The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has ordered Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to compensate subscribers who suffer from poor network service, marking a major shift in how telecom failures are handled in the country.
Under the new directive, operators that fail to meet established Quality of Service (QoS) standards will be required to directly compensate affected users. Compensation will come in the form of airtime credits, calculated based on a subscriber’s average usage and whether they were in affected Local Government Areas during the service disruption.
The NCC emphasized that telecommunications services are no longer a luxury, but the backbone of modern economic activity, social interaction, and access to digital opportunities. “The era of customers bearing the brunt of poor service is over,” the Commission stated.
The directive also targets tower companies, mandating them to reinvest fines into tangible infrastructure upgrades. The NCC says it will continue to enforce strict performance standards, pushing for sustained investment in network expansion, resilience, and modernization.
“The Nigerian telecom user comes first,” the NCC emphasized, aiming to restore accountability and rebuild confidence in the system. The move is seen as a bold step towards addressing long-standing complaints of poor service and unreliable networks in the country.
