Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PTECSSAN)on has picketed Huawei technologies Nigeria Limited situated at Oriental Hotel, Lekki in Lagos, over what it described as precarious working conditions of its staff.

Members of PTECSSAN, staff of Huawei as early as 8.30am Thursday, converged in front of the Oriental Hotel, bearing different placards and singing solidarity songs.

Comrade Okonu Abdullahi, general secretary of PTECSSAN, who led the team, accused the management of Huawei of engaging in anti-labour practices and has refused to go in line with international best practices.

According to him, the failure of the company to comply with the union’s demands after several warnings led to the picketing.

He said that the strike will no doubt destroy the activities of the company because it is going to be continuous until their demand is met.

“We were constrained to embark on this industrial action when it became apparent to us that your company is not labour friendly and is not interested in peaceful and amicable resolutions of the concerns of our members.

“This carefree attitude of the company has kept the strike action lingering this long and, also led to this action of ours today. We have resolved that the picketing acting shall be a continuous one until the company is cured of its errors-precarious working conditions it subject our members.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we shall not be backing down on the warning strike except the following are agreed with the union.”

In a statement PTECSSAN, amongst other things sought for immediate reinstatement of the three unjustified sacked members of the union; recognition of the fundamental rights of the employees to freely associate with the union; immediate recognition of the unions as negotiating body for the employees on workers’ welfare; immediate remittance of membership dues into the union’s accounts earlier provided.

Besides, they demanded for the immediate recognition of the years of service of these workers; immediate commencement of appropriate pensions deduction and remittance of same as required by the Pension Act; immediate negotiation on review of salaries of the workers to meet the economic reality in the country today, immediate approval of the National Health Insurance Scheme that covers the employees, their spouses, and four of their dependents as well as immediate enrollment of union members in the Group Life Insurance as stipulated in the Pension Reform Act 2004, Section 9(3) among others.

Pervasive and Mobile Computing Research Group (PMCRG), a specialised re­search arm within Obafemi Awolowo University’s (OAU) Africa Centre of Excellence (ACE) ICT-Driv­en Knowledge Park, has formally requested the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to release findings of a 2022 study on the telecommunications competition land­scape in Nigeria.

Prof. Adeniran Oluwaranti, coordinator, PMCRG, in a statement, said that the request was made under the Freedom of Informa­tion Act (FOI), which underscores PM­CRG’s commitment to driving trans­parency and innovation in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving ICT sector.

According to Prof Adeniran, the NCC engaged the globally renowned consulting firm, PricewaterhouseC­oopers (PwC), in 2022 to assess com­petition in the critical areas of colloca­tion and infrastructure sharing (CIS) within the telecom industry.

However, despite the completion of the study, its findings have not yet been made public.

Oluwaranti led PMCRG, is seeking access to this report to support academic research, policy formation, and industry-wide inno­vations.

Oluwaranti explained the importance of the report and how the lack of transparency could slow progress in the telecom industry.

“The findings of the 2022 NCC study have the potential to impact both consumers and businesses sig­nificantly. For consumers, the report could shed light on the level of compe­tition in the telecom market, helping regulators ensure fair pricing and service quality.

“For businesses, the study could identify new opportunities for infra­structure sharing and improved market access.

“Ultimately, this report could lead to policy decisions that shape the fu­ture of Nigeria’s telecom landscape, ensuring that it remains competitive and innovative,” said Prof. Oluwaran­ti.

Oluwaranti, expressed optimism about the release of the report.

“We are hopeful that the NCC will adhere to the FOI request and release the report. Transparency is key to fostering an innovative and compet­itive telecommunications sector. We believe that having access to this data will benefit not only the academic community but also the entire coun­try by promoting evidence-based pol­icy making,”.

“The CIS segment is crucial to fos­tering competition in Nigeria’s tele­communications landscape. With the report’s findings, give stakeholders a clearer understanding of the current competitive landscape, the challenges, and the growth opportunities. This is vital not only for improving regula­tory frameworks but also for driving innovation in areas like 5G/6G net­works, cybersecurity, and rural con­nectivity”, the statement reads.

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced plans to deploy the 6G spectrum in Nigeria to enhance access to Wi-Fi technology.

Speaking on Thursday at a consultative forum on emerging technologies in Lagos, Aminu Maida, executive vice-chairman of the NCC, highlighted the need for efficient management and utilisation of spectrum resources.

The event, tagged ‘The Use of 6GHz (5925-7125) MHz for WiFi and IMT Applications in Nigeria’, sought input from stakeholders on how the new frequency band can be optimally used.

Maida, represented by Abraham Oshadami, executive commissioner of technical services at the NCC, explained that existing spectrums, including 5G and 2G, are becoming congested due to increasing demand, necessitating the introduction of additional frequency bands such as 6GHz.

“The 6GHz band offers a substantial increase in available spectrum, crucial for supporting the growing demand for high-speed internet and advanced applications,” Maida said.

“Wi-Fi plays a crucial role in the distribution of fixed broadband connectivity in homes, offices, and various other environments.”

Maida further explained that with Wi-Fi 6, users will benefit from increased capacity, enabling seamless connectivity for emerging technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), which current spectrums cannot fully support.

He added that the introduction of unlicensed Wi-Fi 6 will lower the cost of internet access.

Caroline Alenoghena, a telecommunications engineering professor at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, stated that the introduction of the new spectrum is necessary to reduce congestion in existing Wi-Fi frequencies.

She noted that the 6G band would create new opportunities for start-ups in the digital services sector.

Tony Emoekpere, president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), emphasized that the proper allocation of the 6G spectrum would enable the deployment of diverse technologies and help democratise access to urban, semi-rural, and rural areas.

He said, “Foreseeable challenges are things like infrastructure requirements, the whole of investment that’s required, competing technologies, because some of these technologies are still being developed.”

Emoekpere described the consultative forum as standard practice in the industry to ensure that all stakeholders are involved in the development of new technologies and policies.