Telecommunication operators in Nigeria are washing their hands of unsolicited short messaging services (SMSs), pointing at some unscrupulous foreign data miners, although when you dig deeper, there are possible sounds of denial.
Near the end of the 75th Telecoms Consumer Parliament (TCP), organized by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), operators blamed the “so-called” data miners who they claimed are working in connivance with guerrilla marketers.
Telecommunications subscribers waxed worriedly and urged the NCC to protect them, while the NCC threatened to sanction any firm found to be sending unsolicited SMSs.
Mrs. Maryam Bayi, Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau at the Commission said network operators are yet to adhere to its warning to stop unauthorized value added service (VAS) providers within their networks.
Sahe said the Commission has since commenced the enforcement process on identified VAS providers and the network operators.
In a swift reaction, Mr. Akinwale Goodluck, corporate services executive at MTN Nigeria, stated “The issue of unsolicited SMS should not be dumped on the doorsteps of the operator alone, because of the growing trends of gorilla marketers who go about obtaining, buying and selling of data captured from functions.”
Nodding in agreement, Kenechukwu Ofili, manager, Back Office and Complaints Resolution, Customer Care at Etisalat Nigeria, said that the guerrilla marketers are in the habit of deceiving unsuspecting network subscribers.
“It is something we are dealing with. I am not saying that operators are completely blameless in terms of unsolicited SMS, but the bulk of the SMS, especially those coming at 2am or 3am, by and large, are coming from the guerrilla marketing SMS” Ofili stated.
Also, Ajay Bakshi, director, Customer Services at Airtel Nigeria, said, “Sometimes in March I attended a function and people were asked to drop their business cards. There, you have your phone number and email address copied, photocopied or duplicated by these people. So, some individuals play fast-one; find a way to duplicate the data and sell to people. The truth is that we must find a way out of this even as the public should be vigilant and not too forward in dropping their details with people”.
Also commenting, Maria Svensson, director, Customer Care Globacom Nigeria, said that “I know for sure that my network has stopped such kind of bulk SMS. Now, other people are using our network to send such things”
In spite the explanations, Dr. Martins Iwuanyanwu, founder and chief executive officer, Leadership Watch (LW), said that subscribers remain dissatisfied and called value for their money and protection on the networks.
He said, “The concerns are unabated. Now, operators are telling us that ‘data miners’ invade certain network or compromise their systems; while these things are happening; there are also technologies to counter those activities” Iwuanyanwu stated.
There is concern that the trend may persist with subscribers losing monies if not properly educated on the illegal marketing and anti-spam SMS trends.
But Bayi of NCC urged the operators to install more anti-spam technologies to filter the unsolicited SMS passing through their networks.
The NCC said that in consistence with Section 89 of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 which mandates the Commission to monitor all significant matters relating to the performance of all licensed telecoms service providers and publish annual reports at the end of each financial year, it had developed Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement strategies to achieve ethical market conduct and optimal quality of service in the Nigerian telecommunications industry.