For rendering poor services to their customers, four Global System for Mobile Communications operators have been ordered by the Nigerian Communications Commission to pay N1.2 billion fine.
The GSM operators-MTN, GLO, Airtel and Etisalat, reportedly failed to improve their services in the strategic assessment carried out by the NCC in the months of March and April this year and consequently incurred the regulator’s wrath.
As a punitive measure, Airtel, MTN, Glo, and Etisalat are to pay NCC N270m, N360m, N180 and N360m respectively.
The sanctions were communicated to the mobile operators in a letter dated May 10, 2012 and jointly signed by U. Maska, Head, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement and Josephine Amuwa, Director, Legal and Regulatory Services on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah.
The letter states in part, “The four GSM operators failed to keep up with the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as specified in Schedule 1 Table 2 of the Quality of Service Regulations 2012.
“The monitoring report indicated that your company had failed to meet the minimum standard of quality of service including the key performance indicators (KPI’s) as specified in Schedule 1 Table 2 of the Quality of Service Regulations 2012.”
Airtel was fined a total of N270m. N15m and N2.5m was for each parameter for a service contravened throughout the months of March and April respectively.
NCC directed Airtel to pay the sum of N270 million to the commission on or before May 25, 2012 or attract further N2.5m per day as long as the contravention persists.
Glo on the other hand, was ordered to part with the sum of N180 million to the agency on or before May 25, 2012 or risk a daily fine of N2.5 million until it complies with the order.
Similarly, Etisalat and MTN were fined N360m each? and? given up to May 21 and May 25 respectively to pay the fine or cough out a fine of N2.5 daily until the amount is liquidated.