As demand for high-quality telecom services increases, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has moved to regulate telcos in the country, requiring them to notify customers of severe network failures in a timely manner via media channels and a newly created severe Outage Reporting Portal.
According to the NCC, service providers must state the cause of the service interruption, the impacted locations, and the estimated time of restoration.
In addition, the Commission requires that consumers be notified one week in advance of any planned service interruptions.
The Directive on Reportage of Major Network Outages by mobile network operators is part of the Commission's efforts to ensure quick resolution of outages and improve the quality of service for telecom customers.
It went on to say that the directive defines three types of major outages: any network operational conditions such as fibre cuts due to construction/access issues/theft and vandalism, and force majeure that affects 5% or more of the affected operator's subscriber base or five or more local government areas.
According to the directive, mobile network operators, internet service providers, and other operators who provide last mile services will provide proportional compensation, including validity extensions in accordance with the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations, if a major network outage lasts more than 24 hours.
Commenting on the mandate, Edoyemi Ogoh, director of technical standards and network integrity, said:: “The Commission has trialled the reporting process and portal with operators for some months now before issuing the directive.
“By providing consumers and stakeholders in the telecommunications industry with timely and transparent information on network outages, we are entrenching a culture of accountability and transparency. This approach also ensures that culprits are held responsible for sabotage to telecommunications infrastructure.”
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