Senate summons NCC, network operators over poor services

The Senate is worried over what it describes as “unjustified deductions” from subscribers’ airtime by telecommunications service providers despite the poor services the network operators offer Nigerians.

It cited several instances, including failed connections, inaudible conversations, and frequent interruptions that were still billed by the operators even when the required services were not delivered.

To address the issues, the Red Chamber on Wednesday summoned the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and service operators to investigate the issues and, particularly, to “assess the financial losses suffered by subscribers.”

The investigation, which will be conducted within four weeks, will be handled by the Senate Committee on Communications.

The resolution followed a motion moved by the Senate Whip, Senator Mohammed Monguno, on the “Need to Curb Unjustified Deductions from Subscribers’ Airtime Resulting from Substandard Telecommunications Services through Robust Consumer Protection.”

Presenting the motion, Monguno recalled how subscribers frequently experienced “failed call connections, abrupt disconnections, inaudible conversations and network interruptions, resulting in airtime deductions without effective communication.”

He stated: “The Senate also observes that subscribers are often compelled to make repeated calls to achieve successful connections, thereby incurring additional costs arising from network deficiencies beyond their control.

“Concerned that the persistent complaints by telecommunications subscribers over the depletion of purchased airtime arising from unsuccessful, interrupted, dropped and poor-quality telephone calls across the networks of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in Nigeria.”

He told the Senate that Nigerians must not be made to pay for telecommunications services that had not been effectively delivered, as “payment for airtime is payment for a service and not merely an attempt to establish communication.”

Quantifying the losses, the lawmaker noted that while they might seem small on face value, when aggregated across millions of subscribers, they actually translated “into substantial financial losses, particularly for low-income earners, traders, students and small business operators.”

The Senate reminded the NCC of its duty to protect consumers under the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, through the enforcement of acceptable standards of service delivery.

ALSO READ: Reps decry declining funding for federal health institutions, seek increased allocations

While admitting that occasional service failure could occur, it noted that the pattern of service disruption or poor delivery in Nigeria was exceptional and called into question the effectiveness of the regulatory duties of the NCC.

The Senate added that the issue “goes beyond poor telecommunications service delivery and raises fundamental concerns about consumer rights, financial accountability and the protection of Nigerians from paying for services they have not effectively received.”

It said effective consumer protection would ordinarily mean that the operators would not only ensure transparent billing but also carry out immediate refunds or compensation “for unjustified airtime deductions.”