NCC clamps down on three telecom companies

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has clamped down on three companies in Lagos for “illegal operations”.

Chukwuemeka Obi, principal manager, NCC’s compliance monitoring and Enforcement Department (CMED), told journalists on Wednesday that the action followed the reports from its surveillance team.

He said a surveillance conducted by the commission showed that a number of companies in Lagos were offering communications services without requisite authorisation.

Obi listed the affected companies to include Axon Integrated Services, located on Diya Street, Gbagada; Survenet Integrated Ltd situated on Bayo Ajayi Street, Agidingbi and Strem Concepts at Sasha, Akowonjo.

He said the three companies were into services such as installation of masts, towers and illegal vehicle tracking.

He explained that Axon Integrated was licensed by the NCC to sell mobile phones and private automatic branch eXchange (PABX) equipment sales, but the company had extended into installations, which its current licence does not cover.

“We got information that some companies in the telecommunication sector in Lagos are operating illegally without the required authorisation,’’ Obi said.

“We have given Axon one month within which it should come to NCC headquarters in Abuja to regularise its operations and obtain the required authorisation, failure of which will attract serious sanctions.

“Strem was found to be operating Automated Vehicle Tracking Services (AVTS) illegally.

“In our earlier enforcement in Lagos, Strem was found guilty for operating illegally.

“We sealed the company, asking them to come to the commission’s office in Abuja to get an official licence to operate, and the licensing process has started, but not yet concluded.

“Unfortunately, Strem went ahead to unseal itself without the commission’s permission. “We have come again to seal it, confiscated its radio equipment and asked it to report to Abuja to finalise its licensing process.”

In respect of Survenet, he said that the company was guilty of illegal installation of towers and other services, which it was not authorised to venture into.

Obi, however, said that for the two days that the enforcement lasted, Survenet’s office was locked.

He said the enforcement team would ensure that the long arm of the law definitely caught up with the company.

According to him, the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, under Section 31, stipulates that no firm should undertake communications services without prior authorisation of the commission.

“More or less, they are into installation of masts, setting up equipment and even radio that go beyond the scope of the licences and authorisation they have,” he said.

“We have those that also use spectrum illegally; we want to assure them that we will go after them to ensure that the culprits are brought to book.”