NCC to revoke more telcos’ licenses

 Some top of¿ cials of the Nigerians Communications Commission (NCC) and senior operatives from the country’s security services have met with representatives of the six telecom companies implicated recently in call masking. At the meeting, which took place at the Commission’s Abuja office, the security agents confronted the telcos with some of the evidence at the disposal of the NCC; but they were also given yet another opportunity to defend themselves, Daily Trust learnt from a top official. In accordance with the provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act and its subsidiary regulations, the implicated licensees have been given till tomorrow, 31st of January, to show cause why the Commission should not either revoke or suspend their operating licenses in view of evidence of their involvement now at the disposal of the Commission and the security agencies, according to the of¿ cial. “Because of the critical impacts of this nefarious practice on national security and consumer experience, the Commission is determined to decisively deal with any of its licensees implicated in the scam. We do not want to expose the country to any further embarrassment. At the very least, serious sanctions would be imposed on them if it is found that their involvement does not justify license or revocation of their licenses” said another official of the Commission familiar with the matter. It was further disclosed that the Commission has taken the pains to very strictly follow the provisions of the applicable laws so that no one can claim to be unfairly treated, given the severity of the sanctions the Commission is planning to impose. The NCC had threaten to impose the maximum possible penalties on any of its licensees implicated in the practice of masking of international telephone calls An official also told Daily Trust that more operators will soon be punished with sanctions and revocation of licenses because of their involvement in call masking in recent time. It was con¿ rmed yesterday that it is likely that the operating licenses of some of the interconnect exchange and other licensees involved in the practice of call masking would either be revoked or suspended in the coming week. Daily Trust had reported exclusively recently that six telecom companies implicated in call masking would be punished by NCC in February. Meanwhile, customer experience data monitored by the Commission indicates that there has been a noticeable reduction in the volume of masked calls being received by subscribers. This is reflective of the very aggressive measures the Commission is taking to deal with the menace, a statement by NCC said yesterday. “Nonetheless, we are not taking anything for granted. We will continue to aggressively monitor all our licensees regardless of their size or the scope of their operations. Anyone found wanting would be strictly dealt with in accordance with law” said the NCC statement. The six licensees already implicated for the involvement in call masking include Medallion Communications Limited, Interconnect Cleaning House Nigeria Limited, Niconnx Communication Limited, Breeze Micro Limited, Solid Interconnectivity and Exchange Telecommunications Limited