Senate Orders Four-Week Probe Into Failed Calls and Airtime Deductions
ABUJA — The Senate has ordered a four-week investigation into complaints that mobile subscribers lose airtime when calls fail, drop or end because of network interruptions.
The chamber directed its Committee on Communications to invite the Nigerian Communications Commission and major operators, including MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom and T2 Mobile.
The committee is expected to examine billing practices, assess the scale of any losses to subscribers and report back with recommendations. The Senate also asked the NCC to consider an accessible complaints process, independent technical audits and automatic refunds where a failed service can be verified.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno. Lawmakers argued that consumers should not bear the financial cost of calls or services that were not effectively delivered.
No finding of wrongdoing has yet been made against any operator. The investigation will need technical billing records and a clear definition of what constitutes a chargeable call, a failed connection or a qualifying interruption.
For subscribers, the important next steps are whether the committee holds public hearings, whether the NCC publishes measurable quality-of-service findings and whether any refund rule is enforceable across all networks.
Sources: National Assembly Library Trust Fund; Punch; TheCable.
Featured image: illustrative mobile-phone photograph by Hassan Kibwana/Unsplash.
