The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday it would put in place a regulatory framework that would address insider abuse and poor customer service in the Nigerian mobile telecommunication value added service (VAS) market which now stands at $200 million.
The executive vice chairman of NCC, Dr Eugene Juwah, disclosed this at a one-day interactive session with VAS operators and mobile network operators, remarking that efficient regulations of the market could create a $500 million market in the next few years.
The executive vice chairman who was represented by the executive commissioner, stakeholder management at NCC, Chief Okechukwu Itanyi, noted that mobile value-added service (VAS) was associated with non-core services, or in short, all services beyond standard voice calls and fax transmissions.
The identifiable services include mobile entertainment, caller-tune, ring-back tunes, music download, games, news breaks, biblical and inspirational quotes, flights information, and telemarketing, among others.
Juwah said evident in the system was the operations of ‘data miners’ and network hackers who were threatening the good intentions of mobile value added service providers and mobile network operators that have seen mobile VAS as palliative to the dwindling average revenue per user (ARPU) in the voice services owing to increased competition
The NCC boss expressed concern that most of the operators were negligent of the basic operational guidelines which called for stricter regulatory framework. He said the commission has witnessed, “Some practices and behaviours in the VAS segment which as individual subscribers and as industry regulator have given us a lots of concern.”
Juwah disclosed that the commission has received avalanche of complainants from subscribers regarding forceful activation of various value -added services by operators without explicit consent. – Leadership.
