In furtherance of its mandate to protect the interests of consumers and support a robust telecommunications sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said it has revised its Determination on Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) pricing published on the 23rd of July, 2019.
The telecom regulator disclosed this today via a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde.
According to the statement, the revision was necessitated following a protracted dispute between Mobile Network Operators and Financial Institutions on the applicable charges for USSD services and the method of billing.
“As a responsive and effective regulatory authority, the Commission recognises that its policies are not static and may be modified from time to time as circumstances demand,” it said.
The statement added that the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, in the interest of the consumers and other stakeholders, has revised the Determination previously issued by removing the Price Floor and the Cap to allow the Mobile Network Operators and the banks negotiate rates that will be mutually beneficial to all parties concerned.
The NCC also determined that Mobile Network Operators must not charge the consumers directly for the use of USSD channels for financial services in the form of end-user-billing. The transaction should be between the MNOs and the entity to which the service is provided (i.e. Banks and Financial Institutions).
A copy of the Determination is available on the NCC’s website, www.ncc.gov.ng.
The statement stated that there was a directive from the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, regarding a review of the USSD pricing by all parties involved, following a presentation made by the Commission on the billing structure, determination of USSD pricing, current status and the way forward.