The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed telecom licensees in Nigeria to inform consumers of major service outages on their networks through media channels, stating the cause(s) of the service interruption, and the area(s) affected by the service interruption/outage, as well as the time that would be taken to restore service.

Similarly, the Operators must also inform Consumers one week in advance where operators have planned service outages.

In a statement, Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, Ag. Head, Public Affairs of the commission said this development, which is contained in the “Directive on Reportage of Major Network Outages by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs),” is part of the Commission’s drive to ensure timely resolution of outages, enhance quality of experience for telecom consumers, and keep consumers informed.

According to the Directive, Mobile Network Operators, Internet Service Providers and other operators that provide last mile services will also provide proportional compensation, including extension of validity, as may be applicable and in line with the provisions of the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations, where any major network outage continues for more than 24 hours.

It identified three types of major outages to include: Any network operational condition such as fibre cut due to construction/access issues/theft & vandalism and force majeure that impacts five per cent or more of the affected operator’s subscriber base or five or more Local Government Areas (LGAs); having an occasion of unplanned outage of, or complete isolation of network resources in 100 or more sites or five per cent of the total number of sites (whichever is less) or 1 cluster that lasts for 30 minutes or more; and lastly, any form of outage that can degrade network quality in the top 10 states based on traffic volume as specified by the Commission from time to time.

In furtherance of this, the Commission has further directed that all Major Outages are to be reported by operators through the Commission’s Major Outage Reporting Portal, which is accessible to the public through the Commission’s website, www.ncc.gov.ng. The portal additionally discloses the identity of the culprit responsible for the disruption.

The Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity of the Commission, Engr. Edoyemi Ogor said the “The Commission had trailed 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.

“This also aligns with our broader commitment to the effective implementation of the Executive Order signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which designates telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII). It reinforces the need to safeguard these assets, given their centrality to national security, economic stability, and the everyday lives of Nigerians,” Ogor said.

Aliyu Musa

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will host the inaugural edition of the Digital Awareness and Sensitization Fora as a platform to strengthen policy and innovation for a digital future.

This is contained in a statement by the Head, Public Affairs of NCC, Mrs Nnenna Ukoha.

The statement said the fora are to facilitate a conducive environment to build Infrastructure for Innovation and Inclusion and to lay a solid foundation for bridging gaps between policy and infrastructure for national development.

“The maiden edition, with the theme: “Leaving No One Behind: Digital Assets, Equity, and Empowerment” which is scheduled to take place on November 13, 2025, will bring together industry experts, policymakers, and community stakeholders to brainstorm practical solutions for bridging the digital divide.”

According to Ukoha, the sessions at the inaugural forum will focus on designing inclusive digital policies, promoting accessible infrastructure deployment, developing adaptive digital literacy programmes and advocating for affordability and accessibility in digital services.

‘Africa has the world’s youngest population, with 60% of its people under the age of 25. With Nigeria’s great contribution to that figure, the NCC recognizes this for the asset that it is and is dedicated to leverage the untapped potential of this demography while including the rest of the populace”.

She said “In addition to its commitment to ensuring the safety of over 140 million Internet users, this sensitisation is designed to highlight the importance of inclusive participation in Nigeria’s digital economy and bring together key stakeholder from regulatory bodies, academia, private sector and development partners to deliberate on how digital access and innovation can be harnessed to empower underserved communities, drive equity and promote national development.

“The Digital Awareness and Sensitization Fora is a collaborative effort of the industry and stakeholders including the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), National Orientation Agency (NOA), and the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS). Others are the Association of Telecommunications Operators on Nigeria (ATCON) FintechNGR, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Terra Industries, Association of Nigerian Inventors (ANI), Secondary Education Board (SEB), Nigerian University Commission (NUC), Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONWAD) Imose Technologies and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

“The event will feature panel discussions, exhibitions by innovators, fintech organizations and students, creating the environment to showcase innovations that reflect the creativity and potential of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

“The event will be livestreamed via a dedicated portal at scf.ncc.gov.ng ensuring nationwide access and participation,” she said.