NCC seeks consumers’ support to boost telephony service as teledensity hits 105%

Urges communities to protect telecoms infrastructure

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged telecoms consumers to complement its efforts toward ensuring improved telecoms service delivery in their communities.

Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC (EVC/CEO), Prof. Umar Danbatta, made the appeal at the second edition of the Village Square Dialogue (VSD), one of the commission’s consumer outreach programmes.

The dialogue took place in Danbatta Local Council, Kano State, at the weekend. Its focus was: ‘Protection of Telecoms Infrastructure for Improved Quality of Service: The Role of Residents’.

While telecoms consumers and traditional rulers at the forum, Danbatta, who was represented by NCC’s Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Bako Wakil, said to ensure improved service delivery, a community must protect telecoms infrastructure in its vicinity by allowing the installation of equipment and maintenance or repairs on sites by the technical staff of service providers.

THIS came as the country’s teledensity hit 105 per cent in April with the activation and reactivation of 4.17 million Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) cards within the period.

The Guardian checks showed that telephone subscriptions in the country crossed the 200 million mark, hitting 201.7 million in April.

In the period under review, MTN maintained its leadership of the market with 76.2 million subscribers and 37.9 per cent penetration. Airtel moved second with 56.3 million users and 27.9 per cent reach. Globacom has 27.8 per cent national appeal with 56.1 million customers. 9mobile maintained its 12.7 million subscribers and 6.3 per cent coverage of the country.

MEANWHILE, in Kano, Danbatta enjoined members of respective communities to guard against the destruction of infrastructure through prompt notification of service providers of any ongoing road construction activities by companies or government agencies.

The EVC stated that protecting infrastructure is very important in any community, as the ability to communicate is fundamental to human existence, considering its centrality in improving businesses, government services, education and others.

He said technological advances have assisted people to gain access to learning opportunities outside traditional schooling. “Today, you simply need a computer, smartphone, and Internet connection to do so many things. And telecom infrastructure in your communities provides the critical facilities that support Internet access to these devices. Therefore, you are expected to protect the infrastructure,” he said.

Danbatta particularly noted that vandalism of telecom infrastructure has a great negative impact on the community, as its reduces coverage area, leading to ‘dead spots’ on the network, which result in poor quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE) by consumers.