The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Wednesday stormed
the Ikoyi axis of Lagos State to raid organisations for deploying Global System
for Mobile (GSM) communication boosters illegally, reports ITRealms.
This, boosters, ITRealms
gathered were illegally installed and have constituted service disruption for
one of the nation’s mobile network operators, 9mobile.
As said by the Enforcement Unit of NCC, the raid affected
Page Microfinance Bank, GMT Energy Resources, Club 57 and a property on No 61,
Ademola Street, Ikoyi-Lagos.
ITRealms also
gathered that while the four locations were found by the enforcement team, only
the first three were tracked as the team could not access the premises of the
fourth location on No. 61, Ademola Street.
In addition, ITRealms
gathered that NCC raid is sequel to complaints received from 9mobile with
respect of frequency interference on its network around the raided region, which
subjected both corporate and individual customers to be experiencing poor
quality of service delivery.
Addressing the media after the enforcement exercise that
lasted for hours, Head of Enforcement Unit at NCC, Mr. Salisu Abdu, who led the
team from Abuja, said after a thorough search, the team was able to localise
the culprits causing the network interference to the four locations.
“We are in Lagos today in respect of a compliant we received
from 9mobile over a frequency interference they are having in their network. We
have investigated the complaints and found that the interference signal was
localised at four locations here in Lagos, particularly in Ikoyi axis.
“We got all the locations. They are four. Fortunately, we
realised that they had all removed the equipment causing the interferences on
9mobile network following our initial notice earlier served them to desist from
the use of GSM Boosters to jam network,” he said.
Abdu explained that under the Nigerian Communication Act,
2003, it is illegal for any person or organisation to install any
communications equipment capable of causing threats to service interoperability
because such a practice degrades the quality of service.
“This equipment called GSM boosters were installed and were
being used illegally. What they actually do with GSM Booster is to improve the
quality of service in their own premises at the detriments of neighbouring
residents.
“So, what the equipment does is to extort services from
other telecoms services users around and localise within the user’s premises.
“While the use of GSM booster can be seen as an advantage to
the user, it is a disadvantage to the neighbours. It is illegal o do that in
accordance with the provision of the telecoms laws and they have removed all
the equipment.”
Meanwhile, Abdu said the NCC team during the raid
confiscated GSM Booster equipment found with Page Microfinance Bank just as we
found that GMT Energy Resources and Club 57 not only removed the equipment
become we came for the raid but had also returned the equipment to their
vendors.
While stressing that the enforcement team also, during the
clampdown, discovered the people who are selling the equipment illegally in the
country, Abdu said “the next phase of our enforcement activities, therefore, is
to visit the vendors who are illegally selling the equipment without our own
permission.”
Abdu used the opportunity to warn organisations and
individuals using illegal installation sin the country to desist, threatening
that for those not desisting from act, the long arm of the law will catch up
with them.
He promised the resolve of the Commission to consistent
carries out enforcement activities toward ensuring that the right thing is done
in the country with a view to ensure effective growth of the nation’s telecoms
industry, saying that “observance of the country’s telecoms laws are an
essential ingredient towards achieving the sustainability of the industry
growth.”
Ayo Midele/GEE
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