GSM OPERATORS IN NIGERIA & CHALLENGES OF NCC REGISTRATION

September 2, 2011 | Posted by admin | 3,417 views

GSM OPERATORS IN NIGERIA & CHALLENGES OF NCC REGISTRATION
As the deadline (Sept 28, 2011) set by Nigeria Communication for GSM telephone operators to register the SIM of their users approaches, it is pertinent here to encourage these operators to intensify their campaigns in this regard owing to the immense benefits to them as operators and the nation in general.
With the recent increase in crimes perpetual by the use of GSM telephone, it becomes even more important to ensure that it becomes compulsory that every SIM be registered no matter the class/status of the individual concerned.
Any attempt by these operators to create a loophole in the system by allowing any SIM to be used without five being registered will pose a serious danger/treat to the entire security of the country.
Some of the challenges posed to GSM operators in the country with regard to SIM registration includes:
a Terrian : Nigeria’s land mass is one of the physical challenge that these GSM operators will encounter as some populace live in the river-ine areas where movement is most times difficult, especially in the rainy season presently.
b. Rural Populace &Proxy Registration: Over 70% of Nigeria’s population reside in the rural areas and if this exercise will yield the desire positive result then GSM operators should intensify efforts at capturing this great number of people who now use this technology and owing to the fact that there is no proxy registration, then there is need for them to deploy registration personnel to various political wards across the country, they can use the domains/residence of the traditional rulers across towns/villages for the exercise as well.
c. Campaign & Jingles : There is need to create more jingles in other languages outside the official language (English) and the other three major languages to sensitize the people the more on the need to register their SIM cards and efforts should also be made to give incentives/rewards such as airtime to those who comply as currently being done by Etisalat and Glo
d. Open Sale of SIM Cards Across the Country: The current practice where SIM cards are being sold at every look and cranny should be discouraged. The operators should device a means whereby SIM cards can only be obtained at their various offices and or licensed dealers across the country and making sure that every SIM is registered at the point of purchase.
e. Cost of Telephone Calls: Operators should endevour to bring down the cost of their calls more as currently being witnessed by the competition among them so that hoodlums using payphone to perpetrate their crimes be curtailed.
And payphone operators should always demand the identity (national ID/International Passport/Drivers License of any person who wants to patronize them and make sure that these calls are made in their presence to avoid putting themselves into trouble as any fraudulent call made through them attracts the penalty under the NCC regulations, in-fact in neighbouring country like Ghana it is always difficult to make calls through pay phone operators as most of them comply with the above stipulated provisions and more so the calls are cheap to make using your own personal phone.
Good Luck Nigeria