Telecoms: Meeting industry stakeholders’ expectations is ‘the heart’ of NCC’s Strategic Vision ─Maida

*Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission, assets the core of the Commission’s Strategic Vision under his leadership remains the commitment to meeting the expectations of stakeholders, including the consumers, the industry/licensees, and the government

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said the core of the Commission’s Strategic Vision under his leadership remains the commitment to meeting the expectations of its stakeholders, including the consumers, the industry/licensees, and the Nigerian Government.

ConsumerConnect reports Dr. Maida noted this in a Keynote Speech he delivered at the recent 93rd Telecoms Consumer Parliament (TCP) with the theme, “Optimising Data Experience: Empowering Consumers through Awareness and Transparency in a Consumer-Centric Telecom Industry”, held in Abuja, FCT.

The EVC/CEO of NCC, at the event held in the Communications and Digital Economy Complex auditorium with the theme, “Optimising Data Experience: Empowering Consumers through Awareness and Transparency in a Consumer-Centric Telecom Industry”, also asserted that as the Internet use has become essential to daily life in modern times.

According to him, the telecoms sector regulatory Commission’s role is “to not only ensure accessibility but to enhance service delivery for consumers.”

Maida further restated Commission’s commitment to ensuring continued awareness and transparency by service providers towards attaining Quality of Experience (QoE) for telecoms consumers.

Maida: Government, network operators thrive on satisfied telecoms consumers

Underscoring the significance of meeting all stakeholders’ expectations, Dr. Maida stated: “I daresay that the government and operators thrive on satisfied consumers.

“To achieve this, our focus has evolved from simply demanding quality service to ensuring a holistic Quality of Experience throughout the telecom consumer’s lifecycle—from SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) registration to usage and even service disposal.

“Our goal is for consumers to be consistently satisfied with telecom services.”

Over the past months we the Commission’s data analysis has shown that quality service delivery “is not solely the responsibility of Mobile Network Operators; it requires collaboration across the value chain.

“Key stakeholders, such as TowerCos, which provide power and shared infrastructure, as well as those providing essential backhaul services, whether by fibre, microwave or even satellite, connecting base stations to the core networks of MNOs, all play crucial roles in ensuring high-quality telecom services,” stated he in the address.

In view of the foregoing, Maida said the Commission had also revised its guidelines to include provisions that hold each player in the value chain accountable for quality service.

As the Commission remains committed to attaining and sustaining these goals, the EVC/CEO of NCC as well disclosed the telecoms industry yet faces challenges, including vandalism and theft of telecoms assets, which frustrate operators’ efforts at delivering quality telecoms services.

On NCC’s advocacy and collaborations with key stakeholders

The EVC/CEO of the Commission noted through NCC’s advocacy and collaborations with key industry stakeholders, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, July 2024, had signed a Presidential Order designating telecoms infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) in Nigeria.

Maida explained: “This Executive Order strengthens our ability to address issues of vandalism, tampering, and unauthorised access to telecoms infrastructure,” stated he.

Maida reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to transparency and accountability within the sector.

“The Commission is finalising our Major Incident Reporting Guidelines, which will require operators to inform consumers of major incidents impacting their networks, with these reports also accessible on our Web site.”

He also noted: “Consumers can also soon expect coverage maps detailing operators’ network strength across the country.

“These maps will indicate coverage gaps, service quality, and signal strength, allowing consumers to make more informed choices when selecting an operator,” he assured Nigerians.”

The NCC Chief Executive said: “With sustained commitment, we can build an ecosystem where every Nigerian enjoys the benefits of world-class telecommunications services.”