By Respite now looms for telecoms subscribers that have suffered sequence of poor quality services at the hand of mobile network operators (MNO) as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) released a reviewed QUALITY OF SERVICE REGULATIONS 2013.
In the reviewed regulation, the NCC said it would fine MNO that did not meet each Parameter and Key performance indicator for a service, for each Reporting Area, for each identified network segment or node and for each Reporting Period a Licensee.
According to the document, which was sighted by TechnologyMirror, failure by a Licensee to meet and maintain a Parameter and the Service will attract a fine of N15,000,000 and for each of the day that the contravention persist, the offender will pay N2,500,000.
The reviewed regulation now mandates the MNOs to compensate the consumer in addition to paying any fines that may be imposed by the Commission in situation where it is fails to resolve a consumer complaint in accordance with sub-regulation (1) of the Regulation.
The MNOs will also be fined by the NCC for publication of false or misleading information about quality of service by Licensee up to the amount of N15,000,000 for each act of the contravention and N2,500,000 for each
day that the contravention persists.
The MNO are soon going to be slammed with a fine of N15,000,000 for failure by a Licensee to submit, during a time period specified by the Commission, information requested by the Commission pursuant to Regulation 7 (c) or Regulation 12 of these Regulations, and N2,500,000 for each day that the contravention continues to occur.
The NCC is also going to slam a fine of N15,000,000 on MNOs that obstructed or prevented an investigation by the Commission in respect of the quality of service measurement, reporting, data collection and record keeping
procedures by a Licensee, its officers, agents, servants, and privies.
The Commission disclosed that the reviewed regulation is in the interest of the consumers stating it is to ensure the protection and promotion of the interests of consumers against unfair practices including matters relating to tariffs and charges, the availability and quality of communications services, equipment and facilities.
The regulations, which stipulates the minimum quality and standards of service, associated measurements, reporting and record keeping tasks is also intended to improve service quality by identifying service deficiencies and by
encouraging, enforcing, effecting or requiring appropriate changes and solutions.
