Nigeria Content Online

Telecommunications
operators in Nigeria want the federal government to do a better job of
protecting telecom infrastructures, such as base stations and
fiber-optic cables, across the country.

Operators say the
regulation has become necessary because of the rise in vandalism,
abuse, and the indiscriminate shutting down of cell sites. He said such
activities threaten the functionality of the equipment and impact
negatively on the quality of service rendered by the operators.

Gbenga Adebayo,
chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of
Nigeria (ALTON), made this call when his group paid a visit to the
executive vice-chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC)
on Tuesday, in Abuja.

“We are of the view
that telecom infrastructure should be classified as national security
infrastructure and should be protected by law. These infrastructures
are owned by operators, but they provide services for the public,” he
said.

Mr Adebayo said
that without adequate protection of the infrastructure, the entire
national network is open to all forms of abuse.

Government issues

He condemned the
recent disconnection of some telecommunication installations by the
National Environmental Standard Regulatory Agency (NESREA), saying that
the agency did not follow due procedure.

He said the agency
had asked the group to submit an environmental impact assessment audit
report on sites across the country by the 24th of August. However, the
group said the agency began disconnecting sites in Abuja, Kaduna, and
Lagos on the 23rd – a day ahead of schedule.

“It is very
unfortunate and our concern is not just on the commercial losses, but
on the impact on quality of services. It is sad that an agency of
government would subject operators and Nigerians to that kind of
hardship,” he said.

Mr Adebayo said
that some of the sites that were shut down were hub sites that provide
services to other secondary stations. He called on the NCC to intervene
in the standoff, adding that the matter could go to court if
negotiations fail.

The NCC’s Eugene
Juwah promised that the commission will continue to hold discussions
with NESREA to mitigate the impact of such disruptions on quality of
service. However, he said the commission could not protect
infrastructure; rather, that was the priority of the police.