Call Masking: NCC awaits defaulters’ responses

Contrary to some media reports that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is unnecessarily trying to stifle the business of interconnect clearing houses by accusing them of call-masking, the Commission has not only presented evidences of the anti-competition act to affected six companies, but is now waiting for their responses on why they should not be sanctioned.

This was revealed to journalists in Lagos during a stakeholders’ forum on the presentation of findings on cost based study for determination of mobile voice termination rates, by the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof Umar Danbatta.

The EVC represented by Executive Commissioner for Stakeholders Affairs, Mr. Sunday Dare, said “Last week after the notice of intention to suspend, the six companies were invited to our headquarters in Abuja”.

“They were presented with the evidences of their call-masking acts as captured by our investigative task-force that worked for about six week monitoring their anti-due process activities. They were given a chance and were also told to go back, now they have known the evidence against to come back with their defences on why they should not be sanctioned accordingly.

Continuing, Dare averred that “I expect that they would  have come back with their defence as to why they should not be penalized. I think they had till Wednesday to submit their defences.

“At the moment we get their defences, the Commission will review their positions and based on that, measurable sanctions will be given.

“Licenses would either be suspended, or sanctions would be invoked. Revocation of licenses is the last resort in this matter,” Dare, NCC’s Executive Commissioner for Stakeholders’ Affairs averred.

It will be recalled that NCC had last week indicted about six operators including Interconnect Clearing House Nigeria Limited; Medallion Communications Limited; Nicconx Communications Limited; Breeze Micro Limited; Solid Interconnectivity and Exchange Telecommunications limited, over call masking and refilling in the telecoms industry.