Nigeria’s Senate has opened a four-week inquiry into airtime lost during failed mobile calls, pressing the regulator to examine carrier billing and weigh refunds for subscribers.
A resolution summary published by the National Assembly Library Trust Fund says the Senate’s Committee on Communications must invite the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and relevant mobile operators, assess subscriber losses and send lawmakers its findings within four weeks.
The Senate wants the NCC to examine billing at MTN Nigeria, Globacom, Airtel Nigeria and T2 Mobile for deductions associated with calls that fail, disconnect unexpectedly or are interrupted. The summary identifies all four providers as subjects of the regulator’s review.
Lawmakers also urged the commission to make complaint and redress channels easier to use, audit operators’ billing systems and enforce service-quality standards. They asked it to consider automatic refunds when a failed call or qualifying network interruption is verified; any new refund requirement would still need to be adopted by the regulator.
The motion links the cost of poor connections to subscribers making repeated attempts to call again. It says low-income earners, traders, students and small-business operators face particular exposure, but gives no estimate of total airtime losses.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the chamber could summon the communications minister, the NCC’s executive vice-chairman and telecom operators if the regulator’s response did not satisfy lawmakers, Premium Times and Channels Television reported. The published resolution summary calls for invitations to the NCC and operators but does not mention summoning the minister.
The NCC has a separate compensation framework that took effect in April 2026. Eligible subscribers experiencing prolonged or repeated poor service in areas where operators miss prescribed performance indicators can receive airtime credits. The commission says it assesses network performance and directs operators to issue credits automatically, without requiring subscribers to apply. EconoTimes has previously covered the NCC’s service-credit program.
That framework addresses service-quality failures, while the Senate is asking the NCC to consider redress tied to failed calls and qualifying interruptions. The committee’s stated next step is a report within four weeks; the summary gives no date for a hearing.
