NCC puts Telecom sector contributions to GDP at 10.11%, 11.39% in Q1, Q2 of 2019

Wed, Jan 1, 2020
By publisher
3 MIN READ

Business

THE Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has said that the telecommunications sector contributions to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP, for the first and second quarters of 2019 stood at 10.11 percent and 11.39 percent respectively. The NCC said these figures showed an increase from 9.19 percent and 10.43 percent contributions in the first and second quarters of 2018.

In its telecoms sector review in 2019, the NCC said general ICT contributions to GDP increased from about 10 percent in 2018 to 13.8 percent in 2019.  It stated that active mobile voice subscribers increased from 174,012,136 to 180,386,316. “Internet subscribers increased from 114,306,598 to 123,559,596. Broadband penetration increased from 32.34 percent (indicating 61,732,130 Nigerians on 3G and 4G networks) to 37.87 percent (indicating 72,289,389 on 3G and 4G networks).

“With regards to the use of Mobile Number Portability (MNP), 110, 500 numbers were ported between January, 2019 – October, 2019 as against 71, 723 subscribers who ported their lines between the same 10-month period in 2018. This is due to increased public education and awareness by the Commission’s head office and its zonal offices, as they intensified awareness on the availability and usage of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) across geo-political zones,” it said.

The NCC said the commission received 19,841 complaints from telecoms consumers across its various complains channels and successfully resolved 17,851, representing (90 percent success rate of consumer resolution). It noted that subscriptions to Do-Not-Disturb, DND 2442 to control unsolicited text messages increased to 22,356, 919.

“From January to October, 2019, a total of 18,717 complaints were lodged through the NCC contact centre by the customers to the commission with larger percentage satisfactorily solved. The commission has committed millions of naira to driving ICT innovations in the academia and among technology innovators.

“Telcos listing on the NSE, facilitated by the NCC has boosted capital market operations. MTN was compelled by the Commission to list. Six licensed  InfraCos await FG’s approval for Counterparts funding to boost broadband infrastructure. The NCC pioneered 5G trial in Nigeria, becoming the first telecoms regulator in West Africa to proactively begin such trial toward unleashing greater digital revolution.

“In 2019, over 24 million validly-registered subscriber records were scrubbed (deduplicated) by the Commission via Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) in fulfillment of the mandate to establish a credible database of telephone subscribers. The NCC, in 2019, awarded the Value Added Services Aggregator licenses to 10 companies to provide VAS services. This will further boost the competitiveness of the telecoms VAS segment.

“Regularisation of the activities of all satellite operators including Space station operators as well as Earth Station operators; as well as issuance of Landing permits to Space Stations beaming signals over Nigerian territory. Putting the NCC Head Office Annex at Mbora, Abuja to use and its various world-class facilities to increase NCC’s overall operational efficiency and subsequently achieve better cost-cutting in line with the Federal Government’s directive,” the NCC added.

– Jan. 1, 2020 @ 12:25 GMT |

Tags: