By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Guardian Nigeria
Published on 2024-01-24 03:12:39
Dr. Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), recently held a media briefing in Lagos to outline his vision for the telecoms sector over the next five years. He discussed four key areas of concentration to reposition Nigeria’s $76 billion telecoms industry, including improved regulatory services, greater cooperation among operators, leveraging technology to enhance service quality, and promoting accountability among operators. These areas will be guided by the provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA 2003) in order to create a desirable regulatory environment.
In collaboration with consumers, operators, and the government, the NCC under Maida’s leadership will review operating standards, introduce new regulations in line with international best practices, focus on quality of experience (QoE) for consumers, and enhance mobile fraud prevention. Maida emphasized the importance of holding licensees accountable, ensuring compliance with the commission’s standards, and the need for all SIM cards to be registered and linked to National Identification Numbers (NIN). He highlighted that the NCC is working to reduce SIM-related crimes, emphasizing that buying pre-registered SIMs is a criminal offense and that unlinked telephone lines will be barred starting February 29. Maida also discussed the challenges facing the InfraCo project, aimed at driving broadband penetration, including issues with Right of Way (RoW), return on investments, and multiple taxation.
The NCC is taking steps to resolve the N200 billion unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) debts and working on harmonizing taxes while addressing RoW charges and broadband development. Maida’s approach to resolving these issues will demonstrate his commitment to building a more sustainable and efficient telecoms sector. As Maida continues to implement his vision for the future of the telecoms sector in Nigeria, stakeholders will be closely watching to see the impact of his initiatives. With a focus on transparency, accountability, and consumer protection, the NCC under Maida’s leadership aims to position Nigeria at the forefront of the global digital landscape.
Read the original article on The Guardian
