By Emma Elebeke

If there is anything the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC should worry about, it is how to improve the quality of service by the telecommunication operators in the country.

This was the position of the President of association of telecommunications companies of Nigeria, NCC, Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu during, at Whispering Palms, Badagry, Lagos, venue of a 3-day ICT appreciation retreat organized by ATCON and ITAN for ICT journalists in Nigeria.

Engr. Omo-Ettu said that the footprint of NCC in the nation’s telecom sector over the past ten years in the area of growth was not in doubt, but maintained that the agency had not lived up to its billings in keeping the operating companies on their toes, through a periodic review of the key performance index and use of sanction against the defaulters among them.

According to him, subscribers would enjoy better services if NCC could admit its area of deficiency in regulating the industry and come up with a renewed approach that would make it wield the stick on any operators that is found wanting in its operation, thereby denying subscribers the expected quality of service.

The ATCON boss who acknowledged the challenge of operators, said though, operators have a portion of the blame, the operating environment had not been so friendly to the operators, insisting that when the users compromise the quality of service through disruption of network, vandalization of base stations, they should be ready to face the consequences.

He urge users to be more considerate in their demand and condemnation of the operators, who he said go through myriads of operating challenges in the country.

“We are not regulating. What we are doing is building the market. I think NCC should begin to look at how operators are complying with the key performance indicators and also sanction defaulting operators who fail to do the right thing because that is the only way they can be kept on their toes by NCC.

As much as I know that subscribers have a role to play in maintaining a good quality of service, I think that it is the right of subscribers to demand high quality of service and best prices. That is why it is an interplay.

Players are in business for profit making but consumers need education to minimize their complains” he added.

While considering the interest of consumers, Omo-Ettu posited that NCC should not take for granted protecting the interest of investors and operators as well, by considering the peculiarity of their challenges.

Still on quality of service, the Chief executive officer, backup Networks limited, Mr. Monday Ogbe has offered a recipe on how to bring a lasting solution to the problem.

He said that the persisting challenges of Quality of Service (QoS) in the telecommunications sector could be resolved if operators and subscribers would play their respective roles proactively.

For him, Nigeria has all its takes in terms of availability of equipment and local skills to facilitate improved and management of service delivery.

“What is more, ASCOM systems make it possible for operators not only to notice poor quality of services but also to trace and pin-point the problems spots. The company’s equipment, Ogbe confirmed, enables test and measurement; reporting analysis as well as benchmarking and monitoring,” he added.