Following a directive to
telecommunications service providers by the Nigerian Communications
Commission, the operators on Friday activated the ‘Do not disturb’
facility, which gives subscribers the freedom to choose what messages to
receive from the various networks.
With this directive, the NCC said on
Sunday that it had mandated the operators to dedicate a common short
code (2442), which would enable subscribers to take informed decisions.
The Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Mr.
Tony Ojobo, said the action was taken in order to protect subscribers
from the pains of unsolicited texts messages, which he described as a
direct regulatory response to their yearnings.
By this action, he said that the
commission had invoked a regulatory provision, which had hitherto been
overlooked by the operators.
Ojobo said, “Taking cognizance of the
broad range of services, which include banking, insurance, financial
products, real estate, education and health, the commission directed the
operators to give the necessary instructions and clarifications that
will enable subscribers to subscribe to a particular service or none at
all.
“In fact, a full DND, which is the SMS
‘STOP’ to 2442, does not allow the subscriber to receive any unsolicited
message from the operators at all.”
He, however, pointed out that the decision of the commission would not affect personal messages, or person-to-person messages.
He urged the operators to comply with
the directive issued by the commission and should never gain harass
subscribers with unwanted messages.
Ozioma Ubabukoh/Punch
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