The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a directive requiring all telecommunications operators in the country to notify consumers of any major service outages, citing the need for greater transparency, accountability, and consumer protection in the telecom sector.
The directive, released in a document titled “Directive on Reportage of Major Network Outages by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs),” was announced via a statement signed by Nnenna Ukoha, Acting Head of Public Affairs at the NCC.
According to the new directive, operators must:
- Promptly notify consumers of service disruptions, stating:
- The cause of the outage
- The geographic areas affected
- The estimated time for service restoration
- Provide at least one week’s notice for any planned outage
- Offer proportional compensation, such as validity extension, if the disruption lasts beyond 24 hours, in line with the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations
The directive applies not only to mobile network operators (MNOs) but also to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other last-mile service providers.
The NCC has launched a Major Outage Reporting Portal accessible via its official website www.ncc.gov.ng where consumers can monitor:
- Ongoing network disruptions
- The identity of the operators responsible
- Updates on restoration efforts
“All Major Outages are to be reported through the Commission’s Major Outage Reporting Portal, which is accessible to the public,” the statement noted.
The commission said the directive supports the implementation of the Executive Order recently signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which classifies telecom infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII).
“This approach also ensures that culprits are held responsible for sabotage to telecommunications infrastructure,” said Edoyemi Ogor, NCC’s Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity.
Ogor emphasized that the reporting system had already been trialed with operators for several months before becoming official policy.
The directive is part of the NCC’s broader goal to:
- Promote transparency in network operations
- Enforce consumer rights
- Enhance national security and economic resilience
“By providing consumers and stakeholders with timely and transparent information, we are entrenching a culture of accountability,” Ogor added.
With growing reliance on digital connectivity in Nigeria, the NCC’s new directive aims to increase industry responsibility, ensure service reliability, and reinforce public trust in the telecommunications sector.
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