NCC’s regulatory excellence in telecoms sector powers Nigeria’s economy at 63
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has played a crucial role in driving the growth and development of Nigeria’s economy over the past 63 years.
With its commitment to regulatory excellence in the telecoms sector, the NCC has created an enabling environment for innovation, investment, and competition, leading to increased connectivity, job creation, and economic empowerment.
In today’s digital age, the telecommunications sector plays a crucial role in driving economic growth and development.
In Nigeria, the NCC has emerged as a key player in ensuring regulatory excellence, fostering innovation, and powering the country’s economy.
The NCC has established itself as a beacon of regulatory excellence, creating an enabling environment for telecom operators to thrive while safeguarding the interests of consumers.
Through the implementation of transparent policies, the NCC has attracted significant investments in the sector, leading to improved infrastructure, increased connectivity, and enhanced service quality.
Recognising the importance of competition and innovation in driving economic growth, the NCC has implemented various measures to foster a competitive telecoms market.
By promoting fair competition, the NCC has encouraged telecom operators to invest in new technologies, expand their networks, and offer innovative services to consumers. This has not only resulted in improved connectivity but has also created job opportunities and stimulated economic activities across various sectors.
Access to affordable and reliable broadband internet is crucial for economic development in the digital age. The NCC has been at the forefront of efforts to expand broadband access in Nigeria.
Through its Broadband Implementation Plan, the NCC has set ambitious targets to increase broadband penetration, especially in underserved areas. By collaborating with telecom operators, the NCC has facilitated the deployment of broadband infrastructure, bridging the digital divide and empowering businesses and individuals with access to information and opportunities.
The NCC has developed and implemented policies that encourage the deployment and expansion of broadband infrastructure across the country. These policies provide guidelines and incentives for telecom operators to invest in broadband networks. The NCC is responsible for issuing licenses to telecom operators for the provision of broadband services
The NCC places a strong emphasis on consumer protection, ensuring that telecom services are affordable, reliable, and of high quality.
The telecommunications network infrastructure, including cables, satellites, cellular towers, and base transceiver stations (BTS), plays a crucial role in maintaining societal stability worldwide.
However, the protection of these critical infrastructures and their supporting structures has become increasingly challenging for both public and private organisations.
The interdependency of these infrastructures makes it essential to prioritise their protection. In Nigeria, there has been a significant increase in the vandalism of telecoms infrastructure, which has prompted the urgent need for concerted efforts to protect them.
According to telecom operators, the rate of vandalism is estimated to be over 45 percent annually.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) reveals that the sector has experienced over 33,000 cases of vandalism and theft of facilities in a single year.
While these attacks occur across all six geo-political zones of the country, they are particularly prevalent in the SouthEast region. The surge in attacks has led the NCC to appeal to consumers of telecoms services to actively participate in protecting communication infrastructure in their respective areas.
The Commission has implemented various initiatives to address consumer grievances, such as the establishment of a toll-free helpline and the introduction of the Do-Not-Disturb (DND) service to combat unsolicited messages. By safeguarding consumer rights, the NCC has instilled confidence in the telecoms sector, attracting more users and driving economic growth.
The NCC’s commitment to regulatory excellence has not gone unnoticed by international investors. Nigeria’s telecoms sector has witnessed a significant influx of foreign direct investment (FDI) in recent years, thanks to the NCC’s transparent and investor-friendly policies.
This influx of FDI has not only boosted the telecoms sector but has also had a positive spillover effect on other sectors of the economy, creating employment opportunities and driving overall economic growth.
As Nigeria continues to embrace the digital revolution, the NCC’s unwavering commitment to regulatory excellence will undoubtedly continue to drive economic growth and development in the country.
According to the Commission, the broadband plan is designed to deliver data download speeds across Nigeria, a minimum of 25Mbps in urban areas, and 10Mbps in rural areas.
It also targets effective coverage for at least 90percent of the Nigerian population by 2025 at a price not more than N390 per 1GB of data.
Telecoms, as an enabler for other sectors of the economy, is highly capital-intensive.
“Yes, we have recorded major milestones in our telecoms sector. But are we satisfied as a Regulator? The answer is ‘No.’ This is because we still face inadequate infrastructure. Consequently, the NCC had identified 220 clusters of access gaps in the country and the real challenge behind connecting this large population of about 40 million is infrastructure deficit.
“This informs why the NCC evolved the InfraCo project with Public Private Partnership component embedded in it. In a recent update study carried out in 2019, the number of people living in the unserved and underserved areas was estimated to have dropped to 31.16 million and number of clusters reviewed down to 114.
Meanwhile, the NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta has assured that the Commission is committed to providing the enabling environment to attract the needed investment to expand 5G deployment while ensuring efficiency of existing technologies from 2G, to 3G and 4G towards providing the needed consistent digital impetus to the realisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Revenue generation and the sale of spectrums play a crucial role in the telecommunications industry. Spectrums refer to the range of electromagnetic frequencies that are used for wireless communication. These spectrums are a limited resource and are allocated by governments to various telecom operators through auctions or licensing processes.
The revenue generated from the sale of spectrums is a significant source of income for governments and telecom operators alike.
One of the primary ways governments generate revenue from spectrums is through spectrum auctions. In these auctions, the government offers a certain amount of spectrum for sale to interested telecom operators. The operators bid for the available spectrum, and the highest bidder wins the rights to use that spectrum for a specified period.
Similarly, in line with the Commission’s resolve to deepen knowledge and utilization of digital tools, the Commission has also been involved in trainings for officials in the Nigerian public sector.
One of such trainings was held for the Nigerian Judiciary being a very critical and indispensable arm of government
Speaking on the importance of the workshop, Danbatta noted that the telecommunications sector has evolved since the NCA 2003 came into existence hence the need to be responsive in readiness to keep pace with the dynamics of technologies that will come.
The EVC noted that the workshop afforded the Commission ample opportunity to engage the Judiciary on how to adopt digital technologies in advancing the course of justice.
He said, “The communications sector, through infrastructure deployment, has continually ensured that the digital economy agenda of the Federal Government is established on a solid foundation. It has also proven to be the catalyst for entrenching the activities of both the public and private sectors in the digital space, seamlessly.
“However, we recognise that in any digital economy, the development of a complex web of commercial transactions and social interactions is inevitable. Thus, to instill societal confidence in the digital economy, at least, two things are required: a safe and effective backbone infrastructure, as well as an efficient adjudicatory mechanism, which is easily accessible in the digital space,” he stated.
The EVC said this reality informs the NCC’s steadfast partnership with the NJI to develop capacity for judges in this area, saying this would ensure that the Court, being the last hope of the common man, is firmly woven into the fabric of the digital economy.
In terms of developing local content, the Commission has over the years organized a fora to promote Indigenous innovation and technologies. The Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE) is being coordinated by NCC’s Nigeria Office for Developing the Indigenous Telecom Sector (NODITS), which superintends over efforts for effective implementation of the National Policy on the Promotion and Implementation of Indigenous Contents in the Telecommunications Sector, (NPPIC).
The event has continued to serve as a rare assemblage of stakeholders where diverse thoughts can be shared in contexts that advance utilisation of indigenous contents in the nation’s telecommunications industry.
As part of the developmental engagements by the NCC, a major milestone has been achieved, particularly in the security and economic sector, through the introduction of the toll-free 3 digits Emergency code, 112.
The Emergency Communication Centre, (ECC), has not only provided job opportunities for Nigerian youths and professionals, it has also solidified the security arm of the country. Moreso, with the agency’s incorporation of the Nigerian Police Force and other security arms, through the Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems.
Just by dialing the easy to remember code of 112, one can quickly report Emergency cases that would be responded to swiftly, such as armed robbery attack, theft, harassment and abuse and all emergency situations that poses as threat to citizens.
The Emergency Centres functions 24 hours of the day, seven days of the week. And the agents/workers are properly trained and fully equipped with ‘state-of-the-art communications equipment, including digital radio and Internet-protocol (IP) and geo-location technologies to enable quick responses and easy location of Emergency scene. This would reduce crime rates in the country if properly utilised.
The Emergency Communication Commission (ECC) has also become the channel for massive job opportunities and economic growth of the country.
To this effect, the NCC has recruited and equipped qualified individuals with adequate skills and training.
This development is a bold step to the reassurance of safety for both individuals and businesses across the nation and will in turn attract investments and business activities across the country as it also creates multiple job openings for citizens.
The Commission aims to have the ECC present in all 36 states before the end of the year.
