Telecommunication

Report cases of vandalism to law enforcement agencies – NCC

By Web News 479

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, says poor telecom services in the country are connected to the destruction of telecommunication infrastructure and facilities.

The Vice Chairman, NCC, Professor Umar Danbatta, said this at the 2022 edition of the Youth, Civil Society and Stakeholders Summit, held in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

Professor Danbatta said over 50,000 cases of destruction in telecom infrastructure and facilities had been reported across the country in the past five years, adding that the implications of these incidents could be felt in the quality of telecommunications services in Nigeria.

He said the increased incidents had continued to affect the quality of experience of consumers and called for concerted efforts by members of the public and security agencies to stem the tide.

Professor Danbatta, who was represented by the Head, Corporate Communication Unit, Nnena Ukoha, said, “The negative impacts of incessant vandalism of telecom equipment, evidenced in fibre cuts, theft of telecom facilities like generators at sites, vandalism of base stations, among other vices, have become a major burden on the service providers, while telecom consumers have continued to suffer unwarranted disruptions of their hard-earned services.”

Professor Danbatta further said it was necessary to consider that the ability to connect and communicate was fundamental to human existence, improvement in business processes, government services, education, as well as social and family networking.

He added that to enjoy seamless connections, every member of the community should get involved in protecting the critical infrastructure that made these services possible.

“As a community, you are expected to report cases of vandalism of telecoms infrastructure to the nearest law enforcement agencies such as the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and also share adequate information received from the NCC with your family, friends, and neighbour,” he said.

The Punch/Maxwell Oyekunle

Subscribe to our Telegram channel

Telecommunication

BREAKING: FG Directs Telcos to Bar Outgoing Calls on Unlinked Lines from Monday

By Web News 638

The Federal Government has commended Nigerians for complying with the NIN-SIM linkage, while also directing telecommunications companies to bar outgoing calls on unlinked lines from Monday, 4th April, 2022.

Radio Nigeria Ibadan reports that this was made known in a statement signed by Director, Public Affairs, NCC Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, and Head, Corporate Communications, NIMC, Kayode Adegoke .

The statement discloses that the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, on behalf of the Federal Government, gave the directive to Telcos.

Pantami commended Nigerians and Legal Residents for their support during the exercise to link National Identification Number (NIN) to the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM).

He disclosed that over 125 Million SIMs have had their NINs submitted for immediate linkage, verification and authentication, adding that the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over 78 Million unique NINs till date.

Noting that the deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage has been extended on multiple occasions to allow Nigerians to freely comply with the Policy, Pantami said the Federal Government also took into consideration the passionate appeals by several bodies – Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Civil Societies, Professional Bodies and a host of others – for the extension of the deadlines in the past.

He said: “Mr. President graciously approved the many requests to extend deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage.

At this point however, Government has determined that the NIN-SIM Policy implementation can proceed, as machinery has already been put in place to ensure compliance by citizens and legal residents.

The implementation impacts on Government’s strategic planning, particularly in the areas of security and socio-economic projections.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the implementation of the Policy with effect from the 4th of April, 2022. Consequently, the Federal Government has directed all Telcos to strictly enforce the Policy on all SIMs issued (existing and new) in Nigeria.

Outgoing calls will subsequently be barred for telephone lines that have not complied with the NIN-SIM linkage Policy from the 4th of April, 2022.

“Subscribers of such lines are hereby advised to link their SIMs to their NINs before the Telcos can lift the restriction on their lines.

Affected individuals are hereby advised to register for their NINs at designated centers and thereafter link the NINs to their SIMs through the channels provided by NIMC and the Telcos, including the NIMC mobile App.”

The Minister emphasized that enrolment for the NIN is a continuous exercise and NIN is a precondition for service in Telcos, banks, Nigerian Immigration Service, and for several other government services.

He also encouraged Nigerians and legal residents to visit NIN registration centers for the enrollment and issuance of valid NINs.

NCC FB Page/Olaolu Fawole

Politics

Danbatta Set for Senate Confirmation

By Web News 600

The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, is set to be confirmed by the Senate for his reappointment by the President for another five-year term in office as the country’s chief telecoms regulator.

This followed the acknowledgement of his outstanding performance in the last five years when he appeared before the Senate Screening Committee recently in Abuja.

The Senate Committee on Communication, had applauded the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC for his sterling performance and exceptional leadership qualities which, they said had helped in accelerating the growth of the telecoms sector.

A member of the Committee, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, who represented the Chairman Senate Committee on Communication, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu noted that the screening and confirmation exercise is in accordance with the provisions of Section 8 subsections 1 and 4 of the Nigerian Communications Commission Act (NCA), 2003.

Senator Oloriegbe said Professor Danbatta demonstrated deep knowledge of the industry, when he extensively discussed his scorecard since assumption of office as the executive vice chairman of NCC on August 4, 2015.

The NCC Boss said the diligent implementation of NCC’s strategic 8-Point Agenda, which he implemented when he assumed office in 2015, provided the basis for most of the commission’s achievements in the last five years, especially in the areas of service availability, accessibility and affordability.

He made giant strides in contributing to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Quality of Service (QoS) delivery, broadband infrastructure deployment, broadband penetration, effective spectrum utilization, consumer empowerment, technology innovation and curbing fraudulent Subscriber Identity Management (SIM) registration and 112 Emergency Number towards ridding the country of insecurity.

Professor Danbatta thanked the lawmakers for their support over the last five years and pledged his renewed commitment to further accelerate the growth of the telecoms industry as the key driver of the country’s digital economy vision in the next five years.

Other member of the committee commended Prof Danbatta’s impressive performance in piloting the affairs of the country’s digital ecosystem.

Chioma Ezike