news
update
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Zain
Nigeria CEO, Ligali, advocates relaxed
regulation |
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newsdiaryonline
Thursday June 18,2009 |
Abuja, Nigeria: June 17, 2009: The CEO
of Zain Nigeria has urged the Nigerian
Communications Commission (NCC) to relax
the regulatory obligations of operators
to enable the industry take full
advantage of the growth opportunities in
the country’s burgeoning
telecommunications market.
Ligali, who was addressing the opening
session of the 2009 West and Central
Africa Com conference in Abuja, Nigeria,
expressed concerns at the simultaneous
imposition of certain regulatory
measures, which he feared might affect
the cash flow of the operators and
stultify the pace at which the industry
is growing.
He specifically mentioned the plan to
implement the registration of pre-paid
customers and number portability at the
same time, saying that it would be more
beneficial for the regulator to conduct
a comprehensive regulatory impact
assessment before embarking on such
major interventions.
The Zain CEO, whose paper was entitled
“Adapting an operator’s strategies to
new economic conditions and increased
competition, also lamented the situation
where the various levels of government
impose different kinds of taxes on
telecommunications operators
According to him, streamlining and
harmonizing the functions of the various
levels of government with regards to
taxes and levies will create a better
enabling environment for operators to
perform on their licenses and deliver
efficient service to the customers.
He advocated the establishment of a
framework to minimize multiple taxation
and regulation, which have been a source
of frustration for operators.
Mr. Ligali also canvassed the allowance
of holidays on some charges, especially
the Operating Levies, Numbering and
Spectrum Fees, which operators pay;
adding that this will free up resources
for reinvestment in network expansion
and other core initiatives that will
boost the delivery of services to
customers.
The Zain boss posited that the liberal
interpretation and application of policy
and regulatory prescriptions that impose
financial obligations, as well as the
arrest of unstructured scale of fees and
charges levied by various Authorities on
telecommunications infrastructure and
operations, will not only result in
better service delivery but also give
operators much needed relief to sustain
growth with attendant multiplier effects
on the economy.
He promised that Zain would consistently
take steps to reduce operating costs,
innovate in the area of products and
services and also transform its
operations to improve efficiencies
without compromising customer
satisfaction.
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