Regulator Issues Last Warning To Mobile Network Operators To Stop Unsolicited SMS

The Nigerian Communications Commission has issued what it called ‘last warning’ mobile network operators in the country to stop unsolicited Short Messages Service or text and calls to subscribers.
Director of the Commission’s Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo, in a statement today, expressed worry that in spite of earlier warnings to telecommunication service providers to activate their ‘Do-Not-Disturb’ facility which gives subscribers the freedom to choose the messages they receive, the Commission is still inundated with complaints by subscribers of continuing text harassment by operators.
The Direction issued to industry operators to activate the 2442 ‘Do Not Disturb’ Short Code took effect from July 1, 2016.
Ojobo explained that the Direction mandates the operators to take immediate action which will allow the subscribers to take informed but independent decisions on what messages to receive from the networks.
He said that industry compliance doesn’t seem to have matched the seriousness of the Direction and that the Commission is therefore  compelled to issue a final warning to the operators.
According to him, the directive takes into cognizance the broad range of services, which include: Banking/Insurance/Financial products, Real estate, Education, Health, Consumer Goods and Automobiles, Communication/ Broadcasting/ Entertainment/ IT, Tourism and /Leisure, Sports, Religion (Christianity, Islam, others.
The Commission directed the operators to give the necessary instructions and clarifications that will enable subscribers subscribe to a particular service/services/none at all.
In fact, a Full DND which is SMS ‘STOP” to 2442 does not allow the subscriber to receive any unsolicited messages from the operators at all.
The following are the various options:
“SMS 1” for receiving SMS relating to Banking/Insurance/ Financial Products to 2442
“SMS 2” for receiving SMS relating to Real estate to 2442
SMS 3” for receiving SMS relating to Education to 2442
“SMS 4” for receiving SMS relating to Health to 2442
“SMS 5” for receiving SMS relating to Consumer Goods and Automobiles, to 2442
“SMS 6” for receiving SMS relating to Communication/ Broadcasting/ Entertainment/ IT, to 2442
“SMS 7” for receiving SMS relating to Tourism and Leisure to 2442
“SMS 8” for receiving SMS relating to Sports to 2442
“SMS 9” for receiving SMS relating to Religion to 2442
Ojobo called on the service providers to immediately comply with the directive as further complaints from the subscribers would be taken as serious infractions to a major regulatory intervention by the Commission. [myad]