NCC Reports 75 Million Subscribers Compensated for Poor Telecom Services

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has disclosed that over 75 million subscribers have been compensated by telecom operators for substandard network services. This development is part of the commission's efforts to enforce quality-of-service obligations on operators. According to a communiqué issued by the NCC after its 109th board meeting held on May 25, 2026, the compensation reflects significant progress in addressing consumer complaints over poor network performance. The NCC had on March 29, 2026, directed mobile operators to compensate subscribers for dropped calls, slow data speeds, and inconsistent network coverage. Operators were required to automatically issue airtime credits to affected customers based on their average spending in areas where service quality failed to meet regulatory benchmarks. The commission noted that while operators have reported compliance, it is still conducting independent validation to confirm that all eligible subscribers have been properly captured in the compensation process. Nigeria has over 200 million mobile subscriptions, and the compensation exercise potentially affects a significant share of active users across Africa's largest telecom market. The NCC also reviewed compliance by infrastructure providers, particularly tower companies, which were directed to reinvest regulatory fines into network upgrades. The regulator warned that full adherence is necessary to achieve the intended infrastructure improvements. The telecom sector in Nigeria continues to face challenges, including rising data demand, uneven fibre deployment, and heavy reliance on mobile broadband, which has strained network capacity. Despite these challenges, telecom operators have continued to invest heavily in network infrastructure and service improvements. In 2025, mobile network operators, tower companies, and other industry players spent about N2.13tn on capital expenditure, and they plan to invest about N1.86tn in 2026. The NCC noted that efforts to expand fibre-to-the-home connections are beginning to gain traction, although penetration remains low. The commission also flagged persistent vandalism of telecom facilities as a major constraint on service reliability, despite the designation of telecom assets as critical national information infrastructure. The NCC is exploring additional protective mechanisms to strengthen the security of telecom infrastructure nationwide.