By Epiphanus Obia
Airtel Nigeria and Globacom have restored airtime borrowing services after a six-week suspension triggered by a regulatory dispute over digital lending rules, offering relief to millions of subscribers who rely on emergency airtime credit.
The services, including Airtel Advance and Glo’s Borrow Me Credit, resumed on May 25 following the temporary suspension of enforcement of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (FCCPC) Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending (DEON) Regulations.
The FCCPC halted enforcement after an interim order issued by the Federal High Court in Lagos on April 15 restrained the commission from implementing the regulations pending the determination of a suit filed by the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria (WASPAN).
WASPAN Chairman Ayo Stuffman confirmed that airtime lending had resumed on Airtel and Glo networks.
“As we speak, the services in question are already active on Airtel and Glo,” he told reporters.
Checks by industry media showed Airtel and Glo subscribers could again access airtime borrowing services as of the time of publishing this report, while MTN subscribers were still unable to borrow airtime.
The dispute followed the FCCPC’s decision to expand the scope of its digital lending regulations to cover telecom airtime and data credit services, effectively classifying them as lending products subject to registration and compliance requirements. Telecom operators and value-added service providers opposed the move, arguing that airtime credit is a telecommunications service already regulated by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), not a conventional loan product.
The standoff escalated after WASPAN sued the FCCPC, prompting the Lagos Federal High Court to issue an interim injunction restraining enforcement of the rules. Despite the court order, telecom operators had already suspended airtime borrowing services over compliance concerns.
The FCCPC announced on May 22 that it would temporarily suspend enforcement of the regulations but said it would challenge the court order.
Industry stakeholders say the disruption affected millions of subscribers who depend on airtime advances for urgent calls and temporary connectivity during cash shortages. Analysts also say the dispute highlights growing regulatory tensions over oversight of digital services that overlap telecom and financial products.
MTN’s XtraTime service had not been fully restored as of the time of reporting.