In a landmark directive aimed at strengthening consumer protection and fostering accountability in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has mandated telecom service providers to inform consumers of major outages on their networks.
In a statement signed by Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha
Ag. Head, Public Affairs and made available to Time Nigeria stated that, “Directive on Reportage of Major Network Outages by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs),” all telecom licensees—including MNOs, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and other last-mile operators—must now provide timely updates on service disruptions.
These updates must include the causes of outages, areas affected, expected time for service restoration, and advance notice of at least one week for planned outages.
The NCC directive also stipulates that operators must offer proportional compensation, such as extension of service validity, if outages persist beyond 24 hours, in line with the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations.
The directive identifies three categories of major outages:
Incidents such as fibre cuts, vandalism, or force majeure affecting five per cent or more of the subscriber base or five or more Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Complete network isolation or unplanned outages affecting 100 or more sites or five per cent of total sites for 30 minutes or more.
Any network degradation affecting the top 10 states based on traffic volume.
In a bid to enhance transparency, the NCC has also launched a Major Outage Reporting Portal, now accessible via www.ncc.gov.ng.
The portal will disclose not only the nature of the disruptions but also the identities of individuals or entities responsible for sabotage, where applicable.
Commenting on the development, Engr. Edoyemi Ogor, Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity at the NCC, noted that the reporting system and portal had been piloted with operators prior to the directive’s issuance.
“By providing consumers and stakeholders in the telecommunications industry with timely and transparent information on network outages, we are entrenching a culture of accountability and transparency,” Ogor stated.
“This also ensures that culprits are held responsible for sabotage to telecommunications infrastructure.”
He further highlighted that the initiative aligns with the implementation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Executive Order, which designates telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII). This designation underscores the importance of protecting telecom facilities for national security, economic growth, and the day-to-day lives of Nigerians.