Subscribers of different telecommunication companies in Osun State have lauded the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for its promptness in curtailing the excesses of the service operators.
The subscribers including students of higher institutions of learning, members of National Youths Service Corps, market women, artisans, and civil servants and others who attended the NCC customers outreach programme in Osogbo commended the initiative. The subscribers asked questions and sought clarification on the operations service operators and they got answers as well as solutions to their respective inquiries on the spot.
NCC Director of Consumer Affairs Bureau, Mr Abdullah Maikano, said the consumer outreach programme of the commission was to bring telecom consumers in urban areas and network operators together resolve issues bothering on poor reception, undue charges among others. Maikano said such togetherness was to discuss, proffer solutions to consumers’ complaints and ensure value for money through effective service delivery.
He said the theme of the programme “Information and Education as a Catalyst for Consumer Protection,’’ was chosen to reflect one of the cardinal objectives of the commission of ensuring that telecom consumers are protected from market exploitation.
The director said that it was also to empower consumers to make rational decision when making their choices of services that would provide them with value for their money. He said any telecom subscriber that is having unresolved issues with his or her telecom service provider can report to the NCC on a toll free number-622 or through their Twitter and other social media platforms.
While speaking, NCC Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Alhaji Ismail Adedigba explained that the commission defended the interest of the subscribers concerning the plan by telecom operators to increase data tariff charges. Adedigba noted that the initial decision to increase data was to avoid
running into monopoly whereby only one service provider will enjoy the sole right of charging consumer any price for data services. According to him, “we don’t want to run into monopoly, because if you
allow anybody to charge any price, some big operators can charge lower price today and get all the customers to their network at the expense of new entrants.
“Once these big operators know that the new entrants have failed, they could not provide service because it is not profitable, they will now keep increasing their own price, knowing there is no competition.
“The consumers will now have no alternative to choose from when the tariff is now increased, as the new entrants must have been crippled and left the market for the big operators.’’
He said it was better to have competition than have one segment of the telecom market killed due to predatory pricing, which necessitated the need for data tariff price regulation. He said that the data tariff price increment remained suspended for now, due to the outcry of stakeholders, especially the consumers. Adedigba said the commission would however continue to keep engaging the people to really know that the action of the NCC and what the commission is doing is to actually protect the consumers and the telecom industry.
Source: Daily Trust
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