NCC raids banks over 9mobile’s service disruptions, impounds GSM Boosters

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) today stormed the Ikoyi area of Lagos to clamp down on organisations in four locations, whose installations have been causing network interferences to service delivery on 9mobile network.

The move undertaken by the Enforcement Unit of NCC was carried out at a bank with the name Page Microfinance Bank. Others are GMT Energy Resources, Club 57 and a property on No 61, Ademola Street, Ikoyi were found as culprits creating the problem in the area.

However, while four locations were found by the enforcement team, only the first three were tracked as the team could not access the premises of the fourth location on No. 61, Ademola Street in Ikoyi.

The raid was fallout of complaints received from 9mobile in respect of frequency interference it was having in its network, which has subjected a number of corporate and individual customers of the 9mobile to contending with debilitating service delivery on the mobile network.

Head of Enforcement Unit at NCC, Mr. Salisu Abdu, who led the team from Abuja, said after a thorough search, the team was able to localise the culprits causing the network interference to the four locations.

According to him, “We are in Lagos today in respect of a compliant we received from 9mobile 9mobile in respect of a frequency interference they are having in their network. We have investigated the complaints and found that the interference signal was localised at four locations here in Lagos, particularly in Ikoyi axis.

“We got all the locations. They are four. Fortunately, we realised that they had all removed the equipment causing the interferences on 9mobile network following our initial notice earlier served them to desist from the use of GSM Boosters to jam network,” he said.

Abdu explained that under the Nigerian Communication Act, 2003, it is illegal for any person or organisation to install any communications equipment capable of causing threats to service interoperability because such a practice degrades the quality of service.

“This equipment called GSM boosters were installed and were being used illegally. What they actually do with GSM Booster is to improve the quality of service in their own premises at the detriments of neighbouring residents.

“So, what the equipment does is to extort services from other telecoms services users around and localise within the user’s premises.

“While the use of GSM booster can be seen as an advantage to the user, it is a disadvantage to the neighbours. It is illegal o do that in accordance with the provision of the telecoms laws and they have removed all the equipment.”

Besides, NCC during the commando-styled raids, confiscated GSM Booster equipment found with Page Microfinance Bank just as it was discovered that GMT Energy Resources and Club 57 not only removed the equipment before the raid, but had also returned the equipment to their vendors.

NCC vowed that “the next phase of our enforcement activities, therefore, is to visit the vendors who are illegally selling the equipment without our own permission.”