Regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a directive that aims to force mobile network operators (MNOs) to compensate subscribers for poor network service.
This directive applies in cases where users are affected by network performance failures – specifically where service quality falls below the Commission’s established key performance indicators (KPIs) and service standards within specified time frames.
As for how this compensation will be awarded, the plan is to issue airtime credits based on each subscriber’s average usage patterns, as well as their location in Local Government Areas where service disruptions occur. Avoiding fines, says the NCC, ensures that affected consumers will directly benefit from enforcement actions.
In a related piece of news, the NCC is also expanding its oversight to include tower companies, which will now be required to reinvest portions of regulatory fines into network infrastructure upgrades, with measurable performance outcomes.
A report in Nigeria's Punch news service quotes Head of Public Affairs at the Commission, Nnenna Ukoha, as saying in a statement: “Subscribers should not be made to bear the full burden of service disruptions where operators fail to meet prescribed standards of service delivery.”
He adds: “Telecommunications services today underpin economic activity, 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.”
Quaklity of service (QoS) and regulation have been in the news in various African countries, notably earlier this year in Ghana, where Ghana’s regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA), announced revised key performance indicators (KPIs) for mobile telecommunications QoS, while last year in Chad and Zambia regulators highlighted what they described as serious QoS deficiencies in operators’ mobile communications offerings.
