Nigeria’s telecoms regulator prepares ₦12.4B fine for poor network quality
On today's edition of Techpoint Digest, we discuss NCC's ₦12.4B fine for telcos, Esohe Igbinoba's spending on tech events, and a new DStv feature that allows friends to share bills.
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Здравей,<br />
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Victoria from Techpoint here,<br />
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Here’s what I’ve got for you today:<br />
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NCC could slap telcos with ₦12.4B fine<br />
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Who spends millions attending tech events?<br />
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New DStv feature lets friends share the bill<br />
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NCC could slap telcos with ₦12.4B fine<br />
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Nigeria’s telecom regulator is done issuing warnings. After years of consumer complaints about dropped calls, slow data, and vanishing airtime, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is preparing to hit operators with fines totalling about ₦12.4 billion ($8.77 million), one of its toughest enforcement moves yet, per TechCabal.<br />
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The planned penalties target breaches of service quality rules and come as the NCC updates its enforcement regulations to include stiffer sanctions and new communications-related offences. The push follows an order from Communications Minister Bosun Tijani, who wants penalties for poor network performance to be automatic, not negotiated.<br />
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What this means is simple: telcos can no longer hide behind promises of future investments. While the NCC approved tariff increases earlier this year to help operators cope with rising costs, it insists that higher prices must translate into better service, not excuses for bad performance.<br />
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Why it matters is obvious to consumers. The regulator says it is now focusing squarely on the issues Nigerians complain about most: poor network quality, unexplained data depletion, and failed airtime or data transactions. Audits of base stations, refunds worth over ₦10 billion, and spectrum reallocations are already being used to force improvements.<br />
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Nigeria isn’t alone in tightening the screws. In Kenya, the Communications Authority has fined operators like Safaricom and Airtel over quality-of-service breaches. Across Africa, regulators are shifting from friendly oversight to rule-based enforcement, and Nigeria’s ₦12.4 billion fine signals it is ready to play hardball too.<br />
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Who spends millions attending tech events?<br />
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Esohe Igbinoba<br />
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Who spends millions of n...
