• Nigeria plans 12.4 billion naira fines over telecom service failures

• NCC tightens enforcement amid outages, rising consumer complaints

• Sanctions follow ministerial pressure despite higher tariffs, investments

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) plans to impose fines of about 12.4 billion naira (nearly $8.9 million) on telecommunications operators for failing to meet quality of service standards, according to local media reports.

The move is part of a tougher regulatory stance in response to persistent network outages.

“The Commission is in the process of updating the Enforcement Processes Regulations to ensure that sanctions and penalties continue to achieve their intended deterrent effect,” the NCC told TechCabal. The regulator said the revision also incorporates new communications-related offences not covered by the Nigerian Communications Act of 2003 or its subsidiary legislation. Business Day, quoting the NCC, reported that pre-enforcement notices of the penalties have already been sent to the operators concerned.

The announcement comes days after local media disclosed a letter from the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, dated Jan. 8, 2026, and addressed to the NCC. In the letter, the minister urged the regulator to take firm action against operators over recurring nationwide network outages. He set a 90-day deadline for sanctions to be applied against actors that do not comply with quality of service standards.

“The expectation is clear: Nigerians must experience tangible improvements in the quality, reliability, and value of telecommunications services,” Tijani wrote, according to TechCabal.

In this context, the NCC noted that revised quality of service rules published in July 2024 expanded performance obligations, including to collocation providers, while introducing harsher penalties. After a transition period running through 2025, a compliance deadline was set for September. In October, Globacom, Airtel, and IHS Towers were fined a combined 45 million naira.

The regulatory pressure is intensifying as consumer complaints continue to rise, particularly on social media. These complaints mainly concern dropped calls, slow data services, and repeated outages. In 2025, MTN, the country’s leading operator, recorded 1.62 million customer complaints alone, according to figures reported by local media. Subscribers say disruptions persist despite repeated assurances from the regulator.

Higher tariffs, investments and unmet expectations

These difficulties persist more than a year after authorities approved a 50% increase in telecommunications service tariffs requested by operators. The NCC said at the time the decision was intended to strike a balance between consumer protection and the sector’s economic realities, marked by rising costs and monetary pressures. In return, operators committed to improving quality of service through increased investment in their networks.

According to TechCabal, the regulator estimates that the decision has already produced results. In 2025, the sector attracted more than $1 billion in new investment, with the deployment or modernization of more than 2,850 network sites nationwide. While these investments have helped lay the groundwork for lasting improvements in Quality of Experience (QoE), the Commission stressed that capital expenditure alone cannot justify poor performance. It said regulatory vigilance must ensure that these financial efforts translate into concrete service improvements for consumers.

It remains to be seen whether the tougher sanctions will effectively improve the quality of telecommunications services in Nigeria. The GSMA estimates that sanctions are not always the most effective tool. The organization notes that some regulatory objectives may be too complex or unrealistic, with indicators that are difficult to measure, potentially slowing long-term investment. It instead advocates co-regulation mechanisms based on transparently defined performance targets published regularly, allowing consumers to track service quality trends while giving a competitive advantage to the best-performing operators.

Nigerian operators also continue to face major structural challenges, notably electricity supply constraints and infrastructure vandalism. For instance, MTN Nigeria reported 9,218 incidents involving fibre optic cuts and acts of vandalism affecting 211 telecom sites in 2025, causing significant disruptions to network and internet services nationwide.

Isaac K. Kassouwi