Nigerians Panic as MTN, Others Send Message About Network Freeze During General Elections

Nigerians Panic as MTN, Others Send Message About Network Freeze During General Elections

  • Africa’s largest telecoms network has explained to subscribers what it means about network freeze during the election
  • The company said it means that there will not be any maintenance carried out on its Network to avoid service disruption
  • It asked Nigerians not to panic as there will be excellent network services during the 2023 elections

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Many Nigerians have expressed fear following MTN’s message informing Nigerians and subscribers that there would be a network freeze during the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria.

Africa’s largest telecom network, MTN, specifically stated it had planned a network freeze during the presidential elections on Saturday, February 25, 2023.

The company also said another freeze is scheduled to begin on the 10th and end on the 15 of March 2023.

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MTN, Network freeze
MTN explains network freeze to Nigerians Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor
Source: Getty Images

MTN says no need for alarm

The company asked Nigerians not to be alarmed, stating that contrary to popular belief, network freeze is a common practice in the telecoms ecosystem which is meant to reduce the chances of network outages during a period.

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It’s important to note that there is no reason to be alarmed by this announcement. Let’s explain why below.

Per a report, during a network freeze, the operators suspend any maintenance work that may disrupt the Network or affect the customer experience.

Network freezes are a period of network stability as the company will halt all maintenance activities during the freeze period, only interfering with emergency time.

MTN explains

No core network upgrades occur during the freeze period or maintenance as they might cause changes and disrupt service delivery. The purpose is to restrict non-important activities on the Network for a crucial period like the general elections.

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According to reports, MTN will implement the network freeze and other networks during the 2023 elections, as there will be network stability during the period as all maintenance activities are suspended.

It will ensure uninterrupted telecom services and continued digital connection of election-related communications during the election period.

MTN said:

“About the network freeze…we don’t implement changes on our Network during critical times to minimize the chance of an outage. Keeping the Network as it is, is a common practice in telecoms referred to as a Network Freeze,” the telecom operator stated.

MTN Declares N2trn revenue, provides breakdown of how much customers spent on voice, Data in 2022

Legit.ng reported that MTN Nigeria Communications Plc (MTN Nigeria) had announced its unaudited results for 2022.

According to the document published on the website of the Nigerian Exchange and obtained by Legit.ng, the telecommunication giant recorded a whopping N2.01 trillion in revenue. Read more: https://www.legit.ng/business-economy/capital-market/1517678-mtn-declares-n2trn-revenue-year-ceo-laments-exchange-rate-challenges/

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Pascal Oparada avatar

Pascal Oparada (Business editor) For over a decade, Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment, and the economy. He has worked in many media organizations such as Daily Independent, TheNiche newspaper, and the Nigerian Xpress. He is a 2018 PwC Media Excellence Award winner. Email:pascal.oparada@corp.legit.ng