COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE LEGAL REGIME ON TELECOMMUNICATION CONSUMER PROTECTION IN NIGERIA AND MALAYSIA

Every human society, from the most primitive to the most advanced, depends on some form of telecommunications network. It will be virtually impossible for any group of people to define their collective identities or make decisions about their common and binding interests without communications. _Communication is a vital aspect of human existence and * effective telecommunications services enhance living standards and improve productivity and efficiency in other sectors. Telecommunication is the exchange of information over significant distances by electronic means. Telecommunication sector being information and communication Technology (ICT) based requires regulatory regulations to function effectively to satisfy consumers need. The weakness of consumer in the scheme of things being: at the receiving end and the imbalance the consumer faces in the market sector and bargaining power from the producers and suppliers of goods and services is the basis of establishing transnational and national rules and regulations and bodies that have developed regulatory consumer protection precepts that could provide an effective framework for the protection of consumers. This paper aims to examine the legal regulatory framework in the Nigerian and Malaysian Telecommunications sectors. It particularly scrutinizes Nigerian Consumer Protection Council Act, Nigerian; Communication Act, Malaysian Consumer Protection Act, Malaysian Communication and MultimediaAct, and Communication and Multimedia Act of Malaysia.In examining these laws, the paper seeks to identify the lacunaand limitation therein and proceeds to providerecommendations towards the efficient administration andimplementation of telecommunication laws in Nigeria andMalaysia for the overall benefit of the consumers.