According to a statement released on Sunday by Nnenna Ukoha, Head of Public Affairs at the NCC, affected users will receive airtime credits calculated based on their average spending patterns and their location within local government areas experiencing service disruptions.
“Subscribers should not bear the full burden of service disruptions where operators fail to meet prescribed standards of service delivery,” the commission emphasized. “The compensation will be provided in the form of airtime credits, calculated based on subscribers’ average spending patterns and their presence within local government areas where service failures occur.”
The regulator described the move as part of its broader consumer-focused approach, which seeks to place subscribers at the centre of Nigeria’s telecommunications ecosystem. The NCC noted that reliable telecom services are critical to economic activities, social interactions, and access to digital opportunities. Poor network quality, the commission said, can undermine productivity, hinder commerce, and erode public confidence in the communications system.
In addition to directing operators to compensate subscribers, the NCC has instructed Tower Companies, which own and operate critical telecom infrastructure such as masts, to channel fines levied against them into measurable infrastructure improvements. These steps aim to strengthen network performance and ensure more consistent service delivery.
“The commission will continue to reinforce the obligation of operators to invest consistently in network resilience, capacity expansion, and infrastructure upgrades to meet the growing demand for telecommunications services,” the statement said.
The NCC also reiterated its commitment to using regulatory tools to promote fairness, transparency, and accountability within the industry, ensuring that subscribers receive the quality of service they are entitled to.
“Further to this directive, the commission is mandating Tower Companies to invest in infrastructure with measurable outcomes using sums that it has fined these companies, in addition to other financial penalties the commission deems appropriate,” the statement concluded.