Telecoms operators-Nigeria - Seven telecoms operators who had been issued licenses by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) between 2006 and 2010 may have their licenses revoked in January 2012 if they fail to start operations by the first week of next year, Daily Trust learnt in Abuja at the weekend. NCC, in a paid advert in some national newspapers early this month, had threatened to revoke all licenses if their owners failed to put them to use in terms of providing telecoms services before January 4 next year. Although the NCC's spokesman told our reporter that "even the commission does not know the operators by names because the advert we put out was general and it is after the expiration of the notice that their names may be known," but Daily Trust learnt from a source in the commission that the seven operators, who may have their spectrum assignments taken from them are: Megatech Engineering Limited whose address is given as 17, Murtala Mohammed Way, Kano; Smile Communications Nigeria Limited of 3, Mandiana Close off Wuse 2, Abuja; Gamjitel Limited located at 18/19 Ahmadu Bello Way, Kaduna; Siotel Nigeria Limited, Lagos; Danjay Telecomms of 25, Nelson Mandela Str. Asokoro, Abuja; Prestcable Sattelite TV Systems Limited situated at 57, Airport Road, Benin City and Gicell Wireless Limited, 27 Durban Street Wuse 2, Abuja.

The telecoms operators, Daily Trust learnt, secured ten-year license term from NCC with billions of Naira but have not put same into use, some of them since 2003.

They were given licenses to offer GSM, fixed line and internet services under the Unified Access Services Licence category.

One of the dormant operators, Gicell, had partnered with some foreign companies and came up with New Generation Limited. They later won the bid for NITEL last year but failed to meet up with payment even after several extensions granted them by the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE).

NCC notice to the dormant operators read, "The Nigerian Communications Commission (the Commission) hereby gives notice of its intention to revoke all Spectrum Assignments granted to companies that are not put to use.

"Spectrum is a finite resource which is in high demand, and the commission operates a spectrum policy of "use it or lose it".

"There are some operating companies that have frequency assignments and have not shown any evidence of provision of services under the assignments.

"The Commission in exercise of the powers conferred on it under section 127 of the NCA of 2003 Act hereby gives such operating companies 3 (three) months notice of its intention to revoke such licenses on failure to show evidence of provision of services with such frequency assignments within the notice period."

The advert signed by the then NCC director of Public Affairs, Dave Imoko, further said the frequencies "shall be deemed revoked without further recourse to such defaulting companies at the expiration of this three (3) months notice from the date of this publication."

The advert was published on Tuesday, October 4, 2011; it means that the notice would time-out on January 4, 2012.

Mouka told Daily Trust that the NCC would make good its threat when the three month notice expired in January.

According to NCC, Nigeria has over 90 million telephone lines but many of them may be inactive.

MTN, Glo, Airtel, Etisalat, Visafone, Starcomms, Multilinks, Zoom Mobile are the active operators still offering 'normal and stable' telephony services to subscribers in the CDMA and GSM categories.

NITEL and its mobile arm, Mtel as well as Intercellular, O'net, Rainbownet, MTS and Witel have since stopped operations. While another non performing fixed wireless operator, VGC had been acquired by MTN Nigeria.

Zakariyya Adaramola

Daily Trust/24/10/2011