MTN Pays N165bn Out Of N330bn NCC Fine

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said telecoms giant, MTN, has paid N165billion out of the N330 billion fine it received in 2015 for subscriber identity module (SIM) registration breaches.

Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, made the announcement when the MTN Nigeria delegation, led by its Chairman, Dr Pascal Dozie, visited the NCC’s Headquarters in Abuja.

Prof Danbatta noted that MTN has so far had paid more than 50 per cent of the fine following its recent payment of N55billion in March.

“I am happy to inform you that our agreement with MTN on how and when to pay the fine has been adhered to.

“Just last month, March, we received a cheque of N55billion from MTN as part of the fine payment plan. This brings the total fine paid by MTN Nigeria to N165billion, that is, more than half of the total fine,” he said.

In his remarks, Dr Dozie appealed to NCC to auction more spectrums to further open up the ICT space and improve the country’s economy.

The entrepreneur lauded the management team of NCC for its pragmatic approach to the development of the industry, noting that auctioning more spectrums is the way to go considering the vast opportunities it would create for the country.