Telecom Archives — Page 4 of 9 — Business Bells

Business Bells

Category: Telecom

  • BREAKING: Again, Buhari Extends NIN-SIM Verification Deadline

    BREAKING: Again, Buhari Extends NIN-SIM Verification Deadline

    President Mohammadu Buhari has approved the extension of  the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to October 31, 2021.

     

    The Director, Public Affairs Nigerian Communications Commission, Ikechukwu Adinde; and the Head, Corporate Communications, Nigeria Identity Management Commission, Kayode Adegoke, made this known in a joint statement on Sunday, titled ‘FG Extends NIN-SIM verification deadline to 31st October, 2021′.

     

    Before now, FG had approved the extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to July 26, 2021.

     

    The statement noted that the registration focus is now expected to shift to remote and hard-to-reach areas, schools and health centres.

     

    The statement read, “The Federal Government has approved the extension of the deadline for NIN-SIM data verification to October 31, 2021.

     

    “The decision to extend the deadline was made following a request by stakeholders to accommodate registration in hard-to-reach remote areas, foreigners and diplomatic missions, diaspora and address low enrolments in schools and hospitals, as evidenced by enrolment statistics.

     

    “It also followed a review of the progress of the exercise which indicated significant progress hence the need to consolidate the gains of the enrolment and NIN-SIM verification process across the country.

     

    “As of July 24th, 2021, there are over 5,500 enrolment systems within and outside the country and this would significantly ease the NIN enrolment process and subsequent linkage of NIN to SIM. The administration of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the extension as part of efforts to make it easier for its citizens within and outside the country, and legal residents to obtain the NIN and it is important to take advantage of the extension.

     

    “The NIN-SIM linkage also makes it easier for the security agencies to carry out their statutory duties and the relevant parastatals under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy are supporting them as required.

     

    “There are now a total of 59.8 million unique NIN enrolments, with an average of three to four SIMs per NIN. With the great number of enrolment centres within and outside the country, and many more coming up, every citizen, legal resident, and Nigerian citizens living in the diaspora should be able to obtain their NINs.”

     

    The statement quoted the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, as commending the Kano State Government and other States that have made NINs a key requirement for school enrolments and access to other important services.

     

    It added, “The Federal Government is also excited at the news that the use of NIN in the process of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board exam significantly reduced the challenge of exam malpractice.

     

    “The Minister, on behalf of the Federal Government, appreciates Nigerians for their patience and compliance with the Federal Government’s directive on the NIN-SIM registration exercise.

     

    “Similarly, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof Umar Garba Dambatta, and the Director-General/CEO of that National Identity Management Commission, Engr Aliyu Azeez, urge citizens and legal residents to make sure they use the opportunity to complete the process of enrolment and verification before the October 31st deadline.”

     

  • NCC Denies Renewing Airtel’s License

    NCC Denies Renewing Airtel’s License

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), says it is yet to renew Airtel’s Mobile Operating License.

     

    Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, made this known in a statement on Sunday, in Abuja.

     

    According to him, the attention of the NCC was drawn to a recent statement on an online publication, credited to the Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Mr Segun Ogunsanya, to the effect that the mobile operating license of Airtel had been renewed by the Commission, for another period of 10 years.

     

    “Mr Ogunsanya was said to have made the statement while speaking in Lagos on July 14, 2021, during the media launch of Airtel’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme, ‘Touching Lives 6”.

     

    Adinde said that the Commission stated that while Airtel Nigeria had applied for the renewal of the Unified Access Service (UASL) License granted to it by the Commission, the application is yet to be approved, adding that it is undergoing required regulatory process.

     

    Ogunsanya, at the launch of ‘Airtel Touching Lives Season 6’ on Wednesday in Lagos, had noted that Airtel earned a ‘Social License’ through its commitment to empowering and uplifting people and making positive and lasting impact on lives of its stakeholders.

     

  • Airtel Reaffirms Commitment To Building Communities As ‘Touching Lives Season 6’ Kicks Off

    Airtel Reaffirms Commitment To Building Communities As ‘Touching Lives Season 6’ Kicks Off

    Leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering and uplifting vulnerable people, building communities and creating value for all its stakeholders as it announces the commencement of the sixth edition of its flagship CSR intervention, ‘Airtel Touching Lives 6’

     

    Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, 14th July, during a media launch of ‘Airtel Touching Lives 6’, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, said a strong sense of purpose is driving Airtel Nigeria’s relentless focus on sustainable initiatives that can positively impact the various communities where it operates in.

     

    According to Ogunsanya, purpose is powerful as it does not just define an individual or an entity, but drives its every action and decision.

     

    “In 2001, Airtel procured its operating license in Nigeria and in 2021 it has renewed the same operating license for another 10-year-period. While it is possible to procure and renew an operating license, you can only earn a social license.

     

    “A social license is the love, loyalty, friendship and affection you get from the communities where you operate as well as from your different stakeholders. While Airtel has renewed its operating license to provide telecommunications services, it is committed to its purpose of empowering and uplifting people and making a positive and lasting impact in the lives of its stakeholders, thereby earning its social license.

     

    “To realize this vision, the Airtel Touching Lives initiative was created to offer relief and hope to the underprivileged and downtrodden and also inspire the strong and the wealthy to support the vulnerable and the poor.”

    Airtel
    L-R; Oluranti Owoborode, Senior Business Manager; Chioma Okolie, Lead, Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS); Emeka Oparah, Vice President, Corporate Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility; Erhumu Bayagbon, Head, Public Relations and Olusina Adegoke, Regional Operations Director, Lagos Region all of Airtel Nigeria at the Airtel Touching Lives Season 6 Media Launch in Lagos on Wednesday, July 14, 2021.

    The Airtel CEO also noted that Airtel Touching Lives 6 will continue to focus on the overall philosophy of the programme while taking cognizance of key events such as the global pandemic that has made life difficult for many people.

     

    “In the last 16 months, our lives have dramatically changed with Covid-19 and its many variants and waves. In our approach for Season 6, we will pay attention to Covid-19 but we will also focus on education and other areas and we will not deviate from seeking out indigent and medically challenged persons who desperately need help,” he said.

     

    Ogunsanya urged the public to be part of the initiative by nominating projects, persons and communities that require support.

     

    According to him, “the nomination process is simple. Once you nominate an individual or cause, our team will review and assess the situation and determine if a follow-up visit will be required. The public can nominate individuals or projects in their communities by dialling 367 or by sending an SMS to the Shortcode, 367. Also mail can be sent to touchinglives@ng.airtel.com ”. 

    L-R; Oluranti Owoborode, Senior Business Manager; Chioma Okolie, Lead, Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS); Emeka Oparah, Vice President, Corporate Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility; Erhumu Bayagbon, Head, Public Relations and Olusina Adegoke, Regional Operations Director, Lagos Region all of Airtel Nigeria at the Airtel Touching Lives Season 6 Media Launch in Lagos on Wednesday, July 14, 2021.

    Currently in its 6th Season, Airtel Touching Lives is Airtel Nigeria’s flagship corporate philanthropy initiative aimed at providing succor to the underprivileged, hard to reach, vulnerable and disadvantaged in the society.

     

    Airtel Touching Lives takes the format of a reality television show, allowing the public to nominate causes, communities and underprivileged persons/people with special needs. Airtel thereafter evaluates and selects the causes to support and the activities are filmed and broadcasted on terrestrial and satellite television stations with the aim of inspiring other corporate organizations as well as well-meaning individuals to join in supporting the weak across society.

     

    Airtel Touching Lives is about real people, real stories and the real effort of a corporate organization to uplift the needy and underprivileged, emancipating thousands from the shackles of poverty, despair and hopelessness.

     

    Through the programme, Airtel has refurbished an ICT centre for a large community, built modern water borehole systems for large communities, refurbished cancer centers, refurbished a Library for Blind people, rehabilitated an IDP Camp clinic facility, set up small scale trade for underprivileged persons, paid medical bills of underprivileged children and women and flown many persons abroad for treatment, among others.

     

  • NCC’s ICT Parks Will Fast- Track Digital  Access, Innovation – Ganduje

    NCC’s ICT Parks Will Fast- Track Digital  Access, Innovation – Ganduje

     

    Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje has commended the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), under the leadership of Executive Vice-Chairman, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, on the initiative of building Information and Communication Technology (ICT) parks across the six-geo political zones of the country.

     

    Ganduje made the commendation on Tuesday when he visited the site of an ongoing construction of  ICT Park by the Commission for the North-Western zone located in Kano State.

     

    The governor acknowledged the efforts and commitment of the Danbatta-led NCC in ensuring increased digital access for fast-tracking digital innovation across Nigeria and the North-West in particular, saying the initiative will trigger socio-economic transformation of the area in no distant future.

     

    Ganduje said, “Realising that a major project that resonates with the global vision for the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) is being vigorously driven by NCC leadership, shows the kind of socio-economic transformation we should expect through ICT across Nigeria in the next few years.

     

    “For the ICT Park being built here in Kano to serve the North-West zone, the government and citizens of Kano State are grateful to Prof. Danbatta and his team for bringing development to the state and the zone at large.”

     

    He also applauded the quality of the construction work being undertaken by the NCC on the ICT Park and expressed appreciation for the foresight of the NCC for accommodating an expansion plan at the project site.

     

    The ICT Park in is an initiative of the Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, to provide Innovation Labs and Digital Fabrication Laboratories (Fablabs) for use by ICT innovators and entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into products and prototypes.

     

    The Tier-4 Digital Industrial Complex (DIC) will provide a Commercial Hub for ICT capacity building and digital skills, create employment and entrepreneurial activities and facilitate smart city deployment across the Digital Industrial Complex.

     

    The ICT Park consists of laboratories for ICT innovations and Commercial Hubs providing capacity building to ICT startups and entrepreneurial activities, in Kano State.

     

    The parks are designed to provide fast internet service (broadband) and constant power supply.

     

    ICT park comprises an area or location with concentration of all ICT facilities, which enables a concerted leap into the digital age by creating a dynamic environment in which local talent is incubated, cultivated, and shared. ICT park is best tested and trusted institutional mechanism to address the needs of technology-intensive, knowledge-based Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

     

    The NCC ICT Parks, which are being built across the six geo-political zones of the country, involve the construction and equipping of fully-functional Tier-4 Digital Industrial Complex (DIC) in each of the six geo-political zones of the country.

     

    The ICT Park consist of laboratories for ICT innovations and Commercial Hubs providing capacity building to ICT start-ups and entrepreneurial activities. The Parks are designed to have fast internet service (broadband) and constant power supply.

     

    The digital parks are to provide Innovation Labs and Digital Fabrication Laboratories (Fablabs) for use by ICT innovators and entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into products and prototypes.

     

    The parks will also provide a Commercial Hub for ICT capacity building and digital skills; create employment and entrepreneurial activities; and facilitate smart city deployment across the Digital Industrial complex.

     

    Speaking on the ICT Parks project recently, Prof Danbatta stated that the project was conceived and designed to support the federal government’s ICT-related policies and programmes by facilitating the availability and accessibility of ICT services across the country, promote their usage across all sectors and ultimately address youth unemployment in the country.

     

    Designed to propel socio-economic transformation in the country, the EVC said the ICT Parks will help build capacity for the teeming population of Nigerian youths in the area of skill acquisition and innovation by complementing existing initiatives geared towards accelerating socio-economic transformation of Nigeria.

     

    “The whole idea of putting these two things (i.e. skill acquisition and innovation) at the forefront of this very important initiative is to produce youths that can be self-reliant, generate employment for themselves and for other Nigerians,” he said.

     

    Danbatta said based on its national structural spread, no part of the country will be left out as beneficiaries of the initiative. “The NCC ICT Parks Project is another move by the current leadership of the Commission to boost youth digital skills acquisition, promote innovations, provide jobs for the teeming Nigerian youth and ultimately support the overall digital economy agenda of the Federal Government,” he said.

     

    He said the parks will support software development, incubation and hardware development. “We also hope to see innovative technologies that will leverage the broadband network, which the Commission is deepening in order to socially and economically transform our communities and societies.”

     

    Danbatta urged the potential and would-be beneficiaries of the project, especially the youths, to be ready to leverage the initiative as it promises to empower them socially and economically.

     

    “I would like to send out a very important message to our youths, especially those who are currently occupied with various innovative applications, those who have acquired the skills but are looking for where to put the skills fruitful engagements, by incubating them, commercialising them, or giving publicity to these excellent initiatives, to be ready to leverage the facilities,” he stated.

     

    The ICT Park in Kano is expected to be completed and inaugurated at the end of the year.

     

  • NCC Dismisses Report On 3 Million New Lines In Q1, 2021

    NCC Dismisses Report On 3 Million New Lines In Q1, 2021

     

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has denied a media report alleging that mobile telephony subscriptions in Nigeria somehow grew by 3,000,000 new subscribers in the first quarter of 2021, despite the suspension on the registration of new subscribers which took effect from December 9, 2020 and was only lifted in May, 2021.

     

    According to the Commission, the Ericsson Mobility Report cited in the online publication is essentially a forecast of trends based on Ericsson’s analysis and does not refer to the NCC or any official channel as source for its data and/or projections.

     

    In a statement signed by NCC’s Director, Public Affairs, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, the Commission noted that it is inaccurate that Nigeria recorded three million new lines in the first quarter of 2021 as stated in the media report.

     

    “We wish to use this opportunity to clarify that the Nigerian Communications Commission and the National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS) are the only authoritative sources of authentic data on the Nigerian telecommunications sector. Indeed, the Commission is well aware of the critical need to make accurate and up-to-date data available to all Stakeholders.

     

    “Indeed, as a matter of corporate policy and consistent with international best practice, relevant data and statistics on the industry are transparently reported and regularly updated on the Commission’s website (<https://www.ncc.gov.ng/statistics-reports/industry-overview >) for free use by interested Stakeholders.”

     

    The Commission encourages all Stakeholders to visit its website for authentic data on the sector and to refer all doubts to its Public Affairs Department to avoid unnecessary controversy and/or inadvertently misleading other Stakeholders who may rely on such reports.

     

    The Commission also urges Stakeholders to disregard any information on subscriber data different from those presented in the Commission’s website.

     

  • NCC Earns N150bn From Spectrum Licence Fees in Five Months

    NCC Earns N150bn From Spectrum Licence Fees in Five Months

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it generated N150 billion from spectrum licence fees between January and May 2021.

     

    This was announced in a statement signed by Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC director of public affairs, on Sunday.

     

    According to the statement, the commission said it surpassed its N36 billion projected revenue from the spectrum fees for 2021.

     

    NCC said the figure represents over 400 percent increase in revenue budget performance in respect of spectrum fees generated by the commission in five months.

     

    It said this reflects a significant contribution to the revenue drive of the federal government.

     

    The commission said the N150 billion spectrum revenue achieved in the first half of the year has been remitted to the federal government in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), 2003, which mandates it to remit proceeds from spectrum resources wholly into the government’s consolidated revenue fund (CRF).

     

    Commenting on the revenue performance, Umar Danbatta, NCC executive vice chairman, said the uptick in spectrum fee was the result of the favourable turn of events for the telecom sector, which at the time of preparing the estimates for the 2021 budget of the commission was not clear due to the ravaging impact of COVID-19 on the global economy.

     

     

    Danbatta said the 10-year spectrum fees made by some of the major operators directly impacted the projected spectrum fee favourably, adding that NCC believes that enthronement of effective regulation will continue to improve the general performance of the telecoms sector.

     

    The statement also read that NCC has put in place an effective regulatory regime, which has significantly facilitated advancements in Nigeria’s telecoms industry, improved the operations of licences, and boosted gross domestic product (GDP) and federal government’s revenue generation.

     

    In October 2020, NCC announced that it generated and remitted N344.71 billion in revenue to the federal government’s CRF in the last five years.

     

  • NITDA DG Commends Jumia for Creating Thousands of Jobs in 9 Years

    NITDA DG Commends Jumia for Creating Thousands of Jobs in 9 Years

     

    It has been nine years of e-commerce service in Nigeria and Africa in general, with Jumia being the foremost player in the industry.

     

    In his congratulatory message to Jumia in commemoration of her 9th anniversary, Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, commended the company for creating jobs for thousands of Nigerians through its operations in the digital economy ecosystem.

     

    Abdullahi stated that Jumia has had an impressive nine years of e-commerce journey which has seen it expand to several African countries, creating employment opportunities and becoming a good reference for innovative startups on the continent.

     

    He said: “For me honestly, it’s an impressive journey. Jumia started as a startup and in very little time you expanded your operations to many African countries and became the first unicorn company in Africa and you are still expanding.

     

    “These are the kind of startups we are encouraging to try and be an innovation driven enterprise. You look at the global market and huge capital investment and job creation. And also you are innovative and creating a lot of jobs in the ecosystem. Aside from the logistics, I think you have an ecosystem you are working on. So those are the kinds of innovation we encourage our startups with; innovation that creates jobs, wealth and prosperity for all. So I wish you more successful years ahead and congratulations for your 9th anniversary.”

     

    Adbullahi also touched on the impact of e-commerce on everyday life and its crucial space in the digital economy.

     

     “The most profound impact for me is how it makes life more convenient and less disturbing. Before covid, a lot of people didn’t like using online services. When covid came, we were disrupted and the only way to keep going was these online services. E-commerce is critical to any online services or digital economy because when you consume a service, you need to make a payment and you can only do that through e-commerce,” he said.

     

    In its nine years of operation, Jumia has also connected over 11,000 SMEs and brands to millions of consumers in Nigeria, boosted hundreds of independent logistics companies by incorporating them into the Jumia logistics network, and empowered many women-owned businesses through various empowerment initiatives.

  • Kaduna State Partners Airtel Nigeria to Deploy Broadband Services, Fibre Network

    Kaduna State Partners Airtel Nigeria to Deploy Broadband Services, Fibre Network

     

    The Kaduna State Government has announced a strategic and exclusive partnership with leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, to modernize and digitalize its entire telecoms and network infrastructure as well as deploy Broadband services across the State.

     

    Speaking recently during an MOU signing ceremony with the leadership of Airtel Nigeria, Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, said the partnership is a significant step in improving the quality of life and boosting productivity in the State as the entire world has gone digital while noting that the government under his leadership is in a hurry to deliver on its electoral promises as well as empowering and transforming lives.

     

    According to El Rufai, the partnership with Airtel “is a major landmark for us as an administration because since we came into office we have identified about 41 locations in Kaduna State that are black-spots that have no telecom services at all. We have been pursuing the NCC to deploy the Universal Service Provision Fund to fill those gaps without much success.

     

    “Our aspiration is for every part of Kaduna State to have minimum of 3G coverage. We are very grateful to Airtel for agreeing to be our partners in achieving this aspiration. 3G coverage is the minimum we need in this century for people to pursue quality lives and livelihoods. We believe in that very strongly and we are prepared work with you to achieve that.”  

     

    The Kaduna State governor also noted that the agreement will build even higher levels of penetration of digital technologies to every nook and cranny of Kaduna State while commending Airtel for not only providing services that enhance lives and livelihoods, but also providing timely interventions through its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.  

     

    Commenting on the partnership with the Kaduna State Government, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, said: “Today marks an important milestone for all of at Airtel Nigeria. We are not only excited by this partnership with Kaduna State to deploy broadband services across the State but we are inspired as this project aligns with our corporate purpose of connecting people, empowering Nigerians and touching lives.

     

    “With this partnership, Airtel will deploy broadband services in Kaduna and provision 4G services across key cities in the state specifically Kaduna, Kafanchan and Zaria while also upgrading 3G services and providing Internet access and network connectivity across the entire state.

     

    “I believe that Broadband is a universal human right that should not be denied anyone. It bridges the gap between prosperity and poverty. It lifts so many people out of poverty. So many studies on how broadband can transform life has been done and some of these studies say that for every one or two percentage increase in broadband penetration, it can actually increase GDP by up to 10%. For me, access to broadband is as good as connecting to electricity and water. With this project, many will be lifted out of poverty in Kaduna and I really look forward to this project.”

     

    Following the MOU signing ceremony, Airtel Nigeria will work with Kaduna State Government to immediately commence the project with a timeline of upgrading 3G services across the entire state by end of 2022 and also deploying 4G services across key cities in the state specifically in Kaduna, Kafanchan and Zaria.

     

    The project scope also includes deployment of fibre network across the entire state.

  • 15 Reasons For Cyber Crimes’ Rapid Growth In Modern Age

    15 Reasons For Cyber Crimes’ Rapid Growth In Modern Age

     

    By Rotimi Onadipe

     

    In today’s technology age, cybercrime is an increasingly important topic. We must not shy away from discussing about a lasting solution to the menace of cybercrime in our society, particularly among our youths in primary, secondary and tertiary institution.

     

    According to a report by Cybersecurity Ventures, cybercrime damages will cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021. In another report by University of Maryland, on average, hackers attack 2,244 times a day.

     

    As cyber criminals are getting smarter and more desperate to attack or scam any unsuspecting victim or organisation in today’s internet age, we must be informed about the common reasons  for the prevalence of cybercrime in this modern age.

     

    This will not only help us to reduce the menace but it will also help us to discover our vulnerabilities before the cyber criminals do and prevent us from future fraud attempts.

     

    Common reasons for the rapid growth of cybercrime in this modern age:

     

    1. Lack of moral education in the curriculum of primary, secondary and tertiary institution.

     

    1. Lack of public awareness on the dangers of cyber crime in the society and the world at large.

     

    1. Lack of proper counseling of convicted cyber criminals and other inmates in correctional centers.

     

    1. Most young children are exposed to the internet at the early stages of their lives.

     

    1. Lack of good counseling and rehabilitation facilities for repentant cyber criminals.

     

    1. Lack of internet safety education in the curriculum of primary, secondary and tertiary institution.

     

    1. Most anti-cybercrime agencies are not collaborating with repentant cyber criminals to fight cybercrime.

     

    1. The introduction of Plea bargain has been abused. It should be reviewed and properly monitored by officials with proven integrity.

     

    1. Most anti-cybercrime agencies are not trained by repentant cyber criminals who have wide experience in cybercrime.

     

    1. Moral education is not given to most officials of anti-cybercrime agencies. This is why most of them collect bribe from cyber criminals and help them to escape justice.

     

    1. Lack of adequate research on cybercrime by the government, non governmental organisations, anti-cybercrime agencies and other stakeholders.

     

    1. There is no sufficient job for many citizens and many jobless people go into cybercrime as an alternative.

     

    1. Many countries do not provide counseling and rehabilitation facilities for victims of cybercrime. In an attempt to recover their lost money, some victims later become cyber criminals.

     

    1. Most telecom industries are not collaborating with repentant cyber criminals with wide experience in phone and computer hacking.

     

    1. Anti-cybercrime agencies are not sufficient. Cybercriminals are many and they have accomplices in almost every country. This is why they are increasing in number every day.

     

     

    Email: onatechconsult@gmail.com

  • Buhari Asks MTN to Reduce Cost of Data

    Buhari Asks MTN to Reduce Cost of Data

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari has asked MTN Group to conduct a downward review of data price for its Nigerian subscribers.

     

    Buhari said this while receiving members of the board of MTN led by its President/Chief Executive Officer, Ralph Mupita, at the state house in Abuja, on Friday.

     

    The president assured MTN that his administration was doing everything possible to have a conducive environment for doing business in Nigeria.

     

    “Nigeria is your most lucrative market in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the source of a third of the income of the entire MTN Group. As such, we urge you to offer top-of-the-range and affordable service to Nigerians,” he said.

     

    “As we seek to make broadband widely available and affordable, we urge MTN to continue to support our efforts by expanding high-quality connectivity to Nigerians in unserved and underserved areas.

     

    “I recently unveiled and launched the national policy for the promotion of indigenous content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector. I call on MTN to support the implementation of this policy and train and engage more Nigerians in your company.

     

    “In particular, we would like you to continue to support our efforts by improving the quality of service and enabling a downward price review of the cost of data and other services, in view of your large market in Nigeria.

     

    “We also urge you to step up your Corporate Social Responsibility programs and support Research and Development that will enhance your services in Nigeria.”

     

     On Wednesday, Karl Toriola, chief executive officer of MTN Nigeria, had informed customers of a possible delay in service delivery amid rising insecurity in the country. However, the telecom giant said it would strive to deliver a seamless and uninterrupted high-quality network experience to meet customer’s needs.