Pantami Pledges to Protect Telecom Consumers’ Rights

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami has assured the consumers of telecommunication services in the country that the Federal government is committed to protecting their rights.

Dr Pantami stated this when he delivered the Principal Keynote Address at the Sectoral Virtual Forum organized by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).

The Forum took place on the 6th of August 2020 and focused on “The Need of Telecom and ICT Consumers in the Era of COVID-19 and Post COVID-19 Pandemic Cum Digital Economy Era with a view to Meeting the New Broadband Target”.

He reminded the telecom operators of the effort of government to address their operational challenges. In particular he mentioned the resolution of the lingering Right of Way (RoW) charges, the designation of telecom equipment as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) and ongoing efforts to resolve issues of multiple taxation. Hitherto, operators utilized a significant portion of their investment just to pay right of way charges.

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Pantami then urged the operators to reciprocate the efforts of government by recognizing the customer as king and treating them as such. He asked them to enhance customer experience by improving Quality of Service (QoS), reducing the cost of service and increasing broadband penetration, in line with the National Broadband Plan (2020 – 2025), amongst other things.

The President of ATCON, Mr Olusola Teniola, commended the Honourable Minister for his vision and dynamism that have set the telecom industry on a trajectory of significant progress, particularly his effort in resolving the issue of Right of Way and Critical National Infrastructure. He also assured the Minister of the support of the industry for the policy and programmes of the Ministry.