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Benefits of Reviving Fixed Line Network

This Day
Efem Nkanga
OPINION
13 Aug. 2008

Efem Nkanga in this report writes about current efforts by operators in the telecoms industry, which is 97 percent mobile, to enable a robust fixed landline network in the country to ease pressure on the mobile platform

Lately, Nigerian Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) operators have commenced operations to enable a fixed line offering that will ease pressure on the mobile platform. This was obviously in response to calls by stakeholders that a balance needs to be created to correct the 97 per cent ratio imbalance and strangle hold of mobile lines that has left only three per cent for landlines.

The calls for fixed lines came after Nigerians were compelled to experience poor quality services that took the shine off the GSM. This scenario made it a common occurrence to see Nigerians clutching three mobile phones - all mobile at a go in a bid to ensure that they communicate with their loved ones and business associates 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

This multiple phone syndrome is currently so pervasive that not only businessmen and government officials carry multiple phones but students as well. Nigerians, ever so versatile, adopted this option to beat the downtimes experienced when service quality offered by operators is nothing to write home about. Thus most people just buy the Sim cards of the three major GSM operators in the country and hook up in the hope that all three will not experience downtimes at the same time and that they can still get access to another operator if any of the other two is down.

In a bid to ease pressure on the mobile platform, two of the three major operators have set in motion their own fixed line platforms so that Nigerians will not just make calls on the go, all the time but will have the option of using their fixed lines at home or in their offices like is done in developed countries where the mobile phone is used on the move. People in this jurisdiction use fixed lines only when they are either at home or at their offices.

The mobile is the only platform a lot of Nigerians use hence the fixed lines have not been as popular as the mobile to Nigerians. This is because prior to the introduction of the GSM, Nigeria did not have a robust fixed network infrastructure as is the case in other developed countries. Thus, Nigerians who had been starved of quality communications embraced mobile technology with open arms and many poor Nigerians were able to communicate with one another until poor services started eroding the joy of the people.

However, with calls for a robust fixed line network to combat poor services, the Second National telecoms operator, Globacom, recently commenced commercial service on its fixed lines operation by connecting in the first instance, corporate subscribers in Lagos and Abuja, while the commencement of fixed line services to individuals in key cities around the country is set to begin in a few weeks. It already has its fixed switches ready in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Benin and Ibadan.

The Acting Chief Operating Officer of Glo Broad Access, the fixed line arm of Globacom, Mr. Martin Olowonihi, disclosed that copper cable laying around Lagos was nearing completion to facilitate and make available fixed wired services to more people. Olowonihi emphasised that over 50,000 lines will be available in Lagos alone, while 12 other cities were set to benefit because the copper works for the metro rings have reached advanced stages.

MTN, the Nigerian telecoms giant also began the unveiling of its fixed lines network in Ibadan a few days ago. The MTN fixed line service called HyConnect according to the Chief Enterprise Solutions Officer, Mr Derek Appiah, will provide Nigerians a golden opportunity to have true fixed services running on fibre optic technology in their homes and offices.

He said MTN HyConnect lines are bundled with the internet at broadband speeds of between 64kbps and 2mbps. He added this is the first time that any telephone line in Nigeria is able to deliver as much speed. He said MTN HyConnect is already running in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt while efforts are ongoing to take the service to Aba, Kano, Calabar, Kaduna, Warri, Ilorin, Onitsha, Benin, Jos and Maiduguri among many other Nigerian cities.

He added for emphasis that subscribers of MTN HyConnect will be able to enjoy features like peerless call completion rate, call hunting, call barring, call conferencing/call forwarding, caller line identification, call waiting and fax connectivity etc as well as quality of voice calls and call rates as low as N5 for intra network calls.

Though the poor quality of service experienced recently led to stakeholders to call for Nigerians to embrace the fixed lines alternative offered by CDMA operators as a way of reducing pressure on mobile networks and restoring quality of service. However, the introduction of the unified licensing regime by the Nigerian Communications Commission NCC in 2006 opened the floodgates of opportunities for operators.

The Unified licensing regime ensures that multiple services such as mobile telephony, fixed telephony, internet, broadband, long distance services, etc can be provided by a single service provider. The regime allows competing telecom operators and service providers to rapidly deploy new services to meet demand without having to seek new licenses. The unified Licensing regime also encourages innovation, reduce investment risk and facilitate competition, by giving operators a platform to provide services of their choice to meet market demands.

With the MTN and Globacom effectively deploying their license and Celtel now Zain expected to also commence its fixed line network in addition to the expected commencement of the fixed line operations of NITEL, Nigerian subscribers stand to benefit from the new innovations that will be enabled as operators compete to retain the loyalty and patronage of subscribers.

Though the number of subscribers recorded on the fixed line platform is a far cry from that of the over 50 million recorded on the mobile platform, it is a start in the right direction and is sure to in a few years to be expanded to accommodate more subscribers and narrow down the margin set by the mobile lines.

The ease of pressure on the mobile platform is desirable especially in the light of fears expressed recently that too much use of mobile phones can cause cancer. So the fixed line option apart from helping to deal with quality of service challenges also has health benefits as reduced usage of mobile phones will help in protecting the health of Nigerians in the long run.

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May we be strengthened with the ability, willingness and capabilities to be good ambassadors of Nigeria contributing to its uplifting, rather than its detriment. - Cxsm