Despite facing infrastructure challenges in the telecom industry, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has assured that the country would achieve the 70 per cent broadband penetration target set by the Commission to be achieved by 2025.
The NCC boss said he would review the Infrastructure Company (InfraCo) licensing project which got stalled under the regime of the immediate past EVC of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta.
Maida, whose appointment was confirmed last week by the Senate, stated during his first meeting with the CEOs of telecom companies in Lagos. According to him, the Infra- Co project will be re-examined as part of efforts to deepen broadband penetration in the country. With a target of 70 per cent broadband penetration by 2025 as set in the Nigeria National Broadband Policy (NNBP 2020- 2025), the NCC boss acknowledged the Commission now has a very short time to deliver on the target.
As of August this year, NCC’s data showed that broadband penetration in the country stood at 45.57 per cent. “A lot has been done with the Infrastructure Company (InfraCo) licensing. We just have to re-imagine, look at it again, and see whether that is the right approach and re- imagine how we approach it. We now need to start getting into the states, and perhaps we might need to sit down and see how we can do that differently. Again, on the broadband issue, we need to increase the investment,” he said.
Maida told the telecoms operators that quality of service in the telecommunications sector is non-negotiable as he called for industry collaboration to make it a reality. He said they have a very important role to play in consolidating the achievements already recorded in the sector, which is an enabler of Nigeria’s digital economy.
“People expect telecom services to work. I don’t think they appreciate what it takes to deliver these services. So, it has come to a stage where they just see telecom service as a utility like water and electricity. Like a social service, it needs to work. We need to come together in the industry and deliver value to the customer,” he said.
