‘It leads to drop calls, aborted SMS’ — NCC laments vandalism of telecoms facilities

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says the destruction of telecommunication infrastructure and facilities in the country leads to poor services. 

Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman, NCC, said this at the 2022 edition of the youth civil society and stakeholders summit (YCSSS), held in Abuja.

Danbatta said over 50,000 cases of destruction in telecom infrastructure and facilities have been reported across the country in the past five years, adding that the implications of these incidents are on the quality of telecommunications services in Nigeria.

He said the increased incidents have continued to affect the quality of experience (QoE) of consumers and called for concerted efforts by members of the public, and security agencies, to stem the tide.

Danbatta was represented by Nnena Ukoha, head, corporate communication unit, NCC.

“The negative impacts of incessant vandalism of telecom equipment, evidenced in fibre cuts, theft of telecom facilities like generators at sites, vandalism of base stations, among other vices, have become a major burden on the service providers, while telecom consumers have continued to suffer unwarranted disruptions of their hard-earned services,” Danbatta said.

“The impact of  vandalism of infrastructure is felt by all in the quality of services rendered, as it results in increasing drop calls, data and internet connectivity disruptions, aborted and undelivered short messaging services (SMS), as well as countless failed calls.”

Danbatta further said it was necessary to consider that the ability to connect and communicate is fundamental to human existence, improvement in business processes, government services, education, as well as social and family networking.

He added that to enjoy seamless connections, every member of the community should get involved in protecting the critical infrastructure that makes these services possible.

“As a community, you are expected to report cases of vandalism of telecoms infrastructure to the nearest law enforcement agencies such as the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and also share adequate information received from NCC with your family, friends, and neighbour,” he said.

“We believe, with your cooperation as critical stakeholders in the telecoms sector, we can all work with the law enforcement authorities in protecting telecom infrastructure in your community.”