Nigerian telecom association expands

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has recently added 19 companies in its effort to expand, attract a cross-section of the industry and operate more efficiently.

The new members include telecom operator and value-added services companies, said Emmanuel Ekuwem, the group's president. Ekuwem spoke at the group's annual general meeting in Lagos, Nigeria, last Friday.

New companies include Web Inn Solution, Technology Development Co., Saap Tech, Infoweb, CallOne, Netcom Africa, R.T. Briscoe, Lucratel and McGee Global. The association is also reviewing other possible members for the year.

ATCON provides services such as dissemination of information on emerging technologies, hosting of telecom conferences and analysis of economic policies and technical regulations that affect the industry. It also coordinates trade missions to promote partnerships among local and international operators and offers consulting services to potential and existing investors in the nation's telecom industry.

Ekuwem said although ATCON has about 150 member companies, only about 100 are active in the group. This puts more pressure on the active members and various committees to meet more frequently, he said.

On the other hand there are other companies that are not registered with the association but participate in its programs, Ekuwem said. "We hope that ATCON will in the shortest possible time map out strategies to attract these industry operators into its fold so that the entire industry can truly be said to be partners in development," he said.

The ATCON interactive Web site is up and running and group plans to publish a newsletter.