Less than 3000 users subscribe to Special Numbers —NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that less than 3,000 people are using Special Number Service (SNS).

The Special number Service or social networking service, most often called SNS, is a medium for establishing social networks of people who share interests and/or activities.

The Special Number Service was introduced in Nigeria 15 years ago.

Because of the lethargic growth, the NCC is taking steps to ensure sustainability, profitability and fair competition in the SNS segment of the nation’s telecommunications sector.

This move informed the decision of the commission to hold a stakeholders’ forum on the ‘Determination of Call Termination Rate for Special Numbering Service Providers’ in Nigeria.

The forum, held at the Conference Room, NCC Head Office in Abuja recently, was attended by representatives of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), SNS providers and other stakeholders.

Addressing the gathering, Yetunde Akinloye, Director, Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis at NCC, said the meeting was convened following the extensive work of a committee set up by the commission to look into the issues and complaints emanating from the SNS segment of the telecoms market. A key concern was the perception of the high cost of delivering services to end-users in the SNS segment.

“The SNS has been in existence for the past 15 years, with some licensees actively engaged in the segment. “However, we have noted some observations and complaints from different quarters on the use of these numbers. We have observed, for instance, that there has been no effective utilisation of the numbers,” she said.

Also speaking during the meeting, Bako Wakil, Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, NCC, lamented that the SNS segment of the market has not been fully maximised because of the cost elements involved.

Wakil said if the cost could be reduced, there would be greater benefits from economies of scale.

“So, there has to be a way of making people use the service more if the price is appropriate,” he said.