By Martin Ekpeke
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has pinpointed poor quality of service, rapid data depletion claims, and failed top-ups or recharge issues as the three most pressing challenges faced by telecommunications consumers in Nigeria.
Dr. Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, revealed these findings in a keynote address titled ‘Protecting Digital Consumers: Regulations, Innovations and Best Practices’ at the recent Titans of Tech Conference and Expo in Lagos.
Speaking through his representative, Freda Bruce-Bennett, Director of Consumer Affairs Bureau at the NCC, Dr. Maida stated that these pain points were identified following a comprehensive analysis of consumer complaints throughout 2024.
Recognizing the gravity of these issues, the NCC has already established an intervention mechanism to proactively address them, signaling a renewed focus on enhancing the overall quality of experience for Nigerian telecom users.
NCC’s targeted interventions
The NCC is implementing specific strategies to tackle each of these identified consumer pain points:
- Quality of Service (QoS): The NCC updated its QoS Regulations last year to expand their scope across the entire service delivery chain. This ensures that all parties involved—from Mobile Network Operators to Infrastructure Providers—are held accountable for service delivery. The commission is actively engaging all key players, setting clear expectations for improved service. The NCC is optimistic that tangible improvements in service quality will begin to be seen by the fourth quarter of 2025.
- Data Depletion: A growing number of consumers have complained about unexplained data exhaustion. In response, the NCC directed all network operators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) last year to undergo independent audits of their billing systems. While these audits revealed no systemic irregularities, the NCC acknowledges that consumer perception of data depletion remains an issue, largely driven by the data demands of high-resolution applications on faster networks (4G and 5G) and the complexity of data tariffs. To address this, the Commission, in collaboration with major network operators, launched a joint industry campaign on consumer awareness for smarter data usage. This initiative educates consumers on how to better manage and optimize their data consumption.
- Failed Top-Ups: Regarding failed recharges or incomplete credit transactions, the NCC is working closely with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to develop a robust framework. This framework aims to ensure consumers receive full value for every transaction.
Promoting transparency and accountability
Beyond these specific interventions, the NCC is adopting a regulatory approach rooted in proactive information disclosure, transparency, data-driven insights, and accountability.
Through its crowdsourced Quality of Experience (QoE) data, the NCC now collects independent, real-time feedback from millions of users nationwide. This provides a clear picture of actual network conditions, including coverage, speed, and latency across various locations. This data will soon be made publicly available, empowering consumers to compare operators based on real service quality, not just advertised claims.