Tag: NCC

Poor network service: FG orders telcos to compensate subscribers

Aminu Imam
FG orders telcos

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed Mobile Network Operators to compensate subscribers in areas where network quality falls below prescribed standards. In a statement issued yesterday, Head of Public Affairs at the Commission, Nnenna Ukoha, said affected users will receive airtime credits calculated based on their average spending patterns and their presence within local government areas where service failures occur. “Subscribers should not be made to bear the full burden of service disruptions where operators fail to meet prescribed standards of service delivery. The compensation will be provided in…

Read More

$11.44m debt: China threatens to shut down Nigerian communications satellite

Aminu Imam
China threatens NCC

The China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) has threatened to suspend operations of Nigeria’s communications satellite, NigComSat-1R, over an outstanding debt of $11.44 million accumulated over the past seven years. The company gave Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat) 30 days to settle the debt or provide a legally binding guarantee, failing which it warned it would shut down the satellite. According to reports, the ultimatum was conveyed in a letter addressed to the Managing Director of NigComSat Ltd., and copied to President Bola Tinubu. The letter signed by Liu Lan,…

Read More

‘Nigeria set for satellite-enabled mobile networks’ – NCC

Aminu Imam
NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is set to embrace satellite-enabled mobile connectivity, prioritising Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite services as a key technology for expanding network coverage between 2025 and 2030.  This strategy is detailed in the Commission’s draft Spectrum Roadmap for the Communications Sector. The proposed strategy emphasises the use of non-terrestrial networks to supplement existing mobile infrastructure, particularly in regions where challenging terrain, security issues, or high costs hinder the deployment of traditional base stations. The NCC highlighted that D2D satellite technology enables standard mobile phones to connect directly with…

Read More

NCC directs banks to deduct USSD transaction fees from users’ airtime

Aminu Imam
NCC directs banks

The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has issued a directive mandating all banks to stop deducting USSD transaction charges directly from customer bank accounts. Effective yesterday, June 3, 2025, users will now have USSD fees debited from their mobile airtime instead. This change was confirmed in a message from United Bank for Africa (UBA) to its customers, in line with the NCC’s newly adopted End-User Billing (EUB) model. Under the revised structure, each USSD session will cost ₦6.98 per 120 seconds, with mobile network operators…

Read More

SERAP sues FG, NCC over 50% telecoms tariff hike

Aminu Imam
SERAP sues FG, NCC

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP), has filed a lawsuit against the President Bola Tinubu administration and the Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), over what it described as the “arbitrary, unconstitutional, unlawful, unfair, and unreasonable” 50% increase in telecom tariffs. Recall that the NCC recently approved the tariff hike, which raised the cost of a one-minute call from ₦11 to ₦16.5, the price of 1GB of data from ₦287.5 to ₦431.25, and SMS charges from ₦4 to ₦6. The hike has sparked widespread criticism, with SERAP leading legal opposition to…

Read More

Price of calls to rise, as FG agrees to tariff hike

Aminu Imam
FG on tariff hike

The Federal Government has agreed to demands for tariff hikes in the telecommunication industry.  Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed this yesterday, during an ‘Industry Stakeholder Forum’, in Abuja. This is expected in the coming weeks, as the Government aims to address sustainability challenges in the telecom sector. This implies that prices of calls, data and SMS will go up for the average Nigerian. However, the hike will fall short of the 100 percent increase requested by service providers, with the Government seeking to balance sector…

Read More

NCC debunks reports of 40% Telecom tariff hike

Aminu Imam
NCC logo

…Says its “fake news” The Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), has refuted recent reports alleging it approved a 40 percent increase in telecom tariffs, labeling the claims as false and misleading. Recall that there had earlier been reports on social media  that the Commission had approved the proposal for a 40% increase in tariffs for services rendered by telecommunications service providers beginning in January 2025. The reports claimed that this will translate into ₦15.40 per minute for telephone calls and ₦5.60 for Short Message Service (SMS). It added that data bundles,…

Read More

SIM-NIN deadline now Sept. 14, as linked lines hit 153 million

Aminu Imam
NCC NIN

The Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), has announced September 14, 2024, as the new deadline for all Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) to National Identity Numbers (NINs) linkage. NCC spokesman, Reuben Muoka, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, directing all mobile network operators (MNOs) to complete the verification and linkage of SIMs to NINs by September 14, 2024. Effective September 15, 2024, the Commission expects that no SIM operating in Nigeria will be without a valid NIN, the statement read. Mouka said over 153 million SIMs have been successfully linked to…

Read More

NCC deny granting MTN, Glo, others permission to increase tariff

Aminu Imam
NCC 1

The Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), has denied granting telecommunications companies in the country like MTN, Glo and others permission to increase tariffs. Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO of the Commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, stated this on his verified X account on Saturday, while addressing the false information circulating within the telecom sector. Reports had emerged across some sections of the media that the telecoms industry regulator had granted the request of the network providers to increase tariffs. The report stated that NCC had approved tariff increases for MTN, Airtel, Glo, and other telecom…

Read More

NIN-SIM verification: NCC orders telcos to re-activate all lines barred

Aminu Imam
NCC orders telcos

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has ordered all telecommunication companies in the country to re-activate all lines they have barred over issues surrounding the linking and verification of National Identification Numbers (NIN) linked with their Subscriber Identification Modules, (SIMs). The sudden U-turn from the regulator, which had earlier given the telecom operators a July 31 deadline to bar all lines with unverified NINs, may not be unconnected with the planned protest and the claims that the government was trying to frustrate the protest through telecommunications.  Millions of lines were barred…

Read More