The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed telecom operators in the country to notify consumers of any major service outage on their networks.
In a statement signed by Nnenna Ukoha, acting head of public affairs, the commission said the notification must include the cause of the disruption, the affected areas, and the estimated time of service restoration.
Operators are also required to inform consumers at least one week in advance if the outage is planned.
The development is contained in a document titled ‘Directive on Reportage of Major Network Outages by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs),’ which also mandates operators to offer proportional compensation, such as extension of validity — if any outage lasts beyond 24 hours.
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NCC said the compensation is to be provided in line with the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations.
The commission added that the directive applies to mobile network operators, internet service providers, and other companies offering last-mile services.
“In furtherance of this, the Commission has further directed that all Major Outages are to be reported by operators through the Commision’s Major Outage Reporting Portal, which is accessible to the public through the Commission’s website, www.ncc.gov.ng,” the statement said.
“The portal additionally discloses the identity of the culprit responsible for the disruption.”
According to Edoyemi Ogor, director of technical standards and network integrity, the commission has trialled the reporting process and portal with operators for some months now before issuing the directive.
“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,” he said.
“This approach also ensures that culprits are held responsible for sabotage to telecommunications infrastructure.
“This also aligns with our broader commitment to the effective implementation of the Executive Order signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which designates telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII).”
NCC said it reinforces the need to safeguard the assets, given their centrality to national security, economic stability, and the everyday lives of Nigerians.
