ICT Stakeholders Task Federal Govt On Creating Enabling Business Environment

Critical stakeholders in the Information Communication Technology(ICT) sector have called on the federal government to create the enabling environment for the industry to grow.

This is even as Nigerians await the commencement of the Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) service.

Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) revealed that there are 114 access gaps with some 25 million people still without basic telephony service. With the MVNO initiative coupled with other innovations, the gap is expected to be bridged significantly.

Stakeholders who spoke with LEADERSHIP, at the MVNO conference, organised by WirelessTechnology Labs (WTL), in Lagos, averred that, this posits huge opportunities in the MVNO space, even as they called on the government to formulate policies that would allow the industry to grow.

The chief operating officer, WTES Project, Chidi Ajuzie, said, the essence of the MVNO is to bridge the connectivity gap in Nigeria, adding that, with policies like tax exemption for a period of time, it will help operators in that space to thrive.

“The MVNOs are a new entrance in the market and as such, they should be exempted from tax, to enable them compete favorably in the market. That will ensure that their upfront cost does not swallow them. They have spent millions on their license fee.

“They are expected to put in some infrastructure and if they are also expected to pay taxes, it will become overwhelming for them, hence, the need for the federal government to create a tax break for a period of time,” Ajuzie explained.

In the same vein, the managing director, Wireless Technology Labs (WTL), Satya Mekala said, huge opportunities await MVNOs in Nigeria, while explaining that, the MVNOs will serve as drivers to help extend telecom services to certain segments of the country.

“What this simply means is that, they have to be innovative in designing products and services that the big mobile operators have not been able to adequately deliver and cover.

“No doubt, the MVNOs have huge opportunities in rolling out their products, especially in the digital space, because with the rate of digitaliSation in the world, MVNOs business has gone beyond just delivering voice and data services. They can also design digital products that their customers can leverage on while on their platforms.

“With this, they are not just going to drive subscriber growth, they are also going to drive revenue. So the opportunity is quite huge. However, it takes planning, to ensure that they design their products the right way and launch the right way,” the managing director averred.

Mekala revealed that the MVNO license was designed in such a way that MVNOs do not actually need to build their own radio spectrum, as they can leverage on the Mobile Network Operators’ (MNOs) spectrum to operate, hence, the need for them to interconnect with MNOs and other critical stakeholders like WTL and Covalense Digital Solutions for Africa, among others.

“For them to successfully interconnect with the mobile operators, there are technical elements that must be put in place. That is where WTL comes in. We are a MVNO core company. We have designed and built a system that can take care of tier 2 to tier 5 licensees.

“We are helping these new entrants in the market to understand the technical requirements to successfully connect to MNOs. We have all the core components to supply and deploy, and help them to interconnect with the digital layer customers like Covalense Digital Solutions for Africa,” Mekala stated.

While calling on the federal government to create the enabling environment for MVNOs to thrive, Mekala also tasked MVNOs licensees to collaborate with MNOs and critical stakeholders, to design and launch their products successfully.