THE Nigerian Communications Commissions (NCC), on Tuesday, sanctioned Airtel and 9mobile with N136 million fine for violation of its regulation.
The NCC accused the telecommunication companies of breaking the do-not-disturb directive, the automatic renewal of data subscription, as well as wrongful disconnection of an interconnect carrier.
“In the course of monitoring compliance with the Do-Not-Disturb (DND) Direction, the Commission discovered that EMTS & Airtel subscribed and billed 13 and 56 MSISDNs respectively on full DND to Value Added Service (VAS) in the contravention of the DND Direction,” 2019 First Quarter Enforcement Report of the commission says.
“Following this discovery and subsequent correspondence with the licensees in which both claimed to have had technical/software challenges and to have disconnected the affected MSISDNs, the Commission rejected their responses and consequently sanctioned both EMTs and Airtel ₦5, 000,000 each on February 26th & 27th, 2019 respectively for breach of the Direction.”
Specifically, Airtel was also sanctioned N121 million for disconnecting a firm, Exchange Communications Limited, without seeking approval from the NCC.
“Airtel Networks Ltd having contravened, the provisions of the Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations 2013 and Enforcement Processes Regulations, 2005 by disconnecting Exchange Telecommunications Limited without the Commission’s approval was sanctioned on March 28, 2019, to pay the sum of ₦121, 000,000 to the Commission.”
Members of the National Assembly early this year summoned the Commission over poor quality services rendered by telecommunication operators in the country.
The regulatory body, also, last year issued warning to the operators to check frequent automatic and unsolicited renewal of data package of customers aside from forceful subscription of customers to value-added services.
The report also criticised unauthorised transmission on 5.4GHz Frequency Band by a private firm, Trefoil Network Limited as well as the problem of multiple taxations through the issuance of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) by the state government and the Federal Ministry of Environment, among other concerns.
Olugbenga heads the Investigations Desk at The ICIR. Do you have a scoop? Shoot him an email at [email protected]. Twitter Handle: @OluAdanikin