Anyanwu to preside @ Co-location forum

PLANS have been concluded for the much awaited Co-location forum scheduled to take place tomorrow, Tuesday in Lagos, as the chairman, Senate Committee on Communications, Senator Sylvester Anyanwu, would preside at the occasion.

This is coming as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, would lead chief executive officers in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector to the forum.

The one-day business forum is being organized in collaboration between NCC and Telecom Answers Associates (TAA).

Chief executive of Telecom Answers Associates (TAA), Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu who confirmed the readiness at the weekend to Champion Infotel, said that over 50 chief executive officers have been lined up for participation.

Noting that Senator Anyanwu’s committee has been in the forefront of pushing for an update of the National Communications Act 2003, and he is known to have done very extensive stakeholder assessment on co-location and other strategic industry management moves.

Speaking at the end of the inaugural meeting of the six-man technical committee in Lagos, Omo-Ettu said that Co-location forum is not a mere conference, but is expected to come out with relevant recommendations as to move the country and particularly service providers as well as infrastructure builders ahead of competition.

Apart from Helios Towers Nigeria Ltd., many telecommunication and finance companies have joined the sponsorship of the co-location forum. He listed some of the latest sponsors to include Access Bank, FCMB, IHS Plc, The Cyberschuul, Channel-IT, MTI, Reime West Africa and Technology Advisors.

According to him, Ndukwe would give the keynote address while the chairman, Senate Committee on Communications, Senator Sylvester Anyanwu would preside at the occasion whereas his counterpart at the House of Representatives is billed to assist him.

Champion Infotel recalls that infrastructure sharing leader, Helios Towers Nigeria Ltd, has endorsed the forthcoming co-location forum as a sponsor.

Communications Manager, Helios Towers, Mr. Myke Ofili, had confirmed that Helios is a co-location licensee which has been in the forefront of providing a platform for infrastructure sharing.

Even as IHS Plc, another co-location licensee, would play host to the participating CEO’s who at a post-forum to be held at the Chirrasco Grill House, located within the Lagoon Restaurant.

TAA in a press statement, endorsed by Kayode Yussuf, affirmed these developments, saying that almost every co-location licensees and infrastructure builders in the industry have opted to play one role or the other in the Forum, which seeks to generate an industry plan of action for assuring the benefits of co-location when it finally gets the approval of the authorities.

He recalled that the Nigerian Communications Commission has, for some time been working on providing intervention at various levels to assure that co-location is effectively launched and the National Assembly is known to have been working on a Bill which seeks to make co-location a workable reality.

Hence, the objective for hosting the business forum is to address the concerns of experts, investors, and technocrats by distilling the technology, management, legal and regulatory issues in a manner that we can push an industry ‘Plan of Action’ such that Nigerians at the end of the day benefit from the initiative if government eventually intervenes.

Reassuring that the co-location forum scheduled for May 19, 2009 in Lagos promises to feature presentation of a couple of strategic cost savers and technology enhancers in telecommunications infrastructure sharing.

In a related development, a six-man Technical Committee was weekend inaugurated to ensure a successful proceedings at the one-day Forum.

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