Telecommunications operators on Wednesday called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to look into the indebtedness of smaller telecom operators and support them to survive competition.
Mr Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman, Association of Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), made the call at a telecom stakeholders’ forum in Lagos.
The forum organised by NCC was to discuss the level of competition in Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.
Adebayo said that reports and studies had shown that big telecom operators survive more than small ones, urging that NCC should identify small operators in debt and help them.
Adebayo said that when he assumed office as ALTON Chairman, he was overseeing about 35 strong operating companies.
“Now, we are just 15 or 16 and I kept asking what went wrong.
The ALTON chairman said that there were multiple taxes by some states.
He said that addressing multiple taxation would help smaller companies to move forward.
The NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said that competitive markets was necessary for a vibrant telecommunications industry as it would encourage innovations and foster efficiency.
Danbatta was represented by Ms Josephine Amuwa, the NCC Director of Policy Competition and Economic Analysis.
According to Danbatta, the commission periodically conducts studies to assess the level of competition in the industry in line with its mandate of creating an enabling environment for competition among telecom operators.
Danbatta said that the objective of the study was to provide insight into the level of competition in the telecommunications market and articulate strategies to enhance opportunities in the market and ensure the deepening of competition that would result in the provision of innovative services.
He said that the study would enable the commission to evaluate the level of competition within the various market segments of the Nigerian telecommunications industry.
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