NCC To Consumers: Protect Telecom Infrastructure
TECHDIGEST – As consumers you have an obligation to protect telecom infrastructure, according to the NCC. To drive home this message, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recently held a sensitization event in Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area, Benue State.
Aside from the responsibilities of law enforcement agencies in preserving telecom infrastructure, the NCC states that customers, who are subscribers and ultimate users of telecom services, have a responsibility to do all possible to protect telecom infrastructure in their surroundings. Base transceiver stations (BTS), underground fiber optic cable, and associated equipment are among them.
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The Director, NCC Zonal Operations, Amina Shehu, addressed the audience at the session and highlighted the problem of vandalism to telecom infrastructure, which often results in poor service delivery to end users.
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“Vandalism of telecom infrastructure, such as Base Transceiver Stations, is one of the primary threats to the quality of service that operators deliver to you” (BTS). Theft and animosity from some host communities are among the other issues that have continued to be a big setback for the sector. As a result, the public must see telecom facilities as publicly owned infrastructure that is critical and necessary for the delivery of effective and acceptable telecom services. “This is all the more reason why these facilities must be adequately protected,” she said.
Shehu, who was represented at the event by an Assistant Director, Zonal Operations, NCC, Abubakar Usman, urged residents of Tarka Local Government Area in Benue State to ensure that telecom facilities in their community are protected. Shehu also urged consumers to always alert law enforcement agencies close to them if they suspect any act of vandalism, theft, or other suspicious activities directed at telecom infrastructure because such nefarious activities are costly.
Shehu addressed a number of issues in her speech, including misinformation about EMF radiation emitted by telecommunications infrastructure, which she claimed was not harmful based on studies conducted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
