Telecom
NCC Urges Consumers to Protect Telecom Infrastructure, Others
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has emphasised that telecommunications consumers in Nigeria have a major role to play in complementing efforts being put in place to ensure effective protection of telecommunications infrastructure. This is important to sustain and improve on the quality of service delivery by the service providers.
The Commission made this request and assertion recently at a sensitization programme it organized at Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to the Commission, aside from the role of the law enforcement agencies in protecting telecom infrastructure, the consumers, who are the subscribers and ultimate users of telecom services, have an obligation to do everything to protect telecoms infrastructure in their environment.
These include the base transceiver stations (BTS), the underground fibre optic cable, as well as associated infrastructure.
Addressing audience at the programme, the Director, Zonal Operations, NCC, Amina Shehu, decried the problem of vandalism caused to telecom infrastructure which often result in poor quality of service delivery to the end users.
“One of the major challenges to quality of service that operator provide to you, is vandalism of telecom infrastructure, such as Base Transceiver Stations (BTS). Others are theft, hostility from some host communities, which have continued to pose a major setback to the industry.
“Therefore, it is imperative for the public to regard telecom facilities as collectively-owned infrastructure that are crucial and essential for the provision of efficient and acceptable telecom services. The more reason these facilities need to be adequately protected,” she urged.
While imploring the indigenes of Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State to ensure that they protect telecom facilities in their community, Shehu, who was represented at the event by an Assistant Director, Zonal Operations, NCC, Abubakar Usman, further enjoined the consumers to always alert law enforcement agencies close to them once they suspect any act of vandalism, theft or other suspicious activities directed at telecom infrastructure because such nefarious activities have implications for quality of service delivery in the communities.
Shehu underscored the centrality of telecommunications sector to the economy and she also informed the audience that in the last 15 years, telecom has been a major contributor to the nation’s economic growth and development.
The Director Zonal Operations said the Commission will continue to collaborate with relevant agencies and keep sensitising the consumers on their role in ensuring the security of telecom infrastructure.
One issue Shehu discussed in her speech was the misinformation about Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF) radiation emanating from telecommunications infrastructure which she asserted was not harmful according to studies conducted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
Shehu stated that the overall objective of the event is to sensitize members of the public on the need to protect telecommunication infrastructure, and more importantly, to correct the misconception people have on the effect of radio magnetic waves on human health.
“So, the Commission is saying again to you that there is no scientific evidence yet that shows that radiation from telecom masts constitute health hazards to human and we want you to help spread this information to those that are not here,” she said.
During the event, participants were also enlightened on the illegality of pre-registered Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, the imperatives of proper SIM registration, the importance of National Identification Number,NIN-SIM linkage exercise.
The consumers were also informed about facilities provided by the Commission which they can use to improve their telecom experience and quality of life in general.
These include the NCC Toll-free Number (622); the 112 National Emergency Number; and the Do-Not-Disturb (DND) 2442 short code for managing cases of unsolicited text messages, amongst others.
Meanwhile, the Paramount Ruler of Wannune, Chief Gandeorun Orokaa, who attended the event, thanked the Commission on behalf of the participants for bringing the sensitization programme to the Community to educate the consumers on sensitive consumer-related issues as well as correcting wrong notions and clarifying misconceptions.
He also called on the indigenes to support NCC in protecting telecoms infrastructure so as to ensure that quality of service improves in the areas.
The event ended with an audience session, where questions and answers were asked, and observations and recommendations were also made on many aspects of telecom services.
In attendance at the event were Local Government workers, Village Heads, Community leaders, Students, Women leaders, Staff of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has charged the over 174 million telecoms subscribers in the country to constantly monitor their data usage to authenticate their consumption level.
This follows concerns being raised by telecoms consumers about the rapidity of data depletion on their devices.
The Commission particularly enjoined the consumers to always contact their service providers to make requests for cases of discrepancies noted in their data usage.
While the consumers are expected to contact their service providers to request for their usage history/statement where inconsistency exists in their data usage as first step, the Commission said they may also escalate such issues to the Commission through its toll-free Number 622 and social media platforms, especially if their requests are not satisfactorily handled.
The Commission, which also made some clarifications regarding the concerns being raised by the consumers around data usage, said the need to inform the consumers on their concerns is part of its commitment to protect and appropriately inform and educate the telecom consumer on industry issues.
Making further clarifications around data speed and usage, the Commission said data speed is the speed at which data is transferred between two devices, measured in megabits per second (Mbps or mbps), stressing that given the spread of Internet services and the immense investment in the sector, data rates have continued to increase and users may be unaware of how to measure data speed.
The telecoms regulator explained further that websites such as www.fast.com also provide an easy way for consumers to measure Internet speed on any device at any location.
“The higher the data speed, the quicker pages load-downloads and uploads-occur and expectedly, the quicker data bundles are exhausted. So, as telecom consumers are able to do more on devices in less time, some consumers’ devices & network service providers make it possible to limit data speed to help users manage data usage better.
“In any case, most devices now include functions to measure data used by devices and it is imperative that users monitor same to authenticate data usage, such as applications left running on devices. Therefore, where discrepancies occur users may contact their service provider to request for their usage history/statement. If request is not dealt with satisfactorily then, users can contact NCC by calling 622 or engage the Commission via its social media platforms”.
It added that the data usage experience is a function of location, network equipment and users connected in a particular location.
Association of Mobile Communication Device Technicians of Nigeria (AMCODET), has called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to make it mandatory for mobile phones to be registered at the point of purchase.
According to Kehinde Apara, president of AMCODET, implementing this registration process would significantly help in combating phone theft and assist in locating stolen devices.
Apara, made this appeal in an interview in Lagos on Monday.
He stated, “Registration of mobile phones will reduce theft to the barest minimum, as it will be difficult for thieves to sell registered stolen phones.”
Apara explained that the registration of new phones would also help to reduce the harassment faced by technicians by security agencies.
“So many of our members have been labelled accomplices in theft cases, because customers bring stolen phones to them to repair. We believe this is unfair to such innocent people,” he said.
He went on to highlight that the NIN-SIM linkage, which was originally an idea brought forward by AMCODET, was created to curb insecurity and theft.
However, Apara pointed out that “It is not enough.”
He stressed the need for further measures to ensure the proper registration of mobile phones, emphasising that such a step would make it easier for technicians to identify stolen devices brought in for repair or flashing.
“AMCODET has been at the forefront of organising seminars on the security of mobile phones and has also been sensitising the public and authorities on the challenges faced by the association due to phone theft. There is no way our members can identify if a phone is stolen when brought to them for repairs or flashing, but if the phone is registered, the technician can more easily identify it,” he explained.
Apara also expressed a desire for closer collaboration with security agencies, saying, “We want to work with security agencies to ensure that phones are properly registered, theft is prevented, and thieves are brought to book.”
In additin to the call for phone registration, Apara appealed to individuals and the private sector to support efforts to develop the mobile phone industry in Nigeria.
He remarked, “We need individuals’ support to develop our industry, rather than relying on government for everything.”
He emphasised that Nigeria has the capacity to develop its own technology and reduce reliance on imported devices, “With the support of individuals and the private sector, Nigerians can begin to develop its own technology, rather than relying on imported technology.”
Apara expressed optimism for the future of the mobile phone industry in Nigeria, believing that with the right support, the country could build its own technological solutions and move towards greater self-reliance.
“We can develop our own technology.”
“But we need the support of individuals and organisations to make it happen,” he said.
Credit: NAN
French antitrust regulators have fined Apple 150 million euros ($162 million) over its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, which is facing scrutiny in multiple European countries.
The French Competition Authority ruled that Apple’s implementation of ATT was “neither necessary nor proportionate to the company’s stated goal to protect user data” and unfairly penalized third-party publishers.
Alongside the financial penalty, Apple has been ordered to publish the decision on its website for seven days. The ruling comes amid ongoing investigations in Germany, Italy, Romania, and Poland into ATT, which Apple introduced in 2021 as a privacy safeguard.
ATT requires apps to obtain explicit user consent via a pop-up before tracking activity across other apps and websites. If users decline, the app loses access to their advertising identifier, limiting targeted advertising. Critics argue that the system disproportionately benefits Apple by restricting competitors while promoting its own advertising services.
The French watchdog found that ATT forces users to navigate excessive consent windows for third-party apps on iPhones and iPads, making the process unnecessarily complicated.
Additionally, Apple’s system requires users to opt out of ad tracking twice rather than once, which the authority said undermines the feature’s neutrality and causes economic harm to app publishers and ad service providers.
The ruling emphasized that smaller publishers, which rely heavily on third-party data collection for revenue, are particularly affected.
The French regulator initially declined to impose emergency measures in 2021 after complaints from the advertising industry, but continued its investigation, ultimately leading to Monday’s decision.
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