The Nigerian Communications Commissions (NCC) has visited the headquarters of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to inspect their technical infrastructure, as part of the initiative to strengthen regulatory engagements and relationships with operators.
According to the commission, the delegation led by Adeleke Adeowu, the Executive Commission, Stakeholder Management (ECSM) at NCC, lasted for a week in pursuit to get first-hand information about MNOs’ operation, while verifying the challenges they encounter in order to make recommendations to appropriate stakeholders towards addressing them.
NCC noted that the inspection, which is an initiative of the ECSM of the commission, was part of the effort to ensure operational efficiency and improvement in regulatory framework in achieving the objectives of the national digital economy and other policy initiatives of the Federal Government.
However, as part of the regulatory inspection, NCC noted that they visited Airtel, 9Mobile, Globacom, MTN and Spetranet, where the NCC delegation engaged managements of the telecom companies in robust discussions to gain insights into their operational issues, while explaining that it is the first of its kind in the history of the commission.
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The delegation visited the operators’ data centre facilities, assessed their compliance with the National Identity Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) linkage exercise at their customer care centres, and also inspected the landing stations of international submarine cables.
Adewolu, while commenting during the visit commended the cooperation on the implementation of NIN-SIM integration directive and stated that the telecoms sector has played a significant role in ensuring the delivery of the mandate of the National identity Management Commission (NIMC) through collaboration facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
He urges operators to adhere to all regulatory directives and to ensure prompt and efficient delivery on their licensing conditions as good corporate citizens while promising that NCC will continue to take proactive measures that would improve their operations.
The commission pledged necessary collaborations to ensure sustainability of the sector and its contribution to the growth of nation’s economy, while stating that the tour of operators’ facilities was in line with NCC’s effort to ensure effective stakeholders interface necessary for the achievement of the objectives detailed in the Commission’s Strategic Management Plan (SMP) 2020-2024 and the Strategic Vision (Implementation) Plan (SVIP) 2021-2025.
“The main purpose of this inspection tour of MNOs’ head offices and key facilities is to measure impact of regulatory efforts and operational effectiveness of the initiatives in the telecom ecosystem. The tour is also to assist in deepening understanding of the issues that are negatively affecting the ability of licensees to operate optimally; and it certainly offered an opportunity for interacting and networking with executive management of MNOs in order to enhance operator-regulatory purposeful interface,” Adewolu said.
Meanwhile, the operators commended the Commission for ensuring effective telecom regulatory regime towards addressing challenges confronting their operations and also implored the NCC delegation to continue to develop initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of their major operational challenges on the service delivery and their revenues.
The MNOs also listed areas where interventions are needed from the Commission which includes wilful and inadvertent fibre cuts, theft of telecoms equipment, non-availability and inadequacy of, as well as unstable power supply; multiple taxation and regulations across all the three tiers of government; damages caused undersea cables by marine transportation systems, scarcity and difficulty in accessing Foreign Exchange (FOREX), as well as insecurity which has impeded network rollout, especially in some parts of the country.
