Business Briefs

–

THE Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, may review the conditions governing Mobile Number Portability, MNP, this month following indifference by telecoms subscribers towards its adoption. There are indications that a stakeholders’ meeting was being planned to get fresh inputs into the system. The stakeholders’ meeting would be attended by the NCC, telecoms operators, Interconnect Clearinghouse Nigeria Limited, the firm that handles the entire porting process, the Judiciary, and subscribers’ associations, among others, to deliberate on the way forward.

The meeting, it was learnt, would address major areas of concern like the continuous crave of subscribers to buy new SIM cards instead of porting to a network of choice whenever the need arises; and the rise in the use of dual and multiple-SIM phones by subscribers, which is a major set-back for the MNP scheme.

A top source at the NCC who spoke to Realnews on condition of anonymity, said that the MNP scheme, at the moment, was not perfect and that emerging issues around the porting process were expected. Some of the issues that had been brought to the fore include the fact that a subscriber must stay for 90 days on a particular network before he can migrate to another network after the initial porting; the 48-hour processing period to port; poor awareness, especially in the hinterlands; and the need for physical presence before a successful porting can be achieved, among others.

The source said that the concerns had made it impossible to rule out a possible review of the scheme. It was also gathered that the Judiciary was involved in the programme in anticipation of litigation by subscribers. The MNP allows for loss of airtime and data by subscribers who successfully complete their porting process. This development, it was learnt, could result in court cases between subscribers and their network operators; hence the need for a review of the grey areas in the scheme.

Illegal Outdoor Advertising

LAGOS State government is losing N1 billion revenue annually to illegal outdoor advertising in the state. George Noah, managing director, Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, LASAA, said the state loses the revenue to  illegal outdoor signages located within the police, the military and other federal government establishments in the state.

Noah made this known at the 2013 Advertisers Association of Nigeria, Annual General Meeting and special marketers evening held in Lagos. He told a community of marketing professionals comprising outdoor advertising practitioners, creative advertising agencies, media buyers, public relations and experiential marketers, that the state is facing a big problem in controlling outdoor advertising.

He said that the police, the military and other federal government establishments in the state were practicing outdoor advertising by default and there was nowhere in the law that allows the institutions to regulate and control the signage industry. Noah further stated that the illegal practice by the police, the military and federal government institutions in the state has contributed to Lagos losing revenue in the region of N1 billion.

He, however, said the emphasis is not on the money, but on doing what is right. “These are the only places we have problems in outdoor advertising as a result of which the state loses about N1billion yearly to these illegal structures. I don’t think the emphasis is on the money. We are only interested in doing something right and also protecting the environment,” he said.

Compiled by Anayo Ezugwu

— Jul. 29, 2013 @ 01:00 GMT

Tags:

Related Posts