MTN Nigeria has announced plans to start compensating subscribers impacted by poor network quality, in compliance with a recent directive issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to mobile network operators.
The telecom operator disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying customers in affected areas where service shortfalls were recorded would receive compensation covering the periods of November, December and January.
While MTN did not specifically say when this will start, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, at an interactive session with the media on Thursday said subscribers will start receiving the compensation from the telcos from Friday, April 24, 2026.
What MTN is saying
The company in its statement said all eligible subscribers in impacted locations would be compensated in line with 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,” MTN stated.
Although the company did not specify the form of compensation, NCC said the compensation will come in form of airtime to the affected customers.
MTN added that beyond the immediate compensation exercise, it intends to focus on improving service delivery and reducing disruptions.
More insights
MTN said it would continue an aggressive capital expenditure programme aimed at strengthening network quality and capacity.
According to the company, planned interventions include accelerated infrastructure upgrades to support rising demand for data and voice services, stronger network resilience measures, and closer collaboration with tower infrastructure providers.
The statement also pointed to environmental and third party disruptions as some of the factors affecting network uptime.
- “While calling on consumers to understand that we are operating within the larger ecosystem, fraught with challenges that are mostly outside our control, we remain steadfast and fully committed to working closely with our tower providers, NCC and other stakeholders including law enforcement agencies,” MTN said.
Backstory
Last month, the Commission in a statement released by its Head of Public Affairs, Mrs Nnenna Ukoha, said it has directed Mobile Network Operators to compensate subscribers in areas where network quality falls below prescribed standards.
The NCC explained that the directive is part of its broader regulatory approach aimed at placing consumers at the centre of Nigeria’s telecommunications ecosystem.
It noted that telecommunications services play a critical role in economic activities, social interaction, and access to digital opportunities.
- “When service quality is poor, the consequences affect productivity, commercial activities, and even public confidence in our communications system,” the Commission stated.
The regulator added that the compensation policy is designed to complement existing measures to monitor service quality and enforce performance standards across the sector.
What you should know
The directive on compensation for subscribers over poor quality of service marks a regulatory shift in how the NCC addresses the issue of service quality.
In the past, the Commission would rather impose heavy fines on operators that failed to meet the service quality KPIs, leaving the subscribers who bore the brunt of the subpar services with nothing.
Meanwhile, the operators are also battling with several issues that are impeding their ability to deliver good quality services despite continuous investments in capacity.
Chief among the challenges is the perennial fibre cuts. According to the NCC, as of last year, telecom operators were recording an average of 1,100 fibre cuts every week.
