Major providers of mobile telephony  in the country  have threatened to withdraw  their services from the  North.
They hinged their threat on the spate of attacks on  base stations which has made them to lose a whopping N1.03bn.
The umbrella body of the telecoms operators, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, on Thursday said its members were losing too much to the development and may close shop if it became too dangerous to operate in the region.
 The major GSM providers – MTN, Glo, Airtel and Etisalat – are all members of ALTON.
Gunmen, also on Thursday reportedly bombed a base station belonging to an indigenous telecoms infrastructure company, IHS Nigeria, in Kano, barely 24 hours after the attack on several base stations in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi and Gombe states.
 The Executive Director, Commercial and Business Development, IHS, Mr. Gbenga Onakomaiya, who confirmed the development to our correspondent on Thursday, said one of the company’s base stations was bombed in Borno on Wednesday while another one was bombed in Kano on Thursday morning.

 Officials of ALTON put the number of base stations that had been attacked in the north at 26.

 President of ALTON, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, who decried the situation, said  “If it becomes impossible to continue to do business in the face of rising attacks on telecoms sites, operators will naturally suspend operations in the area.

“This is because beyond base stations, these elements may begin to target telecoms operators‘ offices and data centres among other key infrastructure. That is why it is important that the situation is curtailed before it gets to that point.

“During military coups, dissidents attack newspaper and television houses as well as telecommunications centres and infrastructure to destabilise the government. This is not different from what we are experiencing now as people’s phones can’t be reached in the affected areas.”

 The ALTON president said an emergency meeting of the association’s executives had been called for today (Friday) to decide on what next to do.

 A Chief Executive Officer of one of the GSM companies, who asked not to be named, said though the company was not contemplating suspending its operations as of now,  it could be forced to do so if the situation persisted.

“We are not contemplating the withdrawal of services as of today but if the situation continues like this in the next four to five days, we may have to withdraw service. But we are not contemplating that now,” he said.

Telecoms infrastructure analysts in the country have put the average cost of a base station at $250,000, which amounts to N39.47m at an exchange rate of N157.91 to a dollar as at Thursday.

 With 26 base stations already destroyed, an investment of N1.03bn might have gone down the drain.

 Contrary to the belief that only MTN, Airtel and Glo were affected, the Executive Secretary, ALTON, Mr. Gbolahan Awonuga, said the attack affected all telecoms operators, including  Multilinks and Helios Tower.

When contacted, an official of Helios Tower, said that about three of the company’s  base stations were also affected.

He confirmed the report that services had been disrupted in the affected areas as  engineers had been finding it difficult to give adequate reports of the situation because they couldn’t be reached.

Onokomaiya, who attested to the seriousness  of the situation, said, “One of our base stations was bombed in Borno on Wednesday and another was bombed in Kano this morning (Thursday). The base station was completely burnt out. The generators, shelter and equipment are gone. The only things remaining now are the towers and we have to assess them to ascertain their integrity.”

A formal report sent by Multilinks to ALTON, which was made available to our correspondent, confimed that Multilinks base stations located at Mainok Village, Borno and another one at Abari Village in Damaturu, were damaged.

The report said, “Reports obtained from our personnel indicate that extremists numbering about 40 stormed the area at about 22:20 Hrs on 05/09/2012 and immediately launched an attack on the MTN cell site. After the attack on MTN cell site, the extremists proceeded to our site which is close to the MTN site to launch a similar attack.

“As at this (Thursday) morning,  the extent of damage done to  the site is yet to be ascertained as contact with the security men is yet to be established after the attack.

“ Also our Abari site in Damaturu which is not on air was reportedly attacked also. Details remain sketchy as those resident in the area were  all indoors.”
Stakeholders urged the Federal Government to wade into the issue to ensure that the safety of lives of operators’ personnel and agents was assured.
Key stakeholders had called on the Federal Government to bestow on ICT infrastructure a Critical National Security Infrastructure pending the time appropriate laws would be enacted to strengthen it.
 “The time has come for the passing into law of the National Security Bill pending in the National Assembly which must be made all-embracing by giving telecoms industry a critical mention in the bill,” a former Executive Vice- Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, Mr. Ernest Ndukwe, said.

http://www.punchng.com/news/terrorism-telecoms-firms-threaten-to-cut-off-north/

These Aboki better think again, if not we shall NIPOST to the north when GSM providers finaally cut them off. Why bomb GSM installations for Allah sake? Ok o

The way these Northernas reason is questionable
People are willing to make progress, theirs seem to be reverse. Wonder how the North is going to be after the pack up of these telecome firms. Returning back to the stone age of using smoke to communicate

Perhaps they feel With the few available horses they can easily dispatch their mails, and consequently have no need for technology. These people are unrepentantly backward. I'm happy I'm not a core Northerner

HammedSodiqq: Perhaps they feel With the few available horses they can easily dispatch their mails, and consequently have no need for technology. These people are unrepentantly backward. I'm happy I'm not a core Northerner

That cracked me up

senselessness is a terrible disease of the brain

Then its evident that this BH menace is dragging them backward than the harm they think they are doing to the govt & Naija atlarge. They should better wise up o!

I can't wait to see the birthing of Islamic Republic of Arewastan.

Boko Haram, the terrorist organization whose very name calls for the ablolishment of formal education, would naturally consider cellphones and radio links objectionable, since such modes of communication are the products of highly educated technical minds applied to research and development.

With much of northern Nigeria about to be surgically excised from the national telecommunications network, those suicide-bombing sex-tourists to Heavenly Paradise will shortly be reduced to bellowing in the street as the primary means of communication, during exchanges of gunfire with security forces. This is a good development.

terrible

. . . .

Who asked telecom to go there in the first place. The abokis don't need technology.

Their goal is to control through fear.

1) Telecoms service providers are assisting the security services to crack down on "Boko Haram" by helping them trace and monitor calls. Solution - scare telecoms service providers so that they'll fear "Boko Haram" more than they fear the government and stop helping government.

2) Media organisations have been reporting government's successes in the war against "Boko Haram", citizens' rejection of "Boko Haram's" ideology and splits within the terrorist organisation. Solution - kill journalists, bomb media houses, etc so that they'll fear you. Proclaim that your name is not "Boko Haram" (actually boko haram is the nickname given to them by local people in Yobe and Bornu. Their name is actually People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad) and threaten to kill any journalist that calls you "Boko Haram".

3) Citizens of Kano have been aiding the SSS by identifying and reporting "Boko Haram" members. Solution - launch daring raids on Kano. Kill a lot of people in Kano. Distribute leaflets stating that you will kill any Kano resident that identifies/reports "Boko Haram" members.

4) The SSS has been the most successful security agency in the fight against "Boko Haram". Solution - publish the SSS pension and personnel roll to show them that you know who they are, where they are and can hit them anytime you want. This should strike terror in their hearts.

We need to unite to confront and defeat this "Boko Haram" monster.

Ratatatatatata kpooooom! These boys are not ok. Becos of those small toys, they are making their region slip back into the dark age. They've never been civilized. They don't even need the network, what's an Aboki doing with a phone? If you make your place attractive, we come, if you don't, we go. It's simple, investors take note.

I see the North collapsing soon. I just hope they wont come and take refuge in my community, because I will personally deal with them

†ЂΞ north deserves anytin ∂α† ƇϑmƏ their way. Buncha backward mofos

Too bad!
I dnt think their leaders knw d implications of all these...
So they are willing to do anything,just to create their republic of islam,even if they would have to return to those dark ages of civilization....
Smh @ diz backward peepz

Abeg dey should cut dose Nama's off. When did malu start using GSM?

i dey laff

I wonder wot runs tru dis guys head, pple with same dialect shud tuk to them o if the will listen, cos i cnt just understand, cos of them, d innocent ones will suffer to communicate, na wa o

Whatever actions these abokis carry out is at their detriment. They will be the ones to lose at the end of the day. Please Phcn should also cut them off too.

Good move,Cut them off,please

Northerners are animal, they don't belong to the cats group, they belong to the goats, they will never listen, no amount of armenesty will make them change,like I said before they are GOAT, no bi dem they carry chewing stick for mouth go work? Abi no bi dem men dey bend down urinate like woman? I sabbi their bad character wella

they can use talking drum to communicate instead of cell phone

after all technology haram, yes?

Isn't that what the Boko Boys have been aiming for,it will play nicely into their plans

Let any base station destroyed not be repaired/replaced.

Let dem go ahead

Now, that is something they should have thought about a long time ago, just that their brain perspires and is mesmerized by the langu-lango of boko haram

Its a shame! The Bokoites are having their way....

ekt_bear: they can use talking drum to communicate instead of cell phone

after all technology haram, yes?

, we should have cut them off long time ago, they r pulling us back

I thought there was negotiation going on between the Government and Boko Haram.

born2fuck: Good move,Cut them off,please

Northerners are animal, they don't belong to the cats group, they belong to the goats, they will never listen, no amount of armenesty will make them change,like I said before they are GOAT, no bi dem they carry chewing stick for mouth go work? Abi no bi dem men dey bend down urinate like woman? I sabbi their bad character wella

\
Men u r better in Romance section,