Poor mobile service in Nigeria led to airtime credits for 75 million subscribers this year even as operators expanded capacity, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida said.
At a telecom consumer forum in Lagos on Oct. 20, Maida said the commission had recorded more than 6,500 network interventions during 2026. The work included technology upgrades and additional capacity in areas with heavier demand. He said the regulator was monitoring service and directing operators to address shortcomings.
Maida also said nearly 3 million subscribers had received refunds for failed airtime or data purchases this year. Those refunds concern unsuccessful transactions, while the credits address poor network performance.
Under an NCC framework that took effect in April, operators must automatically issue airtime credits when the regulator confirms that service in an area has fallen below its standards. To qualify, a line must have made at least one outgoing billed call, text or data session in the affected local government area during the assessment period. The rules can cover qualifying poor service dating to November 2025. The commission publishes a list of eligible areas and assessment months.
Operators provide the credits to affected subscribers, but Maida said compensation could not restore a lost business opportunity or conversation. He described reducing service failures as the priority.
The Guardian reported that Maida cited fiber damage during road construction and equipment theft as threats to network reliability. He also pointed to rising demand as operators added capacity.
The NCC counted 197,416,694 active telephone subscriptions in August. That monthly figure counts connections, not individual people. Maida said operators were adding sites and equipment while the commission continued to monitor network performance.
