QoS: Operators still have roles to play – Alliance.

A group media  entrepreneurs within the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) operating under the aegis of ICT Publishers Alliance, has said that despite being the N1.17bn fine for failing to scale through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) key performance indicators’ they still have roles to play in improving services.

Speaking through their chairman, Mr. Aaron Ukodie, at the Senate public hearing on communication last month in Abuja, the Alliance said that while it agrees with the challenges facing operators are enormous in delivering good quality service, it believes however that the operators themselves still have a role to play to stalk the increasing poor quality of service of telecom networks in the country by infusing more resources into expanding the capacity and optimization of their networks.

The group maintained support for NCC and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), saying that network optimisation is feasible so as to reduce frequent glitches in operators’ networks.

“We are inclined to accept the viewpoint of the regulatory authority that ‘current mobile network in Nigeria is not fully optimized as the nation can derive more value from an enhanced and optimized mobile network, especially in the area of improved Quality of Service,’” the Alliance said through its chairman, Mr. Aaron Ukodie.

Operators, he said, can and should invest more in network optimisation as this would reasonably address three key components of good quality of service, namely network coverage, service accessibility and service retainability.

They further buttress their position by referring to an ITU position which states that poor quality of service in developing countries, including Nigeria were due to increased supply of poor quality equipment; Difficulties in the selection of interoperable equipment from a wide range of vendors; lack of testing centers, facilities and trained professionals.

Poor quality of service, according to the group, is also largely traceable to poor transport capacity; poor switching nodes in their networks, explaining that these switching nodes are too far in between in several cities.

“The more the number of switching nodes the better performance in communication between base stations and hand set receivers. Let them bring the switching centers close to the base stations,” the group insisted.

In addition, Mr. Ukodie said the NCC should meet with Environmental Protection Agencies, the Civil Aviation Authority, National Energy Regulatory Commission (NERC), and other government related agencies to develop a set of guidelines for the institution of a one-stop-shop permitting scheme for the deployment of communication towers.

Pointing out that Part V of the guidelines dealing with the Role of the Commission, “empowers it to intervene to resolve dispute at the quest of either party and to impose facility sharing or collocation arrangements between operators after consultation with the parties and that the NCC needs to enforce the guidelines fairly and firmly.”

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