NCC Begins Review of Telecoms Customer Service Agreement

NCC Begins Review of Telecoms Customer Service Agreement

Emma Okonji

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has commenced the review of its customer Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for the resolution of consumer complaints and escalations to service providers.

The measure, according to NCC, would ensure faster and more effective resolution of consumer complaints in the telecoms industry and improve overall consumer experience on all telecoms networks.

The review will be carried out by a joint NCC-Industry Working Committee, which the commission has set up to ensure robust stakeholder participation in the exercise, and in furtherance of its consultative approach to rule-making.

Speaking during the inauguration of the NCC component of working committee at its headquarters in Abuja yesterday, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at NCC, Mr. Sunday Dare, re-emphasised the NCC’s uncompromising commitment to ensuring superior consumer experience on all telecoms platforms. He noted that as a consumer-centric telecoms regulator, the NCC believes that effective and timely resolution of consumer complaints as fundamental elements of consumer protection, pointing out that these are also fundamental statutory obligations of the commission as detailed in Sections 4 and 105 of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), 2003; the Quality of Service Regulations 2013, the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations, 2007 and other similar instruments.

He, therefore, charged the committee to ensure that reviewed SLAs entrench the commission’s consumer-centric focus, while also taking due cognisance of the relevant ecosystem, technology and other factors, affecting service quality.

NCC had met with service providers and the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the umbrella industry organisation in Lagos in September 2018 to discuss ways of enhancing the speed and quality of complaints resolution.

At that meeting, the commission expressed its strong displeasure about delays in complaints resolution, while operators pointed to the need to review some of the SLAs to reflect developments in technology and other factors impacting performance.

The meeting therefore, resolved to establish a joint NCC-industry Working Committee to study the matter and make recommendations, which the commission will take into consideration in setting out new complaints resolution SLAs for the industry.

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