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Interconnect rates split GSM forum
Everest Amaefule, Abuja
Digital mobile operators, who gathered in Abuja on Thursday under the platform of GSM Consultative Forum, failed to take a common stand on the contentious new interconnect rates, which the Nigerian Communications Commission determined for the industry last December.
Although the new rates had topped the agenda of the meeting, our correspondent learnt that some participants argued that it would be wrong for the forum to take any common stand on the issue since some aspects of the case was still in court.
Those in favour of postponement of discussions on the contentious issue later had their way.
Although a communiqu� on the meeting was yet to be issued as at press time, some participants told our correspondent that the forum also decided to wait for the outcome of the suit between the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government on the latter�s decision to set up a telecommunications regulatory agency.
It endorsed the decision of the Federal Government to ban the importation of recharge cards into the country from January 1 next year.
The forum, which was chaired by Mr. Chioke Ogugua, Chief Regulatory Officer at Vee Networks Nigeria Limited, also said the new Nigeria Telecommunications Act 2003 needed urgent amendments.
The section of the Communications Act, which shielded NCC�s determination from judicial review before implementation is effected, is one of the areas the mobile operators wanted to be amended.
Our correspondent gathered that the operators would put their grievances on the Act together and forward same to the National Assembly.
While declaring the forum open, Managing Director, Nigerian Mobile Telecommunications Limited, Mr. Aad Loois, urged for a common stand on issues that affect the sub sector.
�We might be fighting each other in the market place; we might be fighting for market share but there are common issues that affect all of us. Let us work together to resolve them,� he said.
Justifying the need for mobile operators to have a separate common front, Ogugua said any company that has a paper worth $285 million (referring to the licence fee paid by each of the operators), needs to be awake 24 hours a day to watch over what happens in the environment it operates.
The PUNCH, Friday, July 2, 2004
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