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NCC and the Press |
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Unified Licensing to Offer Consumers More Choices, says Ndukwe The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, has revealed that the unified licensing regime which is to follow when the exclusivity period granted the digital mobile operators expires in February 2006 would give the telecom consumers more choices as well as increase the vibrancy of the telecom sector. This, he remarked, would attract bigger players to the sector, improve quality of service and bring about customer friendly pricing. Engr. Ndukwe gave these insights while speaking during the 26th session of the Telecom Consumer Parliament which was held at Jogor Centre in Ibadan on January 27, 2006. An impressive number of consumers attended the session, at which MTN, Vmobile, Glomobile, MTel, NITEL and Oduatel were also present. Subscribers were informed at the event that the number of connected phone lines in the country grew by 100 per cent last year from nearly 10 million at the end of 2004 to almost 20 million at the end of 2005. In order to sustain the growth rate in the sector, Engr. Ndukwe urged state governments, local governments, towns and communities to welcome operating companies by providing right of way to them for infrastructure build out and restraining indigenes from vandalizing telecom equipment and engaging in unnecessary hostilities towards operators’ personnel and contractors. He also disclosed that this year the Commission would ensure that Internet services are pervasively extended to all states of the federation to empower Nigerians to fully tap the benefits of information and communication technology. On the issue of the inefficacy of emergency numbers in the network, Engr. Ndukwe noted that a broad-based national committee comprising of security agencies, the Ministry of Communications, the Fire Service and the Commission was currently working out the details and mechanism for deploying a state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure to take care of the problem. Engr. Ndukwe also implored consumers to take their grievances to the Commission’s Consumer Affairs Bureau in case they are not satisfied with the response of their service provider to their complaints, pointing out that the Bureau has resolved a good number of the complaints brought before it.
DAVE IMOKO |