The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has mandated that MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and other telecommunications service providers implement immediate response protocols in the event of significant network disruptions.
This mandate is articulated within the NCC’s Quality of Service Business Rules, which were promulgated in the preceding month.
Pursuant to these regulations, telecommunications service providers are obligated to promptly communicate all substantial network disruptions to the Commission at the moment they transpire.
Additionally, they are required to disseminate public announcements regarding such disruptions via both traditional and digital media channels.
The NCC further stipulates that operators must inform impacted subscribers directly through digital communication methods, encompassing SMS, MMS, and social media platforms.
The Commission has also delineated specific obligations that telecommunications operators must fulfill following the restoration of services.
In accordance with NCC requirements, operators must furnish a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to the Commission within a 48-hour timeframe following service restoration.
This RCA documentation must comprehensively identify the underlying cause or causes of the disruption, specify the geographic areas affected, describe the corrective actions undertaken to reinstate services, and outline preventative measures implemented to mitigate future occurrences.
The NCC has additionally established a compensation mechanism addressing extended network disruptions.
The Commission stipulates that when a disruption persists beyond 24 hours, the responsible telecommunications operator must furnish appropriate compensation in conformity with the Consumer Code of Practice.
The Commission further clarified that any disruption surpassing 12 hours within a calendar day shall be classified as a complete day for compensation calculation purposes.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the NCC acknowledged that force majeure circumstances may be exempted from compensation obligations provided they are thoroughly documented and formally reported.
The Commission articulated the following: “Licensees shall adhere to the subsequent requirements: “a. Immediate Reporting: All Major Network Outages shall be communicated immediately to the Commission upon occurrence; “b. Public Disclosure: Licensees shall promptly disseminate public notices through conventional and alternative media platforms; “c. Consumer Notification: Subscribers shall be notified directly utilizing digital channels including SMS, MMS, and social media platforms.
On post-restoration obligations, the NCC stated: “Upon restoration of services, Licensees shall submit a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to the Commission within forty-eight (48) hours,” detailing the cause of the outage, affected areas, actions taken to restore service and measures implemented to prevent recurrence.
On compensation, the Commission stated that outages exceeding 24 hours would attract proportional compensation, while any outage lasting more than 12 hours within a day would be deemed a full day for compensation purposes.
It added that force majeure events, where properly documented and reported, may be exempt from compensation.
