In a significant move to improve transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed telecom operators to promptly inform consumers about major network outages. This directive, which was issued on Sunday, mandates operators to communicate the cause of the outage, the affected regions, and the estimated restoration time.
The announcement, which was officially confirmed in a statement by Nnenna Ukoha, the acting head of Public Affairs at the NCC, underscores the growing concern over service disruptions that have affected millions of Nigerians. The NCC emphasized that these outages—stemming from a variety of causes such as infrastructure issues, fibre optic cable cuts, network overload, and even natural disasters—are a recurring problem, impacting businesses, daily activities, and the broader economy.
As part of the new directive, operators are also required to notify consumers one week in advance of planned service outages. This initiative is aimed at mitigating the frustrations often faced by users when unanticipated service disruptions occur. The new policy, titled Directive on Reportage of Major Network Outages by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), is designed to improve the quality of service and consumer experience while ensuring that telecom users remain well-informed.
In the statement, the NCC further detailed the types of outages that fall under the reporting requirements. These include any service disruption caused by fibre cuts due to construction or theft, force majeure incidents, or network isolation events that impact at least 5% of an operator’s subscriber base or five or more Local Government Areas (LGAs). Notably, outages that last for 30 minutes or more and affect a network’s performance in the top 10 states based on traffic volume must also be reported.
New Reporting Portal for Telecom Outages
In an effort to enhance transparency, the NCC has also introduced a major outage reporting portal accessible to the public via its official website. The portal will allow consumers to track and confirm details about network disruptions, including the identity of the party responsible for the outage. This move aims to foster greater accountability, particularly with regard to sabotage or negligence.
Edoyemi Ogor, Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity at the NCC, explained that the commission had conducted a trial of the reporting process and portal with operators before the issuance of this directive. “By providing consumers and stakeholders with timely and transparent information on network outages, we are entrenching a culture of accountability,” Ogor stated. He further noted that the initiative is part of the broader efforts to protect Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure, which is now classified as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) under an Executive Order signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The NCC’s commitment to ensuring that telecom operators take responsibility for the protection of infrastructure highlights the growing importance of secure, reliable communication networks for national security and economic stability.