Nine million subscribers activate DND to stop unsolicited text messages

About nine million subscribers in the country have activated the Do-Not-Disturb (DND) facility to stop unsolicited text messages to their phones.The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has disclosed.He said his strategic vision for the industry, which he captured in his 8-point Agenda two years ago, has made significant impact in the sector.He urged global policymakers in the telecommunication industry to promote innovation and investment in the sector.

The NCC, in a statement yesterday said Danbatta made the disclosure at the just-concluded 2018 World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, Spain.Dambatta said: “The DND facility is very easy to use by consumers. Again, close to that number have gained access to the commission’s 622 toll-free lines.“It is provided to consumers to lodge their complaints on the quality of service provided by the telecommunication firms.”He added that there is the need for renewed thinking in developing policy and regulatory framework in the industry.

The NCC boss said the regulator should promote innovation, investment and better quality of service, as well as put mechanisms in place to limit unfair pricing and exploitation of consumers.

The NCC said it is working to fix the increasing drop in the quality of services (QoS) in the sector. He disclosed that Nigeria currently has 145 million active subscribers, which amounts to 103 per cent tele-density.

Danbatta said the commission, as part of its agenda, would work to ensure that the issue of poor quality of service was tackled adequately.“We are trying to digitally transform and the process is on-going. We have been paying attention to the five interdependent elements of the digital transformation processes,” he said.

He cited them as policies and institutions, human capital, applied ICT industry, communications infrastructure applications and institutional change.He further disclosed that broadband penetration in the country, which stood at about 8 per cent when he was appointed, has increased to 22 per cent.

This, he, said was in line with the provisions of the ITU-UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development. The NCC boss disclosed the successful auctioning of the spectrum, 2.6 GHZ bands, which has been contributing to broadband penetration in the country.