By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigeria Communications Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, has called for a healthy rivalry in the telecoms sector.
Maida mentioned this on Wednesday when he received a delegation of management of Airtel Networks Limited in Abuja, emphasizing that the Commission will give closer attention to managing the competition in the industry.
We are more inclined to promote competition by creating a level-playing ground for all our licenses, adding that the Commission is looking at a win-win regulatory approach competition in the sector.
However, he noted that the Commission must take caution to avoid over-regulation, as over-regulation is inimical to competition in the industry.
“The NCC has recently undertaken the review of all categories of licenses, both class and individual, with a view to ensuring that our licensees can still work well within their capital and operating expenditure (COPEX),” he said.
Also, the NCC EVC, disclosed that in line with regulatory approach, there is the need to ensure that such regulatory framework would ensure sustainability of the telecom industry.
“It’s critical for the NCC and telcos to develop win-win strategies for the Nigerian telecom industry so that everybody gets value. The Minister has a blueprint, the President has the Renewed Hope Agenda, and they need to achieve it while telcos need to deliver value to the customers,” he said.
The Airtel Network delegation led by the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Carl Cruz, congratulated the EVC for his appointment and commended the Commission for maintaining a healthy competitive environment for telecom licenses.