NCC urges states to protect telecom infrastructure

The Nigerian Communications Commission has called on the 36 states in the country to protect telecom infrastructure such as base transceiver stations as well as telecom masts in their domains to avoid interrupted services from the global system for mobile communications network providers.
Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta, made this call in Lagos while commenting on the resolution of the misunderstanding between Ogun State government and MTN over the shutdown of its BTS by state agencies over multiple taxation brouhaha.
Danbatta stated that he had to intervene as the regulator of the telecom industry, to ensure that services are rendered to subscribers without delay, as a way of having value for their money.
He however made special reference to Lagos State, where there have been cases of dispute between the Lagos State Infrastructure, Maintenance and Regulatory Agency and telecom operators over issues of multiple taxation and closure of cell sites.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, stated that revenue loss from idle or shut down BTS represents the main source of negative impact of multiple taxation and network vandalism for the industry.
He added that two to three percent of cell sites are affected by arbitrary shutdown and vandalism at any given point in time.
According to him, it is estimated that increased operating costs and loss revenue costs around N9 billion each year to the telecom industry or about N20 billion, if most of the arbitrary fees in some key states are upheld.
He, therefore, called on government to unify taxes under one code and also bring to book vandals, who deliberately destroy telecoms infrastructure.