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| *Jameel, Globacom Group COO |
Globacom has stated that it is bidding for the 2.3GHz broadband
spectrum licence being auctioned by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as
part of its aggressive investment strategy to give Nigerians the best-in-class
telecom services.
The license, the company further explained, would ultimately improve the
quality of service available to all telecom subscribers nationwide.
Speaking during a courtesy call on him by the leadership of Nigeria
Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA), Globacom Group Chief
Operating Officer, Mr. Mohamed Jameel, said the company remains committed to
its aggressive investment drive, adding that obtaining the broadband spectrum license
on offer would enable the company to mobilize necessary infrastructure to move
telecommunications to its next phase of development in Nigeria.
NCC plans that the winner of the single 2.3 GHz spectrum will become
the sole wholesaler of broadband services to other service providers in the
Nigerian market, explaining
why Jameel stressed that the license has therefore,
placed a critical responsibility on the license winner because going forward,
there will be more dependence on the Internet.
“There’s going to be more reliance on cloud services and for that to
work efficiently, you have to be surrounded by the internet. Globacom is
equipped to make that happen. We have the capacity to deploy very quickly, the
technical know-how and the international bandwidth through our Glo 1 submarine
cable,” he said.
On the issue of quality of service, Mr. Jameel said no operator is
happy when the quality of service is poor, explaining that any spell of
sub-optimal service quality saddens the company because of the lost revenue for
as long as it lasts.
“When a site goes down, it negatively impacts the quality of service
in the immediate community it is meant to serve. If it is a hub site, the
negative impact transcends the immediate community, because other sites
dependent on the site that is down will also be technically out of commission.
In essence, a site that goes down can negatively impact thousands of
subscribers far and near, and the operator is incapable of making revenue. We
don’t want that. No operator wants that,” he said.
He identified equipment vandalism, wilful shutdown of base stations
by agencies of government and power cuts as some of the main causes of spells of
sub-optimal quality of service on telecom networks in Nigeria.
He called on the government to assist telecom operators to fight
some of the challenges militating against quality of service and added that it
will be helpful for the government to harmonize all the taxes payable by
operators for its infrastructure across the country.
Jameel further argued that if an operator knows that it is to pay
certain amount for its installation in a particular location, it will be easy
to factor this cost into its budget at the beginning of each year and pay. He
said this will prevent situations where Local Governments and other agencies of
government shut down cell sites over revenue issues.
The leadership of NITRA led by its president, Emma Okonji and Vice
President, Stanley Okenwa, had lauded Globacom for its massive investment in
the Nigerian telecom industry. They described Globacom as ‘the greatest driver
of local content in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector” and urged the company
not to relent in its efforts to empower Nigerians.
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