By Joy Osaji
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a directive
mandating all telecommunications companies operating in the country to block stolen Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards within five minutes of receiving a report from subscribers.
This move is part of the Commission’s
ongoing efforts to curb the rising cases
of SIM-related fraud and enhance the security of mobile phone users.
The Commission has also mandated
telecommunication companies to ensure subscribers are attended to within 30 minutes of arriving at their service centres.
The NCC, in its ‘Quality of Service
Business Rules,’ which were issued in
August 2024, following the release of
a draft version in June 2023, averred
that the guidelines aim to enhance tel- ecom subscribers’ service quality by establishing minimum service standards,
associated measurements, and key performance indicators.
Speaking further on the issue of wait
time at customer care centres, the NCC
stated, “ It must not exceed 30 minutes.
The Licensee shall provide means of
measuring the waiting time, starting
from the time of arrival at the prem- ises.”
The NCC has implemented further
customer service enhancements in ad- dition to shorter wait times. Customers
must speak with live personnel within
five minutes, and the commission has
limited the number of calls that can be
made before connecting to customer
service lines to three. If this is not feasible, the telcos are required to return the subscribers’ calls within 30 minutes.
On internet outages, the NCC stated
that internet outages must not exceed
two hours, except in cases of lawful disconnection. According to the NCC, “internet outages cannot last longer than two hours unless there is a valid reason to disconnect.
If a subscriber’s line isn’t used for
any revenue-generating events for a
year, they risk having their phone lines
blocked, NCC warned. To ensure they
do not lose their numbers, subscribers
may also seek line parking if they have
good reasons not to use their lines, it
added.
“A subscriber line may be deactivated if it has not been used within six
months for a Revenue Generating Event
(RGE). If the situation persists for another 6 months, the subscriber may lose his/her number, except for network-re- lated faults inhibiting an RGE…”
