ATCON urges more focus on deepening broadband penetration

• Elects Teniola as new president

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has again appealed to the Federal Government to look into deepening broadband penetration in the country.

Speaking through its new president, Olusola Teniola, ATCON urges more activities, especially as the projected 30 per cent penetration target by 2018 nears.

Teniola, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Internet Solutions, said the potential of having access to broadband, remains very huge, stressed that activities should be high to stimulate growth and adoption.

Elected for the next two years, the new ATCON boss said the association was ready to have strategic and purposeful engagements with all tiers of government

According to him, the conceptualization of the ATCON was to support and give direction to the policy formulation and implementation in Nigeria, stressing that this current NEC shall concern itself with the federal, state and local government in respect of developing the telecommunication sector in a manner that everyone wins.

“The telecommunications business is on the exclusive list of federal government but what is playing out or obtainable in our country right now is that all tiers of government level taxes on all our member companies and it is affecting the growth of the telecommunication sector in Nigeria. ATCON as an institution would work closely with all agencies setup by various tiers of government to develop a model that would be mutually beneficial to everyone in the value chain”, he stated.

Teniola also stressed the need to protect telecommunications investment in Nigeria. He said ATCON would continue to protect the existing investment in the sector through advocating for an enabling environment in Nigeria. “ATCON would also as a matter of part of its objective to encourage further investment in the sector through trade mission to other countries of the world”, he added.