AN APPRAISAL OF THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND ENFORCEMENT IN THE TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRIES IN NIGERIA

The global telecommunications sector is in the midst of a transformation caused by privatization, liberalization, and technological change. These trends have dramatically changed the way the sector functions. The number of service providers has increased substantially, as has the range of services they offer. Old business models and commercial arrangements are being abandoned or bypassed while new ones emerge. An era characterized by regional telephone monopolies that provided “plain old telephone service” is yielding to an era characterized by multiple providers of information and communications technology (ICT) services using Internet protocol (IP), wireless, and broadband technologies. Some disputes U. D. IKONI, Ph. D Senior Lecturer, Department of Private and Public Law Faculty of Law, Benue State University, Makurdi-Nigeria are inevitable by-products of these changes, as new interests clash with traditional ones. Policy-makers and regulators are recognizing that effective dispute resolution is an increasingly important objective of telecommunications policy and regulation. Failure to resolve disputes quickly and effectively can: a.. Delay the introduction of new services and infrastructure.