NCC addresses challenges affecting telecommunication industry in Nigeria
Telecommunications operators in Nigeria have stressed the need for its industry regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission, to address all peculiar challenges affecting the telecoms industry, in order to protect the industry and its players.
The telecommunication players which include Value Added Service providers spoke at the ‘Talk To The Regulator Forum,’ organised by NCC in Lagos recently.
The operators stated that the telecoms space has become tough to do business, while noting that such challenges emanate from the communities, the bigger operators, and most times from the regulator itself.
The Value Added Service providers who were present at the forum also frowned at the revenue sharing formula between VAS providers and Mobile Network Operators, as they argued that the situation has forced many VAS providers to shut down business, because the MNOs are taking the larger revenue share, when in the real sense of it, the VAS providers are the ones providing the contents.
Responding to industry complaints, the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management, NCC, Adeleke Adewolu, said the issue between VAS providers and MNOs had lingered for too long and promised that NCC would seek further meeting to address the issue.
Adewolu further said, “We will meet again with VAS aggregators to discuss their specific needs in order to address them. Change is constant and we can see that in the disruptive nature of VAS operators that has further deepened digital transformation in Nigeria.
“It is important to note that this particular ‘Talk to the Regulator’ session is being held at a crucial point in the evolution of the telecoms sector.”
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta who was represented at the forum by Adewolu, also said NCC clearly understood the challenges of the industry, hence the need for the interaction, which he said, remained critical to industry growth and development.
He noted that Danbatta said that the operators needed to step up their game and comply with industry regulations and standards in order to succeed in telecoms business.