The Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer, NCC,
Prof Umar Danbata said this at the 91st edition of the Telecom Consumer
Parliament tagged, Data depletion: discussions on various perspectives held in
Abuja.
Danbata said most of the complaints came as a result of the
recent customer’s migration to 4G/LTE technology.
The EVC who spoke through the Director, Licensing and
Authorisation, Muhammed Babajika, noted that this edition comes on the heels of
the 90th edition which was held in Lagos in June last year, where the
commission gathered industry players to discuss the theme “5G Technology:
Opportunities and Challenges”.
He, however, said that as a result of the 90th TCP event,
the commission has increased its capacity to handle type approval of devices
resulting from the introduction of 5G by intensifying its efforts to educate
telecom consumers on the benefits of 5G, particularly as regards the higher
speed of data.
He noted that consumers have been experiencing depletion of
their data either as a result of data usage or consumption, and are constantly
informing the commission of their experience, adding that the nation struggled
with the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown, which necessitated an upsurge in the
use of data-enabled devices for communication whether for school, work, or
social interaction.
He said,” This deliberation could therefore not have come at
a more auspicious time, as Nigeria moves with the rest of the world towards 5G
technology following the issuance of 3.5GHz spectrum licenses to MTN Nigeria
Communications Limited, MAFAB Communications Limited and Airtel Networks
Limited, It is therefore important that we completely appreciate and understand
the issues surrounding data depletion, its usage and consumption in the era of
4G technology before we fully commence 5G usage.
“It is against this backdrop that the commission invited the
key industry players today to dialogue on the theme:’ Data Depletion:
Discussions on Various Perspectives to understand the various perspectives on
this prevalent issue, identify the possible causes, and brainstorm on the way
forward.
During this programme, we will listen to representatives of
the Regulator, the Industry and the Consumer Advocacy Groups as they present
the issue of data depletion as seen from their respective perspectives.
The NCC boss said,” As much as the Commission has an
obligation to the telecom consumer, it also has an obligation to the Industry;
a symbiotic relationship in which one party cannot survive without the other.
The consumers are the basis for the operator’s business; if
their interests are ignored, the operator’s investments would collapse, and
there would be no industry for the commission to regulate.
“It is thus expedient that we utilize opportunities
presented by the Commission’s high-level outreach events such as this
Parliament to genuinely exchange ideas on how to reduce the challenges
militating against effective service provision to the barest minimum, he said.
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