Omife was speaking during a programme organized by NCC to commemorate the World Consumer Rights Day, which is observed and celebrated on every 15th of March.

This day is set aside to highlight the rights of consumers and protect them from exploitation, discrimination, and other forms of unfair practices.

“Certainly, we cannot over-emphasis the importance the consumers”, the Deputy Director said.

Quoting Adams Smith, the author of the book wealth of Nations, Omife stated that “Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production (and Services) and the interest of the producer/service provider ought to be attended to, only so far as it may be necessary for promoting that of the Consumer”.

“John Wanamaker, the one-time American Postmaster General and Advertising Expert further amplified the importance of the Consumer in his famous phrase ‘Customer is King’.

“At the NCC, Telecom consumers are Kings because they provide the major drive and essence of our activities”.

He added that the Commission recognizes the important position the consumers occupy in the telecommunications ecosystem, and therefore will continue develop and promote consumer centric initiatives aimed at ensuring that the rights of consumers are protected.

“Consumer Education also form a major tool for promoting consumer rights and therefore the Commission continues to engage with consumers and consumer issues using it various outreach programmes such the Telecom Consumer Parliament, Telecom Consumer Conversations: Market Conversation, Village Square Dialogue, Campus Conversation, NYSC Camp Sensitization Town Hall on Radio. We have also published the Telecom Consumer Handbook and transcribed into Braille for the Visually impaired.

“Also, the Commission- is in the final process of deploying the Automated Consumer Complaints Management system, which will further expand the complaints channels and improve complaints resolutions even at First level with Service Providers

“The Consumers will continue to occupy a special position in the Commission’s activities because we recognize that without the Consumers, there will be no telecommunication industry”, he said.

Speaking during the World Consumer Right Day (WCRD), held by NCC in Abuja, the EVC said consumers are the most important part of any business, and their protection is of utmost importance, particularly in the telecoms sector.

Dr. Maida who was represented by Engr. Abraham Oshadami, the executive commissioner, Technical Services Designate at NCC, said the consumer’s rights included the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose, the right to be heard.

Consistent with the above, he said the Commission has over the years kept faith with this date (March 15) to highlight the important position the telecom consumers occupy in the telecommunications ecosystem in Nigeria, in order to uphold the rights of consumer which have evolved over the years with additional new consumer rights like the right to privacy, the right to quality of service, the right to timely redress, right to action on disputed charges, right to fair complaint process and right to accurate billing.

The Commission in alignment with the global trend adopted the theme for this years’ edition of World Consumer Rights Day as “Fair and Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Consumer” .

Highlighting the significance of the theme, Dr. Maida, said that AI is a phenomenon that has captured the imagination of scientists, engineers, and thinkers for decades.

“It represents the culmination of human innovation and the quest to create machines that can mimic human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities.

“AI has already made significant inroads into our lives. From voice assistants that respond to our commands to recommendation algorithms that suggest what we should watch, read, or buy, AI is all around us. It’s driving innovation in healthcare, finance, transportation, and countless other fields.

“Conversely, with inordinate power comes great obligation. As we celebrate the advancements in AI, we must also grapple with ethical questions. How do we ensure that AI systems are fair and unbiased? How do we protect privacy in an age of data-driven AI? These are complex issues that require careful consideration”, Maida said.

Fair and Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Consumer

The EVC added that using AI responsibly is crucial in order to guarantee consumer trust and circumvent possible problems.

“Responsible AI means using it in an ethical way throughout its development, deployment, and usage. This includes considering issues like bias, privacy, transparency, and accountability. According to reports, responsible AI aims to empower consumers, build trust, and minimize negative effects.

To this effect, he said, AI developers need to be transparent about the data, algorithms, and models used in AI systems.

“This ensures that decisions made by AI can be explained and mistakes can be fixed to ensure everyone is treated fairly, regardless of their background. This helps prevent biased decisions or discrimination thereby promoting inclusivity and equality”, he explained.

He advised that organizations should handle personal data responsibly, following strict privacy regulations.

“Respecting privacy builds trust in AI systems. Responsible AI requires mechanisms for holding systems accountable and explaining their decisions. Consumers should understand how AI systems work and have a way to address issues or biases.

NCC’s efforts to protect consumers

The NCC boss said, the Commission in pursuit to join the global community to advance digital services and enhance quality communications infrastructure for the benefit of the citizenry, conducted a globally acclaimed most transparent auction for 5G services in Nigeria firstly on December 13th 2021 and secondly on December 5th 2022.

The first auction saw the emergence of MTN and MAFAB as the successful bidders while Airtel Networks Nigeria emerged as the sole bidder at the second auction.

Since the emergence of these operators as providers of 5G services in Nigeria, there has been a steady growth in the development and deployment AI systems and services and the Commission has been constantly ensuring that the growth is the right direction that guarantees value addition to Consumer satisfaction and experience as well as ensuring economic growth.

Takeaways

• Developing regulations and policies to govern AI deployment can be complex and as well as playing catch up due to technological advancements.
• Although most Legislative and governing Bodies are looking to regulate this technology, there has been continuous struggle to strike the right balance between risk mitigation and stifling innovation, while promoting innovation and ensuring security and trust.
• In this era that has seen the rise of AI and IoT cybersecurity, it is important to break silos and foster collaboration of the Quadruple Helix Innovation model comprising of the Academia, the Industry, Government and Society to share ideas.
• AI developers and Regulators have to ensure AI system algorithms consider, ethics and inclusivity.

Flip to 2023, NCC carried out its mandate in a manner that further strengthened consumer protection while safeguarding the interest of telecom consumers.

In that period, in addition to continuing to implement the policy that ensured improved access to broadband connectivity, the Commission, through Nigerian Communications Commission’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (NCC-CSIRT) constantly alerted consumers to cyber threats that could have led to the compromise of their financial profile through the execution of malicious codes by threat actors, Prof. Danbatta reminded stakeholders as the Commission marked this year’s World Consumer Rights Day.

Here are eight key takeaways from the EVC’s speech on the occasion of WCRD 2023:

1. Telecom Infrastructures are Able to Absorb the Surge in Cashless Transactions

“By the time cashless banking fully took off in late 2023, the connectivity platforms on which electronic transactions ride have become robust to the extent of being able to absorb the surge in demand for cashless transactions.

“Arising from the successes in implementing initiatives to realize last year’s theme, the Commission is poised to realize the theme for this year, which is “Empowering Consumers through Clean Energy Transition”.

The theme is geared towards delivering a smooth transition for consumers experiencing a high cost of living as the globe responds to the ongoing energy crisis caused by supply and climate issues.

He added that this theme is very relevant given Nigeria’s recent licensing of the 5G spectrum networks, which consume twice as much energy as 4Gs, although they are more energy-efficient per gigabyte.

2. Increased Demand for Energy Consumption

“With the recent licensing of the Fifth Generation (5G) spectrum, Nigeria will witness an increased deployment of telecom infrastructure to satisfy the wireless service coverage requirement for 5G services.

“This anticipated growth in the number of 5G coverage will trigger high demand for data services which will result in increased energy consumption for the network infrastructure especially the Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), Internet of Things (IoT), 5G Customer Premise Equipment (CPEs) and mobile devices for example. This requires the industry to look for green and sustainable power solutions required for the connectivity of IoT devices and network optimisation.

“All over the globe, telecom companies are among the biggest energy users, as a result of the stiff industry competition which causes them to try to satisfy their consumers by providing higher-speed networks”.

The EVC said that with the rising utility costs, it is critical for companies to reconsider the sustainability of their operations by lowering the operational impact on the environment.

“This is more so because it has been found that implementing energy efficiency measures could potentially reduce the operating costs of telcos by up to 20%.

“Some of these energy-efficiency measures include the redesign of the Radio Access Networks (RAN) of Base Stations which were initially built to maximise connectivity, not energy efficiency.

“More than 75% of the time, the radio base station resources remain unused because of the hardware components activated at all times to transmit system information and synchronisation and reference signals. Therefore, to avoid waste heat, some of 5G’s newest RAN is equipped with an energy-saving measure allowing for the automatic switching of components. Some other energy efficiency measures can also include the use of renewable energy sources (hydrogen, wind, solar etc.) to supply the energy needed.

3. Renewable Energy Option

“The Commission, as a responsive world-class organization, has been proactive in responding to the realities and challenges posed by the impact of using fossil fuel as a power source in the telecommunications industry.

In this regard, the situation in Nigeria is peculiar. Owing to the overall energy challenges of the nation, the fifty-four (54) thousand BTS scattered across the country depend on diesel generators with the attendant noise and environmental pollution.

Some of these BTS operate on diesel generators for 24 hours across seven days of the week in some locations. Therefore, transitioning to a renewable energy source like solar power will significantly reduce the menace of pollution from individually-powered generators.

This will be zero carbon emission from the BTS just as noise pollution would be a thing of the past.

4. MNOs and the need for energy-efficient networks

“Consequently, to minimize the environmental impacts of climate change caused by carbon emissions, telecom network providers need to come up with a modern and more energy-efficient network. This includes the use of Solar-powered Cells, wireless electricity or a hybrid system to replace higher energy-consuming equipment that will lead to a reduction in capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) and by implication, a reduction in service costs to consumers.

“Transitioning to renewable energy is predicted to result in a lower cost of operation as operators will be able to save on the cost of diesel, which accounts for a large chunk of the costs incurred by these licensees. The competition that the Commission consistently promotes among industry players has a natural consequence of the savings on the cost of diesel passed on to consumers, which would potentially result in lower prices for services.

“Therefore, I want to use this opportunity to call on MNOs and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to come up with innovations in sustainable energy in line with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Recommendation ITU-T L.1380 on smart energy solutions for telecom sites’ performance, safety, energy efficiency and environmental impact. This is vital to address the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation.

“In this regard and for the industry stakeholders, especially consumers, to benefit from the advantages of renewable energy, the Commission is working on a policy to encourage the adoption of renewable energy sources by operators.

When operational, the Policy will ensure that using clean energy sources for power has the potential to resolve the three key needs of the telecom industry, namely: reduction in diesel usage; expansion of telecom infrastructure to off-grid areas; and reduction in carbon emissions.

5. Collocation and Infrastructure Sharing Framework

The Policy on renewable energy in the telecom sector is an additional layer of other policies that contribute to protecting the environment. In recent years, the Commission introduced a regulatory framework on infrastructure sharing and collocation among the licensees which has encouraged operators to fully maximize their already-deployment infrastructure.

“By sharing infrastructure, some operators do not need to entirely build a telecoms site in an area where another operator had deployed one. With the challenge of inadequate public electricity supply in Nigeria, telecom companies rely on diesel-powered generators to keep their telecom sites live round-the-clock. A regulatory framework such as infrastructure sharing, and collocation is helping in this regard and the Commission has recorded appreciable adoption of this regulation.

6. Factoring in energy efficiency in Type Approval

“Another regulatory initiative in this regard is NCC’s Type Approval Regulations. For the sake of educating our media stakeholders, Type Approval is an official authorisation by the Commission prior to the use or supply of an Equipment Type in Nigeria.

Our Type Approval of devices factors in energy efficiency, among others, which ensures a reduction of power consumption. It also ensures that Radio Frequency devices used in Nigeria operate effectively, without causing harmful interference and otherwise comply with the Commission’s technical requirement prior to importation or marketing.

7. ICT competitions focusing on renewable energy

“The annual tech innovation competitions we organize for young innovators in Nigeria also make considerations for inventions that address the challenges of renewable energy. Some of the entries submitted in this regard are in the process of being commercialized as the innovators are seeking investors to make their discoveries available to the public. The Commission will continue to support research and innovations that contribute to transitioning to renewable energy sources.

8. Regulations on e-Waste

“Also connected to NCC’s regulatory efforts in dealing with issues of sanitizing our environment is its efforts in 2019 to commence activities that will result in the formulation of a Regulation on E-Waste in Nigeria. Today, the global concern for the regulation of e-waste is two-pronged. First, is the acute awareness of the hazardous properties and the potential risk to human health, as well as their capacity to degrade the environment. Secondly, is the business case and vast Potential for wealth creation in recycling e-waste into more benign and productive uses”.

The EVC further explained in his WCRD 2023 speech that in line with its regulatory mandate and to keep pace with efforts at managing e-waste-related issues, in a manner that reduces cases of indiscriminate burning of electronic devices with the potential for increased carbon emission in the environment, the Commission has been working, with other relevant agencies, to develop a Regulations on E-waste.

The Regulations, he said, will represent a holistic intervention aimed at providing clarity and delimiting the responsibilities of various stakeholders in the e-waste value chain within the Telecommunications industry.

While the proposed Regulations are industry-specific, they, nonetheless, key into other initiatives at national and international levels.

He added that the Commission’s Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB) will sensitize telecom consumers about these interventions aimed at making the environment better for all of humanity.

As part of activities marking 2023 World Consumer Rights Day, the Commission on Thursday, March 16 2023 launched its Telecom Consumer Assistance, Resolution and Enquiries (TELCARE) Desk, in the Arrival Lounge of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja.

“The TELCARE Desk in Abuja will be a pilot as we plan to set up the desk at strategic locations across the country to provide information to telecom consumers”, the EVC said.