NCC orders telecom operators to notify users of major outages
The Nigerian Communications Commission has announced a new requirement for telecommunications companies to quickly notify customers about major service interruptions through various communication channels.
This initiative is designed to boost transparency and enhance the consumer experience in Nigeria's telecommunications industry.
As part of this new directive, operators are obligated to explain the reasons for any service outage, identify the areas affected, and provide an estimated timeframe for when services will be restored.
Moreover, customers affected by such disruptions are eligible for proportional compensation, which may include extensions of service validity, in accordance with the NCC’s Consumer Code of Practice Regulations.
In a statement released on Sunday, NCC's acting Head of Public Affairs, Nnenna Ukoha, highlighted that this policy is part of the commission's ongoing efforts to ensure quick resolutions to service interruptions and uphold high standards of customer satisfaction.
Edoyemi Ogor, the NCC's Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, remarked, “The Commission has tested the reporting process and portal with operators for several months prior to issuing this directive.
“By supplying consumers and stakeholders in the telecom sector with timely and clear information regarding network outages, we are ingraining a culture of accountability and transparency.
“This strategy also ensures that those responsible for sabotage to telecom infrastructure are held accountable.”
The NCC indicated that telecom operators must inform consumers at least one week ahead of any planned service outages.
“This also aligns with our wider commitment to effectively implement the Executive Order signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which classifies telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII),” Ogor noted.
“It emphasizes the necessity to protect these assets, considering their importance to national security, economic sustainability, and the daily lives of Nigerians.”
Mobile Network Operators, Internet Service Providers, and other last-mile service providers must provide proportional compensation—such as longer validity periods—when a significant network outage exceeds 24 hours. This requirement must comply with the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations.
The commission categorizes major outages into three types, including any network-related disruption—such as fiber cuts caused by construction, access limitations, theft, vandalism, or force majeure—that affects at least five percent of an operator's customers or impacts five or more Local Government Areas.
Another classification includes unplanned outages or total isolation of network resources at 100 or more sites or affecting at least five percent of the total number of sites, or the loss of one cluster for 30 minutes or longer.
The final category pertains to any outage that considerably diminishes network quality in the top 10 states with the highest traffic volume, as periodically assessed by the Commission.
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