What we have done to stop call masking, SIM boxing – Danbatta

LAGOS, Nigeria – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has unveiled proactive measures it took to curtail incidence of call masking/ refilling  and SIM boxing which have been identified as threat to national security.

Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, who was speaking at an interactive session with media chiefs in Abuja said the Commission  received complaints in the wake of 2017 about cases of call masking/call refilling and SIM boxing, which  he said was an anti-competitive practice and a threat to national security.

“Working with the Office of the National security Adviser (ONSA), we took drastic actions to identify culprit licensees, sanctioned them accordingly and barred mobile numbers identified to have been involved in masked calling from their networks.

“We also went further to carry out a Proof of Concept (PoC) and MNOs have now developed technology solutions to prevent, detect and filter masked calls on their networks”, he said.

Danbatta who used the occasion to reel out achievement of the agency under his watch said in the next five years, NCC hopes to take broadband penetration to 70 per cent to at least 90 percent of the population by 2025 in line with new target in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NBBP), 2020-2025.

“We want to continue to protect consumers and ensure they have value for their money. We want to continue to support and fast-track the digital economy drive of the Federal Government of Nigeria and this has led to the creation of a Digital Economy Department in the Commission’,  he said, adding that the commission is placing emphasis on growing the digital economy in collaboration with sister agencies under the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (FMoCDE).

Besides,  the NCC, he said hopes to consolidate on spectrum trading to ensure maximum and efficient usage of available frequencies; continuous SIM registration audit to provide security and curtail incidences of banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery; completion and commissioning of Emergency Communications Centres (ECCs) in the remaining states to enhance security and provide relief to citizens in distress.

He said the NCC is committed to the execution of the counterpart Funding Agreements with the Licensed InfraCo to facilitate increase in fibre deployment in the country and ensure, at least one Point of Access (PoA) in each of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria to enhance digital transformation.

“In the spirit of this partnership which we share, I will also expect that you will be very objective in your coverage of our regulatory activities and the industry, as you have been over the years.

“I, therefore, invite you to be part of our aspirations to create more awareness of the Commission’s regulatory activities among our stakeholders, especially the consumers of telecommunications services”, he told the gathering of News Editor and other media chiefs.