Why Nigerians experience poor GSM services, by NCC
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has attributed erratic services experienced by Global Services Mobile (GSM) subscribers to inadequate number of masts in the country.
Executive Vice Chairman of the commission, Professor Umar Danbatta, stated this in Kano yesterday at a workshop on electromagnetic fields (EMF) exposure organized by the NCC.
Professor Danbatta said Nigeria has only 38,000 Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) spread across the country, as against the total estimated national requirement of about 80,000 BTS.
“We need more masts across the country to improve services. Members of the public should therefore allow service providers to erect more masts so that the GSM services can improve,” he said.
The vice chairman said contrary to speculations, GSM masts are not harmful to public health, adding that not all radiations are dangerous. He maintained that the commission was also concerned about safety.
“NCC organized the workshop in order to enlighten the public about the radiation being generated from GSM masts. Experts in the field of radiation will brainstorm during the workshop and come up with useful information that will help the public understand how the masts work,” he said.
Also speaking, the state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, said the workshop is timely, noting that Nigerians expect more laudable initiatives from the NCC.
Represented by his deputy, Professor Hafiz Abubakar, Ganduje said Nigerians need to know more about radiation from GSM masts.
He urged the NCC to ensure that members of the public are well informed on its activities.