Regulatory Service Ban Placed On Mtn Has Been Lifted By Ncc

SAN FRANCISCO, March 16, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced a cessation of the ban on regulatory services, which it placed on MTN Nigeria in July 2015 for several regulatory infractions.

The NCC through a letter, signed by Efosa Idehen, Head, Compliance, Monitoring/Enforcement and Yetunde Akinloye, Head, Legal & Regulatory Services, communicated the end of the suspension to MTN.

The letter revealed that “we have reviewed MTN's plea and also took into consideration the fact that MTN has abated all the infractions that gave rise to the suspension of regulatory services by the Commission,” and therefore lifted the suspension.

MTN was banned after the regulator sent letters to it on May 4, May 9 and May 25 last year, instructing the telecommunications company to withdraw unapproved tariffs and promotions specifically on MTN Trutalk, MTN Best II promotions among others.

According to the commission, in a statement signed issued by Tony Ojobo, Director of Public Affairs, NCC, the compliance checks on MTN after the letters were sent showed that it had failed and deliberately refused to comply with the directives issued by the commission.

“In spite of that, MTN continued to introduce additional promotions in utter disregard for the NCC directive, contrary to the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 and Regulation 8(2) of the Enforcement Regulations 2005 and the relevant provision in the guidelines for Advertisement and Promotion,” the statement read.

“Further communication with MTN in letters dated June 19, 2015 and July 13, 2015 did not in any way discourage the operator from these infractions.

“In a meeting between the NCC and MTN management on October 5, 2015 it was resolved among others that NCC should compile and communicate list of all outstanding infractions to MTN stating what they need to do regarding each of the infractions, MTN should resolve all the outstanding infractions within two weeks and revert to the commission which will monitor and validate the claims by MTN.”

Having met the conditions and abated all the infractions that prompted the suspension of its regulatory services by the Commission; MTN wrote letters to the NCC asking that the suspension be lifted.

To this end, the commission replied granting its request.

Written by David Oputah