Subscribers hail NCC over ease of 2442 short code to stop unsolicited sms, calls
More subscribers who have used the 2442 short code to stop the disturbances of unsolicited sms and calls have expressed happiness for the regulatory ingenuity of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
In a Vox Pop carried by a team of Business Hilights reporters in Lagos and Abuja weekend, over 87 per cent of respondents said they have used the 2442 code and it worked for them while the remaining 13 per cent said they suffer the inconveniences but have not used the code.
Some of the respondents’ give details of how they exited the scourge saying at the moment one sends ‘9’ to the short code (2442), the unsolicited sms will go but a reply questionnaire will be returned which will ask the subscriber if he wishes to get other sms including banking and others.
The system’s reply received from one of the respondent read in parts unedited: “For services you wish to receive select 1, banking/insurance/financial products.
2, real estate, 3, education, 4, health, 5, consumer goods and automobile, 6, communications/broadcasting/entertainment/IT, 7, tourism/leisure, 8, sports, 9, leisure.
Recently during the last Consumer Parliament, a consumer awareness platform by the NCC in Abuja, the Commission advised consumers to take advantage of the 2442 short code to choose the type of messages they want to receive.
The Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, gave the advice at the 79th Telecom Consumers Parliament help in Abuja.
He said the parliament, with its theme: Implementation of the `Do not Disturb’ (DND): the journey so far, was aimed at sensitising the public to the policy.
Danbatta said that the short code would go a long way to give consumers the right to choose the messages they wanted to receive.
According to him, following the barrage of complaints on the menace of unsolicited message, the commission swayed into action by mandating the activation of 2442 short code.
“The code will enable consumers to control the type of messages they receive.
“I am glad that it has come into effect and I urge all consumers to take advantage of this new regime by sending “stop to 2442’’ to avoid unsolicited messages,’’ he said.
Danbatta said the commission was aware that for the initiative to succeed there was need for massive public enlightenment by both regulator and the operating companies.
“It is on this regard that the theme of today’s parliament becomes relevant.
“The objective is to place the issue on the front burner of our discourse until unsolicited messages become a thing of the past,’’ he said.
