IT World • Created April 27, 2015 04:00

ATCON laments death of small telecoms companies

The association, which draws members from telecoms operating companies, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), equipment vendors, infrastructure services providers, among others, lamented the situation where the big operators in the country who offer wholesale services are also competing with the small and medium operators at the retail level.Some of the members, who were present at its […]

ATCON laments death of small telecoms companies
ATCON laments death of small telecoms companies

The association, which draws members from telecoms operating companies, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), equipment vendors, infrastructure services providers, among others, lamented the situation where the big operators in the country who offer wholesale services are also competing with the small and medium operators at the retail level.
Some of the members, who were present at its 2015 Annual General Meeting in Lagos, gave an example of situation where some of the cable companies that sell bandwidths to ISPs are also selling megabytes of data to consumers and even at prices the retailers cannot compete with.
Members of the association also expressed misgivings about unfair advantages given to some foreign companies, which jeopardise chances of survival for local enterprises, while calling for a level playing field for local and foreign companies in the industry.
According to the association, while they are not against foreign players coming to the industry, the government must put in place policies that their operations do not strangulate indigenous, particularly smaller, operators.
ATCON President, Engr. Lanre Ajayi, while reacting to some of the members’ complaints, said there is need for a strong policy framework to protect the telecoms enterprises.
According to him, ATCON is planning a strategy session to articulate all the threats and challenges facing the industry with a view to presenting a well-articulated document to the government towards a favourable policy.
Ajayi noted that small and medium companies should be protected because they provide more jobs and add more value to the economy.

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