Financial Institutions, especially the banks, currently owed telecommunications operators about N17 billion in unpaid Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) rendered by them on the service providers network platforms.
This was made known on Thursday by the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, during a webinar organised by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).
Danbatta explained that the N17 billion accrued since the period the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami directed mobile network operators (MNOs) to stop charging consumers the N4 per 20 seconds USSD charges.
Pantami gave the order in October 2019, following serious public outcries on the matter in the country.
His words at the time: “The attention of the Federal Ministry of Communications has been drawn to the viral text message allegedly sent by the Mobile Network Operator MTN Nigeria and other Mobile Operators notifying subscribers of a four naira (N4:00) charge per 20 seconds on USSD access to banking services from the 21st of October 2019.
“The office of the Honourable Minister of Communications Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FNCS, FBCS, FIIM is unaware of this development and has hereby directed the sector regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) ensures the operator suspends such plans until the Honourable Minister is fully and properly briefed”.
