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Tag: MTN

  • Mobile porting drops to 27,644

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said telecommunications service providers recorded 27,644 Mobile Number Portability (MNP) activities in December, 2016.

    This was revealed in the “Incoming and Outgoing Porting Activities of Mobile Network Operators” report obtained by NAN on Sunday in Lagos.

     

    The report showed that there was a decrease of 6,475 in the porting activities during the period as against 34,119 recorded in the preceding month.

    It said that out of the total porting activities during the period, 14,059 were “incoming’’ while 13,585 were “outgoing’’.

    The report also showed 4,747 subscribers migrated from Airtel to other networks during the month and that 4,349 customers moved from MTN to other networks.

    It also indicated that 3,010 subscribers left Globacom network to others, while 1,479 customers of Etisalat ported to other networks within the period.

    For incoming porting statistics, the report revealed that Etisalat enjoyed had 10,956 customers on its network to lead others during the period.

    MTN came second with 1,240 subscribers while Globacom had 1,005 subscribers and Airtel, 858 customers.

  • NSE working with MTN to ensure listing – Onyema

    The Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyema has said NSE is working closely with MTN to ensure its listing on the nation’s bourse.

    Onyema made this known on Thursday, on the sidelines of the NSE 2016 market recap and outlook for 2017 in Lagos.

    Onyema said that the NSE team was working closely with MTN Nigeria, to encourage them to list.

    Onyema however declined to state if the company would list this year, saying issuers decide when to list.

    “I believe that they are very sincere when they said that they will list in 2017.

    “We are working with them but listing and when to list depends on the issuer, but we will work closely with them to encourage them to list,” Onyema said.

    He said that the exchange would witness a lot of new listings in 2017, noting that Med-View Airline would be listed this January, while Jaiz Bank had been given approval to list.

    Recall that MTN Nigeria in June 2016 said that it would list its shares on the NSE in 2017.

    Analysts say the decision was part of agreement the company reached with the Federal Government as a condition for slashing the fine imposed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) from 5.2 billion dollars to N330 billion.

    The fine was imposed when the Nigerian subsidiary, MTN Nigeria, was found to have breached the ‘know-your-customer’ rules, set by the NCC.

    The South African firm in a statement says it has appointed Stanbic IBTC Capital Ltd, Standard Bank of South Africa Ltd. and Standard Advisory London (collectively “Stanbic”) and Citigroup Global Markets Ltd., (“Citi”) as its joint transaction advisors and joint global coordinators.

    On the delisting of companies from NSE, he explained that the market was “free entry, free exit’’.

    Onyema, however, said that the exchange would continue to create a market space for issuers to list and stay in the market.

    According to him, NSE will continue to make the market attractive for issuers to come and raise and stay too.

    He said that the exchange would do a comprehensive review of market makers programme to make them more efficient in the market.

    Speaking on the suspended Code of Corporate Governance (CCG) of the Reporting Council (FRC), Onyema said that the code should be reviewed to be in line with other existing codes in the country.

    Onyema said that the suspended CCG would not affect investors’ confidence in the market.

    He explained that the code needed more work to be consistent and to address the concern of all stakeholders.

    The shareholders, before the suspension of the controversial code, kicked against its stance that says only accountants will be qualified to audit committee members of quoted companies.

     

    NAN

  • Numbers of Nigeria’s Internet users continue to drop

    ImageFile: Numbers of Nigeria’s Internet users continue to dropThe Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said Internet users on Nigeria’s telecommunications networks declined to 92,446,687 in November 2016, continuing the downward roll of October 2016.

    The telecommunications industry regulator made the disclosure in its latest Monthly Internet Subscribers Data released on Thursday.

    Since NCC authorized telecoms service providers to hike the price of data, which it has since made u-turn on, the number of Internet users have continued to dwindle.

    Also read: NCC orders GSM service providers to hike data tariff and NCC makes u-turn on data tariff increase

    In October, NCC reported that Internet users on both Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks decreased by 391,679 in respect to September figures.

    While the telecoms regulator reported recently that active telecoms subscribers is on the increase(http://thenewsguru.ng/ncc-reports-active-telecom-subscribers-increase/), the result is yet to reflect on the numbers of Internet users.

    The recent figures released by NCC indicates that Internet users on both Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks reduced by 759,683.

    Out of the 92.4 million Internet users in November, only 30,309 users were on CDMA networks, the same number recorded in October. The rest were hooked to the GSM networks.

    The data revealed that MTN had 32,017,779 subscribers, a decrease of 447,000, compared with the 32,464,779 subscribers in October.

    Globacom has 27,122,892 customers on its network in November, revealing a decrease of 62,660 users, from the 27,185,552 in October.

    Unlike Glo and MTN, Airtel gained 311,462 customers to balloon to 19,143,700 Internet users in November. The telecom firm’s October record was 18,832,238.

    Etisalat lost far more customers than other networks, recording 14,132,007 customers who browsed the Internet in November. The figure was 561,485 lower compared to the 14,693,492 users it had in October.

    The NCC data revealed that of the CDMA operators, Visafone is king, commanding 30,305 users, the same as in October.

    Multi-Links has just four Internet users; the same figures recorded for the firm in October.

    Meanwhile, stakeholders have decried the fact that despite IT boom, over 90% of Africans have no access to Internet.

  • Reduction of MTN’s N1.04tr fine in good faith – Shittu

    The Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, has said that the reduction of MTN’s fine from N1.04 trillion to N330 billion by the federal government, was done in good fate to save MTN’s business from total collapse and to also protect the jobs of thousands of Nigerians that are on MTN’s payroll.

    The minister who spoke in Abuja yesterday, said: “We must not throw away the baby with the bath water. If they had packed up and left, let us assume all their staff are not more than 5,000, it means all of those 5,000 will lose their jobs.

    “Also those who made investment, who bought shares will lose their shares and the Nigeria banking sector would go into crisis.”

    According to the minister, out of the N1.04 trillion fine for failure to deactivate unregistered SIM cards on its network, the federal government decided to reduce the fine to N330 billion.

    He further said that MTN had paid N80 billion of the N330 billion fine imposed on it by the federal government for failing to deactivate more than five million unregistered SIM cards.

    Shittu, who disclosed this at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum, said the payment was for this first year, representing the first tranche of the total payment.

    MTN, Nigeria’s largest mobile operator, was initially fined 5.2 billion dollars (N1.04 trillion) for failing to deactivate more than five million unregistered SIM cards.

    The fine imposed on the South Africa-owned company was later reduced to N330 billion.

    “For the first year, they paid N80 billion, after paying the initial N50 billion, and they will have to pay for three years until they will complete the N330 billion.

    MTN failed to deactivate 5.2 million unregistered SIM cards on its network, despite repeated warnings from the telecoms regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The fine for the contravention of a single SIM was N200,000 and it was multiplied by 5.2 million SIM cards, totalling N1.04 trillion.

    The NCC had no choice than to impose the fine on MTN. The law never anticipated that one company would be in violation to the tune of millions of lines, the minister said.

    He said: “When it happened, the MTN did four things; one they accepted that they were at default; two, they apologised for that; three, they committed themselves never to allow such a thing to happen; and number four, they asked for remission.

    “Government had to look at a number of factors because if they had to pay this amount; they would pack up. We also knew that we invited the international community to come and invest and anything that will be done which will shake the confidence of international investors in Nigerian economy, we must avoid it.”

    The reduction of the fine was condemned by many Nigerians, leading to an enquiry by the House of Representatives.

    The minister said that even in the court system, if one was fined and could not pay for one reason or the other, the person would ask for reconsideration either by way of appeal or a motion.

  • MTN pays N80bn of N330bn fine — FG

    MTN pays N80bn of N330bn fine — FG

    The Federal Government says MTN had paid N80 billion of the N330 billion fine imposed on it for failing to deactivate more than five million unregistered SIM cards.

    Speaking at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Abuja, the Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, said that the company paid the sum for the first year.

    It will be recalled that MTN was initially fined 5.2 billion dollars (N1.04 trillion) for failing to deactivate more than five million unregistered SIM cards but was later reduced to N330 billion.

    “For the first year, they paid N80 billion, after paying the initial N50 billion, and they will have to pay for three years until they will complete the N330 billion.

    “MTN does not have a choice, when the law was made, it said for every unregistered SIM card in use, the fine is N200, 000, the law never anticipated that one company will be in violation to the tune of millions of lines.

    “It was inconceivable, so when the thing was added 200,000 times 5.2 million lines, it came to a trillion plus.

    “When it happened, the MTN did four things; one they accepted that they were in default, two, they apologised for that and three they committed themselves never to allow such a thing to happen and number four, they asked for remission.

    “Government had to look at a number of factors because if they have to pay this amount; they will pack up.

    “We also knew that we invited the international community to come and invest and anything that will be done which will shake the confidence of international investors in Nigerian economy, we must avoid it.

    “Consequently, we must not throw away the baby with the bath water, if they had packed up and left, let us assume all their staff are not more than 5, 000, it means all of those 5,000 will lose their jobs.

    “Also those who made investment, who bought shares will lose their shares and the Nigeria banking sector would go into crisis,’’ he said.

    The minister said that even in the court system, if one was fined and could not pay for one reason or the other, the person would ask for reconsideration either by way of appeal or bringing a motion.

  • SIM swap: NCC plans new guidelines amidst process lapses

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, is set to come up with a new guideline that will harmonize the processes and procedures for Subscribers Identification Module (SIM) swaps across all networks.

    The decision followed various complaints by subscribers over unauthorized SIM swaps by service providers and fraudulent activities emanating from such exercise, all of which will stop if the new guideline comes into effect.

    Head, Legal and Regulatory Services, NCC, Mrs Yetunde Akinloye, who stated this at the Telecoms Consumer Parliament in Abuja, said the Commission had received so many complaints from the public on unauthorized SIM swap, adding that in some cases, some nefarious activities were carried out with such SIM Cards.

    She said that a taskforce has been set up between the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the lender of last resort, and NCC to look into some of the issues with a view to finding solutions to them.

    She said: “CBN is the banking regulator that is why we have entered into this taskforce with them so that between us and the CBN, we can find solution to this matter”.

    “There was a situation that was brought to our attention where a subscriber was having issues with his number and thought that it was a network issue, but by the time he discovered what was happening, about N4 million had been taken out of his bank account.

    “The person is resident here in Abuja, while the money was taken away from Kano, and he has never been to Kano, so there is no way this would have been done without the connivance of an insider.

    “We discovered that right now, the procedure for SIM swap differs from one operator to the other and we want to standardize how SIM Swap is done,” she added.

    Akinloye also said there were pending Bills at the National Assembly aimed at addressing the problem of unsolicited massages, which subscribers are constantly subjected to.

    A representative of the Consumer Protection Council, (CPC), Shamm Kolo, had earlier identified some of the major complaints brought to Council by consumers to include unauthorized SIM Swap, unsolicited caller tunes and music religious massages, lotto, and promos which are being forced on consumers, which they find difficult to opt out of.

    Also at the event, telecoms subscribers complained that in spite of the introduction of the 2442 “Do Not Disturb (DND) code by the NCC, they are still being inundated with unsolicited massages by the service providers.

    One of the subscribers, Miss Eyitayo Oladokun, complained that even after activating the DND code, she still receives a lot of unsolicited massages from her service provider.

    Responding to some of the complaints, a representative of MTN, Adamu Abubakar, explained that some subscribers find it difficult to opt out either because they are using handsets that are not meant for the Nigerian market or as a result of wrong code activation.