Regulations necessary to control digital challenges, says Pantami

Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, says regulations are necessary to help control digital services and cybercrimes.

The minister said this on Thursday at the stakeholders’ consultative forum on Regulatory Roadmap for IoT Ecosystem in Nigeria, hosted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Pantami emphasised the need for the type of consultations and brainstorming being hosted for IoT, as the International Data Cooperation (IDC) revealed, “By 2025, there will be about 46.1 billion IoT devices that are going to be interconnected globally…and through this connection, the data to be generated will be up to 79.4 zettabytes.”

He said Nigeria has already exhibited its preparedness to harness the potential of this new service, as demonstrated in the reduction in incidences of cybercrimes in Nigeria over the past two years.

“Nigeria’s telecommunications regulatory framework has been designed to address the challenges that may arrive with the advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the country,” he said.

“As the International Data Corporation (IDC) revealed that by 2025, there will be about 46.1 billion IoT devices that are going to be interconnected globally, and through this connection, the data to be generated will be up to 79.4 zeta bytes.

“IoT is crucial to prevent day-emergent technologies considering its connectedness to devices in facilitating productivity, minimising waste as well as ensuring a faster decision-making process where massive amounts of data can be analysed and presented for decision making.”

On his part, Umar Danbatta, executive vice-chairman and chief executive officer, NCC, said the commission is making efforts to ensure the development of healthy regulations for emergent technologies.

“The NCC has made it a consistent practice to interact with experts and key players in the industry on how best to facilitate the development of robust regulations for emergent technologies in the country. This consultation presents a unique opportunity to appraise the emergence and future deployment of IoT products and services for the benefit of consumers in Nigeria,” he said.

Danbatta further said with the advent of 5G technologies and the IoT ecosystem, it has become imperative to prepare for the regulation of technological advancement.