Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that the Commission is working towards establishing a Cyber Security Incidence Response Team (CSIRT) exclusively for the Telecommunications sector.

He stated that CSIRT will complement the Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) by handling and coordinating cybercrime incidences in the sector.

The NCC Boss, disclosed this at the 2019 Telecom Executives and Regulator Forum, organized by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos yesterday.

It would be recalled that the Commission played a key role in developing the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy documents that led to the establishment of the Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) Coordination Center, domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

Danbatta who was represented by Mohammed Babajika, Director, Policy Competition and Economic Analysis at NCC, revealed that CSIRT will facilitate intervention, swift identification of threats/vulnerabilities and the sharing of valuable information and resources to assist in fortifying Nigeria’s national security.

Speaking on the formulation of policy and regulation for OTTs: Challenges and Prospects, Danbatta urged service providers to innovate, noting that OTTs, have some prospects in the ICT ecosystem, which cannot be ignored.

He added that OTTs will increasingly support future service model that are rapidly expanding across multiple communications & digital service domains, which will spur the growth of Smartphones that are affordable, which pushes the demand for broadband and increase mobility that will bring convenience.

Speaking earlier, Mr. Olusola Teniola, President, Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), organizers of 2019 Telecom Executives and Regulator Forum (TERF2019) said that the aim of the forum is to create a platform for the regulators to update the industry on the regulatory direction and plans for the industry in the coming years.

He noted that the outcome the forum will enable industry stakeholders to understand how best to cooperate with the regulatory agency in ensuring the effectiveness and success of policies and regulations in the industry.

According to him, “the forum is one of ATCON’s flagship initiatives for the telecom and ICT industry in Nigeria, Specifically designed for the purpose of creating a veritable opportunity for key industry players to interact with the industry regulators with the aim of building a continual good working relationship between industry players and the regulators.

“It is also aimed at creating a platform for the regulators to update the industry on the regulatory direction and plans for the industry in the coming years. This hopefully, would enable industry stakeholders to understand how best to cooperate with the regulatory agency in ensuring the effectiveness and success of policies and regulations in the industry.

“Furthermore, the forum is designed as an opportunity for the regulators 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.

“To a large extent, participants brainstorm on measures that would fast-track the rapid expansion of telecommunications services across the federation in the years ahead.

“The Association is of the opinion that today’s telecom and ICT sector in Nigeria is built on continuous strategic engagements amongst all players in the sector and the projected growth can only be attained if these engagements continue.

Mohammed Babajika, Director, Policy Competition and Economic Analysis at NCC, making the presentation

“ATCON is providing this platform for the purpose of accelerating and harnessing the changes that are taking place in the industry in order to grow the industry for all its teeming members who have made huge investments in the Nigerian telecom and ICT sector.

“There is a popular saying that ‘change is inevitable’, the truth is that our industry is changing on daily basis or we can say that the industry is being disrupted by new technological innovations and for our members to stay afloat and remain players in the industry, new business models must be evolved by our members but regulation and policies also need to be reviewed, fine-tuned and strengthened so that all and sundry can remain in business. To this end, new capacities must be developed to match the new opportunities that the new ecosystem is presenting.

ATCON firmly believes that this very important platform would provide a great opportunity for all critical stakeholders in the industry to leverage on this rare opportunity to share their views, contribute their expertise and experiences in discussion about best practices in their jurisdictions with a focus to grow and sustain the industry.

“We strongly believe in knowledge sharing that will further stimulate the accelerated development of our industry. Finally, we need to succeed in further winning the confidence of the international community to see Nigeria as a preferred investment destination in Africa.

“This is why we consider it a worthwhile venture to continually engage ourselves in programmes that would enable us to advance the frontiers of telecommunications/ICT in Nigeria”.