MTN Nigeria has announced plans to compensate subscribers affected by poor network quality, following a directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The company said in a statement on Thursday that customers in affected areas would receive compensation for service shortfalls recorded in November, December and January.
Although MTN did not state when the compensation would begin, NCC executive vice chairman Aminu Maida said during a media session that subscribers would start receiving compensation from Friday, April 24.
MTN said all eligible subscribers would be compensated based on the framework approved by the regulator.
“All consumers within the affected areas where service shortfalls were recorded will receive compensation for the operating periods of November, December, and January, in accordance with the applicable framework,” the company stated.
The NCC said the compensation would be in the form of airtime.
MTN said it would also focus on improving service delivery and reducing disruptions. The company said it plans to continue investment in network infrastructure to improve capacity and service quality.
According to MTN, planned measures include infrastructure upgrades, improved network resilience and collaboration with tower providers.
The company said environmental and third-party issues affect network uptime. It added that it would continue to work with the NCC, tower providers and law enforcement agencies.
Last month, the NCC, in a statement signed by its head of public affairs Nnenna Ukoha, directed mobile network operators to compensate subscribers in areas where service quality falls below required standards.
The commission said the directive is part of efforts to focus on consumer protection in the telecommunications sector.
It noted that poor service quality affects economic activities, communication and access to digital services.
The NCC said the compensation policy complements existing measures to monitor service quality and enforce standards.
The directive marks a shift from previous actions where the regulator imposed fines on operators without direct compensation to subscribers.
Telecom operators have also reported challenges affecting service delivery, including frequent fibre cuts. The NCC said operators recorded an average of 1,100 fibre cuts weekly last year.
