NCC considers new technology

•Advises on fixed lines

TELECOM regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) may be considering on introducing a new technology that allows conversion of signals from mobile and fixed and vice versa, just as consultations have been advanced to treat calls within the West African sub-region as local calls.

Also, NCC has advised telecom consumers to imbibe the culture of using fixed lines at homes.

Executive Vice Chairman at NCC, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, who gave these indications in Lagos, said the detectable new technology would allow a mobile phone user to switch a call to fixed especially if the call is coming from a fixed line and mobile to mobile.

This, experts said would drastically reduce the cost of tariffs paid by Nigerians, who would like to call at anytime.

In addition, it would generate enough traffic for both fixed and mobiles.

This indication was a response that followed complaints by subscribers at the 28th session of monthly Telecom Consumers Parliament, held at Oyinbo-Lagos, for downward review of call tariffs in the country.

According to him, there are consultations going on to enable calls at the sub regional level to be treated as local calls within the West African states.

“It is good that consumers are concerned over tariffs,” he noted, advising Nigerians to imbibe the culture of using fixed lines for now, mostly when conducive, especially at a station such as homes and offices.

He further said, it would assist them in managing the cost of their mobile phones especially on the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) platform.

According to the NCC boss, there is always a price to pay for mobility phones such as GSM anywhere in the world.

Nigerians, he said, could, for instance, cut down on the amount they spend on calls, mostly if it is a local call that could be taken at a station, either at homes or offices, instead of using mobile all the time.

“Only use the mobile when on the move,” he advised.

Emphasizing that by managing calls well there would be more money in the pockets of Nigerians, just as he counseled consumers to always look out for the lowest call tariffs available
“… Because, that’s the essence of competition,” he asserted, stressing that mostly now there is a unified licensing regime that competition would soon increase, all to the benefits of consumers.