The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said it is tightening regulatory oversight of telecommunications operators over worsening network performance and poor consumer experience.
The telecom regulator began its new compliance process by issuing pre-enforcement notices to operators whose networks may have failed to meet prescribed Quality of Service (QoS) standards.
Industry sources familiar with the development said the notices could mark the start of a tougher enforcement regime that may result in significant penalties for operators found to have repeatedly breached regulatory benchmarks.
The move follows months of increased scrutiny of operators’ network performance, consumer protection obligations and compliance with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set by the NCC.
A senior official in the Commission’s Technical Standards and Network Integrity Department said the regulator had adopted a more evidence-driven approach to enforcement while ensuring fairness to licensees.
Another official in the NCC’s Legal and Regulatory Services Department said the notices would give affected operators an opportunity to respond to the alleged infractions before any enforcement action is taken.
The operators may be invited to Abuja or engaged virtually to address the concerns raised by the Commission.
Quality of service remains one of the telecommunications sector’s most persistent challenges, despite more than 25 years of industry liberalisation and rapid growth in subscriber numbers.
However, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has cautioned against relying solely on sanctions to resolve the sector’s service-quality problems.
ALTON Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, said the challenges were closely linked to wider infrastructure and operating constraints facing telecom operators.
According to Adebayo, fines and penalties alone cannot resolve the systemic issues affecting service delivery.
He maintained that while operators should be held accountable for genuine infractions, regulators should also consider the broader operating environment.
MTN warns subscribers over fake 25GB offer
Meanwhile, MTN Nigeria has warned subscribers about fraudulent online offers claiming to provide 25GB data bundles as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations.
The telecom operator issued the warning through its official X support account, urging customers to use only its authorised channels.
MTN advised subscribers against opening suspicious links, sharing personal information or sending money to unauthorised platforms.
The company said the genuine free 25GB bundle was available only to eligible subscribers and remained valid until 11:59pm on the specified expiry date.
