SIM Deactivation: Telcos May Incur Additional Fines - Aeronews247

 SIM cards

Emma Okonji

There are indications that telecommunications operators (Telcos) may incur additional fines other than the combined fine of N120.4 million imposed on the four operators for failure to deactivate all pre-registered SIM cards, improperly registered SIM cards, and incomplete registered SIM cards that are still active on their networks.

NCC slammed the fine on them last week, at the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum given to the operators to carry out the deactivation exercise, and gave them up till yesterday (Monday, September 7) to pay the fine or risk additional fine of N100,000 per day for each of the operators, as long as the main fine remained unpaid.

THISDAY checks, however revealed that the operators may not have paid the fine as at the close of work yesterday, an indication that the additional N100,000 fine per day, will start counting today across networks.

While MTN was fined N102.2 million, Globacom was fined N7.4 million, Etisalat was N7 million, and Airtel was N3.8 million, totaling N120.4 million fine for all the four GSM operators.
The additional fine of N100,000, is based on the refusal of telcos to pay their individual fines, on or before September 7, which elapsed yesterday.
When contacted, Public Affairs Director at NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, said he would not know if any of the operators had paid, since it was possible for them to pay at the very close of work yesterday. He however said the coast would be clearer by today, to ascertain whether they complied with the payment directive from NCC or not.

NCC had on May 11, 2012, sanctioned MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat, a cumulative fine of N1.17 billion, for poor service quality on their networks for the months of March and April, 2012, but they had to hurriedly pay the fine, after the expiration of the deadline given them, when they suddenly realised that the additional daily fine was running into millions of naira, aside the main fine.

Although the operators contested the rationale for the fine in 2012, and threatened to seek redress at the court of law, they have not contested the recent fine and have not threatened to go to court, yet as at the close of work on Friday last week, no operator had paid the fine, even though NCC stated vividly, that the recent fine must be paid on or before September 7, 2015, which was yesterday.

Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, told THISDAY that the operators may not have reason to contest the recent fine, since it was a violation of directive from NCC, and not on poor service quality, which he said, the operators were not supposed to take all the blames for any infraction on poor service quality.

NCC on Monday last week, revealed to the media that it sanctioned all four GSM operators, a combined fine of N120.4 million, following their contravention of NCC’s directive on SIM card deactivation.

NCC had ordered all telecoms operators to deactivate all active pre-registered SIM cards on their networks, as well as all incomplete and improperly registered SIM cards and gave them seven days to perfect it or face sanction.

The ultimatum, it was gathered, was the fallout of a meeting between office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Department of State Service (DSS), the network operators and the NCC, which was called to address insecurity in the country.

The meeting attributed crimes committed against members of the public either by kidnappers, terrorists, robbers and threats to lives, to the use of such SIM cards across all networks.

 

 

 

 

source: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/sim-deactivation-telcos-may-incur-additional-fines/219662/