THE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned telecommunications companies against poor services.It stressed that the consumer was central to the success of the telecommunications sector.According to the NCC, with over 100 million active subscribers in the country, it has become necessary to understand who the customer is, what his/her expectations are.The NCC said that as a regulator, it had put in place measures to counter all the challenges impinging on customers' rights.At the first National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) summit tagged 'Nigerian Telecoms Revolution: Consumerism as the Last Mile,' the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, said in Lagos at the weekend that it was a known fact that there was a paradigm shift from mere service provision to ensuring that consumer satisfaction ranked highest in priority, in the provision of information communications technology goods and services.Juwah represented by the Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo, said one of NCC's mandates was to protect and promote the interests of consumers against unfair practices from their service providers. He disclosed that in a bid to implement this mandate, the commission established the Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB) in September 2001, charged with the responsibility to protect the rights, privileges and interests of telecommunications consumers.According to Juwah, the commission strives to ensure that the following expectations of consumers are met: access to robust services; affordability and availability of service; transparent tariff regime; redress when wronged and compensation when wrongly billed/loss of service.The EVC further noted that to realise the functions of CAB, it had empowered consumers through awareness programmes; developed policy and regulatory intervention on consumer awareness; facilitated redress for dissatisfied consumers; facilitated efficient consumer-operator interface for complaints management; collaborated with consumer advocacy groups,among others.Parts of intervention for improved customer service in the nation's telecoms space by the NCC, according to Juwah include ensuring per second billing; increased validity period; reduction in short messages tariff;provision of toll-free access to NCC contact centre for enquiry and complaints by a dissatisfied consumer.Juwah said to further ensure improved telephone service for Nigerians, the commission would launch the Mobile Number Portability Programme (MNP) designed to offer choice for the consumers by December.The MNP is the process that enables mobile telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another.The NCC EVC said the introduction of MNP by December would not only deepen competition for the benefit of the consumer but would allow the subscriber the opportunity to get the best tariff and quality among the operators, adding that this was another win-win programme designed for the consumer.
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