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ATCON Hosts Telecoms Executives & Regulator’s Forum 2014

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Lanre Ajayi, President, Association of Telecommunication Company of Nigeria (ATCON)
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Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has announced the 2014 edition of Nigeria’s Telecoms Executives and Regulator’s Forum.

The event slated for Thursday, October 9 will hold at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

ATCON said that, the 2012 and 2013 editions of the event were very exciting and a huge success as confirmed by the feedback it got from attendees,  and confident that the 2014 edition will even be better as leading industry leaders would constitutes panel of discussants.

Dr. Eugene Juwah, executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), will present a keynote address which will cover the following sub-themes:

.InfraCo- As a strategy to achieving open access model.

.Good Corporate Governance in Nigeria Telecoms Industry- As a Panacea for Survival of Telecom Companies.

.Local Content Policy in Nigeria Telecoms Industry – What is the policy direction?

.The role of telecommunications sector in promoting National Securities in Nigeria.

.Effective utilization of licensed spectrum.

Engr Lanre Ajayi, president of ATCON, will set the stage for the day’s discussion through a welcome address.

According to Ajibola Olude, executive secretary of ATCON, the forum which is open to all operators in the telecoms sector in Nigeria is designed to create an opportunity for key industry players to interact with the regulator, with the aim of building a continual good working relationship.

“It is also aimed at creating a platform for the regulator to update the industry on the regulator’s directions and plans for the industry in the coming years.

“Furthermore, the forum is designed as a veritable platform for the regulator to receive feedback from the industry with a view to understanding the challenges and prospects industry players have to grapple with and explore to ensure sustained growth of the industry.

“And, participants are expected to brainstorm on measures that would accelerate the expansion of telecommunications services across the federation in the years ahead,” he said.

The forum includes a panel discussion sessions to allow elaborate and judicious deliberations on the various sub-themes.

Some of the confirmed panelists include The CEO of key Telecoms companies in Nigeria.

“Participation in this forum is restricted to top executives of telecom operating companies. As the name of the event implies, participation is strictly for high level management personnel of operating companies.

“Therefore, delegates to the forum must consist of decision makers in the participating organizations. This is to ensure that issues are discussed with seriousness of purpose.

“ATCON has also indicated that there are a few sponsorship opportunities for companies wishing to take advantage of the highly executive networking platform to gain heighten public relations mileage for their organizations.

“Some of the benefits of sponsoring the event include opportunity to make commercial presentations, products exhibitions, profile listing and advert placement in event brochure as well as advert placement on ATCON website for a whole 90 days,” Olude added.

ATCON is the umbrella organization of all telecommunications companies operating in Nigeria.

It is the apex telecom industry association providing a central voice for the telecommunications sector in Nigeria.

Since its official inauguration in December 1993, ATCON has been in the forefront of advocacies for the rapid development and accelerated expansion of telecommunications in Nigeria.

Through its exhibitions, seminars and conferences, ATCON has positively influenced and stimulated the growth of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria over the past couple of years.

The Association has always collaborated with and supports the Nigerian Communications Commission in efforts at ensuring policy consistency and stable regulatory regime.

The Telecom Executives and Regulator Forum is one in the series of information-sharing activities ATCON has planned for the overall benefit of the telecom industry.


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Tariff Adjustment Attracts Over $1 billion Investment in Telecom infrastructure

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Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that the new pricing regime in the sector has already attracted over $1 billion in fresh infrastructure investments this year, few months after it took effect.

He stated this yesterday during an interactive session with journalists in Lagos. According to him, the policy introduced in February gave mobile network operators (MNOs) the green light to adjust tariffs by up to 50% after nearly a decade of stagnant pricing.

“This act alone, has allowed investments to flow in. We will be revealing more specific figures in the coming weeks after verification, but we are talking about over a billion dollars’ worth of investment in 2025 alone,” he said.

Maida explained that the new pricing regime has reversed years of under-investment that slowed network expansion and weakened service quality. He pointed out that before now, the value chain was lopsided—tower companies could adjust prices annually for inflation and FX rates, but MNOs were stuck with fixed tariffs.

“This is an industry that requires continuous investment. The world is moving ahead, and if we do not create the right conditions, we will be left behind,” he warned.

The decision, he added, aligns with the guiding principles of the 2000 Telecom Policy and the 2003 Communications Act, which favour market-driven pricing while ensuring healthy competition and consumer protection.

According to Maida, the benefits of the policy are already visible. Equipment ordered by operators has been arriving since June, with network expansion and upgrade works in progress nationwide.

“We are closely tracking the rollout. We hold weekly calls with operators to monitor site builds, upgrades, and to step in when they face challenges with authorities,” he said.

The EVC of NCC believes these investments will help boost capacity, improve service quality, and keep Nigeria competitive in the global telecom arena.

While the investment news is positive, Maida didn’t shy away from highlighting the operational cost pressures confronting operators.

He said the sector burns through over 40 million litres of diesel monthly, most of it imported, to power base stations.

On top of that, the industry is heavily dependent on FX for all network hardware and software imports, as there’s no local manufacturing of major telecom equipment.

“There is nothing you need to build or upgrade a network today in Nigeria that you can buy locally,” Maida stated.


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ATU, AFRINIC Urge Governments, Regulators to Develop Internet Resilience Framework

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As Africa continues to face internet disruptions, telecom leaders have urged governments and regulators to embrace and implement a Model Framework for Building Regional Internet Resilience.

The African Telecommunications Union (ATU), Internet Society, and African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) have all endorsed the framework.

The framework organises Africa’s internet resilience challenge around three interdependent focus areas: networks and internet service providers (ISPs), critical infrastructure such as power grids and cables, and market conditions that influence affordability and demand, according to the organisations in a joint statement.

Once implemented, entities or operators responsible for an important part of a country’s internet ecosystem, such as electricity utilities, mobile network operators, ISPs, internet exchange points, or a country-code top-level domain registry, must develop a resilience plan within one year of the framework’s official adoption.

The statement also mentions several past disruptions that hampered communication, such as the West Africa Cable System failure in March 2024, which cut off 13 countries for days.

They went on to explain that the plan must be evaluated and updated on an annual basis and be compatible with the entity or operator’s continuity and reconstitution plans.

It (framework) should also specify how the organisation intends to incorporate the resilience features of redundancy, resourcefulness, rapid recovery—all of which are critical components of achieving overall robustness—into its operations.

ATU has warned that every blackout is a flashing red warning, and that the framework would act as an insurance policy against outages.

“Connectivity remains Africa’s nervous system and when it stutters, schools, hospitals and markets stutter too. This framework is our insurance policy against digital darkness”, said John Omo, secretary general of ATU.

Arthur Carindal, AFRINIC’s head of stakeholder engagement, commended the institutions for their coordinated efforts.

He said: “It is a great honour for AFRINIC to collaborate with ATU and ISOC in transformative initiative enabling all stakeholders to participate in developing Africa’s internet resilience model framework, which highlights key policy recommendations and best practices for strengthening internet infrastructure in Africa.”

 


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NCC Rallies Stakeholder Support to Protect Telecom Infrastructure

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Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reiterated its commitment to the full operationalisation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Executive Order on Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), which designates telecommunications facilities as critical national assets deserving optimal protection.

This comes on the heels of a successful mediation led by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), in collaboration with the Commission, which resulted in the suspension of a planned strike by the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA).

The strike, if carried out, would have disrupted the supply of diesel to telecommunications sites nationwide, severely affecting network operators’ ability to power their diesel-driven generators and maintain uninterrupted connectivity.

In the days leading up to the resolution, the ONSA, under the leadership of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, held strategic engagements with NOGASA’s leadership, with the Commission providing technical and regulatory guidance to highlight the potential implications of service disruptions on national security, the economy, and everyday life.

The discussions culminated in an agreement to call off the industrial action, averting what could have been a nationwide disruption of telecom services.

“Telecommunications infrastructure is the backbone of our connectivity and digital economy. Any disruption, whether through vandalism, accidental damage during construction work, theft of equipment, denial of access to maintenance teams, or interruptions in the supply of essential operational materials, has far-reaching implications for service delivery, economic stability, and national security,” the NSA said.

The Commission expressed appreciation to the ONSA for its leadership and dedication to protecting national assets and commended the maturity and understanding demonstrated by relevant stakeholders in recognising the national importance of telecommunications services.

Commenting on the development, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, stated: “We will continue to enforce strict compliance by our licensees with technical standards for the deployment and maintenance of telecommunications infrastructure, while working closely with relevant stakeholders to strengthen awareness and cooperation on their protection.

“We also recognise mediation as an effective tool for building consensus among stakeholders. This resolution underscores the importance of dialogue in preventing avoidable service disruptions. Ultimately, we call on all Nigerians to regard telecom infrastructure as a shared national asset, one that underpins our ability to connect with loved ones, transact businesses, access healthcare, pursue education, and participate in the global digital economy.”

The Commission reaffirmed that it would continue to coordinate with security agencies, industry stakeholders, and the public to ensure that Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure remains protected, resilient, and reliable for all.


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