Mobile telecommunications giant MTN Nigeria Communications Limited will on Saturday pay N175 worth of airtime to each of its 15 million subscribers as compensation for the pains they suffered as a result of congestion on its network during the month of January, 2008.
The payment is sequel to an order by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), the regulatory body of all the telecommunication companies, which said any service provider whose level of congestion is more than 10 per cent in a month would be compelled to pay N175 each to subscribers as compensation.
Though MTN Nigeria had taken NCC to court over the interpretation of what is meant by congestion on the network, a Court of Appeal in Lagos earlier in the year ruled that the service providers are under obligation to obey NCC on the matter of compensation. The fine, which took effect from January, 2008, would be paid by two of the major telecoms service pro
viders, MTN Nigeria and Celtel. The networks have 15 million and 10 million subscribers respectively. Celtel has not yet said whether it would pay its subscribers the compensation. Last week, MTN Nigeria placed advertisements in some national newspapers, stating its readiness to pay the compensation.
The telecoms company followed up on the advertisement with text messages sent to its subscribers yesterday, saying it would credit the accounts of the 15 million customers by N175 each on Saturday.
The text message read, “You will receive free N175 airtime on 7th June. This is MTN�s way of showing you appreciation for your support and loyalty. Do enjoy it at your leisure. Thank you!”
A source at the NCC told Daily Trust last night that the compensation MTN has promised to pay this weekend is for the congestion on its network in the month of January, and that NCC would continue to evaluate the telecommunication companies.
If they are found wanting again, they would be asked to pay further compensation to their subscribers. “The text message is for the January congestion on MTN network, which they had contested at the Court of Appeal,” the source said.
“But that is not the end of it. NCC will continue to monitor the congestion level on their network and if the level is more than 10 percent, they will still be asked to compensate subscribers.”
MTN Nigeria had said in January that the congestion on its network was as a result of several challenges they faced, including insecurity, and that it was putting in place measures to improve its services to Nigerian subscribers.