By 
Dr. Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has listed his agenda to foster robust growth in the telecoms industry within the next five years to include improved regulatory services, stronger sense of cooperation among operators and with the regulator, leveraging technology, faster turnaround process time in order to enhance the resilience of the industry and particularly to improve quality of service.
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According to him, the NCC and its supervisory ministry: the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy were already working to address some of the sector’s thorny issues including multiple taxation and Right of Way (ROW).
Operators must have commitment to resolving issues
While commenting on the ‘Pre-Disconnection Notice’ issued by the regulator against Globacom over unpaid interconnect debt owed MTN, Maida said the NCC extended the deadline by additional 21 days to allow the operators mutually address the issue.
He said the regulator believes in growing the industry to maturity by ensuring that operators comply with their regulatory obligations.
“Disputes are usual in every business relationship. What is important is that both parties have commitment to resolving the issues,” said Maida at a media interaction in Lagos to mark part of the activities for his first 100 days in office.
“This is my 100 days in office. It has been hundred days of reflection, trying to observe and trying to engage with stakeholders to really understand what we need to do as we go into this next phase of telecoms industry.”
The regulator said he will be focusing on collaboration stakeholders across spectrum including with sister agencies, the media and consumers.
He also spoke further on what would drive the telecoms sector under his watch. “The commission will do everything within its regulatory framework to work with telecom operators in the provision of quality and affordable service for consumers.”
Regulator working with licensees on data tariff, speed and coverage
He added: “We are going to be working with our licensees on data tariff, speed and coverage. We are going to be working with them to see how tariff can be simpler and more transparent. We will continue to enlighten our consumers to understand the habits that drive greater data usage. We are also going to be focusing on issues that consumers have escalated. We are going to be stepping in, as a regulator, to see what the common issues that consumers are complaining about and what operators are doing about them, so that we can really hold everybody in the value chain accountable.”
Also present at the media meeting in Lagos were senior media and NCC’s functionaries including NCC’s Mr. Ubale Maska, Executive Commissioner, Technical Services; Mr. Adeleke Moronfolu Adewolu, Executive Commissioner (Stakeholder Management), NCC; and Mr. Reuben Mouka, Director, Public Affairs, NCC.
Maida assured that the NCC will be “reviewing the operating standards and introducing operating standards which are in line with international best practices. We are going to be leveraging technology to review our regulatory services and internal processes, so that our turnaround time for our regulatory services is greatly improved.”
