NCC Cracks Down on Telecom Outages: Mandates Real-Time Alerts, Compensation for Nigerians
NCC’s New Directive: Telecoms Must Alert Nigerians on Outages or Face Penalties The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has mandated telecom operators to immediately notify consumers of major network outages via media channels, including details on causes, affected areas, and restoration timelines. The directive, announced Sunday, also requires firms to issue compensation for outages lasting over 24 hours and launches a public portal to expose infrastructure vandals. Key Requirements: Alerts, Compensation, and Transparency Advance Notice: Operators must warn consumers one week ahead of planned outages (e.g., maintenance). Real-Time Updates: Unplanned outages (e.g., fibre cuts, vandalism) require immediate public alerts. Compensation: Subscribers get validity extensions for outages exceeding 24 hours, per the Consumer Code of Practice. Public Shaming: NCC’s new Major Outage Reporting Portal will name entities responsible for disruptions. What Qualifies as a ‘Major Outage’? The NCC defines major outages as: Impact: Affects 5%+ of subscribers or 5+ Local Government Areas (LGAs). Infrastructure Failures: Fibre cuts, […]