WASPAN to invest in educating mobile subscribers, partner NCC to arrest unsolicited SMS

APPARENTLY targeting a healthy public perception of Value Added Services, VAS, Wireless Application Services Providers of Nigeria, WASPAN, has concluded plans to invest more in educating mobile subscribers and help them to be better informed and become savvier in the use of their mobile phones. The organisation said it is also partnering with the Nigerian Communication Commission, NCC, to arrest the situation of unsolicited calls and messages through relevant solutions with a view to protecting and educating subscribers and customers.

 This is coming on the heels of  barrage of complaints that mobile subscribers have about VAS, such as unsolicited calls and SMS, spamming, forced activations deduction of call credit among others.
Speaking at an event in Lagos, The National Coordinator, WASPAN, Chijioke Ezeh, said that both VAS companies and mobile subscribers have the dual responsibility to double-check services ahead of subscription to reduce incidences of unsolicited calls and messages.
“After due considerations and brainstorming, the following were the resolutions by the trio of WASPAN, MNOs and NCC towards arresting unsolicited calls and messages. We have decided that no marketing SMS or calls before 8am and after 8pm. The Mobile Number operators, MNOs have deployed Do-Not-Disturb, (DND), portals that are accessible to all subscribers.
Any subscriber who wishes to be on the portal would be requested to SMS  stop  to any code on any network to get on the DND list. All VAS licensees shall be directed to implement the  stop  functionality across all short codes. There will be transparent accessibility by NCC to the DND database of each mobile operator when required,”
He added that “every month all MNOs shall broadcast how to get on the DND portal to their subscribers. At the end of each quarter, subscribers will be required to renew their DND status by sending, stop  to short codes on the network,” he concluded.