The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has raised concerns over a resurgence of call masking in the telecommunications industry, warning that the practice threatens the integrity of Nigeria’s telecoms ecosystem and could distort industry revenues.
The commission disclosed this after its 110th Board meeting, where the Board reviewed developments in the telecommunications sector and reaffirmed the NCC’s zero-tolerance position on call masking.
Call masking occurs when an international call is made to appear on the recipient’s phone as though it originated from a local Nigerian number. The practice can enable operators or callers to circumvent legitimate international call termination arrangements and charges while making the call appear to be a domestic call.
The Board described the practice as unacceptable and a serious regulatory concern, noting that it undermines legitimate telecommunications operations and distorts industry revenues.
According to the commission, call masking also constitutes economic sabotage with the potential to adversely affect the national economy.
The Board said the NCC would work with relevant security and law enforcement agencies, as well as telecommunications industry stakeholders, to identify, prevent and eliminate call masking activities.
The development comes as the commission continues to address challenges affecting the quality and reliability of telecommunications services across the country.
At the meeting, the Board also reviewed progress on commitments by mobile network operators (MNOs) to deploy additional infrastructure to expand network coverage, capacity and quality of experience.
The commission said 8,526 of the 12,179 coverage and capacity sites committed by operators have now been deployed nationwide, representing about 70 percent of the total commitment.
The figure marks an increase from the approximately 5,000 sites reported at the commission’s previous Board meeting.
However, the NCC said the improvement in infrastructure deployment has been accompanied by persistent challenges to network reliability, particularly damage to fibre infrastructure.
The Board noted that fibre cuts contributed to a rapid increase in network disruptions in June, highlighting the need to complement network expansion with stronger protection of critical telecommunications infrastructure.
The commission said it would continue to pursue regulatory measures aimed at strengthening network resilience, digital trust, consumer protection and fair competition, while supporting the sustainable growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.
The Board also emphasised the need for continued attention to network resilience and service reliability as operators expand infrastructure and connectivity across the country.
