The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has ordered mobile network operators (MNOs) to compensate users for poor quality of service (QoS) in locations where performance falls short of regulatory expectations.
In a statement published on Sunday, Nnenna Ukoha, head of public relations at the NCC, stated that the instruction is intended to ensure that customers do not pay the whole expense of service delays caused by operators failing to achieve established criteria.
“The commission’s position is that subscribers should not be made to bear the full burden of service disruptions where operators fail to meet prescribed standards of service delivery,” she said.
According to the spokesperson, impacted users will be compensated with airtime credits that are determined by their normal spending habits and their presence in areas where service outages take place.
“Erring operators will compensate affected users directly for breaches of quality of service key performance indicators within specified time frames,” Ukoha said.
According to the regulator, the move reflects a shift towards a more consumer-focused regulatory approach.
“While regulatory fines have traditionally served as a deterrent against poor service delivery, the commission is adopting a more consumer-focused approach that strengthens accountability within the industry,” Ukoha added.
Tower firms would have to spend fines and other financial penalties into infrastructure upgrades to improve network quality, according to the spokesperson.
The NCC stated that it will keep emphasising that operators must make regular investments in infrastructure improvements, capacity growth, and network resilience.
What This Means: The directive is a meaningful shift in how Nigeria regulates its telecoms sector, moving beyond fines that consumers never benefit from toward direct accountability to users. In practice, however, the effectiveness of the policy will depend on how rigorously the NCC monitors compliance and whether airtime credits are structured in a way that genuinely reflects the disruption subscribers experience. The deeper issue remains infrastructure underinvestment, and until operators are compelled to make consistent capital commitments, compensation will treat the symptom rather than the cause.
