The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a new directive requiring telecom licensees to notify consumers of major service outages through media channels. Operators must clearly state the cause of the service interruption, affected areas, and estimated restoration time. In cases of planned outages, consumers must be informed at least one week in advance.
This directive, titled “Directive on Reportage of Major Network Outages by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs),” aims to enhance service quality and ensure transparency and accountability within the telecom sector.
The directive also mandates that Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and other last-mile service providers compensate affected consumers when service disruptions last more than 24 hours. Such compensations may include extension of service validity, in accordance with the provisions of the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations.
The NCC outlines three types of major outages: network issues affecting at least five per cent of an operator’s subscribers or five LGAs; outages involving 100 or more sites or a major network cluster for over 30 minutes; and outages degrading service quality in the top 10 states by traffic volume.
To enforce this policy, all major outages must be reported through the Commission’s Major Outage Reporting Portal, which is also accessible to the public. This portal provides real-time information on disruptions and identifies the parties responsible for each outage. This move, according to the NCC, is designed to foster consumer trust and encourage better response to service disruptions by holding responsible entities accountable.
Engr. Edoyemi Ogor, Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity at the NCC, explained that the reporting process and portal had been piloted with telecom operators before its official rollout. He emphasized that the initiative promotes a culture of transparency and reinforces the government’s commitment to protecting telecommunications infrastructure, which has been classified as Critical National Information Infrastructure under an Executive Order by President Bola Tinubu. This classification underlines the importance of telecom assets to Nigeria’s security, economic well-being, and daily life.