NCC probes MTN, GLO, others over data depletion, wrong billings

By ZAKARIYYA ADARAMOLA

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said it is now tightening the noose against cases of data depletion and wrong deductions of consumers’ credit.

This is being done through a forensic audit of telecom operators’ billing systems, an official told Daily Trust in Abuja.

But a statement by the commission on Thursday quoted the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, as revealing the ongoing probe of data depletion when he received Man of the Year 2020 Award from MoneyReport magazine recently in Abuja.

The EVC said while consumer protection remains a key focus area of the Commission’s regulatory activities, it has accomplished significant improvements in this direction through various initiatives aimed at putting mobile operators on their toes to be more consumer-centric.

He said through the ongoing forensic audit, the Commission plans “to get to the bottom of why consumers are experiencing data depletion and the possibility of compensating them for wrong deductions, which may arise from short message service (SMS).”

“We have instituted and we have insisted that despite the fall in data price, that forensic audit must go on and must be concluded and the outcome communicated to the CEOs of telecom companies”, Danbatta said.

While appealing to Nigerians to wait for the outcome of the ongoing forensic audit, Danbatta said operators will be made to comply with whatever directions are given after the investigation with a view to ensuring maximum protection for telecom consumers.

He, however, noted that the Commission has developed Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on data depletion, which are designed to inform consumers on activities that may result in faster depletion of their data as well as enlighten them on measures to mitigate such.

The FAQs are accessible from the Commission’s website, he said.

The top telecoms companies in Nigeria include MTN, Globacom and 9Mobile. (Daily Trust)