In a decisive move to address the persistent issue of interconnect debt within the Nigerian telecom industry, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted approval for the partial disconnection of Globacom by MTN.

This decision follows Globacom’s alleged refusal to settle interconnect charges.As per the NCC’s public notice issued on Monday, the partial disconnection implies that Globacom’s subscribers will be unable to make calls to any MTN number.

However, they can still receive inbound calls from MTN customers. The telecom regulator has given Globacom a 10-day notice, starting from January 8, before implementing the disconnection.

The NCC, in its notice to inform Globacom’s subscribers, stated, “The Commission, having examined the application and circumstances surrounding the indebtedness, determined that Globacom does not have sufficient or justifiable reason for non-payment of the interconnect charges.”

This move signifies a bold step by the NCC to tackle the interconnect debt issue, which, as of 2020, was estimated by the former Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta, to be over N70 billion.

Danbatta highlighted the detrimental impact of interconnect debt on infrastructure expansion, describing it as a “big challenge” to healthy competition and the growth of the digital economy in Nigeria.

Interconnect debt arises from the failure of telecom operators to settle the cost, known as the interconnect rate, for calls terminating on their networks. This latest action by the NCC aims to address the longstanding problem and ensure the sustainability and quality of telecom services in Nigeria.

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TECH DIGEST– The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly work towards accelerating the digitisation reform process in government, according to a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja by NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Reuben Muoka.

The Executive Vice-Chairman, of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta said collaboration between the two organisations is consistent with NCC’s Strategic Vision Plan (SVP) to partner with relevant stakeholders.

Danbatta said that the MoU would enhance efficiency and productivity as it adequately captured the roles of enabling policies and implementing institutions, which were key features of digital transformation.

READ ALSO: Digital Transformation: NITDA Engages Stakeholders In Digital Policy Dialogue

He also said the commission would continue to drive broadband penetration, which provides the backbone upon which such a process will thrive.

“Indeed, the transition will be worth it, as the process is associated with efficiency, which naturally results from operating a paperless system of governance or administration at the level of entities such as the BPSR and NCC.

“We attach a lot of importance to the way and manner we collaborate with sister agencies of government to give translation.

“To ensure the actualisation of that important item of our Strategic Vision Plan that is strategic collaboration and partnership, it explains why we are signing this  MoU.”

In his response, the Director-General, BPSR, Dasuki Arabi said that the bureau took the decision to work with the commission in driving the reforms for the adoption of emerging technologies.

This, he said, was a result of NCC’s emergence as the first organisation to win its Platinum Award, exceeding expectations in the way it conducts its businesses.

Arabi said the MoU would provide a window of opportunity to consolidate efforts to deliver strong and resilient public service that would lead to a well-functioning federal system wherein zero-tolerance for corruption was made practicable.

He said that efforts to improve equitable and unhindered access to government information and services were producing a direct impact on the socio-economic development of the country.

Arabi said: “Historically speaking, this partnership had begun in 2016 when the Commission became the first agency of government to undergo the BPSR online Self-Assessment Tool (SAT).

“Remarkably, at the end of the assessment, NCC emerged as the first agency to be rated Platinum Organisation by the Tool, having exceptionally exceeded expectations in all good practices built around nine domain areas.

“The MoU will also help foster a high degree of cooperation between Federal and State governments in improving service delivery.

“It will also address Transparency International Corruption Perception Index to significantly improve a safe and secure environment that encourages economic growth and investment.”

SOURCE: ITEDGENEWS

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TECHDIGEST – As part of moves to sanitise the environment, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has disclosed plans to commence activities that will result in the formulation of regulations on E-Waste in Nigeria.

NCC noted that today, the global concern for the regulation of e-waste is two-pronged, which includes the acute awareness of the hazardous properties and the potential risk to human health, as well as their capacity to degrade the environment and secondly, is the business case and vast potential for wealth creation in recycling e-waste into more benign and productive uses.

The NCC Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, who disclosed this in Abuja, at the 2023 World Consumer Rights Day with the theme: “Empowering Consumers through Clean Transition,” noted that in line with its regulatory mandate and to keep pace with efforts at managing e-waste-related issues, in a manner that reduces cases of indiscriminate burning of electronic devices with the potential for increased carbon emission in the environment, “the Commission has been working, with other relevant agencies, to develop a regulations on E-waste. 

READ ALSO: Digital Economy: NITDA Boss Assures Ghanaian Counterpart Of Effective Collaboration 

The regulations will represent a holistic intervention aimed at providing clarity and delimiting the responsibilities of various stakeholders in the e-waste value chain within the telecommunications industry.”

While the proposed regulations are industry-specific, NCC said they, nonetheless, key into other initiatives at national and international levels.

Indeed, eWaste generation in Nigeria has reached an alarming state and has continued to rise. In fact, findings by The Guardian in a July 2020 investigation, showed that Nigeria generated 461.3-kilo tonnes (KT) in 2019 to rank the highest in West Africa and second after Egypt on the continent. The 461.3kt amounts to $166, 060, 000 (N64.2 billion).

Specifically, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a United Nation’s arm in charge of global telecommunications, noted that approximately 60,000 to71,000 t of used electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) were imported yearly into Nigeria through the two main Ports in Lagos since 2015.

While this importation lasted in Nigeria, ITU noted that specific e-Waste legislation on the management of it is still lacking in most African countries. According to it, few countries have legislation published in Africa, these include Egypt, Ghana, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Cameroon, and Côte d’Ivoire. However, it said enforcing the legislation is very challenging.

Further checks showed that components of e-Waste include large household appliances (42 per cent); IT communications technology (34 per cent); consumer electronics (14 per cent), while others account for 10 per cent.

It was however, gathered that in Nigeria, the largest form of e-Waste, which is a computer and its accessories, constitute about 60 per cent, while mobile devices follow with 25 per cent. Others like photocopiers and other office equipment account for the remaining 15 per cent.

The ITU, in its Global E-waste Monitor 2020, said e-Waste rose by 21 per cent in the last five years, with a record 53.6 million metric tonnes (Mt). It noted that e-Waste discarded products, including a battery or plug such as computers and mobile phones generated, went up 9.2 Mt in five years as of 2019.

Breaking down the 461.3kt into value, the Chief Executive Officer, E-Terra Technologies Limited, a private end-to-end electronic waste management company in Lagos, Dr. Ifeanyi Ochonogor, had said “1mt equals 2,000Ib. Therefore, 461,300mt = 922,600,000Ib.1 scrap computer currently cost $0.18. Therefore, 922,600,000Ib of scrap computer is worth $166,068,000. So, 461.3k of e-waste appears to be worth $166,060,000.” With a population of over 200 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country.

Ochonogor said in a country considered one of the poorest in Africa, over 90 per cent of its citizens own and use electric and electronic devices.

“Unfortunately, most of these technology gadgets used by Nigerians are either obsolete or near end of life (popularly called Tokunbo), which naturally means they will not last long before being discarded by users.

“Further, because most Nigerians cannot afford new electric and electronic appliances, it has become a dumping ground for all manner of fairly used electric and electronic gadgets often imported into the country by dealers and repairers operating in Alaba and Computer village in Lagos State. This explains the huge proliferation of e-Waste in Nigeria.”

Source: Guardian

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TECHDIGEST- The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has embarked on a regulatory step to sensitize the industry about the need for proper and continuous risk identification with the view to managing such risks before they affect the health of the industry.

To this effect, the Commission has hosted a two-day maiden conference at its headquarters in Abuja, where its Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said it has become imperative to minimize risks in the industry to ensure that services are not disrupted, and that consumers obtain the best services that are globally available.

The conference with the theme: “Nigerian Telecommunications Industry: Managing the Emerging Risks and Embracing Risk Opportunities,” called for collaboration between the regulator and other stakeholders in the industry, to achieve multi-stakeholder strategies aimed at identifying and addressing emerging risks in the telecommunications sector to ensure sustainable and impacting growth.

READALSO: Apple’s IOS Gains Ground on Android in Q4’22

Director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, Yetunde Akinloye, who stood for the EVC, said the essence of the forum was to examine myriads of issues that challenge the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy & Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, and to enhance the development of a sustainable ICT sector in Nigeria.

“The focus of this conference is to bring to the fore the ever-rising uncertainties in the global economy and the attendant regulatory/operational risks in the areas of increased data security regulations, new partnerships and transforming business models, fast-changing mix of mounting capital expenditure (CAPEX) burdens, shifting market structures, newly emerging disruption scenarios, regulatory and policy challenges amongst others,” Danbatta said.

Danbatta told participants at the event, which also featured virtual participation, that the Commission has been at the forefront of ensuring that the telecoms industry is not adversely impacted by these uncertainties/risks. He stated that one of our Strategic Visions is to ensure a competitive market for the communications services that foster fair inclusion of all players, promote local content and innovative services in ways that facilitate new investment, job creation and consumer satisfaction.

He said the NDEPS is the guiding document for the Federal Government’s activities to maximise the immense opportunities that are inherent in digital technologies to nudge the diversification of Nigeria’s economy and attain the key national objectives of improving security, reducing corruption, and expanding the economy.

“While risk management has been critical in our regulatory service delivery, we acknowledge that all stakeholders must be concerned about the varied uncertainties that confront the Industry. There is no gainsaying the fact that the Information and Communication Technologies Sector is inherently filled with several business and technology risks,” Danbatta said.

“It is, therefore, important that regulatory risks be minimised to ensure that services are not disrupted, and consumers obtain the best and latest services that are globally available. The Commission in a bid to ensure that operators in the industry enjoy a conducive operating environment has had cause to seek government interventions and collaborate with other agencies of government in addressing major sectoral risks.

“These risks include cybersecurity and online fraud, regulatory burden, multiple taxation, vandalism of telecommunication infrastructure, right of way challenges, access to foreign exchange, inter-industry indebtedness, among others,” he said.

In his paper presentation titled ‘X-raying Telecommunications Risk Radar: The Operators’ Perspective’, a facilitator at the event, who spoke to issues of concern to operators, Eniola Olugboyega, said that risk-taking can have positive or negative impact on businesses. He also stated that most common losses from improper management of risk in the sector include customer dissatisfaction, fines and litigation, product failure, and loss of business opportunities, among others.

According to him, effective risk management aids effective decision making, prevents financial and reputational loss and addresses potential threats. Thus, telecommunication risk from the operators’ perspective includes regulatory risk, insecurity, data breach risk, foreign exchange risk, rising CAPEX risk, human resource risk, and the inability to take advantage of new business models.

SOURCE: ITEDGENEWS

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The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has said in Lagos that the quality of life is now being measured in terms of digital connectivity that promotes businesses, the social and economic wellbeing of the citizens.

Danbatta, who spoke today through NCC’s Director of Digital Economy, Dr. Augustine Nwulunne, in a keynote at the 2022 Africa Tech Alliance Forum in Lagos on Wednesday, said digital connectivity has a major role in advancing the gains of development and sustaining the future, as well as attaining the needed quota in attaining a sustainable future and actualizing the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

READALSO: Danbatta: Media and The Telecom Regulator Are Partners

The telecoms regulator, who spoke on the theme, “Creating a Sustainable Future through Connectivity”, cited studies to buttress the centrality of digital connectivity to quality of life and stated that the NCC is dedicated to activating regulatory initiatives aimed at deepening connectivity for the overall economic development of Nigeria.

“Connectivity and development in Nigeria have not been fortuitous, rather they have been as a result of measured, painstaking and strategic policies implementation in the telecommunications sector by the NCC and relevant stakeholders, and we are committed to driving robust and vibrant telecoms sector to enhance further growth of Nigerian economy in all its spheres,” Danbatta said.

According to him, telecommunications sector has become an enabler of economic growth, providing the necessary digital succours that bring greater efficiency in service deliveries in education, healthcare, transportation, commerce, financial services, and other sectors of the economy with greater impact on the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as enhancing other sectoral growth correlating to each of the 17 goals on the SDGs.

The highlight of the event was the decoration of Danbatta with an award of “5G Core Leadership Award” while the Commission was named as the corporate organization with “Best Digital Economy Project of the Year 2022” for the regulatory efforts of the Commission in driving commercial deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) network in Nigeria.

Danbatta said the NCC, through various policies and initiatives, has provided an enabling environment for a fair and liberalized telecommunications industry, by emplacing appropriate regulatory tools and providing relevant regulatory services for mobile network operators (MNOs), who are the primary providers of telecommunication services in the country.

“The commission has provided the enabling environment to stimulate the deployment of necessary infrastructure pertinent to the provision of universal and affordable connectivity. The resultant effect of this is that today, we now have over 210 million active telephone lines, representing 110 per cent teledensity; and over 150 million Internet subscribers as well as 45 percent broadband penetration which has enabled over 80 million broadband subscriptions.

“Telecommunications has been credited with lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty; diversifying the economy and providing over $70bn to Nigeria’s GDP; it has also provided thousands of Nigerians with various employment opportunities. A glance at Nigeria’s historical data on its GDP portrays the upward trajectory of the country’s GDP since the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector. In 2001, Nigeria’s GDP was $74.03 billion, in 2005, it grew to $176.13 billion, and it currently stands at $440.78 billion, and telecom has been a key driver of this growth,” he said.

He told the audience that the commission is also driving implementation of various policies and frameworks including the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030; and the ongoing deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) network and other digital interventionist projects aimed at driving universal service availability, accessibility, and availability.

SOURCE:  ITEDGENEWS 

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TECH DIGEST- The Nigerian Communications Commission appreciates the media since it continues to be a reliable source of information for the various telecom industry players, according to Executive Vice Chairman Prof. Umar Danbatta (NCC).

Danbatta said the commission will keep looking for methods to increase its engagement with the media as important stakeholders this week in Abuja while hosting the management of Media Trust Group, led by its Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Mounir Haliru Gwarzo.

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Danbatta expressed satisfaction with the pace at which media organisations are embracing digitization and making a contribution through awareness and adoption of digital culture, and he pledged that NCC would continue to cultivate its existing friendly relationships with the media and spread the idea of a “instant society” in which information is delivered with lightning speed.

“We will expand the relationship with the media to leverage new and exciting opportunities. We count on every important interface that the media provides for the NCC. We wouldn’t have been able to do this job and succeed without the support of the media. We always use the media to provide information to the public because you have what it takes to reach out. We don’t have that reach. So, we appreciate the very important work that the media is doing.

“The media organizations are at the forefront of providing information about where to find the knowledge. When you read the media, you come across instances of references as to where knowledge can be accessed and used for different purposes,” he said.

The delegation’s leader of Trust Group,  Gwarzo, stated that the visit was necessary to congratulate the commission on its outstanding achievements and to reassure readers that Media Trust is prepared to deepen its relationship with the Commission through its publications as part of its support for the government’s agenda for the digital economy.

He also praised NCC’s accomplishments, including the successful rollout of Fifth Generation (5G) services, while explaining that the technology will also enhance the type of speed needed for the simultaneous multi-location printing of the that Daily Trust newspapers across its operations in several regions of the country.

Numerous Media Trust Group employees, including Nura Mamma Daura, Group Executive Director Finance and Corporate Services; Ibrahim Shehu Adamu, Chief Operating Officer of Trust Television; Naomi Adaghebalu Esezobor, Head of Business Development; and Benjamin Hon, Head of Market Research and Intelligence, accompanied Gwarzo to NCC.

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TECHDIGEST- The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said it has recorded an increase in active mobile subscriptions from 400,000 in 2001 to 209 million as at August 2022.

The NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Prof Umar Danbatta, who disclosed this at the just concluded Cyberchain Stakeholders conference in Abuja, said the Commission would not relent in ensuring the promotion of emerging technologies to stimulate businesses for the overall growth of the Nigerian economy.

He said it is also gladdening that the telecoms sector has been an enabler of Nigeria’s economic growth and development as it contributes substantially to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

READALSO: Telecoms Record over $70m Investment, 500,000 Jobs in 21 Years

Danbatta further noted that the NCC would remain focused towards the expansion of broadband penetration and deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) technology in the interest of Nigeria and her citizens.

In a statement signed by Reuben Muoka, the Commission’s Director of Public Affairs, the NCC said that the sector has been a key booster of the Nigerian economy, transforming the way people live and work as well as increasing efficiency in other sectors of the economy.

“From $500 million investments in the sector as at 2001, the telecommunications industry has recorded over $70 million investment till date, while the growth in the sector has been phenomenal, from some 400,000 functional phone lines in 2001 to over 209 million active mobile subscriptions, achieving a teledensity of 110 per cent, as at August 2022.

The NCC’s boss noted: “The sector has provided over 500,000 formal and informal jobs for Nigerians. From an insignificant contribution to GDP in 2001, telecoms sector, as at the last quarter of 2021, contributed 12.61 per cent to GDP, while the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector as a group, has also contributed 18.44 per cent to GDP as at the second quarter of 2022″.

“For us as a country to reap the full benefits of all these emerging technologies in ways that further spur growth in our national economy, NCC prioritises the need to improve and expand broadband infrastructure and the deployment of new technology such as the Fifth Generation of Mobile Communication (5G). Our efforts in diligently driving this will facilitate the actualisation of the set targets in the Federal Government’s digital economy policy.”

He added that the country will be in a better position to develop an alternate economy through digital transformation, which will allow for diversification, innovation, and creativity in e-commerce and entrepreneurship, empowering a large portion of its population to become self-sufficient and self-employed.

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TECHDIGEST – MTN Nigeria on Sunday rolled out 5G technology in Lagos with a promise to launch the network in six other cities including Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, and Maiduguri. With this, Nigeria has become the 3rd African country to deploy the technology after South Africa and Kenya.

The Lagos 5G commercial launch came on the heels of its 5G pilot launch three weeks ago, as mandated by the telecoms industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

MTN in its half-year 2022 report, revealed that it had deployed 127 5G sites in preparation for its 5G launch. The technology is expected to be rolled out in phases, with full national coverage expected by 2025.

The advanced 5G technology promises to extend the reach and capacity of MTN Nigeria’s data network and enable much faster speeds and lower latency, giving customers near-instant access to the things they care about and downloads that take seconds, instead of minutes.

READ ALSO: Why kidnappers still demand ransom via phone calls despite NIN, sim card link — Pantami

While speaking at the launch, chief executive officer, MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, said: “Every major technological evolution changes the way we live, the way we connect; changes what is possible. GSM took phone calls on the road, 2G added texting to our experience (and created a whole new language), 3G brought the internet to our phones, and 4G made video widely available on mobiles.

“5G will change everything. It will allow us to connect, create, collaborate, and compete in ways we cannot imagine yet. Today we will show you a glimpse of the many possibilities 5G has in store. What is most important is what you and every Nigerian can create with it.”

The executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, noted, “Today, we are celebrating the outcome of the successful auction of the 5G spectrum, we are celebrating the commercial launch of 5G services in the country. This puts the country on the global 5G space and from today many of you will experience the super speed associated with 5G.

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TECH DIGEST- Beginning tomorrow, September 1, $0.10 will be the new fixed international termination rate for phone services determined by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The NCC defines ITR as the cost of terminating international inbound traffic either by international carriers over international networks or to a point of interconnection (PoI) with domestic networks.

It represents the domestic mobile network operators in Nigeria’s exports of payment services. The NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, signed a new document yesterday titled “Determination of Mobile (Voice) International Termination Rate (As Amended) Issued by the NCC and dated August 25, 2022,” in which the Commission acknowledged that there were post-implementation difficulties that called for additional consultations with pertinent stakeholders.

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The document read in part: “This determination shall take effect from 1st of September 2022and will remain valid and binding on licensees until further reviewed by the Commission. This determination effectively repeals the Determination of Voice (Mobile) International Termination Rate issued by the NCC on 25th November 2021 which took effect from 1st of January, 2022.”

The Nigerian Transit Carriers/IDAs are required by NCC to terminate incoming international calls through the network of domestic operators at a reduction of 21% on the $0.10 rate. According to the commission, the discount is based on the same asymmetric corridor that was used to make its 2018 MTR Determination.

“ITR for voice services must be $0.10 for termination of international calls on local Nigerian networks by foreign carriers. The ITR will be paid in dollars, thus operators would earn an increasing rate in naira terms should the devaluation persist. The fixed fee for ITR services is $0.10. ITR solely refers to the cost of transporting traffic into Nigeria in dollars. Operators will keep paying the regulated MTR, according to the paper.

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TECH DIGEST: The launch date for 5G technology in Nigeria has been announced by the Nigerian Communication Commission and MTN Nigeria. The NCC and the mobile operator announced this at the 90th Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) meeting, which took place on Thursday in Lagos.

According to Prof. Umar Danbatta, executive vice-chairman of the NCC, the commercial 5G service rollout will start on August 24, 2022, and MTN has verified.

According to the head of the NCC, “MTN and Mafab Communications, who took first and second place in the 3.5GHz Spectrum auction held on December 13, 2021, have received their final letters of the award. In accordance with the information note, the licensees anticipate starting the implementation of 5G services on August 24, 2022.

READALSO: NCC Plans To Increase Government’s Revenue From Telecom Sector

The rollout of 5G technology services in Nigeria is on schedule, according to the successful conclusion of the procedure leading to the final letters. In addition, he noted that broadband penetration increased from less than 10% in 2015 to 40% in September 2021, while internet penetration increased from 3% in 2004 to 73.82% as of September 2022, both of which were in line with demographic shifts.

We have put all of our strategies in place, according to MTN Nigeria’s Mr. Chinedu Ezeigweneme. I can tell you that MTN will launch 5G services on August 24 as we have spoken with the necessary stakeholders. Stakeholders from NCC allayed concerns about the health effects of the 5G network during the parliament session.

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