telecommunications landscape.

The forum will bring together a diverse array of key stakeholders from across the telecom ecosystem to deliberate on strategies for integrating MVNOs effectively into Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital economy. With the recent advancements in technology and the issuance of 43 MVNO licenses to new players, MVNOs are poised to significantly enhance service delivery, drive digital transformation, penetrate underserved markets, and stimulate healthy competition across the sector.

As the global MVNO market is experiencing significant growth, with projections indicating continued expansion, experts believe that with the right regulatory environment and access to infrastructure, emerging markets like Nigeria can leverage MVNOs to unlock new value for both operators (by utilizing excess network capacity) and customers. Customers can enjoy a rich array of niche value-added services tailored to their needs.

Having been proactive in introducing a five-tier MVNO licensing classification, each with distinct services and a 10-year validity period, signaling a clear path for new entrants, the telecom regulator (NCC) will deliver a keynote address outlining the Commission’s regulatory framework, interventions, and commitment to ensuring a conducive environment for MVNO operations.

Mrs. Bukola Olanrewaju, Convener of the forum and Managing Editor of Business Remarks, emphasized the importance of collaboration. “TSSF 6.0 is designed to be a melting pot of ideas, bringing together Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), MVNOs, telecoms infrastructure providers, Internet Service Providers, industry associations, and technology experts,” she said.

“Our goal is to ignite discussions that will shape the future of MVNOs in Nigeria, ensuring their sustainable growth and their critical role in extending digital prosperity across the nation.”

The forum will feature interactive sessions, thought-provoking panel discussions, insightful paper presentations, and abundant networking opportunities. This event aims to provide a platform for stakeholders to share insights, address challenges, and explore collaborative pathways for sustainable growth.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Trending