TECHDIGEST – National Institute of Security Studies (NISS) has engaged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to advance strategic collaboration that would enhance the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) towards improving national security.

Speaking during a visit to the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta at the NCC’s Head Office in Abuja recently, the Institute’s Director, Research Estimates and Library Services, Dr. Adegboyega Karim, said the visit was on a fact-finding mission to enrich ongoing research that focuses on globalization and regional integration for sustainable development in Africa.

Karim led to the Commission a team delegation of Executive Intelligence Management Course Sixteen Participants (EIM16), a study group with representations from various security agencies under the auspices of NISS, typically senior officers in security agencies, including the military, police, intelligence services, and other relevant agencies.

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He noted that the Commission has made giant strides advancing the course of digital economy development in Nigeria, and that its regulatory processes provide a good opportunity for the collaboration to enable the group to research further into matters regarding telecommunications and national security.

Director, Special Duties of the Commission, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, who received the team on behalf of Danbatta, affirmed the readiness of the Commission to collaborate with the Institute, and, indeed, any private and public institution that is focused on national development.

Reiterating on the advancements made in ICTs, Adinde said it is within this context that the Commission continued to promote the deployment of robust digital infrastructure capable of supporting and improving the security of lives and property.

“As a way of consolidating on the tremendous successes that had been recorded in the telecoms industry through effective regulatory regime emplaced by the Commission, the Federal Government has formulated a number of policies such as the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) and the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), among others, which serve as a compass for our efforts at building a resilient digital economy that supports security,” he said.

Adinde enlightened the visiting delegation on NCC’s efforts towards ensuring adequate protection for telecoms facilities, across the nooks and crannies of the country where it is treated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), the building of Emergency Communications Centres (ECCs) across states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as well as series of collaborations with relevant agencies to ensure effective connectivity to individuals and institutions.

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Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, who had been serving as the Director of the Commission’s Special Duties Department, is replaced by Muoka. Along with Ismail Adedigba, who is now Director of Research and Development (R&D), and Gwa-Tobi Mohammed, who has also acquired responsibilities as Director/Secretary to the Board of the Commission, the new NCC spokesperson was recently promoted to substantive director.In 2021, Muoka was chosen to lead the Special Duties Department, which also oversees the Commission’s Security Services Unit, Emergency Communication Centers Unit, and Public Private Partnership Unit.

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Before his current redeployment to head the Public Affairs Department, the arm of the Commission tasked with managing the image and visibility of Nigeria’s telecom regulator and a shining example of the country’s public service, he was promoted to Director of the Department.

Muoka is expected to contribute his extensive and diverse experience in both traditional and specialized journalism, public relations, corporate communication, integrated marketing communications (IMC), and people management to the Commission’s vision to broaden the reach of its goodwill with the public and the influence of its reputational assets.

Reubens Ejike Muoka is a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ); a full member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (mnipr); and an associate member of the Registered Practitioners of Advertising (arpa), regulated by the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON).

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TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has ruled out possible hike in telecom tariffs for now and assured subscribers that increase in the price of talk and other services cannot happen without recourse to empirical studies.

Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) under the auspices of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), have proposed a 40% tariff hike citing high cost of running their operations in a letter to the telecom regulator.

The demands have fueled subscribers’ rage.

But the NCC has assured that there will be no arbitrary increased in the orice of telecoms services.

“Consistent with international best practice and established regulatory procedures, the NCC ensures its regulatory activities are guided by regular cost-based and empirical studies to determine appropriate cost (upper and floor price) within which service providers are allowed to charge their subscribers for services delivered,” the regulator stated in a statement released in Abuja and signed by Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde.

According to the statement, “the Commission ensures that any cost determined, as an outcome of such transparent studies is fair enough as to enhance healthy competition among operators, provide wider choices for the subscribers as well as ensure sustainability of the Nigerian telecoms industry.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, and contrary to MNOs’ agitation to increase tariffs for voice and Short Messaging Services (SMS) by a certain percentage, the commission wishes to categorically inform telecoms subscribers and allay the fears of Nigerians that no tariff increase will be effected by the operators without due regulatory approval by the commission.

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“It is noteworthy that tariff regulations and determinations are made by the Commission in line with the provisions of Sections 4, 90 and 92 of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, which entrusts the Commission with the protection and promotion of the interests of subscribers against unfair practices including but not limited to; matters relating to tariffs and charges.

“The current tariff regime being administered by the service providers is a product of NCC’s determination both for voice and SMS in the past.

“However, while there could be justifiable reasons for MNOs’ demand for tariff increase, it should be noted that they are not allowed to do such either individually or collectively without recourse to NCC, following the outcome of a cost study. This is not the case for now.

“Through NCC’s commitment to engendering healthy competition among the licensees, the cost of services has been democratised and become more and more affordable for Nigerian subscribers. The regulator is even more committed to this cause to ensure subscribers get greater value for money spent on telecom services.”

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TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) NCC has informed telecom subscribers that all already blocked Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards will not be unbarred by the service providers until they are linked with the National Identification Numbers (NINs).

The regulator stressed this while alerting telecom consumers of a fake, viral web link representing “misinformation and disinformation designed to mislead the general public about the [blocked] SIM cards.”

“This information has become necessary in view of a viral web link (https://bit.ly/NCC-Sim-Unbar-Gov-Ng) being circulated on social media and on some websites. The link and accompanying narrative represent patent misinformation and disinformation certainly designed to mislead the general public about the SIM cards that are barred from making calls, due to non-linkage with NIN at the set deadline,” noted NCC’s Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, in an official statement at the weekend.

Part of the statement reads:
“The misleading, viral message mischievously displays NCC logo and ostensibly promises members of the public that, by clicking the web link and following further instructions in that regard, subscribers with barred SIM cards can unbar such SIMs across mobile networks without a valid NIN.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the NCC wishes to state categorically that it never issued such statement, directing subscribers or indicating that subscribers can unbar their SIM without a NIN. As such, the originators and peddlers of the spurious message were out to mischievously mislead unsuspecting members of public. Therefore, their message should be disregarded.

“The NCC is the national regulatory authority for telecommunications in Nigeria, and it is co-driving the process of the NIN-SIM linkage with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) as directed by the Federal Government.
“The commission will not, under any circumstance, act contrary to Federal Government’s directive to MNOs to bar SIMs cards not linked to NINs at the expiration of the last deadline given for the NIN-SIM linkage exercise.”

How to get blocked SIMs actively connected to make calls

The NCC also advised affected telecom subscribers on how they can get their SIMs actively connected to make calls.
First, for subscribers that have not registered for their NIN, what to do is to get their SIM registered at accredited centres across the country and then link the NIN with their SIM cards through channels provided by their service providers.
Secondly, for subscribers with registered NINs, what to do is to simply go and link the NIN with their SIMs through channels provided by their service providers.
“The NCC, therefore, uses this opportunity to reiterate its commitment to the Federal Government’s directive on the NIN-SIM Linkage to among others, strengthen security situation in the country, assist in other socio-economic planning activities of the government, as well as to always advance the course of consumer protection from falling victim to the antics of cyber fraudsters.” said Adinde.

Source : ITedgenews

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TECHDIGEST – Beginning today, April 4, 2022, the federal government has directed telecom operators (telcos) to bar all outgoing calls on unlinked phone lines.

Phone users who failed to meet the March 31 deadline to link their National Identification Number (NIN) to the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) in their phones will experience a connectivity blackout as government pushes to have only identifiable people access the national network.

In a statement signed jointly by Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ike Adinde and Head of Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr. Kayode Adegoke, the governmrnt revealed that at the end of the NIN-SIM linkage deadline, “over 125 million SIMs have had their NINs submitted for immediate linkage, verification and authentication. Similarly, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over 78 Million unique NINs till date.”

According to the statement, “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the implementation of the policy with effect from the 4th of April, 2022. Consequently, the federal government has directed all telcos to strictly enforce the policy on all SIMs issued (existing and new) in Nigeria.
“Outgoing calls will subsequently be barred for telephone lines that have not complied with the NIN-SIM linkage Policy from the 4th of April, 2022.”
READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW.
On behalf of the Federal Government, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has commended Nigerians and Legal Residents for their support during the exercise to link National Identification Number (NIN) to the Subscriber Identification Module (SIM). As of date, over 125 Million SIMs have had their NINs submitted for immediate linkage, verification and authentication. Similarly, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued over 78 Million unique NINs till date.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, gave the directive for the implementation and commencement of the exercise in December 2020, as part of the administration’s security and social policies. The deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage has been extended on multiple occasions to allow Nigerians to freely comply with the Policy. The FG also took into consideration the passionate appeals by several bodies – Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Civil Societies, Professional Bodies and a host of others – for the extension of the deadlines in the past.
Accordingly, Mr. President graciously approved the many requests to extend deadlines for the NIN-SIM linkage. At this point however, Government has determined that the NIN-SIM Policy implementation can proceed, as machinery has already been put in place to ensure compliance by citizens and legal residents. The implementation impacts on Government’s strategic planning, particularly in the areas of security and socio-economic projections.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the implementation of the Policy with effect from the 4th of April, 2022. Consequently, the Federal Government has directed all Telcos to strictly enforce the Policy on all SIMs issued (existing and new) in Nigeria. Outgoing calls will subsequently be barred for telephone lines that have not complied with the NIN-SIM linkage Policy from the 4th of April, 2022. Subscribers of such lines are hereby advised to link their SIMs to their NINs before the Telcos can lift the restriction on their lines. Affected individuals are hereby advised to register for their NINs at designated centers and thereafter link the NINs to their SIMs through the channels provided by NIMC and the Telcos, including the NIMC mobile App.
Professor Pantami specially appreciates President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) for his tremendous support. He also commends the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Dambatta, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Aliyu Azeez Abubakar along with their Management and Staff, as well as other notable bodies whose efforts have seen to the monumental success of the exercise. The Minister also extends his thanks to the telecommunication operators for their support towards the success recorded.
The Honourable Minister also emphasized that enrolment for the NIN is a continuous exercise and NIN is a precondition for service in Telcos, banks, Nigerian Immigration Service, and for several other government services. He also encouraged Nigerians and legal residents to visit NIN registration centers for the enrollment and issuance of valid NINs.

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TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has supported the 2022 edition of the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Africa Forum (NDSF) on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D), scheduled for Thursday, June 9, at the prestigious Welcome Centre Hotels, International Airport Road, Lagos, with the theme: ‘5G: Enthroning Internet Governance for Digital Economy.’

Affirming this development, the organisers of NDSF 2022 through its Lead Consulting Strategist and Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media inc, Mr. Remmy Nweke, said that NCC made this known via the office of the Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, noted that the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has been scheduled to address stakeholders on “5G Enthronement in Nigeria’s Telecom Sector.”

The 13th edition of the forum, Nweke, who is an author and online personality of repute, said, will be co-hosted with the formal public presentation of his latest book: ‘Sagacity Of A Digital Revolution.’

Nweke pointed out that DigitalSENSE Africa, a project of ITREALMS Media group is made up of internationally reputed and award-winning Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry analysts and perception managers; professionally affiliated to African Regional At-Large Organisation (AFRALO) for shaping the future of the Internet.

Also, he said that DigitalSENSE Africa is a certified At-Large Structure (ALS) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which coordinates the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the namespaces and numerical spaces of the Internet, by ensuring the network’s stability and secured operation.

Nweke brings to mind that NCC is an independent regulatory authority for the telecommunications industry in Nigeria was created under Decree number Decree 75 by the [Federal Military Government of Nigeria] on 24 November 1992. NCC has since transformed into a leading telecom agency in the continent.

Just as NCC recently engaged stakeholders by opening up the telecom space in the country for processes leading to auction and licensing of fifth generation (5G) operators.

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TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has alerted the country’s telecommunications community about the activities of cybercriminals who have perfected a New year scheme to deliver ransomware to targeted organizational networks.

The new ransomware uncovered by security experts has been categorised, by the Nigerian Computer Emergency Response Team’s (ngCERT) advisory released over the weekend, as high-risk and critical.

According to the ngCERT advisory contained in a statement issued on Saturday, January 15, 2022, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, director, Public Affairs at NCC, the criminal group is said to have been mailing out (BadUSB) USB thumb drives to many organisations in the hope that recipients will plug them into their PCs and install the ransomware on their networks.

While businesses are being targeted, criminals could soon begin sending infected USB drives to individuals.

Describing how the cybercrime group runs the ransomeware, the ngCERT advisory says the USB drives contain so-called ‘BadUSB’ attacks.

The BadUSB exploits the USB standards versatility and allows an attacker to reprogram a USB drive to emulate a keyboard to create keystrokes and commands on a computer. It then installs malware prior to the operating system booting, or spoofs a network card to redirect traffic.

Numerous attack tools are also installed in the process that allows for exploitation of personal computers (PCs), lateral movement across a network, and installation of additional malware. The tools were used to deploy multiple ransomware strains, including BlackBatter and REvil.

According to ngCERT, the attack has been seen in the US where the USB drives were sent in the mail through the Postal Service and Parcel Service.

One type contained a message impersonating the US Department of Health and Human Services and claimed to be a COVID-19 warning. Other malicious USBs were sent in the post with a gift card claiming to be from Amazon.

However, ngCERT has offered recommendations that will enable corporate and individual networks to mitigate the impact of this new cyber-attack and be protected from the ransomware.

These recommendations include a call on individuals and organisations not to insert USB drives from unknown sources, even if they’re addressed to you or your organization.

In addition, if the USB drive comes from a company or a person one is not familiar with and trusts, it is recommended that one contacts the source to confirm they actually sent the USB drive.

Finally, ngCERT has advised Information and Communication Technology as well as other Internet users to report any incident of system compromises to ngCERT via incident@cert.gov.ng, for technical assistance.

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TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has determined the new International Termination Rate (ITR) for voice services paid by overseas telecom carriers for terminating international calls on local networks in Nigeria at $0.045.

This is contained in a statement signed by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde,Director, Public Affairs,Nigerian Communication Commission on Monday.

The new rate is contained in the ‘Determination of Mobile International Termination Rate’ issued by the Commission on November 25, 2021. The $0.045 rate is the floor price for ITR services and shall take effect from January 1, 2022. The rate is to be paid in US Dollar to enable Nigerian operators to receive an increasing rate in Naira terms to accommodate devaluation.

No licensee shall charge and/or receive effective rate per minute below determined ITR floor rate. As such, payment discounts, volume discounts and any other concession that has the effect of bringing the effective ITR lower than the rate determined shall be deemed a contravention of the new determination and will attract sanctions in line with the Nigerian Communications (Enforcement process, etc.) Regulations, 2019.

The ITR Floor is the minimum that can be charged. Operators will be free to negotiate a rate above the floor and this will be entirely left to commercial negotiation between the operators and international carriers/partners.

However, while the ITR only pertains to the cost of bringing traffic into Nigeria, Nigerian operators will continue to pay the regulated Mobile Termination Rate (MTR), the local termination rate among themselves.

The MTR of N3.90 for generic 2G/3G/4G operators and N4.70 for new entrant Long Term Evolution (LTE) operators determined in 2018, will continue to apply for local call terminations until a new rate is determined by the Commission pursuant to its powers as enshrined in the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), 2003.

The subsisting regime of interconnection rates was sustained by the Commission’s Mobile (voice) termination rate issued on June 1, 2018. In the determination, it was stated that the ITR of N24.40 determined in 2016 will continue to apply until a new determination is made.

The ITR, being denominated in Naira had multiple negative impacts on local operators which was further exacerbated by episodes of devaluation of naira which ultimately left Nigeria from being a net receiver with respect to international minutes to a net payer.

The Commission also observed that operators continue to face series of challenges occasioned by the denomination of ITR in Naira, necessitating a need for a cost-based study on ITR. In view of the foregoing and in fulfillment of its statutory mandate of periodic review of regulatory policies, the Commission engaged Messrs’ Payday Advance and Support Services Limited to undertake a cost-based study of voice MTR that is most suitable for the Nigerian telecommunications industry.

Commenting, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said in arriving at the new MTR of $0.045, “the Commission has carefully considered the information provided by stakeholders and taken a view on parameters and regulatory measures in the light of relevant information such as international experience, cost model results, the state of competition in the sector and the Nigerian macro-economic environment.”

He added that the process of arriving at the ITR had been conducted transparently with a view to providing maximum clarity to all parties without compromising the confidentiality of commercially-sensitive information. “We are confident that the result the review will make a significant contribution to the development of the telecoms sector in Nigeria and be beneficial to subscribers, operators and the country at large,” he said.

The EVC, on behalf of the Board and Management of the NCC, extended the Commission’s gratitude to all operators and industry stakeholders, who submitted information relating to the regulation of interconnection rates and the costing models as well as the consultant, for their participation in the process leading to the Determination.

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TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has extended the deadline for the submission of bids and initial bid deposit in respect of the 3.5GHz spectrum auction.

A statement signed by Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, director, Public Affairs at NCC, the submission of responses in respect of the 3.5 Gigahertz Spectrum Band auction was scheduled to close today, Wednesday, 24th November 2021.

“However, due to the challenges posed to air travels as witnessed recently and considering that it may have some impact on intending bidders regarding the submission of their bids, the Commission hereby extends the deadline for submission of bids and Initial Bid Deposits (IBDs) to 5.00 pm on Monday, 29th November 2021″, the statement reads.

“All other events as scheduled in the Information Memorandum remain unchanged,” the NCC explained

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TECHDIGEST – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is set to host a stakeholder engagement forum this week, TechEconomy.ng can report.

This, according to Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, director, Public Affairs at NCC, is part of ac​​tivities lined up for the implementation of the Fifth Generation (5G) Technology Deployment Plan in the country.

“The forum will afford industry stakeholders the opportunity to discuss the draft Information Memorandum (IM) for the upcoming auction of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum band”, Dr. Adinde said.

Scheduled to hold at the Lagos Marriot Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, Thursday November 4, 2021 at 10:00 am prompt, the Commission has confirmed that the attendance at the event is open to all interested stakeholders in the telecoms sector and beyond.

The decision to host the stakeholder engagement is in keeping with the provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 and NCC’s distinctive tradition of robust stakeholder consultation on all telecom regulation-related issues.

In June, the Commission inaugurated a committee to develop the IM for the auction of 3.5 GHz spectrum band, which will be utilized for early deployment of 5G technology services in the country.

The Information Memorandum (IM) is a comprehensive document, which defines the process emplaced by the Commission for the auctioning of the 3.5GHz spectrum band.

It also provides information on the Nigerian telecommunications market, details of the spectrum to be made available, the pre-qualification process, the auction process as well as the indicative timetable.

The stakeholder engagement forum is, therefore, an important regulatory prerequisite for the planned auction of 3.5Ghz spectrum before the end of this year.

Accordingly, the Commissions has called on interested stakeholders and members of the public to participate and make contributions to discussions around this important draft document.

In line with the objectives of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria, and the positioning of Nigeria as an early adopter of digital technology as well as a major participant in the growing global digital economy, the successful and timely deployment of 5G is crucial for the country.

The 5G technology is expected to facilitate several emerging technologies, generate innovate new use cases, spur significant socio-economic growth and create jobs.

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