Poor Services: NCC Slams N1.17bn Fine On Four GSM Providers

The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) says four Global
System for Mobile (GSM) Communications operators are to pay a cumulative sum of
N1.17 billion penalty for poor Quality of Services (QoS).

In a statement made available to newsmen last Saturday in
Lagos, NCC said that MTN, Etisalat, Airtel and Globacom were been sanctioned
for poor QoS rendered in the months of March and April.

The Commission said that details of the penalties had been
communicated to the different operators through letters.

It stated that the letters were signed by the Director,
Legal and Regulatory Services, Ms Josephine Amuwa, and the Head of Compliance
Monitoring and Enforcement, Ubale Maska.

The Regulatory body said that MTN and Etisalat were to pay
N360 million each, Airtel would pay N270 million, while Globacom attracted a
penalty of N180 million.

“All the operators are to pay the penalties on or before May
21, 2012 or be liable to payment of additional N2.5 million per day for as long
as the contravention persists.

“The penalties are as a result of the contravention of the
provisions of the Quality of Service Regulations by the NCC.

“The operators failed to meet with the minimum standard of
quality of service, including the key performance indicators, (KPIs)” the
statement noted.

According to the statement. the commission has been
monitoring the performance of the operators on the different parameters as
provided.

It said that the result showed that the service providers
contravened the provisions.

“Paragraph 13 & Schedule 3, Paragraph 2 of the Quality
of Service Regulation 2012, provides that any company which contravenes this
provision will be liable to pay fine.

“The company is liable to pay the sum of N15 million for
each parameter for a service contravened in the month of March, 2012.

“A further sum of N2.5 million for each parameter for a
service for each day the contravention continued throughout the month of April,
2012 will be paid by the operators,” the statement said.

NCC noted that the performances in January and February were
below the specified thresholds but decided to “take these periods as grace
period”.

Our correspondent quoted the Executive Vice Chairman of the
commission as saying that the current penalties were a demonstration of the new
regime of QoS management in the telecommunications industry.