The Executive Vice Chairman of the National Communication Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has disclosed that the lingering interconnect debt imbroglio between MTN Nigeria and Globacom Nigeria had been amicably resolved through the supervisory mediation of the commission.
Maida, who disclosed this on Tuesday at a media briefing in Abuja where he unveiled his vision for the industry during his tenure, confirmed that the face-off between the two leading mobile network operators (MNOs) was finally resolved on Monday during a meeting held in Abuja.
He said: “We have resolved the matter between the two telecom operators yesterday as part of our commitment to stakeholders’ engagement for improved services in the industry.”
The EVC also elaborately shared his vision for the industry and specifically stressed that the people (consumers), a data-driven economy, operators’ compliance with regulatory guidelines and support for the government’s digitalization of the nation’s economy would be among the focal areas that would be prioritized during his tenure.
It would be recalled that the NCC had last month notified telecom subscribers that MTN and Globacom had reached an agreement to resolve the interconnect debt issue,
The Commission, however, stated that the disconnection was only ‘put on hold’ for 21 days starting from January 17th, 2024, with which the debt issue is expected to have been completely resolved.
The telecom regulator in a statement issued and signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, clarified: “The Commission is pleased to announce that the parties have now reached an agreement to resolve all outstanding issues between them. For this reason, and in the exercise of its regulatory powers in that regard, the Commission has put the phased disconnection on hold for a period of 21 (twenty-one) days from today, 17 January 2024.
“Whilst the Commission expects MTN and Glo to resolve all outstanding issues within the 21-day period, the Commission insists that interconnect debts must be settled by all operating companies as a necessary component towards compliance with regulatory obligations of all licensees. It is OBLIGATORY that Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and other licensees in the telecom industry keep to the terms and conditions of their licenses, especially as contained in their interconnection agreements.”
Maida’s confirmation on Tuesday that the telcos had fully resolved the debt imbroglio came as a big relief to millions of their subscribers who, over the past few weeks, had been troubled over the fear of service disconnection within the next few days.
