The Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has pledged to work with its members to fully support the federal government one-dig policy being implemented by some of the states where ducts are shared by multiple operators.
In a goodwill message, delivered by its President, Engr Ikechukwu Nnamani at the Anambra State Broadband Stakeholders Forum, organized by the state government, ATCON noted that the one-dig policy will help address complaints from the states that sometimes when fiber infrastructure is laid by the operators, the roads are not restored to the original state.
“We believe that one-dig policy will address the incidences of constant vandalism of the telecom infrastructure, especially during road construction by the government contractors without any compensation or prosecution, multiple-taxation, and delays in issuing permits,” said Engr. Nnamani.
Meanwhile, the umbrella body of all telecom companies in Nigeria has hailed the decision of the Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie M. Obiano for putting together the Anambra State Broadband Stakeholders Forum.
ATCON argued that organizing the event is a fulfillment of one of the key recommendations from an earlier event it had, where it was recommended that there should be direct interaction between the industry representatives and top government officials at the Federal, State and Local Government.
“ATCON is glad that Anambra State has kickstarted the recommendation of our last week event that there should be direct interaction between the industry representatives and top government officials at the Federal, State and Local Government. It is our hope and expectation that this noble initiative by Anambra State will be copied by other states in interacting with the industry and ensuring the harmonious working relationship between the private and public sectors,” he said.
Engr. Nnamani believes that organizing such a stakeholders’ forum aligns with the objectives and expectations of the private and public sectors to identify any potential bottlenecks that may negatively impact the smooth implementation of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020 – 2025 and proffer necessary solutions to mitigate against them.
