The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta has said the commission recognizes the importance of covering the unserved and underserved with telecoms services across the country.
To get the unserved population, NCC has said it is designing programmes to provide telecommunication access to rural communities.
Danbatta made this disclosure while speaking on the sidelines of the 4th National Council on Communication Technology meeting in Kaduna.
He said that the Council has special programmes targeted on the unserved and underserved communities in the country.
The NCC boss said that these communities include rural communities and isolated population, where telecommunication services are not available and where commercial operators are reluctant to go.
According to him, “The commission recognises this important part of the Nigerian population and we have designed programmes that are targeted specifically towards these communities.
“We have recently identified 207 access gap, which we are trying to block and these access gaps are depriving about 40 million Nigerians access to telecom services.
“We have this on agenda and on the front burner of our regulative drive to ensure that these access gaps are blocked.
“By deploying infrastructure that will allow these Nigerians to enjoy telecom services, no matter where they are and no matter what their circumstances is.”
Danbatta, speaking on cyber crime, said that the commission would not hesitate to protect the country’s cyberspace by putting constant measures in place that would guarantee the privacy and security of Nigerians.
He called on policy makers to put corporate measures in place that would make cyber space safe.
Danbatta noted further that “The policy makers must at the same time, while deploying the power of ICT to leverage on the required diversification of the economy, put measures in place that will make cyber space safe.”
Only last week, the Commission placed advertorial seeking contractors that will take up the jobs of providing broadband infrastructure in the remaining five zones other than Lagos zone. It is however, believed that the gap of reaching the under-served or un-served will be bridged on delivery of the Infracos.
