Executive Vice Chairman, EVC, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) , Prof. Umar Danbatta says the telecom industry globally loses about 60 billion dollars annually to call masking.

Danbatta said this on Thursday in Abuja at the 86th edition of Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) with the theme: Overcoming Challenges of Call Masking/Refilling: Task Ahead for the Telecom Industry.

Call masking is the act of concealing international calls coming into a country and presenting them as local in order to make profits from the difference in prices between local and international calls.

Danbatta who was represented at the TCP by Mr Sunday Dare, the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management of NCC, said that between 54 billion dollars and 60 billion dollars was lost to call masking.

He added that the commission was taking proactive measures to curb the menace “even though we don’t have the exact amount lost in Nigeria. This is a global menace which is not specific to Nigeria and it is possible because of innovative technology that is available.”

“We talk about the Voice Over Internet Protocol, VOIP; Over The Top, OTT, platforms where you do WhatsApp and all other video calls, thanks to innovative technology.”

He said that these were innovations and technologies that allowed for some of these to happen.

“But we are happy to say that in the last eight months, the NCC took very proactive measures, through investigations. I think the most critical point is; we have tried to look for a technological solution to solve what is a slight technical problem.”

“As I speak now, we have found a solution.”

He explained that the solution was tried in Lagos “and about nine people were arrested in the basement of a house and a few cars.

“We tried that concept, it is working and we hope to launch it in January. When launched in January; I can assure Nigerians that before the end of 2019, we would have had 80 per cent reduction in call masking”.

He called on the public to report cases of call masking to NCC for appropriate measures.

He added that arrests had been made using tracker and the culprits would be prosecuted and treated as criminal offence.

Speaking to newsmen, Danbatta  revealed that the country’s broadband penetration has surpassed the 30 per cent target by the National Broad Band Plans at 30.9 per cent (31%) as at November 2018.

“NCC had issued license to seven infrastructure companies to deploy the needed infrastructure to facilitate the required penetration in the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria.

“This will enable penetration reach the served and under served areas in the country. Active Voice Subscriber base grew from 165,239,443 in October 2018 to 169,104,830 in November 2018, ” he said.

According to him, total active broadband subscription on 3G and 4G platforms as at November 2018 was 58,965,478.

He said all information and progress on mobile, internet and data usage penetration would be sustained to provide the necessary requirements for increased investments and effective regulation of the telecom sector in Nigeria.

The NCC boss said according to the reports between the first and third quarters, released by National Bureau of Statistics contributions of Telecommunications and Information Services to Gross Domestic Products (GDP ) stood at N4.7 trillion.

On research grants to universities, Danbatta said N50million had been given to some universities for research that would improve ICT and will be beneficial to the NCC in the near future.

According to him, NCC had set up a committee to come up with another strategy plan after the successful implementation of the 2015-2018 plans.

He said the expected plan would ensure the realisation of the eight point agenda of the NCC that is valid up till 2020 and ensure that customer’s satisfaction is ensured.

Earlier in a address of welcome, Mrs Felicia Onwuegbuchulam, the Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, said that the forum allowed for interactions with the public and stakeholders in the telecom industry.

She explained that the theme of the TCP was aimed at ensuring national security and a level playing ground for telecom licensees.

NAN