The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a new directive requiring telecom operators to inform consumers about major service disruptions, marking a step toward greater transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
The announcement, made on Sunday by Nnenna Ukoha, the acting head of Public Affairs at the NCC, stipulates that operators must disclose the cause of the outage, affected areas, and estimated resolution times via media channels. In cases of planned service disruptions, consumers must be notified at least one week in advance.
Telecom service outages have become a persistent issue in Nigeria, disrupting daily life and business operations. Common causes include infrastructure deficiencies, fibre optic cable damage, overloaded networks, and environmental factors. The NCC’s directive aims to enhance customer experience and facilitate quicker resolution of such outages.
Further reinforcing consumer rights, the directive requires mobile network operators and internet service providers to compensate affected users when an outage lasts more than 24 hours. Compensation may include validity extensions or other measures in line with consumer protection regulations.
The NCC has also launched a Major Outage Reporting Portal, enabling public access to real-time outage information while identifying entities responsible for network disruptions.
Edoyemi Ogor, the Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity at NCC, emphasised that this initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Executive Order designating telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII). “This step ensures accountability and safeguards vital telecom assets that are central to Nigeria’s economy and security,” Ogor stated.
The NCC’s latest mandate underscores its commitment to improving service reliability while keeping consumers informed and empowered.
