ATCON urges restructuring of USPF, others

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has called for the restructuring of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF).

The Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria to facilitate the achievement of national policy goals for universal service and universal access to Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in rural, un-served and under-served areas in Nigeria as part of the actions in fulfillment of the outcome of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2005.

Catching in on this objective, ATCON, through its president, Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu said that the restructure of USPF is imminent.

According to him, restructuring of USPF and other fund sources to promote local investment, research and development (R&D) as well as total access will boost ICT adaption and development in the country.

This, he said, will also boost anticipation by stakeholders that by 2015, telecom consumers in the country will begin to enjoy full mobile number portability and free roaming.

Additionally, he said, the suggestion of restructuring when taken up as prescribed has the capacity to turn telephony into an empowerment tool for the populace.

ATCON equally calls for radicalisation of spectrum availability and allocation by the regulator, in order to adequately protect consumer interest by promoting informed consent, transparency and accountability in quality of service, tariff, and usage.

Omo-Ettu noted that transiting substantially to new Internet Protocol (IPv 6) and encouraging an ecosystem for provision of ‘A Significantly Large Bouquet of Services on IP Platform’ cannot be over looked.

Omo-Ettu, ATCON president

He further said that recognising the peoples’ ‘Right To Broadband’ would be a strong indication to increase rural teledensity to over 80 in 100 per cent by 2020.

He summed it up by saying that Nigerians want good service, not reasons why it is non-existent, which must be professional delivered by NCC in appreciation of the Communications Act, thus having more bites at faster speed.

As said by him, the damage that poor electricity has done, he said, deserves that Nigerians mark power reform managers closely.

In order to achieve the aforementioned, Omo-Ettu’s leadership at ATCON said that Service Level Agreement (SLA) between service providers and consumer must exist followed by adequate enforcement based on global best practises.

Individual consumers, he advised, should assert their rights to seek redress, stressing that attitude of consumers must shift from nonchalance to seeing to conclusion of what they really want.

He stressed that the damage caused by poor electricity deserves close marking of power reform managers.

Remmy Nweke
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