HOW TO HANDLE UNSOLICITED TEXT MESSAGES

HOW TO HANDLE UNSOLICITED TEXT MESSAGES

Have you been bothered with unsolicited text messages by your network provided? Never to worry, there is a solution. Over the years since the coming of GSM network in Nigeria, one of the things the subscribers were plagued with is this unsolicited text messages. In fact, when it started, subscribers were made to pay for those unsolicited messages even though it was sent without their consent and those messages came at a high cost. The subscribers however under heavy burden had to cry out and Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) came to their rescue and that eased the tension. Even though it has not really solved the problem but it was reduced the barest minimal.

NCC has done a great job in really clipping the wings of these network providers by even sometimes imposing sanctions but what it could not stop is the issue of the unsolicited text messages. Of recent, the Nigerian Communications Commission introduced a DND to stop this with little success, however, to further enforce this, they introduced a code that will enable subscribers to stop all these unsolicited text messages.

How do you go about it?

Following a directive to the telecommunications service providers in the country, the operators will from July 1, 2016, activate the ‘Do Not Disturb’ (DND) facility which gives subscribers the freedom to choose what messages to receive from the various networks.

With this directive, the operators have been mandated to dedicate a common short-code (2442), which will enable subscribers take informed decisions according to The Guardian. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had on April 19, in a letter, which emanated from its Legal and Regulatory Department and directed to the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), given them till June 30, 2016 to stop sending unsolicited Short Message Service (SMS) or calls to subscribers.

The NCC had placed a N5 million fine on any MNO that fails to comply with the directive as at when due and further N500,000 per day for as long as the contravention persists.

Therefore subscribers are asked to send help to the code 2442 to make a choice of which type of short message they would like to receive from the Mobile Network Operators. If you want to completely stop receiving unsolicited SMS from the MNOs just SMS “STOP” to 2442, from there, you will never receive any unsolicited SMS again; and should you receive it after sending that message, you are at liberty to report them to the NCC for appropriate action.

Below are the various options the commission listed:

a. “SMS 1” for receiving SMS relating to Banking/Insurance/ Financial products

b.     to 2442

c.     “SMS 2” for receiving SMS relating to real Estate to 2442

d.    “SMS 3” for receiving SMS relating to Education to 2442

e.     “SMS 4” for receiving SMS relating to Health to 2442

f.  “SMS 5” for receiving SMS relating to Consumer goods and Automobiles to 2442”

g. “SMS 6” for receiving SMS relating to Communication/ Broadcasting Entertainment/IT to 2442

h.     “SMS 7” for receiving SMS relating to Tourism and Leisure to 2442

i.       “SMS 8” for receiving SMS relating to Sports to 2442

j.       “SMS 9” for receiving SMS relating to Religion to 2442

Never suffer in silence, do this and end the agony of receiving unwanted text

messages by the service providers.