General News
The Telco Business As a Service Provider
The recent feud between MTN, Glo, Airtel and Etisalat – , Nigeria’s big four mobile operators and the Nigeria Communications Communication (NCC), the industry regulator leading to a hefty cumulative fine of N1.17 billion threw up several mindboggling questions.
One of such on the minds of the subscribers: did NCC act on behalf of the customers and if so, why are the funds going to the regulator, rather than the subscriber?
Again, the question arises: who loses if the NCC asks non-cooperating operators to leave in ‘national interest’?
Answers to the second question put more issues of ‘national interest’ at the front burner. Who defines ‘national interest’?
Bolaji Abdulahi, the Minister of Sports, recently gave an insight to the ‘national interest’ question with a new twist when he stopped the football federation from signing on the Belgian Tom Saintfeit, as national technical director – ‘in national security interest’.
In the instance of telcos vs. NCC the national question issue has even become indistinctive, especially since Nigeria has no fall back national carrier.
Globacom was awarded a ‘second national carrier’ status, but its posturing in terms of ‘national interest’ is subject for another discuss.
Mobile operators in Nigeria got on the wrong side of the law following failure of key performance indicator (KPI), carried out by the industry watchdog.
In communicating to the telcos on their continued KPI failures, Ms. Josephine Amuwa, Director of legal and regulatory services, and Ubale Maska, Head of compliance monitoring and enforcement at NCC noted that the Commission had noted that the operators quality of services (QoS) performance in the months of January and February 2012 were below the ‘specified thresholds.’
“However, for the purpose of enforcement of the new Quality of Service Regulations, the Commission had taken these periods as grace period.” It subsequently ordered the foursome to pay the cumulative fine of N1.170 Billion for the months of March and April, 2012 on or before May 21, 20112; with a caveat that failure to comply automatically attracts addition N2.5 million daily fines.
As the arguments swung left and right, the way out of the quagmire of poor QoS offered by telcos is for them to first see themselves as ‘service providers’ rather than ‘network operators’.
Hugh Bradlow, chief technology officer of Australia’s Telstra noted that the “telecommunications industry is, at its heart, a service provider business – we just got a bit distracted for a 100 years or so by being ‘network operators’ because we had this large asset that gave us control over services.
So at the heart of the operators have always being – profit – rather than service or so many Nigerians see them.
Profit drives the ‘networks’ to load their system, roll out services even when they are aware of poor QoS as a result of over-capacity utilization leading to network congestions.
Bradlow believes that with the emerging telecom ecosystem occasioned by competing new technologies, telcos should instead “focus on delivering a holistic customer experience that empowers the consumer and business and allow them to get the most out of their services – fixed as well as mobile.”
He spoke at the GSMA Mobile Asia Expo 2012 last week and noted that Telstra is “working on a wide range of partnerships with all sorts of players in the industry, ranging from our large traditional vendors, to new startups to the so-called over-the-top players. We are doing this to ensure that we can deliver the best possible user experience to our customers.”
Perhaps, as often cited by critics, it would do Nigerian operators a world of good if they re-invent their business module to fit into the peculiar operating environment rather than the one-fit-all approach seem to be adopted in a challenging terrain as Nigeria.
It would do them better to present themselves as one-partner-with-Nigeria, rather than businesses that repatriate capital out the Nigerian economy.
The NCC appears to be in a no-win-situation – it would swim or sink with the operators’ overbearing tendencies rather than revert to the pre-GSM Nitel monopoly days. The operators seem aware of the fact that Nigeria has no fall-back backbone; hence they would remain its ‘beautiful bride’.
Franco Bernabe, GSMA chairman is already predicting more growth by 2015 that would see 9.1 billion mobile connections, 4.6 billion subscribers, 3.2 billion mobile broadband connections and 350 million LTE connections, generating $1.9 trillion and providing close to 10 million jobs.
To achieve this goal, Bernabe noted there was need for more investments, condoned by a healthy competitive and fair regulatory environment.
The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has partnered with private sector ICT firms to explore the use of adaptive regulatory sandboxes that can support the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into data protection frameworks while enabling cross-border innovation.
This was revealed during a one-day workshop held in Abuja titled “Co-Creation Lab on Africa Sandboxes for AI”. The event also featured the evaluation of the African Sandbox Outlook report.
The workshop focused on how regulatory sandboxes could serve as safe testing environments for AI technologies and foster data-driven innovation on the continent.
Speaking at the event, National Commissioner of the NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, said the commission is actively examining the role of regulatory sandboxes as part of its mandate under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).
Represented by Ms. Adaobi Nwankwo, Head of the Commission’s Innovation Unit, Olatunji said: “Sandboxes aim to encourage responsible AI, foster compliance with the NDPA, and promote trust, fairness, accountability, and transparency.
“The goal is to create a competitive environment for AI developers and data scientists while addressing Africa’s unique challenges.”
He noted that a functional regulatory sandbox would need to operate within real-time legal and regulatory frameworks to ensure effective testing of AI and data-driven solutions.
Also speaking at the workshop, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, stressed that while AI offers transformative opportunities for digital infrastructure, network optimization, and public service delivery, it also raises complex regulatory and ethical concerns.
Represented by Mr. Babagana Digima, Deputy Director of New Media and Information Security at NCC, Maida highlighted the significance of regulatory sandboxes as tools for collaborative policy development:
“Sandboxes provide a controlled environment for innovators to test AI under regulatory supervision.
“This encourages collaborative learning, risk mitigation, and evidence-based policymaking. We’re aligning this with the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the Digital Economy Policy, and the Nigeria Data Protection Act.”
Principal Consultant at Kontemporary Konsulting, Dr. Jimson Olufuye, called for greater regulatory harmonization across African nations to facilitate easier data flows and AI integration.
“We need to optimise data protection processes and scale products across West Africa.
“There’s a need for sandboxes that support cross-border interoperability and AI systems embedded with robust governance structures,” he said.
Olufuye noted that inconsistencies in data laws across African jurisdictions could hinder innovation if not addressed through collaborative regulation.
Ms. Morine Amutorine, Africa Lead for the Datasphere Initiative, emphasized that AI sandboxes can be implemented in countries regardless of their regulatory maturity.
According to her, “ sandbox allows stakeholders to assess the impact of data-driven solutions and identify areas requiring new or updated regulation.”
Meanwhile, the African Sandbox Outlook report, presented at the event, noted that sandboxes are increasingly being recognized as powerful tools for testing regulatory and technical approaches to AI and data governance.
The report concluded that regulatory sandboxes across Africa are pivotal for tackling the continent’s data challenges, supporting innovation, and unlocking data value chains.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has announced its commitment to leveraging technology to enhance its regulatory functions, improve efficiency, and boost revenue generation for the Federal Government.
According to a statement by the agency’s Head of Public Relations, Osagie Edward, on Sunday, the move follows a comprehensive internal review of NIMASA’s operational systems aimed at closing gaps in monitoring and compliance.
A key component of the technological transformation is the deployment of the Maritime Enhanced Monitoring System (MEMS), which brings digital traceability to the core of Nigeria’s maritime operations.
“MEMS provides real-time visibility into vessel movements, operational logs, and regulatory interactions,” Osagie explained.
“With automated alerts, smart invoicing, and centralized data integration, NIMASA can now detect, document, and respond to maritime activities with greater precision and efficiency—eliminating unnecessary bottlenecks while strengthening compliance.”
He noted that one of the major targets for improvement is waste reception services—routine for both domestic and international vessels—which have historically lacked proper tracking.
This has resulted in unmonitored activities and substantial revenue losses. Through MEMS, each waste offload can now be logged, time-stamped, and automatically billed, ensuring environmental standards are upheld while generating consistent revenue.
Marine pollution control, another critical area under NIMASA’s mandate, has also suffered in the past from limited digital oversight.
“Without satellite tracking and automated reporting, pollution events often went unnoticed or were reported too late to mitigate environmental damage,” he said.
“Now, with modern surveillance systems, digital logbooks, and real-time alerts, NIMASA can respond swiftly to pollution incidents, recover environmental damages, and hold polluters accountable both legally and financially.”
Osagie further explained that past revenue shortfalls experienced by the agency were largely due to outdated manual processes, fragmented data systems, and inadequate digital enforcement tools—factors that external actors exploited for personal gain.
“The ongoing reforms at NIMASA are designed to overcome these systemic weaknesses. By investing in digital infrastructure and streamlining monitoring systems, the agency is positioning itself to fulfill its statutory obligations with greater transparency, efficiency, and accountability,” he added.
Responding to recent reports claiming the agency had commenced a concession of its operations, Osagie dismissed the allegations as false and misleading.
“There is no iota of truth in the reports suggesting that NIMASA has embarked on any form of concession. These are the handiwork of both internal and external elements attempting to exploit the existing system for personal benefit,” he stated.
“We urge the public to disregard these baseless claims and instead support NIMASA’s transformation journey, which aligns with the national objectives of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
He reaffirmed NIMASA’s commitment to enhancing maritime governance, environmental protection, and revenue optimization for national development.
Young Nigerian tech genius, Oluwatobi Oyinlola, has developed the world’s smallest GPS tracking device, a prototype measuring just 22.93 x 11.92 mm.
Recognised by the Guinness World Records, the device was created at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, on April 27, where he is employed as a researcher.
It has been hailed for its potential across industries, from logistics and personal safety to medical devices and wildlife monitoring.
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu celebrated the feat in a post on X, praising Oyinlola for showcasing the ingenuity of the West African country’s youth. “You have just shown the world that Nigerian youth can!” he wrote.
Adding to the accolades, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, lauded the innovation as a symbol of national pride and technological potential.
He commended Oyinlola’s journey, noting his early support for the young inventor’s IoT startup. “Long before this global recognition, I had the privilege of backing Oluwatobi. His journey, now continuing at MIT, is a powerful reminder of the extraordinary potential of our people,” Tijani said.
The prototype not only marks a leap in miniaturised technology but also highlights Nigeria’s growing footprint in global innovation. Bosun added that as Nigeria intensifies efforts to nurture homegrown tech talent, Oyinlola’s success is a beacon for the next generation of innovators.
“The world is only beginning to see what you’re capable of,” said the Minister.
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