MultiChoice Appeals Judgement, Maintains New Tariff

MultiChoice, the parent company of DSTV and GoTV, has described the Federal High Court, Abuja ruling restraining it from implementing its new subscription rates as an affront to free market economy.

The Pay TV operator, has appealed the court judgement against increased tariff and said the new prices will be maintained.

In a statement at the weekend, the company described the court order as an “affront to the free market economy “.

Recall that on August 23, Nnamdi Dimgba, justice of the court, had ruled that the South African company halt the increment of subscription rates to its cable television services till further notice.

The company had announced new rates for DSTV and GoTV effective from August 1, 2018.

The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) had filed a case against MultiChoice.

But a statement by the pay tv operator said that “On 23 August 2018, MultiChoice Nigeria received an interim court order dated 20 August from the federal high court regarding the price adjustment that we implemented on 1 August 2018,” the statement read.

“We believe that the order is an affront to the free market economy and we have now filed a Notice of Appeal and an application for stay of execution, pending the hearing of the Appeal. The CPC has been accordingly served with the requisite processes.”

The Pay TV company said it will always operate within the ambit of the law and will cooperate with the authorities to ensure the best outcome for its customers, as it remains committed to providing the best quality of entertainment and premium content at the best possible prices.

ZIMBABWE: MOBILE NETWORK OPERATORS COMPLY WITH POTRAZ DIRECTIVE

Zimbabwe’s leading mobile network operators (MNOs) yesterday complied with a Postal and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) directive to slash mobile Internet data tariffs by 60%.

Potraz announced last month that it has revised data tariffs through a new Long Rung Incremental Costing model which outlines a new structure on pricing of telecommunication services which includes mobile Internet data charges USSD charges and interconnection fees.

The regulator made the announcement on the 20th of June last month during a press conference which was graced by Minister of Information Communication Technology & Cybersecurity, Supa Mandiwanzira. The minister said government has already notified operators to comply to the new tariffs model by the 1st of July.

Econet, which is the leading mobile network operator by subscribers and infrastructure yesterday notified the public that it has slashed its mobile Internet data charges down to $0.05 per megabyte. Econet which also offer USSD services for various mobile financial solutions also slashed the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data down to $0.05 from the usual $0.12.

The second largest mobile network operation, NetOne also responded to the call and slashed its mobile Internet data tariffs from $0.12 down to $0.05 before tax and then $0.06 after tax. The state owned mobile network operator also cut USSD charges down to $0.05 before tax and also reduced interconnection fees per minute down to $0.02.

(POTRAZ) in collaboration with its parent ministry, the Ministry of Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security made a bold move last month to slash mobile data and USSD charges by 60 percent, a strategy set to address the high transaction costs of e-payments while boosting financial inclusion.

POTRAZ also announced the scrapping of bank USSD charges which have had a heavy impact on both the banking sector and telecommunications service industry.

According to the telecomms regulator, the Out of Bundle mobile data charges threshold have been reduced from the current average rate of 12.5 cents per Megabyte to 5 cents per Megabyte exclusive of all taxes.

This applies to internet/data that is used outside the WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter bundles among others. This concludes to an exact 60% reduction in data tariffs.

The USSD charges threshold has been reduced from the current 12.5 cents per session to 5 cents per session exclusive of all taxes.

Potraz said this was designed to address the high transaction cost of e-payments and increase financial inclusion. To ensure that this reduction benefits the transacting public, POTRAZ also engaged the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) who will engage Financial Service Providers so that the reduction is passed on to the transacting public.

The National interconnection rate has been reduced from the current 4 cents per minute to 2 cents per minute exclusive of all taxes. This applies across all interconnecting operators.

Global Heists on ATM Machines Imminent

America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned banks in Nigeria and others across the globe that criminals are gearing up to execute a global bank heist in the coming days.

In a recent confidential alert FBI told international banks that criminals are plotting a concerted global malware attack on cash machines in the next few days.

The FBI issued a warning about a highly choreographed fraud scheme known as an ATM “jackpotting”, or ATM cash-out,” in which crooks hack a bank or payment card processor and use cloned cards at cash machines around the world to take out millions in just a few minutes.

The alert said the agency had procured information indicating an attack was imminent and that it was likely an “unlimited operation,” which uses malware to exploit network access and get customers’ card information at a large scale.

Once the criminals get the card data, they create fraudulent copies using reusable magnetic strip cards (like gift cards) and hit the ATMs.

“Historic compromises have included small-to-medium size financial institutions, likely due to less robust implementation of cyber security controls, budgets, or third-party vendor vulnerabilities,” reads the confidential alert, which was sent to banks last Friday.

“The FBI expects the ubiquity of this activity to continue or possibly increase in the near future.”

The alert urges banks to review their security systems and use two-factor authentication with a physical or digital token.

Other tips include monitoring and limiting administrator and business accounts with the authority to modify typical fraud controls like maximum withdrawal amounts and number of daily ATM transactions.

Source: Nigerian communicationsweek

NIGERIA: NCC ENFORCES NEW REGULATIONS ON VAS PROVIDERS

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has confirmed that new regulations to improve customer experience when dealing with providers of Value Added Services (VAS) are now in place.

Alhaji Adedigba, Deputy Director in the Consumer Affairs Bureau at the NCC told the 84th Edition of the Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) (organised by the NCC in Lagos yesterday) that VAS providers are expected to comply with the new rules this week.

“I am happy to inform you that key resolutions reached at the 83rd Edition of the TCP held in Lagos in April 2018 have been documented and forwarded to all relevant stakeholders for immediate implementation. Some of the resolutions are to stop Value Added Services’ automatic renewal and forceful subscription and (for them to) implement a two-step authorisation of opt-in process for VAS subscription. On the strength of the above resolutions, the Commission has issued two directions and one of the directions became effective on June 26th, 2018.”

The NCC said it has instructed operators to start rolling over unused data from 26 June 2018.

Telcos are now expected to add a subscriber’s unused data to their next data subscription or face a penalty of up to N5 000 000 fine on the 1st failure per SIM card and up to N500,000 for every day defaulted following the initial transgression.

Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC said the delivery of telecommunications services should prioritise the interests of consumers.

“Let me state that the Commission is committed to protecting the interests of telecoms consumers at all times, while also finding ways of addressing challenges facing the service providers.”

He also told the TCP the authority’s ‘Do-Not-Disturb’ (DND) facility, which requires consumers to send a text message reading ‘STOP’ to 2442 in order to halt all unsolicited messages or to call the NCC on through its toll-free line, remain available for use – despite the implementation of the new rules for VAS providers in Nigeria.

Source: IT Web Africa

 

AFRICA: YAHSAT EXPECTS GROWTH IN SATELLITE BROADBAND BUT PLANS TO ENTER MOBILITY AND IOT

Yahsat anticipates higher growth from its satellite broadband business as it looks to enter the mobility and Internet of Things segments (IoT), as well as possibly compete with telecoms service providers, The National reported. CEO Masood Sharif Mahmood said the operator is anticipating greater demand for satellite broadband services on the back of higher uptake in IoT-serviced industries such as oil and gas and on the growth of sustainable cities in the region.

According to US-based International Data Corporation, the IoT market in the Middle East and Africa is set to grow 15 percent in 2018 to USD 6.99 billion, and reach USD 12.62 billion by 2021. The company’s acquisition of a majority stake in Thuraya was also considered as part of it efforts to expand its mobility segment, added Mahmood. He declined to specify Yahsat’s stake in the operator or the value of the transaction.

Yahsat’s new Al Yah 3 satellite completed orbital testing at the end of May and is expected to increase the operator’s footprint in another nineteen countries, including newer markets in Latin America and Brazil. Its Al Yah 1 and Al Yah 2 satellites provide government services, satellite TV and satellite broadband in the Middle East, Africa, central and south-west Asia, penetrating remote areas.

Yahsat specialises in coverage of unserved, digitally remote areas but will eventually target providing connectivity to segments in cities that already have service, too. The challenge, said Mahmood, is to make such services affordable to consumers as well as encourage their take-up in the region, where on board Wi-Fi is still viewed as a luxury and faces competition from legacy infrastructure such as in-flight entertainment.

YahSat sees opportunities in the developing world to provide affordable basic internet connectivity to bridge the digital divide, especially through partnerships with governments. Citing Free Basics, the affordable internet service launched by Facebook in less developed economies, Mahmood said should his company enter this segment, it would look at doing things differently. He said YahClick, as the operator’s satellite broadband service is known, has grown to cover around 50,000 devices.

While this satellite broadband connectivity is available through retailers in the markets covered by Yahsat, often remote localities, it is also the third licensed operator for internet services in the UAE. While YahClick provides connectivity to the oil and gas industry as well as services requiring remote connectivity in the Emirates, Mahmood said it would be a while before it becomes competitive with telecoms service providers.

Source: Telecompaper.com