NCC designing programmes to include rural communities in telecom services
NAN-H-62
NCC
By Constance Athekame
Kaduna, Oct. 29, 2016 (NAN) Prof Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said on Saturday that the commission was 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 have 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.
“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 burnner 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,’’ he said.
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.
“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,” he said. (NAN)
COA/FNO/AFA
Edited Franca Ofili/Felix Ajide
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