NCC Mandates Telecom Providers to Notify Consumers of Major Outages, Launches Reporting Portal
Under the new regulation, operators must disclose the cause, affected areas, and estimated restoration time through public media channels.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a new directive requiring telecom service providers to inform consumers in advance of major service outages. Under the new regulation, operators must disclose the cause, affected areas, and estimated restoration time through public media channels.
Telecom operators are also required to notify consumers at least one week in advance for planned service interruptions. The mandate, outlined in the “Directive on Reportage of Major Network Outages by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs),” is designed to improve transparency, accountability, and customer experience.
In cases where outages exceed 24 hours, operators must provide proportional compensation such as extended service validity. Major outages are classified into three categories: infrastructure damage affecting a significant user base, widespread unplanned outages, and degraded service in top-traffic states.
To ensure public access to timely updates, NCC has launched a Major Outage Reporting Portal on its website. The portal will also disclose the responsible culprits in cases of sabotage.
This initiative supports the Executive Order signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which designates telecom infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), emphasizing its importance to national security and economic stability.
The directive follows months of pilot testing and aligns with NCC’s broader efforts to strengthen digital infrastructure across Nigeria.
