Prof. Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, works out measures to ensure mobile telecom network providers deliver quality services in Nigeria

| By Anayo Ezugwu | Apr 17, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT |

TELECOM consumers who have been experiencing poor services on a daily basis from network providers may have cause to smile soon. The Nigerian Communications Commission has promised that it would work towards ensuring an improvement in the quality of services provided in the country. Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman, NCC, during the presentation of an assessment report by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, BPSR, in Abuja, pledged to take steps to address some of the grey areas affecting provision of quality services by mobile telephone network operators in the country.

A statement issued by Tony Ojobo, director, Public Affairs, on Tuesday, April 4, said the commission would leave no stone unturned to ensure that quality of service improves. “Key performance indicators, KPIs, that define quality of service have been put in place for Mobile Network Operators, MNOs, assessment. The result of the assessment in the first quarter of 2017 has shown improvement in quality of service,” he said.

His statement came on the heels of commendation of the NCC for its effective service delivery going by the BPSR report. Joe Abah, director general, BPSR, who presented the report, said its assessment rates NCC high in institutional work processes. He listed a very strong business organisational structure, policies and practices that facilitate effective and efficient service delivery as some of the high points BPSR considered before naming the NCC tops in institutional work processes in the country.

In arriving at this conclusion, the BPSR also listed accountability and the fact that the commissions 19 departments are alive to the Standardised Operating Procedure, SOP, manuals of the NCC. It also rated NCC very high in procurement processes, stating that the commission “has adequate systems, processes and experienced personnel responsible for executing its procurement activities in line with extant provisions of the Public Procurement Act. NCC strategic objectives are prioritised for potential impact using standardised principles including the balanced score card.”

The report also noted the establishment of NCC central store at Mbora, Abuja, where all procurement records are archived electronically to avoid any loss. “NCC demonstrates that formal performance management processes are clearly understood; constantly applied and seen by all staff to be a valuable activity that individual performance targets are clearly assigned with the team, business unit and overall organisational performance targets,” he said.

Apart from maintaining efficiency in house, the NCC is working to get service providers to respect the rights of consumers. It has been sensitising telecom consumers on their rights to quality telecoms services, urging subscribers to stop unsolicited text messages by sending “STOP” to “2442”. The NCC said this is part of the ongoing campaign to enlighten consumers on their rights to better services.

The NCC while declaring 2017 as the year of Nigerian Telecom Consumer recently in Abuja, also stated that the year of the consumer would focus on two key areas – improving the quality of service; protecting and educating the consumer.

Danbatta told consumers to access the customer toll free line by dialing 622 to register their complaints with the NCC if the network service providers fail to address their complaints. According to him, NCC will increase the awareness level and equally the activation level of these two initiatives, adding that in its determination to ensure that the consumer experiences improved quality of service in the year and beyond, “the commission is implementing measures to reduce Dropped Call Rate, DCR, to meet its benchmark of less than one percent.

Accordingly, Danbatta said the commission will closely monitor, track and review the Key Performance Indicators, KPIs, of operators by network integrity and technical standards department. He added that greater efforts would also be put in compliance, monitoring and enforcement of set standards.

The commission has begun an enlightenment campaign to let the consumers know what to do whenever the issue of unsolicited telemarketing arises. It stated that jingles are already running on radio stations and adverts in the print and other media are underway.

NCC also advised subscribers to avoid purchasing pre-registered Subscriber Identity Module, SIM, cards because of the dangers they portend to the security of the society. The NCC declared that every SIM card purchased must be registered with the network provider.

— Apr 17, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT

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