JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has ordered the incumbent network operator Nigerian Telecommunications (Nitel) to interconnect its mobile network with that of MTN Nigeria Limited and Econet Wireless with a deadline set for 18 October.
Dare Imoko, head of public affairs at the NCC, said no operator should disconnect its network from that of another without the approval of the regulator. Imoko added that the commercial terms of the agreement between the three operators must be agreed on within 30 days, and the commission will review the terms in two weeks time.
If the operators are unable to agree on commercial terms within the two-week period, the commission will step in and resolve the areas of dispute, Imoko said in a statement.
The interconnect issue has come to the fore on the back of public demand for better service from the mobile network operators.
The problem of interconnection has been between Nitel on the one side and MTN and Econet on the other. The two networks of MTN and Econet established an interconnect regime at the outset of service, and both are said to be using this to their benefits as they attempt to expand their coverage. Nitel has, however, refused to interconnect, stating the current tariff imbalance affected its revenues.
