Telecom
NCC Commits to Combating Digital Violence
Dr Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO Nigerian Communications Commission has expressed the commission’s commitment to combating digital violence in the country.
The EVC stated this in his speech at the 2023 World Day for safety of journalists on “Mitigating Increasing Online Violence Against Journalists” organized by Media Centre for Promotion of Safety Awareness held in Lagos.
According to him. “Digital violence takes many forms, from online harassment and cyberbullying to the spread of misinformation and hate speech. It has the potential to cause profound harm, not just to individuals but to society.
“Journalists have the responsibility to shed light on these issues, to uncover the truth, and to hold those who perpetrate digital violence accountable.
“At NCC, our mission has always been to ensure that communication networks in Nigeria are secure, reliable and accessible to all. We understand the importance of privacy in the digital age and are committed to upholding the rights of every Nigerian, hence our regulatory activities are carried out in a way that ensures that citizens are not exposed to online violence, which applies to journalists as well”.
The Commission, he said has taken significant steps in its efforts to combat digital violence. Such as collaborating with the relevant sister agencies to ensure the implementation of extant legislations that protect Nigerians online.
He debunked some misconceptions that the commission tracks phone conversations of Nigerians. “We do not engage in the tracking of phone conversations. Privacy is a fundamental right, and we take it as our responsibility to protect privacy of individuals”.
Some other initiatives he said NCC has implemented to ensure tame digital violence include Child Online Protection. “The internet is an indispensable part of their lives, but it can also expose them to dangers. To address this, the NCC has partnered with various organisations to implement comprehensive child online protection programmes. Through education, awareness campaigns, and collaborations with schools and parents, we aim to create a safer online environment for our young ones,” he noted.
Dr. Maida however reiterated the unwavering commitment of the commission to cyber security. “The Commission set up the Nigerian Communications Commission’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (NCC-CSIRT), which plays a crucial role in addressing cyber threats.
“The CSIRT’s dedicated professionals work tirelessly to identify and mitigate cyber-attacks, ensuring the security of our digital infrastructure. I urge journalists to leverage the regular advisories issued by the team to safeguard themselves in the digital space,” he added.
Acknowledging the challenges in combatting digital violence, he stated that digital landscape is vast and constantly evolving, making it difficult to stay ahead of malicious actors.
“Jurisdiction for policing the space is spread among several agencies, hence the need for collaboration to effectively halt the unwholesome activities of online threat actors. We therefore believe in the power of collaboration to overcome these challenges.
“As a result, we have initiated partnerships with industry stakeholders, government agencies, and civil society organisations to create a united front against digital violence. Together, we are developing strategies, sharing intelligence, and implementing joint initiatives to protect our digital space”.
He stated resolve of the commission to focus on key areas to stem the tide of digital violence through education and awareness. “Education is the first line of defense. We must empower our citizens with the knowledge and tools to stay safe online. The NCC will continue to invest in awareness campaigns and educational programmes.
“A robust legal framework is also essential to hold digital offenders accountable. We are working closely with lawmakers to ensure our laws are equipped to address the ever-evolving challenges of digital violence.
“In addition, empowering our citizens to report digital violence is paramount. We have established channels for reporting and encourage everyone to use them. Let me share a success story- a recent case where a citizen reported a phishing attack to our CSIRT team, leading to the identification and neutralisation of a cybercriminal network,” he said.
Telecommunication companies have threatened to withdraw their Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD), services from banks over what they called misinformation.
MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom and 9Mobile- the telcos disclosed that the banks’ notice to their customers on the new billing system and airtime deductions for USSD services was misleading.
Also, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) also denied that the directive was from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
USSD is done via shortcodes on mobile phones and allows bank customers to make transactions in places with limited or no internet service.
Recall that banks earlier this week claimed that NCC has directed them to begin charging them from their airtime rather than from customers’ accounts.
The notice from the banks read in part: “In line with the directive of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), please be informed that effective June 3, 2025, charges for USSD banking services will no longer be deducted from your bank account.
“Going forward, these charges will be deducted directly from your mobile airtime balance in accordance with the NCC’s End-User Billing (EUB) model.
“Under this new billing structure, each USSD session will attract a charge of ?6.98 per 120 seconds, which will be billed by your mobile network operator.
“You will receive a consent prompt at the start of each session, and airtime will only be deducted upon your confirmation and availability of the bank to fulfil this service.
“If you do not wish to continue using USSD banking under this new model, you may choose to discontinue use of the USSD channel.”
Reacting, ALTON, umbrella body of telecom operators in Nigeria, said the banks’ notice is a gross misinformation deliberately hatched to suit their selfish interests.
Hence they threatened to withdraw network support to the banks’ USSD services.
Engr Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of ALTON told Vanguard: ” I don’t understand why the banks are twisting agreements and distorting information just to favour their selfish interests. In the first place, the information wasn’t a directive from the NCC but a joint regulatory agreement between the NCC and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN witnessed by the telcos and the banks. The agreement was that if the banks finally cleared all USSD debts owed to the telcos by June 2, 2025, they are free to migrate to the end-user billing method, so long as the model of migration is transparent and agreed upon by the telcos.
“The reason for that clause was because the telcos insisted that the process of migration is such that will not allow a customer to be billed twice; in other words, that a subscriber would not have his airtime deducted and also have his or her money deducted for same services from his or her bank account.
” As we speak, some of the banks have cleared their debts, but the majority are yet to do so. So, even if all the modalities of migrating to end-user billing have been perfectly carried out, the implementation cannot even begin because the banks are yet to clear the USSD debt owed to the telcos.
“Our position now is that if that is the way the banks want to treat the agreement, we may withdraw support for their USSD services. It is not a must-have. They can do without it. But, they should clear the debts as agreed,” he added.
MTN Nigeria has announced plans to embark on a massive capital expenditure (CAPEX) drive in 2025, committing nearly N900 billion to significantly enhance network service quality across Nigeria.
Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria,
The substantial investment, more than double the combined CAPEX of approximately N440 billion spent in 2023 and 2024, underscored MTN’s aggressive strategy to address persistent service quality issues and meet growing customer and regulatory expectations.
Dr. Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria, detailed this unprecedented financial commitment during a recent interview on Arise TV, emphasizing that improving service quality is the company’s paramount message for the year.
He highlighted a clear understanding and expectation from both the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and security agencies for improved network quality.
A primary focus of this increased CAPEX will be on putting additional capacity in a city like Lagos, particularly in Abuja, where you have a lot of buildings coming up, you need additional sites because there are coverage issues.
Beyond these critical urban centers, the investment aims to bolster network resilience and ensure power stability for its infrastructure nationwide.
This includes proactively addressing site outages by ensuring timely payment for operational necessities such as diesel for generators, a persistent challenge in the Nigerian operating environment.
Toriola outlined a comprehensive upgrade process, which involves placing orders formally, opening letters of credit, and then the equipment gets shipped in and installed.
He added that MTN will be acquiring new sites and laying fiber to the base station to create better stability” where necessary.
While the immediate CAPEX is geared towards improving existing service quality and capacity, this investment aligns with MTN’s broader goals of enhancing financial inclusion in underserved rural areas, suggesting a long-term vision for network expansion and service improvement that extends beyond metropolitan areas.
Subscribers can anticipate tangible improvements in service quality, with a significant improvement in quality of service expected by the end of the second quarter or early in the third quarter of 2025, according to Toriola.
“This year is all going to be about capital expenditure on an aggressive basis to fix quality of service issues (and) meet both the regulators’ and the public’s expectations,” he affirmed, reiterating MTN’s steadfast focus on customer experience through substantial capital investment.
Telecom regulators and industry leaders from across the Middle East and Africa gathered in Cairo last week to chart a data-driven future for the region.
In a region where digital transformation is accelerating at unprecedented speed, connectivity intelligence firm, Ookla and Egypt’s National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) joined forces to organise the Telecommunications Regulatory Summit
Themed ‘Harnessing Data and Technology for Superior QoS’, the summit focused on how data, particularly crowdsourced insights, can transform regulatory strategies across the region.
The summit attracted stakeholders from over 30 countries, including delegates from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and World Broadband Association (WBBA), who engaged in high-level discussions on optimising network performance and accelerating digital inclusion.
Karim Yaici, lead industry analyst for the Middle East and Africa at Ookla, said the event set the tone for the growing value of data-driven decision-making.
“Access to and the use of crowdsourced data contribute to making more informed decisions, fostering transparency and ensuring that citizens in the MEA region benefit from high-quality, accessible and affordable connectivity,” he said.
The experts underlined that crowdsourced data is becoming a critical complement to traditional regulatory methods.
They agreed that it helps identify service gaps, prioritise infrastructure investments, and drive innovation.
With broadband speeds now closely tied to GDP growth and productivity, accurate performance data is seen as key to socio-economic advancement.
Dr. Hossam Abdel-Mawla, vice-president of technical affairs and quality of service at NTRA, stressed that the summit was pivotal in fostering regional collaboration.
“By actively sharing best practices and exploring innovative data-driven strategies, we are shaping a future where telecom regulations ensure digital inclusion and economic growth across the region,” he said.
In a key session, Ahmed Nabawy, director of client services at Ookla, presented findings on 5G performance in Egypt and Tunisia.
He demonstrated how Ookla’s unified data platform, powered by AI, enables operators to analyse 5G-capable device density and prioritise high-impact rollout areas.
The summit also explored the shift from conventional network quality metrics to more user-centric Quality of Experience models. These advanced analytics tools promise to enhance transparency, improve accountability, and ultimately deliver better connectivity experiences for all.
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