Nigeria: 75 Million Telecom Subscribers Compensated for Poor Service

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) announced that over 75 million telecom subscribers have been compensated for substandard network services. This action follows regulatory directives aimed at addressing persistent consumer complaints about poor quality of service across the country.

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The board noted substantial progress in the implementation of the commission’s directive, particularly the full compliance of which has resulted in compensation being offered to over 75 million affected subscribers.

The NCC's governing board reviewed the implementation of measures to improve service delivery, noting substantial progress. A directive issued in March required mobile network operators (MNOs) to compensate subscribers in areas where service quality standards were not met. Issues cited by consumers include dropped calls, network congestion, poor voice quality, and slow internet connectivity.

While the compensation directive has seen significant compliance, the NCC also pointed to partial adherence from Co-location and Infrastructure Sharing Licensees (TowerCos). These providers are required to fund escrow accounts with regulatory fines for infrastructure reinvestment. The board stressed the importance of full compliance to ensure sustainable infrastructure improvements.

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While noting the progress made to date, the board emphasised the importance of full compliance to ensure that the intended infrastructure improvements are realised sustainably.

Efforts to enhance network coverage and capacity are underway, with mobile operators planning over 12,000 new sites, more than 5,000 of which are already completed. Investments in fiber connectivity and new equipment at Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) are also strengthening network resilience and reliability. However, the NCC identified the vandalism of telecommunications infrastructure as a major challenge hindering industry growth, with ongoing efforts by security agencies to protect these critical national assets.

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The NCC, however, expressed concern over the continued vandalism of telecommunications infrastructure, describing it as a major challenge to industry growth.