NCC reveals reasons Android users
pay more for data (READ)
By Bankole Jamgbadi
Posted by Michael Akins on 2nd June, 2014
Nigerian Telecoms’ apex
regulatory
agency, Nigerian Communications
Commission(NCC) has revealed
the
reasons why users of Android
smart
phones and tablets pay more for
data
in Nigeria.
The commission says it is not
turning
a deaf ear to the lamentations of
Nigerians noting that the
differences
in data allowance for Android and
Blackberry users have been
generating a lot of controversy
among
consumers of late.
NCC via its official Facebook page
stated that while BlackBerry
indirectly
subsidises bandwidth for its users
by
compressing the content
downloaded,
Android downloads and
consumption
was not compressed therefore
leading to the expending of more
bandwidth.
Via PUNCH reports:
The regulatory agency says it is
still
committed to protecting Nigerians
against unfair practices by
telecoms
service providers in the country.
According to the NCC, Internet
subscribers using BlackBerry smart
phones pay far less than their
counterparts making use of
Android
devices because BlackBerry
Limited
(Formerly Research in Motion)
utilises a special algorithm to
serve
its users better.
Writing on its Facebook page, the
NCC argues that BlackBerry
indirectly
subsidises bandwidth for its users
by
compressing the content
downloaded
by subscribers.
Unfortunately, the NCC adds,
downloads and consumption was
not
compressed for Android phones.
The
result is that Internet surfing on
such
operating devices will require more
bandwidth.
The NCC says, “The manufacturer
of
BlackBerry utilises a special
compression algorithm to serve
users
of Blackberry handsets who have
subscribed for the Blackberry
Internet
Service. Whenever such a
subscriber
browses the Internet and opens a
webpage, a request is sent via the
handset’s browser requesting for
the
page to be downloaded to the
phone.
“This request is channelled to
BlackBerry Limited’s gateway in
Canada, which fetches the
webpage,
compresses it and sends the
compressed data back to the
BlackBerry phone as a download.
“On an Android phone, the request
to
open a webpage by telephone
subscribers is sent to the gateway
of
the network operator, which then
processes the information and
sends
back the page to the Android phone
as a download. But the data is not
compressed – thereby requiring
more
bandwidth.”
As a way out of the current
predicament of Internet subscribers
on Android devices, the NCC notes
that there is a need to make
bandwidth cheaper and more
accessible for Nigerians. This, it
argues, requires the successful
implementation of the Broadband
Roadmap of the Federal
Government.
The Broadband Roadmap aims at
achieving a fivefold increase in
broadband penetration over the
2012
penetration rate by the end of 2017.
Traditionally, broadband refers to
high-speed communications
networks that connects end-users
at
a data transfer speed greater than
256 Kbit/s.
In the Nigerian context, the
Ministry
of Communications Technology
defines broadband as an Internet
experience where the user can
access
the most demanding content in
real
time at a minimum speed of 1.5
Mbit/s.
Noting that bandwidth in Nigeria
continues to be “an expensive
resource,” the NCC blames the
development on the dearth of wired
infrastructure.
“Most data are transferred
wirelessly.
This is the reason why the NCC is
promoting wired infrastructure
around the country through such
projects as WIN (Wire Nigeria) as
well
promoting a Broadband Roadmap
for
the country which will greatly
reduce
the cost of bandwidth, thereby
reducing the cost of browsing the
Internet on smart phones,” it
explains.
The commission states that as the
regulator responsible for promotion
of
fair competition in the
communications industry, it will
continue to protect consumers’
interests against anti-competitive
and unfair practices.
Noting that the services of its
Consumer Affairs Bureau are
rendered
free-of-charge, the commission
explains that its offices across the
country, alongside its online
platforms, are available to receive
complaints on telecoms services.
Dissatisfied consumers, the
commission says, may lodge
complaints by calling its Contact
Centre toll-free number, 622, to
present the facts of the matter for
onward resolution.
Such details, it says, should
include
the name, address, phone number
(s)
and e-mail of the dissatisfied
customer; a statement of the
problem
and the duration; as well as a brief
explanation of the circumstances
that
led to the complaint and name of
service provider.
“Telecoms consumers have the
right
to be informed, the right to safety,
the
right to choice, the right to be
heard
and the right to good quality of
service. We protect the rights of
Nigerian telecoms users by
mediating
between the consumer and the
operators and protecting
consumers
against fraudulent and
unscrupulous
dealings,” the NCC says
pay more for data (READ)
By Bankole Jamgbadi
Posted by Michael Akins on 2nd June, 2014
Nigerian Telecoms’ apex
regulatory
agency, Nigerian Communications
Commission(NCC) has revealed
the
reasons why users of Android
smart
phones and tablets pay more for
data
in Nigeria.
The commission says it is not
turning
a deaf ear to the lamentations of
Nigerians noting that the
differences
in data allowance for Android and
Blackberry users have been
generating a lot of controversy
among
consumers of late.
NCC via its official Facebook page
stated that while BlackBerry
indirectly
subsidises bandwidth for its users
by
compressing the content
downloaded,
Android downloads and
consumption
was not compressed therefore
leading to the expending of more
bandwidth.
Via PUNCH reports:
The regulatory agency says it is
still
committed to protecting Nigerians
against unfair practices by
telecoms
service providers in the country.
According to the NCC, Internet
subscribers using BlackBerry smart
phones pay far less than their
counterparts making use of
Android
devices because BlackBerry
Limited
(Formerly Research in Motion)
utilises a special algorithm to
serve
its users better.
Writing on its Facebook page, the
NCC argues that BlackBerry
indirectly
subsidises bandwidth for its users
by
compressing the content
downloaded
by subscribers.
Unfortunately, the NCC adds,
downloads and consumption was
not
compressed for Android phones.
The
result is that Internet surfing on
such
operating devices will require more
bandwidth.
The NCC says, “The manufacturer
of
BlackBerry utilises a special
compression algorithm to serve
users
of Blackberry handsets who have
subscribed for the Blackberry
Internet
Service. Whenever such a
subscriber
browses the Internet and opens a
webpage, a request is sent via the
handset’s browser requesting for
the
page to be downloaded to the
phone.
“This request is channelled to
BlackBerry Limited’s gateway in
Canada, which fetches the
webpage,
compresses it and sends the
compressed data back to the
BlackBerry phone as a download.
“On an Android phone, the request
to
open a webpage by telephone
subscribers is sent to the gateway
of
the network operator, which then
processes the information and
sends
back the page to the Android phone
as a download. But the data is not
compressed – thereby requiring
more
bandwidth.”
As a way out of the current
predicament of Internet subscribers
on Android devices, the NCC notes
that there is a need to make
bandwidth cheaper and more
accessible for Nigerians. This, it
argues, requires the successful
implementation of the Broadband
Roadmap of the Federal
Government.
The Broadband Roadmap aims at
achieving a fivefold increase in
broadband penetration over the
2012
penetration rate by the end of 2017.
Traditionally, broadband refers to
high-speed communications
networks that connects end-users
at
a data transfer speed greater than
256 Kbit/s.
In the Nigerian context, the
Ministry
of Communications Technology
defines broadband as an Internet
experience where the user can
access
the most demanding content in
real
time at a minimum speed of 1.5
Mbit/s.
Noting that bandwidth in Nigeria
continues to be “an expensive
resource,” the NCC blames the
development on the dearth of wired
infrastructure.
“Most data are transferred
wirelessly.
This is the reason why the NCC is
promoting wired infrastructure
around the country through such
projects as WIN (Wire Nigeria) as
well
promoting a Broadband Roadmap
for
the country which will greatly
reduce
the cost of bandwidth, thereby
reducing the cost of browsing the
Internet on smart phones,” it
explains.
The commission states that as the
regulator responsible for promotion
of
fair competition in the
communications industry, it will
continue to protect consumers’
interests against anti-competitive
and unfair practices.
Noting that the services of its
Consumer Affairs Bureau are
rendered
free-of-charge, the commission
explains that its offices across the
country, alongside its online
platforms, are available to receive
complaints on telecoms services.
Dissatisfied consumers, the
commission says, may lodge
complaints by calling its Contact
Centre toll-free number, 622, to
present the facts of the matter for
onward resolution.
Such details, it says, should
include
the name, address, phone number
(s)
and e-mail of the dissatisfied
customer; a statement of the
problem
and the duration; as well as a brief
explanation of the circumstances
that
led to the complaint and name of
service provider.
“Telecoms consumers have the
right
to be informed, the right to safety,
the
right to choice, the right to be
heard
and the right to good quality of
service. We protect the rights of
Nigerian telecoms users by
mediating
between the consumer and the
operators and protecting
consumers
against fraudulent and
unscrupulous
dealings,” the NCC says
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