The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has re-assured Nigerians that there is no iota of truth in media speculations that 95.7 million Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) data have been rendered invalid due to alleged poor deployment of technology, saying continuous data verification is a global practice. It is a continuous exercise.

In a chat with journalists recently, the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, NCC, Mr Sunday Dare stated that what is happening currently is that subscriber data so far captured by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), as well as data captured by other statutory agencies are being cleaned-up, verified and harmonised in accordance with the Act setting up the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and a Directive of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

According to Dare, “The position of the NCC has been consistent, in the sense that as is the normal practice globally, the subscriber data that has been captured has been undergoing the normal process of verification. Whatever name you call it; it is simply a process of verification. The operators, at the point of registration, are expected to capture specific data – biometrics (picture and fingerprint), name, address etc. Once they capture it, they put it together, and from time to time, they send it to NCC through secure electronic means.”

He explained that, as NCC collects the data to the central system, it then checks and verifies what has been submitted by the operators, saying this has been the process from the beginning; it has not changed.

“We issued a Subscriber Registration Regulations in 2011 together with Registration Specifications and these have remained substantially the same since then. What we now have is an additional layer of verification via a Presidential Directive and an enabling law – that all data-collecting agencies of government should harmonise their data with NIMC – because statutorily, it is only NIMC that has the powers to create a national citizens’ database. So, NCC falls within the category of data collecting agencies. So, as we collect SIM registration data, FRSC collects (for drivers’ licence), immigration collects (for International Passport), etc. – they said submit everything to NIMC.

“Now, what does NIMC do? They also collect and verify. So, it is a continuous process. Of course – even though technology is being used – there is no way you can verify and complete the processing of 160 million subscribers within a short period. And don’t forget that we had 80 million, then 90 million, then 100 million subscribers and so on… So as their data come in, we verify. That process is painstaking, it is based on technology and it is on-going. So the question of invalid data does not exist.”

While explaining the validity of SIM data, Dare explained that before a SIM can be connected to any network in Nigeria, the subscriber data must be captured by the MNOs and that if any data field is missing, such a SIM card will not be activated.

“So, if the data are “invalid”, these numbers will not work. They will not connect with the network. We have the footprint of every SIM registered in this country.  What we are doing is, we are trying to verify to make sure that the accurate information is submitted. In cases where we find out that some of the information is missing or inaccurate, we are able to go back to MNO to say – this number of people you have registered and submitted – instead of four finger prints, we got three clear finger prints, please call them to come and update; or that the address is not correct; or that we find pictures that are not correctly captured and needs to be corrected, etc. – it is a process that is on-going. Every data collecting organisation needs to verify, and it goes on over a period of time. So, that is what is happening right now,” he said.

Dare clarified that there is no serious problems with SIM data, as the Commission is working with MNOs to correct any identified gap, but that “there is no serious problem of the kind being bandied about.”

“In simple terms, NIMC has a statutory duty to create a national citizens’ database and it has been approved by FEC – under a presidential directive – that NCC and all data collecting agencies should submit their data to NIMC for harmonisation. Don’t forget that INEC has over 88 million records of peoples’ data for permanent voter’s card (PVC) – the same way we also have data of people that have SIM cards.

“The biggest issue is security and as it is now, as the need arises, we are able to interrogate the subscriber database for action. The NCC has collaborated with security and law enforcement agencies on several occasions to arrest those that use their mobile numbers for advance fee fraud, or kidnapping, etc. Once we get requests from authorised channels, we interrogate our database – either the MTN database as resident with us, or the Glo database, and so on – we are able to get the picture of the owner of the telephone number, or we get the address and we give the details to the security people and they do the needful. They have moved swiftly in several cases to apprehend suspects and even successfully prosecute them.”

He therefore stated that what the NCC is doing now is a verification process to bring the data up to higher global standards for the national database and that it has been passing collected information to NIMC while NIMC has been doing a good job by further cleaning up such data and adding them to the national database.

“Also don’t forget that NIMC is dealing with database submitted by more than four of five major data collecting agencies and it is technology-based, and so we have to be patient. So, the question of 95.7 million invalid SIM cards does not arise. There is no such thing. The fact is that security agencies are working with us, once we have available information, we are able to reach out to the database and give them the required details and they are able to work with that. This has been going very successfully,” he said.

The Executive Commissioner emphasised that apart from working with NIMC, the NCC has been working with and has met on several occasions with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), to the extent that after about a year and half, ONSA and NCC working together were able to agree on four modes of identity that people must have before they can be register, or before they can do a SIM swap.

“That is, you must have either a Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC), a Nigerian or international passport, Driver’s license, and/or a National Identity Card. if you show up with any of these IDs, we are able to use that ID to query the system to confirm that you are an authentic person. We worked with ONSA to get to this level.”

“What NIMC is doing is putting together a central database of verified and cleaned up data from these four key agencies and other data collecting organisations. So whenever authorised agencies want to check anybody, all you do is to query that central database and call up the information on the person. So you don’t have different incomplete and disjointed databases. There is a process ongoing and because of the security implications, we cannot bring all the details out into the open. But the regulatory agencies are working together through active collaborations, and what people need to do is to be patient, to co-operate with us, and see what is going to come up eventually,” he said.

On the strength of the foregoing collaborations among government agencies, Dare said Nigeria is close to having credible national citizens’ database that will be bequeathed to Nigerians by the Buhari administration and consequently bring Nigeria at par with other developed countries.

“Not only this, having credible national database of citizens will also help our security both within and outside the country, and help our security relationship with other countries, especially in the fight against Boko Haram, the fight against terrorism and also the fight against kidnapping and banditry,” he said.

Dare further stated that the NCC is continuously holding stakeholders’ engagements with all SIM registration agents including the MNOs, their super agents and others along the value chain.

“What we are telling them at such fora is that they must understand that they play a very critical role in protecting the national interest as they are the first point of contact for those coming onto the Nigerian telecoms system. We, therefore, require high standards and sound ethical conduct from them for us to get a very clean database.”

He said the Commission has been going round the nation, meeting directly with these agents as the engagement had been held for South-West, South-South, South-East and North-Central.  “In the next few days, we will be in the North-West.  The reason we are doing this is to ensure that right from the point of first contact of the person who requires SIM registration, the details are properly taken, so that once it gets to our back-end, it is easier to properly validate and send to the central database immediately.”

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reiterated how the over 114 million Internet users in the country can be properly protected while online.

According to the Commission, one of the key ways to achieve this is through enlightenment and awareness programmes where consumers are informed on the dangers of cyber crimes as well as learn and observe skills gained through such awareness in order to be protected while on the Internet.

Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Mrs. Felicia Onwuegbuchulam, stated this during the 47th edition of the NCC’s Consumer Town Hall Meeting (CTM), a monthly regulator, operators and consumer engagement forum for the grassroots, held in Uzuakoli, Abia State.

With the theme: “Mitigating Effects of Cyber Crimes: The Role of Telecom Consumers”, Onwuegbuchulam said the tripartite programme is one of the initiatives of the Commission to bring together consumers, network operators and the regulator to identify and discuss salient issues bordering on the telecoms industry with a view to jointly providing solutions to identified challenges.

While stating that cyber space covers everything consumers do online or with computing devices including mobile phones, tablets and personal computers, just as the internet touches almost all aspects of human lives, Onwuegbuchulam stressed the need for the consumers to show interest in getting constant enlightenment and be conscious of fraudulent tendencies by some Internet users while online.

According to Onwuegbuchulam, who was represented at the forum by the Head, Information and Reference Unit at the Commission, Alhaji Ismail Adedigba, the theme of the event had been carefully chosen for deliberations to effectively educate and inform the telecom consumers on the threats and modus operandi of cyber criminals in the industry and suggest ways by which the consumers can be protected.

She disclosed that as at February this year, there were over 114 million Internet users in the country with over 63 million of them accessing broadband services on 3G and 4G networks.

She said the need to constantly educate is further underscored by the large number of Nigerians online with even more to come online as the Commission intensifies efforts towards implementing its various initiatives aimed at deepening connectivity across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

“As access to internet increase, the dimension of cyber criminal activities is also becoming more sophisticated. There is a need, therefore, for the consumers to get enlightened on the dangers of cyber crimes and for them to,  in turn,  take the skills learnt through such consumer engagement programmes as CTM very seriously and apply them when using the Internet in order for keep the cyber space safe for them,” she said.

Onwuegbuchulam noted that the liberalisation of the telecoms industry in 2001 led to an unprecedented growth in the usage and dependence on internet-based solutions, services and applications, stressing that as Internet is being used for legitimate, positive engagements; some individuals also use it for criminal activities in the cyber space.

She, however, stated that aside the continuous consumer enlightenment programmes such as CTM being organised by the NCC, the Commission had also initiated a process to establish an Internet Industry Code of Practice for Internet Service.

“The Internet Code is a regulatory intervention that will not only help to secure the country’s cyber space against imminent threats from cyber attackers but also address such issues as online child protection, privacy and data protection, contents, among others,” she added.

Also addressing audience at the event, the representative of the Consumer Advocacy Group, (Wheel of Hope), Mr. Jide Abdulazeez, who presented the lead paper, called on telecom consumers and other necessary stakeholders to collaborate with the Commission in combatting cyber crime in the country.

He added that most of the fora organised by the NCC are geared towards enlightenment and education of the telecom users to become more aware of the things that cane benefits them and those that constitute dangers to them as telecom consumers.

A key highlight of the event was also the setting up of a Complaint Desk manned by the representatives of the Commissions and the service providers which provided opportunity for the consumers to resolve any complaint they had regarding telecom service delivery from the networks of their respective service providers.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has again enjoined telecoms consumers and other stakeholders to join hands with the Commission towards protecting telecom infrastructure for improved telecoms service delivery to them.

The Commission made the call during a sensitisation programme on the protection of telecoms infrastructure in Okene Kogi State recently, urging all stakeholders, including traditional rulers, and individuals to collectively protect telecoms infrastructure in their communities.

While addressing an audience of telecoms consumers at the event, the Director Zonal Operations, NCC, Mrs. Amina Shehu, said concerted efforts of all stakeholders were needed to protect telecoms infrastructure.

Shehu, who was represented by a Principal Manager in the Zonal Operations Directorate, Mr. Ekisola Oladisun, said that if the Quality of service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) enjoyed by the consumers are to be improved upon, the consumers needed to play a role by joining hands in protecting telecoms infrastructure such as base transceiver stations (BTS) and fibre optic cables located in their vicinities.

While noting that Nigeria has, over the years, recorded tremendous growth in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) following the liberalisation of the telecoms industry in 2001, Shehu, however, lamented that there are various changes facing optimum protection for telecoms infrastructure, which , in turn, hinder delivery highly improved services to the consumers by the mobile networks.

The challenges, according to her, include vandalism, theft of telecoms site equipment’s and harassment and intimidation of telecoms site engineers, indiscriminate shutdown of telecoms facilities by government agencies, right of way (RoW) issues among others.

According to Shehu, “It is important to note that the spate of vandalism of telecoms infrastructure across the country has resulted in cases of poor quality of service which telecoms consumers complain about.”

She added that it was on the basis of these realities, that the Commission has organised the workshop in order to educate consumers on the imperative of protecting telecoms infrastructure, which has become the backbone for the entire economy, stressing that “we need to collectively protect telecoms infrastructure in our communities to prevent decline in quality of service on the networks of our service providers.”

Speaking in the same vein, an official in the Technical Standards and Network Integrity (TSNI) Directorate, NCC, Mr. Musa Daibu, said the Commission and other stakeholders were pushing for the passing into law of a bill on Critical National Infrastructure, which, if passed into law, will help to further improve telecoms infrastructure protection, as it will classify telecoms infrastructure as national assets.

The forum provided opportunity for telecoms consumers to ask questions on various aspects of telecomm service delivery with the Commission’s officials providing appropriate responses to issues raised to the satisfaction of the consumers.

Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, the Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), says the Commission is ready to drive the process of attaining 70% broadband penetration in the next couple of years, if that is set as the new target by the Federal Government.

Speaking while delivering a goodwill message   at an investment summit of Kaduna State Government, KADINVEST 4.0, Prof Danbatta, expressed optimism about the commitment of the agency toward taking the broadband penetration to the next level.

“When I was appointed EVC of NCC by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, broadband penetration was only 8.5 per cent. It has now risen to 33%, an equivalent of 63 million Nigerians enjoying the services. I am particularly thrilled y to see that the rising trend has not only been sustained, but the NCC is now ready to take it to the next level,” he pointed out.

It could be recalled that Nigeria attained its 30% broadband target in 2018 through measures and strategies put in place by the NCC under the leadership of Prof Danbatta, a development that has attracted industry-wide commendations.

Speaking further at the occasion, however, Danbatta also urged Fleek Network Limited, the licensed Infraco for the North West to quickly mobilise to site with a view to deploying broadband infrastructure in the region.

At least, six (6) infrastructure companies (Infracos) have been licensed by the NCC under the leadership of Prof Danbatta to drive the deployment of broadband infrastructure across the nation’s six geopolitical zones and Lagos State, which is a zone on its own due to the sheer size of its market.

The license for the north central region remaining is currently being processed.

Smile Communication Limited has unveiled the SmileKonnect solution for international data roaming services in 85 countries around the world. The company plans to extend the data roaming service to 100 countries very soon.

Mr. Godfrey Efeurhobo, Managing Director, Smile Communications said at the launch of Smilekonnect in Lagos that the service will give travellers a seamless experience in terms of data roaming while outside the country.

Efeurhobo said the company is noted for innovation in the telecom industry in Nigeria. He added that with SmileKonnect, the average traveller is connected on the go for seamless international data experience in 85 countries.

The Smile MD said: “We have set the pace for broadband expansion in Nigeria through our unique 4G services. We believe in quality, speed and reliability and we want to reassure our customers that Smile Communication will continue to explore innovative ways to improve their experiences.”

Mr. Abdul Hafeez, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Smile Communications described SmileKonnect as the first of its kind in Nigeria. He said the service will save travellers from the the high cost of data roaming while abroad and also the hassles of changing SIM cards anytime they travel outside the country.

Hafeez who described the service as the perfect solution for local and international super fast Internet connection added that the device can connect up to five devices simultaneously.

Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) commended Smile Communication for the milestone, saying that changes in technology has become a regular feature of the telecom market in Nigeria and elsewhere.

Adebayo called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to come up with a data floor plan for the industry as small players are finding it difficult to compete with big operators in the market.

Mr. Teniola, President, Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) equally praised the SmileKonnect initiative by Smile Communication. He added that the telecom market in Nigeria needs such level of innovation to generate sustainable growth.