The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a new directive compelling telecom operator to notify consumers of major network outages, providing full details of the disruption, affected areas, and expected service restoration timelines.
According to the NCC, the new policy, titled “Directive on Reportage of Major Network Outages by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)” is designed to promote transparency, enhance the quality of user experience, and ensure timely resolution of service disruptions. It mandates operators to disseminate this information through media channels and stipulates that consumers must be informed at least seven days in advance in cases of planned service interruptions.
The directive, signed by the Acting Head of Public Affairs, Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, applies to Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and other last-mile service providers. It further instructs that customers be compensated appropriately for service outages that exceed 24 hours. Such compensation could include extensions of data or service validity, in accordance with the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations.
To standardise the classification of outages, the Commission outlined three categories of “major” service disruptions:
Any operational issue such as fibre cuts, vandalism, theft, or force majeure events that affect at least five per cent of an operator’s subscriber base or impact five or more Local Government Areas (LGAs);
Unplanned outages that isolate 100 or more network sites, five per cent of total sites, or an entire cluster for 30 minutes or longer;
Any outage that significantly degrades service quality in any of the top ten states by traffic volume, as periodically defined by the NCC.
To strengthen accountability, the NCC has activated a Major Outage Reporting Portal on its official website (www.ncc.gov.ng), where operators are required to log all major outages. The portal, accessible to the public, also identifies the entities responsible for service disruptions.
Commenting on the directive, Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity at the NCC, Engr. Edoyemi Ogor, disclosed that the Commission had piloted the portal and outage reporting system with operators for several months prior to its official rollout.
“By providing consumers and stakeholders with timely, transparent information on network outages, we are institutionalising a culture of accountability within the telecom industry,” Ogor said. “This initiative also ensures that those who sabotage telecom infrastructure are identified and held accountable.”
Ogor added that the directive aligns with the Federal Government’s Executive Order, signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which recognises telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII). “Given the pivotal role of telecoms in national security and economic development, it is essential to safeguard these assets,” he stated.
This move underscores the NCC’s broader commitment to consumer protection, service excellence, and national infrastructure security in Nigeria’s growing digital economy.
 has issued a new directive compelling telecom operator to notify consumers of major ...){kind=link}