ATCON embarks on inclusive talk-process

The umbrella body of telecommunications firms in the country, the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has embarked on an inclusive talk process according to the newly elected national president, Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu.

He said the process has become necessary following the end of the inaugural meeting of the12-man Executive Committee where it was decided that ATCON should advance its immediate plans and focus.

Omo-Ettu made this disclosure in a letter of appreciation sent out last weekend to express the gratitude of the new executive council committee of ATCON.

“We will embark on an inclusive talk-process with our members, the regulator, governments, consumers, and other stakeholders to build lasting processes and institutions that will not only secure what we have built thus far, but move us on to other frontiers,” he said.

He also said that the concept of reaching out would accommodate views and feelings of telecommunications firms who may not even be presently members, but “who as players in the industry, we are determined to take seriously in our plans.”

He pointed out that the objective would be to secure an industry fit for the purpose where all stakeholders could effectively play their respective roles.

“The pace of development in the industry globally is frenetic and we cannot afford not to keep up. The ball is firmly in our court,” he asserted.

He stressed that ATCON would embark on a consultative programme in the coming weeks to canvass ideas from its members, which would form the foundation of the plans to be discussed at the Executive Committee and considered for implementation.

He emphasized that ATCON relationship with the media, as always, would be robust, open and reciprocal.

“Our association will, whenever the need arises, study industry developments and issue statements only when we have completed our consultation processes. Our focus will be to publish the truth all the time so as to destroy rumour for all times,” he said.

ATCON, he said, would run an open administration and avoid reactions to issues considered undeserving of reaction.

“We expect that in the normal media practice run by mortals, some journals may just slip into sensationalism and thrive on controversy. We will not join issues beyond stating the facts and the truth,” he noted.

At this moment, ATCON said, its consultation process is in progress regarding specific issues of industry management such as SIM card registration, sale of NITEL, Number Portability, industry restructuring, tariff management, Quality of Service (QoS), dominance to mention a few.

“We will issue sequential statements on completion of the aforementioned consultation,” he said.


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