NCC reassures on technology neutrality for sustainable growth - ITREALMS

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To ensure sustainability of the telecoms industry growth and development in country, the regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reassured on technology neutrality, reports ITREALMS.

The Commission also indicated this would amount to showing of keen interest in balancing healthy competition, especially with the often disruptive technologies.

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, gave this assurance at a presentation session by a delegation from SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportations services company, in Abuja on Thursday, May 6, 2021.

ITREALMS gathered that the EVC who was represented at the session by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Engr. Ubale Maska, said NCC will work on necessary modalities to ensure that it balances the need for healthy competition vis-a-vis the entry of new technologies, in order to protect all industry stakeholders.

“As the regulator of a highly dynamic sector in Nigeria, the Commission is conscious of the need to ensure that our regulatory actions are anchored on national interest.

"We have listened to your presentation and we will review it vis-à-vis our regulatory direction of ensuring effective and a sustainable telecoms ecosystem where a licensee’s operational model does not dampen healthy competition among other licensees,” Maska told the SpaceX delegation.

Maska further stated that the Commission is interested in making necessary regulatory efforts to drive the coverage of rural, unserved and underserved areas of the country through the accomplishments of the lofty targets contained in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP), 2020-2025.

He noted that the plan’s target of 70 per cent broadband penetration target, covering 90 per cent of the population by 2025 is also in line with government expectations in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), 2010-2030.

Other Senior Management staff of the Commission, at the briefing include the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Adeleke Adewolu; Director, Licensing and Authorisation, Mohammed Babajika; Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Bako Wakil; Director, New Media and Information Security, Dr. Haru Alhassan and Director, Spectrum Administration, Oluwatoyin Asaju, among others.

Uboshe Uboshe/Editor