Nigeria: We Will Not Allow Nigerians to Be Exploited in the Name ... - AllAfrica.com

Lagos

At SatCom Africa which held a few hebdomads ago in South Africa, the international community was very interested in Nigeria, and the fourth estate pelted foreman of the Nigerian regulating agency, Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC) Engr Ernest Ndukwe with questions.

Everybody have being talking about dearly-won bandwidth. Even at this event, it was a hot issue noted as a continent-wide problem. I cognize that when the telecommunications operators submit duty construction to the commission, it is either the committee O.K.s or inquires them to travel back and rework it. But, we don't hear of such as with Internet services suppliers who sell bandwidth at extortionate costs. What is the regulating base on the cost?

Satellite bandwidth is an International commodity. It is not curious to Nigeria; what we would not however let is for Nigerians to pay more than than other people are paying for artificial satellite bandwidth internationally. And that's wherefore I was surprised when the artificial artificial satellite proprietor in Federal Republic Of Nigeria was talking about doing last statute mile service; there is actually a deficit of satellite bandwidth around the world, that they can do tons of money from merchandising the transponder space they have got to operating companies. Even at this meeting today, you had the Curate from Ghana, saying that why are they not selling bandwidth to them?

That was our initial calculation that when this artificial artificial satellite company come ups upstream, that it would have got Africa as its marketplace topographic point and do the money because there is money to be made both for C-band and the KU-band, so, really, International satellite is like oil price. There is a cost for petroleum oil, it is determined according to the marketplace dynamics. Because of the nature of satellite, its footmark (what we name footmark is the insurance area) is not restricted to any peculiar area; so, what is sold in state A is what is sold in state B.

There is also issue about sometimes, what they name in-between men, but, it is also hard to make away with these center men. For instance, Federal Republic Of Nigeria when it desires to sell its oil, it doesn't sell directly to people. There are people whose occupation it is to merchandise in oil commodities; so, sometimes, this haps also in artificial satellite business. And like I said, it is an internationally priced trade goods and depending on the artificial satellite provider, they also give price reduction based on volume and how much clip - if it's a long term or a short term contract- all is changes in dynamics.

Early in January, you intimated us about the programs of the NCC to licence three companies to supply fiber eye cablegram to Nigeria. You said that is likely to take topographic point in March; what is the position of that licensing?

it is at a very explorative stage. We don't even cognize whether they have got the money or not. It is not as if they've finished their programs and they are ready to revolve out. They were still trying to involvement investors and spouses that would make the concern with them but they were just asking for the demands for landing cablegram in Nigeria.

So, I believe the lone 1 that is at hand is the Globacom pigboat cablegram substructure which is already being installed. But the other 1 I was talking about was still at the babyhood stage, they are still trying to set their pool together and their programs and financing, but, you cognize to be able to make all those things, you should be able to state your moneymen the regulating environment and what the regulations of battle are. So, that's wherefore I made that statement.

Who are those companies that have got approached the NCC?

It might be too premature to state who they are because they were on an explorative mission. That's why I advert Globacom because that 1 is certain but, I believe it's those companies that should denote when they are ready to come up into the country, I wouldn't desire to make it because some of those companies talk to us on the footing of confidentiality and trust.

NCC have a very strong regulating clasp and powerfulness over telecom operators, but, we don't see a batch of such as regulating powerfulness over artificial satellite operators. Why?

It's the same regulating powerfulness we have got over everybody. It depends on the sort of service you are providing. You cognize why people don't experience the artificial satellite 1 is that they are not giving service to individual. You, for instance, would not travel and purchase a artificial satellite phone, so, that's wherefore it looks like that; mostly, they are servicing large companies, banks, operators of one type or the other you cognize they also utilize them for backhaul even for GSM services and all that.

So, that is where those people have got got got got and of course, some of them supply Internet services and when we have problems, we have complaints, we also cover with those ailments but, because they are fewer and doesn't concern so many people, people don't really care about them; but, it is the same degree of regulating inadvertence that we have and the regulating duty we have over all operators in the Nigerian environment.

You did state in your presentation that the South African Regulatory Assembly is more than H2O tight than the Occident African Telecommunications Regulatory Assembly (WATRA). How make you mean?

What we are saying is that in South Africa, the regulating organic structure (First of all, I don't cognize whether it is the volition to open up up the marketplace sufficiently for allowing rivals to come up in from anywhere)

They have got all sorts of restrictions; I don't cognize whether it is as a consequence of the background from apartheid, there is always that issue about affirmatory action; they are always very discerning of people coming to make concern that'll take concern away from the blacknesses and maybe because they don't desire the Whites to predominate their telecom environment, so, they are very cagy about some of these things and it have affected the manner they make business. I wasn't the 1 that raised it the first time;

it was actually the curate from Republic Of Republic Of Uganda that made an illustration that there are some companies that come up from South Africa to inquire for concern in Uganda. And during their investigations,for owed diligence, they asked them to give illustrations of what they are doing in their ain state as something that would urge them to make that concern and the curate said the responses he acquire are to the consequence that they are not able to make some of those things in their country; so, he was wondering why that should be the case.

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So, there is that issue about South Africa, maybe they are getting away with it because their incumbent operator was very strong and efficient - Telkom South Africa is a giant in this place; it put an norm of one million dollar every twelvemonth on telecom ascent and development; and as you know, it's been privatized long ago; it's have got partly by some other companies ( I believe Vodafone have a share in it and a few other private operating companies), so, it's run professionally as a private company, and they didn't have a sort of issues that we had in Nigeria.

You mentioned about borderless roaming for Occident African countries; from the WATRA's perspective, last year, there was an issue that NCC was working with other regulating organic structures in Occident Africa to guarantee that across the sub-region, roaming complaints are removed. How far with that?

Yes, I am particularly interested in that as a person. Federal Republic Of Nigeria necessitates it, because our people are very entrepreneurial. They go across Africa, doing concern from one state to another - our people traveling a lot- and the large drawback is when you have got to maintain purchasing SIM card game from one county to another; this is not something we would wish to encourage, so, it would be nice if other companies take illustration of Celtel- this their One Network program - so that when people move from one state to another, they 're able to utilize their telephones without a job and they utilize it as if they are using it from their ain place countries.