The President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) Tony Emoekpere, has assured Nigerians that the persistent network irregularities affecting telecommunications will not persist this year.

Emoekpere said this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

“There have been positive things already being done, projects have already been put in place, and commitments have already been made to regulators by the Mobile Network Operator (MNO). Most in general, I don’t think these issues should surpass this year,” he said.

He noted that efforts are being made with different bodies to address the network challenges.

“We continuously engage with the regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and have been having several meetings across all stakeholders within our sector.

“But the operators and also the infrastructure providers and also the service providers, so all hands are on deck; there is a myriad of engagement going on regarding this,” Emoekpere added.

Over the years, telecommunications users have faced various challenges, such as poor network service, an increase in tariff plans, and data consumed faster, among others.

The Federal Government, however, has amplified pressure on telecommunications operators to improve service quality across Nigeria, warning that subscribers must begin to experience better connectivity and value for money.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, in a statement on Sunday, said the government had already introduced major reforms to stabilise the telecom sector, stressing that operators must now address persistent network failures affecting millions of users.

However, the ATCON president said all hands are on deck to tackle the complaint of its consumers.

He also addressed the issue of data subscription renewal.

“What happens is once you renew your subscription, your existing data is added to your new data. Data does not expire; once you renew your subscription, your data gets added to your new subscription,” he said.

According to him, NCC has a body that handles consumer complaints

“There is a consumer arm of the regulator where all these things are being handled. NCC has a consumer arm where reports are made by consumers, and if there are issues like this, they are being tackled by the operators”, Emoekpere said.

The ATCON president stated that no operator will want to provide poor service.

“It’s no operator’s best interest to provide poor services. No operator wakes up in the morning to provide a service and is resting, seeing that my service is poor, and they sit down and relax.

“It’s not in anyone’s interest, definitely not the operators, industry, and ecosystem, so everybody is challenged by these problems, and all hands are on deck to solve these challenges, and things are already being done,” he added. (Channels)

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