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The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has concluded plans to embark on an evaluation exercise of the Nigerian telecom industry. The assessment will cover five years of telecom operation by network owners from 2015 to 2019 and be made public later in the year in book form.
“It is important that we emphasize the fact that the Nigerian telecommunications sector has gone through a lot of structural changes since it was liberalized many years ago. As a forward looking and proactive Association in this space, our Association prides itself with the protection of the investment already made and we are working very hard to further increase the level of investment that is attracted to the industry through research and development,” said ATCON in statement issued in Lagos this week.
According to ATCON’s Executive Secretary, Ajibola Olude in the statement, some of the reasons for the evaluation of the industry include:
- To showcase policy improvements and innovations during the period under review and its attendant results.
- To understudy the sector viz-a-viz challenges limiting the growth and development of the sector in the period under review.
- To make concerted effort towards proffering sustainable solutions to all identified challenges.
- To work towards attaining the newly set broadband target.
- To encourage further local and foreign investment into the sector by demonstrating untapped opportunities in the sector.
Furthermore, the proposed strategic industry evaluation by ATCON is expected to center on areas such as:
- Contribution of regulators to broadband penetration, through enabling policies and the wholistic review of the regulatory environment.
- Operators’ contribution through sponsored infrastructure.
- Structure of Investment in the sector and exploration of alternative funding.
- Socio-economic impact of the sector, including but not limited to the following areas; job creation, agriculture, youth development, education, security, banking and financial inclusion.
This very important book is meant to validate and give credit to how vital the telecom and ICT sector is to the Nigerian economy. The book is planned to be launched during the GSMA World Congress 2020, in Barcelona, Spain and afterwards in Nigeria.
