Posted by Everest Amaefule, Abuja on
To tackle the problem of huge interconnect debts on its network, the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited is to put private telecommunications operators on a prepaid platform that would compel them to pay for interconnect services rendered to them in advance.
To tackle the problem of huge interconnect debts on its network, the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited is to put private telecommunications operators on a prepaid platform that would compel them to pay for interconnect services rendered to them in advance.
Managing Director of the company, Mr. Albert Mashi, said this in Abuja on Tuesday, at a workshop organised to educate staff of the organisation on the Code Division Multiple Access network, which the company had resorted to rapidly expand its operations.
Mahsi who was represented at the ceremony by Chief Technical Officer of the company, Mr. Emmanuel Adekoya, also disclosed that the first national telecoms operator has completed the construction of fixed wireless networks in four cities across the country.
He said, 'As a way preventing bad debt, PTOs shall be offered prepaid wholesale partition on NITEL prepaid platform. This will enable us monitor their debt profile while offering them competitive tariff. They do not need to make huge investment on platform provision.
'The CDMA pilot projects for the following locations have been concluded: Abuja, Enugu, Lagos and Maiduguri. Sales of the lines have commenced in Abuja while the other locations will soon follow," said.
He also listed the steps, which the new management of the company had taken to bring back the network into reckoning. These include the conclusion for draw down of a loan agreement for the expansion of the Lagos network by 250,000 optical fibre lines.
Others are the award of contract for the addition of 15,900 lines to Abuja Central Business District and the activation of the home account prepaid dial tone.
He also said that the Central Bank of Nigeria has awarded a contract for the provision of terrestrial Wide Area Network for its offices nationwide to NITEL. The project, he added, would be delivered to CBN in three phases.
He said, 'NITEL has a total capacity of 4.5million voice mail boxes. The pilot trial testing of the services has been concluded and we are in the process of activating the services, free of charge, to our existing customers.
'The Home Account/Prepaid Dial tone has been activated on the prepaid system. This service will greatly aid in debt reduction. Pilot implementation has commenced in Wuse Exchange Area.
'The national average call completion rate has increased from 36.45 to 55.49 per cent while the answer seizure ratio has increased from 14.46 to 21.13 per cent."
The PUNCH, Wednesday, July 27, 2005