NCC mandates public notice, compensation for major network outages

In a decisive move to improve transparency and service quality in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a new directive compelling telecom licensees to promptly inform consumers of any major service outages through public media platforms.

The regulation, titled “Directive on Reportage of Major Network Outages by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs),” mandates that operators disclose the cause of service disruptions, the affected geographical areas, and the estimated time for service restoration. Additionally, in the case of planned service outages, consumers must be notified at least one week in advance.

According to the NCC, the directive aims to enhance consumers’ quality of experience and ensure timely resolution of network issues.

The Commission emphasized that the public must remain informed and that accountability will be enforced across all layers of the telecommunications ecosystem.

As stipulated in the directive, the scope of compliance extends beyond Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to include Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other entities offering last-mile connectivity.

In the event that a major outage persists beyond 24 hours, operators are required to provide proportional compensation—such as extensions of data or airtime validity—in line with the provisions of the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations.

The Commission categorizes major outages into three distinct scenarios: Network-Wide Disruptions: Operational conditions such as fibre cuts due to construction, access issues, theft, vandalism, or force majeure that affect five percent or more of an operator’s subscriber base or span across five or more Local Government Areas (LGAs).

Site-Level Failures: Unplanned outages or complete disconnection affecting 100 or more network sites, or five percent of the total site count (whichever is lower), or a single network cluster, lasting for 30 minutes or more.

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Traffic-Heavy State Disruptions: Any form of service degradation affecting network quality in the top 10 states by traffic volume, as determined periodically by the Commission.

To strengthen transparency, the NCC has activated a Major Outage Reporting Portal on its official website www.ncc.gov.ng, where all such disruptions must be officially reported by operators.

The portal, which is open to public access, also identifies entities responsible for network interruptions.

Engr. Edoyemi Ogor, Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity at the NCC, commented on the development, stating that the reporting portal and process have undergone pilot testing with operators prior to the directive’s formal rollout.

“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 said.

“This approach also ensures that culprits are held responsible for sabotage to telecommunications infrastructure.”

He added that the initiative aligns with the implementation of the Executive Order signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which designates telecom infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII).

This designation underscores the importance of protecting telecom assets as essential to national security, economic resilience, and the daily lives of Nigerians.

The NCC reiterated its commitment to ensuring that telecom consumers are not left in the dark during disruptions and that the industry operates with heightened responsibility and openness.