Subscribers Group Cries Foul, Drags GSM Operators to NCC

Consumers Empowerment Organization of Nigeria (CEON), a consumer advocacy group has petitioned Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) alleging anti-competitive conducts against Airtel, Glo and MTN, Nigeria’s three major GSM operators.

In a complaint addressed to Dr. Eugene Juwah, executive vice chairman, NCC, titled “Request for Investigation” the group requested the Commission to commence investigation to determine if the GSM service providers are engaging in “concerted practices” in collectively discriminating in providing access to their networks’ infrastructure to competing Mobile Content Service Providers (MCSPs).

They also ask the commission to find out whether the operators are abusing their dominant positions in the market for access to 2G and 2.5G mobile network infrastructure by discriminating in the provision of access to their mobile network infrastructure to competing MCSPs.

Adedeji Babatude, co-ordinator of the group who signed the compliant letter, said that such discriminatory conduct by the named GSM operators is capable of distorting competition in the Mobile Content Applications space through constraining the choice of consumers as well as retarding innovation.

The group is also urging the NCC to invoked Section 1 of the Competition Practice Regulation 2007. Under the Regulation, NCC in considering whether an investigation is expected to issue a written notice to the parties, identifying whether it will take action, the specific action to be taken and the basis for its decision within thirty days of submission of the complaint by CEON.