The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has mandated that all telecommunications companies (telcos) block stolen subscriber identification module (SIM) cards within five minutes of receiving a report from subscribers.
The NCC has stated that any subsequent usage of the stolen SIM should not incur charges for the consumer from the time the report is made.
In its recent publication, ‘Quality of Service Business Rules,’ released in August 2024, the NCC also unveiled several new standards designed to enhance customer service in the telecommunications sector. These guidelines establish minimum service standards, relevant measurements, and key performance indicators (KPIs) for telecom operators.
A key requirement outlined in the new regulations is that telecommunications companies (telcos) must ensure that subscribers receive assistance within 30 minutes of arriving at service centers.
“It must not exceed 30 minutes. The licensee shall provide means of measuring the waiting time, starting from the time of arrival at the premises,” NCC said.
The commission has also introduced additional improvements to customer service interactions beyond reducing wait times.
The NCC stipulated that customers must be able to speak with a live representative within five minutes.
It said: “Maximum number of call-attempts before connecting to customer care lines should not be more than three (3) times,” the commission said. “Maximum number of rings before a call is answered by either an IVR machine or a live agent should not be more than five. “Where a customer decides to speak to a live agent, the maximum duration allowable on the queue/IVR should be 5 minutes before answer.
“In exceptional cases where live agent may be unavailable within 5 minutes to answer the call, a customer should be given an option to hanging up to be called back within a maximum time of 30 minutes.”
Concerning internet services, the NCC has stated that internet outages should not last longer than two hours. The regulator specified that outages exceeding this duration should only occur in cases of lawful disconnection.
Additionally, the commission issued warnings regarding the deactivation of subscriber lines. The NCC indicated that if a subscriber’s line is inactive and not used for any revenue-generating activity for a year, it is at risk of being blocked.
The regulator advised subscribers to request line parking if they have valid reasons for not using their lines, in order to prevent losing their numbers. “A subscriber line may be deactivated if it has not been used within six months for a revenue-generating event (RGE). If the situation persists for another 6 months, the subscriber may lose his/her number, except for network-related faults inhibiting an RGE,” NCC said.
The NCC stated that these measures are aimed at advancing its goals of developing and monitoring performance standards and metrics related to the quality of telephone and other communication services in the country.