The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed telecom service providers to notify consumers of any major service disruptions on their networks using public communication channels.
This directive was announced in a statement issued on Sunday by the Acting Head of Public Affairs at the NCC, Mrs Nnenna Ukoha.
According to the Commission, operators must provide detailed information regarding the cause of the outage, the areas affected, and the estimated duration of the disruption. The initiative is aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in the telecom sector and ensuring that consumers are adequately informed when their communication services are impacted.
“By providing timely updates, operators can help manage consumer expectations and minimise the impact of outages on their daily activities,” the statement said.
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The NCC has also stipulated that customers must be informed at least one week in advance of any planned service interruptions. The directive applies to mobile network operators, internet service providers, and other last-mile service providers.
Furthermore, in line with the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations, service providers are now required to offer suitable compensation such as validity extensions when service outages last longer than 24 hours.
The Commission identified three categories of major outages:
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Network conditions such as fibre cuts due to construction, access issues, or vandalism that affect 5% or more of the operator’s subscribers, or impact five or more Local Government Areas (LGAs).
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The unplanned shutdown or isolation of 100 or more sites—or 5% of total sites (whichever is lower) or one cluster for 30 minutes or more.
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Any outage that degrades network quality in the top ten states by traffic volume, as determined by the Commission.
Commenting on the new policy, the Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Mr Edoyemi Ogor, noted that the reporting system and portal had been tested with operators over several months prior to the announcement.
Ogor added that the directive would ensure consumers and stakeholders receive timely and transparent updates on network issues, fostering a culture of accountability in the sector.
“This approach also ensures that those responsible for acts of sabotage against telecom infrastructure are held accountable,” he said.
He further stated that the directive aligns with the implementation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Executive Order, which designates telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII). This, he said, underscores the importance of protecting telecom assets due to their crucial role in national security, economic stability, and the everyday lives of Nigerians.
NAN
