The Commission

Partial

The <a href="https://consumer.ncc.gov.ng/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nigerian Communications Commission</a>, NCC, has suspended the approval granted to MTN Nigeria to disconnect the services of Nigerian telecommunications company, Globacom from its platform. The suspension was made known in a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs of the NCC, Ruben Muoka. 
According to the statement, the suspension would last for 21 days during which both parties, MTN and Globacom, are expected to resolve all outstanding issues. The initial disconnection was supposed to commence on Thursday, January 18. 
“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,” the NCC statement reads in part. 
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<h4 id="mtn-globacom-disconnection-tussle" data-beyondwords-marker="5cb7403d-97d3-40c9-9d0f-093fc4ef1b0f">MTN/Globacom disconnection tussle</h4> 
Recall that on January 8, 2024, the Nigerian Communications Commission published a <a href="https://technext24.com/2024/01/08/mtn-partial-disconnection-globacom-debts/" data-type="post" data-id="224315">Pre-Disconnection Notice</a> informing subscribers of the approval granted to MTN Nigerian Communications Plc. (MTN) to commence the phased disconnection of Globacom Limited (Glo) with effect from January 18. This was due to a long-standing interconnection debt dispute between the parties. 
According to the notice, the partial disconnection of Globacom to MTN is approved by the Commission under Section 100 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, and Paragraph 9 of the Guidelines on Procedure for Granting Approval to Disconnect Telecommunications Operators, 2012. 
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 “At the expiration of 10 days from January 8, 2024, subscribers of Globacom will no longer be able to make calls to MTN but will be able to receive calls. The Partial Disconnection, however, will allow in-bound calls to the Globacom network,” the statement stated.
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NCC stated that this disconnection will subsist until otherwise determined by it. 
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In the suspension notice seen by Technext, the NCC said that in granting the disconnection approval, it 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. 
“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,” the NCC said. 
The Commission also warned that 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

NCC suspends January 18 disconnection of Globacom services by MTN for 21 days

Technext.ng

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