Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Office (EVC/CEO) Nigerian Communications Commission has asked for patience to enable the consultants contracted to ensure appropriate pricing for broadband services in the country to do its work.
Speaking in response to a question asked by reporters on the possible outcome of the retail price of the data services at the gathering of stakeholders forum to discuss possible ways of ensuring appropriate pricing for broadband services that was held recently in Lagos.
Prof. Danbatta, said “let us not be a little bit impatient. Let us exercise patience and allow the consultants to do their work.
“We have a date with them in April to look at the outcome of their study and debate it, and then, that will be when we will determine the price.
He added that, the role of the consultant is to determine a dynamic model that we can use to establish appropriate, affordable price for data and broadband retail in the telecommunication sector of the economy.
He also stated that input from all stakeholders in the industry are needed to fashion out a model that would yield an appropriate pricing for retail broadband as well as for data services.
“We need data from operators in the industry for the consumers; this data will serve as input to a model that would yield among other things the appropriate price for retail broadband as well as for data services.
“It is not possible for me to make a pronouncement on the price now, but more than the price, this study will empower the consumer, this study when it is completed would indeed have an important, positive social implication because services will be available, they will be affordable and they will be accessible. He stated
In response to a question on the 14 days grace for data rollover, Danbatta said “we have answered the yearnings of consumers in this country, who before the introduction of this very important direction, were complaining that they do not use up their data and this data they don’t know where it’s going.
“So we advised operators through the direction that we introduced to allow a 14 days grace for consumers to use such residual data.
“I think it’s in the interest of consumers to ensure they utilize this grace period to use their data.”
Danbatta however declined to comment on 9mobile takeover because the matter is before a competent court of jurisdiction and that NCC will not comment on it, until it’s resolved.