Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta has reechoed claims that telecommunication is highly capital intensive and therefore, charged operators to see continuous network upgrade and expansion as very key to their ability to deliver top-notch Quality of Service to their consumers.
Speaking at the first-ever virtual edition of the Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission and hosted at the Commission’s Conference Room, Maitama, Abuja, Danbatta said if operators fail to do this, they could be putting their quality of service delivery at risk.
“If operators are not able to expand or they are incapacitated to expand and upgrade their network in the face of a spike in traffic, as occasioned by the pandemic, it will definitely have a potential grave impact on Quality of Service delivery,” Danbatta said.
The EVC noted that in the wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, the Federal Government announced different categories of lockdown which make the mobility and social life of citizens hindered, necessitating the need for individuals, businesses and public institutions to rely more on telecommunications to constantly keep in touch with their relatives, friends and more importantly, for running their daily economic activities.
“Educational activities are also increasingly taking place online following the closing down of schools, while shopping and other activities have migrated online. With all these activities carried out through the internet, network usage is skyrocketing, with many network operators reporting a large increase in data usage. Likewise, the volume of voice calls is also increasing by the day,” he stated.
Making reference to a report released by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in May 2020, which examined the impact of the COVID-19 on the telecoms sector, Danbatta quoted, “Covid-19 virus has presented a stress test for Governments worldwide with the Internet playing a crucial role in keeping critical infrastructure and resources connected and available.”
“The report further noted that reliable, high-speed Internet is key to ensuring that hospitals and medical institutions have access to global information and resources necessary to fight the virus. Broadband connectivity is also absolutely crucial for educational institutions and businesses to continue to provide essential services.
“According to the report, the unprecedented global health emergency is tasking mobile networks and digital platforms to the limit, with some telecom operators and platforms reporting demand spikes as high as 800% since the outbreak of the pandemic in their respective countries,” Danbatta stated.
The NCC boss noted that the virtual meeting held in place of the customary face-to-face engagement in previous Parliaments was a testament to rapid change to “our lifestyle occasioned by the Covid-19 Pandemic. This is making telecommunications and indeed ICT the major driver of growth in every sector now.”