NCC gives July deadline to announce infratelco licencees

Before July 2017 comes to an end, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) would have announced successful firms to be licenced for telecoms infrastructure services, classified under the Infraco licence.

Of the 60 firms that applied for the licences, only five were said to have been shortlisted in 2016 by the regulator.

But throwing more light on this at the weekend in Lagos, the NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, during a chat with journalists, said nothing is holding the regulator from releasing the list of successful companies.

He confirmed that the Commission had gone far in concluding the bidding process for the licences.

It would be recalled that there was restriction of non participation in the bidding placed on companies already offering telecoms-related services in Nigeria.

Read also: CBN, manufacturers differ on real sector growth rate in Q2 2017

But the policy, described by some telecom firms, including MTN and Glo as discriminatory, became controversial until the door was thrown open for all to come in.

When in operation, the infracos would be held responsible for all issues bordering on
interconnection of signals between one telecom firm and another, as well as management of base stations and construction of mast facilities across the country where they are not in existence.

The NCC boss, however, stated that all necessary plan had been made to conclude the issuance of the licence to firms that have proved that they have the resources to render such services to the sector.

He said,”The companies have submitted bids for licensing of the remaining zones, this is a massive number, as I am talking to you, we are about to conclude the selection process, and very soon, I think I am talking of July m.

“NCC will come out with information about the successful bidders, those who meet the conditions to the framework of the model that is driving the deployment of infrastructural broadband in the country”.

On the hitches being experienced by telecoms services consumers in Nigeria, and in the Lagos axis in particular, Danbatta said, “We have been monitoring the progress so far made, for Lagos. We are quite happy about the mile-stone achievement so far in the deployment of fibre network.

“We will put measures in place to ensure the speed up of deployment process in some zones that are fast in deploying the technology.

“We will come to terms with the fact that the quality of service in the industry is a big challenge. There are technical and non-technical factors that are affecting quality of service. The Commission will engage the government at the three levels to deal with it.

“The quality of service is still far below the stipulated standard for the key performance indicators that we have deliberately put in place in order to ensure that quality of service is improved.

“But We are trying to ensure that despite the improvement we have seen recently, we are still putting in place measures to ensure more improvement so as to meet the stipulated standards”.

However, the NCC boss was silent on the cost of the licence.

 

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