By Emeka Aginam
Again, the  much awaited unification of the functions of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC,  and the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, NBC, respectively  attracted heated debates, questions  and  controversy last week at the just concluded WiMAX Forum 2010 where industry players reacted, saying that the planned unification was imperative given  the fact that it would fast-track the convergence of Nigerian information communication technology industry under one umbrella.

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Although there have been  discordant tunes over the unification of NBC and NCC, some ICT experts  at the forum  agreed on merger while others agreed on convergence which is more popular in developed economies.

While the Ministerial Committee constituted recently to oversee the development of the  merger  is about to round up on its mandate, industry players at the capacity building event without pretenses noted that here was need to accomplish and streamline the allocation of broadcast and telecommunications frequency spectrum.

Just like what obtains in other part of the world, majority of the speakers argued that the proposed merger is something whose time has come as a result of converging of telecoms, broadcasting and computing technologies.

For Prof Raymond Akwule President, Digital Bridge Institute without mincing words told the gathering that there was need for convergence of the regulatory institutions, adding that anything short of that will result to chasing shadows.
“Convergence is the new trend in the global ICT industry.

We live in a converging world but our regulatory institutions are very unconverged. Convergence has become very imperative as the country moves to meet the International Telecommunications Union , ITU, deadline for migration from analogue to digital broadcasting as it would release large numbers of digital dividend spectrum which could be used for full scale broadband utilization by telecom and broadcasting operators” Prof  Akwule said. But Nigeria is only in the early stage of accomplishing this, he added.

Expressing satisfaction on  the level of development in the Nigerian ICT industry, DBI boss while stressing the  importance of concluding regulatory unification in the information and communications industry noted that with increasing convergence of technologies and service providers, regulatory bodies  need to converge in line with international trends in the knowledge economy.

According to him, the ITU had given member nations until 2015 for migration of analogue to digital broadcasting, even as Nigeria has set its deadline to 2012.

He further stressed that convergence coordinated is expected to be beneficial in terms of efficient management of scarce resources, spectrum management of relevant public interest objectives, and many more.

Similarly, the former President of Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwen in his own submission noted that the nation will continue to lag  behind in the global scheme of things unless convergence is given priority attention it deserves now.  Time is running out, he said.

“Nigeria needs regulatory and policy framework to achieve this. All hands must be on deck. Convergence is a global issue now that needs the support both the government and the public sector. We cannot continue to wait while other countries of the world streamline their  ICT sector. this is the time. What convergence has put together, no law or regulation, y should put asunder” he said.

In his own contribution, the President of the Nigerian Internet Group. Engr. Lanre Ajayi who has been preaching youth empowerment through software development told the capacity audience that the ICT industry has been waiting for the merger which has been delayed by what he described as official bottleneck..

“Nigeria must follow global trend as  we are surrounded by a multi-level convergent media world where all modes of communication and information are continually reforming to adapt to the enduring demands of technologies” he said adding that convergence is something whose time has come.

But Engr. Titi Omo-Etu, CEO of Telecoms Answers Associates who differed in the position of other speakers told the gathering that what the nation needed is not merger of the NCC and NBC but convergence of technology segment of the nation’s ICT sector.

Omo-Etu who stressed on the  value of NITEL during the early stage of its sale noted that it is expected that the three industries including NCC, NBC should be converged into one ICT as obtained in some countries of the world.
Before now according to experts, there is no universal definition of convergence, although generally it is understood to mean the ability of different networks to carry similar kinds of services (e.g., voice over Internet Protocol (IP) or over circuit switched networks, video over cable television or Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) or, alternatively, the ability to provide a range of services over a single network.

Convergence is accelerating as existing networks are modified to offer new services (e.g., upgrade of telephone networks to offer ADSL, alteration of electric power networks to offer broadband services, and the modification of cable networks to offer interactive services). Convergence is also possible with wireless broadband technologies.

As a result, different network infrastructures can today provide a plethora of services. Cable television providers can offer consumers voice, Internet access, and broadcast services over the same network as one bundled package of services, and for one monthly price.