MTN, Airtel Users Yet to Get Compensation for Poor Service Despite NCC Directive
- Telecom subscribers say they have not received NCC-directed compensation for poor service
- Subscriber groups warn that the delay could affect trust in regulators and telecom firms
- Compensation is expected to vary based on user spending and service impact
Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, the money market, technology and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.
Telecom subscribers in Nigeria have raised concerns over delays in receiving compensation directed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for poor quality of service, five days after the regulator said payments would begin, The Nation reported.
The NCC had earlier announced that affected users would start receiving airtime credits from their mobile network operators (MNOs) as compensation for service disruptions.
Source: Getty Images
Subscribers report no airtime credits
Reacting to the development, telecom users said they had not received any refunds as promised by operators.
The complaints were also echoed by members of the Association of Telephone, Cable TV, and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria, who said none of their over 150 million members had confirmed receiving compensation.
President of the group, Sina Bilesanmi, expressed concern that the delay could weaken trust between subscribers, operators, and the regulator.
He said checks conducted across multiple subscriber platforms showed no evidence that refunds had been issued, despite earlier assurances.
Concerns over delayed implementation
According to Bilesanmi, the directive had been expected for some time, and subscribers had waited in anticipation of its rollout.
He warned that failure to implement the compensation promptly could undermine confidence in regulatory decisions.
Similarly, a subscriber in Ekiti State, Dele Ojo, said neither he nor members of his household had received any airtime credit, despite widespread publicity of the NCC directive.
NCC explains compensation framework
Providing further clarification, NCC’s Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Edoyemi Ogoh, said compensation would be issued in the form of airtime usable for calls or data.
He explained that service quality assessments were conducted across different locations and periods, with performance measured against key performance indicators (KPIs).
Ogoh added that compensation would vary among subscribers, depending on their average spending and usage during the affected period, rather than being distributed as a flat rate.
Operators required to compensate affected users
The NCC had directed MNOs to compensate subscribers in areas where service quality fell below regulatory standards within specified timeframes.
The regulator maintained that consumers should not bear the full impact of service disruptions when operators fail to meet required benchmarks.
Under the directive, telecom companies are expected to provide direct compensation to affected users for breaches of QoS standards.
MTN pledges compliance, outlines improvements
Reacting to the directive, MTN Nigeria said it would comply with the NCC’s order, noting that customer satisfaction remains central to its operations.
The company stated that all eligible subscribers in affected areas would receive compensation for the relevant periods in line with the regulatory framework.
Source: Getty Images
MTN also outlined plans to improve network performance through increased capital investment, infrastructure upgrades, and collaboration with tower providers.
According to the operator, efforts are ongoing to strengthen network resilience and expand capacity to meet growing demand, while addressing operational challenges within the broader telecom ecosystem.
How unused phone numbers are reassigned in Nigeria
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) clarified that unused phone numbers in Nigeria are returned to the federal government and later reassigned to new users after a specified period.
Speaking on the issue, ALTON chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, explained that telephone numbers are not owned by subscribers but are privileges allocated under regulatory oversight.
Adebayo stated that when a number remains unused for a period defined by law, telecom operators are required to withdraw and return it to the regulator. He added that such numbers undergo a “cooling period” before they are reissued to another subscriber, in line with existing telecommunications regulations.
Source: Legit.ng
