Telecom Consumer Parliament is the Commissions high-level forum for face-to-face engagements with top stakeholders in the telecommunications industry.
At each edition distinctive industry topical issues are chosen for discussion and subsequently proffer workable solutions after due deliberations.
Director Consumer Affairs Bureau NCC, Felicia Onwuegbuchulam mentioned that “key resolutions reached at the above events have been documented and circulated to service providers and other relevant stakeholders for implementation. On our part as a regulator, we follow up on service providers to ensure compliance in the implementation of the resolutions”.
The theme for the event was: “Overcoming Challenges Of Call Masking/Refiling: Task Ahead for the Telecom Industry”.
“The 86th Edition holding here today is expected to further deepen awareness and increase the tempo of discussion around the theme among telecoms consumers and stakeholders in the North”, said the Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, represented by Sunday Dare, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, NCC.
Call masking/refilling is basically when an international call is terminated in Nigeria as a local Number. The perpetrators have ulterior motive of profiting from price differentials between international and local calls termination rates.
The Executive Commissioner Stakeholders Management Sunday Dare stated that “The NCC, In collaboration with different stakeholders and security agencies, held a series of meetings which led to the suspension of six indicted interconnect exchange licensees in February, 2018”.
The ECSM Sunday Dare added that “not only did the Commission suspend the indicted licensees, the regulator also barred about 750,000 numbers assigned to 13 operators from the national network”.
Call masking has reduced by 21 percent as at August 31, 2018. This is approximately a remarkable 40 percent reduction compared to January 31, 2018. Also, SIM Boxing Traffic was reduced by 25 percent as at September 11, 2018 compared to July 31, 2018. This means we are recording appreciable reduction in call masking/refilling and SIM boxing activities.
Consumers are advised to be patriotic enough to report call masking cases to the NCC. Such feedback will help in assisting the Commission to investigate, identify the perpetrators, and take appropriate regulatory measures towards curbing the call masking menace.