Telecoms Must Alert Consumers of Major Outages – NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a directive requiring telecom operators to promptly inform consumers about major service outages through various media channels. This notification must include the cause of the disruption, the affected areas, and the estimated duration of the downtime.

The new guideline, released on Sunday, also mandates that telecom companies notify customers at least one week in advance of any planned service interruptions. This directive applies broadly to mobile network operators, internet service providers, and other last-mile connectivity providers.

According to a statement signed by Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, the Acting Head of Public Affairs at the NCC, operators are now obliged to provide appropriate compensation—such as validity extensions—if an outage persists for more than 24 hours. This measure aligns with the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations to protect customer rights.

• The statement defines three categories of major outages: Network operational issues including fibre cuts caused by construction, access challenges, theft, vandalism, or force majeure events that impact at least 5% of the operator’s subscriber base or five Local Government Areas (LGAs).
• Unplanned outages or total isolation of network resources affecting 100 or more sites, or 5% of total sites (whichever is fewer), or one cluster, lasting 30 minutes or longer.
• Any outage that significantly degrades network quality in the top 10 states based on traffic volume, as designated periodically by the NCC.

To enhance transparency, the Commission has introduced a Major Outage Reporting Portal accessible to the public via its website (www.ncc.gov.ng). Operators are required to report all major outages through this portal, which also identifies the party responsible for the disruption.

Engr. Edoyemi Ogor, NCC’s Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, explained that the portal has undergone extensive testing with operators over several months.

He emphasized that the initiative aims to foster accountability and ensure that perpetrators of sabotage against telecommunications infrastructure are held responsible.

Ogor further highlighted that this directive supports the broader implementation of the Executive Order signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which classifies telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII).

The move underscores the vital importance of safeguarding these assets due to their critical role in national security, economic stability, and the daily lives of Nigerians.