*Telecoms industry stakeholders advocate improved service quality, and express diverse opinions on the role of technology in minimising the increasing wave of kidnappings, banditry, destruction of Critical National Information Infrastructure, and other phone-related crimes in the country’s digital space

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Nigerian telecoms stakeholders, in the week, converged on Lagos to address the reported increase in fibre optic cuts, vandalism, theft of batteries, which all contribute significantly to poor Quality of Service (QoS) in the ecosystem.

绿帽献妻 reports the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), telecoms operators and some Federal lawmakers expressed diverse opinions on the role of technology in helping to minimise the increasing wave of kidnappings, banditry, destruction of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), and other phone-related crimes in the country’s digital space.

Legislators, at the telecoms stakeholder engagement forum, lamented the state of affairs in the industry.

They urged the NCC, as the industry regulatory Commission and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to find a lasting solution to the worsening crises in telecommunications.

Speaking at the forum, Ben Etanabene, a Federal lawmaker representing Delta State, South-South Nigeria, frowned on the increasing cases of kidnapping in the country.

Etanabene accused the telecoms companies not doing enough in regard to information sharing, especially with the security operatives.

Telcos and deployment of techs to address phone-related crimes

The legislator, who told the participants that he was once kidnapped,

He also interrogated why the NCC, as the telecoms industry regulator, and the MNOs have been unable to provide geo-location services to ensure that kidnappers are located and taken out before wreaking havocs.

The deployment of technology can help to stem the rising tide of insecurity of lives and property in the country, stated he.

In his contribution at the forum also, Ayodele Festus, a lawmaker representing Ile-Oluji, in Ondo State, advocated improved telecommunications services.

Festus frowned on the increasing interference when telecoms consumers make calls in the ecosystem.

He also lamented the recent rise in the decreasing Quality of Experience (QoE) resulting in customer dissatisfaction.

The Federal legislator emphasised that millions of telecoms subscribers are deeply frustrated in Nigeria as of now.

On cutting costs of services for telecoms consumers

Against the backdrop of Federal Government’s approval of 50 percent tariff increments through the NCC January 2025, Moshood Olawale, a lawmaker representing Lagos State, urged the Commission and telecoms companies to reduce costs of services for consumers.

Olawale also claimed that Nigerian subscribers pay the most for services, 鈥渁nd still the service remains erratic.鈥�

Maida highlights regulatory efforts at combating crimes in telecoms ecosystem

In his remarks, Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission, highlighted the significance of collaboration in addressing and minimising phone-related crimes in the West African country.

Maida averred that the telecoms operators are always ready to provide information that will aid in stemming any criminal activities in the telecoms environment.

Affirming the contributions of the stakeholders to the fight against phone-oriented crimes, the EVC/CEO of the Commission also disclosed that, in 2024, through the NIN-SIM integration exercise, the Telcos disconnected about 60 million telephone lines.

He further stated: 鈥淢TN can tell us how much they have lost because of that process.

“Those were lines that cannot be traced.”

Dr. Maida said: “As it is today, there is no single telephone line on the network operating in Nigeria that is not linked to NIN.

“There is no operator that has not provided access to their systems for Legal Intercept and location prism.鈥�

Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of Association of Licenced Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), however, picked holes in the lawmakers’ claims on efforts at addressing criminality in the telecoms industry towards enhancing service quality.

Adebayo insisted that telecoms operators are doing a lot to reduce phone-related crimes in the country.

The Chairman of ALTON also said: 鈥淜idnappers usually don鈥檛 use their own (phone) numbers to call families of their kidnapped victims for ransom, rather they use the phones of the kidnapped, while moving from one point to another.

鈥淭he worst is that the security agencies have not come to ask for geo-location of event and we refused giving it out. They have not even asked us.

鈥淩emember also that there is Law of Lawful Interception, which gives them authority in this regard.鈥�

Likewise, Tobechukwu Okigbo, Corporate Services Executive of MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, told the Federal lawmakers that in terms of affordability, Nigeria is one of the cheapest country with very low tariffs on the African continent.

Okigbo, nonetheless, condemned the rise in fibre optic cuts, vandalism, theft of batteries, which all contribute significantly to service down times in the Nigerian telecoms environment.

The MTN Corporate Service Executive, therefore, urged to the lawmakers to always seek more information as regards the sector deeply.

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