Law to regulate value added services in telecoms underway

Abill regulate Value Added Service (VAS) in the Nigerian telecommunications sector and improve the activities of service providers is underway in the House of Representatives.

The draft law, which is already in the legislative process as it has passed first reading, will soon be debated by the House.

It seeks to provide a legal framework that would enable the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) to ensure the time-to-time review of the current sharing formula between the Mobile Network (MNOs), the VAS and content developers.

The bill will also ensure strict adherence to contractual terms among to interested players and encourage adherence to anti-competition and antitrust rules and regulations.

Sponsored by Rep Chukwuemeka Ujam (PDP, Enugu), the objective of the bill is to ensure the protection of the Nigerian VAS ecosystem from foreign invasion and exploitation.

The lawmaker, who is the deputy chairman of the committee on telecoms, told journalists in Abuja at the weekend that the draft law would encourage and protect local content in the telecoms industry. He said the current state of things in the industry are inimical to the development of the sector as it poses great challenges such as discrimination against subscribers and perpetuation of fraud against the public through VAS short codes.