NCC assures consumers of sector’s stability, service delivery

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has restated its commitment to ensuring a stable telecommunications industry that will efficiently provide good quality service to the consumers.

NCC made this assurance at the78th edition of Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) held in Lagos with the theme: “Regulatory Responses to Consumer issues over the last one year – A Retrospect.”

Speaking through the Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Abdullahi Maikano, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, noted that the commission’s actions, policies and projects in the past years were aimed at ensuring that consumers are not only fully empowered but adequately protected in line with the objective to ensure optimal satisfaction.

Though, he noted that despite the achievements in the industry, it was still a work-in-progress to attain acceptable quality of service (QoS) on a consistent basis.

According to him, the non-technical factors, which conspire to degrade the quality of service, were: erratic power supply, vandalisation of telecoms infrastructure, multiple taxation and right of way issues as well as security challenges at mobile base stations, among others.

However, he said that the Commission is doing its optimum to address some of the challenges. “On quality of service: industry stakeholders meet regularly to review issues of quality of service and how to overcome them. In addition, to the QoS Regulation, the Commission has deployed the QoS infrastructure tool to proactively manage service issues by using the consumers’ quality of experience as a baseline.

“Multiple Taxation and Right of Way: here the commission had adopted a pragmatic approach, and one of the platforms used by is the engagement of the Governors Forum through outreaches.”

Danbatta further cited the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, who recently ordered for the unsealing of 47 base stations hitherto under lock and key in the state.

On vandalism, the NCC EVC said the Commission is tirelessly working to ensure the passage of the critical Infrastructure Bill at the National Assembly, so that telecoms infrastructure will be declared as national assets.

Danbatta stated that, notwithstanding these challenges, the commission remained resolute and committed to providing regulatory interventions that ensure network operators adhere to the conditions of their licences and consumers get the best of quality of experience.

The Telecoms Consumer Parliament is a platform where stakeholders are engaged in an interactive session for Consumers of telecom services to be informed and educated on burning issues in the industry and to freely express their views and expectations in the presence of the service providers and the regulator. Such interactions have led to the enactment of several regulations that benefited consumers and enriched the industry.