NCC Orders Reltel To Stop Mobile Services

By Everest Amaefule

The Nigerian Communications Commission has ordered Reliance Telecommunications Limited to stop offering mobile or roaming services within seven days.
The ultimatum was contained in a letter to the company dated June 4, and signed by the Director of Legal Service, NCC, Mr. Steven Andzenge.

NCC said by offering mobile services, Reltel was contravening the terms of the licence issued to it in 1999.
The regulatory agency said that Reltel’s10-year licence, which expires in 2009, only permitted it to offer fixed wireless telephone services.

Reltel had recently promoted mobile services within its network in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Port Harcourt. .
To encourage the patronage of the services, it offered bundle packages, which included a mobile line and a mobile handset which were sold at discounted rates.

In the past, NCC had encouraged fixed wireless operators, popularly known as Private Telecommunications Operators that offered limited mobility within the cities where they had services.
However, with the further liberalisation of the telecommunications industry through the Unified Access Services Licence, some PTOs, including Starcomms, Intercellular and Multi-Links came up with roaming services.

Through the Unified Access Services Licence, a fixed operator could acquire the legal capacity to offer mobile services. Similarly, a mobile operator would, through the new licensing regime, be permitted to offer fixed services.
The regulatory agency threatened that failure by Reltel to quit mobile services or migrate to the unified licensing platform might lead to the revocation of its licence.

According to NCC, it is only a unified licensee that is authorised to “construct, maintain, operate and use an International Gateway and a network consisting of a Cellular Communication System, a Fixed Wireless Access Telecommunications System, Fixed Wireline Telecommunications System or a combination of any of these systems.”

Although it authorises the licensee to provide communications services by means of the network, including provision of all types of access services, the scope of services may be subject to the commission’s periodic reviews.

Source: punch

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