By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Tope Olaiya
Published on 2024-01-18 08:53:26
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced that an agreement has been reached between MTN and Globacom to resolve the interconnect debt issue, which was set to lead to the disconnection of the latter by the former. The 10-day pre-disconnection notice issued by the Commission has now lapsed, but the disconnection has been put on hold for 21 days starting from January 17th, 2024. This period is expected to be used to completely resolve the debt issue.
Last week, the NCC approved a partial disconnection of Globacom by MTN due to its refusal to pay interconnect debt. This would have led to MTN partially disconnecting Glo network from its network, preventing Globacom’s subscribers from making calls to any MTN number. However, Glo customers would still be able to receive inbound calls from MTN customers.
The Director of Public Affairs for the NCC, Reuben Mouka, stated that the Commission is pleased to announce that the parties have reached an agreement to resolve all outstanding issues between them. As a result, the phased disconnection has been put on hold for a period of 21 days, during which the Commission expects MTN and Glo to resolve all outstanding issues. The NCC insists that interconnect debts must be settled by all operating companies as a necessary component towards regulatory compliance.
As of 2020, the former Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta, described interconnect debt as a significant challenge in the industry, with a debt figure of over N70 billion. This has been threatening the operators’ capacity to expand their infrastructure for better quality service.
Overall, the NCC is emphasizing the importance of settling interconnect debts and complying with regulatory obligations for all licensees in the telecom industry. The resolution of the issue between MTN and Globacom is expected to contribute to a more positive and compliant environment within the industry.
Read the original article on The Guardian
