Bombings and floods in Nigeria have damaged 193 base transmission stations (BTS) managed by mobile operator Airtel.
This is according to the company’s director of regulatory affairs, Osondu Nwokoro, who said the bombings, allegedly orchestrated by militant group Boko Haram, and this month’s floods have affected Airtel’s infrastructure across the states of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano and Yobe.
Osondu said this development has compromised the mobile operator’s network quality, in a country where the regulator dishes out harsh punishment for poor services.
In May, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) fined the country's four main mobile operators, including MTN and Bharti Airtel, a total of $7.38 million for poor-quality service.
Airtel Nigeria, which has a subscriber base of 20 million, however says it has restored services at 112 base stations that were damaged, while also sharing infrastructure with other telcos to attempt to ensure uninterrupted services.
“We are engaging more on facility sharing,” said Osondu.
“We are doing 250 with MTN while we are discussing another 100. We are also doing fibre lease with other operators,” he added.
Other initiatives undertaken by Airtel to ensure protection of its infrastructure include using private security firms and collaborating with government.
The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, says the country's active mobile telephone lines as at August stands at 105.2 million.
According to Informa Telecoms & Media, Airtel is the second biggest operator in Nigeria with a 19% share of the country’s mobile subscriber market. MTN, meanwhile, is the nation’s biggest operator, with a 42% share of Nigeria’s mobile market.
Share