The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)

  • Association laments effect of FOREX scarcity on telecom sector

    The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has lamented that the scarcity of FOREX is biting hard on the telecommunications sector.

    ALTON Chairman, Mr Gbenga Adebayo said on Monday in a statement in Lagos that the exemption of telecommunications from items to be accorded priority in the allocation of FOREX by the banks had adversely impacted on the industry.

    Adebayo said that the scarcity of FOREX had increased the operating cost of providing services in the industry.

    He said that in the absence of local substitutes for its plant and machinery, the service providers were constrained to source FOREX from interbank market at higher rates.

    According to him, the rates are higher compared to sectors like manufacturing, aviation and agriculture accorded priority in FOREX allocation at reduced rates by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    “Owing to the prevailing economic situation in the country, ALTON members cannot transfer the increased cost burden to the consumers, thereby contracting profitability and ability to make further investment to drive growth in the industry,’’ Adebayo said.

     

    He said that the prevailing scarcity of FOREX had created unfavourable credit terms, making it very challenging for ALTON members to honour their obligations to foreign vendors as at when due.

    Adebayo said that this had occasioned delayed payment to equipment suppliers and other foreign vendors who had now resorted to imposing unfavourable payment terms on service providers in Nigeria.

    He said that some of the foreign vendors had issued `Notice of Disconnection of Service’ which could disrupt service availability with attendant impact on customers’ experience.

    “This further underscores the need for an urgent action to be taken toward addressing the lingering scarcity of FOREX facing the industry,’’ the chairman said.

    He said that the FOREX problem had led to delayed implementation of Network Enhancement and Improvement Initiatives.

    According to him, ALTON members made commitments intended to ensure the implementation of National Quality of Service (QoS) Fixing Project.

    Adebayo said that the project was a coordinated network investment plan supervised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) at designated locations nationwide over a period of time by the operators to ensure improved QoS.

    He said that the continuity of this initiative was dependent on obtaining FOREX to import equipment required to carry out the intended National QoS Fixing Project.

     

    According to him, if proactive measures are not taken to ensure easy access to FOREX, the project is likely to be adversely impacted, to the detriment of the citizenry and economy.

    He said that if the issue of FOREX scarcity was not addressed, it was bound to affect the National Broadband Plan.

    “The government in 2013 published a National Broadband Plan (2013 to 2018) intended to ensure the deployment of pervasive and ubiquitous broadband infrastructure nationwide.

    “The plan is to facilitate the realisation of a fivefold increase in broadband penetration from six per cent as at 2012 to 30 per cent by 2018.

    “On this note, the commission divided the country into seven zones and has licensed two Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) for Lagos and North Central Zones to deploy metro fibre optic network.

    “The commission recently published a notice on the commencement of the process for the licensing of remaining five InfraCos on Open Access Model for the deployment of optic fibre infrastructure broadband network in the other zones.

    “The zones are the North East, North West, South South, South East and the South West of the country,’’ the ALTON chairman said.

    According to him, it appears that the prevailing scarcity of FOREX has adversely impacted the deployment of metro fibre network, as the earlier licensed InfraCos are yet to make significant progress in their respective licensed locations.

    He said that there was the need for strategic support to service providers by ensuring easy access to FOREX to import required equipment and undertake the pending projects.

    Adebayo said that the support would ensure that operators fulfilled outstanding obligations to foreign vendors without further delay for the continued growth and development of the industry.

  • Protect yourselves from exploitation, NCC tells consumers

    Protect yourselves from exploitation, NCC tells consumers

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Thursday urged telecom consumers in the country to take advantage of the consumer outreach programme provided by the Commission in order in order for service providers not to take advantage of them.

    The Commission also pledged its resolve to continue to ensure that telecom consumers in the country are protected from exploitation.

    Abdullahi Maikano, the Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC spoke at the 82nd edition of its consumer outreach programme (COP) held in Gombe yesterday

    He said commitment to this resolution informed the topic of the meeting: “Information and education as a catalyst for consumer protection”.

    He said the Commission was out to ensure that telecom consumer were well protected, informed and educated hence it developed initiatives of empowering consumers with the appropriate information that will guarantee them value for their money.

    He said the initiatives include organising outreach programme across the country, disseminating consumer education via factsheets, disseminating information via consumer web portal (www.consumer.nce.gov.ng) and interaction via social platform.

    Other initiatives include responding to enquiries via NCC Call Centres on a toll free number – 622 and participating on radio programmes that educate customers on their rights and privileges.

    NCC’s Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Ismail Adedigba consumers must be accorded their right to be heard, right to be educated, right to redress and right to safety among others.

    He said the meeting is therefore a tripartite meeting between regulators, operators and consumers to resolve pressing consumers’ issues as it relates to provision of telecom services.

  • NCC donates equipment to Police IT unit

    NCC donates equipment to Police IT unit

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Thursday in Ibadan donated computer accessories to the Nigeria Police Force, Oyo, to strengthen the command’s intelligence and information gathering unit.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mrs Hafsat Lawal from the Legal and Regulatory Services Department of NCC presented the equipment at the State Police Command, Eleyele in Ibadan.

    Among the items donated are computer sets, laptops, printers and other accessories.

    Lawal said that the donation was informed by the request of the Inspector General of Police, urging all stakeholders to support the police with equipment capable of enhancing their jobs.

    She said the commission as a responsible and responsive government agency considered the donation of the IT equipment as important tools for enhancing modern effective policing.

    Lawal, who Heads Disputes and Litigation unit of the NCC, expressed optimism that the donation would help the police spread its online and Information Technology (IT) unit in combating fraud and other vices in the country effectively.

    Responding, CP Sam Adegbuyi expressed appreciation to NCC for the donation, assuring that the gesture would further strengthen the command in combating criminal activities, particularly cybercrime.

    Adegbuyi who described the IT unit as one of the engine rooms of the force stated that the command would make the best use of the gadgets.

  • Internet users will decline to 94.4m in November – NCC

    Internet users will decline to 94.4m in November – NCC

    The number of internet users in Nigeria’s telecommunications networks has further reduced to 92,446,687 in November, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said.

    The telecommunications industry umpire made the disclosure in its Monthly Internet Subscribers Data for November, obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

    The data indicated that internet users on both Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks reduced by 759,683 in November.

    It showed that of the 92.4 million internet users in November, 92,416,378 were on GSM networks, while 30,309 users were on CDMA networks.

    Also, the GSM service providers lost 759,683 internet customers after recording 92,416,378 users in November, as against 93,176,061 it recorded in October.

    The CDMA operators had retained 30,309 internet subscribers in November as recorded in October 2016.

    The data revealed that MTN had 32,017,779 subscribers browsing the internet on its network in the month under review.

    It said that MTN recorded a decrease of 447,000 internet subscribers in November, after recording 32,464,779 in October.

    According to the data, Globacom has 27,122,892 customers surfing the net on its network in November, revealing a decrease of 62,660 users, from the 27,185,552 that surfed the internet on the network in October.

    Airtel had 19,143,700 internet users in November, adding 311,462 customers to its October record of 18,832,238.

    The data also showed that Etisalat had 14,132,007 customers who browsed the internet in November, revealing a decrease of 561,485 users against the 14,693,492 users recorded in October.

    The NCC data revealed that the CDMA operators, Multi-Links and Visafone, had a joint total of 30,309 internet users on their networks in November, maintaining the same record of October.

    According to the data, Visafone has 30,305 customers surfing the internet in November, while Multi-Links has just four internet users.

    The decrease in the use of the internet in November showed that service providers had a great job of ensuring that more Nigerians embrace data, as the next revolution.

  • NCC: 35,655 porting activities recorded in October

    NCC: 35,655 porting activities recorded in October

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Tuesday said that a total of 35,655 mobile number porting activities were recorded in the month of October.

    This is contained in the ”Incoming and Outgoing Porting Activities of Mobile Network Operators” report, obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    The report showed that there was a decrease of 715 in the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) activities in the month of October, as against the 36,370 recorded in September.

    It said that of the 35,655 porting activities in October, 17,996 were incoming porting activities, while 17,659 were outgoing activities.

    The report revealed that in the outgoing table, 6,409 subscribers moved from telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, to other networks through the MNP in October.

    According to the report, 5,243 customers moved from Airtel Nigeria to other networks in the month under review.

    The report said 4,638 subscribers moved from Globacom to others, while 1,369 customers of Etisalat Nigeria ported to other networks within the same period.

    However, in the incoming table, the report said Etisalat enjoyed the exercise most as it led to an additional 14,027 customers on its network in October.

    MTN Nigeria came second on the gainers’ list, as it added 1,563 subscribers to its customer strength.

    Also on the gainers’ list, 1,475 subscribers moved to Airtel’s network, while Globacom gained 931 customers as well in October 2016.

    NAN reports that the exercise was flagged off on April 22, 2013, by the NCC, with the aim of deepening competition in the industry. (NAN)
    FON/SOA

  • I didn’t approve data price hike – Minister

    I didn’t approve data price hike – Minister

    The Minister of Communications, Barr Adebayo Shittu has debunked claims that he sanctioned or opposed the increase of price of data by telecommunication companies in the country.

    The minister made this known while answering questions from journalists in Oyo state, saying the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has the prerogative power under the law to do so.

    The minister disclosed that he learnt of the increase just like common man on the streets, but revealed that the proposal on the increase dated back to 2013.

    He said the issue was suspended over some issues but stated that it was resuscitated because of the current economic recession, which he said is taking toll on the finances of the telco unctions companies.

    According to him, “the ministry of communications is saddled with the responsibility of providing political leadership for the ICT industry. By that, it means that the ministry is in involved in the formulation of policies issues as opposed to dabbling into regulatory issues, which concerns the telecoms industries

    “By law, it is the NCC which has the power to regulate, to License, to also provide in a way frequency and all of that. The ministry does not have any business in issues of regulating the telecoms industry.

    “So when the NCC wanted to increase the so called data issues, they didn’t take permission from us (Ministry) and myself. So, I heard it like any other person in the society heard of it. But because the reason for all this is that the Nigerian State has failed in the agreement they had with the telecom service providers. They promised to provide them adequate power supply and security‎ but all are not in place and they are spending a lot to provide them by themselves. Also the problem of right of way is involved with the high tax government and land grabbers are collecting from them.

    “As a government, we must weigh the interest of our citizens against the interest of the operators. Otherwise, if it becomes unprovable for these companies to operate here, they will simplify pack and go. So, we also need to be considerate about their terms which we are not meeting. As a government and a ministry, we have neither supported or oppose the proposal. What we are saying is that NCC is a regulatory body, who has the manpower, technological wherewithal to decide, and when they take this decision, we must try to respect their expertise.

    “This is because the Buhari government is at pains, if Nigerians are in pains. Government would not want to do anything that will bring pain and hardship to Nigerians, but again government must also face the reality that we are in a reality where you do not throw the baby away with the bath water. To create a situation where Nigerian interest at the end of the will not be jeopardized.”

    He however urged Nigerians to come up with the reality that the companies are profit making ventures, and which have also contributed their quotas to the Nigerian economy in recent time. He therefore appeal for mutual understanding from Nigerians, operators and the NCC in reaching an understandable conclusion on the matter.

  • NCC suspends directive on data price hike

    NCC suspends directive on data price hike

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Wednesday said it has suspended any further action on the directive to introduce price floor for data segment of the telecommunications sector beginning from Dec. 1.

    The Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo, announced in a statement in Lagos that the decision to suspend the directive was taken after due consultation with industry stakeholders and the general complaints by consumers across the country.

    Ojobo said that the commission had weighed all of these and consequently asked all operators to maintain the status quo until the conclusion of study to determine retail prices for broadband and data services in Nigeria.

    He said that the regulatory body wrote to the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on Nov. 1, on the determination of an interim price floor for data services after the stakeholder’s consultative meeting of Oct. 19.

    According to him, the decision to have a price floor is primarily to promote a level playing field for all operators in the industry, encourage small operators and new entrants.

    “The price floor in 2014 was N3.11k/MB but was removed in 2015. The price floor that was supposed to flag off on December 1, 2016, was N0.90k/MB.

    “In taking that decision, the smaller operators were exempted from the new price regime by virtue of their small market share.

    “The decision on the price floor was taken in order to protect the consumers who are at the receiving end and save the smaller operators from predatory services that are likely to suffocate them and push them into extinction.

    “The price floor is not an increase in price but a regulatory safeguard put in place by the telecommunications regulator to check anti-competitive practices by dominant operators.

    “This statement clarifies the insinuation in some quarters that the regulator has fixed prices for data services.

    “This is not true because the NCC does not fix prices but provides regulatory guidelines to protect the consumers, deepen investments and safeguard the industry from imminent collapse,” he said.

    The director said that before the new suspended price floor of N0.90k/MB, the industry average for dominant operators including MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, EMTS Limited (Etisalat) and Airtel Nigeria Limited was N0.53k/MB.

    He added that Etisalat offered N0.94k/MB, Airtel N0.52k/MB, MTN N0.45k/MB and Globacom N0.21k/MB.

    The smaller operators/new entrants charge the following: Smile Communications N0.84k/MB, Spectranet N0.58k/MB and NATCOM (NTEL) N0.72k/MB.

    Ojobo said that the NCC as a responsive agency of government took into consideration the feelings of the consumers and decided to suspend the new price floor.

  • NCC’s directive on data tariff increase insensitive – Consumers

    NCC’s directive on data tariff increase insensitive – Consumers

    The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) on Wednesday said the directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for data tariff increase was insensitive.

    NATCOMS President, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo said in a statement in Lagos, that the service providers had started notifying their subscribers of the increase in the tariff of data usage effective from Dec. 1.

    Ogunbanjo said that the percentage of the increment was not disclosed yet but might be doubled.

    ”We view the directive as insensitive and callous. Since NCC is an agency of the Federal Government, the purported directive is one more design by the government to cast more financial burden on the already depressed citizenry.

    ”The Communications Service Tax Bill, which proposes to impose a monthly Communication Service Tax of nine per cent on all electronic communication services, which include voice calls; SMS; MMS and data usage is still before the National Assembly.

    ”There has been a lot of hue and cry against the bill by the citizens. The NCC directive is therefore nothing but a huge effort aimed at enforcing the obnoxious provisions of the bill through the back door.

    ”The inimical directive, if implemented has grave and far reaching consequences as the gains of telecommunication revolution we have made so far will be eroded,” he said.

    According to him, the policy desire to attain 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018 will no longer be attainable, with a high prospect of rolling back the current 13 per cent broadband access via mobile.

    He said that those businesses that relied on data and internet connectivity to offer their services would go underground; their promoters would return to the labour market, thereby compounding the unemployment situation in the country.

    Ogunbanjo said that since the data tariff increment was just a prelude (testing the water) to voice calls tariff increment, telecommunications services would now be limited to the rich.

    ”And the poor, who constitute about 90 per cent of the population, will be denied access. This is a retreat to pre -2001 era.

    ”Within the current suffocating economic situation in the country where prices of goods and services go up every day and thereby undermining the people standard of living, the directive is just a mirror of an inconsiderate policy maker.

    ”NCC did not do due-diligence and did not carry out any consultation whatsoever, through any of their consumers engagement platforms, like the NCC Telecoms Consumer-Parliament, the NCC Consumer Outreach-Programme and the NCC Consumer Town Hall-Meeting before this insensitive anti-consumer ,” he said.

    The NATCOMS President said that MTN and Etisalat had already sent out millions of text messages to its subscribers, informing them of the NCC data increase directive.

    According to him, data or internet availability means more youths engagements because they use data to develop applications and build software.

    ”With what the NCC has done, these young minds, who develop apps will be slowed down and be limited.

    ”Data/Internet Service is the ‘petrol’ of all electronic driven businesses, which means that the cost of doing business will also increase.

    ”The directive is ill-advised, illegal and parades all features of economic adversity and should be withdrawn forthwith,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the message sent by Etisalat says “Dear Valued Customer, Effective Dec. 1, 2016, we will review our data plans & prices in compliance with NCC directive. Dial *200*3# NOW to buy MORE DATA.”

  • TUC rejects proposed increase in data tarrif

    TUC rejects proposed increase in data tarrif

    …Says it is against Nigerians
    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), said Tuesday that the proposed increase in data rate by the telecoms operators in the country was a conspiracy against the collective interest of the common man in the country.

    In a statement made available to newsmen and signed by the President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and Acting Secretary General, Comrade (Barr.) Simeso Amachree, the Congress said the proposed increase was unacceptable as if is aimed at frustrating the lives of the Nigerian people.

    If said rather than increase awareness for greater citizens’ participation especially in ICT, they are doing the opposite, pointing out that while the government is banking on ICT for youth empowerment, the NCC is trying to cut youth participation.

    The statement reads: “The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria warns against the on-going conspiracy between the Federal Government through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and some major telecom companies, especially MTN to further increase their data rates from December 1, 2016. It is really startling the extent government and its capitalist’s cronies would go to frustrate the lives of Nigerians.

    “We feel particularly awful about the move because data is one of the cheapest ways to empower the teaming youth. This move if allowed would make it unaffordable. In our view, this is insensitive and criminal on the part of the parties involved.

    “We are not surprised that MTN has thrown its whole weight behind the policy; but the telecom giant should realized that trying to lobby the government will not save the organization when the chips are down. Of course, this cannot happen in South Africa.

    “Naturally, we had expected that government would increase awareness for greater citizens’ participation especially in ICT, but unfortunately they are doing the opposite. One cannot really situate Federal government policy direction these days.

    “On the one hand, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is banking on ICT for youth empowerment while on the other, the NCC is trying to cut youth participation. All the promises made to the Chief Executive Officer of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg when he visited the country cannot be achieved if the policy is implemented.

    “This is not the best way to make money. This move is spineless and should be done away with. What then would be the benefit of the policy to the self-employed who depend on data for their businesses? The truth is, cheap internet data is a vehicle of some sort to economic development.

    “It is very unfortunate, very unreasonable and inhuman to come up with such idea at a period of recession. Any call for increase in anything for now is most unreasonable, uncalled for and a calculated attempt to record more suicide cases and insecurity in our already tension-soaked country.

    “The telecoms sector was often used as a case study to justify the removal of fuel subsidy. But the question is, is the telecoms sector truly deregulated? What happens to the issue of free market in the telecoms sector?

    “There is so much deceit and insincerity in the system. We are calling on government to come up with godly policies that would encourage investment and stimulate growth, instead of deliberately trying to stifle businesses.”

  • NCC to sanction 13 operators over unsolicited telemarketing

    NCC to sanction 13 operators over unsolicited telemarketing

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Monday said it would sanction 13 telecommunications operators for failing to comply with the  ‘2442 Do Not Disturb (DND)’ directive on unsolicited telemarketing.

    According to a statement signed by the NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr Tony Ojobo, the directive was issued on April 20, 2016.

    Ojobo said that the 13 operators included: Airtel Network Ltd., MTN Nigeria, Globacom Nigeria, Smile Communication, Visafone Communications, Ntel, Etisalat, Multi-Links, Starcomms, Danjay Telecoms, Gamjitel Ltd., Megatech Engineering Ltd. and Gicell Wireless.

    According to him, the service providers have been given another one-week ultimatum, from Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, to remedy the situation or face the sanctions enshrined in the directive.

    “Worried by the non-compliance by the operators, occasioned by a deluge of complaints by subscribers across Nigeria, the NCC inaugurated an eight-member committee to look into the matter.

    “After several meetings, including those it held with the network providers, it became necessary to issue the latest ultimatum to redress the menace of incessant unsolicited text messages and phone calls for telemarketing via the various networks,’’ he said.

    Ojobo said the commission had written to the providers on whose networks it had received series of complaints from subscribers regarding the efficacy of DND.

    He said the phrase ‘Network-Generated SMS’ referred to in Part (d) of the directive shall be taken to mean messages and calls, with respect to only information on emergencies.

    According to him, the information on emergencies, include: national security, fire, notifications on network maintenance programmes down times and notification regarding subscribers’ bundle usage and service renewals.

    “Other text messages and voice calls informing subscribers of new products and service offerings are not regarded as ‘Network-Generated’ and, therefore, regarded as “unsolicited marketing messages’’.

    “NCC has therefore, asked these network providers to ensure that information on the Do Not Disturb service should be disseminated after every revenue-generating activity via the End of Call Notification (EOCN).

    “For the period not less than 45 days, within the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, from the receipt of the latest letter on the subject.

    “The operators are also admonished to deploy this information through all their channels of communications, including websites, social media platforms, billboards, flash messages, text messages, Interactive Voice Response platform, radio jingles, newspapers advertisements and television commercials,’’ he said.

    The director said that this notice served as a pre-enforcement notice, adding that failure to comply with it would attract appropriate sanctions.

    He said the menace of unsolicited text messages had been a nightmare to subscribers.

    Ojobo said that the commission could no longer accept further excuses from network providers.