NATCOMS tells NCC to issue a 90-day ultimatum to operators on connectivity debt

THE NATIONAL ASSO CIATION of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) has urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to issue a 90-day ultimatum for telecom operators to settle interconnectivity debt worth N165 billion.

Speaking with business a.m., Deolu Ogunbanjo, president at NATCOMS said the lingering interconnectivity debt amongst operators in the telecom industry will require the industry regulator to issue a 90-day deadline ultimatum.

“It will become a non-issue if the NCC ensures some level of enforcement after working out the said period. Failure to comply by any operator should attract fine.

He mentioned that the defunct NITEL was owed before it gone into extinction from the telecom sector.

Ogunbanjo, who noted that some operators are not looking financially healthy at the moment, said such situations should not stop the NCC to come up with a 90 days plan that will encourage some level of flexibility.

“It doesn’t have to exceed 90 days,” said Ogunbanjo.

The interconnectivity debt is made up of two components: the facility and infrastructure components. This usually happens when calls are terminated on other networks; the networks where the calls are terminated must be paid their termination fees.

Interconnection enables a user to experience the smoothness of a connected network; hence, a subscriber does not need to know whether the person at the other end of the network subscribes to another network operator.

Stakeholders in several forums had expressed concerns over the interconnectivity indebtedness in Nigeria’s telecom industry, as this situation could result in rancour amongst operators where an operator can disconnect another operator.According to Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman at NCC, said there is worry about the accumulated huge debts from interconnectivity, which currently stood at over N165 billion.

“We have summoned operators and advised them to pay up their interconnect debt promptly. But

be that as it may, no operator can disconnect another operator on the ground of interconnect debt, except by the express permission of NCC,” said Danbatta.

Danbatta who recently spoke to journalists in Abuja said the goal is to avert arbitrary disconnection of telecom services and avoid what can threaten the telecom sector, stressing that disconnection will be a measure of last resort and cannot be done without the approval of NCC.

He admitted that some operators are heavily indebted to others over interconnect termination fees, but the NCC’s position is that those owing interconnect fees must pay such fees without further delay.

It could be recalled that the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) had advised the NCC to ensure that each operator puts in place an automated robust system that can reconcile the interconnect debt situation. Hence, the regulator needs to force operators to pass traffic through interconnect clearing houses for accountability in the billing system.

It will become a non-issue if the NCC ensures some level of enforcement after working out the said period. Failure to comply by any operator should attract fine