Wimax Forum 2010: Opening Up Nigeria’s Telecom Sector through Convergence
- By Abimbola Tooki
- Published June 22nd, 2010
- ITWorld
- Unrated
The Wimax Forum, organized last week in Lagos by Telecom Answers Associates, a leading telecommunications consultancy firm in Nigeria, is by far one of the most successful gatherings ever organized in the sector. The audience was mature, the atmosphere breezy, the contributions unique and the overall organization was excellent. ABIMBOLA TOOKI reports.
THE general topic for discussion at last week Wimax Forum centred on convergence and how its offerings could be leveraged to create a better and competitive industry where all stakeholders could benefit.
Convergence is getting a lot of attention, yet it can mean different things to different people. Much has changed since the days when the only choice for telecommunications was a copper line from the incumbent operator. With the proliferation of access technologies available, subscribers now have a plethora of communications choices and are accumulating devices upon devices and identities upon identities. At the same time, operators around the world are beginning to offer to their subscribers convergence solutions which will offer a multi-access communications service.
So, while many countries have taken some decisive steps to actualise the gains of technology convergence, emerging markets, like that of Nigeria, are still struggling to create a platform for it to thrive.
Who are the Wimax providers in Nigeria? What spectrum is available for it offering? Is the regulatory environment ripe for convergence? These and many more are some of the questions raised by participants at the forum.
Chief Ezekiel Fatoye, one of the founding fathers of Multilinks, a fixed wireless operator in the country, raised a salient point that may make or mar the journey to convergence in the country. According to him, although the Engineer Ernest Ndukwe’s led Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) did a lot to liberate the Nigeria’s telecom market, the lack of policy unification and regulatory cohesion has not helped the industry. For instance, NCC is holding on to 2.3 gigahertz while the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) is holding on to 2.5; the two spectrums that could unleash further opportunities in the industry. The simple reason is because they are two autonomous regulatory agencies that see each other as competitors.
Engineer Titi Omo-Ettu, chief executive officer of Telecom Answer Associates, therefore used the forum again to call for political will to unify all relevant regulatory agencies without further delay. This, many participants agreed, would pave the way for ensuring that Nigeria meets the digital migration deadline of 2012.
Professor Raymond Akwule, president, Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), in his thought provoking paper also agreed that the most important thing to do in Nigerian context is convergence of the regulatory institutions.
Akwule said appropriate policies should be in place to ensure fair and non-discriminatory access to ducts, poles and rights of way. Policies should facilitate access to the ducts and poles of incumbent communication operators (wireline and wireless telephone and cable operators) and utility companies. Access to rights of way and ducts should be available on a non-discriminatory basis and on cost-based terms.
According to him, it is important to ensure that the market is open for different technologies to compete on equal terms to encourage, to the extent possible, the development of technologically neutral regulation, particularly in converged areas.
In the cable and mobile sectors, Akwule said considering where the move from technology-specific licences to service-neutral authorisation frameworks would be beneficial in terms of efficient management of scarce resources, spectrum allocation, and achievement of relevant public interest objectives.
Interconnection and Spectrum allocation
Another issue that is of paramount importance for convergence to thrive is interconnection. According Akwule, interconnection plays an important role in a new generation network (NGN) environment because it needs to take place at all functional levels in order for all service providers to be able to access the new networks and provide their content, service and applications to end-users.
It is therefore important to re-examine the functioning and evolution of the existing interconnection system and the evolution in the transition to NGNs through industry and user consultations.
Wireless technologies, including those using unlicensed spectrum, are also becoming an important part of the telecommunications landscape. Therefore, effective spectrum management is becoming a key policy issue as the range of technologies making demands on spectrum is growing rapidly.
This may require policy makers to encourage the rapid transition to digital broadcasting and make parts of the released spectrum (digital dividend) available for new and innovative wireless communication and broadcasting services. It would also be appropriate to review institutional structures for spectrum planning and allocation to ensure that they are better co-ordinated with the needs of the market and with the requirements of efficient regulation.
Quality of Service
Quality of service remains important in a converged next generation environment where information travels across multiple networks. Akwule said Nigeria must ensure that convergence benefits consumers and businesses, providing them sufficient choices with respect to connectivity, access and use of internet applications, terminal devices and content, as well as clear and accurate information about the quality and costs of services to enable them to make informed choices.
“Convergence allows different types of content and communication services to be delivered through the same network and consumed over a variety of platforms and user devices,” he said. “The evolution of technology does not necessarily change many of the underlying social and cultural objectives but may change the way these objectives are achieved.”
He said there is also the need to address cross-border issues as services that are increasingly geographically and network independent. This creates significant challenges for policy makers. In particular, they might need to review consumer protection frameworks, content regulation measures, the protection of intellectual property rights, the protection of privacy and personal data and legal interception.
Honouring “The Fantastic Four”
The highpoint of the event is the recognition of four individuals who have contributed immensely to all the achievements that have been so far recorded in the sector. “Without these individuals who we refer to as “The Fantastic Four”, the industry would most certainly not be where it is to day,” Omo-Ettu said.
The fantastic four are Engineer Olawale Ige, former communications minister, for his listening ears and accepting the case of liberalisation. The longest journey the industry has made began with the step taken by Ige towards liberalisation of the industry.
Engineer Vincent Maduka accepted the principle of liberalisation and took the show on the road; something he did effectively and with dignity in the face of concerted opposition, according to the Compendium of Nigeria’s Telecommunication Industry and its Players released last week by Telecom Answers Associates.
There is also Engineer Cletus Ogbonna Iromantu, the first chief executive of NCC, who selflessly toiled to make a vision and aspiration become a reality through the initiation of a viable commission
And the “Father of Telecom” himself, Engineer Ernest Ndukwe, immediate past EVC of NCC, for opening up the industry by embracing the tenets of competition, fair play and taking it through a professional path to the great height it is today.
THE general topic for discussion at last week Wimax Forum centred on convergence and how its offerings could be leveraged to create a better and competitive industry where all stakeholders could benefit.
Convergence is getting a lot of attention, yet it can mean different things to different people. Much has changed since the days when the only choice for telecommunications was a copper line from the incumbent operator. With the proliferation of access technologies available, subscribers now have a plethora of communications choices and are accumulating devices upon devices and identities upon identities. At the same time, operators around the world are beginning to offer to their subscribers convergence solutions which will offer a multi-access communications service.
So, while many countries have taken some decisive steps to actualise the gains of technology convergence, emerging markets, like that of Nigeria, are still struggling to create a platform for it to thrive.
Who are the Wimax providers in Nigeria? What spectrum is available for it offering? Is the regulatory environment ripe for convergence? These and many more are some of the questions raised by participants at the forum.
Chief Ezekiel Fatoye, one of the founding fathers of Multilinks, a fixed wireless operator in the country, raised a salient point that may make or mar the journey to convergence in the country. According to him, although the Engineer Ernest Ndukwe’s led Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) did a lot to liberate the Nigeria’s telecom market, the lack of policy unification and regulatory cohesion has not helped the industry. For instance, NCC is holding on to 2.3 gigahertz while the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) is holding on to 2.5; the two spectrums that could unleash further opportunities in the industry. The simple reason is because they are two autonomous regulatory agencies that see each other as competitors.
Engineer Titi Omo-Ettu, chief executive officer of Telecom Answer Associates, therefore used the forum again to call for political will to unify all relevant regulatory agencies without further delay. This, many participants agreed, would pave the way for ensuring that Nigeria meets the digital migration deadline of 2012.
Professor Raymond Akwule, president, Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), in his thought provoking paper also agreed that the most important thing to do in Nigerian context is convergence of the regulatory institutions.
Akwule said appropriate policies should be in place to ensure fair and non-discriminatory access to ducts, poles and rights of way. Policies should facilitate access to the ducts and poles of incumbent communication operators (wireline and wireless telephone and cable operators) and utility companies. Access to rights of way and ducts should be available on a non-discriminatory basis and on cost-based terms.
According to him, it is important to ensure that the market is open for different technologies to compete on equal terms to encourage, to the extent possible, the development of technologically neutral regulation, particularly in converged areas.
In the cable and mobile sectors, Akwule said considering where the move from technology-specific licences to service-neutral authorisation frameworks would be beneficial in terms of efficient management of scarce resources, spectrum allocation, and achievement of relevant public interest objectives.
Interconnection and Spectrum allocation
Another issue that is of paramount importance for convergence to thrive is interconnection. According Akwule, interconnection plays an important role in a new generation network (NGN) environment because it needs to take place at all functional levels in order for all service providers to be able to access the new networks and provide their content, service and applications to end-users.
It is therefore important to re-examine the functioning and evolution of the existing interconnection system and the evolution in the transition to NGNs through industry and user consultations.
Wireless technologies, including those using unlicensed spectrum, are also becoming an important part of the telecommunications landscape. Therefore, effective spectrum management is becoming a key policy issue as the range of technologies making demands on spectrum is growing rapidly.
This may require policy makers to encourage the rapid transition to digital broadcasting and make parts of the released spectrum (digital dividend) available for new and innovative wireless communication and broadcasting services. It would also be appropriate to review institutional structures for spectrum planning and allocation to ensure that they are better co-ordinated with the needs of the market and with the requirements of efficient regulation.
Quality of Service
Quality of service remains important in a converged next generation environment where information travels across multiple networks. Akwule said Nigeria must ensure that convergence benefits consumers and businesses, providing them sufficient choices with respect to connectivity, access and use of internet applications, terminal devices and content, as well as clear and accurate information about the quality and costs of services to enable them to make informed choices.
“Convergence allows different types of content and communication services to be delivered through the same network and consumed over a variety of platforms and user devices,” he said. “The evolution of technology does not necessarily change many of the underlying social and cultural objectives but may change the way these objectives are achieved.”
He said there is also the need to address cross-border issues as services that are increasingly geographically and network independent. This creates significant challenges for policy makers. In particular, they might need to review consumer protection frameworks, content regulation measures, the protection of intellectual property rights, the protection of privacy and personal data and legal interception.
Honouring “The Fantastic Four”
The highpoint of the event is the recognition of four individuals who have contributed immensely to all the achievements that have been so far recorded in the sector. “Without these individuals who we refer to as “The Fantastic Four”, the industry would most certainly not be where it is to day,” Omo-Ettu said.
The fantastic four are Engineer Olawale Ige, former communications minister, for his listening ears and accepting the case of liberalisation. The longest journey the industry has made began with the step taken by Ige towards liberalisation of the industry.
Engineer Vincent Maduka accepted the principle of liberalisation and took the show on the road; something he did effectively and with dignity in the face of concerted opposition, according to the Compendium of Nigeria’s Telecommunication Industry and its Players released last week by Telecom Answers Associates.
There is also Engineer Cletus Ogbonna Iromantu, the first chief executive of NCC, who selflessly toiled to make a vision and aspiration become a reality through the initiation of a viable commission
And the “Father of Telecom” himself, Engineer Ernest Ndukwe, immediate past EVC of NCC, for opening up the industry by embracing the tenets of competition, fair play and taking it through a professional path to the great height it is today.
