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Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Report
(Quarter 4 - 2016)

  1. Commission Issues Direction on Controlled Environment for SIM Card Registration

    The Commission has been inundated with complaints from various stakeholders on the continued sale of pre-registered SIM Cards which are activated by Mobile Networks Operators and are of grave security implications to Nigeria.

    As part of the strategy to address this lingering issue of the sale of pre-registered SIM Cards, the Commission on November 30, 2016 issued a Direction to Mobile Network Operators. This direction specified amongst others:

    1. That MNOs should create or provide a controlled environment for its Authorized Dealers and Registration Agents to undertake SIM Card Registration;
    2. That MNOs with effect from February 2, 2017 should disengage all Authorized Dealers and itinerant Registration Agents who register SIM Cards in places not provided and approved by the operators;
    3. Operators shall provide to the Commission with list of SIM Registration Agents and their addresses.

    The Commission further specified that the controlled environment should be properly lit/illuminated, images to be capture against white or plain background, MNO’s identity or logo to be prominently displayed, the Registration Centre must be a permanent structure and clearly marked "SIM CARD REGISTRATION CENTRE" etc.

    The Commission has put in place the necessary mechanism to monitor total compliance to this Direction.

  2. Nationwide Enforcement Action on Pre-Registered SIM Cards.

    In furtherance of its enforcement exercise to mop up preregistered SIM Cards, the Commission enforcement team had visited Gombe and Bauchi States on 2nd and 4th November, 2016. The locations visited in Gombe were Kasuwan Badaru and Fantami markets while the GSM Container market was visited in Bauchi.

  3. Enforcement Action on Landmark Towers for Interfering with Emerging Market Telecommunications Services (EMTS) Frequency.

    Enforcement action was carried out against Landmark Towers for interfering with EMTS frequency and a total of seven (7) out of eight (8) Boosters causing the interference were removed and confiscated from the premises.

  4. Stakeholders Engagement Session on Automatic Vehicle Tracking Services

    The Commission had carried out a compliance monitoring exercise on Automated Vehicular Tracking Service (AVTS) in the 2nd quarter 2016. Arising from the exercise various concerns were noted regarding the activities of the license. As part of the strategy to address these concerns, the Commission invited relevant stakeholders in that segment of the telecoms industry to attend a Stakeholders Engagement Session on the activities of Automated Vehicular Tracking Service (AVTS) Licensees on 3rd November, 2016 at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Lagos State.

    Following the engagement session, stakeholder resolved on the following:

    1. The Commission and the Nigerian Custom Service would strengthened their collaboration. It was noted that while the Customs Service tries to ensure that importers of tracking devices have the requisite authorization to bring in these items, there was a lack of training of NCS Staff on how to identify telecom devices entering the country and thus the need for training NCS officials in this regard.
    2. The Commission noted the menace of unlicensed service providers and the need to restrict the registration of multiple SIM Card as a way of checkmating their activities. However, given the provision of the Registration of Telecom Subscribers Regulations (2011), corporate organizations and other business entities are allowed to register multiple SIM Cards possible. This provision cannot be restricted to only AVTS operators;
    3. The Commission assured the industry that it would commence the periodic publishing the list of licensed AVTS operators in the market in National Dailies;
    4. The Commission would collaborate with insurance companies and their regulator to ensure that only licensed AVTS service providers are patronized;
    5. The Commission advised that Association of Telematics Operators of Nigeria (ATON) should look inwards and define/ develop a Code of Conduct for their operations in that segment of the industry.

  5. Commission Holds Sensitization Workshop for Law Enforcement Agencies on Telecommunications Issues

    The Commission successfully conducted the sensitization workshop for law enforcement agencies on telecommunication issues in the southwestern region of the country and North-West on the 24th of November, 2016 and 13th December 2016 in Lagos and Kano respectively.

    The workshop was well attended by representatives from the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Customs Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and Department of Security Service (DSS).

    The workshop will continue in the North Central, South-East and South-South in 2017.