NCC Suspends Barring of Glo Subscribers From Calling MTN lines

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has stopped its intended suspension of Glo subscribers from calling MTN lines for 21 days.

The NCC revealed this development in a statement on Thursday, signed by Reuben Mouka, its Director of Public Affairs, as a follow-up to its Pre-Disconnection Notice issued on January 8, 2024.

In the first notice, the commission approved MTN Nigerian Communications Plc to initiate the phased disconnection of Globacom Limited, starting on January 18, 2024.
This decision was a result of a prolonged interconnection debt dispute between the two parties.

In extending the announcement, the NCC conveyed, “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.

“Whilst the commission expects MTN and Glo to resolve all outstanding issues within 21 days, 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 acknowledged that its approval for disconnection could have potential repercussions for consumers

In the extended notice, the NCC emphasized that mobile network operators and other licensees in the telecom industry must strictly adhere to the terms and conditions specified in their licenses, particularly as outlined in their interconnection agreements

Earlier on Thursday, the commission announced its intention to guide Globacom subscribers on the subsequent actions after the conclusion of a 10-day grace period for the potential restriction of their lines from calling MTN lines

Muoka said on Wednesday, “We will come out with some information about that. Most likely today, in the next few hours

The interconnect charge represents the amount telecom operators pay each other for calls ending on their respective networks. MTN and Glo have conflicted this fee for an extended period.

In 2019, MTN temporarily disconnected Glo subscribers due to a N4 billion debt. A source close to Glo has confirmed that the telecommunications company has since made the payment

The source told PUNCH Online, “We paid within the window allowed. So, it is surprising that this is happening. We made outstanding payments already.”

The source said, “It has not been resolved. The NCC has waded in, and they are waiting for the resolution. They (MTN) are still waiting for the NCC to tell them what to do. Even, the National Assembly has called the two firms.

“The owing party has paid a substantial part of what they owe. But they are still owing for the interest accrued and VAT remittance

Kanyi Daily recalls that Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had approved MTN’s request to partially disconnect Globacom (Glo) from its network owing to unpaid interconnect charges