Telecom
Improvement in Infrastructure Will Drive Data Cost Down- NCC
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said Nigerians will enjoy the best data pricing when there is improved infrastructure and when rural areas are penetrated with good internet.
Prof Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman of the commission, who stated this explained that because people are increasingly using data services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, something needs to be done very fast to ensure that the deluge of data services people used at this time were not only available but affordable and accessible.
Dambatta disclosed this at a webinar on ‘Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the Nigerian digital economy and post-pandemic strategies’ hosted by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).
The NCC boss explained that addressing the infrastructure in the sector, whether wireless or fibre, was critical.
Danbatta said, “Most of us are associated with the wireless infrastructure, which accounts for about 55 to 60 per cent of the total broadband network in this country.
The fibre infrastructure is one that is not good enough because we have a little under 40,000 kilometres of this fixed infrastructure and what we need in this country is 120,000km of fibre infrastructure.
“This is captured in the Next Level Document of the Federal Government. So, how do we raise the level of deployment of this fixed infrastructure reasonably from where we are, at about 27,000km of fibre to at least 60,000km or maybe even 80,000km of fibre? Therefore, a plan is needed. One is in place and what the NCC did was to grant infrastructure licences to six infrastructure companies.
“From the undersea cable of MainOne to Glo-1 West African Submarine Cable and even the oldest undersea cable, we have a combine capacity that is not reaching the hinterlands and until and unless we can improve the network that bolsters this capacity and move it into the hinterland; every nook and cranny of this country, we will not be able to have the right kind of data prices.
Meta may shut down its Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in protest against the substantial fines imposed by multiple government agencies.
The tech giant has been ordered to pay nearly $300 million in fines in Africa’s most populous nation, following regulatory demands which Meta described as “unrealistic.”
In July 2024, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), imposed a $220 million fine on Meta for allegedly discriminatory and exploitative practices against Nigerian consumers.
The commission stated that Meta had failed to engage a Data Protection Compliance Organisation and had not submitted a Nigeria Data Protection Regulation audit report for two consecutive years.
Similarly, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), demanded $37.5 million over unapproved advertising, while the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), announced a $32.8 million fine for an alleged data privacy breach.
Meta challenged the decisions at the Federal High Court in Abuja but was unsuccessful, as the court upheld the fines in a ruling delivered last week.
The court directed the company to comply with payment by the end of June, but Meta has indicated it may not do so, according to the BBC.
“The applicant may be forced to effectively shut down the Facebook and Instagram services in Nigeria in order to mitigate the risk of enforcement measures,” the company stated in court documents.
Responding to the NDPC’s assertion that Meta’s data processing could expose Nigerian users to health and financial risks, the company said the agency had failed to “properly interpret the laws guiding data privacy.”
Telecommunications services disrupted in Kogi State have resumed following a resolution of the dispute between MTN Nigeria and the state government, the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has said.
Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of ALTON, told TVC News that the issues that led to the shutdown of telecom masts in the state, primarily affecting MTN, had been addressed, paving the way for service restoration.
TVC News earlier reported that businessmen and women were counting their losses as they suffered the impact of a shut down of telecommunication service in Kogi State
Over the past two weeks, telecoms connectivity had been erratic, with competing brands experiencing glitches, particularly in the Lokoja metropolis.
The State government suspended the operations of some telecom services citing unpaid taxes and fibre-related dues.
The shutdown stemmed from a compliance dispute between MTN and the Kogi State Utility Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency, which accused the telecom giant of violating operational rules and under-declaring the extent of its optic fibre network coverage in the state.
The protracted Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) debt misunderstanding between the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and telecommunications operators appears to have been resolved.
This was confirmed by the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, Thursday, March 1, when he appeared on Arise TV to speak on the firm’s first-quarter 2025 result, where the telecommunications company reported over N1 trillion in revenue earnings.
Recall that the USSD debt had been a major issue between the DMBs and telcos and had lasted for about five years.
In the third quarter of 2024, the telcos had threatened to withdraw their service over the lingering debt, which was around N200 billion at the time. This led to the swift intervention of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and an agreement was reached on payment.
As of November 2024, the NCC put the debt at N160 billion. However, earlier this year, when it appeared the banks were not forthcoming with payments, the NCC directed the telcos to withdraw the USSD services from debt-owning DMBs, where about 18 banks were listed.
This directive prompted the banks to look inward and start to comply with an earlier circular signed by the CBN and NCC, which articulated the payment patterns for the debt.
Speaking, on Arise TV this morning, May 1, Toriola confirmed that the matter has been fully resolved and that banks have made payments.
“I can confirm that the matter has been fully resolved. We have received payments in full. Special thanks to the CBN, NCC, the banks, and other stakeholders that intervened in the matter,” the MTN CEO stated.
Fines: Meta Threatens to Shut Down Facebook, Instagram in Nigeria
History as TVC News Unveils Nigeria’s First AI-Powered News Anchors
Court Rejects Bid to Stop CBN from Using e-Naira Trademark
MRA Flags AI Concerns ahead of Press Freedom Day Today
NITDA, RHI, Commission IT Community Centre in Ibadan
E-Financial2 days agoCBN Slams ₦250m Fine on Paystack Over Zap Wallet Operations
General News2 days agoNITDA Inaugurates Start-up Consultative Forum
Telecom2 days agoGBB Reaffirms Commitment to Driving Public Sector Innovation @ the 5th Public Service Innovation Competition Awards
Telecom3 days agoMTN Nigeria Invests N202.4Bn in Q1 2025 to Enhance Network Capacity
Telecom1 day agoSterling Bank Introduces AlwaysOn, Offering Nigerians Up to ₦1 Million Monthly
General News2 days agoNFIU Alerts Nigerians of Rising Ponzi Schemes, Unregulated Crowdfunding Scams
News2 days agoFirm Warns Against AI Password Generation @ World Password Day
Telecom2 days ago5 tips to start taking digital payments as a business in Africa