The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), including MTN, Glo, Airtel, and 9mobile, to promptly notify customers of any network outages or service disruptions through media channels.
The Commission disclosed this in a statement by its acting spokesperson, Nnenna Ukoha, on Sunday.
According to a statement from the NCC, telecom providers are now mandated to provide real-time alerts or advance notices regarding any form of service disruption, planned or unplanned to ensure transparency and improve customer experience.
“Consumers must also be informed one week in advance where operators have planned service outages.
“Directive on Reportage of Major Network Outages by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)” is part of the Commission’s drive to ensure timely resolution of outages, enhance quality of experience for telecom consumers, and keep consumers informed.”
It added that mobile network operators, internet service providers, and other operators that provide last-mile services will also provide proportional compensation, including extension of validity, as may be applicable and in line with the provisions of the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations, where any major network outage continues for more than 24 hours.
It identifies three types of major outages to include: “any network operational condition such as fibre cut due to construction/access issues/theft & vandalism and force majeure that impacts five percent or more of the affected operator’s subscriber base or five or more local government areas (LGAs); having an occasion of unplanned outage of, or complete isolation of network resources in 100 or more sites or five percent of the total number of sites (whichever is less) or one cluster that lasts for 30 minutes or more; and lastly, any form of outage that can degrade network quality in the top 10 states based on traffic volume as specified by the Commission from time to time.
“In furtherance of this, the Commission has further directed that all major outages are to be reported by operators through the Commission’s Major Outage Reporting Portal, which is accessible to the public through the Commission’s website, www.ncc.gov.ng. The portal additionally discloses the identity of the culprit responsible for the disruption. “In furtherance of this, the Commission has further directed that all major outages are to be reported by operators through the Commission’s Major Outage Reporting Portal, which is accessible to the public through the Commission’s website, www.ncc.gov.ng. The portal additionally discloses the identity of the culprit responsible for the disruption.
Telecoms across Nigeria have been experiencing sporadic outages in recent months due to infrastructure challenges, vandalism, and power disruptions. The NCC believes keeping subscribers informed is a critical step in rebuilding trust and improving service delivery across the sector.
Leave a Reply