The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has rolled out a compensation framework to refund telecom subscribers affected by poor service delivery, product defects, and failed transactions.
Speaking at a media stakeholders’ meeting held on Thursday in Ikeja, Lagos, NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr Aminu Maida, asserted that telecom consumers affected by poor quality of service will now be compensated as part of efforts to intensify enforcement of performance standards.
The EVC said the Commission has already begun implementing a compensation framework tied to measurable service failures, as part of broader efforts to hold operators accountable for network performance.
“We are currently carrying out compensation because we have identified areas where operators are not meeting the required quality of service targets,” he remarked.
“Subscribers in those affected areas are required to be compensated.”
Maida explained that the compensation regime is linked to quality of service measurements across different locations, adding that the regulator is working to ensure fairness in how affected consumers are classified and treated.
According to him, service disruptions are often driven by multiple structural challenges, including infrastructure vandalism, site shutdowns, and urban development constraints that affect network coverage.
He noted that in some cases, base stations are obstructed or taken offline due to disputes with landlords or encroachment on telecom sites.
“These are radio networks. Coverage can be affected by high-rise buildings, and sometimes sites are shut down or blocked from maintenance activities,” he said, adding that “When that happens, entire clusters of users in that area are impacted.”
The EVC stressed that while telecommunications operators are expected to meet defined quality thresholds, the Commission will also consider operational realities in its regulatory approach.
He said enforcement of compensation does not replace ongoing efforts to improve infrastructure and resolve structural bottlenecks in the sector.
Maida added that the Commission is strengthening its monitoring systems to ensure more accurate measurement of service quality across the country, while also enforcing compliance where operators consistently underperform.
Similarly, the NCC Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Engineer Edoyemi Ogoh, highlighted the Commission’s new compensation framework.
He said the compensation depends on a subscriber’s location, whether they carried out “qualifying reliability events” in their local government, and their monthly spend.
In his words, “So, for example, if you spend less than N1,000, that will be categorized as low value. If you spend from N1,000 to N10,000, that is medium; anything above N10,000, you are placed in the high-value segment.
Based on your average spend, you can get the particular percentage in line with some of the metrics that we have also defined to ensure that everybody is treated uh fairly.”
He further attributed some gaps to tower access challenges, landlord disputes, and urban high-rises blocking radio signals.
The compensation policy marks a stronger regulatory stance by the NCC as it responds to rising consumer complaints over network quality, dropped calls, and inconsistent data services, particularly in high-density urban areas.