‘NCC sanctions telecoms operators due to subscribers complaints’

                                          


The telecommunications umpire, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), disclosed at the weekend that most of the sanctions on telecommunications operators were enforced by subscribers’ various complaints.
The regulator disclosed this during its NCC Day at the 29th edition of the 2015 Lagos International Trade Fair, organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
According to the NCC’s Acting Executive Vice Chairman,  Prof. Umar Danbatta, since the telecommunications sector was deregulated, telecoms services had become completely democratised, and the customers have become kings and queens.
Speaking on ‘Value addition in the non- oil economy’, Danbatta, who was represented by NCC’s Director, Licensing and Authorisation, Ms. Funlola Akiode, explained that trade fairs were some of the venues and platforms not only to tell “our story but to also update the public about NCC’s activities as they affect the subscribers.”
“Survival of the operators now depend on the subscriber because without you they cannot be in business and without them, we will have nothing to regulate. The good news is that despite the global economic down turn, Nigeria still remains an investor’s haven and as regulators of note, we must continue to provide robust regulations and transparent global best practices to protect subscribers, service providers and investors.
“Our job is difficult but we have survived this far because we have played by the rules. Gone are the days when subscribers nhever had a choice . “Telecommunications has been fully liberalised and the subscriber has a choice. You determine what you want to subscribe to and how you want it done.”
Also speaking, NCC, Lagos Zonal Controller, Mr. Okechukwu Aninweke, explained that NCC listens a lot to the complaints of consumers, who are also the subscribers and will always go the extra mile to ensure that consumers are pacified and satisfied. He disclosed that subscribers should be able to know their stand and that was the reason NCC was established, saying: “Nigeria is not an easy terrain to do business in Nigeria but consumers should ensure that they have clarification whenever there is an issue.”
Danbatta further stated that the telecoms sector has been the oil that services every sector of the economy and it is on this that the hopes and aspirations of all other sectors were predicated. He also disclosed that in the months ahead, licensing processes would begin for broadband service providers.

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Airtel introduces educational Ipad for kids
In order to redeem the standard in the educational sector, telecoms operator, Airtel Nigeria, has unveiled a smart device, that will enhance the learning experience of children in the age bracket of five to sixteen across Nigeria.
The learning tool, which is branded Airtel SmartTrybe Junior, integrates three of the major aspects of education: Audio visual, textbooks and test, to deliver more than 120 courses to pupils and students in primary one to senior secondary school three.
According to Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Ahmed Mokhles,  Airtel Smart Trybe Junior is part of the company’s contribution towards the development of Nigerian educational sector and also to provide empowerment opportunities for children in the primary and secondary schools.
“Our aim is to make learning fun for these kids and for them to gain deeper understanding of what they learn in school, using Airtel Smart Trybe Junior. They will also have access to huge repertoire of learning materials, which willenhancetheir understanding of the subjects in their school curriculum and also spur them to academic excellence. At Airtel, we are committed to helping our customers including children and youths to succeed in their endeavours.”
On parental control, technical partner, Barry Taylor, the CEO, MobiTutor said: “That is where the partnership with Airtel gains momentum. In this partnership, we discussed that very much and Airtel has agreed that every parents that registered their child’s Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), on trybe junior SIM, the device can only access educational websites, it goes beyond parental control on the device and actually limits the data that the device is allowed to pool. And ensure that even with the parental control and the child is technology savvy, the feature will not allow them to get to sites that are not for educational purposes.”
The tool offers a 3D interactive multimedia based learning environment designed to help students achieve deeper understanding and higher retention. It also features highly engaging animations of laboratory experiments and lecture notes, classroom approved textbooks and an in-depth compilation of key points and definitions presented as quick study Flash Cards.
In addition, Airtel Smart Trybe Junior enables users access to pre-loaded eBooks, which are exclusively developed for Airtel by the renowned Evans publishers and all the courses are based on the current academic curriculum in Nigerian schools.
Airtel SmartTrybe Junior comes with exciting parent-child offers. The kids enjoy free calls and SMS to Mum & Dad from kid’s line. In addition to this, 10 per cent bonus airtime is transferred to kid’s line every time the parents recharge. It also offers tariff as low as 20k/sec for Airtel to Airtel calls and 30k/ sec to other network,however, the first one minute call is charged at 40k/sec.
The learning tool is available on regular prepaid SIMs by simply dialing *317# and it works on any android tab or smartphone device. The Smart Trybe Junior tabs are available for purchase from any Airtel shops nationwide.