The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has announced its intention to put on hold the planned disconnection of Glo lines with MTN lines for three weeks.
In a statement on Thursday, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Mouka, said the commission decided to suspend the action after the telcos agreed to resolve all outstanding issues between them.
NCC claimed it had approved MTN Nigerian Communications Plc. to commence the phased disconnection of Globacom Limited with effect from January 18, 2024, due to a long-standing interconnection debt dispute between the parties.
But, in its latest directive, the regulatory authority retracted its earlier statement stressing that it was suspending the partial disconnection for 21 days with effect from January 18, 2024, because of its potential impacts on consumers.
“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 21 days from today, January 17, 2024.
“In granting the approval, the Commission was deeply conscious of the potential impacts of the decision on consumers and therefore continued to engage both parties to facilitate a resolution which prioritizes and protects consumer interest and the seamless operation of the national telecoms network,” NCC said.
“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.”
NCC further warned all Mobile network operators and other licensees in the telecom industry to ensure strict compliance to the terms and conditions of their licenses as contained in their interconnection