By Moses Okorie
The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has given two communications giants, MTN Nigerian Communications Plc and its counterpart, Globacom Limited a period of 21 days to resolve their debt issues instead of disconnection as earlier approved by the commission.
NCC made this known on Thursday in a statement issued by its director, Public Affairs, Mr. Reuben Mouka, saying it is obligatory that Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and other licensees in the telecom industry keep to the terms and conditions of their licenses, especially as contained in their interconnection agreements.
According to NCC, “Whilst the Commission expects MTN and Glo to resolve all outstanding issues within the 21-day period, the Commission insists that interconnect debts must be settled by all operating companies as a necessary component towards compliance with regulatory obligations of all licensees.
“In granting the approval, the Commission was deeply conscious of the potential impacts of the decision on consumers and therefore continued to engage both parties to facilitate a resolution which prioritizes and protects consumer interest and the seamless operation of the national telecoms network.
“The Commission is pleased to announce that the parties have now reached agreement to resolve all outstanding issues between them. For this reason, and in exercise of its regulatory powers in that regard, the Commission has put the phased disconnection on hold for a period of 21 (twenty-one) days from today, 17 January, 2024”.
Recall that NCC had on January 8, 2024 published a pre-disconnection notice informing subscribers of the approval granted to MTN Nigerian Communications Plc. (MTN) to commence the phased disconnection of Globacom Limited (Glo) with effect from January 18, 2024 due to long-standing interconnection debt dispute between the parties.