Senate summons NCC, MTN, Airtel, others over poor network, unjustified airtime deductions

The Senate has launched an investigation into telecommunications operators accused of arbitrary airtime deductions for failed, dropped, or prematurely terminated calls. The Committee on Communications has four weeks to determine the financial losses suffered by subscribers and submit its findings, alongside recommendations for legislative and regulatory action.

The motion, sponsored by Senator Tahir Monguno, was presented by the Deputy Senate Leader and seconded by Senator Ned Nwoko, who emphasized the need to protect consumers from avoidable financial losses due to poor network services. The committee will invite the Nigerian Communications Commission and relevant operators to investigate complaints and establish the financial losses incurred by subscribers.

The resolution also calls for an accessible complaints and redress mechanism, automatic refunds for failed calls, independent technical audits, and stricter enforcement of quality-of-service standards. Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged the committee to start work immediately, warning they could take over if the investigation is not satisfactory within the four-week deadline.