GSM companies are most capitalised – NCC

Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) companies in the country, are the most capitalised in the nation’s economy as of date.

Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, gave this insight at the just concluded second edition of the Nigerian international GSM conference and exhibition in Abuja.

Dr. Ndukwe who was represented at the occasion by the Executive Commissioner in-charge of Licensing and Consumers Affairs at NCC, Mr. Stephen Bello, said that apart from GSM companies in the country being the most capitalised, they are next to oil in terms of remunerations.

“The first in remuneration and have contributed to the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the nation,” he declared.

He also said that Nigeria as a nation, must build upon the successes achieved in the last eight years of democratic dispensation, especially in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector in the past six years of evolution.

This, he said, would be if the operators ensured that consumers remained the key to their business successes, thereby improving on their service provision, most especially the quality of services (QoS).

According to him, this is a key challenge to the operators presently because subscribers are very much keen on mobility solutions and 24-hour access.

Equally, Dr. Ndukwe said that the taste of Nigerian telecom subscribers have changed, noting that they are now looking out for telcos that would provide them with uninterrupted voice and data alongside other Value Added Services (VAS).

While assuring investors into the country of effective distribution of spectrum and usage, NCC said that it would ensure that customers are migrated into various facets of technologies without loosing sight of the impact to the industry and the economy.

He pointed out that before now, the cost of handsets were on the high side but is gradually coming down, to affordable rates.

As said by him, NCC would make sure that spectrum deployment and adaptation to the Next Generation Networks (NGN) is strictly adhered to in the country telecom sphere.

Dr. Ndukwe emphasised that the quest for GSM services in the country and its adoptability to technologies would definitely drive down prices while services are expected to improve, mostly with new technologies.

The event was organised by the GSM Operators Association of Nigerian through Uk-emp in collaboration with NCC and Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).


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