License renewal: NCC refutes MTN claims

The Nigerian Communications Commission has refuted claims that it has renewed the unified access service license of MTN Nigeria.

The refutal was made after a news report claimed that the mobile operating license of MTN has been renewed by the Commission for another period of ten years.

The online publication which cited regulatory filings by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as its source, stated that “MTN Nigeria, the nation’s largest mobile network operator (MNO), has secured regulatory approval of the renewal of its operating licence for another 10 years with effect from September 1, 2021.”

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NCC spokesperson Ikechukwu Adinde said the report was misleading. He, however, admitted that MTN has applied for the renewal of its license.

“The attention of the Nigerian Communications Commission has been drawn to a publication in an online media entitled “Govt renews MTN Nigeria licence amid 20 years of GSM Phones” to the effect that the mobile operating license of MTN has been renewed by the Commission for another period of ten years.

“The Commission wishes to state that while MTN Nigeria has applied for the renewal of the Unified Access and Service (UASL) License granted to it by the Commission, the application is yet to be approved as it is still undergoing required regulatory processes” Adinde said in a statement.