Telecom
NCC Plans CSIRT to Combat Cyber Crime
Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that the Commission is working towards establishing a Cyber Security Incidence Response Team (CSIRT) exclusively for the Telecommunications sector.
He stated that CSIRT will complement the Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) by handling and coordinating cybercrime incidences in the sector.
The NCC Boss, disclosed this at the 2019 Telecom Executives and Regulator Forum, organized by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos yesterday.
It would be recalled that the Commission played a key role in developing the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy documents that led to the establishment of the Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) Coordination Center, domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
Danbatta who was represented by Mohammed Babajika, Director, Policy Competition and Economic Analysis at NCC, revealed that CSIRT will facilitate intervention, swift identification of threats/vulnerabilities and the sharing of valuable information and resources to assist in fortifying Nigeria’s national security.
Speaking on the formulation of policy and regulation for OTTs: Challenges and Prospects, Danbatta urged service providers to innovate, noting that OTTs, have some prospects in the ICT ecosystem, which cannot be ignored.
He added that OTTs will increasingly support future service model that are rapidly expanding across multiple communications & digital service domains, which will spur the growth of Smartphones that are affordable, which pushes the demand for broadband and increase mobility that will bring convenience.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Olusola Teniola, President, Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), organizers of 2019 Telecom Executives and Regulator Forum (TERF2019) said that the aim of the forum is to create a platform for the regulators to update the industry on the regulatory direction and plans for the industry in the coming years.
He noted that the outcome the forum will enable industry stakeholders to understand how best to cooperate with the regulatory agency in ensuring the effectiveness and success of policies and regulations in the industry.
According to him, “the forum is one of ATCON’s flagship initiatives for the telecom and ICT industry in Nigeria, Specifically designed for the purpose of creating a veritable opportunity for key industry players to interact with the industry regulators with the aim of building a continual good working relationship between industry players and the regulators.
“It is also aimed at creating a platform for the regulators to update the industry on the regulatory direction and plans for the industry in the coming years. This hopefully, would enable industry stakeholders to understand how best to cooperate with the regulatory agency in ensuring the effectiveness and success of policies and regulations in the industry.
“Furthermore, the forum is designed as an opportunity for the regulators to receive feedback from the industry with a view to understanding the challenges and prospects industry players have to grapple with and explore to ensure sustained growth of the industry.
“To a large extent, participants brainstorm on measures that would fast-track the rapid expansion of telecommunications services across the federation in the years ahead.
“The Association is of the opinion that today’s telecom and ICT sector in Nigeria is built on continuous strategic engagements amongst all players in the sector and the projected growth can only be attained if these engagements continue.
Mohammed Babajika, Director, Policy Competition and Economic Analysis at NCC, making the presentation
“ATCON is providing this platform for the purpose of accelerating and harnessing the changes that are taking place in the industry in order to grow the industry for all its teeming members who have made huge investments in the Nigerian telecom and ICT sector.
“There is a popular saying that ‘change is inevitable’, the truth is that our industry is changing on daily basis or we can say that the industry is being disrupted by new technological innovations and for our members to stay afloat and remain players in the industry, new business models must be evolved by our members but regulation and policies also need to be reviewed, fine-tuned and strengthened so that all and sundry can remain in business. To this end, new capacities must be developed to match the new opportunities that the new ecosystem is presenting.
ATCON firmly believes that this very important platform would provide a great opportunity for all critical stakeholders in the industry to leverage on this rare opportunity to share their views, contribute their expertise and experiences in discussion about best practices in their jurisdictions with a focus to grow and sustain the industry.
“We strongly believe in knowledge sharing that will further stimulate the accelerated development of our industry. Finally, we need to succeed in further winning the confidence of the international community to see Nigeria as a preferred investment destination in Africa.
“This is why we consider it a worthwhile venture to continually engage ourselves in programmes that would enable us to advance the frontiers of telecommunications/ICT in Nigeria”.
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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