Lagos state government may have shelved its recently introduced service charge on telecommunications masts in a landmark gesture that will lessen the burden on operators in the state, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek can now revealed.

The state government had issued a directive through its Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit (UFRU) to telecom operators to pay service charge on all their masts located in the state after the memorandum of understanding (MOU)  it signed with telecom operators.

The directive, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek investigations revealed did not go down well with Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON),  the umbrella body of operators in the country, which cited breach to the MOU the state signed with it,  as part of efforts to mitigate the challenges hindering the roll-out of telecommunications facilities across the state.

It was  gathered that as a result, the Association last month wrote to the state Governor Babatunde Fashola complaining of the perceived breaches and stating its position of not complying with the said directive from UFRU.

The association also noted that such move by UFRU is capable of undermining the MoU it signed with the state government which has put her as the most telecom friendly state in the country.

A source from ALTON said that the state governor is yet to respond to its letter on the subject matter, but, Joe Igbokwe, general manager, UFRU confirmed to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that his unit did send such directive and also has received the complaint from ALTON resisting to comply with the directive.

“ALTON said they won’t pay the service charge, we have left them. There is no problem,” he said.

It would be recalled that Lagos State government in January this year signed Lagos state government has signed a memorandum of Understanding with Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria.

The MoU is expected to remove hiccups operators face on Right of Way (RoW) issues, while also checking cases of multiple regulation and taxation, as well as vandalism, among others

It also guides the deployment telecommunications infrastructure in the state.

Biyi Mabadeje, Ccommissioner for Science and Technology, Lagos State, said the MoU will enable telecommunications operators to deploy up-to-date network and rollout services to the benefit of consumers in the state.

“We are looking at development in the state which telecommunications infrastructure will drive. To this end, we have slash the approval fee for ‘right of way’ approvals by 85% to allow operators build quality network for effective service deliver for the benefit of Lagosians,” he said.

Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, ALTON, said that major problem of quality of service is deployment of infrastructure and that by the agreement the Association signed with Lagos State, the state has shown that development of telecommunications infrastructure assist in economic development.

He reaffirmed the determination of operators to deploy infrastructure in the state more than any other state in the country.

“Lagos will experience the best quality of service in telecommunications service delivery in the country within the next 6 to 12 months. This will make Lagos will become a smart city.”

He said that the MoU allows Lagos state to be apart owners of telecommunications infrastructure deployed in the state and also ensure a more healthy relationship between operators and Lagos state government.

He noted that the agreement has given telecom infrastructure first layer of protection by the state government, eliminate multiple approval in the state as all the necessary approvals have been streamlined.

“We have also agreed to co-share infrastructure and to deploy the most modern equipment in our network upgrade required to make the city a smart city it is aspiring to become.”

-culled from Nigeria Communication Week